You know a team is in poor form when they’re outplayed by Melbourne Heart. The reaction to Melbourne’s scoreless derby said it all, with Victory defender Matthew Foschini labelling his side’s performance “a disgrace,” while Heart coach John van’t Schip preferred to talk his team up.

21-year old defender Foschini offered a glimpse at the way Victory players view themselves in a revealing post-match press conference.

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“We’re the biggest club in Australia and if we’re going to go out there, and give that to our fans, it’s a disgrace to be honest,” said Foschini.

Biggest club in Australia? A disgrace? Really?

I’m no sports psychologist but I wonder if statements like that don’t heap even more pressure on beleaguered coach Mehmet Durakovic.

The way Victory are playing, it seems many of their players firmly believe this “biggest club” hype.

And Durakovic appears to lack the authority to put a stop to the idle chatter and get his team playing some intelligent, cohesive football.

Durakovic blamed a lack of match fitness for star man Harry Kewell’s inability to influence proceedings and asked for patience to let his team’s structure take effect.



Conversely, Heart coach John van’t Schip preferred to dwell on the positives from a derby largely dominated by his side.

“There were a lot of positive things we could take out,” van’t Schip said after the game.

“The spirit was really good, the first half we were dominating, creating chances. But we didn’t finish them,” he added.

Van’t Schip’s reaction was more upbeat than his pre-game prognosis, with the Dutchman admitting his side could ill-afford to lose to their city rivals.

They didn’t – so why should one side label their performance “a disgrace” and the other claim there were “positive things” to take out of what was a relatively evenly contested affair?

Goalkeeper Ante Covic was certainly one of Victory’s best, but on the whole it seems far too early for panic, so I’m not sure Foschini labelling his team’s performance “a disgrace” will do anything to take the media scrutiny off Durakovic.

Mind you, Brisbane Roar coach Ange Postecoglou claimed it “wasn’t a great performance” from his side after the Roar outmuscled Gold Coast United 3-0 on Friday night.

Yet, perhaps the most obvious difference between the Roar and both Victory and Heart was Brisbane’s ability to convert their chances.



Erik Paartalu, impressive Albanian recruit Besart Berisha and Mitch Nichols all buried chances in the win over Gold Coast, with Brisbane’s cutting edge arguably a product of their 31-game unbeaten streak.

It’s no surprise Postecoglou looks relaxed in post-match press conferences, but that aura of composure invariably filters down to his players.

It’s an art form his former South Melbourne team-mate Durakovic is yet to master and the sooner Victory win, the sooner questions will cease about the former Socceroo’s future in the role.

Right now, Melbourne Victory are down on confidence and looking for some leadership and that’s something Durakovic needs to deliver as quickly as possible.

Because with Brisbane Roar and Perth Glory no doubt looking down with glee as Australia’s self-proclaimed “biggest club” flounder, the pressure won’t disappear any time soon for a restive and seemingly rudderless Melbourne Victory.