Tough week for Graham Arnold. A couple of losses, and a cacophony of chatter about his coaching credentials. His crime? Coaching for results. Seemingly a hanging offence. When are we going to grow up?

Like every coach in the league, Arnold's tactics, team selections, recruitment strategy, sideline manner, substitutions, media comments, dress sense, haircut and every other fine detail comes under relentless, searing, scrutiny. Such is the way of coaching in professional sport these days. If you can't stand the heat, don't sign up. It goes with the territory.

These are the grey areas which feed the beast of public opinion. And what a beast it is. Voracious, vicious, vindictive. Rarely balanced, or informed. It's difficult for coaches to cut through the noise. They can't do much about perceptions. A couple of hundred thousand park footballers across Australia are convinced they know better.

So instead of focusing on what they can't control, professional coaches put their energy into something they can influence – results. It's always been the benchmark. The line in the sand of a constantly shifting landscape. But now the earth is shifting again. It's not enough to win games, it's more important to win the PR battle. Which proves just how immature the A-League still is.