Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat yearns for some stability in his line-up. He should have a chat with Phil Moss, coach of Victory's round 18 rival on Saturday evening, the Central Coast Mariners.

Victory has, undoubtedly, faced some disruption in recent weeks, chiefly with the departure of midfielder Mitch Nichols to J-League side Cerezo Osaka. Muscat has also had to deal with the injuries to captain Mark Milligan and Kosta Barbarouses, and the suspensions of Adrian Leijer, Pablo Contreras and Adama Traore, which have forced him to shuffle his defensive line-up almost on a weekly basis.

But that's nothing compared with the upheaval in Gosford, almost an annual event.

It's a price the Mariners, reigning A-League champions and perhaps the most consistent club in the competition's nine-year existence, seem to face every January in the transfer window as its best players are picked by Asian or European clubs, forcing the coach to quickly sign replacements.

The Mariners lost star midfielder Michael McGlinchey just after Christmas and last week striker Daniel McBreen went to China and centre-half Trent Sainsbury left to join Dutch Eredivisie side PEC Zwolle.