On a Springsteen hampered pitch, Melbourne was treated to two absolute treats of A-League football in as many days.

Whilst you can't go past the seven-goal thriller between Melbourne Victory and Adelaide for drama, the more telling result was Heart's courageous 1-0 win over Brisbane.

The utterly anodyne, emotion-drainingly bad #HeartBelieve may be one of the worst marketing gimmicks of A-League history, but for those who stood faithful throughout a record-breaking 19-game winless streak, this was a result to soothe the soul.

When bottom beats top, in any league, it's always a talking point. But when bottom beats top, and outplays them? That is something special.

When debutant club West Sydney Wanderers charged to the premiership last season, the greatest fairytale of the A-League's brief history was written. But should Melbourne Heart make an unexpected finals appearance – or heaven forbid: go even further – a new ballad shall be sung.

Yes, the return from injury of marquee signing Orlando Engelaar and the news of the Manchester City-led takeover have brightened the spirits in recent times. But like West Sydney Wanderers before them, this was a quiet revolution a long-time in the coming.

When Tony Popovic came to West Sydney he brought a clear footballing philosophy and a consistent tactical system. In 49 games the former Socceroo has not deviated from his 4-2-3-1 formation, and the defensive stability and well-considered press have been consistent across both seasons.

Forgotten in the remarkable 10-win straight run of last summer though is the fact that the Wanderers lost five of their first nine games. To build a system, a culture, to impart a footballing philosophy takes time.

Looking at the A-League in 2014 a notable trend becomes evident – those that have undergone this rebuilding process are beginning to reap the rewards.

A-League form in 2014 Team W D L Pts Melb Heart 5 2 1 17 Wellington 5 1 2 16 Adelaide 4 2 2 14 Brisbane 3 2 3 11 West Syd 3 2 3 11 Melb Vic 3 2 3 11 Sydney FC 3 1 4 10 CCM 2 2 4 8 Perth Glory 2 2 4 8 Newcastle 1 2 5 5

Josep Gombau (now infamously) came in for some local stick when his Reds side went winless for eight games. Critically the players and the fans bought in to the former Barcelona youth coach's vision, and following their cathartic 4-0 drubbing of Central Coast Mariners the Reds galloped to win six from 10.

Ernie Merrick's Wellington revolution similarly had in inauspicious start – no wins from 10 was followed by seven wins from 10, triggered to a large degree by a tactical tweak in Round 11.

The foundations of these revivals however were laid in the off-season; in thousands of hours of training, in hundreds of hours of watching DVDs and talking tactics.

And while football is a contest of varying tactical systems and philosophies, it is no coincidence that Melbourne Heart, Wellington and Adelaide have in common a 4-3-3 formation built on possession-based football and an attacking mentality.

As an inaugural coach of a new club, John van 't Schip has in his favour that he was able to bed in a new philosophy and tactical system over two seasons. The speed with which he's been able to turn around a faltering team relies to a large extent on this earlier work.

Looking at the 2014 form therefore you have a top six that all possess clear footballing philosophies and well thought through tactical systems.

This alone will not guarantee you success. Injuries to key personnel, 93rd minute jagged goals, harsh red cards and dubious penalties can all turn games and see deserving teams lose.

But if there are fair rewards to be had this season then those that have had the foresight and patience to rebuild will seize their finals opportunity.