The only foreigner Victory has this year who can be ranked alongside men such as Castro and Ninkovic is captain and star striker Ola Toivonen, and he was signed by Kevin Muscat a year before Kurz came along. There is still plenty of debate as to who actually sanctioned the signings of the disappointing Kristijan Dobras and Jakob Poulsen, the perennially injured Tim Hoogland and the worthy but dull Migjen Basha. Kurz only arrived at the end of June so did not have a great deal of time to scout players and make decisions. When I asked the club about this when it became clear that one of the reasons Victory were struggling because they were getting little of substance from their imports I was told that a combination of people were involved in scouting and recruiting: football manager Paul Trimboli, the key executives at the club (who have to monitor costs and spending), technical director Drew Sherman, the board (where marquee players and high earners are involved) and the coach. Could Tim Hoogland have made a difference had he been available more? Credit:Getty Images

The coach, I was told, had the final say. So whether they were his first choices, whether or not he had sought them out, the buck in the end stopped with Kurz. Would things have been different if Hoogland, a centre-back with years of Bundesliga and European club competition experience, had been available? It's impossible to say and while Victory would undoubtedly have been tighter at the back their defence was not their biggest problem under Kurz. They conceded 18 goals in his 13 games and only three clubs in the competition (all in the top four) have shipped fewer than Victory. Halfway through the season Hoogland has only made two appearances for a total of 116 minutes and is still unfit. He at least has injury as an excuse.

It's fair to say that the performances of Poulsen and Dobras have been underwhelming. Poulsen arrived with a great pedigree, having played in top leagues in his native Denmark, the Netherlands and France as well as for his national team in the 2010 World Cup. But like many veteran Europeans (he is 36) he hasn't fired in the A-League. There could be many factors, but most likely his age, the fact that he is playing on much harder grounds than he is used to, the physicality and running required in the game style here and the very hot and demanding conditions have all taken their toll. And the travel is an often-underestimated factor. Bar away games against other teams from the same city, every away game is a demanding logistical exercise. For Melbourne teams it's always a flight, minimum of an hour (plus waiting around time at airports), and its basically a three-day commitment: travel the day before, play, and then travel the day after.

Dobras has made eight appearances for Victory and scored two goals. He was also sent off in the draw with Wellington and copped a suspension as a result and is expected to leave the club to make way for Marco Rojas, the New Zealand winger and former Victory star who is set to join. He was signed to be the club's key attacking midfielder, the ''number 10'' but the reality is that when he has been involved he has delivered little aside from those two goals. Basha has been serviceable, and the fact that he only arrived in Australia three days before the season started hindered his ability to gel with teammates, but he is starting to make a contribution. Given his previous performances in navy blue (including winning a Johnny Warren medal) Rojas should make a difference. It will be too late for Kurz, but perhaps new boss Carlos Salvachua will be the beneficiary.