WHO would be an A-League coach?
The pressure-cooker environment in which they exist is no better illustrated than by the fact that the currentlongest-serving coach, Western Sydney's Tony Popovic, belongs to a club that didn't even exist before the start of last season.
Seven of the competition's 10 coaches started their tenure at their club either at the beginning of or during this season. This means, if history is any guide, that the A-League title race is down to a race of three.
Taking out the obvious exception of the inaugural season, only once in the A-League's nine-season history has a team won the championship led by a coach in his first season at the club.
Vitezslav Lavicka won the title with Sydney FC in 2009-10 during his first season.
But considering the Czech went on to become the club's longest-serving coach and that the Sky Blues have had eight coaches in nine seasons you could also argue its title championship came during its most settled period.
Time is always at a premium for coaches.
Two, Melbourne Heart's John Aloisi and Newcastle's Gary van Egmond, have been sacked in the past five weeks.
Wanderers boss Tony Popovic is the A-League’s longest-serving coach.Source: Getty Images
Another, Frank Farina one of the best coaches this country has produced, has been under immense pressureall season despite taking the Sydney job part way through last season.
While Not even Melbourne Victory legend Kevin Muscat has escaped the heat, even though he wasunexpectedly shunted in to the job three rounds in to the season after Ange Postecoglou was hired by the Socceroos.
Keyboard warriors certainly didn't miss Muscat on Facebook, Twitter and various online forums after Victory's 5-0 capitulation at home to Sydney last week, calling for his immediate removal despite having coached just 16 games.
But in this league's case, pulling the trigger only seems to shift the problem on to somebody else and invariably moves a club further away from championship success.
There is no quick fix.
Clayton Zane replaced the sacked Gary van Egmond at the Jets.Source: News Limited
Ernie Merrick was in his second season when he coached Melbourne to the 2006-07 title, as was van Egmond at the Jets the following year and Postecoglou at Brisbane in 2010-11.
It is no surprise that Merrick's Victory (2008-09) and Postecoglou's Roar (2011-12) went on to win more titles under their tutelage, while Graham Arnold got a deserved win at Central Coast last year after three highly successful seasons in charge.
Each of those coaches were given the time to recruit the players they wanted and to implement the playing style and system they desired.
Coach John Aloisi paid the price for Melbourne Heart’s winless run.Source: Getty Images
The continuity at those three clubs bred familiarity among their respective players playing groups and produced consistency of results rarely seen otherwise in the A-League.
Mike Mulvey had a difficult time to start at Brisbane last season, but now has at his disposal the clear championship favourites.
And despite enduring a small mid-season dip, Popovic's Wanderers are seemingly Brisbane's greatest challengers.
Mulvey and Popovic have done the hard yards with their clubs.
Either would be deserving should they lift the A-League trophy come May 4.
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