Melbourne Heart coach John Aloisi secure for now
Melbourne Heart chief executive Scott Munn says under-fire coach John Aloisi’s job is secure – at least for now.
The Heart sit bottom of the A-League table after their fifth straight loss, 3-1 to Newcastle on Sunday.
They have gone 12 matches without a win, including five defeats to end last season.
But Munn said it would be unfair to single out the second-season coach.
“We are all in this to achieve success,” Munn told AAP on Monday.
“Whilst John as the head coach is clearly the face of that, we all have a role to play, whether it be me, the football department as a whole, the board, we all have a role to play and we all take responsibility.”
Munn said Aloisi remained firmly entrenched in the job and the club was giving him all the support they could.
But asked if that stance would continue if the losses kept mounting in coming weeks, he was less firm.
“I’m not going to speculate into the future,” Munn said.
“Our focus is this Sunday (against Adelaide at AAMI Park) and John working hard with the team this week.”
Munn said the Heart had been unlucky with injuries early this season.
Captain Harry Kewell hasn’t played since round one, first because of whiplash and then an ankle injury, although he’s expected to return against Adelaide.
Central defender Patrick Kisnorbo returned on Sunday after missing three games with a knee injury.
And marquee signing Orlando Engelaar hasn’t played after breaking a leg in the pre-season.
Munn said the returns of experienced pair Kisnorbo and Kewell were important and he was confident the Heart could still make something of their season.
“Absolutely. Clearly it is a big game this week,” he said.
“Adelaide have had a tough couple of weeks as well … we think we’ve got a squad that is good enough to certainly get three points.”