Post by henry14 on Nov 30, 2007 12:51:54 GMT 10
In one of the most bizarre A-League tales of the year, championship-winning Melbourne Victory coach Ernie Merrick has failed to land a job he never applied for at a club he has never heard of.
Merrick, 54, was astonished to learn this week that English League One outfit Port Vale - best known for having pop prince Robbie Williams as a celebrity shareholder - had snubbed him for a position eventually filled by a man who has coached just 14 professional games.
Merrick, who signed a new two-year deal withy the Victory in September, has launched an investigation through his agents Elite Sports Properties in to how his resume found its way to the Staffordshire side currently rooted to the foot of the table and in grave danger of sliding in to English football’s fourth tier.
Aghast at being linked to a club with average gates of 5,000 without ever expressing any desire to quit Australia, it appears Merrick’s profile was hijacked by UK middlemen hoping they could make a quick financial killing by hitching him with a club.
The charade went so far that Merrick was even sent an email from Port Vale, via the shadowy London-based fledgling player agency which attempted to broker a deal, which read, in part, ‘’... thank you so much for your application, but unfortunately you did not make the short-list (of six), very best wishes for the future.''
It was signed by Vale’s chief executive Bill Bratt.
''I'm not interested in any jobs, other than Melbourne Victory,'' a miffed Merrick insisted.
''I love it there and I love Australia. I'm contracted until 2010 and we're in the Asian Champions League.''
''Who are Port Vale? Where are they?''
''If it was Celtic or Chelsea, then I would be interested.''
''Why would I go back to Britain? What a dive. I left that nation 22 years ago and I have no intention of going back. Who’d want to live in that climate?''
''I'd be awfully disappointed by anybody who spreads these rumours and lies about me. This is some sort of joke.’’
But poe-faced Port Vale secretary Bill Lodey, clearly taken in by the ruse, was deadly serious when he said: ‘’He (Ernie) was one of 60 applicants for the position.''
‘’We don’t care whether they are from Australia or Siam, we’re just interested in the best people for the job and we think we got the best applicant.''
‘’I won’t confirm whether he (Merrick) was one of the leading contenders, I don’t think that is right and proper but the fact he was unsuccessful is certainly no reflection on where he is from.’’
Port Vale have yet to reach the top flight in their mainly forgettable 131-year existence and the fact they snubbed Merrick, albeit without his knowledge, shows the extent of recognition for the A-League in mainstream English football culture.
Merrick’s success in winning the A-League Minor Premiership in a canter last season and then guiding Victory to a 6-0 battering of Adelaide United in a Grand Final watched by 55,436 apparently cut little ice with Vale’s bosses.
Instead, the job went to Lee Sinnott, a man whose biggest career accomplishment to date has been to pilot Leeds satellite club Farsley Celtic - not to be confused with the Glasgow version - from the sixth tier of English football to the fifth.
Last season they were part-timers, only turning professional this season when they were promoted to the Blue Square Premiership.
The Victory have been beset by a chronic goal shortage and simmering internal player politics this season.
And Merrick, who was fortunate to avoid the chop when the Victory finished second bottom in he A-League's inaugural season, insists they will still make the finals.
‘’I’m sure of that. We are going in the right direction and will get things right,’’ he declared.
Merrick has always received the unqualified backing of chairman Geoff Lord and Football Operations Manager Gary Cole while some of his contemporaries have not fared so well.
Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC have been ruthless in their dealings with hired hands - the Jets sacked Nick Theodorakopoulos after just seven rounds last season and Branko Culina became the third Sydney coach to depart when he was axed after nine rounds of this campaign, just six months in to his two-year deal.
It seems though that Merrick isn’t going anywhere - least of all Port Vale.
Merrick, 54, was astonished to learn this week that English League One outfit Port Vale - best known for having pop prince Robbie Williams as a celebrity shareholder - had snubbed him for a position eventually filled by a man who has coached just 14 professional games.
Merrick, who signed a new two-year deal withy the Victory in September, has launched an investigation through his agents Elite Sports Properties in to how his resume found its way to the Staffordshire side currently rooted to the foot of the table and in grave danger of sliding in to English football’s fourth tier.
Aghast at being linked to a club with average gates of 5,000 without ever expressing any desire to quit Australia, it appears Merrick’s profile was hijacked by UK middlemen hoping they could make a quick financial killing by hitching him with a club.
The charade went so far that Merrick was even sent an email from Port Vale, via the shadowy London-based fledgling player agency which attempted to broker a deal, which read, in part, ‘’... thank you so much for your application, but unfortunately you did not make the short-list (of six), very best wishes for the future.''
It was signed by Vale’s chief executive Bill Bratt.
''I'm not interested in any jobs, other than Melbourne Victory,'' a miffed Merrick insisted.
''I love it there and I love Australia. I'm contracted until 2010 and we're in the Asian Champions League.''
''Who are Port Vale? Where are they?''
''If it was Celtic or Chelsea, then I would be interested.''
''Why would I go back to Britain? What a dive. I left that nation 22 years ago and I have no intention of going back. Who’d want to live in that climate?''
''I'd be awfully disappointed by anybody who spreads these rumours and lies about me. This is some sort of joke.’’
But poe-faced Port Vale secretary Bill Lodey, clearly taken in by the ruse, was deadly serious when he said: ‘’He (Ernie) was one of 60 applicants for the position.''
‘’We don’t care whether they are from Australia or Siam, we’re just interested in the best people for the job and we think we got the best applicant.''
‘’I won’t confirm whether he (Merrick) was one of the leading contenders, I don’t think that is right and proper but the fact he was unsuccessful is certainly no reflection on where he is from.’’
Port Vale have yet to reach the top flight in their mainly forgettable 131-year existence and the fact they snubbed Merrick, albeit without his knowledge, shows the extent of recognition for the A-League in mainstream English football culture.
Merrick’s success in winning the A-League Minor Premiership in a canter last season and then guiding Victory to a 6-0 battering of Adelaide United in a Grand Final watched by 55,436 apparently cut little ice with Vale’s bosses.
Instead, the job went to Lee Sinnott, a man whose biggest career accomplishment to date has been to pilot Leeds satellite club Farsley Celtic - not to be confused with the Glasgow version - from the sixth tier of English football to the fifth.
Last season they were part-timers, only turning professional this season when they were promoted to the Blue Square Premiership.
The Victory have been beset by a chronic goal shortage and simmering internal player politics this season.
And Merrick, who was fortunate to avoid the chop when the Victory finished second bottom in he A-League's inaugural season, insists they will still make the finals.
‘’I’m sure of that. We are going in the right direction and will get things right,’’ he declared.
Merrick has always received the unqualified backing of chairman Geoff Lord and Football Operations Manager Gary Cole while some of his contemporaries have not fared so well.
Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC have been ruthless in their dealings with hired hands - the Jets sacked Nick Theodorakopoulos after just seven rounds last season and Branko Culina became the third Sydney coach to depart when he was axed after nine rounds of this campaign, just six months in to his two-year deal.
It seems though that Merrick isn’t going anywhere - least of all Port Vale.
I would say, thats pretty emberessing for him ;D
;D 
