Ernie Merrick
Encyclopedia
Ernest 'Ernie' Merrick is the Scottish
former head coach for the Australia
n A-League football (soccer)
team, Melbourne Victory
.
in 2005/06, the club failed to live up to its championship aspirations. With Socceroos Archie Thompson
and Kevin Muscat
in the squad, and the experience of 2 European internationals in Geoffrey Claeys
and Richard Kitzbichler
, expectations from the Melbourne fans were high. But they were left disappointed when the club finished the season 7th out of the 8 teams. After a promising start which saw them 1st after round 8, when they beat eventual champions Sydney FC
5-0, the team then won only 3 of the last 13 games.
During the second season, The Victory won the 2006-07 A-League Premiership, 12 points clear of second placed Adelaide United. Melbourne
faced Adelaide in the A-League Grand Final at the Telstra Dome on 18 February, winning the match 6-0 with Archie Thompson
scoring an incredible five goals.
The 2007-2008 season was a return to the disappointment of Merrick's first year in charge however, with the team finishing outside the Top 4 spots and thus failing to progress to the Finals Series.
Melbourne Victory finished second in the group phase of the 2008 Asian Champions League. Gamba Osaka won the group and went on to win the Asian Champion's league.
In the 2008-2009 season, Melbourne Victory won the treble; the Pre-Season Cup, the Premiership and the Grand Final. In the Grand Final, Victory defeated Adelaide United 1-0 to secure their second championship under Ernie Merrick's coaching.
During the 2009-2010 season, The Victory, despite severe season-ending knee injuries to key players, Billy Celeski, Matthew Kemp and star striker Archie Thompson once again reached the Grand Final. Sydney took out the title after extra time on penalties. Kevin Muscat and Marvin Angulo missed their penalty kicks, allowing Sydney to take out the championship.
On March 12th of 2011, Ernie Merrick was sacked from his post at Melbourne Victory. The board of Melbourne Victory stated that they were unhappy with Victory's season and the 5-1 defeat by Gamba Osaka in Japan in the opening match of the Asian Champions League. The Chairman of Melbourne Victory, Anthony Di Pietro, said "Our club sets extremely high standards and we are disappointed with the results of the recent A-League season and also our start to the Champions League campaign" and that "Our intent is to continue to be the benchmark club in the A-League. We wish to be successful in Asia and believe this decision will assist in taking us to that level.
Ernie Merrick was awarded coach of the year in 2007 and again in 2010.
: A-League Championship: 2006-2007
, 2008-2009
A-League Premiership: 2006-2007
, 2008-2009
Personal Honours:
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
former head coach for the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n A-League football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team, Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
.
Melbourne Victory
In his first season at Melbourne VictoryMelbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
in 2005/06, the club failed to live up to its championship aspirations. With Socceroos Archie Thompson
Archie Thompson
Archibald Gerald Thompson is a New Zealand-born Australian professional football player, currently playing for Melbourne Victory in the Hyundai A-League, where he holds the League all time scoring record...
and Kevin Muscat
Kevin Muscat
Kevin Muscat is an Australian football player who currently plays for Victorian State League Division 1 side Sunshine George Cross and is assistant coach of Melbourne Victory...
in the squad, and the experience of 2 European internationals in Geoffrey Claeys
Geoffrey Claeys
Geoffrey Claeys is a football player who last played for Melbourne Victory in the A-League as a central Defender....
and Richard Kitzbichler
Richard Kitzbichler
Richard Kitzbichler is an Austrian football player.-Career:Richard Kitzbichler started his career in 1992 with FC Wacker Innsbruck in the Austrian Bundesliga. In 1997 Kitzbichler signed a contract with SV Austria Salzburg and stayed there until 2002...
, expectations from the Melbourne fans were high. But they were left disappointed when the club finished the season 7th out of the 8 teams. After a promising start which saw them 1st after round 8, when they beat eventual champions Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
5-0, the team then won only 3 of the last 13 games.
During the second season, The Victory won the 2006-07 A-League Premiership, 12 points clear of second placed Adelaide United. Melbourne
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
faced Adelaide in the A-League Grand Final at the Telstra Dome on 18 February, winning the match 6-0 with Archie Thompson
Archie Thompson
Archibald Gerald Thompson is a New Zealand-born Australian professional football player, currently playing for Melbourne Victory in the Hyundai A-League, where he holds the League all time scoring record...
scoring an incredible five goals.
The 2007-2008 season was a return to the disappointment of Merrick's first year in charge however, with the team finishing outside the Top 4 spots and thus failing to progress to the Finals Series.
Melbourne Victory finished second in the group phase of the 2008 Asian Champions League. Gamba Osaka won the group and went on to win the Asian Champion's league.
In the 2008-2009 season, Melbourne Victory won the treble; the Pre-Season Cup, the Premiership and the Grand Final. In the Grand Final, Victory defeated Adelaide United 1-0 to secure their second championship under Ernie Merrick's coaching.
During the 2009-2010 season, The Victory, despite severe season-ending knee injuries to key players, Billy Celeski, Matthew Kemp and star striker Archie Thompson once again reached the Grand Final. Sydney took out the title after extra time on penalties. Kevin Muscat and Marvin Angulo missed their penalty kicks, allowing Sydney to take out the championship.
On March 12th of 2011, Ernie Merrick was sacked from his post at Melbourne Victory. The board of Melbourne Victory stated that they were unhappy with Victory's season and the 5-1 defeat by Gamba Osaka in Japan in the opening match of the Asian Champions League. The Chairman of Melbourne Victory, Anthony Di Pietro, said "Our club sets extremely high standards and we are disappointed with the results of the recent A-League season and also our start to the Champions League campaign" and that "Our intent is to continue to be the benchmark club in the A-League. We wish to be successful in Asia and believe this decision will assist in taking us to that level.
Ernie Merrick was awarded coach of the year in 2007 and again in 2010.
Manager
With Melbourne VictoryMelbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
: A-League Championship: 2006-2007
A-League 2006-07
The 2006–07 A-League season was the second season of the Australian football competition, the A-League. Football Federation Australia hoped to build on the success of the first season and on the interest generated by the Socceroos competing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup...
, 2008-2009
A-League 2008-09
The 2008–09 A-League season was the fourth season of the Australasian A-League association football competition. Two new clubs, North Queensland Thunder and Gold Coast Galaxy had received tentative licences from the FFA but these were revoked for the 2008–09 season on 12 March 2008. Expansion...
A-League Premiership: 2006-2007
A-League 2006-07
The 2006–07 A-League season was the second season of the Australian football competition, the A-League. Football Federation Australia hoped to build on the success of the first season and on the interest generated by the Socceroos competing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup...
, 2008-2009
A-League 2008-09
The 2008–09 A-League season was the fourth season of the Australasian A-League association football competition. Two new clubs, North Queensland Thunder and Gold Coast Galaxy had received tentative licences from the FFA but these were revoked for the 2008–09 season on 12 March 2008. Expansion...
Personal Honours:
- A-LeagueA-LeagueThe A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
Coach of the Year: 2006-2007A-League 2006-07The 2006–07 A-League season was the second season of the Australian football competition, the A-League. Football Federation Australia hoped to build on the success of the first season and on the interest generated by the Socceroos competing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup...
, 2009-10