Melbourne Victory have announced the appointment of Patrick Kisnorbo as their next head coach, signing him to a three-year deal to the end of the 2026-27 season.
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) June 25, 2024We are pleased to confirm the appointment of Patrick Kisnorbo as the Club’s @aleaguemen Head Coach.
Welcome, PK!
The 43-year-old replaces Tony Popovic, who guided the Victory to a grand final last season and was only minutes away from securing the club's fifth championship.
However, despite Kisnorbo's past success and achievements in the A-League, his appointment has not gone down well with fans in navy blue, with many quickly taking to social media to show their displeasure at the decision.
The Sporting Newslooks at the fan reaction to the coaching announcement, and why it has caused such a stir in Melbourne.
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Why is Patrick Kisnorbo's appointment controversial?
Simply put, Kisnorbo is the most successful coach in the history of their local rivals Melbourne City.
Having first coached the women's and youth sides at the club, he ascended to the top job at the CFG-backed club in 2020 and experienced great success with a strong playing group.
He led the club to their first ever A-League Men trophy, as they won the premiership in 2020-21, and they backed it up by winning the championship, defeating Sydney FC 3-1 in the grand final.
He followed that up with another premiership the season after, but was denied back-to-back championships after a shock defeat in the 2022 grand final to Western United.
In addition to his trophy haul with City, he was also in charge of the club when they inflicted the biggest Melbourne Derby wins in consecutive games, beating the Victory 6-0 and then 7-0, with the latter being the heaviest defeat in the Victory's proud history.
What has the fan reaction been to Patrick Kisnorbo's appointment?
With all that in mind, it's safe to say the reaction from Melbourne Victory fans at the news Kisnorbo is their new coach has been... mixed to say the least.
Upon Popovic's departure at the start of June, Kisnorbo instantly shot to the top of list of new candidates to take the Victory top job, alongside former captain Mark Milligan, and former Central Coast and Hibernian coach Nick Montgomery.
When news emerged late last week of Kisnorbo being the last remaining candidate, some Victory fans made their feelings well known.
— Nathan Jones (@jonzey0) June 22, 2024Be right back
Microwaving my membership. https://t.co/ASunEEl02e
And when the news was officially announced late on Tuesday morning, fans flocked to X, with many expressing criticism of the club's decision to hire Kisnorbo.
One fan called the appointment "tone deaf", saying it had undone much of the positive fan engagement the club has embarked on in recent times.
Tone deaf appointment after a great few years of fan engagement post derby incident. pic.twitter.com/Zk20PhXaZ2
— Nick G (@ghana3032) June 25, 2024
Other fan sentiments were similarly negative:
I despise this board
— ELMXXX (@eamonxmatthews) June 25, 2024
I’ll get in early. #KisnorboOut
— GT937 (@GT937orBust) June 25, 2024
3 year deal, how much? As members we need to know how much mutual termination will cost us. This has disaster written all over it! #kisnorboout
— WorldTraveller (@victoryknight17) June 25, 2024
On the other hand, some fans chose to look at the appointment pragmatically, and believe Kisnorbo was the best appointment for what other coaches were realistically available.
— 🫡🏴 (@Souvla_) June 25, 2024Obviously not happy about it.
However given the context it’s the right appointment. We needed someone who is an experienced coach and a proven winner.
Bonus points for attacking football.
Monty rejected us and popa cracked it and left. Kisnorbo ticks all those boxes. https://t.co/83EEHWRM9o
Unpopular opinion but this is possibly a best case scenario for at the moment, and honestly I’m a fan of PK’s coaching style so I’m intrigued to see what he does with this victory side https://t.co/ukM0KMxyKs
— Kat 🇨🇱🇬🇷 (@katsasso) June 25, 2024
Some neutral observers also weighed in, mostly either making joke comments that Kisnorbo would try to 'destroy the Victory from the inside' given his past with Melbourne City, or pointing out how it would add fuel to an already strong rivalry between the clubs.
Kisnorbo at CFG HQ after guiding Victory to the wooden spoon. pic.twitter.com/nhiLbx87ps
— Neil Sherwin (@neilsherwin) June 25, 2024
can't wait for the next melbourne derby
— ALM (@TheRealALM) June 25, 2024
It will be interesting to see which side of the argument will be vindicated once push comes to shove.
Patrick Kisnorbo coaching career in France and Ligue 1
Kisnorbo departed Melbourne City in late 2022 to take up a notable deal with French Ligue 1 side Troyes, who are also owned by CFG; the appointment made him the first Australian to manage in one of Europe's top five leagues.
Despite winning his first game in charge, his tenure was an unmitigated disaster, as Troyes were relegated at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Things didn't improve in Ligue 2, with Kisnorbo's side winning just two of their 15 games and dropping into the relegation zone.
Protests against his management soon emerged from fans, and he departed the club in November last year; Troyes would end up suffering yet another relegation at the end of the 2023-24 season.
