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Melbourne Victory

2010–11 season
Manager	Ernie Merrick Mehmet Durakovic (caretaker)
A-League	5th
Finals	Qualified
AFC Champions League	Qualified
Top goalscorer	Robbie Kruse - 11
Highest home attendance	32,231 v Melbourne Heart (22 Jan 2011)
Lowest home attendance	10,287 v Gold Coast United (30 Jan 2011)
Home colours Away colours
← 2009–102011–12 →

The 2010–11 season was Melbourne Victory's sixth season in the Hyundai A-League. It was the first A-League season with two teams from the same city, after the introduction of Melbourne Heart.

Season summary

The 2010–11 season was Melbourne Victory's sixth in the A-League. It was the first A-League season with a second club from Victoria (Melbourne Heart). This hoped to create a Melbourne derby more fierce than those with Sydney FC and Adelaide United. The rivalry reached a new level when Victory skipper Kevin Muscat was red carded for an unacceptable tackle on young Heart player Adrian Zahra. Victory moved their home games to AAMI Park for regular season matches. Melbourne Victory started their pre-season by signing former Socceroos keeper Michael Petkovic from Sivasspor, promoted Diogo Ferreira, Petar Franjic and Sebastian Mattei from the youth team and with Archie Thompson sidelined with a long term injury, Ricardinho was officially unveiled as Melbourne Victory's international marquee player from Oeste Futebol Clube, where he signed a two-year deal and was handed the number 9 shirt. Victory also loaned Geoff Kellaway from Victorian Premier League Premier Dandenong Thunder. On 24 December 2010, Daniel Allsopp rejoined Victory after a year with Al-Rayyan Sports Club and D.C. United.

Meanwhile, promising goalkeeper Mitch Langerak was transferred to Borussia Dortmund after his impressive 2010 AFC Champions League performance. goalkeeper Glen Moss was also transferred to Gold Coast United and attacking midfielder Nick Ward to Wellington Phoenix. Nathan Elasi was released to Bonnyrigg White Eagles and Mathew Theodore was released to Dandenong Thunder.

2010–11 saw Melbourne Victory finish in fifth place in the regular season and qualify for the finals to face fourth placed Gold Coast United in the first week knockout stage. On 20 February 2011, Gold Coast United's Dino Djulbic 90+1 header bundled Melbourne Victory out of the championship race with a stunning 1–0 win in sweltering conditions at Skilled Park.

Melbourne Victory were drawn into Group E in the 2011 AFC Champions League along with Jeju United, Gamba Osaka and sister city team Tianjin Teda. Isaka Cernak had been signed from North Queensland Fury for the 2011 AFC Champions League and the following season.

Towards the end of the 2010–11 A-League season was preceded by major changes at the club, not only in the playing group but also on the board. Inaugural chairman Geoff Lord stepped down and was replaced by Anthony Di Pietro. This led to a changing of the coaching staff. On 12 March 2011, Ernie Merrick came to an agreement with the board of directors to part company with the club after being publicly criticised by fans and media for the club's poor 2010–11 season performance, especially the 4–1 loss to arch rival Adelaide United, and the 5–1 loss to Gamba Osaka in its opening 2011 AFC Champions League game. Youth team head coach and former Socceroo Mehmet Durakovic was then appointed as caretaker manager for the remaining 2011 AFC Champions League competition. Merrick's sacking was followed by that of former Socceroos striker Gary Cole on 12 April 2011 as Football Operation Manager after six years of service. Assistant coach Aaron Healey joined the casualty list of the post-Merrick era the following week, as the club sought to reinvent itself as the pre-eminent football force in Australia. Captain Kevin Muscat announced his retirement after the 2011 AFC Champions League.

Many changes were made to the playing group in the off-season. The club announced on 8 February 2011 that they had signed Perth Glory goalkeeper Tando Velaphi on a two-year deal. On 28 February 2011, it was announced that Mate Dugandžić strengthened the rivalry between the two Melbourne clubs by signing for cross town rival Melbourne Heart and became the first player transferred directly from Victory to Heart. Aziz Behich and Kristian Sarkies were the first two players to play for both teams but not transferred directly as Aziz Behich played for Hume City FC after Victory and before Heart during the A-League off-season while Kristian Sarkies transferred via Adelaide United. The club ended weeks of speculation on 11 March 2011 by officially confirming that they had signed attacking midfielder Marco Rojas for the upcoming season, securing him on a two-year deal. Ricardinho was not selected as one of the five foreign imports for Melbourne's 2011 AFC Champions League campaign, and as a result was loaned to Campeonato Brasileiro Série B club Paraná Clube until 31 December 2011. On 26 March 2011, Socceroos striker Robbie Kruse announced he had signed with 2. Bundesliga side Fortuna Düsseldorf on a three-year contract beginning with the 2011–12 season. The club announced the signing of Jean Carlos Solorzano from Brisbane Roar on 28 March 2011, with L.D. Alajuelense extending his loan deal for one more season so that the move could take place.

Players

First team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  AUS Michael Petkovic 2 DF  AUS Kevin Muscat (Captain) 3 MF  AUS Mate Dugandžić (Youth) 4 DF  AUS Petar Franjic (Youth) 5 DF  THA Surat Sukha 6 MF  AUS Leigh Broxham 7 DF  AUS Matthew Kemp 8 MF  SCO Grant Brebner 9 FW  BRA Ricardinho (Marquee) 10 FW  AUS Archie Thompson (Australian Marquee) 11 MF  CRC Marvin Angulo (on loan from CS Herediano) 12 DF  AUS Rodrigo Vargas

No. Pos. Nation Player 13 MF  AUS Diogo Ferreira (Youth) 14 MF  AUS Billy Celeski 15 MF  AUS Tom Pondeljak 16 MF  CRC Carlos Hernández 17 DF  AUS Matthew Foschini (Youth) 18 FW  AUS Danny Allsopp 19 DF  AUS Evan Berger 20 GK  AUS Sebastian Mattei (Youth) 21 FW  AUS Robbie Kruse 23 DF  AUS Adrian Leijer (Vice Captain) 27 MF  WAL Geoff Kellaway

Transfers

Winter

In

Player	From	League	Fee	Date
Diogo Ferreira	Melbourne Victory – Youth	National Youth League	Free	April 2010
Petar Franjic	Melbourne Victory – Youth	National Youth League	Free	April 2010
Michael Petkovic	Sivasspor	Süper Lig	Free	June 2010
Sebastian Mattei	Melbourne Victory – Youth	National Youth League	Free	July 2010
Geoff Kellaway	Dandenong Thunder	Victorian Premier League	Loan	August 2010
Ricardinho	Oeste Futebol Clube	Campeonato Brasileiro Série D	Not disclosed	August 2010
Danny Allsopp	D.C. United	Major League Soccer	Free	December 2010

Out

Player	To	League	Fee	Date
Mitchell Langerak	Borussia Dortmund	Fußball-Bundesliga	Not disclosed	May 2010
Nathan Elasi	Bonnyrigg White Eagles	NSW Premier League	Released	May 2010
Mathew Theodore	Altona Magic	Victorian Premier League	Released	May 2010
Nik Mrdja	Central Coast Mariners	A-League	End of Loan	May 2010
Glen Moss	Gold Coast United	A-League	Free	July 2010
Nick Ward	Wellington Phoenix	A-League	Free	August 2010

Summer

In

Player	From	League	Fee	Date
Tando Velaphi	Perth Glory	A-league	Free	March 2011
Isaka Cernak	North Queensland Fury	A-league	Free	March 2011
Marco Rojas	Wellington Phoenix	A-league	Free	March 2011

Out

Player	To	League	Fee	Date
Mate Dugandzic	Melbourne Heart	A-League	Free	March 2011
Evan Berger	Perth Glory	A-League	Free	March 2011

Managerial and captain changes

Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment	Time
Ernie Merrick	Sacked	12 March 2011	5th (10–11)	Mehmet Durakovic (caretaker)	12 March 2011	GF week

Previous captain	Manner of change hand	Date of change hand	New captain	Date of appointment	Time
Kevin Muscat	Resigned as captain	16 February 2011	Adrian Leijer	16 February 2011	Regular season

Matches

2010–11 Pre-season friendlies

6 July 2010	Melbourne Victory	2–1	Bentleigh Greens	Olympic Park, Melbourne
	Pondeljak 21' O'Dea 75'	Report	85' Crenich	Attendance: 16,019

16 July 2010	Melbourne Victory	0–1	Boca Juniors	Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
		Report	42' Canete	Attendance: 13,020

20 July 2010	Melbourne Victory	2–1	Dandenong Thunder	Olympic Park, Melbourne
	Pondeljak 75' Celeski 89'	Report	50' Reed

25 July 2010	Melbourne Victory	0–0	Central Coast Mariners	Aurora Stadium, Launceston
		Report

2010–11 Hyundai A-League fixtures

7 August 2010	Sydney FC	3–3	Melbourne Victory	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Saturday 20:00 EST	A. Brosque 36' McFlynn 53' Cole 86'	Report Summary	Broxham 66' Dugandžić 68' Celeski 73'	Attendance: 12,106 Referee: Matthew Breeze

14 August 2010	Melbourne Victory	0–2	Perth Glory	AAMI Park, Melbourne
Saturday 19:30 EST		Report Summary	Harnwell 23' Sterjovski 49'	Attendance: 20,358 Referee: Gerard Parsons

22 August 2010	Melbourne Victory	2–2	North Queensland Fury	AAMI Park, Melbourne
Sunday 15:00 EST	K. Muscat 30' (pen.), 75' (pen.)	Report Summary	Sseppuya 16' Grossman  30' Akoto  81' Payne 82' (pen.)	Attendance: 13,318 Referee: Chris Boyle

29 August 2010	Gold Coast United	0–1	Melbourne Victory	Skilled Park, Gold Coast
Sunday 15:00 EST		Report Summary	Kruse 20'	Attendance: 3,624 Referee: Ben Williams

3 September 2010	Central Coast Mariners	2–0	Melbourne Victory	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Friday 20:00 EST	Rostyn Griffiths 21' McBreen 50'	Report Summary		Attendance: 6,829 Referee: Chris Beath

12 September 2010	Melbourne Victory	3–0	Brisbane Roar	AAMI Park, Melbourne
Sunday 15:00 EST	Pondeljak 51' Ricardinho 56' Brebner 71'	Report Summary		Attendance: 13,792 Referee: Ryan Shepheard

15 September 2010	Melbourne Victory	0–0	Wellington Phoenix	AAMI Park, Melbourne
Wednesday 19:30 EST		Report Summary		Attendance: 11,513 Referee: Ben Williams

18 September 2010	North Queensland Fury	0–0	Melbourne Victory	Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville
Saturday 17:15 EST		Report Summary		Attendance: 4,922 Referee: Chris Beath

25 September 2010	Newcastle Jets	0–0	Melbourne Victory	EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
Saturday 19:30 EST		Report Summary		Attendance: 8,652 Referee: Chris Beath

8 October 2010	Melbourne Heart	2–1	Melbourne Victory	AAMI Park, Melbourne
Friday 19:30 EDT	Aloisi 11' Alex 48' Behich  48'  74'	Report Summary	Kruse 37'	Attendance: 25,897 Referee: Ben Williams

16 October 2010	Melbourne Victory	3–0	Sydney FC	Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Saturday 18:45 EDT	Vargas 20' Hernández 49' Kruse 90'	Report Summary		Attendance: 17,299 Referee: Ben Williams

23 October 2010	Brisbane Roar	2–1	Melbourne Victory	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Saturday 20:15 EST	Nichols 26' Solórzano 77'	Report Summary	Kruse 48'	Attendance: 9,425 Referee: Peter Green

29 October 2010	Melbourne Victory	2–1	Adelaide United	Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Friday 20:00 EDT	Kruse 22' Hernández 68'	Report Summary	Fyfe 2'	Attendance: 16,269 Referee: Ben Williams

6 November 2010	Melbourne Victory	0–1	Gold Coast United	Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Saturday 19:00 EDT		Report Summary	Vargas 55' (o.g.)	Attendance: 15,534 Referee: Peter Green

14 November 2010	Perth Glory	3–1	Melbourne Victory	nib Stadium, Perth
Sunday 16:00 WST	Fowler 13', 64', 71'	Report Summary	Dugandžić 79'	Attendance: 6,217 Referee: Chris Beath

18 November 2010	Melbourne Victory	2–2	Central Coast Mariners	AAMI Park, Melbourne
Thursday 19:30 EDT	Vargas 62' Hernández 64'	Report Summary	McBreen 29' Kwasnik 78'	Attendance: 11,674 Referee: Gerard Parsons

27 November 2010	Wellington Phoenix	2–2	Melbourne Victory	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Saturday 18:00 NZDT	T. Brown 18' Ifill 84'	Report Summary	A. Thompson 21' Kruse 40'	Attendance: 6,475 Referee: Peter O'Leary

3 December 2010	Melbourne Victory	3–3	Brisbane Roar	AAMI Park, Melbourne
Friday 20:00 EDT	Kruse 63', 77' A. Thompson 71'	Report Summary	Kemp 30' (o.g.) Solórzano 45+1' McKay 90+4'	Attendance: 11,886 Referee: Peter Green

11 December 2010	Melbourne Heart	1–3	Melbourne Victory	AAMI Park, Melbourne
Saturday 19:00 EDT	Sibon 17'	Report Summary	Kruse 12', 28' Srhoj 54' (o.g.)	Attendance: 23,059 Referee: Chris Beath

18 December 2010	Melbourne Victory	2–0	Perth Glory	AAMI Park, Melbourne
Saturday 19:00 EDT	A. Thompson 45+4' Vargas 64'	Report Summary		Attendance: 12,124 Referee: Matthew Breeze

27 December 2010	Melbourne Victory	2–1	Newcastle Jets	AAMI Park, Melbourne
Monday 18:00 EDT	Hernández 20' Ricardinho 90'	Report Summary	Zadkovich 54'	Attendance: 16,378 Referee: Matthew Breeze

31 December 2010	Central Coast Mariners	1–2	Melbourne Victory	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Friday 18:00 EDT	Leijer 48' (o.g.) Kwasnik  41'  53'	Report Summary	Ferreira 85' Brebner 87'	Attendance: 12,409 Referee: Ben Williams

5 January 2011	Wellington Phoenix	2–0	Melbourne Victory	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Wednesday 19:30 NZDT	Macallister 67' Rojas 72'	Report Summary		Attendance: 9,496 Referee: Chris Beath

9 January 2011	Melbourne Victory	1–4	Adelaide United	AAMI Park, Melbourne
Sunday 15:00 EDT	K. Muscat  57'  65' Dugandžić 90+4'	Report Summary	Flores 12' van Dijk 57', 78' Barbiero 74'	Attendance: 18,558 Referee: Peter Green

15 January 2011	Sydney FC	1–1	Melbourne Victory	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Saturday 19:30 EDT	Makela 90+1'	Report Summary	Allsopp 52'	Attendance: 11,387 Referee: Matthew Breeze

22 January 2011	Melbourne Victory	2–2	Melbourne Heart	Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Saturday 19:00 EDT	Allsopp 10' Hernández 31' K. Muscat  79'	Report Summary	Aloisi 45+2', 51'	Attendance: 32,231 Referee: Chris Beath

26 January 2011	North Queensland Fury	0–3	Melbourne Victory	Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville
Wednesday 19:00 EST		Report Summary	Allsopp 27' Dugandzic 69', 73'	Attendance: 4,093 Referee: Jarred Gillett

30 January 2011	Melbourne Victory	2–0	Gold Coast United	AAMI Park, Melbourne
Sunday 17:00 EDT	Allsopp 25', 56'	Report Summary		Attendance: 10,287 Referee: Peter Green

2 February 2011	Melbourne Victory	2–0	Newcastle Jets	Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Wednesday 19:00 EDT	Pondeljak 57' Kruse 69'	Report Summary	Fiorentini  61'	Attendance: 11,296 Referee: Strebre Delovski

11 February 2011	Adelaide United	2–1	Melbourne Victory	Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Friday 19:30 CDT	Reid 6' T. Dodd 78'	Report Summary	A. Thompson 65'	Attendance: 21,083 Referee: Ryan Shepheard

Notes

1. Game was moved to stop a clash with the AFL grand final replay Archived 4 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine

2010–11 Finals series

20 February 2011 Semi-Final 4 v 5	Gold Coast United	1–0	Melbourne Victory	Skilled Park, Gold Coast
Sunday 16:30 EST	Djulbic 90+1'	Report Summary		Attendance: 3,281 Referee: Strebre Delovski

1. First place qualifies for the 2012 AFC Champions League group stage.
   Winning the 2011 A-League Grand Final automatically earns qualification for the 2012 AFC Champions League group stage, unless first place are champions.
   Second place qualifies for the 2012 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, unless they qualify for the 2011 A-League Grand Final alongside first place or become A-League Champions, subsequently third place then qualify for the 2012 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off.

Statistics

Leading scorers

Total	Player		Goals per Match
			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
11		Robbie Kruse				1						1	1	1	1				1	2	2										1
5		Carlos Hernández											1		1			1					1					1
		Mate Dugandžić	1														1									1			2
		Daniel Allsopp																									1	1	1	2
4		Archie Thompson																		1	1		1									1
3		Rodrigo Vargas											1					1				1
2		Kevin Muscat			2
		Ricardinho						1															1
		Grant Brebner						1																1
		Tom Pondeljak						1																							1
1
		Leigh Broxham	1
		Billy Celeski	1
		Diogo Ferreira																						1

Discipline

Updated as end of the season

Name	Cautions	2nd Caution – Send-Off	Send-Offs
Rodrigo Vargas	6
Billy Celeski	6
Grant Brebner	5
Adrian Leijer	6
Leigh Broxham	4
Robbie Kruse	5
Diogo Ferreira	5
Mate Dugandzic	2
Matthew Foschini	1
Ricardinho	3
Surat Sukha	1
Kevin Muscat	5	1	1
Carlos Hernández	4
Marvin Angulo	3
Michael Petkovic	4
Matthew Kemp	1
Tom Pondeljak	3
Daniel Allsopp	2
Evan Berger	1

2011 AFC Champions League

Group stage

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Gamba Osaka	6	3	1	2	13	7	+6	10	Advance to knockout stage
2	Tianjin Teda	6	3	1	2	8	6	+2	10
3	Jeju United	6	2	1	3	6	10	−4	7
4	Melbourne Victory	6	1	3	2	7	11	−4	6

1. ^ Tiebreakers: Gamba Osaka and Tianjin Teda are ranked by their head-to-head records: Gamba Osaka (3 pts, +1 GD), Tianjin Teda (3 pts, –1 GD).

Gamba Osaka	5–1	Melbourne Victory
Takei 4' Adriano 7' (pen.) Lee Keun-Ho 10' Futagawa 62' Kim Seung-Yong 90+1'	Report	Muscat 21' (pen.)

Melbourne Victory	1–2	Jeju United
Allsopp 37'	Report Summary	Park Hyun-Beom 41' Lee Hyun-Ho 84'

Tianjin Teda	1 – 1	Melbourne Victory
Zorić 19'	Report	Muscat 52'

Melbourne Victory	2 – 1	Tianjin Teda
Hernández 44' Muscat 45+1' (pen.)	Report	Chen Tao 37'

Melbourne Victory	1 – 1	Gamba Osaka
Leijer 12'	Report	Nakazawa 43'

Jeju United	1 – 1	Melbourne Victory
Kim Eun-Jung 25'	Report	Ferreira 61'

References

1. Bernard, Grantley (23 January 2011). "Kevin Muscat says sorry for his tackle on Adrian Zahra". Herald Sun. Herald and Weekly Times. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
2. "Michael Petkovic signs for Melbourne Victory". The World Game. Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). 30 June 2010. Archived from the original on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
3. "Angulo to stay in A-League with Victory". The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax Media. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
4. "Victory call up Mattei". A-League Official Website. 28 July 2010. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
5. "Brazilian Ricardinho signs for Victory". FIFA. 19 August 2009. Archived from the original on 25 August 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
6. Slevison, Andrew (17 August 2010). "Melbourne Victory sign Dandenong Thunder's Kellaway". Tribal Football. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
7. "Allsopp returns to Melbourne Victory". FIFA. 24 December 2010. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
8. "Melbourne Victory Agree Fee With Borussia Dortmund For Mitch Langerak". Goal.com. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
9. "Gold Coast United Agree Terms With Melbourne Victory Goalkeeper Glen Moss". Goal.com. 20 July 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
10. "Wellington Sign Victory's Ward". FourFourTwo Australia. Haymarket Group. 1 September 2010. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
11. "Victory crashes out of finals". The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax Media. 20 February 2011. Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
12. "Mouth-watering matches on the ACL agenda". the-afc.com (AFC). 7 December 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
13. "Cernak set for Victory move". The World Game. Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 23 October 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
14. Slevison, Andrew (31 January 2011). "Lord to step down as Melbourne Victory chairman at season's end". Tribal Football. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
15. Bernard, Grantley (12 March 2011). "Ernie Merrick dumped as Melbourne Victory coach". Herald Sun. Herald and Weekly Times. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
16. "Victory and Merrick part ways". ABC News. 12 March 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
17. Bernard, Grantley (12 April 2011). "Melbourne Victory axe football boss Gary Cole". Herald Sun. Herald and Weekly Times.
18. "Players Pole-Axed By Cole Axe". FourFourTwo Australia. Haymarket Group. 12 April 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
19. Coerts, Stefan (16 February 2011). "Former Australia International Kevin Muscat Announces Retirement". Goal.com. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
20. "Victory sign Velaphi". A-League Official Website. 8 February 2011. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
21. "Heart signs former Victory striker Dugandzic". The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax Media. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
22. "Victory secure Rojas signing". A-League Official Website. 11 March 2011. Archived from the original on 3 April 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
23. Slevison, Andrew (22 March 2011). "Melbourne Victory loan Ricardinho to Brazilian outfit Parana Clube". Tribal Football. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
24. "Kruse signs with Dusseldorf". Sportal. 26 March 2011. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
25. "Victory sign Solorzano". melbournevictory.com.au (Melbourne Victory). 28 March 2011. Archived from the original on 21 August 2011.
26. Merrick and Melbourne Victory part ways

External links

• Official website
• A-League website
• Melbourne Victory Videos

• Melbourne Victory FC seasons
• 2010–11 A-League season by team