Zed Mihajlovic has resigned from his position as manager of Springvale White Eagles, citing the club’s financial position and “lack of ambition” as the main catalysts for his departure.
The 1999 Bill Fleming Medallist ended his third coaching spell at the club following a poor season where the Keysborough-based outfit picked up only four wins in 28 games – overall the second worst record in the league behind Nunawading City.
Mihajlovic, a former player at the club, took over the reins at the White Eagles in 2013, with the club languishing in State League 2 South-East after two successive relegations.
“When I came back to the club two years, many tipped us to get relegated once more but we persevered and managed to have a really good season which was capped off with winning the League and the State League Cup,” Mihajlovic said.
However, many of the concerns that Mihajlovic raised from his coaching stint at the club came about after their ascension into the NPL in 2014.
“Due to the nature of the competition in which no club can get relegated, the committee became complacent and decided to cut a lot of corners,” he said.
“The most frustrating part was that there was no objective or structure put in place, no forward planning or ambition to succeed in this new competition. The club’s mentality was not what you would expect at NPL level. It was always a case of why spend money on signing new players when we can’t get relegated.
“My problem became more evident as we lost around six, seven quality players from our 2013 Championship winning squad, including the league’s top goalscorer, because the club did not offer them any incentive to stay on board, as they were not offered slight wage increases despite their strong performances for the side which was extremely disappointing,” he added.
“To top it off, the majority of other clubs were making significant new signings and were keen to make a mark on this new competition.”
The problems did not stop there according to Mihajlovic, who lamented the cost-cutting measures implemented by the club throughout its time in the NPL so far.
“Last year with 12 competitive rounds left in the competition, the committee could no longer afford match payments to pay the coaching staff and the playing group,” he said.
“Yet as a coach I had an obligation to the players to continue on until the end of the season and thankfully we all managed to stick together for the sake of the club. Sadly the exact situation had eventuated once more this season, with 10 rounds to play the same situation occurred.”
“Furthermore, it speaks volumes of the plight the club is experiencing at the moment when over the last two years since the birth of the NPL, we as a club could not attract one NPL or NPL1 player in the off season or mid-season transfer window,” he added.
“We have also been without a goalkeeping coach or an experienced or qualified physio/masseur. So many times we have been embarrassed on game day when a player of ours had got injured and was treated by the opposing team’s medical staff. Every club in the NPL has this consistent make up about them but unfortunately we did not have this necessity
He continued: “The committee which came on board a few years ago has really struggled to adapt to the requirements of being an NPL club.
“I must admit they have done a fantastic job in renovating and improving the social club facilities but at the end of the day they need to realise this is a football club, not a social club. Take a look at the state of our main pitch, it has gone from being one of the best in the state to almost unplayable.
“I recall walking onto the pitch to greet the likes of Darren Davies, John Aloisi and Dean Anastasiadis before our second home game of the season against Melbourne Victory and I was totally embarrassed for us as a club to be hosting a game at this level on such a terrible surface.”
The crisis culminated in Mihajlovic facing weekly selection issues, faced with playing a number of younger squad members in an environment hampered by low morale.
“Football needs to be the priority for this club and for this you need people who can make football decisions. After all, people need to be accountable. If you don’t have an objective or a plan for the club, then you don’t know where you are going and what you need to do,” he said.
“If you don’t have a budget or a philosophy then you struggle to exist and you slowly lose your identity. I’m not going to answer football related questions from a person who washes the dishes simply because they are in the committee, nor am I going to select a player to play in the senior team because of personal relations with members of the committee.
“But this is what it was all coming down to. As a coach I have always had young players in my squads and I have always given an opportunity to those that were hungry and had the discipline and desire to play senior football.
“This year I had noticed that the best pool of players at our club was with the U16s. So basically, because there was no budget to sign any experienced NPL players I took the responsibility upon myself to select a number of players from the U16s and have them training with me in the seniors because they are the future of the club.
“I simply overlooked some older age groups because they not reliable and lacked the discipline to consistently attend training sessions,” he added.
“In saying that, we’ve done some good things in giving a total of five 16-year-olds and two 15-year-olds their first foray into senior football but overall the situation is troubling.”
The 41-year-old first took charge of the White Eagles in 2007 when the club was languishing at the bottom of the Victorian Premier League, in a season that ended in their immediate relegation from the top flight.
The ex-NSL player returned to coach the club in 2010 and oversaw a successful promotion push, resulting in the club’s rise back into the Victorian Premier League the following year.
However, a combination of poor results and lack of off-field resources saw Mihajlovic stand down mid-way through another tumultuous campaign for the Keysborough based outfit.
A sense of déjà vu lingers for Mihajlovic, who is determined not to let the recent coaching setbacks at his former club dishearten him from pursuing further opportunities.
“In the end it all became too much for me and I needed to end my time there. It’s sad as this is my junior club since I was 5 years old, I have many happy memories there as a player and manager but sometimes you just need to let go for the better,” he said.
“I love coaching, it’s now in my blood and I can only hope that something comes along in the near future where I as a coach am provided with a more facilitative environment to develop and succeed.”
“As for the White Eagles, I hope they can get back on their feet as it’s one of the city’s proudest clubs with a long history, recently highlighted when it celebrated its 40th anniversary.”
“I wish it all the best in the future with some of its current shortcomings hopefully rectified in the coming year or two.”