They say the first one through the wall always gets bloody.
Patrick Kisnorbo knows a bit about that.
The new Melbourne Victory boss became the first Australian to coach in a top-five European men’s league when he was appointed to lead French club Troyes in November 2022, about six-months before Ange Postecoglou became Tottenham Hotspur manager.
New Melbourne Victory coach Patrick Kisnorbo.Credit: Getty Images
While Postecoglou brought his attacking, pressing style to Spurs and won plenty of acclaim and fanfare, Kisnorbo’s experience, at a smaller, embattled club – a struggling side with a remit to promote youth players – was almost the polar opposite.
The club faced a furious backlash from their fans who despised the City Group’s management of their side and took out a good portion of that anger on the former Socceroos defender.
They were relegated from France’s Ligue 1 to Ligue 2 in mid-2023 and continued to struggle in the lower competition before Kisnorbo was fired last December, just over a year since leaving Australia.
