"The show goes on" - XMas Derby takes on new dimension as Kisnorbo exits

Public reaction to Patrick Kisnorbo’s sudden exit from Melbourne Victory has mostly been 'That's football' on both sides of the Christmas Derby. Not wrong. But it also adds a new dimension the Derby.

The good news is that the traditional men’s Christmas Derby between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City continues to be one of the few A-Leagues fixtures that generates significant mainstream media coverage. The not-so-good news is that this interest remains largely driven by things other than what happens on the pitch. The cromulent news is that this year’s interest, at least, is driven by something more recognisably football than the violent pitch invasion that took place in 2022 and dominated the build-up to 2023.

Indeed, if one were to summarize the reaction to Patrick Kisnorbo’s sudden move to quit Victory to pursue an “overseas opportunity” just days out from this year’s Yuletide encounter, then some variant of ‘that’s football’ would probably be the one you’d need to settle on, given its been the prevailing theme adopted by pretty much everyone that’s spoken into a microphone since.

“That happens, it's football, and we move on,” Arthur Diles said on Thursday, Victory’s newly elevated interim coach confronted by a press pack significantly larger than the normal one or two journalists that have come to attend pre-game A-League media opportunities in Melbourne in recent years. Standing next to Diles, Victory skipper Roderick Miranda observed "In football sometimes it happens with players and sometimes it happens with coaches; so you just need to move on,” while the club’s director of football John Didulica would subsequently remark “This is football. If you don't think these things happen in football, you haven't been studying it closely enough.”

In the City camp, it was much of the same. Nathaniel Atkinson, who played under Kisnorbo in both City’s academy and senior team, said that he wished “Nothing but the best,” for his former coach, observing that “your career is pretty short, so you have to make the most of it.” After pantomiming a ‘wow!’ reaction for laughs, City boss Aurelio Vidmar was circumspect, remarking “It's football, isn't it? I didn't expect it, I think it was a surprise for everyone and it is what it is. It doesn't change anything in terms of what we're doing, who's on the bench, who's on the park, it’s exactly the same for us.”

And really, none of them are wrong. Distasteful as it may be to those of a more romantic bent, this is what football has become in the hypermobile, hypercapitalist modern age – to the extent that players and coaches enter into contracts with clubs with this understanding built in. The modern game is a tale of a series of fish, each slightly larger than the last, devouring each other until the food chain reaches a small group of whales that greedily consume all that they encounter; Ruben Amorim had Sporting top of the Liga Portugal and unbeaten in the UEFA Champions League and that didn’t stop him from being poached, midseason, to become the latest coach handed a fire extinguisher and pointed at the binfire that is Manchester United.

At the same time, however, it can’t be said that the sudden exit of Kisnorbo just seven games into the first season of what was supposed to be a three-year contract doesn’t add a new dimension, a little bit of spice, to Saturday’s game either.

While Victory figures are undoubtedly more perturbed behind closed doors than they are in public — hinted at by managing director Caroline Carnegie and Didulica both telling ESPN they moved to immediately cut ties rather than explore a slower transition — supporters aren’t governed, nor are they supposed to be, by bloodless ideals of realpolitik.

Already mistrustful of the coach – and those that appointed him – thanks to his deep ties to Melbourne City and the City Football Group, a not-insignificant chunk of Victory fans have made no secret of an anger and sense of betrayal that stretches beyond just Kisnorbo after his move to the exit. And this hasn’t been helped by compounding factors of this departure coming not in a bye week just gone but, instead, days out from a Derby, reportedly to head to City’s CFG-stablemate Yokohama F Marinos as an assistant.

City fans, meanwhile, had already voiced their displeasure at seeing one of their most beloved figures sign on to lead their rivals and while there’s an undoubted sense of schadenfreude surrounding these events, this hasn’t been paired with a thawing of emotions. Instead, there’s something of a sense of disbelief to it all, that a City legacy was tarnished for what ended up being just seven A-League games at Victory.

Mayhaps, Saturday could perhaps prove notable as being a Melbourne Derby in which the key antagonist is neither present nor a member of the opposition.

City, though, aren’t suddenly dealing with the sudden loss of their coach for this game. Despite continuing to be absent Mat Leckie and Marco Tilio, they’ve found some form in recent weeks and were the first side to take points of ladder-leaders Auckland last week. Victory players, conversely, will likely be tasked with performing similar roles and carrying similar responsibilities by Diles as they would have under Kisnorbo, but are now dealing with all the emotions and thoughts that come with a coach who asked them to buy into their vision – who is famous for their hellacious preseasons – upping and leaving with nary a warning.

And despite a strong start to the season that saw them probably play the best attacking football in the league (finishing notwithstanding) and featured a comfortable Derby win in round two, there’s the not-insignificant matter of City, should they win on Saturday evening by two goals or more, being able to them into third place on the table by the time Saturday’s game concludes. A bad week for pretty much everyone involved with the men’s side at Victory could, all of a sudden, be made much worse.

And yet, as Miranda also observed, perhaps there is no better game for Victory to make sense of the past week than a Derby. Nishan Velupillay is set to return from injury for the clash and for all the anger that their supporters have directed towards Kisnorbo and the club’s decision-makers, this hasn’t extended who will take the field. Diles, meanwhile, has been the subject of strong backing and a level of excitement from both the club’s brass and faithful.

“It doesn't matter who is in charge or who is on the pitch, because in the end, the fans don't care about the name on the back,” Miranda said on Thursday. “They care more about the logo on the front.”

Secure a win on Saturday and not only does it provide Victory something tangible to point towards to demonstrate that even in the face of upheaval they’re good enough to win when the rubber meets the road but it also provides something of a rally around the flag moment. Or to be more accurate, perhaps a rally around the badge moment, fans harnessing anger at those no longer with the club into support for those who are.

“The show goes on,” said Diles. “That's the reality of it. These things happen. There's a game to be played on Saturday and the focus is all about the players. It's all about them and making sure that we get them prepared so we don't miss a beat come Saturday.”

Header Image: Melbourne Victory