# 2011–12 Melbourne Victory FC season

The Melbourne Victory 2011–12 season is Melbourne Victory's seventh season in the Hyundai A-League, the highest level association football league in Australia.

## Season summary

On 27 May 2011, erratic Costa Rican Marvin Angulo was axed by Melbourne Victory just weeks after his loan deal appeared set to be extended, while goalkeeper Michael Petkovic announced his retirement. Thai defender Surat Sukha left to join Buriram PEA after he was released by the Victory on compassionate grounds. It was also announced on 16 June 2011 that Adidas had signed a five-year deal as the club's official kit manufacturer. On 21 June 2011, Mehmet Durakovic was appointed as head coach of Melbourne Victory while former Socceroo and SBS football analyst Francis Awaritefe was appointed as Director of Football. However, after a brief five-month stint in his job as the Director of Football with Melbourne Victory, Awaritefe was axed by Melbourne Victory, after a run of poor results.
On 20 August 2011, Melbourne Victory officially confirmed the signing of Socceroos and former Leeds, Liverpool and Galatasaray player Harry Kewell on a three-year contract.
On 15 September 2011, it was announced Brazilian Fabio Alves had signed a one-year contract with Victory, after an impressive trial performance in a pre-season friendly against reigning champions Brisbane Roar.
On 4 October 2011, Ante Covic signed a one-year deal with Melbourne Victory as an injury replacement for Tando Velaphi who was ruled out for 12 weeks.
On 5 January 2012, it was announced that manager Mehmet Durakovic had been sacked due to poor performances throughout the season, with only three wins from their first 14 games. Assistant coach, Kevin Muscat, was appointed caretaker coach while the club searched for a new coach.
On 7 January 2012, the former manager of Ipswich Town, Jim Magilton, was appointed as interim manager until the end of the current season.
On 23 January 2012 it was reported that Melbourne Victory was to secure Mark Milligan on loan until the end of the season. It was confirmed on 24 January that Milligan has signed the contract for a loan deal until the end of the 2011–12 A-League season. On 24 January 2012 it was confirmed that Julius Davies had signed with Melbourne Victory after impressing the staff during his two weeks of training with the club, although he was not cleared to play until 16 March 2012. On 8 February 2012 Hong Kong based Spanish defender Ubay Luzardo secured a loan deal to Melbourne Victory until the end of the season.
Veterans Tom Pondeljak, Rodrigo Vargas and Fabio were released days before the final series began.
On 15 March, Victory confirmed the signing of sought-after Gold Coast United defender Adama Traore on a two-year deal. On 16 March, Jim Magilton boosted his defensive stocks for the upcoming season with the capture of Central Coast Mariners utility Sam Gallagher.
Melbourne Victory finished the 2011–2012 season in eighth place and missed the finals campaign. Magilton was not offered a further contract and departed the club in April 2012.
The Melbourne Victory 2011–12 season is Melbourne Victory's seventh A-League season.

## Players
### First team squad

As of 9 February 2012.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | AUS | Tando Velaphi |
| 2 | DF | AUS | Matthew Foschini |
| 3 | DF | BRA | Fabio |
| 4 | DF | AUS | Petar Franjic |
| 5 | DF | AUS | Mark Milligan |
| 6 | MF | AUS | Leigh Broxham |
| 7 | DF | AUS | Matthew Kemp |
| 8 | MF | SCO | Grant Brebner |
| 9 | FW | CRC | Jean Carlos Solórzano |
| 10 | FW | AUS | Archie Thompson (Vice-captain) |
| 11 | MF | NZL | Marco Rojas |
| 12 | DF | AUS | Rodrigo Vargas |
| 13 | MF | AUS | Diogo Ferreira |
| 14 | MF | AUS | Billy Celeski |
| 15 | MF | AUS | Tom Pondeljak |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 16 | MF | CRC | Carlos Hernández |
| 17 | MF | AUS | James Jeggo |
| 18 | FW | AUS | Danny Allsopp |
| 19 | MF | AUS | Isaka Cernak |
| 20 | GK | AUS | Lawrence Thomas |
| 21 | GK | AUS | Ante Čović |
| 22 | MF | AUS | Harry Kewell |
| 23 | DF | AUS | Adrian Leijer (Captain) |
| 25 | MF | AUS | Luke O'Dea |
| 26 | DF | AUS | Nicholas Ansell |
| 27 | MF | AUS | Paulo Retre |
| 28 | DF | ESP | Ubay Luzardo |
| 29 | FW | AUS | Julius Davies |
| 30 | GK | AUS | Rani Dowisha |
Player Notes
* ↑ On loan from JEF United
* ↑ On loan from L.D. Alajuelense
* ↑ On loan from Kitchee SC

## Transfers
### Winter
#### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 20 October 2010 | MF | Isaka Cernak | North Queensland Fury | Undisclosed |
| 8 February 2011 | GK | Tando Velaphi | Perth Glory | Undisclosed |
| 11 March 2011 | MF | Marco Rojas | Wellington Phoenix | Undisclosed |
| 21 March 2011 | MF | James Jeggo | Melbourne Victory Youth | 3 yr Contract |
| 28 March 2011 | FW | Jean Carlos Solórzano | LD Alajuelense | 1 yr Loan (May 2012) |
| 20 August 2011 | MF | Harry Kewell | Galatasaray | 3 yr Contract |
| 15 September 2011 | DF | Fabio Alves | Volta Redonda Futebol Clube | 1 yr Contract |
| 15 September 2011 | GK | Lawrence Thomas | Sheffield United | 2 yr Contract |
| 4 October 2011 | GK | Ante Čović | IF Elfsborg | 1 yr Contract |
* Isaka Cernak and Tando Velaphi were signed during season 2010/11 after regular season and in between final series for the AFC Champions League.

#### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 16 February 2011 | DF | Kevin Muscat | Unattached | Retired |
| 1 March 2011 | DF | Evan Berger | Perth Glory | Free |
| 1 March 2011 | MF | Mate Dugandzic | Melbourne Heart | Free |
| 21 March 2011 | MF | Ricardinho | Paraná Clube | Loan, Undisclosed |
| 26 March 2011 | FW | Robbie Kruse | Fortuna Düsseldorf | Undisclosed |
| 27 May 2011 | GK | Michael Petkovic | Unattached | Retired |
| 27 May 2011 | MF | Marvin Angulo | CS Herediano | Released |
| 12 July 2011 | DF | Surat Sukha | Buriram PEA | Free |

### Summer
#### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 24 January 2012 | DF | Mark Milligan | JEF United | End of Season Loan, undisclosed fee |
| 8 February 2012 | DF | Ubay Luzardo | Kitchee SC | End of Season Loan, undisclosed fee |

#### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 24 January 2012 | FW | Ricardinho | Unattached | Released |

### Coaching staff

| Position | Staff |
| First-team Manager | Jim Magilton |
| First-team Assistant manager | Kevin Muscat |
| First-team Coach | Chris O'Loughlin |
| Youth-team Manager | Darren Davies |
| Youth-team Assistant manager | Vaughan Coveny |
| Youth-team Coach | Dean Anastasiadis |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Steve Mautone |
| Fitness Coach | Adam Basil |
| Sports Scientist | Anita Pedrana |
| Physiotherapist | Sam Bugeja |
| Physiotherapist | Daniel Jones |
| Physiotherapist | Sharbil Wehbe |
| Personal Trainer | Andrew Brown |
| Club Doctor | Dr. Anik Shawdon |
Source:

## Matches
### 2011–2012 Pre-season friendlies

| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 13 July 2011 | Celtic | H | 0 – 1 | | 20,794 |
| 26 July 2011 | Port Melbourne | A | 2 – 0 | Allsopp 15', Broxham 35' | |
| 3 August 2011 | Dandenong Thunder | N | 0 – 1 | | |
| 10 August 2011 | Bentleigh Greens | N | 2 – 3 | Hernández (2) | |
| 24 August 2011 | Springvale White Eagles | A | 5 – 1 | Thompson (2), Solórzano, Hernández, Allsopp | |
| 4 September 2011 | Gold Coast United | N | 0 – 1 | | |
| 11 September 2011 | Brisbane Roar | N | 2 – 0 | Hernández 39', Allsopp 50' | 6,307 |
| 23 September 2011 | Adelaide United | A | 1 – 1 | Hernández 87' | 9,543 |

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |

### Results by round

| Round | 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 |
| Ground | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A |
| Result | D | L | D | W | D | D | D | W | L | D | W | L | L | L | W | D | L | D | D | D | W | L | D | L | L | W | L |
| Position | 5 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |

## Statistics
### Appearances

| No. | Pos. | Name | League | League | Finals | Finals | Total | Total | Discipline | Discipline |
| No. | Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | | |
| 1 | GK | Tando Velaphi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Matthew Foschini | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | DF | Fabio | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Petar Franjic | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | Leigh Broxham | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | DF | Matthew Kemp | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Grant Brebner | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Jean Carlos Solórzano | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | Archie Thompson | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | Marco Rojas | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | Rodrigo Vargas | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | Diogo Ferreira | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | Billy Celeski | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | Tom Pondeljak | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | Carlos Hernández | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | James Jeggo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | Danny Allsopp | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | Isaka Cernak | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | GK | Lawrence Thomas | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | GK | Ante Čović | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | FW | Harry Kewell | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | Adrian Leijer | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 25 | FW | Luke O'Dea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | Nicholas Ansell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | Rani Dowisha | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| – | – | Own goals | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | – |

### Ladder

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Central Coast Mariners | 27 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 40 | 24 | +16 | 51 | Qualification for 2013 AFC Champions League group stage and finals series |
| 2 | Brisbane Roar (C) | 27 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 50 | 28 | +22 | 49 | Qualification for 2013 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off and finals series |
| 3 | Perth Glory | 27 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 40 | 35 | +5 | 43 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 4 | Wellington Phoenix | 27 | 12 | 4 | 11 | 34 | 32 | +2 | 40 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 5 | Sydney FC | 27 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 37 | 42 | −5 | 38 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 6 | Melbourne Heart | 27 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 35 | 34 | +1 | 37 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 7 | Newcastle Jets | 27 | 10 | 5 | 12 | 38 | 41 | −3 | 35 | |
| 8 | Melbourne Victory | 27 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 35 | 43 | −8 | 29 | |
| 9 | Adelaide United | 27 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 26 | 44 | −18 | 25 | |
| 10 | Gold Coast United | 27 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 30 | 42 | −12 | 21 | |
* ↑ First place qualifies for the 2013 AFC Champions League group stage. Winning the 2012 A-League Grand Final automatically earns qualification for the 2013 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, unless first place are champions.