13. Wayne O’Sullivan

Including caretakers in this list is an almost impossible task. There’s an old adage that no coach should be judged on their first four games, so at exactly that mark, O’Sullivan’s season should be taken with a grain of salt.

The former Central Coast Mariners’ Academy Director had a nearly-impossible task himself and shipping eight goals in a local derby reminds Mariners fans just how big a challenge Mike Mulvey faces.

It’s worth mentioning, however, that under his reign O’Sullivan’s own academy products – including bright sparks Trent Buhagiar and Lachy Wales - accounted for six members of the senior team, a fact he can be proud of.

12. Darije Kalezic

While there are bright spots for Sully, Kalezic is a much easier target. He led Wellington Phoenix to a dismal four wins, five draws and 12 losses in 21 matches, leaving the Nix sitting dead-last upon his sudden exit.

A surly character on the touchline who never appeared to inspire nor demand much from his players, Kalezic was a dispiriting appointment for the hugely-troubled club. After picking up seven out of a possible 42 points to begin his A-League career, a brief upturn in performances in January – partnered with key signings – had some pundits pointing at a Nix resurgence. But it barely lasted.

Ultimately, Kalezic never got going across the ditch and by the end he was eyeing the quickest escape route.

11. Paul Okon

Paulo shouldered a burden of expectation heading into this season that in hindsight, the Mariners were never equipped to deliver. Central Coast are the perennial A-League underdogs, a sobriquet which has often distracted from the miserly resources at their disposal.

At times, Okon seemed to be the perfect man to lead the club. A relentless possession-based philosophy aimed for the stars – he wanted his side to be greater than the sum of its parts. When the Mariners beat Sydney FC 2-0 in November, it started a run of wins against Wellington and Perth that seemed to show Okon’s ethos coming to fruition.

But confidence can be a tricky beast in football, especially when you don’t have an out-and-out striker. The only other time Central Coast secured successive wins under Okon’s reign, they lost five of their next six matches.

After Perth, the Mariners only won one more match under the Socceroos legend.

10. Kenny Lowe

Tony Sage appears to have formed undying loyalty to Kenny Lowe. The two-time FFA Cup runners-up have underperformed recently and this season was the worst yet – Perth finishing eighth with 10 wins, 2 draws and 15 losses.

Yet Sage has maintained that it was “not too bad an effort by Kenny and his team.”

Effort aside, it was same-old problems for Glory. Once again, having their key marquees like Diego Castro join the squad after pre-season led to a stuttering start off the line. Then, as the forwards finally got firing, the backend fell apart.

Being caught on camera at training hammering his squad with “I don’t f***ing deserve that. I’m a f***ing decent bloke” showed the pressure getting to one of the league’s most charismatic coaches.

If Perth and Lowe part ways, the A-league will lose one of its brightest characters. But it may reawaken a sleeping giant of Australian football. 

9. Chris Greenacre

Greenacre had small shoes to fill upon Kalezic’s departure but big ambitions. In his third spell as Wellington’s interim coach – a record that says a lot more about Wellington than it does about the Englishman – Greenacre has shown the same work ethic and diehard determination that he did as a player.

While one win, one draw and four losses tells the story of an embattled club, under Greenacre the Nix showed fight again. A 1-0 loss to Newcastle Jets – that Ernie Merrick himself admitted Phoenix should have won – sparked life into Wellington’s young guns, with the likes of Sarpreet Singh and Logan Rogerson firmly announcing themselves among the A-League’s brightest talents.

These gradual improvements resulted in a direct, no-nonsense Nix outfit, culminating in a deserved win against third-placed Melbourne City to end an otherwise-shocking season on a high, avoiding the wooden spoon in the process.

8. Hayden Foxe

Foxe definitely made the best of a bad lot. Sure, he’d inherited a strong side and carried over Tony Popovic’s style, but it was a team that had plunged into chaos after the loss of its spiritual leader.

There’d been no succession plan and the club’s marquees were uncertain over their futures. But Foxe steadied the ship admirably, beating Perth before securing hard-fought draws with Sydney FC, Newcastle Jets and Melbourne Victory.

His hard-to-beat ethos saw him end his five-game A-League reign undefeated. Were it not for a bus-parking Adelaide United outfit frustrating the desperate Wanderers coach in the FFA Cup, it could have been a different story.

The sad part is at 40-years-old with such limited opportunities on offer, the former Socceroo may not get another chance at head coaching. But he definitely showed he deserves it.

7. Josep Gombau

Jeez it’s been a season of mixed-emotions in Wanderland. First, the club had to balance Popovic’s sudden desertion with the huge impact he’d had on the club. Then, they had to judge Foxe’s undefeated interim period under the guise of their even-bigger ambitions.

Finally, they had to deliberate on Josep Gombau, which was ultimately was too much to ask.

Despite the Spaniard’s record at Adelaide, the Wanderers board couldn’t be convinced that Gombau burnt slow but created a bigger flame when he couldn’t reach the finals with one of the A-League’s most talented squads.

Similarly, he lost more points from winning positions then any other A-League coach – a double edged sword for someone managing a team he had zero part in putting together.

With Tony Popovic lurking in the wings, it seems there was just too-bright-a-light on the horizon. But for the Wanderers, there’s a lot of unanswered questions to wade through first.

6. John Aloisi

This isn’t the first time Aloisi’s coaching career has come back from the brink.

The magician that once turned 12 winless matches and the sack at Melbourne Heart into a third-placed finish with Brisbane Roar is back, this time wowing us all by transforming three wins in 13 matches into seven in 10, sixth place and finals.

How does he do it? Well, put simply, he learns from his mistakes. Brisbane were too outgoing at the beginning of the season for an ageing squad but as soon as Aloisi transitioned them into the crafty, counter-attacking outfit they were born to be, they began to dominate matches.

They’ve beaten Sydney, Victory, Adelaide and the Wanderers to secure their spot in the finals, so watch out because Aloisi’s most-recent illusion could get a whole lot more real. 

5. Marco Kurz

If it wasn't for Besart Berisha's acrobatics, Kurz would have placed before Muscat on this list. While Adelaide have been inconsistent at times under the German, the former Bundesliga coach has created a great atmosphere within his playing group, which has translated into a hard-working, hard-to-beat Reds outfit.

Although 11 wins, 6 draws and 10 losses isn’t a ground-breaking record, his quick impact at the Reds with a young team and many new players, combined with his penchant for developing youth has seen rumours that Kurz could be off to Sydney FC next season.

The Sky Blues should have been impressed that in their 0-0 draw with Adelaide in January, the Reds had 11 South Australian players in their team, six of whom were under 20-years-old. Not bad for a fifth-placed side.

4. Kevin Muscat

Despite signing a new contract at the Big V this season, Musky’s so far had one to forget. An ultimately disappointing Asian Champions League campaign (Victory still haven’t won a single away game in 16 ACL attempts) capped off a disappointing fourth place for the Championship-winning coach.

It’s also the first season they’ve finished below Melbourne City - despite winning two of their three encounters – due to problems in every area of the pitch.

Besart Berisha is becoming increasingly wasteful, Carl Valeri has been battling poor-form, Matias Sanchez is hugely inconsistent and Rhys Williams wasn’t quite the force Melburnians were hoping for.

If it wasn’t for the inspired signing of Leroy George and the prodigal effect he seems to have had on fellow winger Christian Theoharous, things could be a lot worse for Muscat.

3. Warren Joyce

City Football Group heavyweight Brian Marwood recently pledged full support behind Old Smiley, and if you look past his slightly agricultural style, it’s easy to see why.

Joyce secured the highest finish in the club’s history, also finishing above Victory for the first time. They now stand a fantastic chance of a debut Asian Champions League campaign – a motivator that could see heavy investment in the club.

While Joyce’s defensive tactics drew the ire of fans at times, his decision to make Daniel Arzani work to secure a spot in the side is now paying dividends, with the former Manchester United youth coach showing a knack for dealing with prodigal talent.

Although much will depend on how City perform in the finals, at an almost 50% win ratio it’s been an impressive debut season for the English coach.

2. Graham Arnold

While a record-breaking second successive Premiership, FFA Cup and Socceroos head coaching appointment makes second-place on this list admittedly a little ridiculous, it was too hard to look past the unbelievable turnaround at Newcastle Jets this season.

That said, Arnold’s astute leadership has taken Sydney to the stratosphere. They may even be a greater side than Ange Postecoglou’s era at Brisbane Roar. While a win-ratio of 74% was a slight decrease on last season, there isn’t a bad word you can say about Arnold’s terrific season.

Should they win a second-successive Championship – and they remain clear favourites – Arnie will have done enough to leave no doubt he deserves another shot at the Socceroos.

1. Ernie Merrick

This season Merrick arguably became the most over-performing coach in A-League history.

The Scot’s jaw-dropping ability to raise a side that finished dead-last the previous season to within an inch of stealing the title from Sydney FC – although they fell away towards the end – deserves the utmost credit.

The dynamic attacking-style Merrick implemented broke the league record for most consecutive games scored in, while it attracted the Hunter crowds back in droves. As if a 2017/18 record of 15 – 3 against the Mariners wasn’t reward enough.

All this from a coach many fans were criticising as an uninspired, recycled appointment. The fairytale’s not over yet.