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.