The Mariners were plunged into crisis again at the weekend when they sacked coach Mike Mulvey after an 8-2 thrashing at the hands of Wellington Phoenix.

They hired former Matildas coach Alen Stajcic today to see them through to the end of the season – but are so far behind on the table, they are almost certainly destined to claim their third wooden spoon in four years.

Asensio's Screamer Vs FC Barcelona
Asensio's Screamer Vs FC Barcelona
In one of Real Madrid's most outstanding performances at the Camp Nou, Los Blancos beat FC Barcelona 3-1 in the Spanish Supercup. Real were leading 2-1 after Cristiano Ronaldo's 80th minute goal, but just before the final whistle, we sealed the win with this beautiful Marco Asensio strike.
0 seconds of 43 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:43
00:43
 
keep watching
Watch more Real Madrid videos on OneFootball

Now speculation has been ramped up that the Mariners could be for sale, possibly to a renewed bid by Canberra United who have been tipped to be the FFA's next expansion club.

Buying the Mariners' licence could shortcut the bureaucracy of bidding for a whole new licence and fast-track the nation's capital into the A-League at last after 11 years in the W-League.

Today though Mielekamp admitted owner Mike Charlesworth may well have plans to sell – but if he has, he's not discussing them with him, said the CEO.

"Every owner's got their own decisions to make," said Mielekamp. "But that's above my pay grade.

"He's not been talking to be about that possibility which is a good sign. All the possibilities have been about how the Central Coast Mariners stay on the Central Coast.

"He knows I'm absolutely passionate about that, I'm driven by that and I'm here to make sure the club is here long term, forever."

Mielekamp – sporting a shiner he said he thought he picked up in a game of football at the weekend – insisted the appointment of Stajcic would help put the final pieces in place to make the club competitive again after years of misery.

But he admitted the club was struggling to keep up with the rest of the league both on and off the field and lacked the resources enjoyed by their rivals.

"No-one can deny we've not had a great record," he added. "We have to make sure we fix it now. People don't want to hear words any more, they want to see actions.

"We've learned a lot, we've to learn those lessons, understand it and get it right. Obviously there has been times of change for each of the previous seasons. We've learnt those lessons.

"But we wouldn't be here today if that was working..."

Stajcic's belief in the squad – grounded in the team being in front at half-time in nine matches so far this season, only to blow that lead in the second half – underpins the club's confidence that they can be competitive.

But Mielekamp admits the club is being run on a fraction of the budget of rivals, although he said there were plans to increase the spending on salaries next season.

"The problem isn't the increase though," he said. "The problem is the rate of increase.

"Can we keep pace with the other A-League clubs? Not only on salaries but on the off-field resources that are allocated.

"We are the smallest club, and we do come up against the financial clout of City Football Group so we have to make sure we spend every dollar really, really smart.

"The increases are coming - but are the increases enough and coming fast enough? That's the real question.

"When you win football games, you are competitive – so when someone like Alen Stajcic believes and feels that this club can be competitive from what he's seen already then we are confident that's possible."

He added: "I believe 100 percent there is a viable future for the Mariners, because we're sustainable.

"That's what the last four years has really been about - financial stability. The players are getting paid, the bills are getting paid, the facility and everything is here.

"Those building blocks are in place. That's why we've gone through the hard times. Now we need to make sure that it's not just about being financially stable and surviving.

"It's about actually being prosperous and growing – and being competitive."