John Aloisi has time to learn from his coaching nadir Paying the price: Friday night's 1-0 home defeat to Wellington Phoenix was the last straw for Melbourne Heart, who have sacked coach John Aloisi. John Aloisi's demise as Melbourne Heart coach was as inevitable as it was painful. It's never pleasant to see a hero of any sport - and, after scoring that nerve-racking penalty in that famous game against Uruguay that took Australia to the 2006 World Cup Aloisi certainly was a hero - struggle and fail in the way the ex-Socceroo striker did in his first coaching position. Aloisi was also a hero at Heart. When the club was looking to put its first list of players together, he was one of the earliest to commit to the cause and in his 20 games in that first season netted eight times, no mean return for a veteran forward. But after 12 games without a win this season, adding to the last five in the previous campaign, the numbers just didn't add up and his coaching career, for the time being, is over and his four-season link with the club is broken. Yes, there were mitigating circumstances with long-term injuries to key players, especially marquee man Orlando Engelaar, who is yet to play a game after signing in the off-season. But every coach has to deal with those. Heart's small fan base long ago ran out of patience. In the past few home games fans chanted "Aloisi out" and "sack the coach," while after the loss to Wellington on Friday night - surely the straw that broke the camel's back - fans were reported to have confronted the coach outside the ground in a heated exchange. Heart's board showed much more patience and it was honour bound to, having plumped for the inexperienced Aloisi ahead of the more seasoned Ante Milicic when founding coach John van't Schip quit at the end of the second season. They knew that despite a wonderful playing career, Aloisi was wet behind the ears as a coach, having had just one season in charge of the club's youth team. Milicic had coached in the state league and also been an assistant with van't Schip from day one, and appeared to be the safer choice. Having made its decision the board stuck to its man through thick and mostly thin, but now poised to sell the club to a new consortium, enough finally was enough. Aloisi, to his credit, has borne the criticism and gut-wrenching disappointment with dignity and grace, even though he admitted after Friday's loss that it was perhaps the low point of his career. At no stage has the coach publicly bagged his players or questioned their efforts or application. He has constantly made excuses for their shortcomings. Sure, he might not have the coaching smarts of some of his more experienced opponents, but he is right to feel badly let down by a playing squad many felt was good enough to at least nudge the top six and a finals berth. They simply have not been good enough. Michael Mifsud, the Malta captain signed to be a penalty area sharpshooter, has been horribly out of sorts, scoring only once. David Williams has bobbed up with a few goals, but has also blown chances, including one particularly straightforward opportunity on Friday. At the back Heart has shown defensive frailty at inopportune moments and there seems to be a lack of confidence throughout the team. Heart's board slashed the budget in Aloisi's first season as it sought to rein in costs and the club didn't make the finals. But the board this time round showed faith and opened the war chest, allowing Aloisi to sign several experienced players. Perhaps too many: while Engelaar's broken leg was pure bad luck, Harry Kewell's constant battle with injury reflects his age (35), and fellow veteran Patrick Kisnorbo has also been susceptible to ailments, as well as suspensions. Watching Heart desperately scrabble to try to find an equaliser on Friday evening after butchering a host of chances was like groundhog day. Aloisi continued to make excuses for the profligacy of his players. Some kind of circuit breaker was needed, and the numbers are simple: it's always easier to sack the coach, one man, than a squad of players who have underperformed. Aloisi has experienced the highs and lows of the game, and at 37 is still young enough to bounce back. Aloisi will feel hurt and disappointed at how things have worked out. But he showed enormous mental toughness as a player, leaving Australia to make his way in Europe as a 16-year-old, and he will be a better coach for this experience if given another opportunity.