Coach stands firm

By Gavin Staindl
DANDENONG Thunder coach Stuart Munro has announced he will not be stepping down, as calls for his sacking gather volume after another loss on the weekend.
The Premier Division side went down to Bentleigh Greens 2-0 at home and after winning just one game this season the coach from last year’s grand final team is finding himself under fire from supporters to step down.
“I’m not a quitter and until the coaching job is taken out of my hands I’ll keep fighting and I’ll keep preparing my players for the next match,” Munro said.
“It is the realism of football if you don’t win enough games you run the risk of being kicked out … I feel I have the backing of the committee and the backing of the players and I’ll just worry about getting the best team on the park for the next week,” Munro said.
Munro’s side went into last Saturday night’s game under pressure to perform after securing only one point from the past five games.
Matters were not helped when in the opening seven minutes Bentleigh midfielder Alex Rojas scored with a shot that exploded past goalkeeper Stuart Webster.
The defiant Dandenong pressed hard for the rest of the half and once again created many opportunities but could not find the back of the net.
Afrim Avdullai had two openings to score but lofted them over the top bar while an Ibraim Ibraimi free kick missed the far post by centimetres.
In the second half it became evident that Thunder would need a miracle to score as Bentleigh controlled the play for the remaining 45 minutes and added another goal to their tally through a converted penalty.
Post-match Munro was furious at the second-half effort of his players.
“It was just terrible.
“There are too many players playing who are not good enough … and they will need to prove that they deserve to stay at the club,” said Munro.
With the transfer window opening in three weeks Munro will be looking to mix up his side and secure players who at the start of the season fell through his grasp.