Only days out from the Christmas Melbourne Derby, the A-League has been stunned by the departure of Victory coach Patrick Kisnorbo.
The former Socceroo had steered Victory to third on the A-League table with five wins in seven games during his first season at the club.
But four days before Victory were scheduled to host Melbourne City - Kisnorbo's former side - the Australian tactician has dropped a bombshell by leaving the club in the first few months of his three-year deal.
The Sporting News has all the details.
MORE: 'Tone deaf appointment': Fans react to signing of new Melbourne Victory coach Patrick Kisnorbo
Why has Patrick Kisnorbo quit Melbourne Victory?
Kisnorbo has left Melbourne Victory to 'pursue an overseas opportunity, a statement from the club read, with senior assistant coach Arthur Diles to take over as interim manager.
“We are disappointed to see Patrick depart the club so early in his expected journey with us, however Patrick has advised us that this is an opportunity he wanted to take for his own development as a coach,” Victory chairman John Dovaston said.
Kisnorbo was only a few months into a three-year contract at Victory that clearly had a clause allowing him a release to chase an overseas job.
It isn't clear what overseas opportunity Kisnorbo is seeking or whether it's a senior or assistant role.
J-League side FC Tokyo recently parted ways with Australian manager Peter Cklamovski and seem like a good fit for Kisnorbo.
Ligue 1 side St Etienne sacked coach Olivier Dall'Oglio, but it's hard to see Kisnorbo being appointed in France again after struggling with Troyes before he joined Victory.
Patrick Kisnorbo's record at Melbourne Victory
Kisnorbo enjoyed as strong start to his time at Victory, winning nine of his 12 matches in charge, with one draw and two defeats.
Victory currently sit in third on the A-League table after seven matches.
However, one of Kisnorbo's defeats did come in the FFA Cup with Victory losing 1-0 to Macarthur FC.
Patrick Kisnorbo's record at ES Troyes
Between his appointment as ES Troyes boss on November 23, 2022 to his sacking on November 27, 2023, Kisnorbo won three of his 40 games in charge of the club across all competitions.
Troyes were 13th in Ligue 1 when Kisnorbo became boss, and looked to have made the right decision to appoint the Australian after a goalless draw against Nantes and 3-2 victory versus Strasbourg in their first two matches with their new coach.
But Troyes failed to win another Ligue 1 match for the season from that point with a club-record 22 matches without a win seeing them get relegated to Ligue 2 - and finish a whopping 12 points inside the relegation zone.
Relegation to Ligue 2 didn't improve Troyes' performances with the club winning two of their 15 matches under Kisnorbo before his dismissal - losing six and drawing seven to sit inside the relegation zone by three points.
Kisnorbo's record at Troyes in Ligue 1
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % |
| 23 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 4.34 |
Note: Kisnorbo was also in charge during Troyes' 2-0 loss to Lille in the Coupe De France
Kisnorbo's record at Troyes in Ligue 2
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % |
| 15 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 13.3% |
Note: Kisnorbo was also in charge during Troyes' 2-1 loss to Epinal in the Coupe De France
Kisnorbo's overall record at Troyes
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % |
| 40 | 3 | 14 | 23 | 7.5% |
