Central Coast Mariners coach Paul Okon is preparing to wield the axe as his first season in charge of the A-League strugglers winds down and the opportunity to finally shape his own squad looms.
The Mariners were trounced 5-1 by the Brisbane Roar on Sunday, completely folding after taking the lead at Suncorp Stadium through winger Fabio Ferreira early in the first half.
It leaves them with the wooden spoon in hand -- two points behind Adelaide United with two rounds remaining -- despite having markedly improved since last season's nightmare under Tony Walmsley.
Inheriting Walmsley's squad late in the offseason when he was sacked after their shock FFA Cup loss to Green Gully, Okon has tried his best but was clearly frustrated with the way they capitulated against the Roar and warned personnel changes were on the way.
There are 14 players coming off contract at Central Coast -- including all four of their foreigners -- and few of them would have done themselves any favours with the performance.
"I think any player at any club who is at the end of their contract is in the same boat," Okon said.
"We have probably more than other clubs. If people want to be at this football club next season then, of course, they need to perform.
"And if people are [signed] to be here next year they also need to perform.
"If you're coming to the end of your contract and you're not playing well, you're not going to come under the eyes of someone else."
Okon said he was starting to get a clear picture of what kind of players the Mariners needed to recruit to succeed, and would push to do so despite the A-League's lowest budget.
"We know the areas of what we need to improve in, absolutely. And we'll do our very best to get to that point where we become a better football team," he said.
"It's a challenge, we don't have the resources and finances of some of the other clubs. But we know where we need to be better."
The Mariners face fellow battlers Newcastle in the F3 Derby on Sunday in Gosford.
Off-contract players at the club: Jake Adelson, Kwabena Appiah, Josh Bingham, Jacques Faty (foreign), Fabio Ferreira (foreign), Scott Galloway, Paul Izzo, Nick Montgomery (foreign), Ivan Necevski, Michael Neill, Roy O'Donovan (foreign), Jacob Poscoliero, Storm Roux, Mickael Tavares (foreign)
