Birkirkara vow to act over 'shameful performance'

Birkirkara chairman Victor Zammit has vowed to come down heavily on those players whose level of commitment has fallen way short of expectations during the team's recent slump in the Premier League.

Describing Birkirkara's lifeless performance in the 6-1 rout to Premier League leaders Marsaxlokk last Saturday as the worst in his 11-year presidency, Zammit insisted that the club's hierarchy will leave no stone unturned in their bid to extricate the team out of its current crisis.

"Faced with such a shameful performance as that of Saturday, we are in duty bound to react," Zammit told The Times.

"Our responsibilities towards Birkirkara FC and the fans demand that we take tough action.

"Disciplinary measures will be imposed on those players who have consistently ignored our appeals to show the right attitude vis-à-vis their duties towards Birkirkara FC.

"A number of players have been given several chances to show us that they are committed to the team's cause but our patience has run out."

Saturday's 6-1 capitulation to Marsaxlokk - it could and should have been more for the leaders but for the woodwork and a string of saves from Birkirkara goalkeepers Andrzej Bledzewski and Sean Sullivan - was the Stripes' third defeat on the trot.

The statistics from the last three league matches make unpleasant reading for Birkirkara who have let in 12 goals and scored only two.

With Hibernians ending their three-match losing streak with a 3-1 defeat of Msida St Joseph on Sunday, Birkirkara have now slipped to bottom of the Championship Pool, a massive 14 points adrift of the leaders.

The humiliating loss to Marsa-xlokk came at the end of a tumultuous week for the tottering champions. Having succumbed to a second successive defeat to rivals Valletta in the space of 14 days, Birkirkara responded to the looming crisis by drafting Dutchman Jan Artz in their coaching team.

Their insistence on giving Artz, who was at the helm of Floriana last season, the same powers as head coach Stephen Azzopardi led the latter to hand in his resignation on Friday.

Artz, who doesn't possess a coaching licence, was put in charge of the first team until the end of the season but the 6-1 demise to Marsaxlokk looks to have thrown Birkirkara in turmoil.

Saturday's match against Marsaxlokk is likely to have been Artz's first and last as a key member of the team's technical staff as the Stripes are now looking to install a qualified coach to guide their first team squad.

Zammit refused to be drawn into discussing the club's shortlist of candidates for the job but he was only too keen to explain the twists and turns of their coaching saga in the past few days.

"First and foremost, I would like to make one thing clear... the addition of Jan Artz to our coaching team was aimed at boosting motivation among our squad," Zammit remarked.

"The board of directors felt that, in the circumstances, Artz could help the team from a psychological point-of-view but our plan was to have a two-man coaching team.

"It was not our intention to have Artz solely responsible for the technical and tactical preparations because he doesn't have an 'A' coaching licence.

"Our idea was to have Artz and Stephen Azzopardi working closely together with a view to boosting the team's fortunes but things did not work out as we planned.

"Stephen Azzopardi opposed such proposition and decided to step down as Birkirkara coach. This happened around midday on Friday, just over 24 hours before our delicate fixture with Marsaxlokk.

"Artz returned to Holland after the game because he had business to attend to. We knew beforehand that Artz would fly back to his home country after Saturday's match.

"Artz was very disappointed with the team's performance. He did his best to pep up the players' confidence but it was to no avail. Now, we are working round the clock to engage the services of a qualified coach to take over the first team."

Buttigieg heads list

It is believed that John Buttigieg, the former Malta international defender, is the leading candidate to be appointed new coach of Birkirkara.

Buttigieg possesses the necessary coaching qualifications to lead a Premier League team.

Resolving the coaching impasse is Birkirkara's chief cause of concern at present but their frustration at the team's pathetic showing last weekend has not dissipated.

"Last Saturday, Birkirkara were surely unrecognisable from the team that gave their hearts out in the friendly against Milan last January," Zammit observed.

"We have practically retained the nucleus of players who won the Premier League title but this season, their collective form has digressed significantly, culminating in Saturday's defeat.

"The team's performance on the day was shameful. It was evident from the early stages that some key players lacked motivation. It was the worst showing by our first team in the 11 years I have been at this club.

"There were a few players who tried to make a contest of it but their efforts alone were not sufficient to compensate for the ap-palling deficiencies of the team."

When Birkirkara clinched their second Premier League title last year, there seemed to be a general consensus that they had finally fulfilled their potential as the most talented team on the islands.

Some went as far as suggesting that Birkirkara were on the threshold of a glorious era but such predictions have proved wide of the mark.

Birkirkara's slide from undisputed champions to Premier League strugglers has baffled many, not least their former coach Azzopardi and the club officials.

"The situation began to deteriorate from the early months of the season," Zammit reflected.

"For a long time, injuries to several important players were seen as mitigation for the team's struggles to keep up the pace with the front runners.

"Everyone expected us to raise their level of performance when most of the injured players returned but this did not happen. On the contrary, our season took a turn for the worse.

"In such circumstances, it is inevitable that the coach's position should come under intense scrutiny, especially in the light of Azzopardi's confrontation with a fan towards the end of the 3-0 defeat to Valletta.

"It was agreed by the board of directors that new blood was needed to freshen things up but we didn't want to sack Azzopardi.

"We never doubted his coaching abilities but at the same time, we felt obliged to do everything we could to get our team back on track.

"Azzopardi guided the team to several honours over the past five years. I take this opportunity to publicly express my gratitude to Azzopardi for the service he gave to the club."

With their title defence bid in tatters, Birkirkara have been forced to revise their targets this season.

"Our minimum target is to qualify for Europe," Zammit said. "The FA Trophy is an important competition in Maltese football and we expect our players to do their utmost to win it."