Whether his successor fares any better remains to be seen.

The Jets might be at a low ebb, yet again, but Merrick has already proven he is capable of masterminding a resurrection. Emulating that will be no small ask for whoever replaces him.

When he arrived at Newcastle in May, 2017, Merrick took charge of a club in turmoil. The Jets finished the previous season with the wooden spoon and had sacked two coaches, Scott Miller and Mark Jones, in the space of seven months.

Merrick, the A-League's most experienced tactician after 10 seasons at the helm of Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix, provided stability and immediate success.

While Jones was responsible for recruiting influential imports Roy O'Donovan, Dimi Petratos and Daniel Georgievski, he never had a chance to coach them.

Merrick added the likes of Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Glen Moss and Ronny Vargas and steered Newcastle into the finals for the first time in eight years.

His debut season ended on the most bittersweet of notes - a home grand final in front of almost 30,000 fans, but a 1-0 loss to Melbourne Victory that will forever be remembered as a travesty, after an infamous video-referee howler.

While the 2007-08 championship team deservedly rate as Newcastle's finest, Merrick's men scored more goals and won more games.

Two of their victories, at home to runaway leaders Sydney FC mid-season and in the semi-final against Melbourne City, remain highlights of Newcastle's A-League history.

Jets fans were entitled to hope that campaign would prove a catalyst for a prosperous new era.

Instead it has been all downhill since.

Last season the Jets slid from runners-up to seventh, five points adrift to the top six. This season the spiral has continued and a run of four losses in five games - during which time 17 goals were conceded - sealed Merrick's fate.

The Scotsman's contract was up at the end of the season, but rather than wait to see if he could launch a salvage mission, Jets management have rather abruptly terminated his services.

Merrick hence becomes the third coach axed during Chinese businessman Martin Lee's four-season tenure.

But if Lee thinks changing coach can transform the club's fortunes - as was the case when he employed Merrick in the first place - he is delusional.

It is the A-League's worst-kept secret that Newcastle are operating on an ever-shrinking budget - perhaps the tightest of any franchise.

Quality players like Andrew Nabbout, Riley McGree and O'Donovan have moved on without being adequately replaced. This season's overseas imports, Abdiel Arroyo and Wes Hoolahan, have scarcely contributed because of injuries.

Meanwhile, at time when rival clubs are constantly investing in facilities, support staff and sports science, Newcastle have become a shoestring operation.

In Merrick's first season at the Jets, when he was competing on a comparatively level playing field, he was arguably the A-League's coach of the year. For the past two seasons, the odds have been stacked against him on a weekly basis.

Now Lee faces the challenge of trying to hire a miracle worker. Presumably one willing to accept a modest salary. It's hard to imagine anyone with a CV to match Ernie Merrick's will bother applying.

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