 But on the park the club still struggled during this period of 1986-1988 despite having one of the strongest squads in the NSL, the club had become the perennial underachievers of the league.So frustrating was this period for the club that over those three seasons Melbourne Croatia had five different coaches.In the 1987 season Melbourne Croatia had been competitive for most of the season, by the end of round 23 the club was in 5th position only two points behind 2nd place.