(Daniel Eade is a basketball fan, freelance journalist and BPL contributor.)

The Melbourne Tigers today announced the signing of Trevor Gleeson as their new head coach for 2011-12, which in turn ended the short coaching reign of Darryl McDonald and snowballed into the loss of Corey 'Homicide' Williams.

"I was a little bit surprised," said McDonald when asked about how he felt after being told he wasn't going to lead the Tigers into the future.

McDonald, who went 4-6 after taking over from Al Westover during last season, believed he had used his time in charge to validate his worth and believed things were going to be better next season.

"I think I did enough to warrant another year with the same team and same guys,'' he said. ''You add a couple (of players) to that and I know I could've won with that team. I know we could've won."

McDonald has wasted no time and will interview for the vacant head coaching position with the Townsville Crocodiles.

Less than four hours after being introduced as the new Tigers head coach, Gleeson made a phone call to Williams - who was at Townsville two years ago - and it did not take long before both of them realised there would be no reunion in Melbourne.

Williams tweeted: "Just spoke with Trevor Gleeson and I will not be returning with the Melb Tigers".

Personally, I thought the Tigers should've stuck with McDonald, whose passion and knowledge of the game could not be questioned. And while it is hard to knock the appointment of Gleeson, because his coaching resume is truly outstanding, I am deeply confused by the Tigers again failing to demonstrate any loyalty.

For a club that boasts on its website, "The Tigers are known for loyalty...", they've sure got a strange way of showing it. In recent years, Stephen Hoare, Al Westover, and now Darryl McDonald have all been thrown aside. So while players and coaches have been loyal to the Tigers, they have not been shown the same loyalty in return.

Gleeson has come in using all the right buzz words - "challenge", "excited" and so on - but for a fan base that is on the verge of imploding, the Tigers faithful didn't need to hear that. It's been all too common in the last few years and, with McDonald and Williams at the club, there was success on the horizon. Now we're back at the roulette table.

Gleeson is now going to have to convince free-agents to take on one of the biggest challengers in the NBL: restoring the Melbourne Tigers to greatness - all for CEO Seamus McPeake who infamously threatened last season to stop paying the players because the results weren't coming.

The 2011 NBL Coach of The Year, Gleeson has spent the last five years up in Townsville where, as the Crocodiles complained last season, there was precious little TV attention. Now he comes down to Melbourne, a city that has really given up on basketball since the NBL reduced games from 48 minutes to 40.

And if you're trying to win over the fans that are hanging on by a thread, the wrong thing to do is get rid of Corey Williams, the one man who, more than anyone else, made the team watchable and bearable last season.

Gleeson's first day in charge has resulted in the departure of two popular and respected Tigers. And that will have him behind the eight-ball in trying to win the club's fans back.