(Ryan Withers is a BPL Citizen Journalist and blogger.)

After another disappointing result for Melbourne Victory, the powerhouse club now appears to be faltering, and things are looking grim for the former champions. 

The 2-2 result against the Central Coast Mariners was an indicative game for the Victory this season, losing the three points on offer to an unfortunate own goal resulting from a Grant Brebner clearance.

This is the type of bad luck which, with the exception of season one, had not affected the Victory as they tallied two A-League championships in five seasons. But even worse perhaps was the crowd attendance of just over 9600, well below that of Melbourne's traditional records. 

Although not much has been made of their smaller crowds, it is an issue that could very well become a problem if the trend continues to grow. Sure, the Victory's recent match against the Mariners was on a Thursday night and, after a day of rain, many spectators may have been unwilling to attend, but this is not the first time crowds have been below expectations in season 2010/11. 

In Round 10, when the Victory took on fierce rivals and reigning champions Sydney FC at Etihad Stadium, they attracted only 15,000 to the Docklands. For any other side in the A-League this would be a successful total, but for the Melbourne giant, accustomed to attendances of 20,000-30,000, this signalled a drop-off in interest. 

This total was similar to the crowd that went to see Adelaide United appear at Etihad Stadium in round 12, with just over 16,000 heading out to watch the Victory win 2-1. But that contrasted badly with the 21,182 who turned out to watch the corresponding game in 2009. Similarly, the Sydney FC attendance the same time last year was 30,000, almost double the 2010 figure. 

So why are the Victory's crowds falling? Is it their results or their style? 

Well, the introduction of the Melbourne Heart has certainly taken several thousand from the Victory, along with others unable to get on board when the A-League began. But with the Heart gaining crowds of only a few thousand on average, the Victory's attendance problems may lie else where, most likely with the A-League itself. 

Over the last few years, the A-League has been lacklustre in its efforts to promote the competition. The league hierarchy has also made some poor decisions. The most obvious of these was starting the season during the AFL and NRL finals series.

But even as the season rolls on towards the halfway mark and the eyes of the country's sporting fans should be upon soccer, events such as the AFL Draft and the unveiling of the Greater Western Sydney Giants have gained greater media coverage than the premier soccer league in Australia. 

Whatever the reason, the once powerful Melbourne Victory seem to be in a rut and, unless things start changing on and off the field, the A-League's biggest club could be heading to a very uncertain future - along with the A-League as well.