This was in stark contrast to Phoenix sides under Ricki Herbert which were set up to defend, be hard to break down and hit teams on the break through flashes of brilliance from the likes of Paul Ifill.
Conversely, Merrick's Phoenix were fun to watch. They wanted to get forward, they wanted to attack, and they wanted to score goals. Yes, they conceded a few, but it hardly mattered.
Merrick had one very good season in Wellington and two average ones.
After injuries decimated his first year in charge, the 2014/15 campaign was the Phoenix's best regular season ever, during which they scored more goals, claimed more wins and collected more points than any previous side had managed.
For three weeks in late March 2015, the Phoenix topped the table and fans dreamed of a first ever A-League title. It wasn't to be, but Merrick was top of the pops and almost universally admired for his attacking intent, so much so that even a ninth place finish in 2015/16 hardly raised an eyebrow.
As always, there'll be questions about whether Merrick jumped before he was pushed.
We'll never truly know the answer to that, but the fact is professional sport is a results business, and the Phoenix weren't getting the wins or providing the performances they should have been given the attacking resources at Merrick's disposal. Stats can be used to prove or disprove just about anything, but no-one could have possibly predicted that after eight games Roly Bonevacia, Gui Finkler, Kosta Barbarouses and Michael McGlinchey wouldn't have a single goal between them. That alone is at least cause for questions.
Football is a game of fine margins. What if Roy Krishna had scored from the penalty spot last night and put the Phoenix 1-0 up against Adelaide? Would they perhaps have gone on to win the game and ended the weekend just outside the top six rather than rooted to the bottom of the table?
If that had been the case, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. But Krishna's kick was saved, the Phoenix weren't able to fashion much else in the attacking third and a sixth game from eight went into the loss column. Something inside Ernie Merrick obviously told him enough was enough.
Had he lost the dressing room? Once again, it's impossible to gauge, but the majority of his players appeared to like and greatly respect their mentor, certainly publicly.
Many flourished under his stewardship and several young players were given their chance to play A-League football under his guidance. Ironically, a number of young Australians - Dylan Fox, Jacob Tratt and famously Nathan Burns - had to come to New Zealand to get their chance to play A-League football when clubs in their own country weren't interested. Others, including Vince Lia and Ben Sigmund, had their careers reinvigorated by the Scot.
The front-runner to replace Merrick would appear to be Auckland City coach Ramon Tribulietx who was courted by Brisbane Roar ahead of the 2015/16 season before the deal fell through. The Spaniard has long been regarded as a professional coach in waiting and may now get his chance to prove whether he can make the step from the amateur national league to the day-to-day demands of the A-League.
Former assistant coach Luciano Trani has significant A-League experience and has indicated a desire to be a head coach, while current Roar assistant and foundation Phoenix captain Ross Aloisi could also be in the mix. Current assistant coach Chris Greenacre is probably too early in his coaching career to be considered.
A roughie could be All Whites coach Anthony Hudson. New Zealand has just two international matches before the end of the A-League season (in March against Fiji), and Hudson has worked with several Phoenix players during his time in the national job. It would need the Phoenix board to go back on their pledge not to consider national coaches for their club job after Ricki Herbert's resignation in 2013 and of course Hudson himself would need to want to do it, which is far from certain.
So how will Ernie Merrick be remembered in Wellington? Fondly. He came to the capital with the reputation of being a dour Scotsman - an unsmiling schoolmaster-type figure who famously kept the same expression for the entire 90 minutes as his Melbourne Victory side beat Adelaide United 6-0 in the 2006/07 Grand Final.
Upon his arrival, that image was dissolved; he was amiable, engaging and extremely dry-witted. He was forthright with the media, accessible to fans and interested in becoming part of Wellington's fabric, to the point when he even got used to the city's earthquakes.
But most importantly, he took the Phoenix forward. He did what he was hired to do. He made the Phoenix a watchable side. But under his watch, they've stopped winning. And when that happens, all bets are off.
