Well it has taken a while for TRD to get motivated enough to write after what was, as Michael Flynn pointed out in his latest ever entertaining blog,the third season in a row Adelaide have delivered the final blow to the hearts of Roar fans. Now that the same team have stolen the only consistent goal scorer the club has ever had, the extent to which the team will need to be rebuilt for next season is becoming clearer.
The season has seen much of the team dismantled with Miller, Reddy, Moore, Tiatto and now Sergio Van Dijk leaving and there is a good chance that others will follow before next season. Tommy Oar, Luke DeVere and Michael Zullo are all a chance to leave for Holland. McJosh could well retire, while China is beckoning new captain Matt Mackay. Time will tell if Bryce remains, but his age will count against him.
This plausible if hypothetical exodus would leave Murdocca, Reinaldo, Collen, Nicholls and Henrique as the key players left to build a squad around. Its not a bad start and leaves plenty of scope for Postacolou to build the team he wants. As the coach has rightly pointed out - it is not as if a champion team have been dismantled - he has managed, in a very short space of time, to dismantle a rubbish team and build new one equally as rubbish. So... the jury is out.
My view is that unless the Roar changes its Board and gets a massive injection of cash, next season is going to be a lot worse. Under the salary cap, poor teams pay more for average players. IE players will take a salary hit to ensure they have a chance of the finals - and ask for more if they think they are playing for a team that just makes up the numbers. More Roar players stayed last year because they thought this they would go one better. They came 9th. Melb Heart's entry means 18 new Australian spots will open up across the A-League and Brisbane looks like being the loser.
Ange needed to bring players to the club the way Frank did, clearly he isn't.
I understand that the FFA is getting frustrated that a new owner can not come in and make their own decisions.
Posted by: john | February 16, 2010 at 10:11 PM
I guess we all hope for a change of direction. It is a bit early to say AP is not brining players in - he is probably pretty hamstrung by the club's financial situation, we will see what the off season brings - but he has sure stuck his neck out a long long way - you have to back that up with results quickly, if they are not doing well by round three/four next season I doubt anyone will be left defending him.
TBH - rumors of a cashed up takeover sound a little far fetched to me.
Posted by: Ed | February 17, 2010 at 05:01 PM