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Australian A League Preview
CANBERRA, Aug 25 (SW) - The second season of Australia’s A League is about to begin this weekend, with Football Federation Australia officials hoping to build on last season’s success with the added help of the wave of public enthusiasm following the Socceroos heroic performance at the 2006 World Cup.
Below is a look at the 8 teams who will compete in what has been dubbed A Leage Version 2.
Adelaide United
Winners of the pre-season competition and minor premiers last campaign, this solid unit will again be a top contender.
Adelaide has a well balanced squad that will be looking to put the disappointment of last season’s finals campaign behind them and are a strong contender to go all the way.
The club have done well to regain the services of former Chinese international Shengqing Qu, who looked lost to these shores after initially returning home following the end of last season.
The addition of former Celtic winger Bobby Petta should also add some width to the Adelaide attack.
Coach John Kosmina certainly knows how to get the best out of his players and will ensure his team fights out every game for the 90 minutes.
Central Coast Mariners
Credit must go to manager Lawrie McKinna who transformed this squad into a potent force that were unlucky not to finish as inaugural winners. The Mariners have looked good in pre-season but one wonders if they can repeat last season’s heroics.
The loss of defensive duo Michael Beauchamp and Dean Heffernan to Nurnberg is a blow, however the return from injury of Stewart Petrie will help bolster the firepower up front.
Strong local representation should keep the fans coming through the turnstiles and ensure strong home support from the ‘Marinators’ and the club should again be good enough for a finals place.
Melbourne Victory
The return of Archie Thompson from PSV and the introduction of Brazilian trio, Fred, Claudinho and Alessandro, has Victory supporters excited about their season prospects.
The jury is still out on rookie coach Ernie Merrick, who will need to notch up a few early wins to keep the Melbourne public happy.
The pressure will be on Melbourne to improve on last season’s disappointing showing, as Football Federation Australia officials know how crucial a successful Melbourne side is to the vibrancy of the national competition.
Finals are an absolute must if Merrick intends on keeping his job by season’s end and they have the squad to achieve this target.
New Zealand Knights
The whipping boys of last season’s competition, the Knights have performed a massive post season clear out and are looking for a much improved effort under the guidance of new boss Paul Nevin.
The former Fulham coach has been brought in to save a sinking ship and all indicators suggest that he is up to the task.
Have shown a marked improvement during the pre-season campaign and this will result in a greater points tally than the paltry effort of last season.
Will still find the going tough and again look likely to be at the wrong end of the table.
Newcastle Jets
Two-time NSL championship winning coach Nick Theodorakopolous has finally secured a coaching position in Australia’s elite competition.
Whilst there’s no doubting Theo’s credentials, he may not have the tools at his disposal to make a big impact due to a delayed recruitment drive brought about by the Ned Zelic contractual saga.
The Jets may struggle up front to find the goals to win matches and this could result in them narrowly missing a finals berth. The recruitment of Joel Griffiths could prove to be one of the best moves of the off-season.
Perth Glory
Took a long time in appointing new coach Ron Smith, and with a delayed recruitment campaign, questions must be asked if they will be ready in time for the season proper.
The signing of Stan Lazaridis will hopefully win back the public that once made this club the envy of all in Australia and the veteran still posses a few tricks to play a leading role.
The club should improve on last season’s showing but will be doing well if they snatch a finals berth. A season of rebuilding and winning back the local public appear the more likely targets.
Queensland Roar
Roar coach Miron Bleiberg is under pressure to perform after a disappointing sixth place result last season.
The loss of attacking talent Alex Brosque is a major blow, with the scoring burden now passed on to ex-Celtic player Simon Lynch and former Socceroo Ante Milicic.
On their day, the Roar can play some scintilating football, but the time has come for an improvement in the side’s consistency.
Much will be expected of versatile captain Chad Gibson and new recruit Andrew Packer to lead the side.
Queensland is likely to miss out on a finals place which is sure to harm Bleiberg’s prospects of keeping his job. Former national boss Frank Farina has been mentioned as a possible replacement.
Sydney FC
The champions have recruited former England skipper Terry Butcher as their new manager and have strengthened with the signings of Jeremy Brockie and Alex Brosque, from New Zealand and Queensland respectively.
This squad is still the best list in the competition ‘on paper’ and should be favourites to retain their title.
The emergence of Mark Milligan as a star of the future, the midfield creativity of Steve Corica and the attacking talents of David Carney and Sasho Petrovski will ensure that Butcher has a solid core to build his team around.
That’s without considering the experience and guile brought to the team by marquee player and co-captain Dwight Yorke who was a magnificent leader last term.
Anything short of a Grand Final appearance will be deemed a failure.
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