The A-League season is almost here. It’s been a long wait, but it’s finally over.
Melbourne’s football fans have got Harry Kewell to look forward to and Fred to welcome back in what promises to be the best season yet. Last year’s title went to Brisbane, the year before it was Sydney, that’s two years without a title in our city. So will this year see a change in fortune? Which of our clubs is most likely to bring the title back?
Supporters of the Melbourne Heart will claim that after establishing themselves in the league last year they will be able to push upward this season.
But let’s make no mistake about it, Heart had a disappointing debut season last year. They failed to excite the supporters, and they failed to get the results. They imported a coach from Europe on huge wages and he failed to put together a balanced side.
This year they have to cope with the loss of a mass of experience, with Socceroos Michael Beauchamp, John Aloisi and Josip Skoko all gone, and Gerard Sibon returning to Europe. The signing of former Victory favourite Fred will be a great move if he can repeat his previous A-League form, but Brazilian Maycon and Argentine Jonathon Germano have the smell of budget recruits, having nothing in their playing history to indicate that they will be able to fire the side to a higher league position.
The hordes of Melbourne Victory fans will rightly claim that they are the big guns of the A-League and are due a title. They have done the outstanding recruiting of the summer with Harry Kewell, Marco Rojas, Juan Carlos Solarzano and Isaka Cernak adding attacking options to the already fearsome trio of Danny Allsopp, Archie Thompson and Carlos Hernandez.
Former South Melbourne legend Mehmet Durakovic will guide what looks like an extremely attack minded squad into his first season as coach with tremendous optimism, but will face a real challenge in trying to figure out the best combination for his forwards. If he can get the balance right Victory should be there or thereabouts at the end of the year.
Which of our clubs do I fancy? Why, it’s Queensland Hellas of course, better known as Brisbane Roar. I’m claiming them as our club! Ange and Trimmers will be looking to be the first club to go back-to-back in the A-League. Over the last season-and-a-half Ange has recreated a team in the image of his great South Melbourne Hellas side of a decade ago.
Some will say that Hellas, sorry, Roar, have lost too much talent, with Solarzano, Barbarousis and McKay all leaving since the end of last season, but Ange doesn’t recruit great players, he recruits players that make great teams. For that reason I fully expect Ange to have that smug grin all over his face again next April, and with good reason!
