Mariners Squad - HAL 12 - 2016 - 2017

[Luca Brasi]

There are going to be a number of implications for us given the last season, player recruitment being one.
Dumb comments from the owner and manager; performances leading to the spoon; squad weaknesses; players walking out mid season; defensive records broken for the wrong reasons; TW having no real profile or senior CV; fan unrest; ongoing ridicule from the media. This added to the fact we are a small club in a regional area with budget limitations and it will make attracting quality players more difficult than usual.
Signing Faty may have been the prerequisite to getting Tavares. Tavares is exactly the player we need in the midfield, comfortable on the ball, able to hold it up under pressure, good distribution - a real dominant presence. Faty made a couple of mistakes for SFC last season that led to goals and was punished for it, that's what happens when you have depth. That said he is better than anything we have at the moment (or since 2013 for that matter) and has the potential to provide the experience/structure so missing in our back 4 last season and develop a strong partnership with Posco/Ascroft/new CB.
With the budget and roster SFC had in 2016 they should never have missed out on the 6 and in that environment I can understand if some players fell out with Arnold.
We went hard for Wilko offering $300k+ but missed out, looking to do a deal for a quality keeper - finals series hasn't even finished and all this has happened, cant say the club isn't serious.
I would have loved to have Wilko back but having missed out I think that $300k+ can probably secure better value but until Monty/Fab fix up their citizenship our recruitment is going to be limited to aussie players.

 

[localpom]

Apparently wasn't about money but a coach and club setup he prefers.

Can't blame him. Socceroo having to be coached by a clueless muppet like Walmsley?

To be honest when have we ever recruited players that Sydney have also wanted? It's all part of the rivalry and the sneaky steal of Bernie by those rotten b*stards rankles the most with me. I will enjoy beating them all the more for it next season.I think with Wilko he probably feels that his Socceroos career is more likely to continue at a club that should be competing for trophys and he knows and trusts Arnie. Having said that we have recruited well so far, and if we were willing to spend $300k on Wilko then we can get someone of his quality or better with that. Finals are not even over yet and there will be more quality signings.

 

[Big Al]

Mrs Rowdy's going to be devo'd with the news of her fav player going to the Smurfs.

I'd have to agree with Coach in that the early signing of Faty by us was a mistake and we should have held off on him until Wilko was in the bag.

Brinkmanship goes a looong way in signing player's. Selling skills on our part should have been all about "Your the one we want, Wilko".

Instead we signed a player Arnie didnt want, days later signed his cousin ....... who Arnie also didnt want. That's the message TW sent unintentionally to Wilko.

On the flipside Arnie's convo with Wilko:
"They signed the trash I didnt want, (then points out all the deficiencies that he thought was in Faty's game, he's older, slower and thus the reason for GA letting him go) and then asks Wilko why would you want to play alongside a CB like that, when you partner at Syd FC would be young, fast & up'n'coming McGowan a future Socceroo. ???

Arnie's always been quite the man manager when it comes to devoloping relationships with his player's, it's quite an asset when it comes to the sales-side of things - as proven yet again.

I agree and understand the point of view
However I think Faty and Taveras where leaving SFC no matter what
So it's good business by us to sign these players and snap them up early.
There was media saying we were going hard after Wilko so I don't think he would have felt disrespected and signing Faty and Taveras shows him our intent.
Our weekness was midfield and defence. Taveras will be good with Austin and Fab if we can hold them.

 

[Big Al]

Are the FFA going to review the no transfer policy or do we have to keep selling to Manchester?

 

[Big Al]

Would Fab going for citizenship actually make him more attractive to other A League clubs which would make it hard for us to hang on to him?

Taveras was at WSW game watching his good mate Castelan. Could use this to go after him if Fab left. Not sure on Castelan contract situation

 

[dibo]

Gatty (I think) was tweeting on Sunday that WSW weren't likely to extend Castelen's deal.

 

[localpom]

Gatty (I think) was tweeting on Sunday that WSW weren't likely to extend Castelen's deal.

I would absolutely love Castelan. Would be surprised if WSW keep all their stars as they have mostly all gone up in value.We would have lots more room to move in the cap. Would put bums on seats and if a mate of Tavares we would have a chance i guess.

 

[Paolo]

Having said that we have recruited well so far, and if we were willing to spend $300k on Wilko then we can get someone of his quality or better with that.

Flipside is you could spend $300k+ and get someone like Marcel Seip...

 

[FFC Mariner]

To be honest when have we ever recruited players that Sydney have also wanted? It's all part of the rivalry and the sneaky steal of Bernie by those rotten b*stards rankles the most with me. I will enjoy beating them all the more for it next season.I think with Wilko he probably feels that his Socceroos career is more likely to continue at a club that should be competing for trophys and he knows and trusts Arnie. Having said that we have recruited well so far, and if we were willing to spend $300k on Wilko then we can get someone of his quality or better with that. Finals are not even over yet and there will be more quality signings.

The grubby wankers didnt steal Bernie to be fair. He returned to his chinese club and they did a deal with Sydney

I take your point about them though

 

[FFC Mariner]

Flipside is you could spend $300k+ and get someone like Marcel Seip...

Andershite would come back if we did......

 

[localpom]

The grubby wankers didnt steal Bernie to be fair. He returned to his chinese club and they did a deal with Sydney

I take your point about them though

From what i remember it was all but a done deal with Mossy but Sydney snuck in under our noses. True that he was on loan and not our player but still.....

 

[localpom]

Flipside is you could spend $300k+ and get someone like Marcel Seip...

True, let's hope not. I'm praying we get another Patrick.

 

[nebakke]

From what i remember it was all but a done deal with Mossy but Sydney snuck in under our noses. True that he was on loan and not our player but still.....

yeah - weren't they hurling so much money at the Chinese club that we couldn't compete... again...?

 

[nebakke]

I would absolutely love Castelan. Would be surprised if WSW keep all their stars as they have mostly all gone up in value.We would have lots more room to move in the cap. Would put bums on seats and if a mate of Tavares we would have a chance i guess.

From his performance over the last weeks of the season and the finals, I can't believe that they'd let him go... I know everyone seems all excited about the quality of WSW currently but, I don't see it tbh... Obviousy they must have some sort of quality as they have managed to drag down just about every team they've played. But I think Castelen was the only real redeeming factor in the semi against Brisbane and I honestly don't understand the claims of it being the "game of the decade"... Yep, it's exciting when there are that many goals scored and they're that close, but quality-wise I actually though City/Adelaide was better to watch - largely thanks to Adelaide, but still.

Anyway, I rant and digress, core point is, that I think Castelen has been a bit of a shining light for them - why would they let him go?

 

[midfielder]

Mark Schwarz contract is up and has a good chance to have an EPL winners medal..

He would be as good as Danny and if cheap would be very sellable on the coast as a name everyone knows.

He has a very good brain and I always through he would be good when he finished in a FFA management role of some kind... and playing for us would get him back in Australia...

 

[midfielder]

If I want something from you, I get to choose what I ask for, not what you ask for. If I want to do a deal, I've got to make sure I offer something that you want.

If you don't want McDonald or Fletcher, what makes you think Melbourne Victory do?

and if the price is to high look at other alternatives..

 

[localpom]

From his performance over the last weeks of the season and the finals, I can't believe that they'd let him go... I know everyone seems all excited about the quality of WSW currently but, I don't see it tbh... Obviousy they must have some sort of quality as they have managed to drag down just about every team they've played. But I think Castelen was the only real redeeming factor in the semi against Brisbane and I honestly don't understand the claims of it being the "game of the decade"... Yep, it's exciting when there are that many goals scored and they're that close, but quality-wise I actually though City/Adelaide was better to watch - largely thanks to Adelaide, but still.

Anyway, I rant and digress, core point is, that I think Castelen has been a bit of a shining light for them - why would they let him go?

Yep, it was a great game, but riddled with mistakes. The wall the the Roar put up for Castelans first was worse than any Izzo did this season.

 

[Gratis]

I'm not certain we really offered Wilko 300k... So who knows how much alternative spend we'll go with

 

[nebakke]

I'm not certain we really offered Wilko 300k... So who knows how much alternative spend we'll go with

You'd think he'd be worth more to us than to just about any other team as well...
I'm thinking that Wilko's probably heard stories and read the papers just like everyone else... On top of it he's spent the last 6 months playing with a couple of guys who were obviously not happy with the club. On top of that, he's been offered money to come and play with more-or-less a full coaching team that he's worked with before and a couple of players that he knows, in the area that he want's to go to, compare to returning to a club that he captained, where he's loved by the fans, but where he only knows the assistance coach, an FB and the Coach, but only as a NYL coach... It's much more of an unknown.
So I suppose that, in a brief moment of lessened bitterness, I can see why he'd go where he went.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Castelan? Why the f**k would they let Castelan go? Has to be popovic. Would sign him in a heart beat. Easily been one of the seasons best players.

Wilko to sydney... New levels of hatred forming.