It's here at last! The 2016-17 A-League season. And here's our preview (and predictions) of what we can expect in the 27 weeks ahead!
It’s a paradox but while the off-season of five months seems such a long time, the fact that we’re about to start the twelfth season of the A-League also shows just how much time flies.
Over those seasons, the issues have remained broadly similar too. Are the clubs financial? Is the competition sustainable? When will it expand? How much will the next TV deal be? Are the clubs in the right location? Where should the competition go next? How can we integrate the A-League with the next tier down that already exists, the NPL? And, the holy grail of real grown-up football competition, what about promotion and relegation?
But for now, what we’ve got is a ten-team competition. We take a look at the clubs over the off-season and rate their prospects for 2016-17.
Shaky off-season: Newcastle Jets, Brisbane Roar, Central Coast Mariners
In the off-season, NEWCASTLE JETS have faced the most change off-the-field. A new owner, the Chinese Ledman Group (one of a powerful trio of owners that are essential to the A-League); a new CEO in Lawrie McKinna whose biography was published in the off-season and who is a former player, coach and local politician; and a new coach, proud Novocastrian, Mark Jones who joins the A-League coaching ranks after previous assistant roles.
Despite the considerable money behind the Ledman Group, Newcastle Jets have not yet brought in a marquee signing, but they have signed two interesting visa players who have been plying their trade in Finland: Wayne Brown from SJK and Aleksandr Kokko from RoPS. The Jets’ local signings of Andrew Nabbout (Melbourne Victory), Devante Clut (Brisbane Roar) and Andrew Hoole (Sydney FC) are solid also.
BRISBANE ROAR has had issues to face that are remarkably reminiscent of the worst days of ‘old soccer’ when NSL clubs – and Soccer Australia – didn’t pay players and other staff. However, fundamentally, their owners, the Bakrie Brothers, are not broke.
On the pitch, their key signing has been former Socceroo, Brett Holman who, despite his domestic and international playing record, has previously divided fan opinion. But fans don’t coach teams, and you won’t find a manager or another player who doesn’t rate Holman highly. The brotherly brains trust at Brisbane Roar, coach John Aloisi and assistant Ross, have made what appears to be some other smart signings with midfielder Thomas Kristensen from ADO Den Haag in the Eredivisie and, in recent days, Manuel Arana Rodriguez from Spanish Second Division side, Mallorca.
Like their F3 neighbours, CENTRAL COAST MARINERS had a last minute change of coach also with former Socceroo captain and U-20 national coach, Paul Okon, rumoured to be the only one “silly enough” to take a job that has been seen in recent years as the poisoned chalice role of the A-League, in contrast to its record over 12 years.
There’s no doubt Okon understands and reads the game superbly but can he translate that into the relentless cycle of club football? An A-League coaching position where the heat is on for 27 consecutive weeks will be a good test for him. It’s no surprise that Central Coast has no marquee player but the Mariners have picked-up reliable Ivan Necesvski and the cousins from Sydney FC, Mickael Tavares and Jacques Faty, as well as Kwabena Appiah from Wellington Phoenix and a young player Okon rates highly, Connor Pain from Melbourne Victory.
Quiet off-season: Melbourne Victory, Western Sydney Wanderers, Adelaide United
Kevin Muscat has shown in his three full off-seasons as coach that, contrary to his personality, he likes to keep it fairly quiet and relatively low key. MELBOURNE VICTORY has had two big name signings with the return of New Zealander Marco Rojas from VfB Stuttgart and Socceroo James Troisi from Liaoning Whowin in China, but Victory is also making up for two big losses with Kostas Barbarouses and Gui Finkler heading to Wellington Phoenix. Melbourne Victory’s other key signings include James Donachie from Brisbane Roar and Spaniard Alan Baros from Second Division Ponferradina, joining proven performers including Besart Berisha, Oliver Bozanic, Fahid Ben Khalfallah and Carl Valeri.
WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS appear to have enjoyed their annual clear-out with the usual cultural kaleidoscope of new players to the club. Key amongst them are the return of Kerem Bulut, this time from Iraklis in Greece – has he matured and will Popa be able to manage him? – as well as new visa players. Argentinean Nicolas Martinez from Olympiacos, Artiz Borda from Spanish Second Division side Alaves, Bruno Pinatares from the Uruguayan First Division side Cerro and Jumpei Kusukami from J-League side Sagan Tosu join the fifth visa player Dimas Delgado who was one of the Wanderers’ stand-outs last season, along with Romeo Castelen who has left and Mitch Nicholls who remains. Steven Lustica has also joined the club from Brisbane Roar and may get more of a run that many felt he deserved under John Aloisi.
With so many new faces, it’s no wonder they’re called the Wanderers! As usual, Popovic will have his work cut-out to blend a cohesive unit but he’s proven previously that he can do it.
The other quiet club in the off-season has been the premiers and champions, ADELAIDE UNITED. Off-the-field, they announced a new major sponsor in IGA Supermarkets, and Guillermo Amor enjoyed a holiday at home in Spain which included seeing his friend Pep Guardiola’s last game in charge at Bayern Munich.
Adelaide United has suffered the price of the dual win last season by losing some key players. It remains to be seen whether their losses, which include Bruce Djite, Craig Goodwin, Bruce Kamau, Stefan Mauk and Pablo Sanchez Alberto, are balanced out by their new signings. Key amongst them are James Holland returning home from MSV Duisberg, former Brisbane Roar favourite Henrique (the ‘Slippery Fish’ generally only needs half-a-game to score a goal) returning to Australia from a stint in Malaysia, and the man with the golden name - even if no relation - Sergi Guardiola from beautiful Granada (the city) in Spain’s La Liga. Adelaide United also retain the likes of evergreen Eugene Galekovic, marquee player Marcelo Carrusca, Iacopo La Rocca, Sergio Cirio and Isaias Sanchez.
Steady as she goes off-season: Sydney FC, Perth Glory, Wellington Phoenix
Once upon a time, SYDNEY FC was a basket case in terms of its off-field machinations. Numerous CEOs, numerous coaches, a supporter group that, not least because of its proximity to the national media, is never backward in letting their view be known. But with a CEO who is now into his fifth year in the job, and a coach entering his third year, the news out of Sydney Football Stadium tends to be principally (though not exclusively) about football issues.
Graham Arnold seems to have made some of the more notable signings of the off-season. Alex Wilkinson will give the club much-needed maturity and stability. Michael Zullo is creative, quick and skilled. One of Arnold’s personal favourites, Bernie Ibini, returns from Club Brugge where he didn’t get much of a run due to an injury. And Bobo – putting aside he has the best name in the A-League – looks the goods on the few occasions he’s been seen in public so far. He joins the Sky Blues from Gremlo in Brazil and has previously played with Filipe Holosko at Besiktas in Turkey.
Put the new signings together with the ever-impressive Milos Dimitrijevic, other visa players such as Holosko and Milos Ninkovic, and homegrown players, it rates as one of the best squads Sydney FC has had for quite a few years.
PERTH GLORY is another club that has benefited from stability at the top in the back office. Owner Tony Sage is quixotic and passionate, but CEO Peter Filopoulos has steadied the ship after the salary cap scandal. Sage and Filopoulos have also made Kenny Lowe the most job-secure coach in the A-League via a new contract that will see him in charge for at least another three seasons.
Perth Glory finished fifth last season and haven’t suffered too many losses in the off-season. Importantly, they’ve kept Diego Castro, Andy Keogh, Nebo Marinkovic, Adam Taggart and Richie Garcia. They’ve also made some more smart signings in Swede Milas Smiljanic from Maccabi in Israel, Joseph Mills from League One side Oldham Athletic and returning Australian players, keen to be in the shop window for Ange Postecoglou: long-term Middlesbrough player Rhys Williams joining younger brother Aryn, and Rostyn Griffiths after one season with Roda in the Eredivisie.
In typical Ernie Merrick fashion, WELLINGTON PHOENIX has also had an unfussy off-season and is the club with the least change. It’s just the way Ernie likes it.
However, they have made three terrific key signings. They coaxed Kiwi international Kostas Barbarouses back home, lured the creative artist, Gui Finkler, as a marquee player; and recruited Marco Rossi from Perugia, who will be a steady presence in defence. Add in the experience of captain Andrew Durante, Roly Bonevacia, Vince Lia, Alex Rodriguez, Roy Krishna and Michael McGlinchey it’s no wonder that in a pre-season match in Townsville last month, Wellington Phoenix looked well-drilled, structured and disciplined - and likely to be a threat this season.
Great expectations off-season: Melbourne City
If ever a club had great expectations it is MELBOURNE CITY. Not only are they in the money, backed by their owner the City Football Group, but their bold move to bring Tim Cahill home resulted in the ‘Cahill Ruling’ from FFA as well as a financial contribution to his salary for the first season in return for being the A-League poster boy.
Cahill is a thorough professional as well as being a Socceroo superstar. Despite some fans pooh-poohing the move due to his age and his recent club moves, Cahill won’t disappoint. And neither will Melbourne City’s other stars such as Bruno Fornaroli, Thomas Sorensen and Osama Malik. Add in City’s other new signings including Argentines Nicolas Colazo (Boca Juniors), Fernando Brandan (Atletico Temperly), Danish Michael Jakobson from Esbjerg, as well as known quantities such as Luke Brattan, Manny Muscat (Wellington Phoenix), Neil Kilkenny (Preston North End) and Bruce Kamau (Adelaide United), and it’s hard to find a weak spot on the park.
The question is how coach John van’t Schip and his squad will cope with the great expectations of everyone from Sheikh Mansour down. But with big personalities who thrive on such challenges - such as Cahill, captain Fornaroli and Sorensen – Melbourne City should be and will be hard to beat over 27 rounds.
Off the park, Melbourne City should be subject to another set of great expectations. Now in their eighth season in the A-League and third as part of the City Football Group, with the squad they’ve assembled and the resources behind them, Melbourne City’s key metrics will need to be on an upward curve.
Predictions
The one prediction we can be sure of in making pre-season predictions is that we’ll end up with egg on our face by getting something really badly wrong! But that’s the attraction of each new season even with the same ten teams. Each season engenders its own dynamics that defy expectations and predictions.
In the meantime, here’s how we think it may end up by around 9pm on Sunday 16 April 2017.
What is certain after looking at the ins-and-outs is notwithstanding that the answers to the perennial questions about sustainability, expansion, promotion and relegation are more likely to disappoint than delight, the 2016-17 season shapes up to be highly competitive, exciting and entertaining. Let’s hope that sometime soon a free-to-air broadcast component will deliver the game to more people so they, too, can see what all the fuss is about and judge for themselves.
Enjoy your football!
Our tips for round 1
Brisbane Roar v Melbourne VictoryWellington Phoenix v Melbourne CityWestern Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FCPerth Glory v Central Coast MarinersNewcastle Jets v Adelaide United
Download the 2016-17 A-League season draw here.