BoyFromTheWest

Reading between the lines of the club's announcement, quoting Brucie, I wonder if he was holding off on re-signing whilst JP was there. He says he is interested in playing further up the field under Carl. Just a thought.

Wondered where he was and what he was doing. So an un-signed player doesn't exist - he hasn't left but hasn't signed????? At his best is very good - and I haven't been a fan. But can be a bit rubbery and pushed off the ball or injured. Remember someone (with coaching credentials) made the comment last season that when he was absent we missed his ability to bring the ball up the park. I wonder if he has been limited by the role of wing-back that doesn't really suit him. At least he runs with the ball and can run at the defense - when he is playing well...

Reported they have got a couple of Spaniards who look (on paper) pretty good. Just wondering how they are able to afford all these players and remain within some semblance of the salary cap. Milligan and 2 Spaniards would be 'marquee' but that is 3 players. SOme of their others wouldn't come too cheaply - especially given $2.1Million cap???

What has happened to Kamau? I can't see his name anywhere - let go, off-contract, sacked, re-signed... Anyone know?

I heard Talay absolutely committed to Nix.

Yeah, heard the same thing. December is still a possibility given the CBA being settled... Probably be later but clubs need to be prepared and get things sorted. I probably have a different perspective to several of you. I don't know what the comp will dish up next season - nor the Wanderers. I hope (as always and it is the hope that kills you!) that we will rise again. Regardless I need to be able to go to the football and watch a live team that I want to support. Yes, I will complain about them when they play poorly and I will be ecstatic when they win - especially when they beat SFC(2x) in a poor season. Regardless of anything else, they are my team and I want to go and watch them. I may questions some things about the club but I do believe they all have good intentions, even if they don't always implement those good intentions well or the decisions don't come off.

Interesting conundrum, really. Does a club just go ahead and make decisions and then have to change them post the contracts being signed??? Or do they wait until the rules are on the table and work within them? SFC has always flown by its own rules so can't imagine much difference there but could be interesting if they sign a team under Sal Cap $X and then discover it has the be $X-Y and they have to either reduce everyone's wages or sack some players. Is this the issues for teams?

It can be amazing how a real crisis can turn things around. If we are truly scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel, then all bets are off and everything is back on the table in terms of possibility. It will depend on whether there is the courage to act from any powers that be. Necessity is the mother of invention!

Nix definitely missed Hooper. Sotirio isn't a striker - did okay and his speed is an asset but he doesn't have the quick reflexes and readiness to react that a striker needs. Better on the wing and was pretty good out wide.

It wouldn't only be how much the contract was - is there tax over there? I seem to remember people going to the oil countries earning meg, mega bucks in short time - no tax, nothing to spend on and coming home stitched up for a long time. It is also international experience in probably a higher league than ours and an opportunity to test himself - we can't compete with all the stuff they can offer - even if the raw deal on the table was close??!

I wonder if a lot of it is about quick fixes. Popa began by changing players regularly to change a system or fix something. He left and we reacted believing we could cover the deficit quickly and easily. We have not recovered from the coaching black hole he created and left. Added to that are quick fixes - get the 'right OS coach' and all will be well. Get an expensive marquee or change a few players here and there... Expect instant victories to come. We really did have it good in that first season. No team should really be able to do what we did and perhaps that expectation still exists within the club. As someone else said, Parra have stuck with Arthur and worked to build a team to the point where they are now competitive. Most A League heavyweights (and some lightweights) have also had to do this. SFC had a couple of years in the wilderness but rebuilt and have stuck with players and coaching staff who are solid and can grow into bigger roles. We jettison everything when we fail and seem to expect to import a new team each season and we will win??!!!

Why is Duke covering the midfield and back line???? Doing a Riera who had to defend, play midfield and then try to attack.

Russell is good but needs more confidence to take on backs with his pace. He is perhaps a better traditional defender who comes forward rather than a full on wing back. As someone said, he is essentially the creative outlet and not enough options. Mo Adam seems out of it - doesn't know where to run and too slow to attack the ball. Has Kamau gone backwards?

To be fair, the members were asked to vote on where we'd play during Parra rebuild and we chose SOP. It sounded good and we were all sold a pup (Club, members...).

Basically agree with most of what has been said. Seems that a lack of continuity around who WSW is in terms of culture and style of play. Popa was developing that very well over the first couple of years and then decided to change things and bring in different style players (more a a Spanish style that didn't really work because of the lower technical capacity of A League) who didn't gel or work or weren't able to adapt... There is no doubt that many of the players we have brought in form OS have had some kind of positive reputation... but most have not been able to translate their style of play into A League. It seems that the most successful A League imports, generally have been lower level OS players (Fornaroli, Ninkovich, Broich come to mind) or players who can adapt to a different, less technical style and improve their teams (Ono, Castro, Diamante and even del Piero). The imports we have mostly had have not adapted - especially strikers. Or the team have not been able to utilise their skills. The changing of coaches has meant we seem to have relied on a new head coach to set the WSW style of play and culture and they have not had a clue because they do not understand Western Sydney. The initial culture of underdogs who struggle and fight for everything and for their team seems to have been lost in a sense of entitlement. It is hard to see 'Western Sydney' in some of our teams and players, whereas in the first couple of seasons it was explicit. We don't have a WSW style and new coaches come and go, styles change and it takes a season or two for the playing squad to be refreshed to a new system/style and then a coach moves on or is sacked. Perhaps a technical/football director to help embed a culture, style and maintain continuity would be the most helpful thing. Bring is players that work in a particular style/system, train and nurture younger players in that culture and off-load those who cannot make it. Look for long-term medium-level players who can do the job over several seasons and work with marquee and imports to fill primary gaps... WSW culture and ethos is the most critical thing for me. If we can rediscover who we are, then we will be able to chart a direction and develop a team worthy of the region.