FCB

Miller and Dorrans played together at Rangers in 17/18. Interview with both of them starts at 5:20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLeTBj2Xoxw

Sadly, conversations about which players to sign etc are detached from the reality of a world shaped by COVID-19. The HAL is in survival mode, depending on how things how are going, up to four clubs could go over the cliff this season. We can consider ourselves lucky if a professional league can be maintained that deserves that description. Taking advantage of the youth factory is key for survival, WSW is well placed.

The owners consider the youth factory the crown jewel of the club. They poured roughly 20 million dollars of their own money into the facilities at Blacktown. That’s the investment they’ve made into the future of the club. Cheapskates? Lederer out? The vision is having Westies play for the West at HAL level. A manager who ignores that vision will pay the price. Gombau did, and so has JP. Both showed no interest in youth development, did not go to youth games, did not nurture young talent. Both time the club was quick to react. JT has history with the Jets, he had his finger on the pulse with the situation in Newcastle, and what Robinson’s situation was. The club wanted Robinson, once they were confident that they could make it happen they pulled the trigger with JP. JT out? COVID-19 put the axe on HAL financials. The big/good name managers from the 19/20 season are all back in Europe, and have been “replaced” with Veart, Kisnorbo, Garcia, Moon, Brebner. No doubt there is someone similar in the pipeline for the Jets. No disrespect to any of these guys, but they have little or no coaching experience at professional level. Would we have welcomed any of them at WSW? In February, Robinson got off the plane, took over the Jets on Monday, and we played them on Saturday. To everyone’s surprise, they had us under the pump. It was astonishing what Robinson had done with that very ordinary Jets squad in such a short period of time - and he backed it up with good results for the rest of the season. Very impressive. Kudos to McKinna of getting him and Miller into the country in the first place. On paper at least, WSW are the only club who have upgraded their coaching group. On paper, Robinson/Miller/Davies look second to none in the HAL, their CVs look more accomplished than Team Popa's did back in 2012. Even in a non COVID-19 environment, that coaching group would be considered very solid and promising. In the current climate, it seems as good as it gets. Or would we have preferred Aloisi, Merrick, Okon? As for Babbel: he made it know via the German media that the refs blatantly robbed WSW of crucial points, and that he lost his job because of it. That was certainly part of it. What Babbel didn’t say: he was part of that ongoing combative relationship with the refs, and he didn't know how and when to STFU. What he also didn’t say was that the team lacked fitness, that the Alex Meier he signed arrived with a broken body (and realized in Australia that he didn’t want to be a football pro any longer...), and that the Mueller he signed took too long to come up to speed. There’s lessons to be learned in all of this. Robinson and Miller look promising. Going by the Jets' performances, WSW will be fit and physically present, something we’ve been lacking ever since Popa did a Popa four years ago. Robinson taking “responsibility for all recruitment and management of the club’s A-League program” means that he is as powerful a manager we’ve had since Popa. I’d like to think that this is a good thing. Time will tell.

To suggest that the post-game discussion turned into a washer women convention would be an insult to all washer women. Top of the table, unbeaten, two clean sheets despite injury worries, best start into the season in our history, all five import and two marquee spots filled - but that is not enough. MB said in the presser that football is not a "Wunschkonzert", meaning a "request show" - that's something people don't seem to compute. Thank goodness that we don't have an ownership model where the members actually have a say. These experts would have the club sunk in now time.

Players not happy, it was very obvious after the midweek cup game in Bochum. Bayern didn't dare cut lose Kovac after the last season, after all he won the double, but the discontent in the squad was brewing already. Depending on how big the discontent is behind the scenes, and what meaning the club officials make of it, Kovac could be gone as early as tomorrow, or not at all. Last year he was one defeat away from being replaced by Arsene Wenger. If Bayern pull the plug then Wenger would be my man. I don't agree about reinforcements. There's three French WC winners in the squad, plus Coman, the spine of the current German NT (Suele, Kimmich, Grabny, Goretzka), a few 2014 WC winners (Mueller, Neuer, Boateng for what it's worth), and guys like Lewandowski, Coutinho, Thiago, Martinez. Alaba, Peresic. Make those guys sing again and Bayern will be a force.

Well, if I remember correctly you were going to scream if we failed to win one of the first four games :-) If winning three out of four, one of them being a derby, does not do the trick then I don't know any longer what it takes to be positive. I sure know that I wouldn't want to swap places with VIC, top of the table will do me nicely, thank you very much. We are struggling with injuries, that's why the engine is stuttering. We had three players limp off in the last two games, two of them starting midfielders. That's the main challenge here.

Once Schwegler was gone we played with three kids in midfield, too young and inexperienced against The All Whites. They are are compact and physical unit. There is a hole between AMFG and the CBs, that's the problem. We need to get Schwegler back, without him the trip to Gelong will be very difficult. We should have lost, and last season we would have. And could have won - which would have been a bit rich. I'll take the point. Good to see Ziegler and Mueller on the pitch, very promising. The biggest concern is that we currently have six players in sick bay. Yeboah is half the player he was in pre season.

Exactly my thoughts, this going to be a stinker of a game. If I am counting correctly then Roar have seven players who are at solid League One level, and a few have played in the Championship and even PL. They are hardened pros who can give you a run for your money. We'll need to break them down, and it'll require a lot of work.

On match days happy hour goes til 2pm only. That's what I was told last week. Other than that: bring back the Bavarian!

It is a crime that this pub is going to be knocked down. Bavarian and Roxy gone, Royal Oak going, and at the same time the capacity of the football ground has gone up by 10k. What is needed is a pub like the one we used in Brisbane prior to the 2014 GF.

We are doomed...

Maybe a bit late for predictions three rounds in, but I've made up my mind weeks ago as it is: 1) wsw 2) vic 3-6) city, reds, smurfs, glory (too close to call) 7-8) WU, roar 9-11) ccm, jets, nix

Mueller on the bench, Tarek and Kamau too early, Sullivan a big maybe, plus JoD out

Most likely scenarios. 1) David Beckham - a move to Perth is not part of my business plan (= why on Earth would I want to go to bloody Perth?) 2) William Gallas - man, it's hot here (= why on Earth did I go to bloody Perth?)

He is undergoing quite a transformation. Wasn't a 90 minute per game man in his five years in Germany, but the coaching group and especially fitness coach seem to be changing that. Just came across the interview from his Gladbach days. I didn't realize how well he speaks German (very impressive), and didn't fully appreciate how big a move it can be for a GC boy to Sydney.