Report by Martin Bates
Well the great thing about it being July officially is that it is only 3 months and a bit until the A-league season starts.
For those Phoenix fans who have had better things to do our White-knight and all round good guy Terry Serripisos has got himself in some financial strife. Rumours began last season when players were allegedly getting paid late and built to a crescendo when Terry attempted to borrow money from Western Gulf Advisory and this man Ahsan Ali Syed. http://wikifrauds.diariobit.
The amount he tried to borrow ($100 million) meant of course that he had to pay a fee up front of over a million dollars. A few trips to court to face IRD later and most recently his lawyer walking out on him at a hearing, and things are not looking rosy for City Century Football or the Phoenix.
There isn't much of a doom and gloom atmosphere amongst the fans though. We're a stoic bunch having survived through the horrors of past clubs and recently been rewarded with World Cup glory.
The squad is currently at only 14 players having added Lucas Pantelis to attack from the left and Jimmy Downey to give us some pace out of right back. Just yesterday we added a fitness coach so something is happening. We've got two coaches, We've got two coooaches!
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| The Phoenix pacey new signing Downey (right) |
Among the losses Nick Ward and Dylan McCallister will be sorely missed. Not so much because of their greatness, but that they gave solid options to build a squad on. Now we're very much back to the drawing board. We're grasping at any straws we can get- including sightings of John McKain in town.
The excitement, though, is coming from other clubs.
Thomas Broich will continue at the Roar who established a lyrical, pacy brand of attacking football that made them untouchable last season. Kosta will be there and with luck will continue to thrive. Central Coast were in their shadow, and probably will continue to be losing playmaker Amini to Borussia Dortmund, as well as not renewing Patricio Perez's contract, though they retain the services of our own Scottish-Kiwi dynamo McG.
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| McGlinchey stays with Central Coast Mariners |
The one to watch with interest will be Melbourne Victory. Previously the best of the Australasian bunch (over the A-league history) Melbourne have been stung into action after a mid-table season. They have sacked Ernie Merrick the longest serving A-league coach and bought in talent. They have signed from the Roar forwards Solorzano and Cernak, they have club heroes Danny Allsop and Archie Thompson returning,and the brilliance of our own Marco Rojas joining their ranks. Add the possibility of Harry Kewell in the mix and that is a lineup with enormous attacking potential.
Their Melbourne cousins the Heart have picked up former Nix guest player Fred, with David Williams (overrated IMO) and Mate Dugandzic not too far behind.
Certainly enough to put questions to an injured Bertos, Paul Ifill and Greenacre. Though the rampant goal-scoring form of Ben Sigmund continues.
There are certainly plenty of Kiwis in the mix elsewhere and the attacks are not looking so weak either.
-Smeltz on his long wanderings joins Travis Dodd at Perth Glory, a club that hasn't managed to buy success yet, but will our consistent marksman change their luck?
-Brockie is still at the Newcastle Jets where he should feature coming off some strong form with the All Whites and an injury ravaged season last year. This club has a new owner and a secure future.
-Glenn Moss is still at the Gold Coast; the club without fans. They have played some great football, but will have to see how long mining magnate Clive Palmer's interest continues.
Now back off to 3 more months of off season speculation and angst, the under-20s world cup and perhaps even a trip or two down to party central of that other World Cup.
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