STABILITY is Adelaide United coach John Kosmina's watchword as he continues to shape his squad for the upcoming A-League season.
As with his decision to sign a marquee player for the inaugural season, Kosmina said he would not be rushed into selecting a player to replace the successful Shengqing Qu.
"You can dive in, you can panic," Kosmina said.
"We're probably the most stable club in the competition and I think people lose sight of just how important that is.
"Teams and clubs in particular need stability and we've got that on and off the field.
"A lot of other clubs dumped a lot of players, we didn't.
"I'm really happy with the balance of the squad at the moment.
"I thought about where we needed to strengthen and hopefully what will come out on August 25 when we kick off the season will be enough to get us that step further."
But while he continues to carefully shape his squad for season two, Kosmina expects to have the bulk of his squad in place before the side breaks from training on June 9.
"I'm in no hurry at the moment (to sign a marquee player), we've got a bit of time up our sleeves," Kosmina said.
"We have to have a good look around rather than rush in.
"We need a striker, that's the biggest thing that we want.
"But having said that, I'm pretty much prepared to certainly go into the cup competition a man short."
AUSTRALIA striker Archie Thompson has pledged his playing future to Melbourne Victory.
After completing a six-month loan stint at Dutch champion PSV Eindhoven, Thompson said his home was Melbourne and that was where he intended to play in 2006.
"I'm a Melbourne boy now," Thompson said.
"We'll see what happens after the World Cup because it's the world stage. Things happen, but for me at the moment I'm happy to be a Melbourne Victory player.
"I'm looking forward to the World Cup, but I'm coming back."
With Thompson experiencing only limited game time during his spell with PSV, the Dutch club chose not to part with an estimated $1 million to keep Thompson after a buy-out clause was included in his contract.
Thompson said his time at PSV was good training for the World Cup.
"I knew going to PSV was going to be more for preparation for the World Cup to keep training, keep the legs ticking over," he said.
"Obviously I was disappointed things didn't happen there, but for me it's more important to focus on a World Cup and, after the World Cup, Victory."
Thompson is expected to partner new Brazilian signings Claudinho and Fred - signed earlier this month - up front for Victory next season.
"It's only going to be better for the fans and better for the club when we've got those sort of players in our team," Thompson said.
"I'm actually looking forward to playing with these guys."
Thompson, who was a second-half substitute in Australia's 1-0 win against European champion Greece at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday night, said he was grateful to be given the opportunity to play in front of a vocal home crowd.
"Obviously it was good to win in front of a crowd of 95,000 to prepare us for the World Cup, and to do it in such fashion against a team like Greece, the European champions, it's incredible," Thompson said.
"I'm grateful to have whatever it was, 30-odd minutes, to sort of do my bit in front of my family and friends, which was important to me.
"I was just happy to get a few minutes of game time. I think once we have a couple of weeks of tough, hard training, then a lot of players will be a lot sharper, including myself."
NEW Sydney FC coach Terry Butcher has been given the seal of approval by Everton star James McFadden.
McFadden, who was given his start by Butcher at Scottish club Motherwell, says the former England international galvanised the financially crippled club after they collapsed into administration.
"When he took over, he was right up against it," McFadden told the official Everton website.
"But Terry was great to me and full of encouragement for the younger players. He took the kids at training as well as the first team.
"Terry has brought so many players through at Fir Park and given them the confidence to play."
The 23-year old McFadden has just come off a club-best season with Everton, scoring seven goals and starting to fulfil the potential which saw him dubbed the "Scottish Rooney" when he arrived at Goodison Park in a £1.25 million ($3.13 million) deal in 2003.
McFadden also paid tribute to his former club for allowing him to consider a switch to the A-League.
"Terry's a great young manager but Motherwell did the right thing letting him speak to Sydney because of what he has done for the club," McFadden said.
"He will be a big miss because he has done well."
Meanwhile, Motherwell's Australian striker Scott McDonald has handed in a transfer request, claiming he's ready to step up his career after missing the Socceroos' World Cup squad.
"Missing the World Cup squad brought home to me that I need to keep challenging myself to get the most out of my ability," McDonald told tribalfootball.com.
"Motherwell, their directors, coaches and fans are first class, but I have noticed I've lost my zip in the last couple of months."
However, the former Gippsland Falcons striker denied he was set to follow Butcher back to Australia.
"I can also state categorically that I do not want to follow him to Australia. My decision for leaving is that I feel my career will be furthered by moving to a new club," McDonald said.
AUSTRALIA defender Stan Lazaridis is poised to join Perth Glory after the World Cup finals in Germany.
A crowd favourite in his time at West Ham United and his seven years at Birmingham City, Lazaridis wants to return to Australia for good.
Business manager Paul Tombides said he had fielded inquiries from Glory, A-League champion Sydney, Adelaide United and Newcastle United Jets for the Socceroos utility, who made more than 150 first-team appearances with Birmingham.
"I'm also in talks with Sydney FC this week, but Stan's preference at this stage is to sign with Perth," Tombides said yesterday.
"He began his playing career in the West Australian league with Kingsway Olympic and is without doubt the West's greatest soccer export.
"Western Australia has produced the likes of Shaun Murphy, Chris Coyne, Richard Garcia and Brad Jones, but Stan has without doubt been the best."
Tombides said the football code's local governing body, Football West, had already drafted a letter inviting Lazaridis to act as an ambassador for the sport if he decided to join Glory.
"Stan is the ultimate family man, dedicated to his wife, Mary, and daughters, Dior and Destiny," Tombides said.
"But at the moment Stan's main priority and focus remains to win a spot in Guus Hiddink's starting XI against Greece at the MCG (on Thursday night)."
Newly appointed Jets coach Nick Theodorakopoulos, who won a National Soccer League title with Wollongong, confirmed his club's interest in snaring Lazaridis.
"But the chances of bringing Stan to Newcastle are minor at best," Theodorakopoulos said.
"There wouldn't be a club in the A-League who wouldn't want to have a player of Stan's class on their books."
Tombides said initial discussions with Football Federation Australia, which holds the Glory licence, about Lazaridis joining Perth, had been positive.
FFA chief executive John O'Neill and operations manager Matt Carroll have indicated they are close to signing off on a deal to sell the Glory licence.
Singapore-based World Sport Group, headed by Irishman Seamus O'Brien and an unnamed Perth-based consortium, is understood to remain in the running to take over the club.
Although a Perth junior, Lazaridis played for three years with Adelaide Sharks in the former NSL before joining West Ham.
He joined Birmingham after four years with the Hammers, helping the Blues win promotion to the English Premier League.
Meanwhile, Socceroos squad player Joel Griffiths, who joined Leeds United in the January transfer window, is in talks with the Jets.
STAR Queensland Roar recruit Ante Milicic says the A-League club's attacking style was a significant factor in his decision to sign from Newcastle United Jets.
"I'm very happy to be here and I wouldn't have made the decision to come unless I was 100 per cent sure that it was the right move for me," Milicic said today.
"The team caught the eye last season and players from clubs all around Australia would say the same thing.
"As a striker, you always look at the service you will receive from the rest of the side.
"And the way Queensland Roar attack the opposition, whether it be home or away, really suits my style."
The experienced goal scorer said he was confident he could help Roar improve on its efforts last season, when poor finishing ultimately cost the side a place in the finals.
"I wouldn't have joined Queensland Roar if I didn't think we could do well and enjoy success," he said.
"Roar were very close to the finals last season and I'm sure we can do better this season.
"I'm hoping to score a lot of goals for this club, and the possibility of getting success here was another major factor in my decision to sign."
Milicic said the invitation from Roar coach Miron Bleiberg to visit to the club in March had convinced him the move was right for him.
"I spoke with some of the players that were already here and, once I had weighed up the family aspects of the move, it wasn't a hard decision at all," he said.
The facilities at Roar were as good as any he had encountered in his career, Milicic said.
"This is a European set-up here as far as I'm concerned," he said.
"That's what footballers like.
"They like to come to a club where all they have to do is concentrate on playing football, and this club gives me that.
"I've been around and I've been overseas so I know that this club is set up to succeed."
MELBOURNE Victory's new Brazilian strikers Claudinho and Fred were jet-lagged after their three-day journey but took just one training session at Port Melbourne yesterday to show their quality.
"Their first touch on the ball was good," Victory coach Ernie Merrick said.
"Their one-on-one skills were very good. It was a very impressive first training session."
Claudinho had an eight-hour bus ride and a plane trip just to get to Rio.
The pair struggled to adjust to the cold weather yesterday, but their skills and finishing seemed set to take the A-League by storm.
And if their sublime touch wasn't enough to convince doubters, the story behind their signing, as related by Steve Panopoulos, gave an insight into their talents.
Panopoulos, a South Melbourne great now living in Brazil, worked with player agent Marcio Bittencourt to scout players for Merrick's visit to Rio.
"Claudinho had a contract until 2008 with Atletico Paranaense," Panopoulos said.
"Atletico has 120 contracted players - it's a massive club - and they loan out about 90 of them around Brazil, and keep 30 in their first-team squad.
Atletico Paranaense was coached by Lothar Matthaus until the beginning of April. _________________ If the Argentina group is called the group of death. The England group should be called bore you to death group.
Sydney FC have signed 17 year old Roy Rasidi. The U-18 Malaysian international who turned down such clubs as Millwall to join the A-League champs will move to Sydney in mid June to join FC's Under 18 squad. Roy Rasidi is one to watch for the future as he is set push for a first team selection in the comming years.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Join! (free) 
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
