Marco Rojas (Brisbane Roar)

theprof

martinb

Gee imagine paying it back to the club where fans stumped up their own money to get you noticed by the club…

I know right? it's all good giving money to a great cause, going back to your roots so to speak and looking like a GC in the process, but he seems to have totally forgotten about the people/fans and the club that made it all possible.

Its honestly pretty gutting that he's never come back to Welly. Maybe there were other reasons like financially it hasn't worked out from both sides. But he's returned to the A-League 3 times now and is now on potentially a 4th and I don't think we'll sign him this season either.

He was marquee at the Victory and will go down in history as one of their all time great foreign marquee players. They replaced him with Nani remember, being marquee at the biggest club in the league is something we can't hope to compete with.

As for giving back to this club, it was almost 15 years ago that he got the (one and only?) Fever scholarship. Although it would be nice for him to acknowledge it, he's moved on and so should we.

The other reason it’s annoying is that the Victory are a particularly wealthy club. They’ve had a very high membership and attendance at times, and so a high match day revenue. They’ve been allowed in a lot of debt, because they’re such an asset. They shouldn’t need donations for their women’s team. 
Anyhou…

There is that. Rumours have it the millions they owe the aleague is the reason why the aleague was forced to sell the finals rights, which prompted their fans to be cocks, which further put pressure on the league. 

It's a vicious cycle which started with the mismanagement of the Vic and was perpetuated by the Vic

Via Flying Kiwis.

Marco Rojas to TNT Chile: “It was nice to see everyone again and to say goodbye the right way. They welcomed me and I’m leaving with good wishes. I am grateful to have shared the dressing room with them. I had a lot of fun, they are very good people. The cultural experience was something I always wanted to have, get to know my dad's country. It is very different from what I’d known and I take nice memories of everyone. I'm leaving because of a personal and family issue. I have time for my family, I will enjoy that opportunity.

I want to take this time. This journey gave me some beautiful moments, and I thank the fans who supported me in everything, it was an unforgettable experience. There were ups and downs. Last year's championship is something I really appreciate. We will see where my future lies but the main thing first is to spend time with my family. Then I will see. The truth is that I haven’t decided anything yet.”

https://fifpro.org/en/supporting-players/player-influence/player-impact/marco-rojas-we-need-to-show-women-s-players-they-have-allies-in-the-men-s-game/

Off topic, but this story appeals to my sense of humour. I've spent some time in Latin America in recent years, and my brother has just come back from a work trip to nearby Uruguay. Plus have befriended an Argentinian couple in my apartment building.
https://athletistic.com/football/342401.html

If anyone else finds this geo political stuff interesting. Here's an Aussie journo looking to explain the current mess (well it's been an inflation mess now for 70 years) in Argentinia. Blame Evita & her hubby for starting it.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-13/how-did-argentina-end-up-with-100-per-cent-inflation-/102707204

On topic, Victory have ruled out signing Marco I see. Where next?

Argentina is a mess in every level of society, the less we talk about it, the better

coochiee

Off topic, but this story appeals to my sense of humour. I've spent some time in Latin America in recent years, and my brother has just some back from a work trip to nearby Uruguay. Plus have befriended an Argentinian couple in my apartment building.
https://athletistic.com/football/342401.html

Colo Colo fans showed and threw Argentinian pesos to mock Boca Juniors fans.

If anyone else finds this geo political stuff interesting. Here's an Aussie journo looking to explain the current mess (well it's been an inflation mess now for 70 years) in Argentinia. Blame Evita & her hubby for starting it.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-13/how-did-argentina-end-up-with-100-per-cent-inflation-/102707204

On topic, Victory have ruled out signing Marco I see. Where next?

coochiee

Off topic, but this story appeals to my sense of humour. I've spent some time in Latin America in recent years, and my brother has just come back from a work trip to nearby Uruguay. Plus have befriended an Argentinian couple in my apartment building.
https://athletistic.com/football/342401.html

Colo Colo fans showed and threw Argentinian pesos to mock Boca Juniors fans.

If anyone else finds this geo political stuff interesting. Here's an Aussie journo looking to explain the current mess (well it's been an inflation mess now for 70 years) in Argentinia. Blame Evita & her hubby for starting it.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-13/how-did-argentina-end-up-with-100-per-cent-inflation-/102707204

On topic, Victory have ruled out signing Marco I see. Where next?

That's some top tier sharkhousery from the Colo Colo fans, love it!

Fun fact: you cannot renounce Argentinian citizenship 

Someone has modified Rojas' Wikipedia page to show he's signed for KItchee in Hong Kong.  

There's no announcement by him or the club that I could find, or any other news or source, but the IP address pretty much exclusively modified people related to Hong Kong football so potentially knows something that hasn't been announced.

Any new Marco rumours?

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/nz-teams/133311268/all-whites-searching-for-stable-team-as-2023-ends-with-tough-european-friendlies

Callum McCowatt, Elijah Just and Alex Greive are the three leading options along with Garbett and Singh for the wide forward roles in the current squad, while Bazeley is believed to be keen to give Marco Rojas a chance, if and when he returns to club football.

He's in NZ but there has been absolutely no chatter about the Nix picking him up. You've really got to wonder whether he might already have agreed to join the Auckland A-League side. 

Italiano was asked at one point during preseason, before Marco was technically a free agent, and he said that he was a name that was on his radar. Would be great if he could be asked again about whether there was any contact and if so why it came to nothing. 

Marco would never come back to the Nix after how they treated him in the early part of his career

Doloras

Marco would never come back to the Nix after how they treated him in the early part of his career

a real Steven Adams/NZB story? How'd they treat him exactly, not give him enough minutes?

A YF scholarship brought Marco to the Nix, so he must surely have some sense of being wanted.

Doloras

Marco would never come back to the Nix after how they treated him in the early part of his career

That seems a strange attitude. 

The fans would love him! And the ownership and management team have changed completely since he was here. 

I hadn’t heard that he was treated badly. He was here very young. He got injured. He had a break out season and went to Victory. We’ve since improved our training facilities immensely. We’d probably let him play CAM. 

I hadn’t heard that he had a beef, just that he thought he was too good for us! And for a long time we were a mess so fair enough.

I doubt Nix could afford him, given the direction they have gone this season with the squad spending. Also it would likely take him a few months to get up to full match fitness. That's been the pattern with other older players like Hemed, Hooper etc that the Nix have signed part way through a season.

Still he could be an option for January, if his aerobic fitness was okay, and his wage expectations were low. He must be getting itchy to play again. If he could be the missing piece in a genuine title charge who knows - but again he'd need to be running fit at least.

Kosta had a similar lack of game time then went elsewhere, yet came back twice.

From what I remember the nix tried very hard to keep Marco, even offering him the Youth Marquee spot but ultimately his dad (who was his agent) thought that Victory had better facilities and would be a better place for him to develop. Now, the Nix have better facilities than most of the A League, includ ng victory, and that's part of the reason that Kosta came back (he said to Dome that the quality of the facilities could extend his career by a season or two).

You get the feeling there’s something beyond football going on with Marco. He’s done some years that seem less than fun for his career. 
Recently he tried playing in Chile where his family comes from. He’s been talking publicly about justice issues around the game. And now rejected by Victory he’s been chilling. Perhaps even enjoying not playing and having free time to do things football prevented him doing since he was 17 or 18. 
He could pick up any number of teams tomorrow if he wanted to, but he hasn’t. So perhaps it’s football he’s taking time out from?

Always thought he would do ok in a place like Japan. Wages should be ok for him as well.

Possibly awaiting a season there before heading to the new Auckland franchise.

I doubt they would want him not playing for a year

His time in the cafes of Santiago may have influenced his future. Social & economic injustice, 1973 coup, Pinochet verus Allende, capitalism verus socialism these are all strong every day debates in Chilean life. A career in politics? 

Seems like he's definitely going to be a voice in the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO) going forward.

coochiee

His time in the cafes of Santiago may have influenced his future. Social & economic injustice, 1973 coup, Pinochet verus Allende, capitalism verus socialism these are all strong every day debates in Chilean life. A career in politics? 

Seems like he's definitely going to be a voice in the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO) going forward.

If the political career of Shane Smeltz is any precedent, Marco will possibly end up a Pinochet Did Nothing Wrong candidate

Rest easy Doloras. The fact that Rojas's padres left (fled?) Chile in 70s or 80s, means they are highly likely not fans of Pincohet. Marco has also recently been a vocal supporter of women's football. I think you probably have a left leaning bed fellow.

Jaysus. I just meant he’s probably skipping training for the odd week and having a drink or a sesh with the cuzzies or aunties and uncles. Not much else he woulda missed out on to football growing up
in Hamilton…maybe cow tipping or paddock bashing? 
But yeh- got the skills to be playing somewhere, but isn’t currently. Probably means he’s not keen on the Nix (at whatever they could afford this season) or the local league. 
Probably not discussing how the Waikato game (and only the Waikato game) of the Springbok Tour of ‘81 was called off to try and help Muldoon win the rural marginals. 
Might just have been he was keen on a lass in the Victory set up! 

martinb

Jaysus. I just meant he’s probably skipping training for the odd week and having a drink or a sesh with the cuzzies or aunties and uncles. Not much else he woulda missed out on to football growing up
in Hamilton…maybe cow tipping or paddock bashing? 
But yeh- got the skills to be playing somewhere, but isn’t currently. Probably means he’s not keen on the Nix (at whatever they could afford this season) or the local league. 
Probably not discussing how the Waikato game (and only the Waikato game) of the Springbok Tour of ‘81 was called off to try and help Muldoon win the rural marginals. 
Might just have been he was keen on a lass in the Victory set up! 

Alas

martinb

Jaysus. I just meant he’s probably skipping training for the odd week and having a drink or a sesh with the cuzzies or aunties and uncles. Not much else he woulda missed out on to football growing up
in Hamilton…maybe cow tipping or paddock bashing? 
But yeh- got the skills to be playing somewhere, but isn’t currently. Probably means he’s not keen on the Nix (at whatever they could afford this season) or the local league. 
Probably not discussing how the Waikato game (and only the Waikato game) of the Springbok Tour of ‘81 was called off to try and help Muldoon win the rural marginals. 
Might just have been he was keen on a lass in the Victory set up! 

You hang out with enough old Lefties in Auckland who claim to have been on the pitch in Hamilton in 1981, you figure that pitch must have been 10 hectares wide

So are we picking he will be the first signing for auckland? Im just throwing random speculation out there...

I see wsw have just lost borrello. I wonder if they look to him as an injury replacement. 
Also I wonder what conditions he is in. I am assuming he’s keeping himself fit for he’s next opportunity. 

I bet he's already set his sights on a contract with auckland. This is just to keep fit/get ready. 

Cool to see him back in the league. 

Trades hot & sweaty Tron, for hot & sweaty Brissy. Be interesting to know how match fit he is. Last competitive football match for Colo Colo was June last year. Was 32 in November.

Still great to have him back in the ALM, and so back in AWs reckoning.

Great stuff. A few months to get fit and then he will be with Auckland 

Bet he scores against us on Friday. 🤬

Why in the name of God are y'all convinced that Marco is coming to Auckland?

Because I said lol

Doloras

Why in the name of God are y'all convinced that Marco is coming to Auckland?

Not sure why nobody asked "why only 6 months". Also, why Chiefy wasn't asked whether they ever had conversations with Rojas about the Nix being the place for his return to football. I think it is a bit bizarre that he talks so much about how it is a place that he feels really aligns with his values etc but only signs a six month deal. 

He's been out of football for a wee while, has his mojo back and wants to keep himself ticking over. Always security somewhat for Roar if it doesn't work out there's no big payouts, they can always try re-sign him but priority will be Auckland. But things can happen over night in football. But the boy is back.....lets embrace it! 

Yes all good points but I just think it is a bit weird to start a job and say so much about how you really love the ethos and values of the place when you clearly aren't planning on being there long. If it really seems so great, why such a short contract? 

Showtime Nixie

He's been out of football for a wee while, has his mojo back and wants to keep himself ticking over. Always security somewhat for Roar if it doesn't work out there's no big payouts, they can always try re-sign him but priority will be Auckland. But things can happen over night in football. But the boy is back.....lets embrace it! 

Big boy? at 5'6'' he's hardly big. Judging by that interview hardly even a big personality.
But it's great that he is back in footy, hopefully he can find his form and maybe make a push for a final AW's call up. Just hope he's a bit rusty tonight.