Smeltz and other Gold Coast recruiting

Smeltz and other Gold Coast recruiting

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/a-league/culinas-gold-coast-deadline-145393/

Gold Coast United want a definitive answer from Socceroos star Jason Culina on a $1.4 million a year offer this weekend after sealing the signature of prized marksman Shane Smeltz for 2009.

The whole "Gold Coast refuse to confirm" thing makes it seem like they may be working off the same prior rumours though - TWG is a lot more reliable a source than the Courier Mail, mind.

Re: Culina, as much as he'd be great (and better than any of the marquees in the league atm), he could and should do much better than the A-League and Chinese Super League IMO.

Must admit I have a bad feeling on this. The fact that Tony has said they have offered Smeltzy as much as he wants to stay but at the end of the day it is not about the money suggests that he is leaving.

Yeah I wouldn't be surprised. Better make the most of him while he's still here I guess.

Pretty guttering if he does leave. However he was quite mediocre before the Nix so I wonder if he'll be quite as good as everyone expects at a different club. Looks like bling 2 are trying to get Joel Porter in as well. It's almost as thought Happyted has employed them to make the phoenix's life hell.

If the Gold Coast had signed everyone the media says they have signed they would already have a squad of 40 and have blown the salary cap by about 20 million dollars.

Smeltz is about the only player in the world 'Miron the Mouth' has actually said no about.

Had a text this morning from a mate who's over there for Indy Week and he managed to turn his head away from all the silicon to glance at a paper and informed me there's a big headline in the Gold Coast Paper this morning stating Smeltz has signed for GCU.....

I asked him to burn said paper and get back to admiring the silicon....I mean cars!!!!

Big headline in the Goldcoast bulletin this morning'Coast Scores Big with Smeltz' also goes on about Jason Culina and Joel Porter. It goes on to say the deal was inked 3 weeks ago, and was hoping to keep it quiet(fast chance with Miron the Mouth) another article on Reinaldo searching for his missing magic, I never thought he had any in the first place. we need two very good strikers for next year, and really one should have been on the list for this year.   

We love you Smeltzy We do!

Not looking good  

Hillawious.

After all the talk about the world's stars and linking all sorts of attacking players they use an import spot on a New Zealander and Marquee the king of the backward pass...

...if I'd signed up for a membership I'd be sueing them for false promotion.

Whether true or not this can't be good from Smeltzys head space. Would be best for everyone if an announcement was made and we could all move on and Shane could just play football for the rest of the year, win himself the Golden Boot and guide us to the 4

I feel a "you don't know what you're doing" chant coming on.  Turfmoore2008-10-25 14:16:39

Gold Coast can get f**ked.  And their f**king fan forum is sh*thouse http://www.gcunited.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=logout

Tony Pignata to comment on this on Newstalk ZB Wellington in the next 20 mins or so

might go back to sleep and hope this is a bad dream...

Eh,i bet he'll turn average over there. Sadly.

So someone is lying.
A. Shane Smeltz
B. Tony P
C.The Aussie press
I pick C.

cannot be true, no way he'd go to gold coats, more likely Adelaide or here!

Sadly I think we'll lose Smeltz and will also miss out on Porter - both for the same reason- their families wanting to go home and live in OZ.

I missed the show, what did Tony say about it?

Tony P said he spoke to Shane face to face recently (today I think) and Shane told him he hadn't signed. Tony also said he would be miffed if  both Shane and Joel Porter ended up at Gold Coast. Wongky2008-10-25 16:17:28

Either way looks like we are gonna loose him...

Looks very likely we might lose Smeltz to an Aussie club, and Porter to the Gold Coast.

If Smeltz wanted to stay here he would just re-sign as our marquee, as it seems he has been offered that. He would be on more money than at the Coast or Adelaide.

Since he hasnt done so yet, it looks unlikely he will stay.

I will still support him till the season end though, as he has been great for the club, (and the club has been great for him!!)

I would like to see us sign a proven replacement striker that doesnt have a home base or family in Aussie, would have a better chance of keeping them

Is that what you think?.

To play in the ACL and further his football career which is somthing the Nixs cant offer him. (At this point of time or maybe never) Cant blame him at all if he does.

With the signings Gold Coast has other than this rumoured signing, they will be battling with Perth for the wooden spoon.  He'd be an idiot to go there if he wants glory.

 

easy Stevo. It's going to be more fun beating them 3-0 next year than it has been having the wood over Sydney. By which I mean +1.

Smeltz is a great player, and the Nixs fans love him, The Wellington Phoenix FC is better then most other aussie clubs, but it just doesnt offer what they can(even Perth). I just hope Smeltz doesnt get the John Aloisi syndrome - move to a Bling club and not score goals.

The convict makes a good point here. This must be a disadvantage when we negotiate with players.
sanday2008-10-25 17:29:05

When was the last time Joel Porter played a game of footie in 35 degrees and killer humidity?

someone out to tell him that his best chance of the 15- 25 degree temperature range is down here!

lol?

so Smeltz has left then says the front page..

wow. no words to describe how I feel right now.

Hope this isn't true we are REALLY screwed if we can't get Porter or another striker that is as good as him.

Though surely GCU can't be getting all these players there is a salary cap or has someone forgotten to tell them?

So if it's on the front page it is gospel?
Two press reports, one in a hardly prestigious publication and one on the SBS website, I'm hardly going to cry until the news is confirmed by one of the two club or Shane himself.
Critical_Lemon2008-10-26 00:46:41

Shane smeltz come clean, yes you are Phoenix or you have moved on!

sh*t  1 bad start to the day waking up and reading about smeltz (hope it is wrong).

Let's just presume we lose Smeltzy (to somewhere) and don't get Joel; what level of striker should we go for?

I'd have to say we need to make a big impact and buy a big name striker, not necessarily an old former superstar, but someone currently playing at a decent enough level to make an impact in the a-league. Considering Moss and McKain had been playing in eastern europe before coming to the Nix, maybe we should have a look at that region? Or even have a look at the Chinese Super League, K-League or J-League 1 & 2, surely the A-League has enough cridentials now to seem attractive to players from those leagues.