I find this to be a really odd rumoured signing unless there is more information to come.
How do you fit in Moss, plus a back 4 and then A-Rod, Reira, Roly. Finkler, McGlinchey, Krishna and Kosta = 12.
I do not believe in putting imports on the bench as they are the point of difference and should be starters. Otherwise you are wasting an import slot on not improving team performance and every other team has the hop on you.
Just odd.
I don't see why people think your imports need to be your best players or your point of difference. Your five best players should be your five best players, your imports are no different. There is a salary cap so you just get the best players you can fit under it, if that means you have a team of amazing kiwis and a bench of mediocre imports so be it.
Riera is also 32 and potentially has international duty if he gets NZ citizenship, Bonevacia turned down playing for Curacao but may play for them in the future, we also loose WeeMac to international duty which may also take Ridenton and Rufer if they put in good spells, so we need midfield cover. It seems to me though that Lia is out of the picture as we have way too many midfielders.
I've said this before, and despite what some people think of him, I hope if he leaves the club we find out about it before the end of the season so we can fairwell him, he is the only player (and perhaps employee of the club?) to have been here non stop since the start.
I will explain my logic and you can chose to refute as you see fit. There will be holes in it but I think it makes sense
The pool of footballers that are classified as non-import and can to play in the HAL is finite. Within that pool are differing grades of those that can hack it down to those that will only ever watch it on TV.
The pool that are imports is infinitely bigger thanthe above. Not all of those want to play in the HAL however because as the career of a footballer is short and most of them are money whores (and I don't have too much of an issue with that) they wont come here.
Its fair to say that in terms of quality, the pool of imports is going to be better in talent than those that are not imports. I think that part is not in dispute As an example, Lionel Messi could be an import in the HAL. Its not going to happen but he could be. Compare that to Burns, Oar etc, the difference in class is there for anyone to see. Occasionally you get a guy that wants a different way of life - no media, 1 game a week and playing in the sun but its fair to say that for imports, its probably going to be an different set of drivers that has them coming here vs staying in Europe.
When you take into account that you only have 5 spots on your team to recruit from the pool that would be considered to be better in terms of talent, why would you then deliberately recruit someone that is a step down from someone in the pool of talent that is not as good. As an example, as school many years ago, when you were picked team, you picked the best kids 1st. In this case, pick the best imports you can because if you do come across that Paul Ifill that wants to come to the HAL, do you want him going to CCM, or to NIX?
I disagree with a bench of mediocre imports because then you are over paying for mediocrity when you can get that from the non-import pool in term of talent and their will always be Australians just below that level that will want a gig for the minimum. When you consider that Kiwis are classified as imports for the other sides, then we do not need to bid against ourselves for their services ala Doyles 1 year only deal because there will always be a special pool just for us that will come dirty cheap.