[QUOTE=nkcroatia_nz] Phoenix should sign Niko Kovac just retired from Croatian national team as captain.
Niko was born in 1971, so he'll be 38 this year, He's a great guy, but he can barely walk to the fridge to get the milk in the morning. As much as it pains me to say it, but no thanks.
I think hes 35/36 but defenciv midfielder (DM) behind Modric.Hes playing for Salzburg in Austria i think, but he hasnt been gettin much game time.He still got a a few years left in him
Agree with you el grapadura that, although still probably a formidable player for the A-League, he's too risky to sign given his age. A pity because he and his brother were great players in the Bundesliga, Sierre A, and for Croatia.
Given Dino Drpic's preoccupation with scoring on the pitch after hours, are there any other Croatians that potentially could be targeted to play in the A-League. I'm still not unconvinced that it's worthwhile exploring for talent in such places as, for example, Croatia (which, I understand, is a big exporter of football talent), Greece, Czech Republic, Russia. They're places that the A-League clubs haven't tried, but there could be some good deals available.
Dino. What can I say. The man's a complete numpty, and he's not that good a player either.
As far as Croatian players potentially coming here, in general I think it'd be a hard sell over there. You're really looking only at two kinds of players - youngsters who need a bit of experience whom we could get on loan, or slightly older guys (30+) struggling to hold a place in the team. The younger category probably wouldn't work for either us (difficult to plan long-term if you rely too much on loan players) or them (much easier to send them to 2. HNL or Bosnia to get experience). The slightly older guys could potentially be interested, but are a risky proposition. One name I could think of right now is Davor Vugrinec - bit of a journeyman these days, but has been able to score goals for most clubs he's played for. Currently with NK Zagreb, will turn 34 this year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davor_Vugrinec[/QUOTE]
Thanks el grapadura. Always interesting to read your opinions, and you seem to have quiet a useful knowledge on Eastern European football.
I think you're correct about the younger players. It's unlikely that promising up-and-coming players will want to be transferred or loaned out to the A-League - they can, as you suggest, most likely get better experience and development opportunities in second tier football in Croatia or by moving to, say, Bosnia.
However, I think there there is scope with the older players, i.e., in the 30+ category. As long as they are at the lower to mid-end of the 30s, they should generally still be atheletically capable of performing in the A-League. The risk can be mitigated by a good background check on the player, including the player's attidude and professionalism.
Based on the profile which you have provided, Davor Vugrenic (or an equivalent type of player) could be a worthwhile acquisition. Age 34 is not necessarily too old - it depends on the player and how well they have looked after themselves. If the Phoenix do their homework well, the risk should be minimal. By way of examples, consider Dwight Yorke's very successful seasons at Sydney (and, now in his late 30s, he's still in the Sunderland squad) and the Dutch player Victor Sikora (age 32/33) who is currently at Perth. I think the reality is that any quality players coming to the A-League from Europe will be in their 30s as they will not want to come while they're still in their prime. However, these players can still offer the A-League plenty over two or three seasons. Moreover, with the younger better Aussie players now being enticed by Asian clubs, the quality of the A-League may well depend on clubs resorting to older European/British/ South American players to maintain a high standard.