I hope he turns out to be a star, but I have my reservations. The footage I found of him was not the flattering, heavy touch saved by a decent turn of pace.
One of his highlights is bumping into a defender who goes on to score an oggie.
But as posted above, an average player at the level he was playing at, could be a star in the A League.
I hired a lot of young Australian guys and girls in my bar in Milan. I gave them an initial month's probation and expected them to have a working knowledge of Italian in 3 weeks. Now that's a big effort on their part. But that first 3 weeks is key because it's the period they're enthusiastic and keen to learn. The success rate is about 50%, some are amazing and some will never learn. If they don't have that working knowledge though, it's totally useless, they can't fit into the local community or into the team required to run the business.
Working knowledge of a new language in 3 weeks, while working full-time???
Yes. We did it. The business was quiet during the day, my wife spent a lot of time helping them. To us the language was essential, of course. As was our Australianness, so we wanted young Australian staff.
By working knowledge, that's what I mean. They could take orders from customers.
I hope he turns out to be a star, but I have my reservations. The footage I found of him was not the flattering, heavy touch saved by a decent turn of pace.
One of his highlights is bumping into a defender who goes on to score an oggie.
But as posted above, an average player at the level he was playing at, could be a star in the A League.
Every player has footage of things that haven't gone well. Doesn't really need to be a star with the depth we have and Sandoval went missing a lot but some people on here were wanting him back. Time will tell what he's like. I'm excited to see who the striker we are looking to bring in is, he will have a big say on our season
Some random on facebook said he'd heard the striker is another South American. Highly doubt there's anything actually behind that claim but I thought I'd have a look at the South American free agent strikers regardless.
- Edinson Cavani, Diego Costa, Guido Carrillo, Felipe Caicedo: No chance
- Nico Castillo: 29 year old Chilean striker. Excellent scoring record in Liga MX. Hasn't played much since 2017/18 due to missing 74 days with a fibula fracture in 2019 followed by a 517 day absence in 2020 + 21 with thrombosis.
- Nelson Bonilla: 31 year old Salvadorian (Central America I know) striker. Pretty immense scoring record but almost entirely in Thailand so not the strongest competition.
- Leonardo Castro: 33 year old Colombian striker. Pretty rubbish scoring record with 29G + 15A in 127 games in South Africa. Can't say I'd want him.
- Lucas Melano: 29 year old Argentinian striker. Also has a pretty rubbish scoring record. 11G in 81 games in Argentinian top flight, 5G in 59 games in MLS.
- Jefferson Baiano: 27 year old Brazilian striker. Couldn't score in Vietnam or Korean 2nd div.
I was gonna keep going but there's literally not a single free agent South American striker with a good scoring record. Felipe Caicedo is probably the only one worth going for out of any of them and he'd cost an arm and a leg in marquee wages.
Now there's loads of solid South American strikers whose contracts are expiring in 2022, but I'm not gonna pretend I know if any of them could be granted early releases to join us. Personally still hope we go for someone in the Mikeltadze mold - i.e. under 30 with a good scoring record (0.6G+A/90) in a smaller but respectable league.
Found this guy, also from Brazil and not a free agent but is only recently returning to WW from a loan spell in Switzerland’s 1st and 2nd tier. Hasn’t been involved at all in Wolverhampton’s first two matches unless he has an injury I’m not aware of. Looks alright, scored 20 goals in 59 games in all competitions over the last two seasons and has respectable scoring stats in Liga Portugal and the Championship.
Some random on facebook said he'd heard the striker is another South American. Highly doubt there's anything actually behind that claim but I thought I'd have a look at the South American free agent strikers regardless.
- Edinson Cavani, Diego Costa, Guido Carrillo, Felipe Caicedo: No chance
- Nico Castillo: 29 year old Chilean striker. Excellent scoring record in Liga MX. Hasn't played much since 2017/18 due to missing 74 days with a fibula fracture in 2019 followed by a 517 day absence in 2020 + 21 with thrombosis.
- Nelson Bonilla: 31 year old Salvadorian (Central America I know) striker. Pretty immense scoring record but almost entirely in Thailand so not the strongest competition.
- Leonardo Castro: 33 year old Colombian striker. Pretty rubbish scoring record with 29G + 15A in 127 games in South Africa. Can't say I'd want him.
- Lucas Melano: 29 year old Argentinian striker. Also has a pretty rubbish scoring record. 11G in 81 games in Argentinian top flight, 5G in 59 games in MLS.
- Jefferson Baiano: 27 year old Brazilian striker. Couldn't score in Vietnam or Korean 2nd div.
I was gonna keep going but there's literally not a single free agent South American striker with a good scoring record. Felipe Caicedo is probably the only one worth going for out of any of them and he'd cost an arm and a leg in marquee wages.
Now there's loads of solid South American strikers whose contracts are expiring in 2022, but I'm not gonna pretend I know if any of them could be granted early releases to join us. Personally still hope we go for someone in the Mikeltadze mold - i.e. under 30 with a good scoring record (0.6G+A/90) in a smaller but respectable league.
Found this guy, also from Brazil and not a free agent but is only recently returning to WW from a loan spell in Switzerland’s 1st and 2nd tier. Hasn’t been involved at all in Wolverhampton’s first two matches unless he has an injury I’m not aware of. Looks alright, scored 20 goals in 59 games in all competitions over the last two seasons and has respectable scoring stats in Liga Portugal and the Championship.
Ooh he looks like great value. Similar age/experience/value profile as Kraev and Sasse, would make a class loan signing if contract termination is off the cards.
I'm happy with these attacking players we're signing but I'm guessing Uffie wants 4-3 type score lines.
Our defence was pants last season and hasn't changed yet. I used to be a big Payne fan but after some of his bad decisions for the Nix and that horrid back pass to Sail against Peru he's dropped quite a bit in my books.
I think we are still light at CB and RB even with the numbers we have on our books. I'd love for the Reid rumour to be true, but I feel its more likely the Nix sign him in a non-playing role then playing if he was to ever join us, or for that matter any other team going forward. I think he's done fitness-wise as a player.
I'm happy with these attacking players we're signing but I'm guessing Uffie wants 4-3 type score lines.
Our defence was pants last season and hasn't changed yet. I used to be a big Payne fan but after some of his bad decisions for the Nix and that horrid back pass to Sail against Peru he's dropped quite a bit in my books.
I think we are still light at CB and RB even with the numbers we have on our books. I'd love for the Reid rumour to be true, but I feel its more likely the Nix sign him in a non-playing role then playing if he was to ever join us, or for that any other team going forward. I think he's done fitness-wise as a player.
Agree, need to sign some more depth and quality in those areas. Reid as a player-coach would be fantastic, fitness or not for the AWs he is a total leader when on the pitch. Looking at free agents, the likes of Jacob Tratt, Dylan Fox are available, also got domestic guys like Brotherton, Kalua, Ben Mata in there too, plus the NPL in Australia and players we could nab from other AL clubs. There's not really an excuse not to bolster the defence if we want to make the top four.
While I agree that we should bolster the squad with another defensive option, I think there is an underestimation of the difference that having a functioning defensive midfield will have on the defensive set up.
The depth we have at DM now is very, very good despite what people say about Rufer. Any combo of Lewis/Ugarkovic/Rufer/Pennington will be an upgrade on what we had most of last season.
Sandoval wasn't a defensive player and the defenders were exposed more often because of him.
Additionally, Laws or a 19 yo Surman will be an upgrade on 18 yo rookie Surman.
They trialled JHS. Thought they didn't sign him because they had a CB lined up. Deemed they didn't need another RB as Payne and Elliot cover that position.
While I agree that we should bolster the squad with another defensive option, I think there is an underestimation of the difference that having a functioning defensive midfield will have on the defensive set up.
The depth we have at DM now is very, very good despite what people say about Rufer. Any combo of Lewis/Ugarkovic/Rufer/Pennington will be an upgrade on what we had most of last season.
Sandoval wasn't a defensive player and the defenders were exposed more often because of him.
Additionally, Laws or a 19 yo Surman will be an upgrade on 18 yo rookie Surman.
Agree it was all the injuries last season and midfield being completely over run, congested playing schedule and stuff like Fenton playing LB that lead to 5-0, 4-0 type losses.
Whilst Reid would be fantastic I’m pretty okay with the backline depth as is.
While I agree that we should bolster the squad with another defensive option, I think there is an underestimation of the difference that having a functioning defensive midfield will have on the defensive set up.
The depth we have at DM now is very, very good despite what people say about Rufer. Any combo of Lewis/Ugarkovic/Rufer/Pennington will be an upgrade on what we had most of last season.
Sandoval wasn't a defensive player and the defenders were exposed more often because of him.
Additionally, Laws or a 19 yo Surman will be an upgrade on 18 yo rookie Surman.
Agree it was all the injuries last season and midfield being completely over run, congested playing schedule and stuff like Fenton playing LB that lead to 5-0, 4-0 type losses.
Whilst Reid would be fantastic I’m pretty okay with the backline depth as is.
And that happened because we came into the season with awful depth (departure of Taylor didn't help)! In the circumstances it was okay, but with the increase in ambition this season it's not. We won't be able to play our ideal back four every single game, and when we have guys missing, we need to still be solid defensively. Another centre-back and another right-back will be worth it.
They trialled JHS. Thought they didn't sign him because they had a CB lined up. Deemed they didn't need another RB as Payne and Elliot cover that position.
JHS hasn't played in a defensive role for years, he's turned into a winger or even a striker at times.
We could definitely do with another CB I reckon. Payne can do a job there but I would expect him to start at RB so we would only have 19 year old Surman on the bench. I think we can safely assume that Reid isn’t happening so I’d be happy to see a returning Jacob Tratt, Taylor Schrijvers or maybe even Nikko Boxall? He’s probably pretty settled in the US but he’s barely playing and his contract expires in November. Dylan Fox was pretty good in his last season for us but he seems to have fallen off a fair bit since so I’m not sure if I’d take him back.
We could definitely do with another CB I reckon. Payne can do a job there but I would expect him to start at RB so we would only have 19 year old Surman on the bench. I think we can safely assume that Reid isn’t happening so I’d be happy to see a returning Jacob Tratt, Taylor Schrijvers or maybe even Nikko Boxall? He’s probably pretty settled in the US but he’s barely playing and his contract expires in November. Dylan Fox was pretty good in his last season for us but he seems to have fallen off a fair bit since so I’m not sure if I’d take him back.
Tratt has fallen off too! Has been tosh since he left us.
We could definitely do with another CB I reckon. Payne can do a job there but I would expect him to start at RB so we would only have 19 year old Surman on the bench. I think we can safely assume that Reid isn’t happening so I’d be happy to see a returning Jacob Tratt, Taylor Schrijvers or maybe even Nikko Boxall? He’s probably pretty settled in the US but he’s barely playing and his contract expires in November. Dylan Fox was pretty good in his last season for us but he seems to have fallen off a fair bit since so I’m not sure if I’d take him back.
Tratt has fallen off too! Has been tosh since he left us.
He was pretty good at Sydney, not sure about his Perth stint but you’re right that he’s been poor since going to India and Adelaide.
I’d like another RB. I feel, well, happy enough with Payne as 4th choice CB particularly if the fullbacks and midfield is reliable. I feel if we are scoring goals defending will be easier. I’d like a more defensively minded fullback to provide cover and competition at RB and LB, possibly someone with a bit of lower level experience. Essentially I’d like Louis, but crossed with Manny Muscat.
I dunno- it’s always hard to predict. Surman looked a player last year. Honestly I feel that currently Uffie rated him ahead of Payne at CB.
It’s hard to know where we will need cover until it happens. We won’t have the playoff game for the AWs and other commitments. Do we need another forward for injury cover/competition? Don’t feel that we’ve replaced Sotirio for sheer engine and commitment. We’ve got a lot of new exciting players and it will take a few games for that to all settle in and we can see what kind of team we can be.
I’d like another RB. I feel, well, happy enough with Payne as 4th choice CB particularly if the fullbacks and midfield is reliable. I feel if we are scoring goals defending will be easier. I’d like a more defensively minded fullback to provide cover and competition at RB and LB, possibly someone with a bit of lower level experience. Essentially I’d like Louis, but crossed with Manny Muscat.
I dunno- it’s always hard to predict. Surman looked a player last year. Honestly I feel that currently Uffie rated him ahead of Payne at CB.
It’s hard to know where we will need cover until it happens. We won’t have the playoff game for the AWs and other commitments. Do we need another forward for injury cover/competition? Don’t feel that we’ve replaced Sotirio for sheer engine and commitment. We’ve got a lot of new exciting players and it will take a few games for that to all settle in and we can see what kind of team we can be.
Kelvin Kalua would be a quality acquisition under those criteria I reckon. Better than Fenton, still super young and can play CB/LB as well as his natural RB. Don’t think Uffie will sign another RB though, especially after saying he’s happy with our RB depth and will look for a local CB instead after passing on JHS.
I’d like another RB. I feel, well, happy enough with Payne as 4th choice CB particularly if the fullbacks and midfield is reliable. I feel if we are scoring goals defending will be easier. I’d like a more defensively minded fullback to provide cover and competition at RB and LB, possibly someone with a bit of lower level experience. Essentially I’d like Louis, but crossed with Manny Muscat.
I dunno- it’s always hard to predict. Surman looked a player last year. Honestly I feel that currently Uffie rated him ahead of Payne at CB.
It’s hard to know where we will need cover until it happens. We won’t have the playoff game for the AWs and other commitments. Do we need another forward for injury cover/competition? Don’t feel that we’ve replaced Sotirio for sheer engine and commitment. We’ve got a lot of new exciting players and it will take a few games for that to all settle in and we can see what kind of team we can be.
Kelvin Kalua would be a quality acquisition under those criteria I reckon. Better than Fenton, still super young and can play CB/LB as well as his natural RB. Don’t think Uffie will sign another RB though, especially after saying he’s happy with our RB depth and will look for a local CB instead after passing on JHS.
I would rate this too, he didn't look out of place in the All Whites. Good signs. Guess he hasn't been in Ole or Nix Academy though which means chances we sign him are bugger all lol
I’d like another RB. I feel, well, happy enough with Payne as 4th choice CB particularly if the fullbacks and midfield is reliable. I feel if we are scoring goals defending will be easier. I’d like a more defensively minded fullback to provide cover and competition at RB and LB, possibly someone with a bit of lower level experience. Essentially I’d like Louis, but crossed with Manny Muscat.
I dunno- it’s always hard to predict. Surman looked a player last year. Honestly I feel that currently Uffie rated him ahead of Payne at CB.
It’s hard to know where we will need cover until it happens. We won’t have the playoff game for the AWs and other commitments. Do we need another forward for injury cover/competition? Don’t feel that we’ve replaced Sotirio for sheer engine and commitment. We’ve got a lot of new exciting players and it will take a few games for that to all settle in and we can see what kind of team we can be.
Kelvin Kalua would be a quality acquisition under those criteria I reckon. Better than Fenton, still super young and can play CB/LB as well as his natural RB. Don’t think Uffie will sign another RB though, especially after saying he’s happy with our RB depth and will look for a local CB instead after passing on JHS.
I would rate this too, he didn't look out of place in the All Whites. Good signs. Guess he hasn't been in Ole or Nix Academy though which means chances we sign him are bugger all lol
Hopefully he can get a move out of the Northern/National League soon, NZ are crying out for a high quality RB and I feel like he could flourish given the chance. Elliot is quality but has failed to kick on as of yet, same with Dane Ingham. I do rate Niko Kirwan but let's be real, he's no where near Libby's level and is 5 years older.
We really need an Auckland team in the A-League ay, there's a good few players like Kalua, Sinclair etc. who are ready to step up but don't get the chance.
I’d like another RB. I feel, well, happy enough with Payne as 4th choice CB particularly if the fullbacks and midfield is reliable. I feel if we are scoring goals defending will be easier. I’d like a more defensively minded fullback to provide cover and competition at RB and LB, possibly someone with a bit of lower level experience. Essentially I’d like Louis, but crossed with Manny Muscat.
I dunno- it’s always hard to predict. Surman looked a player last year. Honestly I feel that currently Uffie rated him ahead of Payne at CB.
It’s hard to know where we will need cover until it happens. We won’t have the playoff game for the AWs and other commitments. Do we need another forward for injury cover/competition? Don’t feel that we’ve replaced Sotirio for sheer engine and commitment. We’ve got a lot of new exciting players and it will take a few games for that to all settle in and we can see what kind of team we can be.
Kelvin Kalua would be a quality acquisition under those criteria I reckon. Better than Fenton, still super young and can play CB/LB as well as his natural RB. Don’t think Uffie will sign another RB though, especially after saying he’s happy with our RB depth and will look for a local CB instead after passing on JHS.
I would rate this too, he didn't look out of place in the All Whites. Good signs. Guess he hasn't been in Ole or Nix Academy though which means chances we sign him are bugger all lol
Hopefully he can get a move out of the Northern/National League soon, NZ are crying out for a high quality RB and I feel like he could flourish given the chance. Elliot is quality but has failed to kick on as of yet, same with Dane Ingham. I do rate Niko Kirwan but let's be real, he's no where near Libby's level and is 5 years older.
We really need an Auckland team in the A-League ay, there's a good few players like Kalua, Sinclair etc. who are ready to step up but don't get the chance.
In my opinion, stepping out of a semi pro team into a fully professional team without having been through a professional academy is very unusual these days. I know it happens in NZ but in Europe it only represents an extreme minority of players.
Auckland does definitely need an A-League team and money needs to be invested in fully professional academies in each major city. Based on Italy, one pro academy for every 1.3m population. UK is probably one academy for each 700k population.
Free agent strikers over 1.9m (I could look for headed goal stats too but I’ve got COVID and that’s too much effort):
Ishak Belfodil - 30 years old - Most recently at Hertha Berlin - 25 goals in 98 games Bundesliga - 19 caps and 2 goals Algeria - Two major injuries (ACL and Knee surgery in 18/19 & 19/20 respectively, could be related)
Kalifa Coulibaly - 30 years old - Most recently at Nantes - 21 goals in 99 games Ligue 1 - 30 caps 6 goals Mali - One major injury (abductor tear in 17/18) - Fudgeing massive (1.97m)
Guido Carrillo - 31 years old - Most recently at Elche - 12 goals in 105 games La Liga, 15 in 65 Ligue 1 - Two major injuries (groin 16/17, hamstring 19/20)
Hyun-jun Suk - 31 years old - Most recently at Troyes - 20 goals in 69 games Liga Portugal (might speak some Portuguese?) - 15 caps 5 goals South Korea - Missed 72 days and 61 days with a calf injury and thigh problems in 20/21 and 21/22 respectively (also missed 70 days with covid in 20/21 but only 8 games so maybe play stopped??)
Nicolai Jorgensen - 31 years old - Most recently at FC Copenhagen - 48 goals + 20 assists in 118 games Eredivisie, plus 44 goals + 20 assists in 103 games Superligaen - 39 caps 9 goals Denmark - Loads of short-ish to medium term injuries (<60 days missed)
Cheick Diabaté - 34 years old - Most recently at Al-Gharafa (Qatar) - 57 goals + 14 assists in 142 games Ligue 1 - 39 caps 15 goals Mali - Lots of short term injuries, nothing major since like 2014
José Ángel Carrillo - 28 years old - Most recently at CD Lugo - 27 goals 159 games La Liga 2 - Ruptured cruciate ligament in 16/17
Yaya Sanogo - 29 years old - Most recently at Huddersfield - 13 goals 71 games Ligue 1 - Loads of caps and goals for France at age group level - Last major injury in 15/16 (missed 311 days)
Marko Scepovic - 31 years old - Most recently at Omonia Nicosia - 33 goals and 20 assists in 78 games NB I. (Hungarian 1st tier) - 5 caps Serbia - No major injuries since 11/12 (Cruciate ligament rupture)
Simon Makienok - 31 years old - Most recently at FC St Pauli - 41 goals 8 assists in 100 games Superligaen - 6 caps Denmark - Two major injuries in a row in 17/18 and 18/19 (340 and 335 days missed respectively, torn knee ligament and knee surgery - likely related) - Absolute fudgeing giant, he’s 2.01 bloody metres tall
There’s plenty of others but I don’t think they’re really worth looking at when they’re worth less than Sasse, Kraev etc on Transfermarkt’s arbitrary valuation scale. There’s also plenty of players that aren’t free agents but could quite easily be released from their contracts. Digging through all of them is too much of a mission though and more Wusty’s area of expertise.
Some of those players listed look bloody good, I personally hope we can grab someone 31 or younger without too much of an injury history and a respectable scoring record.
Pump it up to the big man? Doesn't seem like Talay's type of football.
It’s probably less “pump it up to the big man” and more “hey Bozhidar is literally our only attacker over 6ft, we should probably get some variety in there”
Pump it up to the big man? Doesn't seem like Talay's type of football.
no but crossing the ball in from the wide players is! Plus having a good target man for the set piece is something we need right now with all our shortish attack players.
Pump it up to the big man? Doesn't seem like Talay's type of football.
no but crossing the ball in from the wide players is! Plus having a good target man for the set piece is something we need right now with all our shortish attack players.
Lets hope the crossing problem has been fixed because that was one of the issues we had last season. No good having a great target man if those delivering the crosses/passes consistently fail to do the job
Pump it up to the big man? Doesn't seem like Talay's type of football.
no but crossing the ball in from the wide players is! Plus having a good target man for the set piece is something we need right now with all our shortish attack players.
Lets hope the crossing problem has been fixed because that was one of the issues we had last season. No good having a great target man if those delivering the crosses/passes consistently fail to do the job
chicken/egg kind of situation, crossing was bad last season but we really didnt have a giant of a man in the middle either, Hooper isnt exactly huge. Having a big man upfront to work with Ball, Kosta, Waine will be amazing.
Pump it up to the big man? Doesn't seem like Talay's type of football.
no but crossing the ball in from the wide players is! Plus having a good target man for the set piece is something we need right now with all our shortish attack players.
Lets hope the crossing problem has been fixed because that was one of the issues we had last season. No good having a great target man if those delivering the crosses/passes consistently fail to do the job
chicken/egg kind of situation, crossing was bad last season but we really didnt have a giant of a man in the middle either, Hooper isnt exactly huge. Having a big man upfront to work with Ball, Kosta, Waine will be amazing.
I'd love to see Sutton swinging in early crosses to a tall 9 and Kraev
Pump it up to the big man? Doesn't seem like Talay's type of football.
It’s probably less “pump it up to the big man” and more “hey Bozhidar is literally our only attacker over 6ft, we should probably get some variety in there”
Pump it up to the big man? Doesn't seem like Talay's type of football.
It’s probably less “pump it up to the big man” and more “hey Bozhidar is literally our only attacker over 6ft, we should probably get some variety in there”
I’d like another RB. I feel, well, happy enough with Payne as 4th choice CB particularly if the fullbacks and midfield is reliable. I feel if we are scoring goals defending will be easier. I’d like a more defensively minded fullback to provide cover and competition at RB and LB, possibly someone with a bit of lower level experience. Essentially I’d like Louis, but crossed with Manny Muscat.
I dunno- it’s always hard to predict. Surman looked a player last year. Honestly I feel that currently Uffie rated him ahead of Payne at CB.
It’s hard to know where we will need cover until it happens. We won’t have the playoff game for the AWs and other commitments. Do we need another forward for injury cover/competition? Don’t feel that we’ve replaced Sotirio for sheer engine and commitment. We’ve got a lot of new exciting players and it will take a few games for that to all settle in and we can see what kind of team we can be.
Kelvin Kalua would be a quality acquisition under those criteria I reckon. Better than Fenton, still super young and can play CB/LB as well as his natural RB. Don’t think Uffie will sign another RB though, especially after saying he’s happy with our RB depth and will look for a local CB instead after passing on JHS.
I would rate this too, he didn't look out of place in the All Whites. Good signs. Guess he hasn't been in Ole or Nix Academy though which means chances we sign him are bugger all lol
Hopefully he can get a move out of the Northern/National League soon, NZ are crying out for a high quality RB and I feel like he could flourish given the chance. Elliot is quality but has failed to kick on as of yet, same with Dane Ingham. I do rate Niko Kirwan but let's be real, he's no where near Libby's level and is 5 years older.
We really need an Auckland team in the A-League ay, there's a good few players like Kalua, Sinclair etc. who are ready to step up but don't get the chance.
He was trialling somewhere in Europe at the end of last year, which is why he was at those national team games, but must've been passed on. He's 23 this year, hasn't any professional experience, and (I assume) doesn't have an assistive passport, so getting a gig was always going to be an uphill battle. The level in Europe is a lot higher than down here, I'd say even the bottom 5/10 leagues would be comparable, and by then the (lack of) money makes it not worth the effort.
Talay doesn't rate the local leagues/players, and if the European clubs passed on Kalua, then Talay would probably see that as reason not to bother with him, which is a shame. It is a shame that Australian players aren't considered as visa players, because that might force the hand a bit more, and I can't think of many (if any) Australians that would've been given a visa spot. If an Auckland team ever actually happens (considering it's failed twice) then these players should theoretically have twice as many spots to get an A League gig.
Pump it up to the big man? Doesn't seem like Talay's type of football.
no but crossing the ball in from the wide players is! Plus having a good target man for the set piece is something we need right now with all our shortish attack players.
Lets hope the crossing problem has been fixed because that was one of the issues we had last season. No good having a great target man if those delivering the crosses/passes consistently fail to do the job
chicken/egg kind of situation, crossing was bad last season but we really didnt have a giant of a man in the middle either, Hooper isnt exactly huge. Having a big man upfront to work with Ball, Kosta, Waine will be amazing.
Na dont agree its a chicken/egg thing no point having a big man to work with with those guys if the crosses/passes arnt being delivered. You could have the best big man in the league but he will be no use at all if he isnt getting the ball. Its amazing Hooper was able to come up with the stats he did given injury and the rubbish ball he was expected to work with.
Pump it up to the big man? Doesn't seem like Talay's type of football.
It’s probably less “pump it up to the big man” and more “hey Bozhidar is literally our only attacker over 6ft, we should probably get some variety in there”
How can you possibly say Talay dosnt rate local players where have all those young guys come from that he has given a start.just because your a Kiwi dosnt mean your entitled to a shot and no guarantee even if there ever is an Auckland team they will give these guys a go.
