There is still time in this window, but starting to feel quite pessimistic about the season. Domey and Gill and Morrison say all these words about how they are ambitious and want the men's team to succeed. But the team finished 11th and then lost their two best performers of the season in Wootton and Kosta and have made no impressive signings. Just Aussie journeymen and a wildcard from the Iraqi league who might be OK but might also easily be a dud. We are serving up disgusting football against very limited sides in the Cup while AFC are cruising in their games. If you didn't know any better you'd wonder if they were waiting for the incumbent coach to go before properly backing his replacement but the guy is contracted for the next two seasons.
Struggling to remember the last time the fandom was united in their excitement at a signing. Is Steven Taylor going too far back? Give me some names people.
This place is far more negative than it used to be. Some are only on here to complain. I personally think he is a decent signing with experience like you all wanted. LBS still has a lot of learning to do before he is the finished product and we don't want to be just relying on him, didn't work well last season and he doesn't need the pressure. A couple more signings still to come too
Disagree there has always been an element of negativity since the first season. Thought that was the nature of what a forum was youget people with differing opinions some positive some negative. Would be a boring old place if everyone was saying the same thing.
That, and of the 21 players we've got on the books currently, only 12 of them are contracted beyond the end of the 25/26 season, but we will get a clean slate with all 5 visa spots opening up. Next season I feel is already going to be a bigger rebuild, and we've barely kicked a ball in anger heading into the upcoming one.
I'm not too fussed about the incoming signings so far as I'm confident Armiento and Mileusnic can offer us something, well I'm hoping they will at least! Eze remains a wildcard, but I'll reserve judgement on him until I've seen him for more than 20 minutes.
Need a LB and this mystery visa CB to come through and I'll firm up how I think we'll go properly - So far I have us tracking about 7th/8th/9th. Will be interesting to see how we fare against Heidelberg in the next round of the Australia Cup too, but I'm expecting to see progress in terms of style and intent.
I think if we still had 2 import slots left the Mileusnic signing would make more sense as we'd still be getting import 10 with a CB.
Having Mileusnic as a fast winger to bring off the bench or start in games where we'd be looking to counter a lot is a good option but we are in need of that Chico esque player to really link up the attack together and without that extra import slot its likely Mileusnic is the last attacking signing which is why its bit of a lacklustre signing.
Armiento has already shown us something- clutch assist for a clutch goal in our cup run. Eze we’ll have to see. Looks like he covers ground and has a good attitude. Definitely high on confidence! Won’t replace Kosta, but might bring himself.
I don’t think this necessarily reveals one way or the other if we’re going visa on attack or defense, but it adds experience and leadership to the squad in the front 3rd.
That was the other thing Kosta had in spades. He knew the league inside out. He knew how to bump a player just enough not to get a foul. He’d seen a bunch of champion sides.
What does this mean for our squad? We’ve got 21, but 5 scholarship players? Does that mean we can exceed 23? Or just that we can skimp on wages? Do we have any marquee players or anything of the kind currently?
Also any thoughts as to who we might be targeting in Western? Or is that simply too messy?
I think we might see an increase in intent in the cup run soon. We haven’t seen Rufer. Armiento and Eze have been short spells only. I think we might see more of our first team longer. And we might be fitter too.
My feeling is that this is a good squad signing. My reservations about it are that he doesn't address the issues that the first team currently has or make the first significantly better than what we already have. While happy to be proven wrong on the latter, I'm really keen to see the former addressed. Without that, my feelings about this season will remain at 'spoon holders' to 'grim'.
I have an amazing ability to find my way out of mazes. I'm pathological.
For where we are, I think this is a handy signing. Won't make us contenders by any means, but this squad needs experience. He had a tough season with Perth last year, but he's scored 25 A-League goals in his career - our next highest is Armiento with 6. Nice to have a guy who at least at some point, has known where the back of the net is.
I will admit to being a little under whelmed by the signings so far but am happy to wait till the season starts before i decide how i feel. My disappointment is based on the rhetoric that came out of Domey, Gill, and Morrison saying that last season was unacceptable and a repeat is unacceptable. Yes we are still in the cup but on the back of 2 very uninspiring wins that showed more signs of a repeat of last year than any great change. Yes fully aware 1st game is still some time away but you do wonder if they are struggling to convince the players they said we wanted that the Phoenix is somewhere they should come to. Will remain my overly optimistic self in the hope that things WILL get better.
All opinions welcome. Positive, negative, well reasoned, or not.
The person with about 100 posts saying, "lately" this place has been a bit negative. That's quite fun. Like my kids calling 2012 "old school".
Edit: no criticism of that particular post, they're probably 100% correct. I would argue that fan positivity is heavily related to aesthetics and results however, and neither have been great lately.
All opinions welcome. Positive, negative, well reasoned, or not.
The person with about 100 posts saying, "lately" this place has been a bit negative. That's quite fun. Like my kids calling 2012 "old school".
Edit: no criticism of that particular post, they're probably 100% correct. I would argue that fan positivity is heavily related to aesthetics and results however, and neither have been great lately.
That person used to be on here under another name much longer
Confident we'll see progress this year though. Never thought i'd say this about an NPL team, but Heidelberg will be a good test of where we stand, as well as any progress being made.
I think its likely we play the back 5 but I would like to see Chiefy go with a back 4 and have Nagasawa further forward as I don't think he really works in a 2 man midfield. I had a look of where hes played in his career and hes played 140 times in a more advanced role and 127 times at CM/DM.Screenshot 2025-08-14 at 11.17.01 AM.jpeg113.24 KB
Has the club said this change in playing style will look like, apart from being more entertaining? last off season Chief seemed to be wanting to play something a kin to total football, this off season he doesn't seem as vocal about it
There is still time in this window, but starting to feel quite pessimistic about the season. Domey and Gill and Morrison say all these words about how they are ambitious and want the men's team to succeed. But the team finished 11th and then lost their two best performers of the season in Wootton and Kosta and have made no impressive signings. Just Aussie journeymen and a wildcard from the Iraqi league who might be OK but might also easily be a dud. We are serving up disgusting football against very limited sides in the Cup while AFC are cruising in their games. If you didn't know any better you'd wonder if they were waiting for the incumbent coach to go before properly backing his replacement but the guy is contracted for the next two seasons.
imanixsupporter
There is still time in this window, but starting to feel quite pessimistic about the season. Domey and Gill and Morrison say all these words about how they are ambitious and want the men's team to succeed. But the team finished 11th and then lost their two best performers of the season in Wootton and Kosta and have made no impressive signings. Just Aussie journeymen and a wildcard from the Iraqi league who might be OK but might also easily be a dud. We are serving up disgusting football against very limited sides in the Cup while AFC are cruising in their games. If you didn't know any better you'd wonder if they were waiting for the incumbent coach to go before properly backing his replacement but the guy is contracted for the next two seasons.
I understand the angst, but could you wait with it until after the upcoming Heidelberg game?
Actually, getting outplayed quite a bit these days
I will admit to being a little under whelmed by the signings so far but am happy to wait till the season starts before i decide how i feel. My disappointment is based on the rhetoric that came out of Domey, Gill, and Morrison saying that last season was unacceptable and a repeat is unacceptable. Yes we are still in the cup but on the back of 2 very uninspiring wins that showed more signs of a repeat of last year than any great change. Yes fully aware 1st game is still some time away but you do wonder if they are struggling to convince the players they said we wanted that the Phoenix is somewhere they should come to. Will remain my overly optimistic self in the hope that things WILL get better.
COYN
"Yes fully aware 1st game is still some time away but you do wonder if they are struggling to convince the players they said we wanted that the Phoenix is somewhere they should come to." Well, there is that. But we have excellent facilities, passionate supporters, and a financially stable club. Also, we do not pay over the odds, and if someone tries to negotiate better money I suspect WelNix often say "no thanks", even if the player would be great for us. That is just my guess (no evidence). If the argument is not over money alone but the argument goes like "well, you have a great club, but you play like sharke" then my answer would be "come and make a difference then".
Actually, getting outplayed quite a bit these days
Well it's looks like 20 odd ALM footballers are about to soon be jobless. I wouldn't be too bullish about wages if I was an off contract A League footballer at the moment. Supply verus Demand and all that.
Has the club said this change in playing style will look like, apart from being more entertaining? last off season Chief seemed to be wanting to play something a kin to total football, this off season he doesn't seem as vocal about it
Just in the 2 cup games the team does seem to be trying to defend higher up the pitch and the press is more aggressive with the team not dropping into shape as quickly as last season.
Yeh, I quite like this (2ndbest's 3-4-3). Back fives look so much better drawn this way. 😅
Eze's highlight video I thought showed he is happy to come deeper and is strong carrying the ball forward, almost Old-like. Which I think will help with this. He can become that central outlet for Rufer and his partner DM. Eze has then got two wider players either side to work forward off, or is able to play the wider guys into space behind, while he runs the short track into the box. If he is not carrying it forward himself.
I'm not blown away by what we've signed but they may prove pretty effective.
Sorry broken record. Little bit gutted we aren’t seeing any repeat of last year’s experiment against Newcastle with Ishige playmaking near Rufer and Nakamura further forward.
As with others I am worried about Nagasawa/Retre/Roa Conchie/Sheridan in midfield. If we think Devlin, Lewis, Pennington that’s a lot of running at a decent clip, even Lewis, and a certain amount of ‘You shall not pass.’ By which I mean you will get shutdown and tackled, not…anyway…the lack of fear instilled in any given opposition by our midfield two being the issue.
Armiento on the left, Mileusnic on the right and Eze in the centre, if that's not attacking intent I don't know what is. I am far from pessimistic about the forthcoming season.
ChChiefythemanimimmortalbirdLGmartinb+4mjp2, Oi Oi Edgecumbe, theprof, WanderingSheep
8 months ago
Typhoon
Armiento on the left, Mileusnic on the right and Eze in the centre, if that's not attacking intent I don't know what is. I am far from pessimistic about the forthcoming season.
IMG_8508.jpeg299.63 KBLast time there was a front 3 of Armiento, unknown import and Mileusnic (Brisbane)
Armiento on the left, Mileusnic on the right and Eze in the centre, if that's not attacking intent I don't know what is. I am far from pessimistic about the forthcoming season.
New players, new hopes.
I wouldn’t expect us to be challenging for the top, but we’ll surprise a few and score a few fun goals. And if we sign a strong CB and a convincing midfield reinforcement, or the other way round, things become interesting.
We had Wootton, Surman, Rufer and Pennington keeping almost everything out as the basis for our almost almost title campaign.
Don’t think we’re quite as solid, but I’m definitely a Hughes fan.
We’re definitely not reliant on the kids, which might give them the space to make an impact or force a bit of competition.
We might cop some too, but we’ve got to keep our heads up and not despair.
I’m still hopeful of one more goal scoring diamond, whether it is Supyk, LBS, Walker, GSR, Ishige, Loke,, Nagasawa or another signing who will exceed our expectations. I think looking at the names we’ve got I definitely think we can expect some attacking fireworks at some point. It might be a little more trigger happy than Kosta et al of the recent past, but if there’s more pile drivers like Sheridan’s and importantly some of them go in, sign me up!
As long as we play with enterprise and give our attacking players a chance this season, I’m going to be happy, even if the results aren’t quite there. I’d prefer a fun 7th to a tedious zero shots 6th.
And as to the Brisbane example above I’d expect our training facilities, fans, stable ownership and coaching to manifest potential and push that finishing place higher!
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