Marco Rojas - The return of the Kiwi Messi

Rumours that Carney wants to be released from Newcastle. Probably the one bright spark for them this year; would take him here to solve our left back problem for a season or two.

Pretty sure Sydney FC do.

yep, cause Smeltzy has an Australian passport.......surely Marco would see success at Sydney as a reasonable springboard to jumping back into Europe.

put the house on it, I can picture him in a wee sky blue shirt

this is quite painful watching his slow demise into probably thai premier league football.

This thread probably gets more comments with him not playing

someone has to keep the memory of him alive

lest we forget

VfB Stuttgart loan Marco Rojas out to Swiss 1st Division club FC Thun

Der VfB verleiht Rojas an den FC Thun

Good stuff, anyone know what the quality is like...hope he finally starts playing.

5th in a 10 team league, don't play again until 7th of February?

Well at least his German won't go to waste, and I imagine Schweiz is quite a nice place to travel around and play football in.

If FC Thun ends up at the fourth spot, Marco could play some 'international' games in the Europa League, if he stays for the next season. Good luck!

Hmmm... Greg Duruz of the old NZ Knights came here from FC Thun.

FC Thun  -  a small town team that really over-achieves:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Thun

Thun population = 43,783 (think Nelson, NZ):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thun

Looking at the photos there it looks stunning with its medieval buildings and location on the banks of Lake Thun and the River Aare.

A major Swiss tourist destination.

"30 km south of Bern. Besides tourism, machine and precision instrument engineering, the largest garrison in the country, the food industry, armaments and publishing are of economic importance to Thun."

Almost entirely German-speaking population (as opposed to some other districts where French or Italian predominate).

Stadium capacity = 10,300

Average attendance 2013-14 season = 5605 (Are averaging 6503 after 9 games so far this season)

European comp: quite regular the last decade. UEFA League Group stage last season:

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2005–06	UEFA Champions League	Q2	Dynamo Kyiv	1–0	2–2	3–2
		Q3	Malmö FF	3–0	1–0	4–0
		Group B	Arsenal	0–1	1–2	3rd
			Sparta Praha	1–0	0–0
			Ajax	2–4	0–2
2005–06	UEFA Cup	Round of 32	Hamburger SV	1–0	0–2	1–2
2011–12	UEFA Europa League	Q2	Vllaznia Shkodër	2–1	0–0	2–1
		Q3	Palermo	1–1	2–2	3–3
		PO	Stoke City	0–1	1–4	1–5
2013–14	UEFA Europa League	Q2	Chikhura Sachkhere	2–0	3–1	5–1
		Q3	Häcken	1–0	2–1	3–1
		PO	Partizan	3–0	0–1	3–1
		Group G	Dynamo Kyiv	0–2	0–3	4th
			Genk	0–1	1–2
			Rapid Wien	1–0	1–2

SWISS LEAGUE ATTENDANCES 2013-14 SEASON:

http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn...

(Click on "Switzerland" in list on far left)

FC Thun: Averaged 5605 at home league games last season.

The Phoenix (on last season's average of 8201) would be the sixth best-supported team in Switzerland, ahead of Grasshoppers.

Only four clubs averaged more than 10,000 spectators: Basel, Young Boys, St Gallen, Luzern

European reports on Marco's new loan:

http://www.vavel.com/en/international-football/ger...

http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/star...

http://www.sport1.de/de/fussball/fussball_bundesli...

http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.vfb-stutt...

Official FC Thun website:

Sounds like Marco will be appreciated there with established attacking players either seriously injured or leaving the club:

http://www.fcthun.ch/de/News/Newsmeldung?newsid=10...

"For the second round of the league New Zealand international Marco Rojas was committed. Rojas will initially be borrowed until the summer from German Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. The 23-year-old midfielder has played since summer also as a loan in the SpVgg Greuther Fürth. Now he wants to prove himself in Thun. Andres Gerber is satisfied: "Rojas was someone we wanted last summer. We are glad that we finally made it." After the serious injury of Causi, the disposal of Schneuwly and the more probable departure of Sadik FC Thun was glad that Rojas as a solid all-rounder could be useful. 

This is just the right kind of club and league for him at this point in his career. 

Totally disagree with this comment and Vader you should know better then thising that crap. Rojas was the top player in the A league, James didn't even set state leagues alight. James played in Finland which is a league far beneath the Swiss League. He was unwanted by Barnett in the English fourth tier and clubless until he ended up in the French fourth tier. I actually dont mind James, so don't want to dish him but the two players are on different planets. Whatever happens to Rojas from here he wont end up inthe state leagues or being let go by Barnett.

I agree, Marco has more talent in his left toe than a lot of A league players.

This is a good move for him right now. Its not a high profile league (?) and it will allow him to get on the park and game time. I would be intrigued as to whom put this together - whether it was a combination of club, Rodi or NZF/Hudson using contacts.

Good move IMO. The right sort of League for him. I have a mate in Lausanne who follows local football and he told me that Marco will have a much easier time in the Swiss League. He will get more time on the ball which will suit his game. Apparently its much less physical than Germany. The players are technically good. The standard is reasonably high too. Basel normally does well in European Comps.

They play in a new 10,000 seat stadium with a synthetic surface. Its a great stadium.....small, compact, with the crowd packed close to the sidelines. Wish we had something like that in Wellington for the Nix.

I really hope is goes well for Marco. He was out brightest talent and it hurt seeing him struggle in Germany. Truth is Rufer was right....Marco was not ready for the Bundisleague. I think once he settles into the new club he will go really well.

James was at Fulham and didn't make it for one reason or another then ended up on his walkabout euro tour for football glory.

Just looks like Rojas may end up on this same path - Probably see his name up on Apia Leichhardt team sheet next?.

I read that some clubs have a mixture of grass and synthetics together, they need that for their fast passing game. Cost about $1.16 Mio per surface and you need one for the training ground. Does anyone know more about this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desso_GrassMaster

http://www.dessosports.com/hybrid-grass

This 'Desso Grassmaster" surface such as at Forsyth Barr in Dunedin is actually a real grass pitch with artificial strands injected to strengthen the grass. Is not actually classed as an artificial pitch.

Used by eleven current Premier League clubs in England (Anfield, Old Trafford, Emirates, Stamford Bridge etc.), Wembley, San Siro, Amsterdam Arena, Cardiff City Stadium etc.

Swiss clubs are more likely to go completely artificial I think due to the harsh winter weather.

Here in Christchurch, ASB Football Park (English Park) home ground of Canterbury Utd is completely artificial and the pitch cost $1.6 million (materials and installation). Approved by FIFA for all levels except World Cup Finals:

http://www.pitchcare.co.nz/magazine/tigerturf-comp...

http://tigerturf.com/nz/sports/football

I think you're on the wrong track there.

Chris James never made it into the first team at Fulham but was let go after his youth team career expired and a handful of reserve team games.

Marco was signed by a Bundesliga club from the first team at another professional club Melbourne Victory where he was simultaneously A-League Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year.

Quite a different thing.

Chris James is more akin to another Kiwi, Sean Fallon, who was in the youth team at Liverpool with Robbie Fowler etc. but was let go after two years in the youth team and one in the reserves (injuries and a drinking problem hindered his career I believe) and ended up playing in NZ, Singapore, Aussie state leagues. 

(Actually, Chris James has had a much better senior professional career than Sean Fallon who never made the All Whites either.)

Unless injuries continue to hamper Rojas' career, I think he'll do okay in Europe. He's got a good professional attitude and no drinking problem!

Who would people say was more talented at the same age, Ryan Thomas or Marco Rojas? I'd say Rojas. Thomas went straight from the ASB Premiership to the Dutch Eredivisie.

If a similarly talented attacking player, Ryan Thomas can make it in the Eredivisie, then Marco can make it in Switzerland.

Will be interesting to compare Rojas' progress with that of Socceroo midfielder Dario Vidosic, aged 27 who went from the A-League (Brisbane Roar) to Nurnberg in the 1.Bundesliga but was farmed out on loan a lot and ended up returning for two seasons in the A-League with Brisbane before signing for Sion in Switzerland last season (29 appearances, 6 goals last season).

Oliver Bozanic, a midfielder aged 25 is the only other Aussie playing in the Swiss Super League, so that will be another interesting point of comparison. He went to Reading in England as a teenager, didn't make it and was loaned out to minor clubs like Woking and Aldershot. He returned to the A-League at Central Coast for three seasons before signing for Luzern in Switzerland last season (28 games, 5 goals last season)

Socceroo Matthew Leckie to me seems less talented skill-wise than Rojas, and also didn't make it in the 1.Bundesliga but the last couple of years has been making a good career in the 2.Bundesliga.

Sean Fallon, Liverpool FC

Wouldn't Kosta be a fairer comparison than James. Rojas is better than Kosta, but then the Bundesliga is better than the Russian league

I'd say it's wholly down to FC Thun scouting around for loanees and Stuttgart looking at loan options for him.

FC Thun say they wanted to sign him on loan last summer but Greuther Furth got him instead.

Seems like Marco will be better appreciated there with established attacking players either seriously injured or leaving the club.

Sounds like Thun are interested in making the move permanent too from this on their website:

http://www.fcthun.ch/de/News/Newsmeldung?newsid=10...

"For the second round of the league New Zealand international Marco Rojas was committed. Rojas will initially be borrowed until the summer from German Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. The 23-year-old midfielder has played since summer also as a loan in the SpVgg Greuther Fürth. Now he wants to prove himself in Thun. Andres Gerber is satisfied: "Rojas was someone we wanted last summer. We are glad that we finally made it." After the serious injury of Causi, the disposal of Schneuwly and the more probable departure of Sadik, FC Thun was glad that Rojas as a solid all-rounder could be useful. 

Certainly a positive move. He clearly has a lot of talent and chance of real success, hopefully it works out and he shows his magic like we know he can. 

You are right BigPete (as usual), Grass Master is a type of reinforcement that doubles as a type of artificial root system designed for colder climates where root growth is challenging. Long synthetic strands are sewn deep into the profile with a type of (almost) sewing machine.

G3 artificial isn't widely used at pro level but there are a few cases and it is FIFA approved - not that I would endorse it myself. I think CSK Moscow use a G3 artificial pitch at their home ground.

They have a a brand new 10.000 seats Arena. I this what we all dream of?

Fit that on Newtown Park no problem.

I could fit that into Newton Park, no Photoshop at hand ;-)

But seriously, they have a highway access, train station, with free buses on game day, is 2km away. Newton Park?

Might look better in Kiwitea Street.

^ No room. Tiny pitch hemmed in by houses and street. Weren't even allowed permit to build the tiny stand that's there without hassle and compromise.