Ange Postecoglou

Because Viduka, McDonald and Rogic?

Don McBradman grew up in Stirling before moving to Bowral.

As I've said numerous times, there's no way Ange is bringing in a posse of Australians (as for Japanese - they won't get work permits unless they pass the NT test). But he might bring in one or two because they'll be cheaper than the Euro equivalent. Even then, he'll be wary. No doubt at all that the number one priority will be quality to build the squad and system that he wants.

 

Aside from Mauk, at some point the players listed were bigged up here and I thought they would would kick on in Europe but instead they all came straight back home at the first opportunity when it didn't work out.

Not saying they all do, but in most cases they usually come straight back.

 

So when does he start then?

 

about tree fiddy.

 

Tree fiddy? I aint givin you no tree fiddy.

 

Both a South Park joke and a direct Peter Lawwell quote while negotiating a price for John McGinn.

 

Good to see some have a sense of humour we might need it by October

 

Last October really

 

Its like you are Scottish, but may be ethnically Irish. Your parents or grandparents came from Ireland before you were born in Scotland or your family came to Scotland when you were five years old and you grew up in Scotland and are now 55 yers old. Not that hard to fathom.

 

That's fair enough - to be honest, I don't give a toss about the history of Aussie players that have or have not done well in Europe. I'm interested in looking ahead.

I'm also not snobbish about the SPFL + A or J leagues.

There simply are not 5 or 6 top class players in these leagues waiting to come to Europe - if so, they would have been snapped up as all big clubs have worldwide scouting networks now.

However, I don't have an issue if - over the year, Ange picks up 2 or 3 from these leagues that he thinks could make it - after all, that is one advantage as well that he does have, first hand knowledge of these players/leagues.

Of "known" Aussie players - I'd be very happy with Ryan (although I doubt he would come) and possibly Mooy (although I wouldn't pay anything like 4m for him).

Given the state of the club/squad - we need some experience (even if it's players with 2 or 3 years left) - not prospects.

This interests me and worries me - Ange simply cannot claim to have extensive knowledge of the English/Scottish/euro player markets - his "experience" is lower league in Greece 20 years ago and monitoring Aussie players in Europe.

I'm concerned who he's listening to about what players to bring in - I hope to * that he's not listening to Lawwell, Kennedy or Strachan.

 

There's a reason for that - I don't doubt that Ange could possibly (hopefully) unearth a gem from the A or J league or at least bring in one or two players that can do a job for us and I have no issue with that.

Here's a simple concept to grasp - if he brings in 4 or 5 "far cheaper" signings from the A league - it won't work and he will be perceived as cost cutting and lowering the wage bill at the bidding of the board.

He doesn't seem like that type of guy but perception is reality and our "board" have previous on this.

 

It’s just guys speculating and debating on leagues he know’s inside out.

Pretty much think it’s guaranteed we’re not about to be flooded with Aussies and Japanese.

if we do but least we know the managers making signings rather than the board

 

Consider also closer to home. Czech Republic - Sparta Prague are producing good players, am sure other clubs as well. West Ham Utd have picked up two excellent players and they have not been up this high in the EPL for years, Moyes also has been a positive factor at the club.

 

Markets like that is something we should have been doing dor about 20 odd years, and even when we were properly scouting we never have. It’s common knowledge Lubo has kept us up to date with players in Eastern Europe and we’ve never done anything with it. And I don’t know * why.

They leagues and Scandanavian leagues seem a no brainer, outwith Lustig, Jozo and Shved I can’t think of us actually properly looking.

 

Adaptability also means being accepted by other members of the squad and treated well. Australian clubs welcome players from overseas till they prove to be less than good. A certain Maltese international centre forward who was signed by Melbourne City comes to mind. He missed so many easy changes in front of goal - even my old aunt Fany could have scored. They packed him off back home after 7 months. Gave the position to a more capable player but by that stage the club had dropped too many points due to this guy's bad finishing and the title was out of reach by then.
Many players going to play at European clubs are seen as a threat to positions wanted by local players and many send the new boy to 'Coventry' and after a while they find such treatment too overwhelming and want to go back home.

 

As an Aussie and Ange obsessed fan i can't * believe we have spent ten * pages on discussing A-league players. FFS he won't bring any and not one of them will fit in his system if you have been watching Yokohama F Marinos during his tenure like me. He nay bring a couple of Japanese players hopefully from F.marinos and especially Kawasaki who have some gems and also weakens them.

 

People seem to be forgetting the difficulty of getting work permits for a lot of these foreign players, if they're not already regulars for their international side. That makes a lot of these hypothetical A/J League signings a non-starter.

 

Japanese players won't get work permits unless they're in the NT.

I'm beginning to bore myself by making the same point again and again - but if Ange does bring in any Oz players, they'll already be playing in Europe. One maybe - two max.

 

How many Aussies did Ange take to Yokohama?

 

None. And the one that was already there he sacked.