By Jesse Fink
June 5th 2009 @ 1:10am
Related coverage
Where’s Osama? Townsville, of all places
Kudos to North Queensland Fury. The Fisters might have come in for some criticism from me for their stupid name and wasting all that money on Robbie Fowler, but they’ve picked up one of the most promising young players in Australian in Osama Malik.
I really can’t get my head around how Aurelio Vidmar and his mates out the back of Bada Bing (sorry, the Adelaide boardroom) could let this kid – he’s 18 – go.
He’s been a breath of fresh air every time I’ve seen him play and was brilliant for the Reds in their Club World Cup match against Gamba Osaka.
Adelaide have a habit of letting go of players that other clubs are more than happy to pick up: Diego Walsh, Jonas Salley, Jason Spagnuolo, Matthew Kemp, et al. Not to mention the losses of players of the ilk of Bruce Djite and Nathan Burns, which were inevitable but hit the club hard.
Vidmar is playing down the team’s chances of replicating its success of 2008/09, which is a usual coaching ploy before the commencement of any new season.
But I have a feeling he’s bang on the money.
At this moment in time Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and (believe it or not) Sydney are my picks (in no particular order) for positions one through to four at the end of 2009/10, with the new “top six” for the finals rounded out by Brisbane and possibly Adelaide in sixth, at best.
Perth really impressed me at the end of last season and I’m shattered we didn’t get to see Eugene Dadi and Nikita Rukavytsya lead the line for Glory for another season. With Rukavytsya in Australia for another twelve months and finally hitting his straps, I truly believe the West Australian side might have had what it takes to become champions.
But he’s gone to FC Twente, which is good for him and good for Australian football, if not good for the A-League.
I don’t know enough about his replacement, former Energie Cottbus striker Branko Jelic, to really comment, but I really hope for Perth’s sake he’s even half as good as the young Ukrainian-Australian, who scored one of the best goals I’ve seen from an Australian striker, against Queensland Roar in January.
Which brings up the question of how Ruka wasn’t picked for the expanded squad selected by Pim Verbeek for the “Super June” World Cup qualifiers.
Surely a 21-year-old (he turns 22 on 22 June) picked up by a club that finished second in the Eredivisie last season under Steve McLaren and ahead of Ajax and PSV on the ladder, and which plays Champions League football next season, should have been a passenger to Dubai this week, even if just to hang around with the senior players and “bond” or put out the cones on the training paddock?
But, then again, there’s a fair few of those about on the FFA staff, isn’t there?
Get Australia's best Football opinion emailed daily.
Like this content? Buzz it up!
Free Email updates:
Our daily emails are only sent if there is content for the sport or that author. You can subscribe to multiple daily emails; or get the daily Roar email with all our content in it. We value privacy. More...
(30)
Kazama said | June 5th 2009 @ 9:03am | Report comment
Jesse, as an Adelaide fan I’m very disappointed that we’ve let Osama get away. I agree, I think the kid is a super talent based on what I’ve seen of him in the NYL and the CWC. Honestly the signs so far are not good for Adelaide, but then again not many people thought we would get anywhere near silverware in Season 1 let alone win the Premiership. I certainly didn’t. I’ll be getting my season ticket regardless and I encourage all other Adelaide fans to do the same if we want A-League football to continue to be played in SA.
As for Perth, I’ve been impressed with their recruiting so far. I think if all of the signings come off (admittedly I’ve never heard of Jelic) for them they will be challenging for the title. I agree with your top 4 prediction Jesse, IMO it will be out of those four teams to decide who takes home the Toilet Seat in 2010.
whiskeymac said | June 5th 2009 @ 9:19am | Report comment
“the question of how Ruka wasn’t picked for the expanded squad selected by Pim Verbeek for the “Super June” World Cup qualifiers”
Yes, I agree it’s a shame and he is also a player I hope will realise great potential for the Roos… but at the same time there’s always someone who will miss out. the squad cant be 30 players+… there are also nathan burns, kilkenny, kisnorbo, minniecon, holland etc who have claims. For all Ruky’s game time in Perth, he didnt get much time in Holland on the pitch this season did he? So if he was to be playing who would you drop to put him into the squad (considering the players we have in midfield/attack) – dare i suggest maybe Carle. King Solomon would be proud of the outcome to that one.
As for Adeliade losing players who are still good enough for the HAL – from the outside it does seem strange. but from the outside the self proclaimed pissants do seem ’strange’ anyway – success and drama and instability. Salley was lost from NZ, SFC and now Adelaide. He would have been good for CCM. In any event it’s great short term fun but surely cannot be good for the club. To lose a talented youngster is bad form, but I guess they could also point to there other great youth coups in the past (Burns and Djite from NSW- for which they made $$ and then Mullen, Barbiero, Griffiths etc) and in all honesty who knows what NQ put into the guys ahead to poach him… must be hard to pass up the opportunity to form a righteous partnering attack with God.
AGO74 said | June 5th 2009 @ 9:28am | Report comment
do you want a squad with 50 or 60 players in it? the other week, it was richard porta. this week it’s rukavytsa. ruka is a fantastic player in the a-league but he made a couple of subs appearances for twente. big step up from perth to dutch runners-up. for what its worth, i think verbeek has done him a favour. give him a good break during the northern summer and then let him have a full off-season so he can complete his settling in period at twente and then if he’s good enough start playing first team football from the start of the new season. if he’s as good as we all like to think he is, he should be able to do so. if he can’t crack it, then he shouldn’t be there.
Pippinu said | June 5th 2009 @ 9:30am | Report comment
Ruka will get his chance again – that much is certain.
On the question of AU letting these blokes go: Diego Walsh, Jonas Salley, Jason Spagnuolo, Matthew Kemp.
I’ve never liked Salley.
Walsh and Spagnuolo were ok, but not necessarily the best of the best.
Kemp took nearly two seasons to settle into a good MV squad – I would describe his as versatile and serviceable.
In short, we can have a go at Adelaide for a number of reasons (including coming from Adelaide and being finals chokers), but I don’t think letting these four go is anything out of the ordinary.
Ryan Steele said | June 5th 2009 @ 9:38am | Report comment
Apparently, Adelaide United did, in the end, put an offer on the table for Malik. Osama decided it would be better for his career to stay in Townsville (I believe the facilities available were one of the proclaimed reasons).
As an Adelaide United fan, I was also extremely disappointed to see him sign elsewhere. I was fortunate enough to see his Club World Cup performances in person, and very close to the action (particularly the pressure he put on Endo).
It would have been much better if the club had put the offer on the table long before the lad was even offered a trial with the Fury, but – as sad as it may be – these things happen in sports.
And, just to clear up what might be some haziness, Diego was released due to constant injuries that only allowed him minimal appearances over the two years, and Jason Spagnuolo was a mutual agreement to release, because Spags wanted to find game time elsewhere.
Jonas was probably the biggest shame of them all, as his “last hurrah” for the club was the first appearance in quite a few games, and after the release had been announced.
Vidmar’s decisions have been about finding the right players. He’s clearly been a great coach, and I have a deep respect for him, but (as a coach, myself) there are some major problems with that.
You should find a formula for the club, not a club for the formula.
That’s how I see things, anyway.
Tom said | June 5th 2009 @ 9:49am | Report comment
Haven’t seen much of this kid. Wish him all the best.
Apparently Adelaide offered him a contract and he chose to go to NQ so its not like they didn’t try to hang on to him.
Personally though I think Adelaide are in a reasonable position for the season. Apart from Ogenenovski, they seem to have held on to the bulk of their side from last season. Diego and Salley weren’t first team players by season’s end. (Though of course Salley was very useful in the prelim and GF).
They’ve added Fyfe to cover for Ogga and Owusu to supplement their striking stocks, which were their biggest problem, and they won’t have to play the extra games they did last season.
And this is a team that would have streaked to the title if they’d been able to break even with the Victory.
I think Vidmar is foxing a little bit. I think Adelaide will do just fine on the pitch this season.
whiskeymac said | June 5th 2009 @ 9:52am | Report comment
i actually like Adelaide and Vidmar seems to be a canny coach in the hal. So maybe it’s just Aurelio moulding a team to his designs, and not just that of his predecessors. If Owusu impacts for them like Dadi did for Perth (and i think he should) who knows where they will be next season? I liked the players Burns and Djite but like Ruky, Milligan and holland, these guys were never going to be at a club in the hAl for a long time.
(Re Salley played some good football for the Reds, but can understand why his style wasn’t to everyones tastes. i think he was a good player to break up the attacks and hassle the other side and was in good form at the end of the season when he finally got another run. not quite makele, viera or keane but good at this role in the HAL). None of the players were ultimately irreplaceable. there arent manyin the HAL that aren’t (well Jedinak maybe) – especially if the clubs recruit wisely (ie Hernandez finally eclipsed Fred). All clubs lose good promising players – Barca lost Fabregas, Man U gained then lost Pique. Arsenal gained then lost Anelka etc. sometimes a player leaves despite the clubs efforts – so, further showing my ignorance, do we know what the reasons for leaving were or what efforts were made to hold him? was it a younis, burns or a diego like departure?
I hope Perth havea good season at last. the comp would only be better if the glory can recreate the atmosphere and crowds of their NSL (can i mention those three letters here?) heyday.
Pippinu said | June 5th 2009 @ 9:53am | Report comment
Ryan
I understand what you’re saying with your last point. But with AU being so close and yet so far, it leaves Vidmar in a quandary.
Is it a case of just plugging a few holes?
Or do you start all over again?
It’s very easy to advocate the former – but that’s not necessarily the answer either.
In short, there’s rarely an obvious answer.
In Vidmar’s case the question that comes to me is this one: Is it a clean out that is following some grand plan (to fit the club to the formula as you put it), or is it a clean out necessitated by tough finances.
If it’s the former, you’d say, ok, fair enough – but if it’s the latter – then that’s a problem!!
whiskeymac said | June 5th 2009 @ 9:57am | Report comment
ah many questions answered pre last post.
seems not much fault can be put on AU if Malik wanted to leave and had better offers. further if he gets more gametime from this move then it will be good for his development, and therefore good for all of us as HAl supporters… so long as he doesnt score against my team.
StiflersMom said | June 5th 2009 @ 9:59am | Report comment
I can see your point about Nikita Rukavytsya but given he has only appeared 3 times for the senior team with a total of 17 minutes playing time I would assume he’s simply not being considered and to be honest he doesn’t deserve to be. Yes we know he is a good player but he’s not playing. Thats Pim’s policy, if he did pick him and left out say Richard Garcia would there not be some journlist muck racking about that.
whiskeymac said | June 5th 2009 @ 10:46am | Report comment
Although there are exceptins to pims rule – Carney (Coyne) comes to mind. but it’s a different positiion which is, as pip pointed out on tony Tannous’ article yesterday, a bit short for the roos (left side defence) – i think thats a very valid point Stifler.
Ryan Steele said | June 5th 2009 @ 11:04am | Report comment
I can see what you’re saying, Pippinu, and I do agree. It all comes down to whatever’s in Aurelio’s mind. Their first pre-season match, against Para Hills Knights, didn’t really reveal much, and it seemed to focus more on getting the players ready for the upcoming season, rather than playing out new tactics.
I guess we won’t really see Vidmar’s scheme until August.
Pippinu said | June 5th 2009 @ 11:12am | Report comment
Ryan
did anyone new get a decent run? that are likely to be one for one replacements for the half dozen or so players that have left?
Did anything stand out suggesting that the new players bring slightly different qualities?
Ryan Steele said | June 5th 2009 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
They essentially had two squads worth of players – considering they changed 10 men around the 60-minute mark – which included some of the youth stock for the upcoming season.
Costa, who played on Tuesday night, was signed the next day. He’s only 16, but he looks like he has some potential. I doubt he’ll be terrorising squads anytime soon, though, and is probably set to be a future investment, more than anything.
And with Francesco Monterosso being promoted from the NYL (where he was last season’s golden boot winner), alongside Lloyd Owusu (who I haven’t really seen, since he wasn’t involved in the match), the attacking stock is looking a lot better than it has, and we’ll probably see a better-flowing, two-man forward line.
Fyfe didn’t have many chances to play his game, since there wasn’t a lot of work to be had in defence, until late in the game. But so long as he plays as well as he did for Sydney (if not better), he should be a valuable asset to the club.
Being the first pre-season match, it’s really hard to make too many evaluations. There’s one more local match, next Tuesday, and then they’re onto the A-League pre-season. That should provide some better insight.
Ben of Phnom Penh said | June 5th 2009 @ 12:40pm | Report comment
Malik is good however Adelaide already have players of similar ilk and with small squads it is crucial to have the right mix of players. The main thing is that he gets a contract somewhere. This shows that the NYL is working and that all clubs are given a chance to peruse young talent on offer. Malik’s move to North Queensland is a real positive for youth development in the country.
The question I ask is how long can Adelaide hold on to Scott Jamieson.
Kazama said | June 5th 2009 @ 2:10pm | Report comment
Ben, that was the excuse used by Vidmar in the media for not signing him. Personally I feel that Malik is versatile enough to play up front, out wide or in the middle, so I would rather have had him than not. It wouldn’t have created an overload in one position IMO like the episode that Viddie referenced, when we had Pantelis, Petta and Spagnuolo fighting for the left winger spot. I think if we’d done the smart thing and offered him a contract before he went up to train with the Fury he’d be wearing red this season.
I agree though that it is good he and several other NYL players have landed contracts. The NYL is the best thing that has happened to Australian football since we joined the AFC. Does anyone know if Wellington and the two new franchises will have Youth League teams this season? If that is the case, I hope moneybags Clive opens the chequebook and signs a top international youth coach for his Gold Coast youngsters. Would be fantastic to see something like that happen, and he certainly has the money to make it so.
Ben, I think Jamo will stick around at least until the end of the ACL Group Stage. Hopefully for AU’s sake I am right.
Ben of Phnom Penh said | June 5th 2009 @ 2:17pm | Report comment
You may be right, Kazama. Like Ryan (actually in the same spot as Ryan) I watched Malik on that cold, cold night in Toyota Stadium and he didn’t look out of place at all in from of 38,000 people.
Hopefully you are also correct re: Jameison however another good performance in the ACL is going to have him up in lights and I do not doubt at all that the J-League sides will be watching with interest, let alone anyone from Europe. I see him as the natural successor for that left wing back role that Chippers plays with aplomb.
Interestingly he is one who has come back from Europe to develop his career rather than the other way round. If it works for him then it will send a powerful message to others struggling in Europe, as may Troisi’s move to Turkey. Sometimes you have to step back if you want to step up.
Pippinu said | June 5th 2009 @ 2:33pm | Report comment
Kaz
Palmer doesn’t strike me as the sort of bloke to open up the cheque book and invest in the future, but more the type to buy whatever silverware is on offer right now.
Kazama said | June 5th 2009 @ 2:33pm | Report comment
Absolutely. I think the message is clear, don’t head overseas unless you are positive you are ready. Look at Emmo – stuck around in the NSL for a couple of extra years and then headed off when he was ready, and hasn’t looked back since. Then you get someone like his former u/21 teammate Raphael Bove who clearly left for greener pastures too early and didn’t have much of a career as a result.
Kazama said | June 5th 2009 @ 2:37pm | Report comment
Pippinu, agree mate, he’s probably more concerned with the here and now, but I can dream. If he is in for the long haul with the Coast, and I hope he his, then it would be a smart investment for him to get a top youth coach, wouldn’t it? Maybe someone with Clive’s ear can do us all a favour and convince him that is the case.
whiskeymac said | June 5th 2009 @ 2:47pm | Report comment
if that is the case GCU doesnt seem to have much of long term future?
carney and zadkovich left, came back. left….will they return sooner than later despite their denials?
sledgeross said | June 5th 2009 @ 3:06pm | Report comment
If an A League cant play in a League 1 Squad , there is problems. I mean, League 1 is still slightly better than A League, but blokes who are good in the HAL should be able to compete at L1 or even Championship level if given the chance.
Kazama said | June 5th 2009 @ 3:16pm | Report comment
I don’t think that the problem is that our guys aren’t good enough, it is that they go over too young and get stuck in the reserves and youth teams – i.e. that they aren’t really getting opportunties because the competition for places is more intense than it is here. So they might as well do what Emerton did and stick around until they have developed a bit, heading over when they are capable of getting a spot in the first team, rather than rotting away in reserves and not fulfilling their potential as a result.
eh said | June 5th 2009 @ 3:20pm | Report comment
Pllus some plainly arent good enough to begin with.
Kazama said | June 5th 2009 @ 3:27pm | Report comment
If they “plainly aren’t good enough to begin with” how do they get contracts?
whiskeymac said | June 5th 2009 @ 3:55pm | Report comment
reminds me of that guy who got a contract for Southampton or Portsmouth a few seasons ago who just could not play =)
measure of how good – contracts versus gametime maybe? lots of reasons why they don’t get a game. was interesting on the guardian blog how someone said Smeltz was our golden boot last season but only conference level in the UK. a tad unfair considering he was a rumoured Euro target. some guys need a chance to play (Carney Liejer Sterjovski) some chose the wrong clubs (derby it seems) or league(romaninan) . Will be interesting (in comparing HAl to lower english leagues) to see how JoelPorter does. great strike rate in div1, i wonder if it can be replicated here or he finds it harder.
SFC_Fan said | June 5th 2009 @ 4:32pm | Report comment
Osama Malik looked like he had potential in the brief glimpses we’ve seen but it’s better for all concerned that young talent goes where he will get a chance and he will certainly get more game time in a dismal looking NQFC outfit than a relatively solid looking United midfield.
And I don’t agree with you very often Jesse, but the Fury name is absolutely disgusting. Whoever rubber stamped that abomination of a name needs to get the sack at FFA.
I truly, truly, truly HATE that plastic, disaster of a name.
The Bear said | June 5th 2009 @ 5:51pm | Report comment
i enjoyed the article jesse but admittedly felt it was difficult for two reasons 1) bit all over the place 2) premature for the HAL season. LOl, what do you care… you’re the journo/pundit. whaddeva, thanks for reminding me that there is another season ahead.
Art Sapphire said | June 5th 2009 @ 5:53pm | Report comment
On paper Perth have done well Picking up Branko Jelic
He’s just turned 32 – which is not over the hill.
Most significant stats
2000–2003 Red Star Belgrade 68 Aps – 22 goals
2004-2005 Beijing Gouan 48 Apps – 34 Goals
2008-2009 – Energie Cottbus 30 Apps – 6 Goals
He went from the Serbia to the CSL and then the Bundesliga for the season just past.
He should be able to handle the transition to A-League.
FK Vojvodina
Beijing Guoan
Xiamen Lanshi
Energie Cottbus
Perth Glory 0058 (19)
0068 (22)
0021 0(6)
0048 (34)
0024 0(7)
0031 0(6)
0000 0(0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals
Art Sapphire said | June 5th 2009 @ 5:54pm | Report comment
Its been a long day at work – sorry for the sloppy editing.