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It would be a major understatement to say that the Central Coast’s signing of 37-year-old Spanish midfielder Luis Garcia came out of left field. What his presence will actually mean for the Mariners is anybody’s guess.
Given how easy it is to simply sit on the sidelines and criticise, let’s start with the neutral statement that the Mariners’ announcement of Garcia’s signing – made as it was midway through an A-League game – was an intriguing piece of television.
If Mariners owner Mike Charlesworth believes that pre-game social media and mid-match TV interviews are the way to get fans through the gate, then no one could accuse his coach Tony Walmsley of not following the brief.
Why the Mariners signed Garcia, however, is another matter altogether. The Spaniard arrives on the back of a friendly in Homebush and the fact that ex-Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard rates him a decent bloke.
“He will bring quality first and foremost and great character,” Walmsley told Fox Sports’ sideline reporter Michael Zappone during the 3-1 defeat to Adelaide.
“We got a great reference from Stevie Gerrard and he said you wouldn’t get a better person in terms of someone to pass on his experience to young players.”
Fair enough. But if the Mariners are so hell-bent on experienced players passing on their knowledge to youngsters, it begs the question of why 35-year-old defender Eddy Bosnar and 34-year-old goalkeeper Liam Reddy were released midway through the campaign.
“The tips from within Liverpool were you couldn’t get a better man and he’s going to bring us a lot of quality on the pitch as well and a lot of spectators everywhere we go,” Walmsley added.
The latter point is debatable, although a Facebook post from the Liverpool Supporters Club of New South Wales last night revealed the Mariners have already been in contact with local Reds fans.
“They’ve confirmed that Luis will be registered in time for Saturday’s game and what’s more they’re going to create a Luis Garcia bay for all us Reds to gather in and show our support for the Sangria master himself,” part of the post in question read.
There’s no doubt Garcia was a decent player for Liverpool – he scored 18 league goals in 77 games during a three-year stint – though it’s interesting that Australians rarely note that he played for his hometown club Barcelona and had two spells at Atletico Madrid.
Nor has anyone made much of the fact that his last club, India’s Atletico de Kolkata, released Garcia because he was apparently incapable of playing for 90 minutes.
That’s not the end of the world – we need marquee players and Garcia in many respects fits the bill – but it does pose some uncomfortable questions about the direction the Mariners are headed.
Why, for example, were they so happy to see one of their star youngsters in Anthony Caceres depart for Melbourne… Sorry, Manchester City?
No doubt the $300,000 on offer helped sweeten the deal, while the potential for some additional ticket revenue also helps explain why Garcia will soon slot into a starting 11 largely stocked with kids.
Most of those kids were as erratic as ever in the weekend defeat to Adelaide – a loss which leaves the A-League cellar dwellers a massive 19 points behind current leaders Brisbane Roar.
The season is already a write-off, while the Mariners’ biggest ‘home’ gate so far saw barely 10,500 fans file through the turnstiles, the majority of whom were Wanderers supporters.
At the start of the season, Walmsley said Central Coast’s mantra was all about “entertainment, youth and community”. It’s unclear which of those tenets the Garcia signing is supposed to fall under.
And while Charlesworth and his compatriots Walmsley and Peter Storrie should be applauded for their attempts to boost the ailing club, you can’t help but get the feeling the Englishmen are simply making it up as they go along.