It is make or break for Branko Culina. Well it isn’t, but it definitely should be. The Newcastle Jets’ manager has been given a lengthy contract by Nathan Tinkler and should be around for a while.
Yet it is time for the man in charge to finally prove his credentials in a career that has been so far unfulfilled.
Branko arrived in Newcastle and immediately set about getting the team playing attractive football. It was great to watch and it was an exciting time.
Last season we saw a resolute Jets team who boasted the best defence in the A-League until an injury-related collapse of fortunes.
The two mixed together could have the Jets performing at the top of their game, despite pundits already writing off their finals chances.
But Branko and the Jets’ season rests on the crucial factor of pre-season training. It seems he wants to get his players as fit and tactically sound as possible during the long off-season break.
Fair enough. But he started those plans back on April 12.
That means that the side has been training for a full month longer than any other A-League club.
On June 1, after the announcement of the A-League 2011-12 fixtures, Branko boasted that the team was fitter than they were halfway through last season.
Is that a good thing?
I am not so sure, and it is on this point that Branko’s season will hinge. The majority of the Jets’ playing staff have never played in Europe and have therefore never gone through such a strenuous off-season training program.
The focus on pre-season training could blow up in Branko’s face and cause exhaustion and injuries within the squad midway through the season.
On the other hand it could provide the Jets with such superior fitness and tactical sensibilities that they squash all before them.
We can only wait and see.
Pre-season matches bode well, with wins over Melbourne Heart, Sydney FC and local league teams.
As a fan I want Branko to succeed and hopefully this ploy of his will prove to be a stroke of genius.
The team is strong, with two classy central defenders, wing-backs who can get up the field, a mix of creativity and grit in the midfield, and players in Griffiths and Jesic, who at the top of their game, can prove to be influential forwards.
The loss of Jason is a huge blow and another article all together, especially with rumours surrounding his knee’s condition prior to signing a three-year deal.
I am hoping we will be the fittest team in the league, our players will stand up to the rigors of a 27-game season and we will make the finals.
But that is why it is make or break for Branko.
jamesb
Guest
thats great news
MelbCro
Guest
Lustica is getting regular game time at hajduk. he is a starting 11 player
Football United
Guest
agree about the 'lack of balls'. specificity would be one of the more important training principles and it's more beneficial to train in match conditions. maybe Branko feels he has the extra time in this long pre-season to focus on some areas more individually.
TomC
Guest
Chris Payne's signed for them, hasn't he? That's potentially a big inclusion.
jamesb
Guest
Midfielder i agree, I think the likes of Culina, Grella and Bresciano there days are numbered in the socceroos set up. Right now you have guys like Kilkenny, Jedinak, Valeri that are in the side right now. There not brilliant, but it will do for now. Possibility of Rhys Williams to play in that holding midfield position. Theres also young Steven Lustica from Hajduk Split. Once he gets regular game time, he'd be worth considering, as long as he chooses to play for Australia, As for Jason, bad luck, hopefully make it on the park for season 12/13
Midfielder
Guest
I think his Socceroo days are behind him...
Griffo
Roar Guru
Yeah that is bad news. Plenty of time now to get it right and rested for Season 8. Longer term wonder what that would do for his Socceroo prospects?
punter
Guest
How sad!!!! Such a shame, would have been great seeing 3 top line socceroos in action this year in the A-League.
TomC
Guest
Today's news is that Jason Culina has been ruled out for the season, which puts a big spanner in the works for the Jets.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Haha, thought similar. Sounds like you are braver than I am. Have to schedule work a bit better if I am going to stream training sessions on the Jets tv channel :-) Jets have ramped up their communications to the community since the take-over...all good for us.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Yes from memory Tinkler's idea behind such a long tenure was to bring stability to the club to allow development of a long term plan and philosophy at the club without knee-jerk reactions to a bad season. I just hope the Jets one day do have an actual, real academy. Imagine driving around the corners of Griffiths and Turton Roads and seeing the big neon Jets (and Knights) sign, academy fields and buildings etc. Producing our own from all the local talent kicking around the place in the one environment, seeing and breathing the same air on the same field as the senior team will really embed the culture and ambition into our youth.
Michael
Guest
Gooed summary except for the las line I reckon. They definitely need more strikers.
Michael
Guest
Interesting info you have on the Jets Griffo. I'd be interested on other stuff, I'll soon have to write a blog every week on the Jets and as I have no real knowledge about what happens at the club except what I read in the paper, I could be looking for other angles!
Michael
Guest
That last question is a good one. In the context of the A-League, I am inclined to think that a longer tenure, with a half-decent coach, a benevolent benefactor who has a view to the long-term is a good thing. Three years? Five years? Who would you replace him with? It's not like Europe where you might easily find another coach/manager to play a similar philosophy. Frank Rijkaard might want to join the Jets. There *seems* to be a real plan at the Jets to develop a particular style and philosophy based on the 4-3-3 system, which Branko said the players would learn through their 12-13 year olds in a Jets academy, the youth league and the first team. That means that young, local players coming through will know the system and be able to understand their place in it at an earlier stage. It is also quite a dynamic formation that can be changed to suit an attacking or a defensive position. It is also (I think) a formation that encourages a passing game rather than a counterattacking or long ball style. I could be corrected on that because my football knowledge is not so deep.
Kasey
Guest
Burnout was a major reason offered forward by the English press afte the Poms failed at WC2010. the Barclay's Premier League is one of the few big leagues in Europethat doesn't break for Winter, coupled with the historical importance placed on the cup comps mean that the top players play mre games in England than in say Germany. I struggle to see 27 games as overly taxing though. Even if the weather is warmer. TC Yasi caused some fixture congestion last year, but the absence of snow means the clogging up of the fixture list like in the UK rarely happens here. The other codes have us used to one game/weekend as 'normal' but footballers should be able to play midweek, with little disruption to their fitness and health you would think. Squad size limits go against full squad rotation. The ability to dress 15 players per game would help with fatigue IMO, but this was voted down on the basis of cost at the most recent owners meeting IIRC.
Michael
Guest
Thanks for that info, it was interesting.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Training with the ball also includes running off the ball. If you conduct your fitness training around game situations, not only do the on the ball skills improve but so does the movement and system of the players without the ball, and they also do a lot of games based running.
gawa
Guest
It would appear that is the case, also the longer pre season if coached effectively and efficiently should lead to a real improvement on team formations and the variables on these formations. In other parts of the world the length of the season is often used as an excuse for player burn out and limited time to adapt and modify gameplans.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Branko has been posting regularly to the Jets website (as has CEO Robbie Middleby) on his thoughts on the teams progress, the latest: http://www.newcastlejets.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=41016 - just mentions some more work on structure but all according to plan ;-) How much of a difference Jason Culina makes if he returns for the remainder of the season will be interesting but I don't think the whole team hinges on him playing and I think the whole squad has a bit more depth and will gain confidence by relying on each other for the seaon, Jason included. Disappointing overall if Jets don't make the top-6.
John Davidson
Roar Guru
So far the Jets are undefeated in the pre-season, winning nine games and drawing one game. They have beaten both Sydney FC and Melbourne Heart, with a draw against South Coast, although most of their matches have been against NBN State League teams. Still this is a good record. The issue still remains up front, with the lack of a recognised goal-scorer. They have a lot of youngish but largely unproven forwards in terms of big goal hauls. Also with Jason Culina's injury, the Jets really need a foreign marquee. They are very solid in midfield with Kantarovski, Wehrman and Zadkovich, among others. Milicevic's replacement, the Brazilian Tiago, is supposed to be good. Branko has blooded some youngsters like Virgili and Simic, so hopefully the depth of the squad is growing. I think they will compete for a play off spot, but it really depends on when Culina gets back on the park. If hes out for the season, there goes the Jets's season.