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Time for a Sydney FC clean out

6th February, 2012
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Roar Guru
6th February, 2012
24
2561 Reads

With Viteslav Lavicka gone at the end of the season, it’s time for Sydney FC to ready itself for a player clean out. While things have improved off the field for the Sky Blues, it hasn’t gone to plan on the field this season.

I wrote the other day that Lavicka leaving was the right call, and now the Sydney FC board need to make some tough decisions on the club’s playing roster.

A number of players haven’t cut it this season, or last season, and this was plainly evident at yesterday’s game. I was in attendance as Sydney FC was cut to shreds in the first half, fought back impressively in the second, and were then hit on the counter twice in the final 10 to 15 minutes.

This was against an up-and-down Newcastle Jets squad, a team that you really never know who is going to turn up (the team that beat Brisbane Roar last weekend or the team that suffered losses to the Gold Coast and Melbourne Victory. The Jets are unpredictable, but will undergo a clean out of their own in two months time, and at least on paper Sydney FC has a team that should be more than a match for the Novocastrians.

But the Sky Blues played with little heart, determination or smarts yesterday at the SFS. And funnily enough, as it always seems to happy in football, it was a host of former Sydney FC players in Newcastle colours who put their old club to the sword.

So who should Sydney FC get rid of, and who should they keep?

Obviously Nicky Carle and Brett Emerton will be retained, although Emerton’s constant absences through injury have been a concern. Terry Antonis is another certainty, as one of the most promising youngsters in Australian football.

Both goalkeepers, Reddy and Necesvksi, should stay, as both are solid and really they aren’t many other options on that front.

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In the backline there seems to be a lot of deadwood. Pascal Bosschaart has been a good signing, and should be retained if possible.

Michael Beachamp, on the other hand, hasn’t lived up to his past billing. Jamie Coyne hasn’t done much in a blue shirt, while Nathan Sherlock hasn’t had much game time. I would most probably keep Cole, Jamieson and Ryall.

In midfield, Sydney FC really need to hold their breath and let Terry McFlynn go. He has been an admirable leader for the club and a loyal servant, but his time is up. He has too often been exposed technically and for a lack of pace in midfield.

Exits should also go to Chianese and Moriyasu, and while Kisel has done well, he is most likely to return home to Prague as the end of the season. He will be missed.

Up front has been the most problematic area for the Sky Blues. Mark Bridge has had a difficult past two seasons. Where is the damaging young player who got the winner in the 2008 grand final?

Juho Makela was a disputed signing and has never really caught fire in the harbour city. Dimi Petratos has huge potential and is still learning – he should definitely be retained. Bruno Cazarine has scored goals, but just isn’t the time of player that Sydney needs to be leading the line. They really need a high-profile marquee, an overseas international, to be their star striker.

Obviously salary cap restrictions come into play, but a big name international player to lead the line would be a godsend for Sydney. A van Nistelrooy, a Del Piero, a Raul – it might be a dream, but someone of that ilk or close to it would be huge for Sydney FC and for the A-League in general.

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On the youth front, Sydney’s National Youth League team are currently fifth on the table in the 10-team competition. Considering the playing base of Australia’s biggest city, and the talent that has come out of it over the decades, this probably isn’t good enough.

The Sky Blues need to be producing great young players, and crucially, they need to hold onto them as they graduate to senior football. Matt Jurman and Kerum Bulut are two talented players who have been let go in recent years, not to mention Sydneysiders like Matt Ryan, Musti Amini and Bernie Ibini-Isei who went north to the Mariners. Sydney FC need to get their scouting and playing recruitment in order.

Sydney FC may get their season back together and make the semi-finals, but big decisions lie ahead regardless.

With a new coach on board and I believe a host of new blood to be injected into the club, there should be a very different Sky Blues outfit that takes the field for the 2012-2013 season.

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