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With news that Harry Kewell is on the verge of signing for his former Melbourne Victory rival club Melbourne Heart, the relationship with coach John Aolisi is set to be an intriguing one.
Kewell may have been a disruptive figure in the Victory dressing room, but Harry Kewell’s friendship with John Aloisi should help him settle in at the Heart.
Teammates for the Socceroos for at least a decade, this should help both Kewell and Aloisi, who, after last season, both need as many friends as possible.
The 2012/13 football season wasn’t great for either player, or former player.
Kewell went back to England after a disappointing season at the Victory to support his wife, who was caring for her ill mother, and couldn’t find himself a club.
There were reports he even knocked on Stoke City’s door and was turned away.
He ended up getting a run out in the Middle East at Al Gharafa, but it was only a short term one as the club failed to qualify in the Emir Cup.
Meanwhile, Aloisi got his chance as a first team manager after only one year as the Heart youth team manager.
Thrown into the deep end, Aloisi was interestingly given (or chose) an equally inexperienced assistant in Hayden Foxe.
The reality is they struggled, pulling together a thin squad featuring some poor recruitment from overseas, while a couple of midseason departures didn’t help.
Aloisi’s high point was arguably the first round win in the Melbourne Derby, where he pressed the Victory high and had success playing disrupt and react football.
From there there was very little to get excited about, with the spine of the team looking weak for most of the season.
Now the pressure is on Aloisi and the club to get things right next season, especially in light of the recent reports that South Melbourne expressed an interest in buying the club.
What many are forgetting is that the club is only a couple of years old and needs at least a couple more to bed things down.
When the A-League was launched, all the clubs were given a five year window to get things right.
Clearly the FFA want the Heart to work, and the club deserve a fair chance to get their crowds and the quality of their football trending in the right direction.
With free-to-air TV on Friday night’s giving the Heart a couple of high profile games against Sydney FC and the Western Sydney Wanderers early in the season, it’s important they get competitive as quickly as possible.
I argued last season that the Heart is one of a few clubs who are prime candidates for a marquee player.
With some reports suggesting that Kewell will be signed on a minimum wage, the Heart could still entertain the idea of signing such a foreign marquee, perhaps a striker.
Certainly, Kewell as a part of the puzzle makes sense.
His friendship forged with Aloisi during the historic Australian performances in the 2006 World Cup qualifying and tournament should help him settle into the environment, provided the message is he needs to be part of the team.
One of my most memorable images of his time at the Victory was one of him sharing the white board at half time with the embattled Jim Magilton, the manager who came in midseason for the sacked Mehmet Durakovic.
It was revealing, suggesting that Kewell had far too much influence in what was going on in terms of the team’s tactics.
The same messages were emitting from the Sydney FC dressing room when Ian Crook was struggling early last season.
If they get a sniff that the manager might be struggling, big, experienced marquee players will be tempted to react by demanding more input.
It’s human nature, but it can become disruptive if not managed well.
What Aloisi has to do in managing Kewell is ensure the line between player and friend is clear and that he remains the boss, and Kewell knows it.
If they can get that balance right, then Kewell is still likely to offer something on the pitch, perhaps playing in a creative role behind the main striker.
But he can’t be the be-all and end-all.
The Heart had many technical holes last season, and it will be the overall recruitment and set-up of the team that defines their season.
Kewell should just be a part of the picture. If he turns out to be the entire picture, then the Heart and Aloisi are in for another tough season.
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