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Paid big bucks, marquee players in the A-League usually arrive with much fanfare and expectations to gain results and increase the profile of their respective clubs.
Yet, after seven rounds of the new season, it is clear some of the competition’s new signings are failing to achieve their objectives.
Few places has this been more evident than in Melbourne, where both Heart and the Victory have struggled to yield results from their high profile off-season signings.
In the case of the Heart, the recruitment of former Dutch international Orlando Engelaar hit misfortune quickly.
In his preseason debut for the club, the 34-year-old suffered a fractured leg, and it is believed the midfielder will miss the entire A-League season.
Meanwhile, across town, the Victory took a gamble and made the unusual step of signing a defender – Chilean Pablo Contreras – as their marquee.
In the seven weeks since making his regular season debut, the ex-PAOK FC stalwart has missed two games due to suspension and given away two clumsy penalties, the first of which cost his side three points against a Sydney FC side reduced to 10 men.
It is not exactly what the Victory bigwigs paying his cheques would be expecting of their key signing.
And it is not just in Victoria where major imports are struggling to make an impact this season.
After a promising debut year at Newcastle Jets – in which he scored nine goals from 23 appearances – former English Premier League star Emile Heskey has found the going tough the second time around.
Missing the first four matches of the season through injury, Heskey has largely been confined to bit-part roles off the bench since making his return against Adelaide three weeks ago.
As young striker Adam Taggart hits form, with consecutive braces in recent weeks, the Jets may well have found the new target man to replace Heskey.
Indeed, it is A-League clubs themselves who have much to answer for with regard to their choices of marquee signings.
While Thomas Broich (Brisbane), Alessandro del Piero (Sydney) and Shinji Ono (Western Sydney) are undoubtedly success stories, the fact no current marquee player is under the age of 30 may have much to do with the hard-luck stories being played out this season.
The selection of footballers in the twilight of their careers comes with risks, especially in terms of their bodies and how they will manage to keep up with the pace of the game.
The competition’s most recent marquee signing, William Gallas at Perth Glory, is just another example of how things can quickly go wrong.
In only his second appearance for the club, the 36-year-old Frenchman was forced from the field with a calf injury in the 32nd minute of Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Central Coast Mariners.
Although his coach expects him to be sidelined for just a week, hobbling from the pitch half-an-hour into your first start for the club is not a good look.
Yes, these players are likely being brought in to attract crowds rather than results. But people will not be flocking to the terraces to see a footballer with his feet up in the stands.
In fact, even with Gallas starting for the Glory on the weekend, a mere 8,923 turned out for the occasion. In this instance, it is the Perth bigwigs who are probably questioning their investment.
With so many clubs heading for ‘misses’ instead of ‘hits’ with their key imports this season, one must ponder when sides will look to change their recruiting methods in an effort to produce results.
Is it really worth splashing cash on a has-been player, when the money could be better spent on a younger footballer with talent?
Would it not be a wiser investment to bring in a player who will gel with the team, produce results, and get the turnstiles ticking over with fans wanting to see quality football?
As long as clubs gamble on gimmickry and fast results with their over-the-hill marquee signings, they only have themselves to blame if things go haywire very quickly.
Sure, one or two big crowds might come through the gates to see a big name, but the potentially detrimental effect on the team in the long run certainly makes it an unworthy and far-too-risky exercise.
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