Upon discovering the news Besart Berisha had signed a two-year deal with Melbourne Victory, I was shocked.
I thought he would do one of three things – sign with Sydney, as had been widely predicted, go to a larger club in Europe or Japan, or stay on with the Roar.
I certainly hadn’t expected him to sign with the boys in navy blue and white.
The Victory have been able to afford Berisha by using him as their international marquee player, a spot currently vacated by Chilean defender Pablo Contreras.
Contreras has largely been a flop for the Victory, being somewhat of a sponge for yellow cards and suspensions, as well as not being the quality defender he was made out to be when he was signed.
The international marquee spot allotted to each club is not for 35 year-old defenders; it is custom-made for players like Berisha.
Whether you love him or hate him, you pay money to watch him. He generates opinion on and off the pitch.
I congratulate Victory on their new signing. They targeted him and they got him.
Berisha is exactly the player they need, and he will thrive on the large amount of pressure that comes with being the star player at Australia’s largest club.
However, where does this leave my beloved Brisbane Roar?
I could still see us winning the championship without Berisha. The consecutive thrashings dished out to Victory and Sydney proved we can score plenty of goals and function well as a team without him.
However, I could not see us winning the championship without Thomas Broich.
I can guarantee Berisha would not have scored half of his goals at the Roar without Broich’s assistance. Their current partnership is arguably the most lethal in the A-League.
It was no coincidence that, after going 36 games unbeaten, the Roar crumbled to a five-match losing streak upon Broich’s sustained absence in 2011/12.
If it was Broich heading to Victory, I would have my head in my hands, sobbing uncontrollably for nights on end.
But instead, I feel only a twinge of sadness that one of the Roar’s greatest ever servicemen is departing.
While Berisha is the sort of player that cannot truly be ‘replaced’, Mike Mulvey will know what he needs to do to fill the huge void left by Berisha’s departure.
It appears the Roar will soon re-sign Jean Carlos Solórzano, the A-League’s second-highest goalscorer in 2010/11 and, if rumours are to be believed, Shane Smeltz is heading to his adopted home of Queensland.
Neither of these players can possibly replicate what Berisha has done for the Roar, but as long as Thomas Broich is by their side, there’s no limit to what they can achieve.
At the end of the day, I’m glad it’s ‘Mozart’ that’s staying until 2017.
ed
Guest
I agree Broich is maestro but he needs finisher and that's Bes....Brisbane will never be the same without Bes
Towser
Guest
As a Roar fan I keep my ear to the ground on all things Roar,but I've never heard of Broich being paid by anybody but the club. On Broich for me he's got better this year as he matures like a good wine. We got lucky when recruiting both Bes & Broich,but of the two Broich adds more to the team overall.
Ian
Guest
I've never heard of the FFA covering marquee players wages. Can a link to this be provided? In 2011 when we won Brisbane didn't even have a marquee player, so why wouldn't a club put a player into this category to save themself the expense.
Da`
Roar Rookie
** Firstly amazing article, and completely agree with you about Broich. There is no-one in the A-league who dominates the midfield and sets up so many classy set-ups and assists as Broich. A while back the Roar under AP had both BB and TB coming out of contract and salary cap and money issues. They had to choose which they would sign longer term and make international marquee and they chose Thomas Broich. They made the right choice. Besart Berisha is a wonderful striker and a joy to behold, except when he gets exceptionally cranky (or passionate depending on how you want to express it) and will serve MV well, though I think possibly not quite as well as at BR (where he had youth and Broich's service on his side). 1 small question - My understanding is that the FFA covered the salary cap, ie. the rest of the squad, specifically the non-marquee players and that the clubs covered the marquee players. Otherwise, clubs would stick the FFA with the bill for (let's be ridiculous) Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo. It's the clubs that gain the primary benefit from marquees.
redbur95
Roar Rookie
Under the marquee system, the FFA pays the wages of each club's international, Australian and youth marquee players. That's how Sydney F.C. can pay Del Piero $2mil a season - the money isn't coming out of their accounts. The FFA pays the marquees' wages because Del Piero and Broich help to bring in extra crowds and increase the A-League's publicity.
Passionate_Aussie
Roar Rookie
Really? I too haven't heard this.
Ballymore
Guest
"FFA are paying his wages" What? Really, discuss? Never heard of this before?
redbur95
Roar Rookie
He could be on anything, given that the FFA are paying his wages, not the Roar. I'd hazard a guess at $600k+.
Ballymore
Guest
What is Broich on?
redbur95
Roar Rookie
Yeah, Broich is signed until the end of the 2016/17 season. Berisha is currently on $400 000 a season, which is at least half of what he is worth. I can hardly blame him for leaving, as he deserves the price tag that only a marquee spot can allow for.
Ian
Guest
Correct about the service. Bes has scored some great individual goals, like the one against Wanderers this year, beat a physical challenge then nutmegged NTS, got a rebound. Brilliant. that losing stretch is interersting, bes didn't score for weeks there. Though Broich would have been a large part of the reason for the losing streak I also thought it was underplayed that Henrique and Nichols had injuries at the exact same time for 2-4 weeks from memory. That didn't help reducing those attacking options (Nichols was playing well at that time before Ange left). I remember that game when Broich returned from injury - midway through the 2nd half. he and Henrique came on at the same time from memory. That was one almighty cheer for a subsitution.
Ian
Guest
Glad you wrote this redbur95, expressed some of your thoughts myself. However I had written I would be crying into my vitabrits every morning if it was Broich going. Broich for me is the heartbeat of the Roar, I'd be devastated if he left Roar before his time was up - hoping he stays until 2017, I think that will make him 35. Berisha has been a focal point of Brisbane I couldn't imagine him in other colours but we can survive without him. I don't blame him either. Todays Courier Fail reports $1.5 million over 2 years. That has to be the highest wage in the A-League. No way i thought he was being offered 750K a year, if that's cash and other benefits. No wonder Mulvey said it was such a massive offer worthy of marquee status. Roar simply can't match that under the salary cap for one player. Back to the article - if there had to be only one - it has to be Thomas Broich.
MJC
Guest
Well said, and reflects my sentiments exactly. If Broich had moved the consequences would have dire, and if Smeltz comes next year I can see Brisbane losing nothing at all in the goal scoring stakes!
clayts
Guest
110% agree. Anyone who has watched Brisbane over the last few years would have to agree. Broich is the architect of so many of Berisha's goals. It'll be interesting to see how he goes without Broich serving it up to him. Don;t get me wrong, there have been some pretty good individual goals scored by Bes but nowhere near as many as have been set up by the German maestro. If memory serves me correctly, during that 5 game losing stretch where Broich didn't play, Bes didn't score.
Steven Saltmarsh
Roar Rookie
We will find out next season who the real heartbeat of Brisbane's recent success was. For me, the tempo was set at the start by Paartalu and Matt Smith, and neither of the aforementioned. Having said that, it's a common occurrence that strikers claim more fame than midfielders, favouring Berisha over Broich. 2014-2015 is setting up to be a great season, regardless.