Give him a break! Why Marc Janko is worth more than he seems

“Marc Who?”

Really, Fox? You guys as well? That’s a bit ridiculous.

Having been announced as Sydney’s marquee for the 2014/15 A-League season, Austrian captain, Marc Janko has been in for criticism from Sydney FC and rival fans alike.

Some have suggested that he is an unfit replacement for the retiring Alessandro Del Piero, pointing to his poor goal-scoring record for Trabzonspor in Turkey’s Süper Lig over the past two seasons – just two goals in 23 appearances.

While this stat in itself may not node particularly well for the future of the Sky Blues, particularly at a stage in the club’s history where anything less than improvement will be a disaster, there are several positives to take away from Graham Arnold’s capture of the 1.96 m target man.

Firstly, the signing itself seems to suggest that Arnold has been given the backing of Sydney FC’s board of directors to move away from the ‘Bling FC’ tag, particularly when former Ballon D’or winner, Ronaldinho, had just become available on a free.

Sure, a lumbering Austrian centre forward isn’t going to have the marketability of a Ronaldinho or a Del Piero, or even a David Villa. Chances are, he won’t get bums on seats either, but I am of the opinion that a team that wins every other week will attract more fans than simply bringing in a former superstar like Del Piero. This is despite Del Piero performing incredibly well and hardly put a foot wrong in his two seasons

Another point, made especially for those complaining about him not being worthy of his ‘marquee’ status, Janko is still a highly experienced international for Austria, with a credible 17 goals in 41 caps. Of the recent foreign stars of the league, few supersede Janko in terms of international experience. Those who do include Melbourne City’s Damien Duff (100 caps) and David Villa (97 caps), former Wanderers man Shinji Ono (56 caps) and of course Alessandro Del Piero (91 caps).

Moreover, the fact that Janko has chosen to come to the A-League, in the midst of his national side’s qualifying program for the European Championships in 2016, indicates that he’s not here for a holiday. That is normally the chilling reality of marquee status in Australia.

He will be well aware that Austria have a huge chance of qualifying for the Euros, given the competition has been increased to accommodate 24 teams rather than 16. As such, he will be raring to prove his ability and fitness in what has been an injury-plagued career.

When compared to another foreign star, the Austrian’s pedigree far exceeds that of Melbourne Victory’s Besart Berisha’s, for example, who’s most productive season prior to his arrival at Brisbane Roar was the 2005-6 season where he scored 11 goals in 32 league appearances for Danish outfit, AC Horsens.

Prior to his move to the Wanderers, Shinji Ono had returned to the J-League following an injury-plagued spell in Germany. This followed a highly promising start to his career with Feyenoord. He, like Berisha, was not a current international at the time of his signing. Thomas Broich was trying to piece together his reputation having been tipped as a future German international in his early twenties

Janko, meanwhile, has exceeded that number in three separate seasons, the best of the lot being his incredible 2008-9 season, racking up a staggering 39 goals in 34 appearances, almost single-handedly winning Red Bull Salzburg’s fifth Austrian Bundesliga title.

Of course, numbers mean nothing at the end of the day. If Janko turns out to be a flop, I will gladly retract my argument. The sole point is that there are numerous benefits that come with his signature, most of them on-field.

However, in order to be a success, Janko must attempt to reach the levels of domestic stardom attained by Berisha, Broich and others, those who went from virtual unknowns to the heroes of thousands. Of course, this status is attained through performances, and not by trading on past glories.

Marc Janko has big shoes to fill, with an expectant Sydney crowd searching for a new hero, while a doubtful fan-base in his home country watches on, wondering where the hell their captain has gone.