Jets sign Roar A-League midfielder Devante Clut

"Cannot blame Jade North as he is recognized as the League's best defender".......well I guess he's slipped down the rankings then after his last couple of games, no doubt.

No idea. Publicly Roar are negotiating with his agent but I wouldn't like to say how hard they're trying.

I personally won't call this season a success. We did not win anything. Disappointing - because we were one goal away from premiership, and 3-0 up in the semis against WSW. Granted that we had major issues at the the beginning, hence my commendation to JA and the boys for how they responded to the situation. Ask any Roar player whether they are gutted and disappointed you will get a big YES from them. These guys are professionals and they don't dwell on the issues that occurred at the beginning of the season, or use it as an excuse or justification. As you say it's a matter of perspective, so to each his/her own. :)

Have Brisbane made him an offer or is he definitely going?

All v/good and relevant points and all for John Aloisi to answer in the new season. A new Paartalu for the defence is definitely required. More urgent than LB I think

In 2010 to 2011, Brisbane Roar had 12 clean sheets. Same as Adelaide United this season, 2015-16. As for Brisbane Roar in this season, they have only got 8 clean sheets. How many goals Jamie Young has saved in this season? How to find out? Is he a good keeper? Cannot blame Jade North as he is recognized as the league's best defender. Corona is the best too. The LB, RB or the MF had a problem in this season? Seems there is a lack of a good mid-field defender in the squad. Some said Paatarlu's departure made Melbourne City's results fell. Could Clut have done a good job in mid-field defense? Can Hervas do a good mid-field defending job? For sure, he cannot. He can only play long ball. Hire a defending coach or sign a very good defending mid-fielder? Can a defending coach work well with fierce Ross? Will there be a blame game? The 2014 to 2015 season tells that there are too many middle management. Is BRFC going back to the same mistake? J Aloisi has kept saying he wants total control that he had not got in Melbourne Heart. So, can he find a good defending coach he trust? Seems signing a good mid-field defender is suitable.

Volley, it's all a matter of perspective really. If last September in the midst of the clubs crisis you were to guarantee: third place, never out if the top 4 all season, qualification for the ACL, best home record in the comp, a narrow semi final exit, the young player of the year, coach of the year nomination, a new $9m training facility, debt free and the fair play award I think you'd find most/all Roar fans would define that as a successful season coming up back then. Roll forward after the seasons end and that perspective has changed - the nature of the semi final loss, the inability to win away on the last day, the dropped points, the leaky defence, the suspect long-ball play all cast a shadow on any success. But the reality is, from where Roar started the administration that supports the players severely handicapped the team before they even kicked a ball, the squad had limitations within it that meant it was close but not quite good enough, and the rookie coach (in difficult circumstances it has to be said) over achieved on anyone's measure even getting nominated for coach of the year. So was the season a success? Undoubtedly it was, even though in Roars record books there's always going to be little asterisk * next to this year saying "what if" :)

Chopper - your understanding of the economics of the A League is, well comical. Clubs can spend no more than the cap ($2.65m) and no less than the minimum cap (90% of the cap). Players contracts run from pre-season training (starts at the end of June) until the end of finals (May) so while drafting someone in late might save a club some money the maximum saving in any one year is $265k which isn't make or break for a club owner. And lets face it, Miller and Lowe have won what in the HAL? Nothing, so maybe they're not the best people to be listening too?

Bes - spot on with your observation but why wait until season's end before trying to improve the status quo???. In football nothing stands still and for some time now I have had a sneaky feeling that JA,in his new job,having found himself with a winning team while others like WSW and Adelaide struggled at the bottom of the heap, was quite content to name almost the same 11 every week, only now and again making changes such as the Theo/Young episode, a move which at the time,beggared description. During all this time,the team kept building up points and the old adage came to mind ,"never change a winning team" but that is an adage that has long ago been put to bed,for simply put,no team is perfect and improvement should always be sought after,that is part and parcel of a coach's mandate. Did this happen during the season. I'll leave that to your thoughts and memory. Cheers jb

Hi Fuss - I likely wouldn't have signed them - but thats just me. I agree completely re principle concern being that they give 100% in our shirt and I guess that is what I am addressing. In that from what I have seen in the past, it is the local lads and those imports that we have brought in that give the most.

no problem with asking the questions JB and I agree. We have 4 quality CB's now so perhaps one of them could be moved forward into the Partarlu/Braaten role or as I suggested elsewhere, perhaps McKay will drop back into that role with Corona Hervas in front of him?

Hi Chopper - regarding your comments about not being able to beat the option of having a right sided winger on the right getting to the byline and pulling the ball back - why does it have to be the winger? I firmly believe we potentially have the best of both worlds when your wide attackers can cut inside and shoot and you have both your attacking midfielders and your wingback to bomb on to the byline and cut it back. If you only have left footed players on the left and right footed on the right, you are seriously limiting your options in attack and become much easier to defend against.

JB, I did congratulate JA and the boys in my previous post but it was disappointing that we were so close yet so far on both occasions - Premiers Plate and GF final match. The last few matches were actually poor quality from Roar. I agree - let's hope next year will be better but I cannot see next year being better if Roar does not recruit new quality players. That is my main point.

The Volley - A disappointing season????? for a team that played one game to decide fot the top spot in the league, and who reached the last four in the semi-finals ,thus gaining a spot in the Asian Cup. If that is a poor season let'ss hope they are much better next year.!!!!!!!!!!. What has been discussed here is, has the squad been used in such a way that allowed them to reach their optimum performance..The answer to that is we don't know and now we'll never know, but from some of the comments made on this site over recent weeks there are a lot of questions have been asked. Cheers jb

This off-season is going to be interesting. Stef has retired and Solo and Clut gone. JA largely inherited a squad last year and had to make do. Next season JA will not have any excuses and I'm not convinced about the playing style we saw this season. Too many long balls aimed at Maclaren. Defence was fragile all season, and the possession game disappeared towards the end of the season. Unless there is a significant injected of quality players in the correct positions I fear we'll see another disappointing season.

When talking about bringing players in especially from overseas it was interesting to here Scott Miller and Kenny Lowe's take on it. They really see the financials in it when the A League runs for seven months it does not make financial sense to sign an import until just before the start of the season and then on a season long contract. Then you are only paying the player for say eight months and on a weekly or monthly basis you can give them a bit more which initially looks a better deal for the player. Thinking back to the Roar;s acquisition of Corona and Hervas which happened nigh on the start of the season and in Corona's case he slotted right in however Hervas had no fitness or certainly no match fitness and so he has been battling all year to fit in from that very poor start. Regarding the long ball it does have its uses but in my years of football you cannot beat a right footed winger getting to the byline on the right hand side and whipping a ball in for an oncoming striker. And of course vice versa on the left. This is why left footed players are so valued, not so they can dance down the right cut in and shoot. While I accept that might be another piece of armoury in an attacking system the byline cross or pullback creates far more goal chances and certainly at the Roar resulted in Berisha and Solórzano getting plenty of tap ins. So my message to the Roar faithful is don't expect immediate signings from overseas. If Polenz is to go the club will be working feverishly to come to an agreement. If Hervas is to stay it may not be announced for a couple of months as he was on a seasons contract with an option (and the option need not be taken just yet which lets JA see what else is available). Also with locally based players there is no rush to sign anyone at the moment unless they will fill a preferred position such as left back or ball winning midfielder. What we will continue to see is players being jettisoned to reduce the wage bill. An economic imperative.

jb: I think Aloisi is well short of having fans confidence over the style of play, that's evidenced in multiple feedback forums to be honest. (And I'm one of those yet to trust him, he has less experience than Mulvey and Ange so lets see). Here's what I think will happen: 1. He'll get rid of two of solorzano, Polenz and Hervas. Scouting for three visa players is much harder than getting two which in itself is a challenge, especially with roars limited scouting network. I think JA wants to keep Hervas - he sees something fans don't which will be a potential mifsud type issue for him if he's not careful. 2. He's got the opportunity to sign 2 visa players plus two more Australian players. If he's smart he gets a good left back, a proper DM and uses the remaining two to give him options in attack. He's got to assume he'll lose MacLaren to international duty as well next season so he can't build a side around him 3. The hybrid style will work well if he has the right players and deploys the right systems.

That's a fair comment fuss and the opinion does vary - history tells us the Queensland sporting public responds better to local talent in the team. So Bes is reflecting a majority of fans views not that it excludes "foreigners" ;)

Bes - in my humble opinion Hervas is no more a defensive midfielder than is Corona. Both have shown (Hervas always in limited on field time) to have the abilty to control the ball quickly and move forward with subtle little psses into spaces,the hallmark of good play making. To use an old adage which older readers will understand,"between the 2 of them they couldn't tackle a fish supper" but that doesn't make them bad players, just not equipped to do the ball winning that is required of a defensive screening player. With De Vere,North,Bowles and Donnachie all apparently in favour during the season just closed we have never seen any attemp tto get a palyer with those attrbutes tried in the position Corona was being "asked to play" Could the pocket dynamo Hingert fill the bill,as Franjic did when he was moved forward, we'll nebver know,just as we will never know if Borella, who was a free scoring centre forward in the Roar's youth team could have become the support man that Jamie McLaren so obviously needed. it's all in the past now but do you understand why I ask these questions. Cheers jb

Waz I think we are i the same boat re. the lack of "support" McLaren has received during the season closed,we have discussed it often without any attempt being made to alter the "staus quo" Where you and I differ is that you areshrowing a lot of faith in JA's ability to sign the "needed players" where to be honest his handling of the players he had this season leaves just a lingering doubt in my mind that he even knows what players he requires. You mentiomn Hervas again in your closing comment and I for one cannot criticise the player too much for the truth is we haven't seen enough of him to pass any real comment. Everyone appears to note his bad passes but omit to see the little through balls that in recent weeks have started beautiful football moves that have resulted in goals. Even my wife who has been watching football for years has noted his strong preference for using his left foot and yet ------ you know my thoughts as time after time he is brought on to play on the right. The question remains,could he have done a "Corona job" on the left side of midfield,or is that position sacrosanct for one M Mackay. If he goes we'll never know,but may have to again take a punt on another unknown player from overseas.Pity Cheers jb