Why the Glory need to sell Chris Ikonomidis

ha ha ha ha your ranked as a guru ,super funny staff kid does not say much about this forum hey ,how anti Australian and totally not in the interests of fans to sell great player a young Australian player and keep old has beens in the league , your vision is so immature and made up of what you hear not what you know, keep the thought to yourself and wait a little longer until you hatch out of the egg

your funny kid you know the lot and you call yourself a guru columnist ,very brave with your simple words and equations ,predicting the future with your crystal ball mommy got you when you were 4 years old , I mean seriously its a free country every one has an opinion, but what are you going to be like when you grow up glad I don't have to know you

Sell andy keogh as well

But then again all clubs in the A League would love a $2.3m transfer fee

Makes sense. It's a shame though, as great as they are, Castro, Keogh and Fornaroli are not players for the future. Ikonomidis is, and any decision should be in the best interest of his football development, which has come on leaps and bounds this season. If Perth want to build a dynasty they should focus on squad balance, or they'll quickly become the next Brisbane Roar.

I entirely agree, but then again I think if you follow Sydney you don’t care as much about possible transfer fees (within reason) because we know our owner and club has, and is willing to spend money. If I supported a less wealthy club then I would probably become more interested in how much I could extract through transfer fees in the hope it buys a decent foreigner.

I think the people that complain about the lack of goals are really complaining about the end to end action, with exciting opportunities created, close misses, or great saves. We all know a 0-0 game can be very exciting. While a game where the majority is a laboured effort all played in the middle third can be quite boring, even with a goal or 3.

Adam Le Fondre and Siem De Jong have both played well this season, but they haven't been as effective as Mierzejewski and Bobo. From my point of view, I would rather that they never left.

Buddy - I think you have covered the last 50 years in the game very quickly without getting into a discussion. Most of the "entertainers" you mention were part of the game in the early 70's before that tactical aberration manifested itself out of Italy,and suddenly a plethora of tactical maneuverings began to emanate from the minds of coaches. Today we are watching the realisation in those same minds that the quickest way to get a ball from one end of the pitch to the other is for the ball to travel accurately between players ,gifted in touch and passing ability,and more importantly ,good movement OFF the ball. Believe it or not this idea has it's origins in Russia of all places through coaches like Lobanovskyi,Zelentov,Malofeev, and Maslov, who ntroduced scientific methods into training players.(That too was in the 1970's.) Re. your "entertainment" the game will continue to evolve and "dribblers" will once again be used,but in what position ,or form, we don't yet know. Like you, I also love the Messis and Ronaldos of the game but unfortunately that type of player doesn't come cheaply, and as defences are programmed,are also becoming fewer and fewer. Cheers jb

JB - without wishing to take the story into a discussion about football as entertainment, there has to be room in the game for fast attacking skillful players like C.I. I see him playing in Holland or Belgium where there is an appreciation of that kind of football although admittedly I don’t get to see so much these days. I grew up watching Charlie Cooke and then Pat Nevin although I was an admirer of Eddie Gray, Steve Heighway, George Armstrong in the early 70’s particularly when you mixed them in with the likes of Osgood, Hudson, Charlie George, most of the Leeds side and ...well I could go on. If the game is going to grow and gain our children and grandchildren, it has to entertain. It will “wither on the vine” if it is all about hustle and bustle, high work rates and defensive tactics. I still meet plenty of people who don’t watch football due to lack of goals and we know how that argument goes. Interestingly enough, I got home from grassroots football at the weekend in time to see the last few minutes of St Kilda vs Hawthorn. Goal disallowed on review and only a few points separating. It was an incredibly exciting end to a game, full of drama and desperation but no points scored during that time which maybe unusual in AFL but it was immensely satisfying - I have no allegiance to either side (it was simply entertaining) Anyway, Here’s hoping CI stays in the A League for a while longer and continues to provide us with his particular brand of football!

I dont see the need to sell him. In fact , I think its great for the glory. Id use Castro more off the Bench or Keogh but honestly watch hat Popa does. He cycles through the team a lot (and will have to again). He dosnt rely on any one player. Bruno will simply be another cog in the machine and you will see him start off the Bench too.

Buddy - I liked your line "teasing and tormenting defenders down the flanks". This is pure 1950's thinking when world football was being entertained by the likes of Matthews,Finney,Garrincha,Hamrin,Czibor,Budai, the list of wing entertainers in football at that time is almost endless but what has to be considered is that tactically the game has moved on from those days and defensive structures,usually built around a triangle of 3 defenders has been developed to curb this type of "your entertainment", and today it is not unusual to watch a top game and never see a "jink", "step-over " and "electric burst of pace" out wide unless of course it is a "wing-back" programmed to do that sort of work in his overall game.In fact by the time the 1986 World Cup was played there were no recognised wingers in either the German or Argentinian teams, no doubt a copy from England's "Wingless Wonders" 1966 win. Getting back to young Chris,he has been overseas and played in Italy and Denmark before returning to the HAL with WSW and Glory.. The question mark that arises is that is the youngster going to have to stifle his attacking flair, that you ,and others love, in order to fit the modern tactic of fast control and accurate passing of the ball,for when Chris ,and others like him,beat a man ,then try to beat another he is in fact giving a defensive structure time to get organised.That is the game being played today in Europe and there is little doubt it will be copied by other countries. Just think about the Socceroos struggles against "lesser teams " in World Cup matches. Keep up the good work.Cheers jb.

I believe he signed a three year deal at the start of the current season? His stock must be on the rise given the sort of season he has enjoyed. He has been my favourite player to watch in the league this season, teasing and tormenting defenders down the flanks and providing some scintillating crosses as well as scoring his fair share of goals. Given the choice, I would be looking at on selling overseas after one more year at PG. I’m presuming the club will receive the same value or more next season barring serious injuries. Personally I imagine that Andy Keogh may well find himself on “the outer” next year if BF finds anything like the form we saw before his falling out at Melbourne City. He is far more clinical and even though I don’t have stats handy to back my supposition, I would estimate his conversion rate to be way higher than Keogh. He has a tendency to fluff his lines quite regularly and makes some straightforward opportunities look quite difficult. Whilst he has been a good servant to PG, by keeping BF DG and CI as their main strike force, I believe they are stepping up a gear or two and I would use Keogh off the bench or to fill in whenever necessary. I accept that may not suit and may cause dissent but my focus here is what is likely to pop out the other end with the players on the field. However, I’m biased. I said CI would be the player to watch this season, he was head and shoulders above anyone at WSW last year and he has been terrific for PG and the national side. Don’t let him go before you have to!