The new A-League season will commence in 12 days’ time, with the new boys on the block – Western United – making their first appearance in the competition a few days later against the Wellington Phoenix.
When the new expansion clubs were announced in December 2018 by Football Federation Australia, I was perplexed that Western Melbourne Group (now WUFC) and Macarthur South West Sydney (now Macarthur FC) won the bids, considering there were strong opportunities to expand into Canberra and Wollongong. Nine months later, it has been full steam ahead at Western United with a flurry of signings and stadium developments along the way.
Most notable has been the signing of Mark Rudan, who got the Nix playing some of the best football seen from the Kiwi team for a number of years.
With his experience at Wellington and at NSW NPL outfit Sydney United, Rudan has evolved into one of the best Australian coaches. As the inaugural Western United coach, Rudan has managed to bring in an impressive group of players to a club that is starting from scratch with the likes of former Italian international and Serie A verteran Alessandro Diamanti, Greek international Panagiotis Kone and Kiwi international Andrew Durante, who was lured back to Australia after 11 years playing in New Zealand.
If you look through the complete roster of Western United signings, there is a mixture of A-League experience and youth from local state football competitions. You get the impression that Western United want to make a mark on the league, and they have done so by managing to pull off the ultimate signing: Besart Berisha.
After being released by Japanese club Sanfrecce Hiroshima, there was talk that both Melbourne teams were battling it out to sign the veteran striker. In the end, it was Western United that won his signature. This already signals the club’s intent to match it up with the big boys.
(AAP Image/Joe Castro)
The A-League’s top goal-scorer of 116 in 186 games seems to be the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle for Rudan and Western United, with a strong defence showcasing Ersan Gulum, Brendan Hamill and Ivan Vujica, who will partner up with Durante and Filip Kurto in goals.
In midfield, there will be an opportunity to let loose Rudan’s European talents, who will provide support to Berisha, Connor Pain and Scott McDonald. The coach and the team behind the scenes at Western United have done well with their signings that will go head to head with strong establishment clubs like Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory.
All of this will make for an interesting season with new head coaches at several clubs. Gertjan Verbeek, who has taken over the reins at Adelaide United, has managed the likes of Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar. English legend Robbie Fowler has returned to the A-League at Brisbane. Alen Stajcic has the task of trying to rebuild the Central Coast Mariners. Erick Mombaerts will bring his experience with French youth teams to Melbourne City. Marco Kruz will attempt to put his mark on the Melbourne Victory. Ufuk Talay will try and continue the success Rudan had at Wellington.
Different tactics, different styles of play, different philosophies. The way football should be!
All of this should lead to one of the more exciting A-League seasons in the last few years. Once Macarthur come into the fold next season, it will make the league more enticing to watch again. The added spice of having three Melbourne and Sydney derbies will surely bring more attention to the sport by those who follow other codes such as rugby league and AFL.
More importantly, I’m looking forward to seeing how this Western United outfit will perform week in, week out with Rudan at the helm.
Will the team click instantly? Will they struggle? Can Rudan get the best out of his players?
Looking at the current team on paper, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them in a play-off spot towards the end of the season. It happened when Western Sydney Wanderers arrived in the competition. I don’t see why it can’t happen for Western United.
Western United will steadily build upon its fan base over time, especially once they have moved into their purpose-built stadium – the envy of any football team in Australia.
I can’t wait until we see the A-League back on our screens with a promising season ahead.
Rolly
Guest
everyone refers to this team already as western melbourne. Melborunes third team
Admiral Ackbar
Guest
I'm not sure this will work. What formation is Rudes planning to use, ie is he going with 3-2-1-2 again? I'm not sure Berisha can play well with other strikers. And how is he going to use both Diamanti and Kone in the same team?
Admiral Ackbar
Guest
400,000 is more than Central Coast, and Geelong's got all those Croatian expats, you'd expect there to be at least some football culture there.
Sydneysideliner
Roar Rookie
What we know about the stadium: it's on Council-owned land and part of the Council-driven Sayers Road release area, which has government approval. That means there's more certainty about the area actually being developed and serviced, and not just remain a paddock. The stadium itself will have a separate application process and a lot of private discussion will be about servicing of the stadium, although being part of this release area allows them to piggyback on a lot of infrastructure being proposed. And the club has Council support, so everyone wants the stadium to happen, but the question is just how quickly the overall Sayers Road area can be rolled out, and if the stadium gets built ahead of that, how much of the servicing bill the club should be paying in advance...
Redondo
Roar Rookie
I agree - a risk but a good one
Michael Becvarovski
Roar Rookie
I agree with their “Western” branding too. I also think if the club take the AFL approach where some teams play in Canberra and Hawthorn who play some of their matches in Tasmania, the brand will hopefully grow and gather a steady following. The fact that WUFC should have their own football purpose stadium within a few years should also be a major draw card for potential followers.
Michael Becvarovski
Roar Rookie
All good points! Only time will tell how everything plays out.
Waz
Roar Rookie
My concern is not about “an unproven coach”, you’ve misunderstood that. My concern is over the year he did have to prove himself and he didn’t do very well finishing a miserable 6th and failing to get anywhere near what Ernie achieved. My second concern is that he was lauded by sections of the media, with some sections even suggesting he was coach of the year, and not subject to adequate critique. So what have WU hired? If they’d hired say Warren Moon I’d have different concerns, the same concerns I would have had with Ernie Mericks first year in coaching were I alive in 1884!! I think Rudan is a fraud. I hope I’m wrong for WU’s (and the leagues sake) but that’s my concern.
RF
Roar Rookie
I may be alone here, but I think the club has been smart with their “Western” branding. My understanding is that Geelong will only be 30 minutes from the stadium, which is considerably less than many, if not most, fans travel to see Brisbane Roar or Sydney FC, for example. I see no reason that the club can’t hold onto Geelong based supporters. They are carefully NOT positioning themselves as a Melbourne team. They represent the West. I certainly wouldn’t write the concept off so early. This is a highly unusual and bold enterprise. This is a football club being built for the future rather than the present. It is inevitably, in many ways, a gamble, albeit a calculated gamble, but population growth is on their side, and if I was a betting man (which I’m not – I detest the hold on sport that the gambling industry has), then I would wager that ten years from now Western United will be a success story.
Fadida
Roar Rookie
Your comment was a concern over an unproven coach, but in discussions around Roars unproven coacb this didn’t concern you. Both are worth discussion, though Rudan is more “proven ” than Fowler, and easily outmanouvered the more experienced Merrick, for instance. Let’s leave it at that. We both agree only time will tell! I’m really hoping Roar tear it up and get back to the 20k Crowds. It’d be great for the league. I share the concerns re WU, simply because they have failed to gain any traction as far as I can see. Playing in afl stadiums, away from their geographical centre, could go wrong very quickly unless results lure in the non committed. Let’s hope not. I’m actually concerned the squad is too old If it’s frustrating reading all the Sydneycentric articles then imagine what it’s like being from Newcastle!
Waz
Roar Rookie
Happy for people to hang em if they don’t deliver the stadium but let’s wait until they don’t is my point. So far they’re on track.
Franko
Guest
Like others around here, I hope they succeed if for nothing else but the good of the game. But with every failed promise they begin to resemble Sticca's old mob,Carlton SC more and more. If you don't recall that debacle,you may want to read up.
Waz
Roar Rookie
I’m just commenting on the stadium development
Waz
Roar Rookie
There are concerns about Fowler in his first year, but that’s not what this article or subsequent comments are about. (And I’ve no doubt we’ll be subjected to another five SFC articles and none on the Roar before the weekend is here so doubt we’ll get chance to discuss Fowler). But Rudan has had one full year in the HAL and finished a disappointing 6th and yet a NSW’s-centric media lauded him without question. If they’re right there’s no problem; but if they’re wrong WU are in a spot of bother - that’s worth discussion surely?
Franko
Guest
"Club officials have stressed that they want Western Melbourne to have a distinctive Australian flavour" Look at their list, what is distinctive? Scott Brown???? Oh wait...
Fadida
Roar Rookie
So there are concerns based on Rudan' s first year; where he got the Nix from 9th to 6th, but less concerns about someone who's never been a senior coach? Apples and apples I agree it's a huge first year for WU though, simply because they are itinerant and a first year club. A dangerous combination
Waz
Roar Rookie
An endless list of people on social media who are seemingly afronted they haven’t been given daily progress reports on the new stadium. And you look as bad when you say “hopefully we get some good news on the stadium because so far we’ve just had guff from Lou Sticca“ ... what right do you have to expect more than the publicly available information (which says the stadium will be delivered as planned on time) and so take to the internet to spread your own guff? How about waiting until they don’t deliver a stadium before moaning about it .. if the stadium is delivered on time people can’t go back and delete years of needlessly and factually incorrect negative posts. End of rant.
Franko
Guest
Who's complaining?
Waz
Roar Rookie
Agree. The same would have applied to Rudan as well - he had an average first year and could have been judged properly on his second - a coach with limited budget and squad size can’t easily be judged in a first season but the tweaks they make in the second will reveal how good a coach they are. Rudan basically pressed the reset button in joining WU and will have excuses as long as his arm if it doesn’t work out ... and next season will be a disaster for WU if they find out then Rudans not actually a very good coach at this level.
Waz
Roar Rookie
The concern with Rudan is based on his first full year as an A League coach, it would be unfair to judge Fowler on the same basis seeing as he hasn’t had his first year yet? Rudan took a side that finished 9th and landed in 6th place, two places below what Ernie delivered a couple of years before. Just like John Aloisi before him he’s benefitting from a favourable media who seem incapable of critical analysis. Hence my thoughts. Bringing Fowler in to this conversation is akin to introducing apples in to a conversation about Oranges. A like for like, better comparison for Fowler would be Kevin Muscat who has about as much coaching experience as Fowler when he took over at Victory.