A-LEAGUE launch: "New Football"

[Rob]

How the fark is it going to work if they send players to Heart on short term loans? How do you work out how much is included in the salary cap? "Sure, we'll pay you a million a year, but $950k of that will come either before, or after, your stint at our arse end team"

[yob]

Guest player salary is not included under the TPP.

There are however squad size and visa player limits so it's not a blank cheque.

[Simmo79]

Heart re-branded officially. City in, Heart out. New jersey is white with blue sash/stripe (not sure what the pattern is properly called). Red and white stripes become the away kit, so there'll be some reminder that Heart was once a club.
http://www.news.com.au/sport/football/m ... 6944154908

And get David Villa for a 10 match stint. 10 goals in 10 games I reckon.
http://www.news.com.au/sport/spanish-su ... 6944182452

Now to make sure they never get sub-10k crowds again

Thoughts? All pretty positive in toto, but don't look forward to facing them next season

[Simmo79]

Guest player salary is not included under the TPP.

There are however squad size and visa player limits so it's not a blank cheque.

The flipside is that guest stints can be quite disruptive to a team. In SFC's case they've been hit and miss so we haven't had one in a while.

[gyfox]

Heart re-branded officially. City in, Heart out. New jersey is white with blue sash/stripe (not sure what the pattern is properly called). Red and white stripes become the away kit, so there'll be some reminder that Heart was once a club.
http://www.news.com.au/sport/football/m ... 6944154908

And get David Villa for a 10 match stint. 10 goals in 10 games I reckon.
http://www.news.com.au/sport/spanish-su ... 6944182452

Now to make sure they never get sub-10k crowds again

Thoughts? All pretty positive in toto, but don't look forward to facing them next season

Kit decision is a good compromise. I think the home shirt with its single light blue vertical stripe on the left side of the chest with 1 dark blue thin piping beside it is quite classy. The crest is OK. Light blue ring with City of Melbourne red double cross in the centre and a small heart either side in the light blue ring ties the new club in with its short past.

Getting Villa is a bonus. If as has been hinted they get Damien Duff as marquee and Mark Bresciano as Australian marquee they could be quite a handful. I noticed Engelaar hasn't signed anywhere else yet so if they retained him under the cap they could challenge for a trophy.

[yob]

Guest player salary is not included under the TPP.

There are however squad size and visa player limits so it's not a blank cheque.

The flipside is that guest stints can be quite disruptive to a team. In SFC's case they've been hit and miss so we haven't had one in a while.

It comes down to role. You can only hot-swap a player if either they play a certain style which is compatible with the team, or can adapt quickly. Ultimately guest stints don't work well for us because the bias is toward strikers, and the caliber of striker can't adapt to shithouse delivery, slow movement and slow decision making. All of which are the a-league's specialty. Compound the problem with the small number of games to get up (down) to speed with us.

IMO we're better served chasing after creative central midfielders, of which there's about 1,000 in Brazil willing to play for standard wage.

Don't get me wrong though, David Villa, FMD. And it's a guest run so won't go toward TPP. Who the hell will be the actual marquee

[yob]

btw can't half tell the club's a money laundering operation

[yob]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/f ... 6945068716

News LTD is throwing Cahill's name around.

However Tim has already said on foxsports lat year that he's not going to create false hope - for as long as there is interest from the EPL, that's where his ambitions lay.

[gyfox]

Why wouldn't he just go straight back to Red Bulls after the World Cup?

[yob]

Why wouldn't he just go straight back to Red Bulls after the World Cup?

He would. MLS season runs to the end of August, then it's either find a competition to play in over American winter, or

[Egan]

David Villa will be a top player for the A-League. Watch for him to be played in cities that have Etihad Airways routes...

[Simmo79]

...That's a welcome return to form

[dibo]

Expected nothing less.

[yob]

City have signed Damien Duff - under* the salary cap.

Still have room for an outright marquee signing. Considering the caliber of player the smurfs got for 2 million (del piero), and knowing City's money allergy, could we see a younger marquee closer to their prime?

From memory the only marquee we've seen in that mold was ShenQing Qu.





*under, around, through, put any word there and I still don't believe them...

[yob]

So the FFA has taken the bait and scheduled Adelaide United v Melbourne Figtree at the Adelaide Oval in round 2.

Biggest rival, the club's preferred Friday night slot, first home game, World Cup momentum, not AFL season, the Adelaide public's love affair with the new stadium...

Get ready for a record to be absolutely smashed.