Yeah, sorry I was gonna go but I have been booked to collect a Hens party from Baulkham Hills
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Why canāt Rhyno pick him up in the Toyota Corona?
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Reckon I can just plonk him on the metro? I have a spare Tamagotchi I could lend him to keep him occupied for the trip.
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Bring back the mX newspaper.
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Im happy to pick him up but would need to split fuel costsā¦
RIP, the club has been folded, etc.
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I think the club chose you because you can both speak Portuguese and know how to get him to the closest Brazilian churrasqueria to the airport, that one on Botany Rd.
Hundred percent agree. If we were playing two up front again, maybe.
Sega, JK and Burgess are all best on the wing. We need depth between Lolley and Costa, but not that much, especially when Caceres can do the job there too and thereās youngsters who might get called up. I bet one of those three moves on now.
Wood is pretty nailed on for minutes as the back up striker, but if he goes in a CB swap type deal, one of the above might stay. But I canāt see everybody fitting in who deserves minutes otherwise.
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Kucharski has shown bitās and pieces in a false nine role, but doesnāt seem to have the physical presence or intensity to play as a classic front man. That said you can certainly build that. Brosque certainly developed that over time.
with Costa and Lolley, we need a striker thatāll score taps in (rebounds or deflections from the long range shots) and get on the end of balls slid across the 6 yard lineā¦ Bobo or Alfie in their heyday would be ideal and if this Polish player is half competent he should score a hatful.
And yes, still concerned about the lack of partner for King Matthews at the back
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I am strangely optimistic about JCP playing at CB - I reckon he will step up into that role and Mathews will continue to develop. With Redder and Grant back there, should be enough experience to guide JCP and Mathews. Of course, I could be totally wrong and a disaster may be coming
Even if youāre right, who is the third, never mind the fourth, CB? We absolutely need decent backup at least, considering we have the ACL, and likely will have to contend with injuries and suspensions at some point.
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Thatās what I see the issue as.
I donāt think JCP/Matthews is the worst CB pairing. The problem is if one of them goes down or gets suspended then weāre left with Gurd who doesnāt look to be the same player he was pre-injury. The other NPL CBās just arenāt good enough yet from what I saw this year.
That leaves the problem of do we sign a starting quality Australian CB and push JCP back out to LB or do we sign a 3rd string CB?
If we go for starting quality Alex Grant looks to have been replaced at his club in China, Transfermarkt has him listed as not eligible for selection since their match on 17 July. That was 2 days after they signed a Brazilian CB.
As others have mentioned already thereās also Aaron Calver and Jason Davidson but apart from that thereās very little to choose from.
If we go down the backup route I wonder if we could get Nathan Paull back from CCM? Potentially a swap with Pat Wood if DWH is on his way out?
As for random, baseless speculation, thereās Aaron Evans whoās bounced around Asia for the best part of 10 years. He left his club in Bangladesh just on 2 weeks ago.
Yeah, but I speak classical Portuguese, not that strange dialect they have taken on over there. ā¦
I mean I guess I could take him to the Brazilian place at Ultra football to get him a flat white and let him get inspired looking at the Diego Maradona painting there then move into Brazilian flame for a picanha and some beans.
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People really outing their ages with this reference.
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I know I teased him at the time, but I kinda canāt stop thinking about denmilās box midfieldā¦
Possible options for a local Center back:
- Alex Grant (Playing in Tianjin Tigerās reserve squad - formerly Tianjin TEDA). His contract ends in December 2025, so surely a season long loan would be suitable if TT donāt want to pay out his contract. Would be weird having two Grants playing in the backline that arenāt related.
- Aaron Calver (Playing in Korea with Daejeon). Contract expires in January. Canāt see us getting him before then, especially since there is still a fair few games left in the K-League season to go. Would be incredibly risky to sign him and not have him come through until January when we may very well need him earlier. Would be an acceptable replacement for Matthews if we sell him in January.
- Jason Davidson (Free agent) Released by Eupen in Belgium, currently without a club. Will probably be looking to move back to Australia.
- Milos Degenek (Red Star Belgrade) Probably a long shot, but is removing from a foot injury and may be on the outer. Whether he would come out to Australia to play is questionable, but I wouldnāt say no to a season long loan - especially if he has ambitions about getting back into the national team.
Theyāre probably your best options right now.
Other B-Tier options include:
- Jacob Tratt - Playing in Victoria with Oakleigh Cannons
- Aaron Evans - Fresh from his latest stint in Bangladeshā¦
- Adrian Vlastelica We had him on a short term conract a couple of seasons ago when Wilkinson went down. He was about as effective as spitting on a bushfire.
Who was the best CB in the NPL1 this season?
Transfermarkt is grim.
We should at least be looking at Tratt. He may not set the world on fire but he is solid enough
With Calver, heās contracted till January, but the Korean League finishes on the 8th of October. Could realistically look at an agreement between SFC and Daejeon to have him sign with us early on a mutual termination, or peanuts for the sake of a transfer fee. Daejeon would save whatever on his salary and Calver gets to continue.
The biggest negative would be that Calver wouldnāt get a single break. Heād have finished an entire season in Korea, only to come out straight away to Australia.
This is the first Iāve heard anyone ever seriously suggest Jason Davidson as a CB option.
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