Mariners Squad - 2019-2020

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

https://www.ftbl.com.au/news/transfer-trials-mariners-invite-30-signings-to-come-525637

There’s a bit to take from that. Made a couple of NPL signings already, marquee unlikely, the wolves striker unlikely as he’s a visa player. Also budget for strength and conditioning plus video analysis.

Not filling me with hope, though it's too early to be overly concerned about signings. Don't like that a marquee has pretty much been ruled out already. Although at least they've recognised S&C was one of our biggest failings last season.

I wonder if Staj was given the option of spending funds on a marquee or more support staff.....?

 

[finally retired]

Not filling me with hope, though it's too early to be overly concerned about signings. Don't like that a marquee has pretty much been ruled out already. Although at least they've recognised S&C was one of our biggest failings last season.

I wonder if Staj was given the option of spending funds on a marquee or more support staff.....?

the article says "Though he played down the prospect of a marquee name coming to Gosford, a recent scouting trip to Europe has given him hope. "...I thought that doesn't rule out a marquee...only that we haven't already signed one already

 

[turbo]

Even if there was something in the works or locked in I can’t see Staj letting it slip in a random interview. The club will definitely want their moment in the sun if they do that. But let’s worry about spending the cap well first.

 

[Coastalraider]

I honestly don’t even care about a marquee - if they spend properly on the actual squad, and sign decent visa players (glad to hear they aren’t really interested in the NPL striker, we are already wasting one spot in McGlinchey) then that should be enough. We are so far below a point where a marquee would help it is almost irrelevant.

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

Terrific to hear that the NPL trials have been a success, good to see that the club have seen the value of doing it after the success with Millar. I also hope we have learnt from our experience with Matthew Millar and signed the NPL players on contracts that have terms suiting us, such as automatic extensions when we want them.

"pumped-up budget for strength and conditioning and video analyst staff" this isn't a positive, this is a base level expectation, NPL clubs have this. Considering the budget was $0 for a long portion of last season/pre-season for strength and conditioning and the video analyst staff position has seemingly never been filled this is literally just placing us on an even playing field with leading NPL clubs.

Honestly we need a marquee it's unclear from Stajcic whether that is a financial impossibility or he just hasn't found a player. If Stajcic isn't be given the money to have at least one marquee then it is incredibly disappointing. Even if paying a marquee is an accounting trick on our highest paid player that allows us to pay a bit above the cap, it allows us to increase our spend and therefore likely quality on each player we sign.

"The difference between what we spend and the others [in the A-League] there may be some difference" sounds like the spend is going to be low again, if it isn't even the full salary cap then we are going to seriously struggle to be competitive and to keep our license.

“We’ve got enough resources, enough talent to put together a competitive squad.” I question this, I question whether we do have resources because we are starting behind nearly every club in the league and are already being told that we pay less than other clubs. We need and must pay more if we are going to have our license after this season. We need to be paying beyond the cap, we need to be in a position where our squad doesn't just have a chance of being as good because of their "potential" but they are as good because of their pedigree and experience.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Yeah positive noises. Mental that there hasn’t been adequate S&C and video analysis. If that had been the difference in winning those games where we were in front and faded as well as tactically improving could it have made the difference between spooning and 6th? We’ll never know. But I do know we lost 21,000 in attendance this year which at a rough average of $15 per ticket is $300,000 gate. Which after costs you’d hope would cover the two positions.

Let alone our crowd average of 120k per season until MC took over and tightened the belt in 2014. Down to 72k this season.

We were undeniably still living beyond our means but the sacrifice of that revenue was obviously not part of the plan and would have only made things harder.

But, moving forward, at least those two areas look like they’re now being addressed.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

A pretend marquee who is just a quality footballer being paid a bit more outside the cap is fine. But I don’t want a traditional marquee. I’d rather split the money on two quality unknowns.

I want a whole team of actual footballers who will not fade over ninety minutes or fail to turn up at all.

God I wish we could ditch weemac, what a blunder. Surely there’s an Indian club we could loan him to at least.

I’m really hoping Staj knows what a footballer looks and acts like. Because we need footballers of quality and men of character again or we’re screwed,

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

A pretend marquee who is just a quality footballer being paid a bit more outside the cap is fine. But I don’t want a traditional marquee. I’d rather split the money on two quality unknowns.

I want a whole team of actual footballers who will not fade over ninety minutes or fail to turn up at all.

God I wish we could ditch weemac, what a blunder. Surely there’s an Indian club we could loan him to at least.

I’m really hoping Staj knows what a footballer looks and acts like. Because we need footballers of quality and men of character again or we’re screwed,

Yeah I would be satisfied if we are paying someone outside the cap as our pretend marquee simply to expand the spend a bit, that would at the very least allow us to get closer to the money other A-League clubs can offer.

Weemac is painful, he offers absolutely nothing, is taking a visa spot and probably on a fair chunk of change as well. Could Mike Phelan do us one last favour, actually probably ifrst, and find a lower league English team to take him on?

If we make more than one recruiting blunder this season I fear it's another spoon and potential for the FFA to strip us of our license.

 

[midfielder]

love this guy... from sbs

Alexander Baumjohann has no ill-feeling towards the Western Sydney Wanderers after being released – but the German says he has much more to deliver to another club next season.

UPDATEDUPDATED 15 HOURS AGO
BY SEBASTIAN HASSETT
SHARE

The 32-year old was hailed by some commentators as the best passer the A-League has ever seen, only to mysteriously fall out of favour with manager Markus Babbel.

Baumjohann created 49 goalscoring chances in his 20 games, the fourth highest total in the league, with his 2.45-per-game average bettered only by Newcastle’s Dimi Petratos (3.2 per game) and Adelaide’s Craig Goodwin (2.62 per game).

However, after reflecting on his first year in Australia, Baumjohann believes that with a full pre-season and a trusting manager, he can turn those glimpses of brilliance into a season of dominance.

“I really enjoyed my first year in Australia and I want to stay here for longer. I am in talks with some clubs at the moment, but I’ll take my time to make a decision,” Baumjohann told The World Game.

“I think people now know what I can do and how much I can give to a team.

“The truth is that I arrived in A-League – which is very physical – without a complete pre-season. That makes it difficult to get into the flow and rhythm of any team at any level.

“You want to spend that time getting to know your teammates, learning the angle of their runs and how they like to receive the ball. That’s a big part of my game.”

Many critics noted that other Wanderers players were slow to react to Baumjohann’s quick feet and passes, which repeatedly unpicked defences.

“It would have been nice to have registered many more assists, but I don't blame anybody for not scoring those goals. It’s a team game,” he said.

“Anyone can see that creating assists and passing are my biggest strengths. I wanted to bring that here.

“And maybe sometime, rather than looking for the pass, I need to score some of those goals by myself.”

Despite playing just a solitary season with the club, Baumjohann says he was “overwhelmed” by the support of the Wanderers fans, who would frequently reach out in support.

“That was the most special part. They took me in like one of their own and that was a big surprise for me. I wanted to win a title for them,” he said.

“Getting released wasn’t my decision, but I hope the club – and the fans especially – gets that trophy they all want.

“If I ever get to play at the new Parramatta Stadium, I will clap the Red and Black bloc and acknowledge the support they gave me. I will always remember it.”

Baumjohann might be 32, but he says that his body feels much younger after playing limited football in previous years.

“The truth is that I lost almost two years – 2013 and 2014 – with injuries. But I was able to rebuild and refresh mentally in that time. My body is totally recovered,” he said.

“I’ve now added a full season in Australia and my fitness is so much better than a year ago.

“Maybe (there are) some other guys my age and they are thinking about the end. I’m not. I’m excited. I’m looking at Diego Castro and thinking if he can play like that at 36 or 37, so can I.”

Naturally, everyone asks Baumjohann about why Babbel seemed to treat him so awkwardly, which involved a mix of early substitutions and, occasionally, being omitted.

“I always respect the trainer’s decision – I know they have a difficult job. I wasn’t frustrated at him personally, I just wanted to play every game. I wanted to help this team,” he said.

“My relationship with Markus was fine. He signed me, he knew about my qualities and I think I showed that on the pitch.

“But he did admit to me that he wants players for a different style of football. I understand that. Coaches need to find players that suit their system."

Baumjohann also has a key piece of advice for foreigners thinking of coming to Australia.

“The first thing I’d say is ‘don’t think the A-League is easy’. There are so many difficult things, like the hot weather, long travelling, hard pitches and the tough schedule,” he said.

“Everybody always expects from the foreigners to make the difference, but that’s unrealistic. The league is very physical and as an offensive player, I found myself getting marked all the time – sometimes by two players.

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

love this guy... from sbs

Alexander Baumjohann has no ill-feeling towards the Western Sydney Wanderers after being released – but the German says he has much more to deliver to another club next season.

UPDATEDUPDATED 15 HOURS AGO
BY SEBASTIAN HASSETT
SHARE

The 32-year old was hailed by some commentators as the best passer the A-League has ever seen, only to mysteriously fall out of favour with manager Markus Babbel.

Baumjohann created 49 goalscoring chances in his 20 games, the fourth highest total in the league, with his 2.45-per-game average bettered only by Newcastle’s Dimi Petratos (3.2 per game) and Adelaide’s Craig Goodwin (2.62 per game).

However, after reflecting on his first year in Australia, Baumjohann believes that with a full pre-season and a trusting manager, he can turn those glimpses of brilliance into a season of dominance.

“I really enjoyed my first year in Australia and I want to stay here for longer. I am in talks with some clubs at the moment, but I’ll take my time to make a decision,” Baumjohann told The World Game.

“I think people now know what I can do and how much I can give to a team.

“The truth is that I arrived in A-League – which is very physical – without a complete pre-season. That makes it difficult to get into the flow and rhythm of any team at any level.

“You want to spend that time getting to know your teammates, learning the angle of their runs and how they like to receive the ball. That’s a big part of my game.”

Many critics noted that other Wanderers players were slow to react to Baumjohann’s quick feet and passes, which repeatedly unpicked defences.

“It would have been nice to have registered many more assists, but I don't blame anybody for not scoring those goals. It’s a team game,” he said.

“Anyone can see that creating assists and passing are my biggest strengths. I wanted to bring that here.

“And maybe sometime, rather than looking for the pass, I need to score some of those goals by myself.”

Despite playing just a solitary season with the club, Baumjohann says he was “overwhelmed” by the support of the Wanderers fans, who would frequently reach out in support.

“That was the most special part. They took me in like one of their own and that was a big surprise for me. I wanted to win a title for them,” he said.

“Getting released wasn’t my decision, but I hope the club – and the fans especially – gets that trophy they all want.

“If I ever get to play at the new Parramatta Stadium, I will clap the Red and Black bloc and acknowledge the support they gave me. I will always remember it.”

Baumjohann might be 32, but he says that his body feels much younger after playing limited football in previous years.

“The truth is that I lost almost two years – 2013 and 2014 – with injuries. But I was able to rebuild and refresh mentally in that time. My body is totally recovered,” he said.

“I’ve now added a full season in Australia and my fitness is so much better than a year ago.

“Maybe (there are) some other guys my age and they are thinking about the end. I’m not. I’m excited. I’m looking at Diego Castro and thinking if he can play like that at 36 or 37, so can I.”

Naturally, everyone asks Baumjohann about why Babbel seemed to treat him so awkwardly, which involved a mix of early substitutions and, occasionally, being omitted.

“I always respect the trainer’s decision – I know they have a difficult job. I wasn’t frustrated at him personally, I just wanted to play every game. I wanted to help this team,” he said.

“My relationship with Markus was fine. He signed me, he knew about my qualities and I think I showed that on the pitch.

“But he did admit to me that he wants players for a different style of football. I understand that. Coaches need to find players that suit their system."

Baumjohann also has a key piece of advice for foreigners thinking of coming to Australia.

“The first thing I’d say is ‘don’t think the A-League is easy’. There are so many difficult things, like the hot weather, long travelling, hard pitches and the tough schedule,” he said.

“Everybody always expects from the foreigners to make the difference, but that’s unrealistic. The league is very physical and as an offensive player, I found myself getting marked all the time – sometimes by two players.

Hope we are in the chase to get him.

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

Fabio Ferreria and Walter Scott have been released by Perth Glory, wouldn't mind having Fabio back if he's on minimum wage or no longer a visa player.

 

[Wombat]

Yeah positive noises. Mental that there hasn’t been adequate S&C and video analysis. If that had been the difference in winning those games where we were in front and faded as well as tactically improving could it have made the difference between spooning and 6th? We’ll never know. But I do know we lost 21,000 in attendance this year which at a rough average of $15 per ticket is $300,000 gate. Which after costs you’d hope would cover the two positions.

Let alone our crowd average of 120k per season until MC took over and tightened the belt in 2014.

We were undeniably still living beyond our means but the sacrifice of that revenue was obviously not part of the plan and would have only made things harder.

But, moving forward, at least those two areas look like they’re now being addressed.

A very respected person told me the club gave Mulvey the player stats from training each week. Then Jem joined the club and wanted to view his own stats. As a professional he was unhappy with some of his times and asked if he could see the whole squads stats so he could compare. Apparently he was horrified at some of the results and brought it to the attention of Mike Mulvey, especially an infamously "lazy" player. Mulvey was horrified and went to see the analysis staff to ask if these stats were real. They told him "Mike, you have been receiving these reports since day one."

 

[Coastalraider]

A very respected person told me the club gave Mulvey the player stats from training each week. Then Jem joined the club and wanted to view his own stats. As a professional he was unhappy with some of his times and asked if he could see the whole squads stats so he could compare. Apparently he was horrified at some of the results and brought it to the attention of Mike Mulvey, especially an infamously "lazy" player. Mulvey was horrified and went to see the analysis staff to ask if these stats were real. They told him "Mike, you have been receiving these reports since day one."

Sounds about right.

Surely Mike was AT training and could see the outcomes of the results even if he neglected to read the data?

 

[pjennings]

Not defending the club at all but our best video analysis was done when we weren't paying anyone to do it. We were paying JC as a keeper and then as a keeper coach. One person with a keen football brain on a part time basis has probably done the best job in the history of the league.

 

[finally retired]

Not defending the club at all but our best video analysis was done when we weren't paying anyone to do it. We were paying JC as a keeper and then as a keeper coach. One person with a keen football brain on a part time basis has probably done the best job in the history of the league.

yes...PLEASE Bring JC home.

 

[Antlion]

Not defending the club at all but our best video analysis was done when we weren't paying anyone to do it. We were paying JC as a keeper and then as a keeper coach. One person with a keen football brain on a part time basis has probably done the best job in the history of the league.

I was going to mention this too. My cousin is a mate of Arnie's and he told me Arnie rates JC as one of the best he's seen at video analysis.
Man, that was a bit of a garbled sentence but I can't be bothered fixing it

 

[shipwreck]

JC is the best in the country, we aren't in a position to get the known best, we can only hope of discovering the next up and comer.

Sucks

 

[Michael]

I’d take Baumjohann in a second.
Would be a perfect 10 for us.

Weird that babbel didn’t want him anymore. Although, babbel signed Schwegler who has immense quality. So he definitely has some awesome connections and good enough reputation to bring in excellent imports.

 

[Coastalraider]

I’d take Baumjohann in a second.
Would be a perfect 10 for us.

Weird that babbel didn’t want him anymore. Although, babbel signed Schwegler who has immense quality. So he definitely has some awesome connections and good enough reputation to bring in excellent imports.

I remember watching him play against us early in the season (I think he had just returned form injury) and thinking that his class was way above the level of the Aleague - the guys around him didn't seem to be playing fast enough to take advantage of how good he actually was.

I would be happy with this signing in a heartbeat - and he is exactly the sort of Visa player that may actually play with us due to wanting to stay in Aus. My point earlier about not being bothered if we sign a 'marquee' is based on signing a number of Visa players exactly like this.

 

[turbo]

He would be a great pickup for us. Known quantity at this level but we'd need to convince him we're lifting our game too. If the Ingham rumour from a while back is true we could have him feeding Oar, Ingham and Murray. I'm not so sure Simon's game works as well with a decent 10 but I'm of the belief we can't be a serious force while he's a consistent starter. Wouldn't get a starting gig at any other club so we have to ask why here. Bring in an alternative and that attack actually looks alright.