Given our propensity to go with the marquee-less strategy so far in our history, it becomes especially important for Melbourne Heart to get the foreign players that are on its list absolutely correct, something so far that hasn’t really been achieved.
There’s been the good in the form of Gerald Sibon and Patrick Gerhardt, there’s been players who’ve done well in patches, Jonathon Germano, Fred, Alex Terra and Josip Tadic and those who’ve failed to make much, if any, of a favourable impace in their stay with the club, Messrs Worm, Gray, Meeuwis, Maycon. Now unfortunately it doesn’t take too much analysis to realise that there has been more miss then hit when it has come to our overseas scouting, how best to rectify this in the coming season? These players are always going to be under the microscope, they’re taking up a precious visa spot.
Lets see some examples, firstly the Gray scenario shows everything that is wrong with an international player, plucked from a lower league at 30ish, he wasn’t even the best central defender in the VPL at the time of his signing, he may have provided leadership, but a lack of versatility (as exhibited at the Fan Forum, where John Aloisi pointed out that playing Jason Hoffmann, originally a striker, at right back was a better option then shifting Gray from centre half to fullback) proved his ultimate downfall. On the other side of the coin, the Gerhardt came with a fair bit of pedegree, coming from a side that had won the league and cup double in Bosnia. He was also versatile in his positioning, signed initially as a defensive midfielder, but slotting in seamlessly as a centre half, he commands the back line and has serious passion, everything an overseas player should have. So, where do we look for the next Gerhardt, Berisha, Polenz, McGlinchey or Hersi?
Firstly, its a matter of identifying need, Melbourne Heart need someone to anchor the midfield, it was all at sea during this season and the Grella experiment exemplified how desperate the club were to get it fixed, so someone in this position or someone who can release Gerhardt into the midfield should be the go, given Gerhardt was our best centre half this year and we’ve cut Simon Colosimo loose, I’d be loathe to start an entirely new central defensive pairing. James Harper gets down, dirty and seriously busy for any club he’s ever played for and the promotion winning season he’s just had with Doncaster Rovers is no difference, a no-nonsense holding midfielder, would allow the man next to him to be more creative and have a lot more freedom. Luigi Bruins was once set to be a star in Holland, but injuries cruelled his career several times, an attacking minded central midfielder, his game would benefit from more time between matches that is offered in Australia, in addition to the decreased, he’s only played 10 games in the last two years, a risk, but one with huge amounts of upside. Michael Dingsdag and Marcel Seip are two Dutch centre halves I’ve had the pleasure of watching quite a lot of during their careers, tall, mobile defenders who can play well, based in Switzerland and Holland respectively, they’re both off contract and would provide a great option to allow Gerhardt into the middle, if this was the way we were to choose. Rangy striker Eldin Adilovic comes from the same club as Gerhardt and scores plenty for the again Bosnian champion, given the rumours surrounding our current crop of strikers, he’s a definite option. Mark Kerr and Owain Tudor Jones are two midfielders from Scotland who fit the bill, good experience, well travelled and generally fit into a system right away.
So regardless of who Melbourne Heart chooses to go for next year with its Visa places, it is important to find players who fit the system and will improve the development of the largely young squad around them, provide on field leadership and be able, most importantly, do the business out on the park.
All Heart 