Football Season Guide

Another year, another embarrassing Brisbane Roar campaign. Long gone are the days of their title challenges. They had to work incredibly hard to not finish at the foot of the ladder last season, so big pre-season changes were expected. They did not disappoint on that front either. They cut loose most of their squad ahead of this campaign. Wonderkid Klein left because he wanted to prove himself at a higher level or he'd have stayed. Other than that, it was players they couldn't realistically afford to sign, or players that hadn't produced the goods. Surprisingly, they did not keep club legend O'Shea in midfield - he was their natural leader so he'll be missed off the pitch as much as he will be on it, although it's likely a significant portion of the call to re-sign veteran CB Aldred was based upon their lack of leadership. Most of their regular defenders, strikers, and creative threats all moved on, which potentially spells trouble. They made some good signings though, Roar. Whether they can keep him fit is debatable, but acquiring Tate Russell at RB could be a great signing. Ngor brings them raw speed in attack that they previously lacked, and King at LB is likely to be a terrific signing. As always, the debate with this club is whether their strikers will settle or not. In theory they've signed good ones but those theories have often fallen flat in the past because this team does not create chances as readily as others in the A-League, which is why veteran Korean creator Tae-hee Nam has joined. There are a lot of unknowns about this team. On paper, they've brought in some good players but galvanising them will take time, and inevitably there will be some that don't settle, especially when working for a strict disciplinarian like Valkanis. They could surprise, Roar, but it's likely to take them a while to get going - their newbies have to gel. The likelihood is that they'll disappoint though, as that's what they almost always do nowadays due to a lack of natural talent in the final third. The absence of Valkanis at the back for the start of the season is unhelpful too - he's only due back December/January.