Season Preview – Brisbane Roar

A lot has happened here in Brisbane since the Roar’s 2014-15 season ended on the Gold Coast in the Champions League, with players, coaches and front office staff all moving on in the face of financial dramas.
Despite the much publicised financial dramas  which have seen them come desperately close to losing their licence, the clubs ownership group remains in charge much to the fans disapproval, promising to build the ‘New Brisbane Roar’- a tag line few are buying into as evidenced by the severe drop in season ticket holders.

The Coach: John Aloisi

It’s been a tough initiation to life here in Brisbane for new manager John Aloisi whose inherited a talented squad, but the clubs much publicised off-field dramas threaten to derail his attempts to restore his reputation after his ill-fated stint with Melbourne Heart. It’s almost a free hit however for the former Socceroo, with few fans holding out hopes of a return to the glory days in his first season in charge.

The Squad:

1) Michael Theo, 3) Shane Stefanutto, 5) Corey Brown, 6) Jerome Polenz, 7) Corona, 8) Steven Lustica, 9) Jamie Maclaren, 10) Henrique Silva, 11) Jean Carlos Solórzano, 13) Jade North, 14) Daniel Bowles, 15) James Donachie, 16) Devante Clut, 17) Matt McKay, 19) Jack Hingert, 20) Shannon Brady, 21) Jamie Young, 22) Thomas Broich, 23) Dimitri Petratos, 27) Mitchell Hore, 28) Brandon Borrello, 33) Luke DeVere, 40) Abrahim Yango, ??) George Lambadaridis.

Arrivals:

Jamie Maclaren (Perth Glory), Corona (Almeria), George Lambadaridis (Free Agent- injury replacement).

Departures:

Kofi Danning (Oakleigh Cannons), Adam Sarota (FC Utrecht- loan return), George Lambadaridis (Free Agent), Ben Litfin (Palm Beach Sharks), Lachlan Jackson (Newcastle Jets), Andrija Kaluderovic (Free Agent), Jesse Daley (Melbourne Victory NPL), Luke Brattan (Free Agent).

Pre-Season Form:

• Brisbane Roar 1-2 Liverpool
• Western Sydney Wanderers 1-0 Brisbane Roar (FFA Cup Round of 32)
• Brisbane Roar 0-1 Melbourne Victory
• Gold Coast All-Stars 0-10 Brisbane Roar
• Brisbane Roar 0-0 Newcastle Jets
• Brisbane Roar 8-0 NPL Queensland u/23 All-Stars
• Brisbane Roar 3-1 Central Coast Mariners

Brisbane’s pre-season form has been up and down with a strong showing against English side Liverpool, however it took until the very end of Brisbane to win a pre-season clash against an actual club side when they beat Central Coast.

Season Expectations:

Expectations here in Brisbane are at the lowest they’ve been for a long time with the clubs off-field troubles front and centre in the minds of most Brisbane supporters. This weeks fan forum where it was suggested that stability would not return until January did little to quell the anger towards the ownership group which has left a dark cloud over the club ahead of the new season.

On the park the playing group is still a strong one with a vast amount of finals experience, however there’s still a train of thought that the group needs some fresh faces added to it, just to bring something different to the team.

While the playing group is experienced, there are just a handful of players in the 24-30 bracket, with just Polenz, Lustica, Henrique, Solórzano, Hingert and DeVere falling in that age bracket.

Player To Watch: Thomas Broich

The best player that the A-League has seen, and the on field catalyst for the unparalleled success here in Brisbane of the past five years will once again be at the forefront of Brisbane’s play this season. If Brisbane are to upset expectations and make a run towards the finals, the German maestro will need to be back at his very best.

Others to keep an eye on are young trio James Donachie, Devante Clut and Jamie Maclaren, all of which will have the opportunity to establish themselves in the starting line-up this season and could form the backbone of future successes.

Three Key Games:

– Round One (WSW away). It’s important to get off to a good start in any competition, so Thursday’s clash away to the Wanderers and the following weeks home opener against Central Coast will be crucial in setting the tone for the season ahead. In 2012-13 Brisbane won four of their first five, while last year they were winless in the opening month of the season and the contrast in fortunes from then on in the respective years was vast.
– Round 12 (Melbourne City home). On the face of it not a massive game, but for Brisbane it could be pivotal as it will be their first home game in over a month thanks to concerts and subsequent resurfacing of Suncorp Stadium. The game which falls in the busy Christmas period comes after trips to Newcastle, Sydney, Gosford and Cairns so Brisbane will no doubt happy to return home.
– Round 25 (Sydney FC home) With the absence of a local derby, this is the game that a lot of Brisbane supporters look to on the calendar when the draw comes out. The Sky Blues have had an awful record here in Brisbane in years gone by –with the exception of last season-, and with this game falling the middle of four home games in five weeks at the back end of the season it will be an important time if Brisbane are to push for the finals.

It will be an interesting season up here in Brisbane with everything that’s happened in the past few months, and whats likely to happen in the weeks and months to follow. On the park the team figures to be challenging for a finals spot, although the loss of Luke Brattan is a massive one.

 

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