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van 't Schip >> Popovic   :tooth:

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/aaron-mooys-long-and-winding-road-to-the-english-premier-league-20170529-gwfxnp.html

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Aaron Mooy's long and winding road to the English Premier League

Michael Lynch

No prizes for guessing which Socceroo star will have the biggest grin on his face when he joins his teammates in Adelaide for next week's World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia.

Step forward Aaron Mooy, the former Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City midfielder who can now look forward to life in the English Premier League next season after helping unfashionable Huddersfield Town into the top flight via a dramatic penalty shootout triumph in the Championship play-off final early Tuesday.

Huddersfield Town's Mark Hudson lifts the trophy after winning the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

Huddersfield Town's Mark Hudson lifts the trophy after winning the Championship play-off final at Wembley. Photo: PA

It was a cruel way for Reading to miss out, as it always is for those who come so close and fail in this manner.

But the converse is always true for the victors: the exhilaration Mooy and his colleagues felt after their narrow triumph is the sort of high that can rarely be matched.

This match is often dubbed the most valuable game in the world and with good reason.

It has been calculated that at current TV and broadcast rates promotion to the English Premier League is worth close to £200 million ($345 million) a season, even if a club manages to only stay there one year before being relegated.

Aaron Mooy (far right) and his Huddersfield Town teammates celebrate. Aaron Mooy (far right) and his Huddersfield Town teammates celebrate. Photo: AP

For Mooy, it has been a remarkable few years after he returned to Australia following a serious injury when playing for Scottish club St Mirren as a youngster.

He was one of the inaugural signings by Tony Popovic for the Western Sydney Wanderers, and although he played in two consecutive A-League grand finals for the western Sydney club, he never really established himself as one of the domestic game's biggest stars.

  • Aaron Mooy has played a key role for Huddersfield since joining the side.
Aaron Mooy has played a key role for Huddersfield since joining the side. Photo: Getty Images

The transformation in Mooy's life came when he moved to Melbourne City in 2014. He was rising 24 and he knew his career was at the crossroads.

Everyone associated with the game recognised Mooy's innate ability – after all, he had been good enought to have been signed by then Premier League club Bolton Wanderers as a teenager and taken from Sydney to England to be part of their development system.

It was at Melbourne City that Aaron Mooy hit his straps. It was at Melbourne City that Aaron Mooy hit his straps. Photo: Getty Images

The question was whether he would be able to deliver on that talent or merely become a good A-League midfielder who might have been something more.

Under coach John van 't Schip, his career took an uplift at the Manchester City-owned Melbourne club.

In his first season in Melbourne he won the club's player-of-the-year award and was its top scorer, and when he re-signed for a second season he became the A-League's youngest-ever marquee player.

He did just as well in his second campaign, forcing his way into the national team set-up and becoming an essential cog in the midfield machine for Ange Postecoglou's Socceroos.

It was little surprise, then, at the end of his second year in Melbourne that he moved on.

Manchester City bought him to be part of their squad, and immediately loaned him out to Huddersfield.

At the time it looked like a nothing move. The Terriers had not been in the English top flight since 1972 and, at best, their aims for the 2016-17 campaign were perceived as survival in the second tier of the English game.

But Mooy had a tremendous first season in England, and a series of inspirational performances – beginning with an early season win away at eventual champions Newcastle – set a standard that Huddersfield Town were, by and large, able to maintain for the rest of the long, gruelling season.

Mooy was so good that he was named in the Championship Team Of The Year, and so influential at Huddersfield that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola made it known that he was keeping a close eye on the progress of the Australian.

Could Mooy now make it with his parent club, or will he spend his first season in the English top flight with Huddersfield – or somewhere else?

There is little doubt that the Sydneysider can play at that level. Those who felt that while his skills were certainly good enough his perceived lack of pace might count against him have been proved wrong.

Manchester City will be expected to spend big in the northern summer transfer market to launch another title assault next season, so there is no certainty that Mooy will get the chance to establish himself at Etihad Stadium.

But Huddersfield would surely love to keep him in the heart of their midfield for their first season back in the big time, and a bid to secure his services full-time would be no surprise.

Manchester City reportedly rejected an offer of £8 million ($13.8 million) for the Australian in the January transfer window, and after a stellar season he is now likely to be worth even more should they cash in on their asset.

For Mooy, the only way now is up, but he is a level-headed and pragmatic young man, and the 26-year-old will now have his full focus on helping the Socceroos defeat Saudi Arabia next week in Adelaide, in the next World Cup qualifier on June 8.

A win would be a massive step along the road to qualification for Russia.

If Postecoglou's men can acheive that, then a home win in the final game against Thailand and a point away in Japan should see them make the World Cup for the fourth time in a row.

With Mooy in such prolific mood, and a resurgent Tom Rogic, fresh from his terrific late winner for Celtic in the Scottish Cup final, the omens for Australia are good.

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Just now, jw1739 said:

He works very hard at his game, and deserves every success that he has. He may have risen to the heights under the tutelage of JvS, but he was actually signed by Heart under Aloisi.

IIRC the first we heard of it rumor-wise was prior to the Adelaide away game that season, a day or so before the takeover was announced. I reckon Aloisi was 3 or so weeks out of the job by that stage.

Not to say he didnt have any input in the signing at all tbf.

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37 minutes ago, rass said:

So what you're saying is that he wouldn't have been as good if JvS was a good manager?

Seriously...

 

You've jumped to conclusions a little. Less doesn't necessarily equal bad.

From watching games/news articles/forum speculation etc, Popovic appears to be a bit of a micro-manager, and WSW sides are usually very well drilled and rigid in what a player can and can't do. With JVS it is often speculated here that he was the complete opposite, so Mooy probably wasn't managed as much in that way, and allowed to be more creative, which obviously paid off. 

Different players suit different management styles. IMO in the case of Mooy, less management = good management. 

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2 minutes ago, thisphantomfortress said:

I have never actively followed a player like I have Mooy. Until now if a player left Chelsea or Hity I would have a passing interest, with Mooy I just feel so much more invested though.

Same. Although he only played 2 seasons for us he feels like a "city player". No disrespect to Behich. 

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So where will he be next season

Newcastle and Palace have concrete offers in,  rumours that Brighton are keen.  I'm sure Huddersfield would love him back,  Southampton have been thrown in mix recently and about a month ago i read burnley were interested. Or does Man City keep him 

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2 hours ago, Jovan said:

Same. Although he only played 2 seasons for us he feels like a "city player". No disrespect to Behich. 

Not surprising because Behich was a Heart player. He played for us after the takeover but returned to Bursaspor before we changed to City. I'd say JvS has a better claim on Aziz then he does on Mooy. 

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3 hours ago, neio said:

So where will he be next season

Newcastle and Palace have concrete offers in,  rumours that Brighton are keen.  I'm sure Huddersfield would love him back,  Southampton have been thrown in mix recently and about a month ago i read burnley were interested. Or does Man City keep him 

Would love to see him play under Benitez.

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4 hours ago, neio said:

So where will he be next season

Newcastle and Palace have concrete offers in,  rumours that Brighton are keen.  I'm sure Huddersfield would love him back,  Southampton have been thrown in mix recently and about a month ago i read burnley were interested. Or does Man City keep him 

Would genuinely cry with happiness if he signed for the toon

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Watching his highlights from his last season, fuck that was a good time at the club. Novillo Fornaroli Mooy ripping it up, beautiful counter attacks, so many bangers from outside the box, away kit was perfect, players were happy. 

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1 minute ago, jeffplz said:

Watching his highlights from his last season, fuck that was a good time at the club. Novillo Fornaroli Mooy ripping it up, beautiful counter attacks, so many bangers from outside the box, away kit was perfect, players were happy. 

We still finished 4th and had a terrible end to the season. 

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27 minutes ago, jeffplz said:

Watching his highlights from his last season, fuck that was a good time at the club. Novillo Fornaroli Mooy ripping it up, beautiful counter attacks, so many bangers from outside the box, away kit was perfect, players were happy. 

The front half of the pitch looked good, the back half of the field was a sieve, JVS' attack at any cost mentality

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It was more entertaining at least.

Back on topic regarding the signing of Mooy, the HS just had an article about it http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/football/manchester-citys-first-piece-of-business-in-melbourne-is-looking-like-a-15m-winner/news-story/c2b79a15a66555d4dbb9923c67aaf6a1:

Quote

 

MELBOURNE Heart was at its lowest ebb in January 2014, languishing last after severing ties with John Aloisi.

Nothing gets fans more excited than a player signing, and the football department reckon they found their potential spark.

Midfielder Aaron Mooy had just been pinched - or so they thought - from Western Sydney Wanderers after a clandestine negotiation, which would’ve made him the then Moneyball club’s highest paid player at around $250,000 a season.

Unbeknown to the football department, Heart’s owners were literally signing off on their own deal - an $11.25 million sale to the City Football Group - as the Mooy contract landed on the desk of chief executive Scott Munn.

With new owners taking charge, any future contracts were legally null and void.

Brian Marwood, City’s new football chief, arrived in Melbourne that week along with Manchester City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain, the man who appointed Pep Guardiola at Barcelona and guided Lionel Messi into the first-team.

With final say on all football matters, Marwood’s first point of business was to decide whether to rubber-stamp the Mooy signing.

“I thought we’ve spent all this time negotiating, I didn’t want to go back (to Mooy’s agent) and say ‘the deal’s off because of new owners’,” Melbourne City’s then football chief John Didulica said.

“But we were not travelling well so Brian had every right to be reticent after our recent track record, which included the signing of Michael Mifsud.

“As it happened Brian was going to watch Wanderers that weekend and agreed to watch Aaron and decide.

“Mooy started, playing in a deeper role, and I remember praying that he had a good match.

“He didn’t have a blinder, I thought ‘gee’.

Brian, to his credit, a few days later said ‘I trust your guys judgment and we’ll move forward with it.

 

 

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7 hours ago, Kinnibari said:

Hadn't seen that before. Extremely interesting. Not only the Mooy signing, but also that with a change in ownership "...any future contracts were legally null and void."

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15 hours ago, thisphantomfortress said:

I have never actively followed a player like I have Mooy. Until now if a player left Chelsea or Hity I would have a passing interest, with Mooy I just feel so much more invested though.

Viduka and Harry come to mind for me especially the Leeds United days. And now Mooy.

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22 minutes ago, thisphantomfortress said:

I suppose my multi national upbringing robbed me of such delights. Good to know everyone else is in love with the mooy journey though 

My interest certainly is not in the "in love" category. I'm interested, but that's it. TBH I'm not that much interested in any particular player outside their direct involvement with City.

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8 minutes ago, jw1739 said:

My interest certainly is not in the "in love" category. I'm interested, but that's it. TBH I'm not that much interested in any particular player outside their direct involvement with City.

Totally agree JW. Lovely to see him doing well but in the end he'll go wherever he goes; so there's no point getting too excited about the achievements of the other teams he'll play for.

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12 hours ago, Nate said:

surely he has to say at Huddersfield after the season he had, hoping Manchester City loan him out again for another season.

I hope so too. It would be a win/win for everyone really.

Huddersfield get him back as the try to avoid relegation

Mooy is almost guaranteed a full season of game time, in a system he already knows

Man City see how he does at pl level. If they don't want him in the squad, more than likely his value will increase 

Edited by bellydrum
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9 hours ago, bellydrum said:

I hope so too. It would be a win/win for everyone really.

Huddersfield get him back as the try to avoid relegation

Mooy is almost guaranteed a full season of game time, in a system he already knows

Man City see how he does at pl level. If they don't want him in the squad, more than likely his value will increase 

no, he's too old for that now. It's "shit or get off the pot" for Man City.  

Sell or keep, but don't loan. 

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They will probably keep him for the pre-season, take him to the US for pre season games and then sell him late in the window. I would personally like to see him stay at City, IMO he is level with Fernandinho at the moment and could probably improve under pep. If he stays and gets about 40 games a season that would be good. Then sell him next season

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17 hours ago, Shahanga said:

 

no, he's too old for that now. It's "shit or get off the pot" for Man City.  

Sell or keep, but don't loan. 

I reckon another season on loan unless they don't think he is good enough for PL.

If they think he is good enough for PL, but not City then another year on loan will boost his value for them to cash in more.

If they think he may be good enough for City then another year on loan will allow for proper blooding as opposed to bit part with City.

If they don't think he is good enough for PL (or he will be mediocre) then sell ASAP.

Edited by malloy
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