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jw1739

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Exodus of young players will always happen. For example, Wales is not A-League level and could easily be blocking a promising younger player. So if we say let's keep him you are pushing out someone else like Najar. For me only Atkinson is worth keeping. For the other three we are not the club to develop them further. And my perception is that Naijarine and Najar will be journeyman for a while (just like Wales) and then have a career in the NPL. Where the criticism is valid is regarding the more senior players such as Jamieson, Berenguer and Noone. Getting the balance right between letting these three depart and promoting youth to their spot is where the art of list management comes in.

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16 minutes ago, haz said:

After adventures in Dijon and Sochaux, Florin Bérenguer took over the management of Australia and Melbourne in 2018. A fairly special new experience to which the French community returned for Foot Mercato. Situation on the spot with the Covid-19, adaptation, objectives, future: the 31-year-old player gave himself up on his new life 15,000 kilometers from France.

Foot Mercato: hello Florin. You took the direction of Australia in 2018 to live a new experience. How are you first?

Florin Bérenguer: it's going well, it was better in the past than with the current situation but it's global and not linked to Australia. Otherwise, beyond that, everything is going well, I'm happy to be here.

FM: The Australian Championship was one of the last to be stopped in the world to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. Why such a late decision? What was the situation there when the European authorities decided to stop everything here?

FB: I was not particularly shocked by the delay. We are out of step with Europe. When it really started to be in critical condition in Europe, especially in Italy, there was not yet a single case of virus in Australia. We were delayed two or three weeks before the first case. The season unfolded almost like in France, until the moment when one could not more. Then, at the end, they tried to reduce because we had five days left of the championship, trying to find solutions by perhaps putting all the teams in one place but in Australia, there are great trips , with a team in New Zealand, one to three and a half hours by plane so it was complicated too. As a result, the League followed government restrictions and there came a time when there were more and more cases and they began to close the borders of internal states. So there was no longer the possibility of playing and it stopped.

 

FM: How did the last matches played go?

FB: we played the last two matches behind closed doors, because our schedule meant that we had two separate away games, but they brought them together over three days to precisely try to finish them as quickly as possible. We were hearing more and more about the virus that was coming, the measures that were going to be taken, and there was little chance that it would continue. But it was done, quite legitimately, like everywhere else, the instructions of the government were followed and when it said that we could no longer travel, that there could no longer be meetings above 10 people in the same enclosure, the season was shifted, stopped.

 

FM: did you feel in danger during the last days before this suspension of competitions?

FB: it's hard to say because ... in quotes, I was touched but more compared to what is happening in France. I know how big it is in France, I have my whole family there, I have them on the phone regularly. But it is true that here, if I have to take stock of you at the moment, there are less than 100 deaths. It is a serious situation but if I want to compare with France, there must be less than 10,000 cases, roughly 6000 or 7000 throughout the country. While in France, we are at 180,000 ... I was more affected by that, I had feedback and I followed developments that were not going in the right direction in France. And I thought to myself that if Australia does not make the arrangements before, it may become like in Europe and it will be catastrophic. Finally, they did not manage too badly. Regarding the two matches, the club really did the right thing. It was two away games, on the east coast, they found a hotel between the two times where we were isolated, it was really in "a countryside". We were between us so everything was taken into account so that we are protected as much as possible. On the plane, they had made reservations so that there were two of us per row.

FM: What were the measures taken by Melbourne City so that you can continue the training, for example, during the confinement?

FB: after the end of the season, they all gave us a bicycle, one of the ones there at the academy. We received a bike, plus fitness accessories and with that, we had a pretty busy schedule. We also had GPS so every night we had to send them GPS data when we had a race to go and they followed us like that. But for the past few weeks, as it was postponed again (no resumption before May, note), they put us on vacation and we have an individual program which starts again from May 11.

"Resume in June to try to finish the season in July / August"

FM: what is the current situation there? Will the championship be able to resume quickly or is the debate as lively as in Europe?

FB: I have my opinion about France and what is happening here. I make a little comparison but it is not obvious because everything is different. Here, they are big cities but there is less density per square meter, it is extended. In January / February, it was the end of summer with beautiful days, and I heard that the weather could also have an influence on the virus. There, we will soon be back in winter, in a month and a half, it is getting cooler, so maybe we have to be a little more careful now but from what I understand, the government will review its restrictions because, until now, he did not want to take risks even if it is moving in the right direction. After, for football, it may be to resume in June, leave the possibility to sports clubs to resume preparation to try to finish the season in July / August.

FM: there have been many debates in France about TV rights. How's it going in Australia?

FB: I believe that the only broadcaster that is FOX is negotiating to review the conditions of the contract as are the broadcasters in Europe. If the end of the season deserves to be questioned, the consequences for the following seasons are likely to become a major problem as well.

FM: sportingly, your team was in good shape just before the interruption. With this second place currently a few days before the end of the regular season, what are the objectives if it starts again?

FB: there is already the question about the end of the contract. Here, it is on May 31st and not at the end of June so how is it going to be ... There are four teams who have dismissed everyone, so the situation is a bit complicated. On that, it is a bit vague to know if it will really resume but before that, we were second, with Sydney who has a big season and is quite a bit ahead. We had a good season, and the advantage here is the play-offs. By being second, we received the semi-final at home and after, we know that football, in a match or two, we can be champion. The objective, without lying, is to win the trophy and be champion.

FM: and on a personal level?

FB: I was injured on my second season, the first third. I was injured the day before the first friendly match, especially since here the pre-season lasts four months, it's long enough so we have to make 10/15 friendly matches. Everything went well but the day before the first match, I got injured so I missed the first ten days before coming back in December. Since January, I had the chance to play and it went pretty well. I regained my physical capabilities and good feelings which allowed me to be decisive with 3 goals in the last 7 games and a nice assist in the Melbourne derby which is played in front of 35,000 spectators here.

FM: what is your relationship with your trainer, Erick Mombaerts? Between French people, do you spend more time together also outside the field?

FB: we have a relationship as a coach-player. After that, it is sure that it is easier for him to pass me instructions because last season, when I arrived, I did not have a very good English and nobody spoke French so it was not obvious to understand everything. It’s true that we have a good relationship, he can explain to me what he expects from me, what more I need to do, on video feedback. It's an advantage, it's more like a relationship you can have in France with a French coach, where if you want to chat, the door is open. It's a plus. "It's not" tiki-taka football "but there are good players, with rhythm"

FM: moving from France to Australia is not very common. How did the adaptation take place, whether it was in terms of lifestyle or football level?

FB: It didn't go too badly. I spent the first two months alone because it was complicated to repatriate everyone, my daughters had started school in France in September, and I signed in late August so the time to find a house. I didn't want to bring them in right away so they finished school in France until the All Saints holidays. But I was well received, the group was very warm, they welcome foreigners well. There were four or five, even if they spoke English, with which we got a little closer. Everything went well on this, on the environment, life in general. It is even there that we realize, like me it was my first experience abroad, the importance of a group. When you take a stranger under your arm to help him. I also put myself in the place of foreigners whom I met with in France, it is true that it is not obvious. But until we have experienced the situation, we realize in fact that sometimes, it may not be easy.

FM: Many people do not know the level of the Australian championship. What are the major differences with Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 for example?

FB: honestly, I was surprised. I had never heard of the Australian Championship, I didn't really know. I was surprised at the quality of the players, there are some very good. Then, in spirit, it’s English speaking and a bit rugby country, with footy, their Australian football, so it’s also a lot based on contacts, duels, power. It's a rough championship, with big templates, maybe we wouldn't find in France in Ligue 1. It's hard to compare, maybe two or three teams would manage to do something interesting on some matches in Ligue 1. It's a different football, there are a few more duels and we, with coach Mombaerts, he established a little more football based on the City group and what Guardiola does. We worked a lot on it so it posed a lot of concerns for some teams. It is not "tiki-taka football" but there are good players, with rhythm. It's fun to play and I even think I have progressed by coming to Australia compared to my last years in France, with the amount of work, the physical first.

FM: why did you make this long journey in 2018 to join Melbourne and the A-League? Do you need a new challenge?

FB: It really happened late. Basically, I got a call from a scout from the City group who asked me if I would be interested in Australia. At the time, I did "wow"! In quotes, I had an answer like when we are at the end of the contract, we wait for it to evolve: "I'm open to everything." That's the answer I got and afterwards, talking to my family, my wife, we started to weigh the pros and cons and it got a little bigger in my head. I had childhood friends who had gone to Australia for six months-a year, who explained to me. And I wanted to see something else after nine years in France. It happened very quickly. We ended up with my wife and we thought it was a great adventure to open up to a new culture, a new country. It’s on the other side of the world but we thought we were going to bet.

FM: how do you see your future? Is it possible to return to France, for example, or are you heading for an end of career in Australia?

FB: I don't know at all. On a return to France, if the clubs followed my performances, why not. But after me, I love the adventure here and the choices also depend on the family situation and especially that of my daughters. We have been here for a year and a half, they are starting to speak good English but it is not yet top top. But if I can spend a few more years here, I would be happy to spend them. Leaving to end up here in Australia, that wouldn't be a reluctant choice. I cannot say that I am closed because with France, I am far from my family but I do not know at all. The future will tell us, I try not to bother with this. In any case, we are really happy here and I am not in the urgency of saying "I absolutely have to go back to France" or "I am not happy here, it's not okay, I have to go back to France

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16 hours ago, NewConvert said:

Exodus of young players will always happen. For example, Wales is not A-League level and could easily be blocking a promising younger player. So if we say let's keep him you are pushing out someone else like Najar. For me only Atkinson is worth keeping. For the other three we are not the club to develop them further. And my perception is that Naijarine and Najar will be journeyman for a while (just like Wales) and then have a career in the NPL. Where the criticism is valid is regarding the more senior players such as Jamieson, Berenguer and Noone. Getting the balance right between letting these three depart and promoting youth to their spot is where the art of list management comes in.

Well it goes a little against what we supposedly stand for, promoting youth and have some of them play in the main team consistently. Can you name a player who has broken through and played consistently for a season or longer? its the same every year. When those rumoured players all leave, there might be vacuum in experience and age.
 

History tells us that our list management is very poor, I have little faith in it and the main man in charge is still there. I happened to speak to a foundation sponsor not long ago, the sponsor group have been calling for his head and it’s fed up with how their money is spend for the last couple of years - they aren’t listened to as it doesn’t reach Manchester.

 

Edited by Mr MO
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On 09/05/2020 at 1:27 PM, jw1739 said:

I just don't want to see quality players such as Atkinson and Genreau leave us. Atkinson in particular - IMO far better than Noone going forward.

Just a quiet reminder:

None of these players have left yet, we saw a rumour on Twitter

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5 hours ago, Mr MO said:

Well it goes a little against what we supposedly stand for, promoting youth and have some of them play in the main team consistently. Can you name a player who has broken through and played consistently for a season or longer? its the same every year. When those rumoured players all leave, there might be vacuum in experience and age.
 

History tells us that our list management is very poor, I have little faith in it and the main man in charge is still there. I happened to speak to a foundation sponsor not long ago, the sponsor group have been calling for his head and it’s fed up with how their money is spend for the last couple of years - they aren’t listened to as it doesn’t reach Manchester.

 

Atkinson comes to mind and prior to that was Curtis Good and Connor Chapman. It does happen but when you look at some of the other young players that have come and gone like Melling not much has happened. Conversely the only player that I thought that came through the system and is still doing something is Craig Goodwin.

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4 hours ago, IssySG said:

Just a quiet reminder:

None of these players have left yet, we saw a rumour on Twitter

Just remind you of the thread title...

2 hours ago, NewConvert said:

Atkinson comes to mind and prior to that was Curtis Good and Connor Chapman. It does happen but when you look at some of the other young players that have come and gone like Melling not much has happened. Conversely the only player that I thought that came through the system and is still doing something is Craig Goodwin.

In the cases of both Atkinson and Genreau I would say that both have proven themselves at the A-League level.

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I’d be sorry to see Genreau and Atkinson leave. I reckon both have bright futures. 
Najjarine and Najjar both have potential but I’m not sure whether they’ll get the opportunities they need with us (or will take them if they get them). Wales is good enough to play A League, but not at City.

(My thoughts. History has shown I’m Not always right).

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13 hours ago, jw1739 said:

Just remind you of the thread title...

In the cases of both Atkinson and Genreau I would say that both have proven themselves at the A-League level.

Not sure i agree even a little bit with Genreau. He's shown glimpses at A League level but imo he's far, far from proven.

Atkinson is the one, he's come on in leaps and bounds this season and it'd be a real shame to lose him, especially if its internally within the  A League.

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Thanks for posting the Berenguer interview. Good read. I'd like to keep him for another season depending on his wage. He's been one of our best over the past few months and looks at home in the midfield. 

As for the rumours, it would be really frustrating to lose those guys, especially Atkinson. Wasn't he linked with Perth before the start of this season? Might be something in that rumour.

 

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3 minutes ago, Harrison said:

Thanks for posting the Berenguer interview. Good read. I'd like to keep him for another season depending on his wage. He's been one of our best over the past few months and looks at home in the midfield. 

Mentioned it on the pod, but yes I too would like to retain Florin, but only if the price is right. I think a deal in the vicinity of 180-220k would be a good allocation of resources in terms of keeping Florin at present, predominantly as the 'bench' midfielder'. If he wants more then its a clear no and on ya bike.

I'm a believer in having that one quality attack minded player on the bench as i think it enables you good cover in the event of injury or suspension, which in reality happens every second week.

IMO a lineup of 
 

                         Glover
Atkinson  Good    Griff Jamo/Galloway
                       Brillante
         Luna                 Marquee
Susaeta         Jmac     Noone

Bouzanis Delbridge Jamo/Galloway Florin Colakovski Metcalfe

is a very strong one to take into next season. Ensures a large degree of continuity and essentially strengthens the one position we still lack in imo, the 10. Critical to nail that position over the off season for mine, and a policy of retention otherwise will hold us in good stead.

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The state of the game’s finances in a global sense makes predictions of future squads very difficult.
I could imagine many players of the non-superstar variety retiring for instance, as the available salary no longer pays the bills.  Time will tell how it plays out.

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23 minutes ago, haz said:

Why the fuck would we keep a visa player to sit on the bench??

Is there a rule that says you need to have five visas starting? Which position are you going to get a better visa player than the one listed for less than 200k?
Indeed Sydney went through a pretty good chunk of their dominance with only 4 on their list if i recall correctly.

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3 hours ago, bt50 said:

Mentioned it on the pod, but yes I too would like to retain Florin, but only if the price is right. I think a deal in the vicinity of 180-220k would be a good allocation of resources in terms of keeping Florin at present, predominantly as the 'bench' midfielder'. If he wants more then its a clear no and on ya bike.

I'm a believer in having that one quality attack minded player on the bench as i think it enables you good cover in the event of injury or suspension, which in reality happens every second week.

IMO a lineup of 
 

                         Glover
Atkinson  Good    Griff Jamo/Galloway
                       Brillante
         Luna                 Marquee
Susaeta         Jmac     Noone

Bouzanis Delbridge Jamo/Galloway Florin Colakovski Metcalfe

is a very strong one to take into next season. Ensures a large degree of continuity and essentially strengthens the one position we still lack in imo, the 10. Critical to nail that position over the off season for mine, and a policy of retention otherwise will hold us in good stead.

Bouzanis, Delbridge, Griffiths, Susaeta, Atkinson, Genreau, Wales, Berenguer are the senior players out of contract at the end of this season.

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13 hours ago, jw1739 said:

Bouzanis, Delbridge, Griffiths, Susaeta, Atkinson, Genreau, Wales, Berenguer are the senior players out of contract at the end of this season.

Yea im suggesting we look to retain pretty much all of them. 

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27 minutes ago, bt50 said:

Yea im suggesting we look to retain pretty much all of them. 

I'm leaning the same.

Look none of those blokes mentioned have been consistent at a high level (and that's why they are in the A League) but they are not complete plodders either. 

Each gets his fair share of criticism but for me I would keep all of them, go into a season with 1 maybe 2 new senior signings that being either Hendry or Windbichler or neither and maybe another visa and possibly 1 of the 8 above.

Look we finished second and probably at the end of the day we where the second best team all things being equal and maybe another full season under Warmfarts will see us playing exactly how he wants. 

I'm over axing 8 to 10 players and bringing in new blokes of the same level, it hasn't worked for us,like ever. Other clubs fine, but lets actually try something different, keep the same group see what happens in the January 2021 window (Probably later) and who knows we may have started a trend that actually works. 

This changing endlessly TBF is due to all the restrictions and cap rules but as a long term strategy has actually done more damage to us than any other club. Hopefully with the further softening of the cap and more players outside the cap we may be forced to finally reduce player turnover and get to a level of movement that actually sees stability and a clear structure. 

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Don't see how signing a visa player from the start of a season as a squaddie / bench warmer could ever be a good thing.

The main reason I can see in keeping Berengeur is that we know what we are getting in what are very uncertain times. The chance to make a quality signing from elsewhere later in the year is dependent on travel restrictions, our start dates vs when other leagues restart (meaning available player pools might be limited), the amount of money available in the cap (which also means we do need to sign Florin at a good price), what impact will "inactivity" experienced by players during lockdown have on each and every player.

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51 minutes ago, mattyh001 said:

Don't see how signing a visa player from the start of a season as a squaddie / bench warmer could ever be a good thing.

I think its more a perspective of not putting visa players on a pedestal, especially in the current climate (being a salary cap). At the end of the day the only comparison that matters is what player you can get for the same $$$, irrespective of their nationality. There has been far more dud visas over the course of the A League than stars and sides can definitely do well with Aussie players.
The visas should be used where their is no better Australian options available for the same money, which is generally why they end up being attackers.
In a global market where players generally earn better money outside of Australia, any 200k midfield backup we get is going to be a risk as to whether they are a flop or not. I've seen enough of Florin to be content with him as a good backup option(at the right $$$), particularly in the role of an attack minded mid, which their is clearly a lack of talent in when in comes to Aussie players.

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23 minutes ago, bt50 said:

I think its more a perspective of not putting visa players on a pedestal, especially in the current climate (being a salary cap). At the end of the day the only comparison that matters is what player you can get for the same $$$, irrespective of their nationality. There has been far more dud visas over the course of the A League than stars and sides can definitely do well with Aussie players.
The visas should be used where their is no better Australian options available for the same money, which is generally why they end up being attackers.
In a global market where players generally earn better money outside of Australia, any 200k midfield backup we get is going to be a risk as to whether they are a flop or not. I've seen enough of Florin to be content with him as a good backup option(at the right $$$), particularly in the role of an attack minded mid, which their is clearly a lack of talent in when in comes to Aussie players.

Strangely enough I find myself in agreement here. Let's do something different from previous years and try to keep the squad together. The player you know is likely better than the player you don't.

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6 hours ago, moops said:

Anyone else hearing that O'Neal (Brisbane Roar) will be a Melbourne City player next season?

Would be an upgrade on Genreau 

On 11/05/2020 at 5:12 PM, jw1739 said:

Bouzanis, Delbridge, Griffiths, Susaeta, Atkinson, Genreau, Wales, Berenguer are the senior players out of contract at the end of this season.

Should go after Dylan Wenzell Halls as a replacement for Wales 

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  • 2 weeks later...

This isn't a rumour or anything, just purely an opinion 

It looks like Nabbout is going to Perth. They now have Bruno, nabbout, Castro, ikonomidis, dagastino and chianese 

Would one of the last 2 be gettable, both shown they can score and would be a serious upgrade on Wales as a winger

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2 hours ago, neio said:

This isn't a rumour or anything, just purely an opinion 

It looks like Nabbout is going to Perth. They now have Bruno, nabbout, Castro, ikonomidis, dagastino and chianese 

Would one of the last 2 be gettable, both shown they can score and would be a serious upgrade on Wales as a winger

Not impressed by Chianese. Has some good games but otherwise quite average. Prefer dagastino.

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Chianese is 30 YO. we would break him with a hammy or Soft tissue injury for sure. Dagastino would be Ok but only if we got him at 100K or less. 

Although the whole wages and pricing situation will change significantly with the reported 50% cut to any Foxtel deal. So we could possibly get a better player than both of them at a lower price. There would be plenty of players out there who have noticed the continued payment of salary to city players. Some may simply want personal financial security. 

 

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4 minutes ago, CityBoyz said:

Why do they need wingers they have Nabbout, Rojas and Kruse. All contracted for next season bar Nabbout

Nabbout and Leckie could easily play #9 in the A-League.

There's also every chance Rojas fucks off to sit on a bench in Europe again.

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