mattyh001

Wielart's played for PSV, Ajak and Twente, ain't exactly middle table. agreed and the time at Twente does stand him in good stead (and as per my post will be interested to see how goes) but considering he played only 30 times total between Ajax and PSV implies to me that you can't just look at the CV

i'll be interested to see how Weilart goes - http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/a-league/news/1155849/Wielaert-adds-to-Heart-strength in comparison to Zwaanzijk, Wielart's pedigree doesnt seem as good - Zwaanzijk was regularly playing for a dutch club that was constantly pushing the top 4 spots. Wielart has been playing in teams a lot more middle table (although that might be a lot more to do with the performance / quality of teammates in either instance.)

unless Perth start to cull some over aged players, I doubt that Garcia will be going there - they already have 17 senior players with another 8 on youth contracts. Plus they have a few visa spots open. i suspect that Brisbane might be a good fit for him, although West Sydney or Wellington might be a bit left field but a good option too. that is of course he doesnt get a good offer abroad.

below is a list of all EPL players released this close season - before there are any questions all the first names on the right, last names on the left: http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/other/Premier-League-released-player-list-2012-13.pdf Some very very interesting names there. Some were releases at the end of the contract to another club / have already gone to another club (ie Kolo Toure, Wayne Bridge) whilst others have retired (ie Jamie Carragher, Steve Harper). Guys like Jermaine Pennant, Ian Harte, Rob Hurse, Tal Ben Haim, Roque Santa Cruz and Yossi Benayoun would be good to see in a Heart top (although some might be a little past it and others a little unrealistic - ie Santa Cruz and Benayoun). No one from Tottenham listed although I know William Gallas has left on a free. Edit: Add Corey Gameiro to that interesting list - didn't notice he was on the Fulham list. Surely he will be a number one target of a few A League teams.

i don't buy into it purely being the first round result plus being Heart's first home game for the 11k against Wellington. in season 2 Heart (for memory) had shown some very positive glimpses away to Newcastle and had gotten a poor refereeing decision in the 3-2 away loss before playing Perth in Heart's first home game - they only got 7.5k. They outplayed the visitors the next week but poor work in the final third left it at 0-0 (and subsequently got less than 6k at home to Sydney the next week). all after playing the visitors in front of nearly 40k - they would have seen Heart where the better team on the night and trumped a team with Kewell; something that should have then (by your argument) added a bit more faith. here's the thing tho IF we do say it comes down to specifically that game at the start of last season; if the result and performance have such a big impact then doesn't it suggest that Heart are better off having an away derby first up and thus it goes against your original argument? yes part of it will come down to getting results, but there is no shore fire way to guarantee that; just take a look at Sydney last term with del Pierro. in a competition, league and sport where for every winner there must be a loser, surely it makes a bigger impact to get the news right coming into round 1 than in round 5 on the hope that the team has gone extremely well. with all the news and anticipation around Kewell's signature, that makes the first game an absolute buzz. Heart can only benefit from that. any signing that Heart make that sends up the visitors is going to trump the combination of multiple signings that sends up various other clubs around the league - ultimately that goes towards Heart playing Victory round 1. tbh i didnt even know/realise there was a game afterwards and by all means it would go towards adding to the numbers that day (however it is something that may point to the fact that other Heart members/fans would have been in the same boat and thus the game had a reduced impact); is there a way we can verify their general crowds because while there would be an impact it would be interesting to see.

to be frank, i love that the derby is round 1. its always gonna get a big crowd so the publicity will be there, and it tells football fans the season is on. as a reminder from last season, the weekend after the derby Heart played to an 11,000 home crowd against .... wait for it .... Wellington!!! Since when would or could Heart expect that many against the Phoenix when the best we usually get to a Sydney game is between 6000 and 7500? Even then the previous season we only got 6,700 to the Phoenix game at AAMI.

renewed membership and sooooo looking forward to the season. given the amount of action on here since around 2 pm forum time (guessing from my post that's around 1 hour ahead of AEST) with the membership number freezing at 370 (and still is 2 hours later as at 3 pm AEST), I get the impression that there is a fairly strong membership base return !!!

Lol I don't think he has mate. Wiki is always full of shit Welcome to Melbourne Patty K Thats vague even for a wikipedia page. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22402523 its the first i have heard of it but he has certainly be released so it would be an interesting and certainly possible pick up. given how injury prone Kisnorbo has been, i get that worried feeling that it could turn into another Grella situation. from some of the posting on here and Heart announcements that apparently there are meant to be a few signings this week from overseas so maybe the cat has gotten out of the bag here early.

seriously can't wait. even began planning a couple of away games to boot.

was having a bit of a look around on google / wiki / etc and as a bit of an off thought, could there be a chance that David Carney might be signed for next season? as a disclaimer, I have never been a big fan of Carney. However, the guy has some serious experience overseas and for the Socceroos, and can fill a spot on the left as a bit of an utility. Yes, we have Ramsey and Williams for further up the park, but Mitchinson still has a bit of development - Carney would be an interesting choice for cover / squad competion. He can play at the back and it would mean Williams can then be used on the right where / when needed. He left Bunyodkor at the end of last season and is yet to be signed by anyone so there is a chance (probably a decent chance) that he would come cheap(ish). as I said this is an off thought. I couldn't see it being a long term deal, but would provide an interesting choice - plus he is only 29 (turns 30 in November).

totally agree, i get the impression that Kewell was seen as a maybe option that would add icing on the cake. previously, Kewell has always seemed happy to stay in England to try and get a gig over there - only after the fall out over his injury replacement contract in the Middle East has things changed. Holt would be a very intriguing signing. still quite capable of playing in the EPL and was Norwich's B&F for a few years in a row - seems unlikely to come given his age but maybe the lifestyle would suit him.

I see this generally in a good light, but a little apprehensively. Kewell is still one of Australia's best midfielders / forwards talent wise. I don't mean an instant walk up to the Socceroos, simply that Heart will struggle to find another player with the ability to turn games so easily without taking a visa spot. Take a look at the Victory v Roar game last time Kewell was here - he turned Adnan (Roar's best defender) inside out all game. Take a look at the fact he signed and played a three game contract with Al Gharafa - just because he wasn't retained doesn't mean squat. Simply put he was on an injury replacement contract for Bresciano who had returned to full fitness. You don't bring a foreigner in like that otherwise. Even with Meeuwis last season at Heart, was he any worse than (or even that bad that he was at the level of) Hoffman? Like others have said, the upcoming World Cup forces Kewell's hands. He has to be playing (and playing well) to get in the squad (if we make it of course). If he signs, its because he wants a good crack at it. That can only be a good thing for us. What worries me is the uptake from other fans in Melbourne. Most people have been there, seen that with Victory. Some will come across, but I don't think it will be massive. As such, I think the club needs to be careful with how they structure things. Kewell won't have the same drawing power. The club will see an increase in attendance, merchandise sales, etc., but certainly not like Kewell's last level when he came to the A League.

What you raise are some very valid considerations. The team has been very inconsistent on the park, which has not been helped by starting out with an experienced youth focused coach and moving to a guy with no experience and no real plan B. They need to sort out what they want and ensure they get it known / accepted in the stands. As hard as it is to accept it with Victory, their early success (despite how shite it was to watch) helped grow them to being the only club to pass 15,000 members regularly. Melbourne wants a successful brand. All that being said, how immediate do you want this? You really need to think about it - take some time. Part of the problem is that Victory have market domination. To purely chase success at any cost puts the clubs finances at risk. And while the money involved / being risked is that of the investors, they are the ones who get ultimate say. Sometimes we need to remember we pay memberships to watch football, not vote in elections and on club decisions. Yes, walking away / not attending games as a united group of club fans can have an impact, but it no more than an ultimatum - something that only shows we have no real power over the key decisions. We are relying on too many people to do this as club members to have massive impact - ie scare the shite out of the board to make change. Personally, the decisions of the club is largely attempting to set the club up financially and thus something I largely appreciate. An act of consolidation. The last thing I want is to see the team turn into a North Queensland Fury.

Ballarat boy, born and raised. One of the great thnigs over my time following Heart is actually seeing the number of Heart shirts constantly grow on train trips. Ballarat took to Victory pretty well, but now you start to see more Heart gear on train trips (and even around town!!!) so its good to see the club actually getting support around the place.

Hi all, Have been a Heart member since the start of season two. Followed Victory when there was no one else to follow but cracked it with their overally direct style. Being a country lad, it just doesnt cut the mustard to follow a team that has cheap success built in years where the league was still growing. It makes me laugh every time I hear a Victory fan ramble on about the past and how they are the "big and best" team in the league, yet it has only been under Ange and a foriegn style to their success that has them playing well. It also makes me laugh when those same people lament Victory for trying to be methological for the simple reason they have been shite is years gone past for trying to play too direct (aka the way they played in the early days). But I digress. What I love about Heart is they have tried to build the club from scratch with the right mentality on the pitch. Hasn't always worked and there have always been a few bad decisions made by those in charge, but at least they are there. The club is doing okay financially too, which is great to know the club is setting itself up well - even if that forces the club to be a little contradictionary from time to time (ie selling the better younger players to balance the books but leaving the team short in terms of short term ability).

plus if we can do it whilst still being on the bottom of the ladder, that adds to it too That's exactly what I was thinking. If Heart can break even after the season we just had, I can't imagine us ever not breaking even or making a profit. But didn't we only break even due to selling players? What if we have a season where we don't sell anyone? Surely there's not unlimited young players that we'll have 2 or 3 each year to sell for a decent transfer fee. And herein lies the flaw in that system. The club have openly said that selling young players has been helpful but not what the club is looking to rely on.. As to what their plans are without selling players, I dont know and to be honest I am tired of worrying about it. I dont now anything about running a football club and even if I did there is nothing I can do to change their plans. So I will let them worry about the books and just focus on things within my control. I don't think it's accurate to say the club relies on 'selling players'. There are four main ways in which Heart obtains revenue: through money from the FFA (which the FFA largely obtains through selling TV rights), sponsorship (of which Heart is one of the top three earners in the A-League. We have a major bank, Westpac, as our main sponsor, we have the property group ParkTrent as our youth team sponsor, which is "the largest ever National Youth League corporate partnership", etc.), revenue raised from supporters (through selling memberships, selling merchandise and gate receipts) and then lastly selling players. Its true that by selling a few players Heart was able to get over the line and break even this season, but we would still have come fairly close to breaking even if we didn't sell players. Also, next season Heart (and all A-League clubs) will get a significant increase in funds from the FFA (enough to cover the salary cap. Which is very important, as salaries are a large, and perhaps the largest, operating cost of running an A-League club). And Heart is steadily increasing its membership and crowd attendances each season, by several percent each season I believe, which is pretty impressive given the club's modest on field success. A final point is that we broke even despite only hosting one derby, and derbies are a real significant source of revenue. So, I think the club will steadily and surely become financially self-sustaining. Especially in 3 to 5 years, it will be a given that Heart is financially self-sustaining, even if the club spends more on players. Therefore, as far as I can deduce, Heart's balance sheet is fine, and 'selling players' is not a crucial part of Heart's revenue raising. If you look at the big picture, selling a few young players has only been a useful, and not a necessary, part of Heart's revenue raising. As a quick pointer with all player sales, my understanding is that next season the FFA move their funding model from paying / financing half the the salary cap to fullying paying / financing the salary cap. Long story short, that means that Heart will be getting another $1.25 mil (or there abouts) from the FFA: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/football/a-league-clubs-to-have-salary-cap-effectively-covered-throught-ffa-grants/story-fnddhv0x-1226618591319 As a thought on it, I would imagine all the player sales for the club over the past few years would not be much more than $1.25 mil a year. So, with any luck and all things being even, the club won't actually have to sell players any more to break even. When they then do sell players, the money can go straight back into the club.

Couldn't have put it much better myself guys. Would never support an old NSL team in the A League, regardless of the "rebranding". Growing up a follower of football, there was always a divide. Never being from the same ethnic background as the Melbourne teams, you always felt an offsider. In that, the old NSL days did do good things for the game here and South Melbourne should look back with pride on their successes. But there was a lot of rubbish that came along with it - which is why the A League was set up to get rid of the ethnic infighting in the game. Redirecting back to Heart, the challenge is to grow a brand against a very successful club with a five year head start. Very tough indeed. But people seem to also forget that the club is only 3 years old!! Compare it with kids - a 3yo will come a fair way and an 8 yo will still have plenty to learn, but the comparable nature shows a huge disparity. We just have to be patient as supporters, and help guide the club in the right direction.

like a couple of others on here i think we want to get someone who will provide performances a cut above. for Heart to grow in Melbourne, it will come down to being successful on the field. look at Sydney FC this season - for all the hype of ADP at the start of the season, Sydney played that bad no-one really wanted to watch. and before anyone starts that we are in Melbourne and not Sydney, we need to remember that OTHER Melbourne team has the market position right now. if want to be taken seriously, we want to look serious. overall, i wouldn't mind Neville. yes we could probably find some one better but looking at his record at Everton, Neville did extremely well to get the captaincy within 18 months. says a lot about a guy who, when he joined Everton, had nothing left to prove. says a lot about his character. and for a guy who has played along the backline and as the defensive midfielder for two very good teams in the EPL for the last 20 years he can't be that bad. afterall, Everton have been a top 8 team for the last 5 or 6 seasons and Neville won a bucket load of trophies at ManU. this whole "don't sign a player because he is English" is a load of rubbish. if the guy is capable of playing at the top of competition that is ranked top two in Europe, who cares what his nationality is?

VISA spots could be put to better use. Kalmar was easily one of our best players this season. well last time i checked Josip was one of the best in the league, even with a supply line which includes Roffman and Thompson. Not sure about the other 2 TBH. Germano is on minimum wage which should be considered, but i think that we could find better also. Kalmar is very inconsistent. at his best hes MOTM and at his worst hes subbed off at 60'. Tadic may get below average service from time to time but from watching him in the games this season he bluntly looks very flat footed. Far too many times Tadic got caught out and lost a 50/50 ball by simply being too slow / not physical enough against the defender over his shoulder. How many times do you see Berisha or McBreen beaten like that? You're quite right about Kalmar in that he can be inconsistent. That being said, how many players this season weren't inconsistent? From the glimpses Kalmar is one to work on. Same as Mebrathu, same as Vrankovic. It would be good to see Kalmar with more to work off. Hoffman has to go. Seems a good kid, just not an A League standard player. What I'd love to see for next season is the club to sign a proper out and out lead striker (ie Breisha, Heskey), a calming older influencing Centreback (ie Madaschi, Zwaarnzijk) and a couple of really solid, up and coming Centrebacks (similar to both ex Heart players Good and Hamill). Ultimately I think Gerhardt would play brilliantly / do wonders as the holding midfielder but has to play in the backline since there is no-one else. Honestly I think he would be better for us if he could, which is sad since the team really needed someone there this season gone. If the team could get that Madaschi / Zwaanzijk like character at the back then Gerhardt would be right to step forward.