FootscrayRover

Jamo a good solid signing. A 4 year deal is interesting considering he hasnt lasted more than a couple of seasons for his last 4 clubs.

I agree totally.

Totti would obviously be an awesome marquee but as another 37 yo (as is Lampard, as is Duff), if it was to come off Id love to use the two visa spots left to pick up some younger players.

Aw get fucked, get absolutely fucked. Hmmm, feel like I am missing something here. Aha! Ditto.

Aw get fucked, get absolutely fucked. Hmmm, feel like I am missing something here.

I think it all comes down to JVS's system which is to exploit the wide areas as much as possible and if it comes through the centre to build it from the back half so good DM/CM's who can hold on to the ball are crucial. Our issue has been that apart from Babalj we havent had a big target man in at the CF position (Maycon, Tadic, Mifsud, Williams). I would love to see Mate and Duff lobbing crosses in with a big man nodding them in. Thats why if Cahill is available we should throw the kitchen sink at him (although I think the Sydney sides will have a better shot) and if he is not then Kennedy is a great option as he is pretty good with his feet but is fantastic with his head. Using our international marquee for a class DM/CM (Lampard would be perfect for this obviously) would then set us up for a great season. I know this bit is probably best in a different thread and I am not saying we should use a marquee spot here but I am still worried about our GK stocks as well tbh. Redmayne just doesnt cut the mustard when the chips are down. No one has won the A-League without a keeper who is best 3-5 in the league and Redmayne would have to be in the bottom 3 first choice keepers.

A bit harsh, Kennedy wasnt even playing this morning! I wish he was fit, the big fella coming off the bench in the last 15 could have been the difference. As fantastic as Cahill was he was out on his feet at about the 80 minute mark. We all would have been over the moon for either of them 12 months ago dont forget. Given what is on offer in the market right now I would be over the moon to see either of them in a City/Heart shirt this season.

http://m.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/david-villa-to-play-with-melbourne-city-20140605-zryfi.html

Er, is this the Marquee thread?

Yep. x 2

Whats is utter nonsense?

This... Could not agree more. He was a champion at Blackburn and will do well for us. I could see him being a marquee signing 5 years ago but certainly not now.

as i've repeated a few times, released does not mean they have left the club. it means they are out of contract but have not yet renewed. whether schwarzer stays depends on courtois/cech. I thought I heard on the radio last night that Schwarzer has retired.

You're kidding aren't you? He is the best target man Australia has produced since Viduka and he is handy with his feet as well. He has scored at will over the years in the J-League and we are never going to get someone of his quality in his prime at 25. I agree that 30 would have been better than 32 but we can only sign these guys when they want to come home. It was a genuine question. I've only seen him play once, against Qatar in 2008. Pretty much since then he's been a tall man in the J-League. Just wondering, that's all. Yeah, fair enough... There just seem to be a lot of JK haters on this page without a lot of cause in my opinion. He has had some injuries which is more an issue than anything probably. You're kidding aren't you? He is the best target man Australia has produced since Viduka and he is handy with his feet as well. He has scored at will over the years in the J-League and we are never going to get someone of his quality in his prime at 25. I agree that 30 would have been better than 32 but we can only sign these guys when they want to come home. He also has chronic back issues, knee issues and as a result, has spent a huge amount of time out of the squad, and on the bench. He has been used sparingly in the national set up for these reasons too. Over the last two J-League seasons, his goal scoring has been limited to penalties and tap in. This is fine, but if we sign him, surely we would want a striker with more than penalties and tap ins. Particularly for a marquee contract. The icing is, that late last year, around the time of qualifiers, Kennedy himself told his brother in law, a local barkeep at the time, that he wasn't sure if he would be playing on after the world cup, if he made it at all. He acknowledges that he is nowhere near as good as he was and has serious injury issues. Its an extremely fair point from JW. To me, it makes Bresciano a far more attractive Aussie Marquee, so that the International Marquee goes to a top quality striker. Where are these top quality strikers you speak of? Who of these is going to come to the A-league before they are 34 or 35? Heskey? Fowler? Del Piero? Yorke? Apart from Berisha and Smeltz who are the in their prime top quality number 9's in the A-League that aren't Australian? I agree his injuries are a concern as are Bresciano's to be honest but I still think he would/will be a quality addition to the squad.

You're kidding aren't you? He is the best target man Australia has produced since Viduka and he is handy with his feet as well. He has scored at will over the years in the J-League and we are never going to get someone of his quality in his prime at 25. I agree that 30 would have been better than 32 but we can only sign these guys when they want to come home. It was a genuine question. I've only seen him play once, against Qatar in 2008. Pretty much since then he's been a tall man in the J-League. Just wondering, that's all. Yeah, fair enough... There just seem to be a lot of JK haters on this page without a lot of cause in my opinion. He has had some injuries which is more an issue than anything probably.

You're kidding aren't you? He is the best target man Australia has produced since Viduka and he is handy with his feet as well. He has scored at will over the years in the J-League and we are never going to get someone of his quality in his prime at 25. I agree that 30 would have been better than 32 but we can only sign these guys when they want to come home.

Nothing on the Fox Sports twitter feed as yet. Any other confirmations? Love this news if we can confirm it btw.

I have got to say that if we end up signing a striker of the calibre of Marica or Misfud then barring the injury to Engelaar the club has had a fantastic off season and I am really looking forward to the next 6 or 7 months of football.

Talk about fickle supporters! Does that mean they will swap back when he retires? Seriously though either of these guys would be amazing for our club. When Ange said on Offsiders on Sunday that there will be news of a marquee signing coming out of Melbourne I assumed he was talking about Victory! Go Hearters!

Heart seek temporary Engelaar cover Omnisport Editorial | Sep 4, 2013 | View 10 comments JOHN Aloisi has confirmed Melbourne Heart are seeking to secure an injury replacement player for sidelined marquee Orlando Engelaar. Dutchman Engelaar suffered a fractured leg in his first game of pre-season for Heart and although he will not undergo surgery, the former Netherlands international is not expected to return to action until 2014. "He's not having an operation, he's letting it heal naturally. In three months' time he should be ready to start to run," Aloisi said on Wednesday. "And then we'll see how quick it heals from there. We're still not sure on the exact time he'll be out for, if it ends up being four, five, six months. But we're confident he'll be back for the (remainder of the) season." The search is now on for a player capable of acting as a temporary replacement for Engelaar, but Aloisi will be well aware that players of the calibre of the former PSV Eindhoven and Schalke man are few and far between. "We're working through the solutions now," he said. "He won't be out for the whole season, we're confident he'll back. We have to work through hopefully getting a player in - an injury replacement - and seeing what we can come up with. "We're confident that we'll still put a strong squad together, even (with) the unfortunate injury to Orlando. "You don't want to wish it upon anyone, let alone your marquee player. They're things that happen in football, you accept it, you move on and you come up with solutions and that's what we ended up doing. "A day later we started speaking about what (we can) come up with now. And then we're working through that with (general manager) John Didulica and the club." In another set-back for Heart, Engelaar's compatriot Rob Wielaert also picked up a training knock which is likely to keep the veteran centre-back out for the rest of pre-season. "Rob Wielaert, he rolled his ankle the other day," Aloisi said. "We're not sure how long he'll be out for. We're still hoping and believe he will be right for the first game of the season." Finally, Aloisi endorsed the ambitious targets set by newly appointed captain Harry Kewell, who said the club will be aiming to win the title in his first season as skipper. "I think that everyone believes they've got a chance of winning it and we're no different," the Heart coach said. "We're putting a squad together to be competitive. You have to aim high and that's what we're doing. And I'm sure that every other club in the A-League's doing the same."

Heart seek temporary Engelaar cover Omnisport Editorial | Sep 4, 2013 | View 10 comments JOHN Aloisi has confirmed Melbourne Heart are seeking to secure an injury replacement player for sidelined marquee Orlando Engelaar. Dutchman Engelaar suffered a fractured leg in his first game of pre-season for Heart and although he will not undergo surgery, the former Netherlands international is not expected to return to action until 2014. "He's not having an operation, he's letting it heal naturally. In three months' time he should be ready to start to run," Aloisi said on Wednesday. "And then we'll see how quick it heals from there. We're still not sure on the exact time he'll be out for, if it ends up being four, five, six months. But we're confident he'll be back for the (remainder of the) season." The search is now on for a player capable of acting as a temporary replacement for Engelaar, but Aloisi will be well aware that players of the calibre of the former PSV Eindhoven and Schalke man are few and far between. "We're working through the solutions now," he said. "He won't be out for the whole season, we're confident he'll back. We have to work through hopefully getting a player in - an injury replacement - and seeing what we can come up with. "We're confident that we'll still put a strong squad together, even (with) the unfortunate injury to Orlando. "You don't want to wish it upon anyone, let alone your marquee player. They're things that happen in football, you accept it, you move on and you come up with solutions and that's what we ended up doing. "A day later we started speaking about what (we can) come up with now. And then we're working through that with (general manager) John Didulica and the club." In another set-back for Heart, Engelaar's compatriot Rob Wielaert also picked up a training knock which is likely to keep the veteran centre-back out for the rest of pre-season. "Rob Wielaert, he rolled his ankle the other day," Aloisi said. "We're not sure how long he'll be out for. We're still hoping and believe he will be right for the first game of the season." Finally, Aloisi endorsed the ambitious targets set by newly appointed captain Harry Kewell, who said the club will be aiming to win the title in his first season as skipper. "I think that everyone believes they've got a chance of winning it and we're no different," the Heart coach said. "We're putting a squad together to be competitive. You have to aim high and that's what we're doing. And I'm sure that every other club in the A-League's doing the same."

Looks like MV are going after Gallas as their marquee

Interesting from the Age. Predictions? Melbourne Heart is hoping to learn by Friday lunchtime whether it will be without marquee signing Orlando Engelaar for the remainder of the season following the Dutchman's nightmare debut for the club in Lismore at the weekend. Engelaar sustained a broken leg in a challenge early in the pre-season friendly defeat against Brisbane Roar. With his surgery set for Thursday night, Heart has been told it will know by Friday lunchtime how long the former Netherlands international will be out for. The best case scenario is three months – which is unlikely, and the worst case seven months, which would effectively rule Englelaar out for the entire campaign. His injury leaves Heart in a difficult situation regarding both personnel and team structure. Advertisement John Aloisi, the Heart coach, planned to build his midfield around the tall Dutchman, using him as the pivot behind a front four with Massimo Murdocca as the box to box player alongside. As football manager John Didulica said on Thursday, "Engelaar is the type of player we have been looking for for a long time." Heart will get insurance cover on the bulk of Engelaar's salary, but until they know how long he will be missing they are unable to move to sign a replacement – even if they could find a like-for-like substitute, which, the club believes, would be all but impossible. If Engelaar is out for the whole season they will look overseas for a quality midfield anchor, although finding one at this stage of the year – with just six weeks left before the A-League season starts – is a big ask. If the Dutchman is likely to be back halfway through the campaign their job is equally difficult, as they will have to find a high class player to take his spot but only on a short-term deal, unless they can find a way to fit such a player in under the salary cap. In the short term they could change their shape and use Argentinian utility Jonathan Germano alongside Murdocca, but there would be a saminess about such a pairing. Both are small, industrious, hard workers adept at breaking up the play but not, hitherto at least, seen as creative, deep-lying types. The other possibility is that Patrick Gerhardt could be moved into the Engelaar slot. The Swiss-born Liberian was used last year, his first season with the club, as a centre back but he was actually signed as a holding midfielder, a position he has played through much of his career. If the 28-year-old did move into the centre of the park, Aloisi could use teenage centre back David Vrankovic as first choice this year, although his involvement with the Olyroos and under-20 side means he might miss a lot of games. An alternative would be to sign another centre half – or even look to get one in on loan. Heart sold youngster Curtis Good to Premier League side Newcastle United a year ago, and have in the past inquired about getting him back on a loan deal, without success. That is probably less likely now given that Good made his debut for the Magpies overnight in a Capital One Cup tie against lower tier Morecambe, a game that Newcastle won 2-0 with two late goals. He clearly impressed, as one Newcastle fan website poll ranked him the team's third best player on the night while manager Alan Pardew said he was one of a handful of players to whom he was particularly indebted for the win.

Interesting from the Age. Predictions? Melbourne Heart is hoping to learn by Friday lunchtime whether it will be without marquee signing Orlando Engelaar for the remainder of the season following the Dutchman's nightmare debut for the club in Lismore at the weekend. Engelaar sustained a broken leg in a challenge early in the pre-season friendly defeat against Brisbane Roar. With his surgery set for Thursday night, Heart has been told it will know by Friday lunchtime how long the former Netherlands international will be out for. The best case scenario is three months – which is unlikely, and the worst case seven months, which would effectively rule Englelaar out for the entire campaign. His injury leaves Heart in a difficult situation regarding both personnel and team structure. Advertisement John Aloisi, the Heart coach, planned to build his midfield around the tall Dutchman, using him as the pivot behind a front four with Massimo Murdocca as the box to box player alongside. As football manager John Didulica said on Thursday, "Engelaar is the type of player we have been looking for for a long time." Heart will get insurance cover on the bulk of Engelaar's salary, but until they know how long he will be missing they are unable to move to sign a replacement – even if they could find a like-for-like substitute, which, the club believes, would be all but impossible. If Engelaar is out for the whole season they will look overseas for a quality midfield anchor, although finding one at this stage of the year – with just six weeks left before the A-League season starts – is a big ask. If the Dutchman is likely to be back halfway through the campaign their job is equally difficult, as they will have to find a high class player to take his spot but only on a short-term deal, unless they can find a way to fit such a player in under the salary cap. In the short term they could change their shape and use Argentinian utility Jonathan Germano alongside Murdocca, but there would be a saminess about such a pairing. Both are small, industrious, hard workers adept at breaking up the play but not, hitherto at least, seen as creative, deep-lying types. The other possibility is that Patrick Gerhardt could be moved into the Engelaar slot. The Swiss-born Liberian was used last year, his first season with the club, as a centre back but he was actually signed as a holding midfielder, a position he has played through much of his career. If the 28-year-old did move into the centre of the park, Aloisi could use teenage centre back David Vrankovic as first choice this year, although his involvement with the Olyroos and under-20 side means he might miss a lot of games. An alternative would be to sign another centre half – or even look to get one in on loan. Heart sold youngster Curtis Good to Premier League side Newcastle United a year ago, and have in the past inquired about getting him back on a loan deal, without success. That is probably less likely now given that Good made his debut for the Magpies overnight in a Capital One Cup tie against lower tier Morecambe, a game that Newcastle won 2-0 with two late goals. He clearly impressed, as one Newcastle fan website poll ranked him the team's third best player on the night while manager Alan Pardew said he was one of a handful of players to whom he was particularly indebted for the win.

Interesting from the Age. Predictions? Melbourne Heart is hoping to learn by Friday lunchtime whether it will be without marquee signing Orlando Engelaar for the remainder of the season following the Dutchman's nightmare debut for the club in Lismore at the weekend. Engelaar sustained a broken leg in a challenge early in the pre-season friendly defeat against Brisbane Roar. With his surgery set for Thursday night, Heart has been told it will know by Friday lunchtime how long the former Netherlands international will be out for. The best case scenario is three months – which is unlikely, and the worst case seven months, which would effectively rule Englelaar out for the entire campaign. His injury leaves Heart in a difficult situation regarding both personnel and team structure. Advertisement John Aloisi, the Heart coach, planned to build his midfield around the tall Dutchman, using him as the pivot behind a front four with Massimo Murdocca as the box to box player alongside. As football manager John Didulica said on Thursday, "Engelaar is the type of player we have been looking for for a long time." Heart will get insurance cover on the bulk of Engelaar's salary, but until they know how long he will be missing they are unable to move to sign a replacement – even if they could find a like-for-like substitute, which, the club believes, would be all but impossible. If Engelaar is out for the whole season they will look overseas for a quality midfield anchor, although finding one at this stage of the year – with just six weeks left before the A-League season starts – is a big ask. If the Dutchman is likely to be back halfway through the campaign their job is equally difficult, as they will have to find a high class player to take his spot but only on a short-term deal, unless they can find a way to fit such a player in under the salary cap. In the short term they could change their shape and use Argentinian utility Jonathan Germano alongside Murdocca, but there would be a saminess about such a pairing. Both are small, industrious, hard workers adept at breaking up the play but not, hitherto at least, seen as creative, deep-lying types. The other possibility is that Patrick Gerhardt could be moved into the Engelaar slot. The Swiss-born Liberian was used last year, his first season with the club, as a centre back but he was actually signed as a holding midfielder, a position he has played through much of his career. If the 28-year-old did move into the centre of the park, Aloisi could use teenage centre back David Vrankovic as first choice this year, although his involvement with the Olyroos and under-20 side means he might miss a lot of games. An alternative would be to sign another centre half – or even look to get one in on loan. Heart sold youngster Curtis Good to Premier League side Newcastle United a year ago, and have in the past inquired about getting him back on a loan deal, without success. That is probably less likely now given that Good made his debut for the Magpies overnight in a Capital One Cup tie against lower tier Morecambe, a game that Newcastle won 2-0 with two late goals. He clearly impressed, as one Newcastle fan website poll ranked him the team's third best player on the night while manager Alan Pardew said he was one of a handful of players to whom he was particularly indebted for the win.