Let’s all be honest after such an uninspiring and inept season for the club, a reasonable person may forgive the supporters for turning their back on the club. I mean the fans have endured yet another instalment of the roller coaster ride that is being a jets supporter. But somehow there was hope that this year would be different – I mean we have been through the usual rigmoral that has come to be expected for us – the loss of quality players from the roster (for one reason or another) the general unpreparedness of the roster and an incomplete squad until the 11th hour. But we had been through this before and last season came away with the ultimate triumph – a derby victory over our detested neighbours to the south.

So what happened? Everyone has their own views – some based purely on subjective reasoning with little regard or desire to investigate the true compass of the factual scenarios at play. There are the club (read: administration/owner) haters, the individual player haters, the football haters, the self haters and the “my team is not winning” haters. It would be wrong to underestimate the power of the later to surpass all rational judgement.

To be fair, the true cause of our malaise this year is probably due to a number of factors – nobody is blameless and by the same token, nobody is absolutely to blame. Those with perhaps the least culpability are the fans, who can be admonished for not coming out in the numbers of the previous year – but this is to be expected when the results are not going your way.
The administration did not hold on to players from the grand final winning squad and failed to sign quality replacements in time to allow Coach Van Egmond the opportunity to integrate into, plan and develop his squad with.
Coach Van Egmond himself having rescued the club from the brink only two seasons ago, with the apparent appreciation of the beautiful game and a determination to have his sides play quality football, seemed to lose his way and became overly rigid tactically and was unable to get the best from the squad. Players of the calibre of marque signing Zura and the promising Kaz Patafta did not appear to fit into the tactical regime – and did not appear to be accommodated.
Various conspiracy theories are floated around concerning the situation regarding the Zura affair and certainly the decision to release the marque and appoint the talismanic J Griffiths had a certain air of commercial utility to it. Again this is an example of the critisiscims of the administration.
The key factor however is that the players did not perform. The results do not lie – only 4 victories, and four points clear at the bottom of an 8 team competiton. Any of the many excuses offered – player exodus, contract offers, national duty and injuries are all part and parcel of professional football. This comment applies as much to the competition generally as it does to our the Jets, but these players are demanding good money to play in the a-league, many having repatriated for often comparable incomes to those which they were capable of securing overseas in the lower leagues of Europe and yet consistently produce performances that are mediocre at best. The most glaring example is the consistent failure to maintain possession of the ball and play disciplined, controlled football.
There was a distinct absence of hunger, resolve, character, concentration and discipline. How many times were late goals conceded?
So what has happened since? Now that the wooden spoon is safely locked away in the trophy cabinet it is time to look forward. There has been yet another close of season – although it was known that some of these deals were done and were resigned to losing our underperforming captain and his sometimes partner in central defence. To be fair, in the case of the former (and almost the later) the administration pulled off an exceptional piece of football business. What nobody could really see coming was the loss of J. Griffiths, Newcastle’s number 9, newly appointed captain and marquee player. This could not happen – not after his protracted public contract negotiations, his overtures of loyalty to the club and his cult status among the supporters – your humble writer included. But in the end money talks and something else walks.
Fans have a fundamental right to express their dissatisfaction with the club that they support, however also need to appreciate the difficulties in running a football club. Make no mistake, running a football club even (or especially) in a fledging league is no simple task, particularly given the global economies of football. Of course everyone should be pissed off that our top scorer and leading light is now going to be playing against us in a couple of weeks time. But one of the reasons that this is the case is also a reason to rejoice and celebrate. For those that need reminding – WE ARE IN ASIA. People easily forget that we are on the eve of a momentous occasion for the club. An adventure that may become less frequently attainable particularly with the expansion plans of the FFA. The long suffering fans will tell you how they savoured the city’s first ever grand final victory last year and will be quick to remind that these opportunities do not knock on the door too often.
So leave the past and your misery behind. This is a call to arms. Focus on the future – support your club in this history making journey. The club has made some encouraging signings, and with a couple of weeks for Coach Van Egmond to show us what he is made of and fashion a competitive squad. Players with very recent experience in the top flight in Italy and Holland are not flashes in the pan and nor are they mediocre re-pats scrounging for the best coin while they go through the motions. The signing of Petrosvki, while controversial, has practical appeal and if it has been accepted as not abhorrent by your humble writer – then there is no reason for you to feel otherwise. Again the signing of Milicevic has polarised opinion, but to be honest you do not become caption of a European side which consistently appeared in the Champions League by being a muppet of a player.
It must not be forgotten that we have held onto the wonderkid Kanterovski and a number of other promising youngsters with decent heads on their shoulders like him who have huge futures in front of them. Ben will be a much more formidable player with the season just passed under his belt and has the composure and assurance of an accomplished player that belies his affinity for Harry Potter novels.
Even if the Asian excursion comes to nothing, we will have an excellent preparation for version 5 of the a-league. Turn the page, tomorrow’s a new day. Enjoy.