how good a club are we that we get not one, but TWO episodes of the Jason Cullina experience.
Suck on that other A-League clubs!!!!!
Newcastle Jets reload in search for attacking weapon
Craig Kerry
Local Sport
Jets coach Ernie Merrick believes he has the squad and a proven strategy to fall back on after the loss of star playmaker Wes Hoolahan but says the club will look for an injury replacement.
Hoolahan is not expected back until 2020 after having surgery on Monday on his right ankle following major ligament and cartilage damage from a tackle in the FFA Cup loss to Adelaide.
"It is a shame, it's a pretty bad injury," Merrick said. "He won't be available until the new year, probably January some time. Still, he'll be a strong influence around the team and certainly helping the more inexperienced, younger players, but it is a big blow and he's coping with it pretty well.
"I did speak to him after the operation and he's pretty keen to come back and help us with a run into the finals, and he was pretty upbeat.
"But obviously he must be hurting a little bit, just from being out here, playing well, the season hasn't started and he gets a bad injury, so it's pretty tough on him."
The Irishman is the Jets' biggest signing for 2019-20 and gives them a second No.10 alongside Dimi Petratos. While Merrick said the loss of Hoolahan will change the Jets' strategy, he was confident they could adjust.
"We've got back-up players so we won't change too much," he said. "He was virtually a second No.10, so we'll go back to a traditional wide player now. It might be Jason [Hoffman], it might be Gus [Thurgate], it might be Kaine [Sheppard], but it doesn't change things too much for us, we've got cover.
"We've really played with that style for two years. When you are setting up your structures and formation, you've got to play to the strengths that you have ... we'll go back to a more traditional three, which got us into a grand final [in 2018]."
As for an injury replacement for Hoolahan, Merrick said the Jets were "always looking to fill gaps and find the right people at the right time".
"I would never say that we wouldn't be looking for a long-term replacement for this season, but the option is always there," he said.
"It's something that Lawrie [McKinna], Joel [Griffiths] and I do constantly. Is there someone that can come in short-term?
"There's no names there yet, but 12 months of the year you are really recruiting for this type of situation.
"We've got space in the squad obviously and we've got the finance, I think, so we'll certainly be looking at, is there's someone out there who can fit the bill?
"It's ideal to pick all of your squad early on, which we did with 95 per cent of the squad. Now we've got Bobby Burns and someone like Bobby pops just up, and you go, 'whoa, what a good signing he is', and because it's this time of the year, they're less money, you are not paying for 12 months.
"Sometimes someone is disillusioned with where he is at, or he comes back from overseas, or he's not getting a game with an A-League club, so sometimes they just pop up."
Jets chief Lawrie McKinna said: "We'll see what we can come up with. This time of the year, most players are locked in, but we'll try."
No names....I am filled with confidence.
Lewis Holtby *cough*
Scratch that - signed for Blackburn 5 days ago
The Championship Chronicles - The Jetstream's review of the 2007/08 season. www.newcastlefootball.net/chronicles
Stephen Ireland? Yoann Gourcuff?
The Championship Chronicles - The Jetstream's review of the 2007/08 season. www.newcastlefootball.net/chronicles
Sheppard is out until Jan/Feb now.
Can't wait to see who we sign as injury replacements for Wes and Sheps... oh wait.
NBN tonight:
http://video.nbnnews.com.au/jetstuesday011019.mp4
Life isn't the same without Con... but it can only improve without Tinks...
NBN tonight, final hit-out
http://video.nbnnews.com.au/jetspreview041019.mp4
Life isn't the same without Con... but it can only improve without Tinks...
NBN last night:
http://video.nbnnews.com.au/jetsjackson071019.mp4
Life isn't the same without Con... but it can only improve without Tinks...
NBN tonight:
http://video.nbnnews.com.au/aleaguelaunch081019.mp4
Red Aids and us with no major sponsor on shirt fronts? Was wondering if this is because we are waiting to finalise something, or whether we really do not have a major sponsor??
Life isn't the same without Con... but it can only improve without Tinks...
Thanks JM, started listening the other day but didn't get to that part, only listened to the rest today. I'd really prefer the idea that Lawrie is just being cagey about a new sponsor, but I'm seriously worried we really haven't got anyone on track to wanna be on our shirt, gotta say I think it's a major fail if that's the case
Life isn't the same without Con... but it can only improve without Tinks...