A WEEK and a half ago in this here blog, I bemoaned the fact the Newcastle Jets looked more likely to bring in another unknown quantity rather than recruiting a player of proven A-League ability.

Since then, Wellington Phoenix has made exactly the type of signing I was talking about. Okay, I wasn’t canny enough to consider Fred myself, but what a piece of business from the Kiwis.

As the best EVER dollar for dollar A-League import... no, wait, the best EVER dollar for dollar A-League player, Fred is the perfect capture. Brilliantly planned and executed, reports say his arrival has been an eight month work in progress.

First to feel the potential wrath of Fred will be Newcastle Jets this coming Sunday. It’s certainly possible Fred will teach Jets players a lesson or two when they step out in the New Zealand capital, but the best lesson we can learn is from his presence.

Great signings take time. Just as Real Madrid and Juventus continue their respective pursuits (even if in one case they say they’re not) of Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Werder Bremen’s Diego, so too should Newcastle Jets be looking further into the future in order to reap larger dividends.

Currently the Jets Director of Football is Remo Nogarotto, whilst Ian Crook has recently been appointed, in part, to aid with recruitment. Personally, I wonder how much further the Jets web of connections extends, and with how much foresight.

Indeed, what are the odds that Fred’s agent, Steve Panopoulos, actually offered the maestro to numerous A-League clubs eight months ago, knowing full well the MLS would be out of season and his player could probably fit seamlessly back into the A-League for a short, money spinning tenure? If that happened, did we make a play?

The Newcastle Herald reported this week that Crook has received a lot of interest from agents representing players of all nationalities since Zura’s departure, and that he’s busy compiling a short list. This is healthy. Crook is cultured and crafty and we should trust his judgement.

But it is Newcastle that should be doing the searching rather than relying on agents to contact them. Scouts should be being employed the world over as part of a concerted and continuous effort to sort the wheat from the chaff. Players should not, potentially, be being decided upon over a matter of weeks, rather months or even years.

The vision of turning Newcastle Jets into a great club is one Con Constantine has proclaimed for years. In order to become a great club, we must begin to think, act and work like the great clubs.

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Well done to Gary van Egmond and the Jets coaching staff for having the mettle to drop underperforming first teamers Matt Thompson, Jesper Håkansson and Adam Griffiths to the youth team for their 1-0 win over Melbourne on Saturday. But for Griffiths, will the move prove a masterstroke or be the straw that breaks the camels back?

In Saturday’s Newcastle Herald, Griffiths said: “I probably need a rest...it was a bit of a shock because I wasn’t told about it.”

I don’t care if Griffiths is or isn’t going to be around next season, the fact remains he is a Newcastle Jet up until the end of this campaign, and that he’s an integral cog in our chances of retaining the toilet seat.

Wouldn’t some sort of communication between player and management have been better than for Griffiths to find out he was off to Melbourne via a whiteboard?