WITH Christmas quickly approaching, many fans are drawing up their wish-lists for their club in the New Year.
For GC United there may not be any games to win or finals spots to make, but a few things delivered by Santa could still make it a Merry Christmas for the club and all the fans.- For the fans the ideal gift would be Jason Culina’s signature. For months we’ve been wondering if he will or won’t sign. While most people in the country doubt he will be picked up, we can still hope. Sterjovski or Chipperfield would be nice, but Jason is the gift that would really kick off our year on the right foot.
- Clive Palmer would of course be hoping for a boost to the ailing economy. Reports so far suggest he’s been shielded from the massive losses around the country to some extent, and hopefully the money required to run the greatest club in the country is still there now and in the future.
- For star striker Shane Smeltz, some finals football experience with Wellington would be a great present. Nix haven’t played in many (any) big games in their short history, and the chance to do so would no doubt prepare Shane for a big post-season campaign in 09/10.
- Brazilian trio Jefferson, Robson and Milson could probably do with English lessons. If they already have a grip on the language, then maybe we can get them a day-pass to Australia Zoo.
- Younger squad members James Brown, Andrew Barisic and Daniel Piorkowski might enjoy a trip to Movie World. If they think they’re above such innocent fun, perhaps a precautionary tale involving the last year in the life of Robbie Kruse is in order.
- One thing Jess Vanstrattan would probably enjoy is the chance to actually play in front of a crowd. Nine years of mostly reserve team football no doubt gets a little frustrating, even if you are playing second fiddle to World Cup hero Gianluigi Buffon.
- On a similar note, Scott Higgins could do with a comfy cushion. Despite being a great goalkeeper who earned positive reviews from his stints in both Scotland and Israel, he’s likely to spend a lot of time watching A-League matches from the pine.
- For Adam Griffiths and Matthew Osman, some sunglasses might be needed. The bright lights of Surfer’s Paradise will be a big change from sleepy Newcastle or Gosford.
- I don’t know that such a thing exists, but NZ Knights old-boys Steve Fitzsimmons and Zenon Caravella could definitely do with a memory erasing device. In fact, when it comes to the NZ Knights every A-League fan could probably do with having their memory cleared.
- Miron Bleiberg probably tell you he wants a whole list of players signed, sealed and delivered to the Gold Coast Football Club. But really we all know he wants to see Frank Farina’s Queensland Roar side fall flat on their face in the closing stages of the current season.
- Finally, for Paul Okon a nice suit will be needed. He’ll need it when he takes over virtually all match-day tasks before this time next year, and coaches wearing track-suits or polo shirts look so tacky.
Read more of Mike's blogs here...