“YES we can.” It worked for Barack Obama, but will it for ambitious GC United owner Clive Palmer in his quest to see United blow away the A-League by claiming the title undefeated?

"It puts pressure on the players, whether it's welcome or not, they have the pressure. Perhaps it's not so much pressure as goal," Palmer said of his expectations. "I've asked the players whether we can go through undefeated and they've said 'yes we can' so it's over to them."

While Clive Palmer and Miron Bleiberg stand by their optimistic approach, inaugural signing Jess Vanstrattan prefers a more cautious advance. Arriving from Europe for United's first training session, it was also the first time the former Juventus keeper had heard of Palmer's aspirations, which he believes are elevated.

"We want to be successful and the goal is obviously to win the league, but undefeated . . . that's a big expectation," he said. "We have to be realistic. We're a new team and we haven't played together."

Don Matheson, owner of fellow A-League newcomers NQ Fury, has similar thoughts to Vanstrattan for both his own club and Palmer's Gold Coast United. Matheson has set ''realistic'' goals for Ian Ferguson and his players, which according to Ian Ferguson simply means being competitive, whilst the Fury owner believes Gold Coast should follow suit. He believes Clive Palmer's statements are ''totally unrealistic'' and that United fans and players are ''really going to suffer'' should Palmer's plans come unstuck.

In my view, there is no right or wrong approach in the lead-up to the 2009/10 A-League season. One prefers the 'favourites' tag while the other is content with the underdog status. In the last week, two GCU players have told the press the players aren't taking Palmer's comments too seriously, verifying the players' thoughts on the matter. With that in mind, it's hard to think of a negative effect Palmer's comments made on anyone involved with Gold Coast United, that is of course unless you count building hype around his newly formed club as a negative.

Bar the signing of Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler, NQ Fury's approach has been evidently low-profile compared to that of Palmer's Gold Coast. Despite this, by no means has the club not been doing their all to promote the Fury, players have contributed to community activities such as the 'Toad Day Out' and have also made appearances at junior club's, the latest of which being a coaching clinic coming up shortly. All signs point to NQ Fury following the Mariners off-field example by holding a number of community based activities, which will engage local fans and possible future players.

Contrary to suggestions Don Matheson's outbursts are down to envy of Gold Coast's setup and the fact that neither he nor Ian Ferguson have stated their desire to win the A-League, Matheson remains quietly confident.

"We'll approach the games with a degree of confidence, we're confident in our coaching department, our fitness department and players in particular. "But I just don't see the value in making comments you just can't guarantee."

The first indication of which club's approach has been the more successful will be on June 20 when the two sides take to the field in Darwin. The friendly will signal the start of uncertain and unpredictable times ahead for both club's, what is for sure though, is exactly what Palmer will be telling his players'.

"Yes we can."

++++
The 2009/10 A-League season fixture list will be revealed on April 20, with NQ Fury tipped to have an away match at Sydney FC first up.

++++
For all the latest news and views on NQ Fury go here.