THE Mariners' A-League season may be over, but they now have a great opportunity to again highlight the progress of the A-League and Australian football in Asia.
In the past, I guess I have been guilty of banging on a bit about the Mariners' effectiveness as opposed to style. I've argued that we need make no excuses for this approach, as it has generally served us well.
During the week I recall hearing some Stoke City fans interviewed about their team's performances in the season to date. One well informed fan observed of Stoke coach Tony Pulis, that he ‘had done an excellent job at getting the most out of the players at his disposal' or words to that effect.
He went on to recognise that Stoke simply did not have the ability to compete with Man Utd or Chelsea for highly skilled players. The EPL features many perennial battlers like Stoke City. It is not uncommon for sides playing away to line up 10 players on the 18 yard line and defend desperately for 90 minutes in the hope of a point.
This is football pragmatism, and preserves management careers.
Whilst it is an appropriate strategy in a league competition, where your objective is survival, or possibly even finishing in the top half of the competition, it has limited utility in a cup competition in my view. Eventually you need to score more goals than your opponent. Any other strategy is high risk once you get to the knock out stage.
Consequently, the Mariners need to progress from the workman-like style that allowed them to just qualify for the final series this year, into a more dynamic and sophisticated football team for Asia. Generally, Adelaide accomplished this in their successful run.
However the Mariners are limited by their playing roster. They should have recognised the need to bolster the squad to have a really serious tilt at this competition, however unfortunately most Mariners fans would be somewhat under-whelmed by the signings.
What we lack is the ability to unlock a stout defense. Caceres is the only player we possess that can put a defender in two minds.
Arguably the Jets have made shrewder signings, however it is important to remember the quality they have lost as well. The Mariners have lost Sasho, but we do have adequate cover without a new signing in that position.
The additions could best be described as ones that provide some depth rather than improve the team. Huke's contribution will be the key for me. As much as the team hierarchy like to talk down the effect of Jedinak's departure, it is clear that the impact has been material to the team's overall effectiveness.
Huke needs to step up into this role, as I don't believe Boogaard is mobile enough from what I have seen.
There are those who seem the draw great pleasure from hurling puerile abuse at the Mariners for effectively trying to play pragmatically. Again I urge caution in this respect. If it is good enough for the Australian national team to adopt this approach during the group phase of World Cup qualification, with the talent at their disposal, why is it not good enough for the Mariners?
Ultimately though, we must concede that to progress past this point, you need to start actually playing football.
It is this step that the Mariners need to be ready to take.