JUST who is going to replace Mile Jedinak for the Mariners? It’s a tough question.

Good bye and best wishes to Mile Jedinak in his latest foray into Europe, and in chasing his dream. In this respect, I’m sure I speak for many A-league fans who have grown to admire his contribution to both the team and the league over the last couple of years.

Now the reality of his loss sinks in for the Mariners. Lawrie and his coaching staff face a significant challenge in filling this void. And it could literally be a void in the middle of the park if this replacement holding midfielder cannot cover the ground, and position themselves effectively so as to consistently win a lions share of possession.

I possibly have a bias towards central midfielders, as it was, and is my favourite position. However, in my view, there is no more important role on the field. This is particularly so for the player with the holding responsibility.

Players who perform this role well usually touch the ball, execute more passes and cover more ground than any other player on the field. Where the player is also a highly effective tackler and is strong in the air you are moving towards a player who is a real difference maker. Roll into this leadership, and you have Roy Keane or Patrick Viera, more recently perhaps Michael Essien or Steven Gerard

It is a difficult speciality to master. Most central midfielders are attacking players who are not as strong in a defensive sense, or particularly in the air. The best central midfielders today apart from those I have mentioned already are arguably Fabregas, Xavi, Iniesta (interestingly all Spanish), Diego, Lampard, Kaka and maybe Pirlo.

This latter group and Gerard have a very strong attacking bias, although they can be effective in a defensive sense. If you had any of these players in your squad you would not typically insist they focus on defensive duties, and play the holding role.

So who most looks like they have the traits (at least at an A-league level) to fill this role in the Mariners current squad?

In true Football Manager style I have rated the obvious choices by attribute out of 10:

‘Hutch’: Pass – 7, Head – 5, Tackling – 4, Positioning – 7, Fitness – 8, Influence - 6

Porter : Pass – 7, Head – 4, Tackling – 6, Positioning – 5, Fitness – 8, Influence – 3

‘Gumps’: Pass – 7, Head – 6, Tackling – 7, Positioning – 6, Fitness – 7, Influence – 8

Osman : Pass – 5, Head – 5, Tackling – 6, Positioning – 7, Fitness – 6, Influence – 4

Now so far I have to opt for Gumprecht, based on my own ratings, however how about I throw in one from left field:

Bojic : Pass – 7, Head – 8, Tackling – 8, Positioning - ?, Fitness – 8, Influence – 6

I’m not sure if Pedj has ever played in the midfield, but if he has any positional sense he could succeed, as he seems to have the other key attributes in abundance.

When Boogaard returns to the centre of defense, I’d like to see if Bojic can buzz around in midfield with the same sort of energy and effectiveness that he does playing at the back. He appears to have very good ball control, great vertical leap, and excellent acceleration and recovery.

One of the finds of the season to date, Bojic could well be another option for McKinna, in this most vital of roles.