So one of the Mariners favourite sons has found himself in a really sticky situation, so I thought I would add my two cents worth.

I considered who out of this whole situation is the real victim and how they are being affected.

Danny

So Danny Vukovic is an obvious choice as a victim in the situation. As I read through the numerous reports on the separation of Vukovic and Konyaspor I thought of how Danny has had a really promising career yet again interrupted at an inopportune time. This is not the first time that Danny had an opportunity to showcase his game on the world stage which could lead to a chance to play in the big leagues of Europe. Previously his career took a hit when he was unfairly victimised by a vicious and vindictive FFA for simply giving a referee a high five for a job well done in a grand final game. At this point Vukovic was all set to play for the man who is now the Central Coast Mariner Manager in the Beijing Olympics but the FFA lied and cheated to FIFA so his dream of Olympic gold was dashed.

So this time Danny has again given up his chance to play for Graham Arnold however this time it was due to the offer of an opportunity to play with Konyaspor. So the Mariners allowed him to move to Turkey so he could try his hand against the great Australians like Jedinak and Kewell. However this chance has been cruelly removed by a contract breakdown and has left him without a club, without a job and possibly worst of all, his partner also without a job. This guy just cannot seem to catch a break with an overseas move.

Central Coast Mariners

So then I thought beyond Danny who is a victim, but was a willing member of the contract agreement and as such could have possibly protected himself from this incident. I have watched enough Peoples Court and Judge Judy to know that you cannot walk into an agreement without doing your research. As Judith Sheindlin always says "If it doesn't sound logical it's not the truth", or does "Beauty fades but dumb is forever" fit better. All this thinking about the greatest legal minds on television has got me all side tracked.

So the other victim I came to was Central Coast Mariners and their fans. The Mariners agreed out of the goodness of their hearts to let Danny Vukovic move to Turkey. Then Konyaspor offered to give them some suitable compensation for the loss of the great Mariners keeper, the Mariners after politely declining this offer a few times finally accepted as it was a gesture that would be impolite to turn down.

However now that the contract has been ‘lost in the mail' Konyaspor have said they do not feel the payment would be in the appropriate spirit anymore. This means that the Mariners have lost out on a number of fronts here. The Mariners have lost a great keeper and replaced him with a man that is looking a little shaky so far this season. In fact if it was not for an elderly Dutchman who has been helping the defence somewhat I think Jesse may have had a few more fishing trips to the back of the net.

Despite this loss of a skilled player there is the stress the supporters had to go through as we thought the Mariners were going to enter the A-League this year with a young man playing two games every game day. Poor Ryan was looking at playing in the youth league and then staying on the pitch for the firsts as well.

The supporters then went through several days of second guessing and now we have the horrible idea that unless the Mariners want to take Danny back (please consider it Graham) we the supporters may have to see him in another A-League jersey and this just does not sit well with me.

The Real Victim

So after I got over my little selfish hissy fit about what I as a Mariners supporter have lost I thought who else may be a victim in all of this. Then I came across the biggest victim of all, Konyaspor.
Now I know you have just blown up at the screen, or maybe rolled your eyes or if, like me you read the blogs here while you eat breakfast at your desk, you probably just spat Vegemite toast all over the screen. But hear me out before you tell me how wrong I am and stop reading....

Konyaspor and their fans are the real victims; they are missing out on having Danny Vukovic as a player and clubman. In his time as one of the Central Coast Mariners he was a great ambassador for the A-League, the Mariners and himself. Although he may still be the most suspended player in the history of the A-League he was actually a nice guy that the fans loved both for his on field skills and his off field personable and approachable manner.

The Konyaspor club and their fans will never have this and I for one feel really sorry for them. Additionally they are now being mauled by the pit bulls that are the PFA and the FFA. Have these organisations no moral fibre? At such a time when Konyaspor are at their lowest point in the history of their club (because they missed out on Danny) the FFA and the PFA are demanding that Danny Vukovic gets paid even though he is not going to working.

That is the real tragedy of this whole situation.

In all seriousness though I for one would be really pleased if Danny Vukovic returned to Bluetongue Stadium. But wherever Danny ends up we the Mariners fans wish him all the best and hope he is justly compensated for this disaster.