Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling...

So, Danny is ditching Uncle Sam after what can only be called a frustrating time with DC United. Despite showing some good goal scoring form with the club, Danny just lacked the chances to make a good fist of it. This leaves Danny with the option that many a Victory fan has been wanting since he left: him returning to AAMI Park.

This turn of events brings to mine the old adage of ‘you must look back, in order to move forward'. Many fans say that ever since Danny left for the oilfields of the Middle East, Archie and Victory have not been the same. Would Danny returning after his absence bring back the spark of old? Possibly. Then again, it may not, and I'd hate to see such an excellent servant of the club come back, only to find himself on the scrapheap come season's end because he is possibly a shadow of his former self.

Nothing is certain in football, and Danny is no different. Like many a Victory fan, I hold a special place for him in my heart, thanks to all the work he did for us in our formative years, helping the club to numerous titles over the short span of time.

However, I fear he is nothing more than a short term fix.

There is no guarantee that Danny will be the Danny of old. In fact, one thing that is guaranteed is that he is starting to get old! At 32, he's no spring chicken. Add in to the fact that married men with kids need a larger salary, and I'm starting to see a short term fix, which in 2-3 years when Danny retires, will leave us back at square one. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb here and just say it is lazy recruiting. I'd rather see a concerted effort by Victory to go and find the NEXT Danny, and then have him in place for the next 10 years, not the next two.

I know it seems like I've taken my miserable bastard pills again (I need to finish my prescription Barkster), but for a club that has been at the absolute pinnacle of the A-League for most of its existence, both on and off the pitch, slipping into the bad habits that the other clubs practise is just not consistent with the Victory approach for excellence. I hold nothing against Danny, I think he has been an excellent servant in the past, but I feel that's where the association should stay; in the past.

Onto last week's game, it's not often you see three central defenders involved in the build up to a goal, but alas, that's what we saw last Thursday night. That said, the Mariners are a bit of a bogey at the moment, continually stifling us in front of our home crowd. The positives though were seeing Hernandez regain a little of his magic, and seeing Angulo get good, solid game time again. I still maintain this lad can do an excellent job for the Victory. He just needs to be given the chance to show it, and hopefully he will get that for the remainder of the season.

This week we cross ‘the dutch' to take on Phoenix. Here's hoping we can follow Brisbane's lead and take all three points.