With a lack of football (well, a lack of football involving a team I care about, disregarding my EPL alliance, and the Socceroos) I find my self looking back at the Roar season and running the rule over the Roar Roster. Who am I to judge a team of professional footballers, you may ask. Well, I'm a season ticket holder who has seen every game Roar have played this year. Plus this is all my opinion, and as my wife has pointed out repeatedly, I have been known to be wrong, sometimes.
So in part 1 we will start with the goal keepers and defenders.
Liam Reddy AKA Angry Beaver - I was never a big fan of Liam. He always looks like he's about to cry as he patrols the box like a beaver (Hence my nickname for him). He was prone to brain explosions like the infamous "you've got cover" incident, and several others. So I wasn't overly bothered that he left and went to the Nix. What is bothering me is that he is now playing out of his socks at Wellington, playing better than he ever did when he was wearing Orange. What a bastard thing to do. Have fun at Sydney. 5/10
Griffin McMaster - I liked Griff and was happy to see him in the Roar goals. I believe he is one of the best 1 on 1 keepers going around, unfortunately he doesn't have a good command of his box in the air, often misjudging crosses and punches. He was playing injured towards the end of the season and lost his place to Ham. I don't think he will be at Roar next year as we have signed Redmayne and there are rumours of Theoklitos signing with Roar as well. 6/10
Matt Ham - Sometimes the Ham was rotten, but other times he was Champagne, especially against Sydney towards the end of the season. It was a nice little five game cameo from a long time peripheral figure in the Roaraverse, but ultimately the Hamster was out of his depth. 5.5/10
Andrew Packer -I don't dislike Pack-man. I dislike his style of football. He launches the ball long without any direction instead of playing it out. He had an injury filled season from the get go when he was spun like a top in the season opener against GCU. He got a couple of games late in the season and in those games he looked like he wanted to hurt someone, with rash tackles. He turned into a grumpy old man and not the Jack Lemmon type. I believe he doesn't have a place in the new incarnation of Roar. 4/10
Luke Devere - I have big raps on Luke. His second half of the season was stellar and it has seen him get a Socceroos call up. I remember seeing him a couple of seasons ago at preseason matches. A big athletic lad made to be a centreback. Farina played him out of position early on at right back to accommodate the Malcolm-sauraus and I think that threw him off . As soon as Roar and Moore parted ways, Luke stood up and we saw more attack from the defensive colossus. He played 24 games as well as a world youth cup in a big season which also saw him net two goals. 8/10
Pieter Collen - Late season stop gap signing. Moore had departed and Clogs was injured, so Ange picked up Collen. He had a pretty serviceable stint at the end of the season with the club. He appears to read the game well, and also made some great gallivanting runs forward then shot like a centre back spraying the ball into the crowd. He seems a bit slow sometimes but overall I believe he was a positive influence on the squad. I don't know if he will be on the squad next season, because i think we can do better, but we could also do a lot worse. 7/10
Josh McCloughan - I love Clogs. He will surely be missed around the club when he retires at the end of the season. He was a big Clydesdale of a player who Farina played out of position at Left Back for large parts of his time. Always dangerous with his noggin in the box. Ultimately he had an injury riddled season which was disappointing for everyone involved. 5/10
Craig Moore - The whole Craig Moore situation was saddening to every Roar fan. He played his heart out at Roar. Played through cancer and was always class on the field. Everyone appreciates the credibility and experience he brought to the club. Having said all that, his Jedi powers were declining. In my eyes he had a mediocre season with us this year. He looked off pace and off colour. Then there were those challenges you see older players making when a younger, quicker player skips around them with the ball, so they cynically take down the player earning a card. Now some of you may say that is "smart" football, but regardless it's a sign that the player is nearing retirement. 6.5/10
Ivan Franjic - One of the last bits of recruiting Franky did before his love of a wine cost him his job. I actually rate Ivan. I like his attack, and marauding runs down the right. He is adventurous and takes people on. His defence can sometimes leave us exposed but on more than one occasion I have seen him sprint back and clear the line from a certain goal. He was signed to a long term contract before Franky left and in my opinion he was a great find. We signed him as injury cover for Packer, and he ended up a handy player. In my estimation, Ivan is "not so" terrible. 7.5/10
Bob Malcolm - well......2/10. One point for the only decent game he ever played for us against Fury, and one point for putting Smeltz in a head lock. He will go down as one of the biggest donkeys recruited to Brisbane (and that's a long list)
Matt Mundy - Limited opportunities for him this season. To be honest I don' see him as a game breaking player. I think he CAN be a solid squad player, but we haven't seen that much of him. 4/10, because he is twice as good as Malcolm.
Michael Zullo - The reinvented left back. Now it has been discussed at great length Zullo's transformation into defence. Was it successful or a failure? I believe the answer lies somewhere in the middle. It seems Ange likes the bombing wing backs in his team, and Zullo definitely would fill that bill. He loves to get forward and not one person would deny that it's exciting to see Zullo overlapping Oar or vice versa. Early on Zullo showed a glimpse of a decent defensive game, but after the Gold Coast game at Skilled his confidence was shot. He often got himself in bad positions and was exposed continually. In the end, other teams targeted him. The potential is there however (if he stays) otherwise I hope Ange is on the lookout for a left back during the offseason. 7/10
To Be Continued..........
