Jets zero in on A-League finals after flush preseason

With a new coach, new CEO, new roster and new style of play, could the Newcastle Jets be ready to end a finals hiatus that has hampered their course for the past seven seasons? 

LOOKING BEYOND: The Jets' squad during 2017/18 preseason training. Photo: Newcastle Jets

Already in their 2017 pre-season campaign they have knocked off Melbourne City, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.

In 10 trial games over the last three months, the Jets have lost just once in a closed-doors match against their arch-rivals Central Coast Mariners. 

While most of those games have been against inferior opposition, the results are runs on the board; good form.

A cautious assessment of their turnaround over the offseason heeds at suggesting the stars are aligning for the Hunter franchise, but its clear things have changed at the Jets and it’s fair to say their fans should be excited about the season ahead. 

WINNING RUN: Newcastle's results so far this preseason.

After a tumultuous few years following the ownership of Nathan Tinkler, in which the club transitioned from being run by the FFA to eventually being sold to the Chinese Ledman Group, the Jets appear to be a more settled club heading into season 12 of the A-League. 

But it hasn’t come easy.

The wooden-spoon they collected in April was followed by the sacking of then head coach Mark Jones after less than a year in the job. 

His tenure followed the 15-month spell under what the fans were led to believe was a rising coach in Scott Miller, who was touted as one of the best up-and-coming managers in Australian football. 

Miller’s sacking was dealt with by former Central Coast Mariners’ kingpin Lawrie McKinna after just a few weeks into his new Jets’ CEO role. 

Even for the charismatic football veteran, it was some entrance; by all means, one which had the loyalest of fans stirring in dismay at what their team had become. 

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The direction of the club was further questioned once the wooden-spoon was in hand and another coach – Jones – was shown the door.

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But proving old allegiances never die, the wily Scotsman went out and secured the services of countryman and two-time A-League Championship winner Ernie Merrick.  

While Merrick had been on a sabbatical after resigning from the troubled Wellington Phenoix midway through last season and was perhaps considered a risk by some fans, there is no doubting the man’s ability to coach with a career spanning 268 games in-charge and a near four-decade association with the elite levels of football. 

Some astute signings during the mid-year break allowed Merrick to turn-up on day one of preseason with firm optimism about what lay ahead. Recognising the problems that had a plagued Newcastle’s last couple of seasons would be important, but a fresh outlook on what was to come would be essential.

Jets coach Ernie Merrick delivering instructions on Day 2 of pre-season. #ALeague #Newcastle pic.twitter.com/AyGqTxhOXq

— Max McKinney (@MaxMckinney) June 27, 2017

He wasn’t part of the past, so there was little point thinking about it. 

Roy O’Donovan was signed from the Mariners almost immediately after last season finished, Nikolai Topor-Stanley was picked up for a return to the club after four years at the Wanderers and a short stint in Dubai, Daniel Georgievski shifted from Melbourne Victory, and Dimitri Pertratos came from Brisbane Roar to join his brother Kosta – who signed in the January transfer window. 

Whether Merrick was looking for it or not, he’s clearly gained a lot of experience in that crop of signatures. Combined with captain Nigel Boogaard, Jason Hoffman and Wayne Brown, the Jets shouldn’t be short for a leadership group. 

The club’s evolving group of players in Andrew Nabbout, Nick Cowburn and Steven Ugarkovic will benefit from both the strong emphasis of experience in the squad and Merrick’s time spent at the Victorian Institute of Sport before becoming a full-time A-League coach. 

NEW LEADER: Merrick handing out instructions at training. Photo: Newcastle Jets

No doubt Merrick’s focus will be on developing those he has while adding the spice and knowledge of those on the recruited list. 

And the pool of players new to the club was iced with the recruitment of 30-year-old Venezuelan international, Ronald Vergas, just three weeks before the start of the season. 

Ronny, as they call him. 

The final piece of the puzzle according to Merrick. A player who can create goals and score just as many. An out-and-out creative dynamo. 

Signed to play No. 10, the linkage between former Fulham midfielder Wayne Brown, Vargas and striker Roy O’Donovan will be vital to the Jets success. 

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Indeed, it provides a tantalising prospect of the partnerships that could invoke an exciting style of play under the play-to-win desire of Ernie Merrick.

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In the 2016/17 season, the Jets notched just five wins from 27 matches in the A-League. 

A woeful record, really. 

Surprisingly, when they did win; they scored goals. Not once did they win scoring just one goal.

But when they lost, they lost big. Only once in their 15 defeats was it just a single goal they had scored against them. 

The fix? You ask.

With O’Donovan and Vargas ready to add the goals, and Topor-Stanley ready to sure up the defence with Boogaard, there is no reason why the Jets shouldn’t be aiming for the finals if they can remain injury-free.

POLARISING FIGURE: Former Mariners' striker Roy O'Donovan will be in the spotlight this season. Photo: Newcastle Jets

The turnover in players at the club, a fresh outlook, and a successful, confidence-boosting preseason have them locked and loaded for an effective campaign. 

A minimum of 12 wins – just over double what they achieved last season and one more than third-placed Melbourne City in 2016/17 – should be the target. 

It’s bold, but so it should be. 

For a club that has not made the post-season for what’s becoming close to a decade, they must play without fear or in awe of anyone. 

With three home games inside the first five rounds, including an opening-round derby away to the Mariners, by early November it should be clear which way the Jets’ season is headed.   

Perhaps they could have even amassed the perfect start. 

Is four of those targeted 12 wins too audacious? 

SEASON PREDICTION: Fourth. 

Leicester City's dream won't end in Madrid.

I am not a Leicester City Football Club fan, but I have followed their run from relegation survivors to Premier League champions like a hawk hovering its prey. I haven’t been able to take my eyes off them for a number of reasons; their underdog tag, their battler archetype, and their fighting grind. But when they face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final, the Foxes’ dream is finally at risk of coming to an end. 

Christian Fuchs celebrates the Foxes win over Sevilla.

Leicester’s decisive midfielder and last season’s Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year, Riyad Mahrez, suggested late last week that winning the Champions League was ‘impossible’. A fair suggestion given the clubs’ they would have to surpass to even get to the final. 

With Atletico their next hurdle, Leicester would be looking at tackling the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Juventus, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, or Real Madrid should they move past the quarter-final stage. 

While Mahrez has no doubt played down his side’s chances of even progressing to the final four, he did pay recognition to what his side are capable of on their day. 

"We're capable of the best and the worst. We won the league last year when no-one believed in us, no-one expected us. This season, we're in the quarter-finals even though we're 14th, 15th in the Premier League,” the Algerian told SFR Sport. 

“We're a crazy team, we can do everything. We're capable of going I don't know where.”

It’s been just one month since the Leicester City owners made the difficult decision to cut ties with manager Claudio Ranieri following a shocking run of results. Down and out in 16^th place on the Premier League ladder, the Foxes had not won a League game since New Year’s Day; were barrelled out of the FA Cup against Millwall; and had just lost 2-1 away to Sevilla in the Champions League. 

A tremendously bold decision by the King Power hierarchy given the sentiment surrounding their 133-year wait for a title, but one that has now been vindicated. The Foxes have won all four matches since assistant Craig Shakespeare took over, and importantly, seem to have their mojo back. You know; that fearless fight, relentless aspiration, and never-say-die attitude. 

Against Sevilla, before Claudio Ranieri was sacked, something happened at halftime that led to Leicester returning more determined than they’d played all year. Jamie Vardy looked like the greyhound chasing a hare he can be when pressing the ball; and crucially, he broke a goal-scoring drought, providing much-needed confidence to himself and handing the Foxes a vital away goal. In the stands high above the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, Vardy’s goal also gave 2,500 travelling Leicester fans some hope. And that’s all they needed. 

Two weeks later when Sevilla arrived to the King Power Stadium in Leicester for the return leg, it was evident the fans had their mojo back. The atmosphere was labelled the best of the year, the players played like the team of old, two goals were put in the back of the net, and a quarter-final birth was secured. The King Power Stadium was buzzing. 

Leicester player celebrate after progressing to the Champions League final 8.

Following that night in Sevilla and with Ranieri sacked just a couple of days after, Leicester have gone on to embarrass Liverpool, put three through Hull and edge past West Ham. Furthermore, they’ve had seven different goal scorers across their four games. Vardy & Mahrez have also scored more than once, proving their attacking threat has resumed. 

Both actually look like themselves again; Vardy up to his usual antics of getting penalties and people sent off, Mahrez twisting and turning players inside out like a washing machine. The influence of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel can not be undersold either, his performances over the last month have been nothing short of brilliant.

So when Leicester return from the international break to take on Stoke, Sunderland and Everton before they head to Vicente Calderón Stadium to take on Atletico in the Champions League, will they keep their form alive? 

The Vicente Calderón Stadium - No easy place to play.

If they can, they remain a realistic chance of keeping the dream alive. While Mahrez gave a grim outlook of their chances, make no mistake – Leicester can get past Atletico if they want to. It will come down to their desire, their belief and whether they refuse to give up. 

The Champions League is a knockout competition and teams can falter in a game and be out the back door the next. If Leicester turn up in Spain ready for a fight, anything could happen. Impossible is only a suggestion until it’s done, just like 5000-to-1 right? 

Bring on Thursday April 13, because the dream’s not dead.  

Foxes Never Quit.

Foxes Must Take Fearless Fight to Sevilla

Leicester City Football Club are again on the verge of creating world sporting history. Although this time it will be for acheiving the most amazing fall from grace ever. Premier League champions and unstoppable just under a year ago, to sitting two points outside relegation and unable to stop a slide so slippery even Claudio Ranieri’s tinkering can’t put a halt to.

Where has LCFC's spirit gone this season?

Having lost seven games out of their last 12 games in all competitions, and only won three from that same number, Leicester have dropped from sitting comfortably inside the Premier League top ten, to 16^th position and facing the likelihood of relegation. They were also cheaply knocked out of the FA Cup over the weekend by League One side Millwall.

Tonight, they head into the final 16 of the UEFA Champions League against Sevilla FC at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium. While the Champions League has been a happy hunting ground for The Foxes, having topped their group and conceded only one goal in six games, their opponents in Spain present a formidable challenge.

What awaits the Foxes in Sevilla, Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium

Sevilla sit third on the La Liga ladder, having won 15 from 23 games and lost only four. They have developed further under new Argentinean coach Jorge Sampaoli this season and look well-placed to achieve their best La Liga finish in over a decade. Basically, they are in red-hot form.

Further compounding the difficulty of the task on Leicester’s hands is the fact Sevilla have form in big matches. Brilliant form, in fact. Europa League champions for the last three years running, Sevilla are used to playing under the bright lights and know how to strike and make it count.

The Foxes only have to look at how Liverpool were destroyed in the Europa League Final in Basel, Switzerland last year. Up by a goal after just 35 minutes, Liverpool looked set to go on and take the title that they had been building towards with some impressive victories throughout the tournament. The Reds knocked off Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and Villareal before making the final and were carrying serious momentum. Sevilla had other ideas though, and cut Liverpool to pieces in the second half to take the title 3-1 winners.

So with Leicester competing so poorly in recent times, do they have any chance against SFC? The odds would suggest not.

Around 42,500 fans will cram into the Nervión ground tonight, and around 40,000 of them will be wearing red, white and yellow. Crucially, however, about 2,500 will not be.

Foxes' fans at Etihad Stadium against Manchester City in 2016.

And that is wear Leicester City must draw their inspiration from tonight. They can look at nothing else. Two-and-a-half-thousand’ of their fans will have made a 23-hour drive, 30-hour train trip, or 3-hour flight from the East Midlands to Spain, and they will be going there carrying something Claudio Ranieri’s side hast lost this season. Something they built their history-making campaign on last season – Fearlessness.

The fans carry belief. They carry hope. They carry determination. They carry the flag of the Fox. They carry what the players so desperately need to regain; a fighting spirit.

Not since their relegation escape of 2014/15 have Leicester’s backs been more up against the wall. Not since their dreams of 2015/16 became a chance have they needed to step-up to the plate more.

That is why Claudio Ranieri must ‘roll the dice’ in the south-west of Spain tonight and go all-out for a victory. Make no mistake, Leicester City cannot return to the King Power in three weeks with a goal deficit. A draw at least, will put them in prime position to push for the Champions League final 8, while a win could potentially inspire a late season survival charge.

Yes, Leicester lost their linchpin and in hindsight the key to their success in N'Golo Kanté at the start of this season, but he isn’t the reason they lost all the qualities that made them irresistible in 2015/16. That comes from within; within the team and within each individual.

Can Leicester recapture the spirit that led them to a maiden Premier League title?

Spearheading that group of individuals is none other than Jamie Vardy. His work ethic and determination tonight will be a signifier of what the team’s mentality and approach is.

"Anything short of a ruthless, greyhound-like effort from Vardy in Spain tonight will be unacceptable."

He optimizes the fight in The Foxes, and he, along with the rest of the team, owe a barnstorming and committed performance to those 2,500 fans at the ground tonight. They must have a take-no-prisoners approach, they’re not in Sevilla to make friends.

The odds are against them, but they were against them once before too.

2016: The Sporting Review

One year, 12 months, 366 days. What an incredible year in sport. Insane, even. 

2016 captivated the imagination of sports fans around the world. Drought-breaking, underdog, and resilient tales of success echoed around the globe’s codes and competitions. The constant theme uniting them all has been the ending of historic and long-held losing streaks. There’s never been a time like it. 

Consider that in just the four major American sports alone, two teams broke a combined 154 years of title droughts (MLB – Chicago Cubs, 108 years; NBA – Cleveland Cavaliers, 46 years). 

Across the Atlantic, Leicester rode football’s most unlikely fairy tale at yes, the odds of 5000 to 1. A feat as unlikely to occur again as it ever was in the first place. 

Champions of England, Leicester City.

Closer to home, the Western Bulldogs ended a 62-year wait in the AFL, while in the NRL, Cronulla finally turned off the porch light after 49 years in the competition. Both Australian premierships doing wonders for the rusted-on and long-serving fans of the game. 

On the international scene, the Rio Olympic Games came and went without the much anticipated fuss the world thought the first South-American location would bring. Star of the show Usain Bolt completed a trio of victories in the Men’s 100m, 200m, and 4 x 100m relays to claim all three gold medals for the third Olympics in a row.

Just sit back for a minute and reflect on what that represents in the context of historic places in sport. What a moment in time. While there are many champions and phenomenal achievements this year, it is impossible to not hand Bolt the title of sportsperson of the year. 

Bolt first, daylight second.

Moving back to team games, and specifically to Euro 2016 football championships. The surprising efforts of minnow nations Wales and Iceland surpassed any of the big-guns who simply didn’t fire. Wales, backed by an enduring team-spirit to honor their late manager and a group of players who thrived on their national pride, took themselves to the semi-finals after topping their group through sheer commitment and will, along with the right-foot of Gareth Bale. 

But they eventually ran into Bale’s teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who led Portugal all the way to the final. There they faced France, winning in the most bizarre fashion after Ronaldo limped off early into the game, leaving the world’s best player unable to captain his side to a victory from the field. But, taking it in their stride, Portugal threw off the one-man team perception of them, coming away with a 1-nil extra-time win. Their first major tournament win ever. 

The NRL proved once again, that it is the media’s gift that just keeps on giving, with more scandals, controversies and unpredictable events than ever before. The year began with Mitchell Pearce enjoying Australia Day with a feline friend, moved to Parramatta showing they are the most-dysfunctional club in history, and a betting scandal unfolding that put every Tom, Dick and Harry at the center of. 

It is truly hard to believe sometimes how this sport continues to roll-on through everything uppercut it gives itself. By the end of the season though, the soap-opera somehow always seems to have its football push all the negatives to the side. 

The Robbie Farah farewell, Jarryd Hayne’s return that came with the ‘This is my house’ match-winning field goal, Dane Gagai’s Origin hat-trick, Ricky’s Raiders bringing new Glory Days to Canberra along with their spine-tingling Viking Clap, Penrith’s emergence as the best young-side in the comp, Melbourne’s everlasting and assured success deep into September, and last but not least, Cronulla’s Grand Final victory.

The Sharks celebrate after Ben Barba opens the scoring in the 2016 NRL Grand Final.

In sport, they say there is no better story than a comeback story, and if Cronulla’s meteoric rise to the competition’s highest rank isn’t the comeback of the year, then I’m Miles Davis. Just Two years after going through a near club-destroying drugs scandal, Shane Flanagan and the Sharks fought off their rivals to have the best season in the club’s history. It was their time to win it, but it certainly wasn’t easy. 

They almost lost Ben Barba after a mid-year punch up against Sosaia Feki, could have been without Andrew Fifita following his run-in with public criticism, and had to win in Canberra without inspirational skipper Paul Gallen. 

But the two people that brought the Sharks the stability and steadiness they needed to go to the next level were Michael Ennis and Lyall Gorman. Ennis, the side’s hooker provided the competitiveness, confidence, and guidance the team so desperately lacked. In Gorman, the club’s CEO, the Sharks became a club that looked, acted, and smelt-like a professional organisation. 

Congratulations Cronulla, comeback of the year.  

Despite all the crazy triumphs that 2016 brought, there was nothing that brought world sport to the ground more than Leicester City’s English Premier League title win. Every week, every game, every goal, every moment, fans road Leicester’s journey from the start to the end. 

Their success did more for football and the business that sport has become than anything else in the past decade. It gave hope, to every team, coach, player and fan out there, that sport is still a game. 

It can still be won against the odds. No matter the price-tag or the cost of an opposing line-up; hard-work, grit, determination, teamwork, togetherness, fearlessness, and a fighting spirit can still produce a miracle. And that is exactly what Leicester City’s 2016 win was, a sporting miracle. 

Could there ever have been a more wild ride as a fan than the Foxes journey?

A 132-year wait for a title conquest that was built on everything described, and an unbreakable amount of belief combined with a momentum and resilience never seen before. Foxes Never Quit. 

Sports team of the year, Leicester City Football Club.

What a twelve months, what a time to be alive.

Long live the year of the drought-breakers.

But bring on 2017!

Premier League State of Affairs: LIVERPOOL

The Reds find themselves top of the league after 11 rounds of the Premier League, in a place that looked virtually impossible just 12 months ago.

Sadio Mane is Liverpool's top Premier League goalscorer, with six in ten appearances. 
(Photo: Sky Sports)

It’s hard to believe the transformation and evolution of the playing group since Jurgen Klopp took over in October, 2015.

But for those who witnessed the German sprinkle his magic over Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund earlier in his career, maybe Liverpool’s improvement is no surprise at all.

Over the course of last season, Klopp helped restore the Liverpool squad’s confidence in themselves. He set new standards and raised the side’s expectations, with the influence eventually taking them to – two – cup finals.

In his first preseason at the club in July, 2016, he took them on what has become a standard international trip across two continents, building both fitness and camradery.

Crucially, during this time he made the astute signings of Sadio Mane from Southampton, and Georginio Wijnaldum from Newcastle United. Both additions came almost as a surprise to the wider, outside stakeholders, but have provided depth and improvement in much-needed areas.

Klopp didn’t exactly plug the gaps in the side’s holes considering he resisted the urge to sign a left back and utilised what he had on hand, but he made calculated decisions.

While putting faith in the majority of the squad he had might have been considered a gamble by some, the add-ons have installed a healthy competition for places in the starting team.

The fact that striker Daniel Sturridge, who was not long ago considered Liverpool’s best player, cannot hold down a place in Klopp’s favoured XI is a telling sign of how far the Reds have come.

But how far they can go will be an exciting journey to watch unfold. While matching the breathtaking brilliance and deadliness of the Brendon Rodgers’ Luis Suarez-led side of 2013-14 would be tough, Klopp’s side is beginning to open up sides and tear them apart.

Of course, no title is ever won in November, and whether the weight and long held expectations of winning a maiden Premier League title burdens their chances remains to be seen.

In recent weeks, Klopp has been pouring cold water on any title-winning talk, attempting to douse any false pretences that could develop amongst his players.

He knows, no title is secured until it’s all said and done. Liverpool fans should also know this better than any.

But it’s clear this Klopp-guided team is a legitimate chance at winning some silverware this season.

If they can keep their momentum going, Liverpool could do anything this season.

As they say: you’ve got to lose one, to win one.

Last season, Liverpool lost two.

Prediction: Close, very close.