Sweeping changes for Sky Blues as 2015/16 roster is announced

Sweeping changes for Sky Blues as 2015/16 roster is announced

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Last week saw Sydney FC release its player list for the 2015/16 season. There were plenty of eyebrows raised with quite a few notable exceptions, although Sky Blues fans should note that veteran coach Graham Arnold is meticulous about his decisions, and there are good reasons behind every name that is absent. 

As of June 3, 2015, Sydney’s roster is as follows:

  1. Sebastian Ryall
  2. Matthew Jurman
  3. Nikola Petkovic
  4. Shane Smeltz
  5. Christopher Naumoff
  6. Alex Brosque
  7. Alex Gersbach
  8. Terry Antonis
  9. Vedran Janjetovic
  10. Ali Abbas
  11. Rhyan Grant
  12. Aaron Calver
  13. Jacques Faty
  14. Mickael Tavares
  15. George Blackwood
  16. Anthony Bouzanis
  17. Andrew Hoole
  18. Brandon O’Neill

Ivan Necevski is gone, as is Pedj Bojic and Sasa Ognenovski. A long time servant of the club, on the surface, Necevski not being retained could simply be put down to not being able to guarantee him any playing time. That is hard to argue given the form Vedran Janjetovic. Bojic was released halfway through the season, being deemed surplus to requirements. Ognenovski will more than likely retire, especially given his ongoing hip injury which also ruled him for almost the entire 2014/15 season.

Corey Gamiero and Milos Dimitrijevic have also been released. According to some mainstream media, Gamiero is off to Melbourne City, while Dimitrijevic is thinking over other offers from rival A-League clubs before deciding his future. Sydney FC have offered Dimitrijevic a new deal and some argue they are sweating on his re-signing.

Bernie Ibini was only on loan and he has returned to his China. The rumour is that his club has accepted an offer from Belgium. Fans need to remember that it was always going to be tough to retain Ibini. Clubs can rarely afford the transfer fee, so you cannot feel anything but helpless as a fan in this situation. No doubt Arnold would have liked to retain him but like the fans, the ball was never in his court.

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The end has also come for Hagi Gligor, Peter Triantis and Nick Carle. It is difficult to be surprised at these three releases. Both Gligor and Triantis featured minimally, while Carle is more a victim of age catching up with him, especially given his knee reconstruction.

Marc Janko and Robert Stambolziev are the final players to appear on the list. Janko’s issues are not clear cut but if rumours are true, then the Austrian asked for too much money from the club. The A-League runners-up has learned from the Del Piero era and have applied a wage ceiling to the marquee budget. Meanwhile, Stambolziev was only recruited as an injury replacement player. He has been a great addition to squad, especially off the bench.

There are a lot of gaps that need to be filled with those departures. Arnold likes to have two players for each position and he has shown previously that he can unearth some gems from with the club (while he was at Central Coast) and from the transfer marker (Nick Montgomery, Mickael Tavares, Jacques Faty).

Remember, it is only early June. While there is always wheeling and dealing to be done, let Arnold and his team do what they do. They have proven in year one that they deserve the faith and patience. Let them continue to rebuild.

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