A League: Club by Club: Newcastle to Western Sydney

A League: Club by Club Guide: Adelaide – Melbourne

Here’s the lowdown on the second five A-League clubs to help you decide who you’re going to barrack for.

Newcastle Jets
Founded: 2000
Home Ground: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, New South Wales.
Capacity: 33,000
Record Attendance: 24, 338 v. Sydney, 2nd February, 2007.
Average Crowd 2017-18: 11,016
Coach: Ernie Merrick (Scottish) from 9th May, 2017.
Colours: Blue and red
Honours: Champions 2008, Runners up 2018
Players to watch: Ronald Vargas – Venezuelan forward whose first season last year was scoreless and blighted by injury is off the mark already and seeking to make amends; Jair – single-named, recently signed dynamic attacker from (yes, you’ve guessed it!) Brazil, with experience in Japan, Korea and UAE; Roy O’Donovan – this prolific Irish striker has 11 previous clubs and has meandered his way from Cork City through Scotland, England, Brunei, Indonesia and Central Coast Mariners before settling with the Jets in 2017.
Quirky fact: 1) Originally named United, but confusion with the English club led to the name change inspired by the local Royal Australian Air Force base. 2) Coach Ernie Merrick, with valid claims to be the best ever A-League coach, was born into a circus family, never played professional soccer and was a phys ed teacher.
Season so far: 2 draws and 2 narrow defeats sees them equal bottom.
Prediction: They will recover from their poor start but not enough to make the finals. 8th.
Next fixture: off to the state capital to play the Wanderers.

Perth Glory
Founded: 1995
Home Ground: Perth Oval
Capacity: 20,500
Record Attendance: 55,522 v. Chelsea, 23rd July, 2018 (Optus Stadium).
Average Crowd 2017-18: 9,186
Coach: Tony Popovic, from 11th May, 2018
Colours: Purple and white
Honours: Old National Soccer League Premiers 2000, 2002, 2004, Champions 2003, 2004. Only surviving NSL side (Jets and Roar are the others) to win honours. But the NSL powerhouse has won no honours in the A-League.
Players to watch: Jason Davidson – the erstwhile left back is being deployed as a wing back by Glory with devastating results for opposing teams; Diego Castro – one of the most accomplished A-League players for the last few seasons, the Spanish playmaker has been injured for the first 4 rounds but will want to make an impact when he gets his chance; Andy Keogh – the Irish classic centre forward noted for his holding play and ruthless poaching, became a polarising figure with his comment that Usain Bolt had “the first touch of a trampoline”.
Quirky fact: Since Luch Vladivostok’s relegation from the Russian Premier League in 2008, Glory’s Distance Derby with New Zealand-based Wellington Phoenix is the longest journey for a league game on the planet at 5,255km/3,265 miles.
Season so far: 3 wins and a draw, off to a flier, top on 10pts.
Prediction: Popovic to engineer drought relief in the silverware department with 1st in the ladder securing the title of Premiers, but losing out to Melbourne Victory in the Grand Final.
Next fixture: home to the Boltless Mariners. A chance to pull away from Sydney and/or Victory whose clash finishes just before kick off in Perth.

Perth are surprise leaders this early

Sydney FC
Founded: 2004
Home Ground: Allianz Stadium being rebuilt, currently at Sydney Cricket Ground until 2021.
Capacity: 45,500 & 48,000 respectively.
Record Attendance: 83,598 v. Chelsea, 2nd June 2015 (ANZ Stadium).
Average Crowd 2017-18: 14,953
Coach: Steve Corica (Australian) from 16th May, 2018.
Colours: Sky blue and navy blue.
Honours: Premiers 2010, 2017, 2018; Champions 2006, 2010, 2017; FFA Cup 2017.
Players to watch: Adam Le Fondre – a lethal English striker whose career highlights were scoring crucial goals in Reading’s promotion to the EPL and then scoring 14 goals during their EPL season. Will he fire in his first A-League season? Alex Brosque – a 200+ game striker with Sydney where he’s scored over 60 goals, is a Uruguyan Australian who, inspired by his parents’ hardship on arriving as immigrants, gives 1% of his income to Common Goal, the players’ charity; attack-minded right back Rhyan Grant has just come back from a year long layoff due to a torn ACL. A 10-season veteran with Sydney, he’s grown a mullet in the last year, but his performances have also been turning heads gaining his first Socceroo cap this week against Lebanon.
Quirky fact: Will be playing home games at 3 different grounds this season while their new stadium is being constructed, alternating between Sydney Cricket Ground, Leichhardt Oval and Jubilee Oval depending on expected crowds.
Season so far: Solid start sees them in second on 8 pts, 2pts behind leaders Glory.
Prediction: Their itinerant lifestyle this season will see them fail to reach last season’s heights, but they still have enough quality to finish 3rd in the ladder and reach the semi-finals.
Next fixture: entertain their great rivals Victory.

Wellington Phoenix
Founded: 2007
Home Ground: Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand.
Capacity: 34,500
Record Attendance: 32,792 v. Newcastle Jets, 7th March, 2010.
Average Crowd 2017-18: 5,694
Coach: Mark Rudan (Australian) from 30th May, 2018.
Colours: Yellow and black vertical stripes.
Honours: No major honours.
Players to watch: Steven Taylor – dependable English defender; Roy Krishna – striker and captain of Fijian national side; Alex Rufer – attacking midfielder and nephew of Oceania player of the century, Wynton Rufer.
Quirky fact: The Nix are part of a select group of clubs playing in the league of another country including giants AS Monaco, Cardiff City, Vancouver Whitecaps and Berwick Rangers.
Season so far: A tight home win against Newcastle flatter them in 7th place.
Prediction: Footballing and financial problems will prove difficult obstacles to overcome – 9th.
Next fixture: home to Adelaide.

Western Sydney Wanderers
Founded: 2011
Home Ground: Sydney Showground Stadium, Sydney, NSW (until Western Sydney Stadium is complete in 2019).
Capacity: 25,000 & 30,000 respectively.
Record Attendance: 61,880 v. Sydney FC, 8th October, 2016.
Average Crowd 2017-18: 11,924
Coach: Markus Babbel (German) from 19th May, 2018.
Colours: Red and black horizontal stripes.
Honours: Premiers 2013; Asian Champions 2014 (first Australian club to manage that feat in only their third season of existence).
Players to watch: Oriol Riera, the talented Catalan target man and former roommate of Lionel Messi during their time together in Barcelona’s La Masia youth football academy; Alexander Baumjohann – Babbel’s German import provides some Teutonic steel and ingenuity to the midfield; Roly Bonevacia – inventive Dutch winger’s ‘goal’ in the Sydney derby controversially chalked off after referee consulted VAR, prompting a reaction from coach Markus Babbel which earned him a red card. Babbel was sent off twice in a top-class playing career playing almost 500 games in the EPL and Bundesliga and had been sent off as a coach in his second game in the A-League.
Quirky fact: A club with a strong multi-cultural support. Community forums prior to formation determined club name, colours, culture and playing style.
Season so far: A hesitant start finds them mid-table.
Prediction: Like their city rivals stadium disruption may see them suffer, but coach Babbel should have the guile to steer a talented squad into the finals, with further progress seeming unlikely. 5th, eliminated early in finals series.
Next fixture: hosting a Jets side looking for their first win.

So who are you backing for A-League success this year and why? Is it with head, heart or both?