Playing Nepean at Cook Park, St Marys next Wednesday.

Wanderers will be ready, vows Popovic
TIME might be against him but Tony Popovic is sticking firm to his pledge to mould the Western Sydney Wanderers into a team capable of playing attractive football and, just as importantly, winning football.

The Wanderers play their first match of any description against Nepean FC on Wednesday night at Cook Park in St Marys but with just nine players signed, it will be a significant challenge for Popovic to stamp his possession-based strategy on the squad before the season starts in October.

However, the former Sydney FC assistant coach went on the front foot yesterday to affirm he wouldn't be making allowances for himself or his team, saying they will be ready to fire from the first match.

"You can look at every little excuse and say you haven't got this or you haven't got that, you started late - we can just go on and on about this but you won't hear me using excuses about why we haven't got a team together," he said. "Come October 6, when that first game comes against Central Coast, we'll be ready and prepared."

The club has made public its desire to "play football" - that being an euphemism for a passing game - and while such a strategy takes months to master even with a full squad, Popovic is putting his pupils on an accelerated learning curve.

"It is difficult and for some of these [triallists], it's their first session today and we want to instill something in them," he said. "It's foreign to them to be under that kind of intensity and that pressure but you try and give them more than one session [to adapt]. You give the boys a week or two if you can and see whether they can progress or weather they improve.

"We want to move the ball quickly, we want to be a team that plays quick. For that, you need to have the ball as well and we're taking small steps forward but we're trying to instill the trialists with the right habits in case they do sign."
The Wanderers have raised some eyebrows in not moving faster to sign players - especially with the season due to kick off a little over two months' time - but there's no panic from the coaches or administration.

"There are time constraints. You'd love to have a squad ready now but we knew it was a process that would take time and this first game will give a lot of these trialists an opportunity," Popovic said. "We're bringing different players in constantly, we're watching the state leagues every weekend and the boys that are playing well are getting rewarded, and we've signed a few players to youth league contracts [Stjepan Paric, Daniel Barac and Zac Elrich]. We're constantly looking for that rough diamond that can make a difference and we'll keep doing that until we finalise the squad."

Popovic insisted it was entirely "my decision" not to be too hasty in signing players.
"It would be quite easy to get 20 players. Anyone could do that and then sit back and say 'I've got my squad and off we go' but I'm taking my time with it and I want to be as sure I can be with the players that are available," he said. "It gives you less time to get the squad together and to gel but it's a long pre-season and if I've got my squad together by the end of August, or close to it, that will leave us five or six weeks to get the team cohesive and ready for that first game."

However, Popovic did admit it was proving a problem to come across the right players for his chosen system.
"Finding players is difficult, finding the right player, at the right price, who is available wants to come here is even more difficult," he said. "But there are choices and we will find the right players."
But perhaps the coach's most important signing is his right-hand man, Ante Milicic, who assumes the assistant's role on Monday after being held back by Melbourne Heart from leaving until now.
"That's another step towards creating the coaching staff, the backroom staff that we want," Popovic said. "He's another piece of the puzzle."

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/football/wanderers-will-be-ready-vows-popovic-20120719-22cq1.html#ixzz213iCYF23

Mark Bridge enjoying change of scene at Western Sydney Wanderers
IT wasn't hard to see how hard Mark Bridge had been worked by his new head coach, dripping with sweat on a chilly July day.

But the former Olyroo striker admits that Tony Popovic's work ethic is the best regime he could have after a stalled two years at Sydney since his goal in the grand final of 2010 that led to the Sky Blues winning the double.

One of Popovic's first signings at the nascent West Sydney Wanderers, Bridge admits he has much to prove as the A-League's new club heads towards its first season.

"It might sound a bit corny but I feel mentally refreshed, going to a different place every day and training with new players," Bridge said.

"I got into a bit of a rut with Sydney FC, my performances were lacking the past couple of years and there were injuries too.

"Mentally I wasn't all there as everyone knew. Hopefully this is the right move and it kick starts my career again.
"I've been very fortunate to play with Poppa, have him as assistant and now head coach, and also play with (assistant coach) Ante Milicic at Parramatta Power. Everyone knows they are very hands on and very professional, don't accept anything less than the best."
http://www.news.com.au/sport/soccer/bridge-is-happy-to-graft/story-fndkzvnd-1226430424641

ANZ Stadium is well utilised during winter with the NRL Charity Shield, all Bulldogs home games, 10 Souths home games, 2 Parramatta home games (against the Bulldogs and Souths), a finals game each weekend including the Grand Final, 1 or 2 State of Origin games, the two big SuperRugby games against the Reds and the Brumbies, 3 AFL games each year, 1 Bledisloe Cup game each year and at least 1 Socceroos game each year. That covers nearly 8 months of the year quite well. Over December and January the Big Bash takes centre stage for at least 5 games plus any finals. That really only leaves October, November and up to 5 weeks in January/Februray clear for the A-league unless they drop pitches in and out during the BigBash which is highly unlikely. I can't see how ANZ could possibly be the Wanderers home ground for more than a handful of games. I could understand ANZ really pushing for that number of games but if they are pushing for the whole season it would be a huge surprise. Centre wickets and football just don't go. The ground capacity is way to big and the atmosphere unacceptable for all but possibly a couple of derbies anyway.

My sources tell me ANZ want 2 games.

Unfortunetly that has always been the case. The worst thing is the most important game for us being the derby will most likely be the two games played at ANZ Stadium.
There was to be three games before adding Melbourne Victory because of Kewell but im sure that wont happen with him leaving.

Wanderers set out on epic journey

24 July 2012-SBS: Philip Micallef

Western Sydney Wanderers makes its long-awaited playing debut in a trial match against Nepean at St Marys on Wednesday night.

It's only a glorified kick-about designed essentially to introduce Sydney's second A-League team to its fan base at suburban Cook Park.


But it's a little A-League history in the making.

After so many public forums and club statements of intent and a level of goodwill and anticipation not seen in Sydney since the start of the A-League in 2005, the Wanderers finally will get down to business in their red and black hoops.

They will use the trial against the New South Wales fourth-tier side to pass the rule on several triallists who are hoping to join the nine contracted players on the new club's roster.

Coach Tony Popovic is expected to give all his contracted players a run in the club's historic first match.

They are goalkeeper Ante Covic, defenders Tarek Elrich, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Michael Beauchamp and Shannon Cole, midfielder Aaron Mooy and strikers Mark Bridge, Labinot Haliti and Kwabena Appiah-Kubi.

Defender Topor-Stanley said that the whole playing group was looking forward to being part of a special event.

"We all feel we will be part of history," Topor-Stanley said.

"Western Sydney is the heartland of football in NSW and has been dreaming of its own team for a long time.

"The match versus Nepean will be a special moment because this is the first game for the Western Sydney franchise.

"And it is good that we are playing in the western Sydney area in front of what we hope will be our future home crowd.

"This is something we have all been looking forward to for the last few weeks."

Topor-Stanley, who joined the club after spending three successful seasons at Newcastle Jets, is expected to figure prominently in a defence that on paper is looking solid and experienced

He is expected to form a central defensive partnership with Beauchamp.

"It is looking good but we still have more than half the squad to fill up," he said.

"But the signs are right and it's all positive so far.

"We are still looking to build on it and we will use the opportunity of our first trial to set a standard for ourselves."

This season will be Popovic's baptism of fire as head coach of a professional club and Topor-Stanley said he liked what he saw in Poppa.

"He is very tough but fair," he said.

"It's very early in the piece but he comes across as very honest with you and he has the qualities we look for in a leader."

The trial match kicks off at 7.30pm.

The Wanderers' next trial is against Blacktown City at Lilly Homes Stadium on Wednesday 8 August.

They open their A-League account with a home match against Central Coast Mariners most probably at Parramatta Stadium on Saturday 6 October.

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1114132/Wanderers-set-out-on-epic-journey

Stay close to your news sources tomorrow just before lunchtime.

May I ask, why?

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Trialists from tonight:

Reece Caira

19 year old defender that is currently on the books of Aston Villa.

Link: http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/reece-caira/besondere-spiele/spieler_197786.html

all 13 home games to be played at Parra. NO ANZ!