Good move for everyone if Bozanic can secure the move - I wonder if the Vuck will get a transfer fee for him as he is still under contract?

In terms of next season and beyond, great. This season? One injury to Troisi, Valeri or Broxham and we're fucked.

Tbh, I'd rather take the hit now and have a clean slate next season. The Premiership is beyond us and I think even the Championship will be difficult to get. Besides, we've got a slew of DM's to cover the middle (Mahazi, Nigro, Baro and Georgievski have all played as DM's throughout their careers) whilst I think Troisi is nigh on impossible to replace at the moment anyway, even with Bozanic. Cut Bozanic loose now, tie down Troisi for a 2 year marquee deal and scour the globe for a quality visa player or two.

Email sent to members RE: North End shenanigans in Sydney

Melbourne Victory Football Club wishes to advise there was a serious incident near Allianz Stadium prior to our match against Sydney FC on Friday, March 3, which NSW Police are investigating.

As a club, we take great care in providing a safe environment for everyone that attends our games. We have also been consistent in our stance that anyone who behaves in an anti-social manner is quite simply not welcome at our games – home or away.

It has been confirmed that several people involved in the Sydney incident were known to the club, as they have been involved in similar indiscretions at other venues, both in Melbourne and interstate.

The club can confirm that many of the individuals involved in the Sydney incident, have also been disruptive and confrontational in the North End active area at different times throughout this season.

These individuals have now been banned from Melbourne Victory games.

To recap, after agreeing to minimum standards for 2016/17 at the beginning of the season, the previous North End leadership chose to disengage with the club, and we realise this has impacted coordinated support in the North End.

There has also been some intimidatory behaviour directed at those that have tried to coordinate support during the season. There is no place for confrontational behaviour in the North End, or any other area at our games for that matter.

Our active areas are a place for members to stand, chant and support in an active manner, and this is something the club will continue to support.

The club's immediate objective is to start the process of planning next season's North End active area now, to ensure all North End members are clear on the working model for 2017/18 and also have the chance to have input and be involved.

We have had a number of individuals come to the club with ideas for the North End active area over the past three months, which has been welcomed.

We are keen to hear more of these ideas and we encourage our North End members to share their thoughts by emailing activesupport@mvfc.com.au.

Following further feedback, we intend to bring together likeminded active members to steer the North End active area forward, with as much engagement from members as possible. This is something we will continue to keep members informed about.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the club.

yuck

According to Gatt, Rhys Williams might be in his way to us.

Would take him in a heartbeat tbh. Has been good after an extended run in Perth's team.

Would probably take up Troisi's current position within the cap, if Troisi is pushed into the marquee spot. Would be a good signing, can play in DM or CB so plenty of depth.

Could be the replacement for Milligan we've been looking for. Has gotten forward nicely for Perth in the last few weeks.

As in next season?

-PB

Watching all the slavs fight over Kosovo in the Berisha comment sections is quite funny to see. 

On that note, it's always interesting reading the comments on the ACL highlights videos that the AFC puts up after every match - even funnier with the broken English haha

'Korean dog eating scum'

'Arab #1 korean bad football the worst'

'Chinese lazy people, no good football champion team'

Went to the family  day today. Had a awesome time . Just forgot the brekkie they had on for the silver and gold members.

since us finishing 2nd is pretty much guaranteed, we have our 2018 acl spot unlocked... now since we are the biggest club in the land having won everything domestically in AUS it's really time to take our success continental and push for the ACL. i know these chinese teams have $$ behind them but if we keep our best players, and add a guest marquee we will be a chance, this is how we can do it:


BERISHA is becoming an aus citizen in october (just before the next season starts), which frees up another visa spot, FBK will most probably also depart too, that coupled with a few more offloadings and Bozanic leaving will allow us to make troisi aussie marquee, and give rojas more $$ under the cap if needed (KEEP OUR BEST PLAYERS)

From there we really push for a guest marquee, now if we can get someone like essien wouldn't that solve all our problems (with help from the FFA)

Then that will leave us with the following foreign visa players
ESSIEN
BARO
ROJAS
(ASIAN PLAYER, FOR +1 IN ACL) --> realistic targets listed below
AND ANOTHER CHEAP FOREIGN VISA PLAYER (not much room in the cap for expensive one)*wont get chosen for acl*

Here are some asian players we could be targeting for the ACL

Masato Morishige (japan) cb
StanislavAndreev (Uzbekistan) cb
IslomTukhtahujaev (Uzbekistan) cb
HotaruYamaguchi (japan) cdm
Kwak Tae-hwi (south korea) cb

This way we will have our side for the HAL/ ACL sorted from the season early on, they can all gel and we wont have to drop 2/5 players when it comes to acl time

thoughts?

Essien?

-PB

I'd love a Central Asian player at the club, simply for the #footballhipster cred it'd generate - not to mention the glorious mullet that the player would no doubt be sporting:

lol, looks like the type of guy who has just won the local grade crickets Player of the Year award

I doubt Essien would ever end up here - especially now he is in Indonesia. Just had a look at transfermarkt and here are some Central Midfielders that are coming off contract:

Yaya Toure (33) - Manchester City
Lucas Leiva (30) - Liverpool
Miguel Veloso (30) - Genoa
Daniele de Rossi (33) - Roma
Zoran Tosic (29) - CSKA Moscow
Lassana Diarra (32) - Free Agent

Out of all of those options, Toure and Lucas are probably the only ones who'd qualify for the guest marquee role (played in the EPL, speaks English and has a Twitter account). Diarra may also qualify because he has Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid on his resume as well as a decent Twitter following (400k+ followers), but doubt Joe Bogan would know of him (which of course is the only metric FFA HQ cares about). de Rossi seems likes the sort of bloke who'd rather die than play for any other club than Roma, so he's a very long shot. Veloso and Tosic I remember as decent players and would probably kill it in the A-League and ACL, but again I'm not sure if we could persuade them enough to come across the other side of the planet.

Troisi to re-sign under the cap now? :pray: 

A-League semi final weekend venue availability for Melbourne Victory,

Etihad Stadium – Melbourne Victory v Melbourne City OR Perth Glory:
Friday April 28th – available
Saturday April 29th – unavailable due to AFL commitments
Sunday April 30th – unavailable due to AFL commitments

Etihad Stadium – Melbourne Victory v Brisbane Roar OR Western Sydney Wanderers:
Friday April 28th – unavailable due to AFC Champions League commitments for both Brisbane Roar and Western Sydney Wanderers in Thailand and Japan on Wednesday April 26th
Saturday April 29th – unavailable due to AFL commitments
Sunday April 30th – unavailable due to AFL commitments

AAMI Park – Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory:
Friday April 28th – available
Saturday April 29th – available
Sunday April 30th – available

AAMI Park – Melbourne Victory v Brisbane Roar OR Western Sydney Wanderers:
Friday April 28th – unavailable due to AFC Champions League commitments for both Brisbane Roar and Western Sydney Wanderers in Thailand and Japan on Wednesday April 26th
Saturday April 29th – available
Sunday April 30th – available

Wanderers @Aami on a Saturday night please and thank you.

Nice.

His round down the pub

Pity the Arabs that owe him the $$ will certainly be less willing to throw it out like the one in the gif.

we can't play the WSW in the semi final if they finish 6th

Melb derby for semi final incoming. 

Victory future 'might not be possible' without marquee contract - Troisi

James Troisi celebrates scoring for Melbourne Victory.
James Troisi's excellent season with the Victory has lifted the midfielder back into Soccroos contention.
James Troisi is hopeful a marquee contract offer from Melbourne Victory is forthcoming because he doesn't want to make another "gamble" in his on-again, off-again career.

The 28-year-old is back in the Socceroos fold for the first time since the 2015 Asian Cup final and in contention to replace the injured Tom Rogic in midfield for Thursday's crucial World Cup qualifier against Iraq.

He is also keeping a close eye on matters back home following the sale of Oliver Bozanic to J-League club Ventforet Kofu, which went through just before he left Melbourne to link up with the squad in Tehran.

Bozanic's move has freed up a marquee spot at Victory, and it is expected they will use it to re-sign Troisi, who is out of contract in May and attracting strong interest from abroad and from other A-League clubs.

However, Troisi is mindful of how being "stuffed around" by clubs in Saudi Arabia and China halted his progress as a player and saw him drop off the international radar.

"At this point in time in my career I wouldn't like to take a gamble," Troisi told AAP.

"For me, sometimes going back to Europe is a little bit of a gamble.

"But if a good offer comes -- the whole package, your football, your money ... you never know what options you're going to have.

"The most important thing is for me to be playing and happy.

"I could say I want to stay at Victory but if I don't get offered that [marquee] position it might not be possible.

"I haven't heard anything yet. They have the power to do that now, so I guess we'll wait and see how they approach it."

The last time Troisi wore green and gold in a competitive match he scored the decisive goal in Australia's 2-1 triumph over South Korea in the Asian Cup decider.

More than two years on Troisi admits he is clueless as to how he fits into coach Ange Postecoglou's plans, although his ability to also play out wide and up front offers flexibility.

"Obviously it's been a long time but that's how football is," he said.

"You've just got to keep focus, keep working hard and that's what I've done.

"I've been a big part of what we've created and I'm still pretty young -- young enough for there to be a lot more to come."

http://www.espnfc.com/melbourne-victory/story/3086882/james-troisi-staying-with-victory-might-not-be-possible-without-marquee-contract

He'll be 29 at the start of next season, so I'm comfortable with him being offered a two year marquee deal with the option for a third if both parties are happy. It's clear his influence on the side is incredible, so lets lock him down.

And to be honest he wasn't in the Roos fold overseas yet here in Oz he is.

That alone should tell him something.

Aka, play here, keep your name in the NT frame, cash in to China when you're 32+

-PB

I also think that Bes will come off his marquee contract at the end of next season (the end of his current contract) and come within the cap, which gives us that marquee spot to go big on a foreign player.

Berisha will go to China once the citizenship comes through.