We don’t agree on much but I agree with you here. This is a known problem - they need to have an answer for the seasons start. 

The defence is average and will get exposed this season. Robbie Fowlers park the bus tactics made it look like the defence was good. This season under Moon the team will be more expansive therefore exposing the average defence. On the flip side, the team will score more goals. Will be much better for the neutral.

The defence wasn’t average nor was it built around ‘park the bus’ (at least not according to the stats). But the problem is Neville has left so 1/3rd of the back three has gone and that’s huge - 

I can’t see Moon sticking with a back three so it’s probably all a moot point anyway as we’ll have a new defensive system compared to Robbie. 

Looking forward to your ladder prediction for the Roar again this season after your great calls last season :)  

I dont know about that. I rate Aldred highly as an organiser at the back and i think Gillesphie will look better in a 4 at the back system. then we have JCP who i think has the makings of a star player. brown and hingert are weak points but have proven to be more than serviceable in a championship winning team so i dont see how they are an average defensive line. 

even when moon came in at the end of last season, playing a system that is not his preferred in a more open way he still averaged no more than 1 goal conceded a game. i think playing his preferred system even if it is more open we will have one of the better defences this season. 

Predicted them to come 6th, Which was reasonably close. I also predicted they would play some of the most boring football, which they did (Pre Moon)!

I have them 7th this year, ladder position wise, worse than last year, but footballing wise better than last year. 

If Moon is as expansive as I think he will be, Aldred and Gillepshey will be exposed.

  

They were the form side of 2020 and really only COVID stopped them finishing third because they never recovered their form. 

I'm going to be really annoyed if Brown gets the nod over JCP this season. 

So a top 4 finish is guaranteed ;)

It will be interesting to see if that fixture actually favors Roar. Those 3PM/4PM games in Jan/Feb/Mar could really prove difficult for travelling opposition. Summer in Brisbane during those normal 6/7pm games is less than ideal at the best of times, let alone at 3pm when the sun is still out.

😂

yeah going through the teams it is really hard to pick table spots. 8 new managers, lots of new players and a lowered salary cap. it is hard to benchmark teams. 

city and SFC are favourites for me, though SFC have not replaced ALF who is a 20 goal a season striker which could see them come unstuck and city have Kisnorbo taking his first mens team top job so could be a flop. 

of the other newbies (brebner, veart, garcia, milicic, moon, robinson and whoever the Jets get) milicic probably should do the best given his extensive background and extra cap space for the new team. 

CCM are experts at the lower cap so may actually do a bit better than spooners this season (and just beat wanderers in preseason). Jets apparently have Papas coming in as coach who could do wonders there if he gets in quick enough to get a preseason with the team.

I am going to pick Perth and Victory to be the strugglers this season simply because i dont know much about Brebner and Garcia as coaches but really a case can be made for any of the teams to do well or be spooners. 

It’s actually looking the most unpredictable season ever lol 

Except that Sydney will win the seat again.

I don’t think they will - unless they replace ALF 

with GoalGoal Mebrahtu!!!!

Fowler and Grant vs Brisbane Roar

Brisbane Roar lose the court case

https://amp.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/fowler-wins-fifa-unfair-dismissal-case-but-roar-still-claim-vindication-20201129-p56iwa.html

Seems both sides are happy. 

Betting agencies have Brisbane finishing 9th!

Betting agencies normally squeeze their predictions for Mel/Syd sides to lower odds for them (higher ladder position) and therefore manage their risk exposure. 

Interesting that Harry Sawyer is back trialing with us. Seemed to do well at Gold Coast, but not sure we need another "plucked from the NPL" striker on the books. 

Think Moon gave him his first-team debut at Peninsula Power, so he would know him quite well. For me personally: I think he's a very good NPL striker, just not sure on him as an A-League striker tbh. Did quite well in the Philippines and got regular football, but his time in Hong Kong was interrupted by injuries [according to Transfermarkt] and he ended up spending quite a bit of time on the bench in the end.

Might be a move that works out [if he signs], but I'd be hoping for someone a bit more proven if I was a Roar fan.

Below us are WSW,Bulls and CCM.
NJ just above us.
SFC,MC,WU,WP,PG,AU,MV,NJ.
MV and NJ’s have jumped us.

Is this the weakest Roar squad in ten years?

It’s hard to think of a weaker team for Roar.
Even when we finished down the bottom with JA ,the squad was much better.
Moon will have to extract the best possible performance from players just for us to be competitive.
If JoS and Macca get injured its basically an NPL team with some A League quality backs.
If we finish above midtable with this squad Moon will be a genius.

Most of the teams (except for Sydney and City) are in the same boat. Couple of injuries to 1 or 2 top line players and the team is done. (Case in point Perth without Castro during Covid were horrendous).

Apart from Jets and CCM, the top 2 or 3 players at each club are currently better than the top 2-3 at Brisbane.

All up to the coach.

A team on paper is irrelevant.

We have all seen great looking names play lousy football and weaker names shining.

I am quite happy to expect our team to do well until they show that they do not have what it takes. So far in pre-season we have had better results than some previous seasons (against Power specifically for one example). Unless the betting agencies are willing to give good odds on "Roar not coming 9th",they don't really have a strong feeling about it - just guessing like the rest of us with such untested teams all over the place.

Why look for doom and gloom and failure before a single ball is kicked in anger?

Roar to continue their strong building from last season, players who we know 'could' score getting their act together and hitting the back of the net regularly, and us improving on last season. Competition amongst our forwards based on scoring rather than being dropped for not scoring and top four finish possible rather than something we might scrape into.

Carn the Roar! Going to be a good season.

Perhaps this squad is on a par with the 2005/06 squad. I think every other squad since then has been better.

Maybe on an individual basis, but we have had some excellent squads that have turned in bad seasons so I have given up trying to predict how we will go without having seen the team play. Having said that, I think the first 11 has enough talent to be competitive, whether we have the depth to back that up is the real question.

I think there’s a bit of over-reaction going on here.