I hope you are wrong but i tend to agree that we are too far into the NPL moneyball with not enough experience in the squad to get the rookies up to speed. However I dont agree that defence will be our problem. with Aldred, Neville, Hingert and brown we have a very experienced defensive line with only trewin (who looked more than capable last season) for them to coach. particularly with steinman in front of them we should be mostly ok defensively (unless there are bulk injuries at the same time). my worry is that with no recognised goal scorers we may end up losing a whole lot of games 1-0. 

I generally agree but we have a really good crop of youth players coming through at the moment, and no one knows how Jez Lofthouse has gone this long without signing for an A-League (or overseas) side, I think the overall balance is good between experienced players (Aldred, Neville, Hingert, Brown, Steinmann, O'Shea, Lescano, Mileusnic) with a lot of pro games under their belts and youth players.

The benefit of the shorter A-League season is that we don't need the depth of the normal European (or even Asian) team.

I still think we really need another centre back and a left back both as backup / squad players.

Some pacific football news - Tommy Semmy wasnt signed by the Jets, appears he has been signed by Altona Magic (yet to be announced). Ive heard murmurings that if Western United cant get their 5th and final visa over the line they make look to take Semmy on trial to see if he can do a job on a 3 month contract. 

Also Brian Kaltack needs to be seriously considered by the Phoenix now after Taylors retirement

Does anyone know where Daniel Bouman is playing this year?

Is he not at CCM? 

I've also noticed Jaden Casella is no longer there as well.

Casella is no longer there but I don't know what has happened to Bouman. I have not been able to find anything with regards to Bouman, leaving, resigning, under contract or moved on, its as if he never played at CCM. he is not on the CCM A- League website, he is not on the CMM WIkipedia team list or transfers and he is not on transfer market.

I removed him from the wiki page as he isn’t contracted by CCM anymore. 

Yeah and they surely need to bring TAHW back as well.

And while we are on the topic of OFC players, someone has to sign Raphael Lea’i. 

Pretty sure I read an article or articles about Jankovic, Casella and Pearce leaving/ being let go but I have heard nil about Bouman and assumed that he must still be at CMM chasing, trialing and or in negotiations for a contract.  I just haven't heard anything and was wondering if I had missed an article/announcement and if he is trialing somewhere else or just moved on.

Maybe worth checking the mariners forum 

Storm Roux has rejoined CCM.

Victory very close to signing Italian striker Margiotta, A League Hub.

Great signing for the aleague with Sturridge, we need some big names if the APL want to start its Independent era off to a great start.

Stefan Valentini is trialling at Glory.

Looks like Garcia is playing a 514 formation lol.

CCM have signed Yaren Sozer.

Ersan Gulum had signed for Preston Lions.

The Jets have signed Mario Arqués from Kelantan, a club in Malaysia's second tier. Previously played in the lower leagues of Spain, before spells in Ukraine, India, and Malaysia. Doesn't look like an impressive signing in the slightest, but he must've fit into their budget. Will be interesting to watch this season to see if he justifies his spot in the squad, or if he's a lower league journeyman just taking up a position.

EDIT: Al Hassan Toure has left Adelaide United. Any idea on where he's off to @sub007?

Macarthur.

Veart forcing yet another promising South Australian out of the club. Time to go Carl.

it's not as if he's replacing them with foreigners or non-SA players though. In attacking positions you have Halloran, Yengi, Mo Toure, Dukuly, Irankunda, Blackwood and Bernardo. 5 SA players in that lot. Al Hassan needs to play. Who else has he forced out in your eyes? 

Makes no sense for him to go to Macarthur tbh. He couldn't displace Tomi Juric last season, even with the injuries that Tomi suffered, and he only managed 4 starts in the end [subbed on 13 times] for 0 goal contributions. He looked so damn promising when he came through, but of the times that I saw him last season [which was only 5 or so times admittedly], I just wasn't impressed. His younger brother looks a real talent, and I can see him eventually earning a move to Europe in all honesty.

The club see Bernardo as a 10.

Dukuly and Irankunda are scholarship players and aren’t ready to play in the first team. That leaves only Yengi, Halloran, Goodwin and Blackwood.

Smith, Niyongaire and possible Nathan Konstandopoulos have been forced out.

Victory have signed Matt Bozinovski on a scholarship deal and have loaned him to Wellington

Niyongabire is talented but wasteful, and lacks composure in the final third. At 21 he is not considerably better than any of the younger wide players. Smith leaked goals. Bernardo played the FFA Cup game on the right and played a lot of the NPL season as a wide player cutting inside. 

Niyongabire isn’t the finished product but you have to remember that we literally have no depth out wide. Duluky isn’t remotely close to being ready while Irankunda is just 15 so yes he is absolutely a better option than those two.

Smith was impressive and the only natural left back at the club. 

That's the only one I have found genuinely upsetting. Genuinely pisses me off.

Sad to see Toure go but it IS true that his game time would have been limited this season so he is better off being somewhere that needs him.
It was obvious his little brother had moved ahead of him after his injury lay off.

We literally have no depth out wide. Macarthur have plenty. 

Aleksandar Prijovic has signed for Western United. On paper, that's another very solid signing for them. Would tip them to do well this season. 

Val reporting that a number of young South Australians are on the verge of moves to Europe.

Dom Costanzo is off to Italy, South Sudan international Kur Kur is off overseas as well as a another unnamed Adelaide City player.

This clip of him doing the rounds on twitter is absolutely hilarious.

https://twitter.com/yousef_878/status/1448814130580836355