2017/18 Melbourne Victory Thread. We Are The Champions!!!!

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I’m not even mad that George’s agent is doing what he’s doing.
The guy tore up the league and the ACL.
He’s 31 and came from some backwater leagues so it’s not like he was racking in the cash before hand.
Of course the bloke will take the best offer presented, chances are he won’t get this opportunity again in his football career.
I’m pretty sure his family was still in Europe during the season so it’s not like his family was attached to the city or anything like that.

At the end of the day, if there was no salary cap I’m quiet certain the Vuck would’ve been able to sign him up mid season at a much better wage.

Anyway I’m trying to think of who we can sign as aussies moving forward, seems like our options are diminishing.

I don't really disagree with any of this.

His motivations are fine - but there's no reason to bag the club on the way out, especially when the club dispute his claim that he wasn't offered a (substantial) pay rise. Which the whispers that I've heard suggest to be true.

With all that said... even if he leaves, I could never hate him. "Pussy league" will go down among Aurelio Vidmar's "pissant town" in the folklore of A-League history :tearsofjoy:
 
WTF is going on? All I see in this thread is players and members dropping the club like a hot potatoe.

If George wants to **** off, he can **** off. The club gave him an opportunity and this is how he shows his appreciation. Yes he helped us win a trophy, but now the campaigner thinks he's Christiano Ronaldo. **** him. The club will always be bigger than the individual. Same applies to Berisha and his departure disappointed me the most. But just like Real Madrid will live on after Ronaldo, Melbourne Victory will live on after that fat campaigner and Betisha.

And to those in here who want to drop the club too, hang your heads in shame. Who cares where you live, your club is your club. Two things in life we never exchange, our offsprings and our football club. I moved to Melbourne in 2000 yet I have never stopped following Port Adelaide. So what if I am 750kms away from Alberton? I used to drive to Adelaide every second week to see them play at that craphole in Westlakes, I was driving 8 hours to get there. Admittedley I stopped going once I got married and had kids, but I have never stopped supporting them. It was drummed into me as a kid in Adelaide to kick a Vic, but yet Melbourne Victory is the club I dediced to invest my emotion and money into when the league formed, and I'm glad I did. I don't live anywhere near Liverpool but it has always been my EPL team. No matter where you live and where you've come from, if you get on board a club, you stick with them and ride the journey, good and bad. Otherwise take up the arts or something, but this is football, it is rivalry based.

Yes MV has annoyed the crap out of me with its treatment of certain fans at times. It did nothing about losing the best ASG in the league, but it's had the FFA, stadium management, the media and the police on its back since the NT became the NT. It was damned if it did, damned if it didn't. It was trying to keep all of its stakeholders happy, an impossibility in the football industry. But the club has also given me a lot of joy too. 7 trophies and 4 championships in 12 years. They must be doing something right. We have hit a bit of a rock bottom with the exodus, ironically as the current champions, but football is cyclical, before you know it we will be star studded again, you just gotta ride the bumps and when your team gets back up again, that's what makes it all worthwhile.

Seriously, people changing their minds about which football club to follow as if they were looking at a menu in a restuarant is as plastic as it gets.

MV TID

That is all.
 
Sydney closing in on George to rub salt in Victory’s wounds

The 31-year-old rejected a new $600,000-a-year offer from the A-League champions, with a $100,000-plus more from the Sky Blues looking set to win his signature in a multi-year deal.

And should George be wearing a Sydney shirt when the bitter rivals collide in Round 5 of the new season on November 25 in the Harbour City, traveling Victory fans are sure to give him a hot reception.

Also being heavily courted by Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City, George put up rocket up his old club when he told Dutch website Vice Sports of his disbelief at a finals format which allowed Victory to win the championship, despite finishing 23 points behind Premier’s Plate winning Sydney.

“With respect to the A-League, the level is not very high,” he said.

“In the regular season we ended up as number four with more than twenty points less than the number one.

“You can run a ‘p*ssy’ season in Australia and then still celebrate a championship.”

The further stoke the ire of ex-boss Kevin Muscat and the Victory establishment, George depicted his year in Melbourne as resembling life in a holiday resort, with football providing but a brief interlude between social engagements with hard-partying teammates.

He still managed nine goals and 14 assists to win plenty of admirers, and losing him to Sydney would be particularly galling for Victory and their fans.

In another bone of contention, George claims Victory offered him the same money to remain at AAMI Park, whilst the club insisted in a statement he had rejected “a substantially improved offer”.

It’s understood that Sydney tabled a formal offer two weeks back, and believe they have been able to out-bid the competition, whilst keeping George within the salary cap.

Sydney CEO Danny Townsend declined to comment when asked whether George’s future lay at Moore Park.

He is viewed as a ready-made replacement for departed Polish international and Johnny Warren medalist Adrian Mierzejewski.

And with Netherlands-based Sydney board member Han Berger a part of the club’s recruitment team, George may have extra incentive to opt for the Sky Blues.

Whilst Townsend would not be drawn directly on George, he said the club were reserving marquee status for a striker to replace their other high profile departure, 27-goal Brazilian Bobo.

“We have some major roles to fill,” he said. “It’s well documented that we tried to sign Fernando Torres but it wasn’t to be.”

The club have been linked with the likes of Peter Crouch, Jozy Altidore and Victor Anichebe, none of whom have been discussed, according to Townsend.

“I know who we’re talking to, and those names aren’t on the list,” he added.

“We looking at all options. Anything we can do to stimulate the league is critical.”

https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/sydney-closing-in-on-george-to-rub-salt-in-victory-s-wounds

**** him he wants to become a scum! fitting really because he's behaving like one.
 
Just on Leroy, the translation was incorrect with the "pussy season" comment. Think it was "sh*t season" which sounds nowhere near as good.

WTF is going on? All I see in this thread is players and members dropping the club like a hot potatoe.

If George wants to **** off, he can **** off. The club gave him an opportunity and this is how he shows his appreciation. Yes he helped us win a trophy, but now the campaigner thinks he's Christiano Ronaldo. **** him. The club will always be bigger than the individual. Same applies to Berisha and his departure disappointed me the most. But just like Real Madrid will live on after Ronaldo, Melbourne Victory will live on after that fat campaigner and Betisha.

And to those in here who want to drop the club too, hang your heads in shame. Who cares where you live, your club is your club. Two things in life we never exchange, our offsprings and our football club. I moved to Melbourne in 2000 yet I have never stopped following Port Adelaide. So what if I am 750kms away from Alberton? I used to drive to Adelaide every second week to see them play at that craphole in Westlakes, I was driving 8 hours to get there. Admittedley I stopped going once I got married and had kids, but I have never stopped supporting them. It was drummed into me as a kid in Adelaide to kick a Vic, but yet Melbourne Victory is the club I dediced to invest my emotion and money into when the league formed, and I'm glad I did. I don't live anywhere near Liverpool but it has always been my EPL team. No matter where you live and where you've come from, if you get on board a club, you stick with them and ride the journey, good and bad. Otherwise take up the arts or something, but this is football, it is rivalry based.

Yes MV has annoyed the crap out of me with its treatment of certain fans at times. It did nothing about losing the best ASG in the league, but it's had the FFA, stadium management, the media and the police on its back since the NT became the NT. It was damned if it did, damned if it didn't. It was trying to keep all of its stakeholders happy, an impossibility in the football industry. But the club has also given me a lot of joy too. 7 trophies and 4 championships in 12 years. They must be doing something right. We have hit a bit of a rock bottom with the exodus, ironically as the current champions, but football is cyclical, before you know it we will be star studded again, you just gotta ride the bumps and when your team gets back up again, that's what makes it all worthwhile.

Seriously, people changing their minds about which football club to follow as if they were looking at a menu in a restuarant is as plastic as it gets.

MV TID

That is all.

Agree with a lot of what you said but you also have to realise that it's a touch hypocritical to expect the fans to hang in there when the club doesn't even have the balls to do the same. If they really cared about the fans they would have told the FFA and stadium security to ease up. As the biggest club in the land they had the opportunity to do that. They penalised an entire supporter base because of the actions of half a dozen idiots.

The Etihad/Marvel arrangement is another thing that is hurting the club, once again, as the biggest club in the country shouldn't we have the balls to do things on our own terms? Whatever the financial agreement may be, I can't see it being overly beneficial financially to be there instead of selling out AAMI Park on a regular basis (even that we don't do now).

We, as a club and code, had a major difference to all other codes with active support. People would come to the city and go to games without even being football fans, this doesn't happen much anymore.

I will always be MV but until they start to listen to the fans more instead of FFA then people are going to continue to fall out of love with us. No offense to Central Coast or Phoenix but we are a massive club that needs to start acting like it. We don't need the FFA's help, they need ours.
 

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I think us winning the premiership has papered over a lot of issues within the club. I'm hearing that not all is well.
 
explain? are you referring to the off field stuff or on field? or both?

Winning champs when this is happening....watch out when there is some harmony in the group
From my understanding when we undertook the review of the football department prior to signing Kev on again there was some issues that stemmed from that. Some of the younger guys also apparently were getting frustrated at what they felt was Kevin favouring the older players when they were clearly not performing. I'm not going to pretend I have some inside info from someone high in the club so can be taken for what it's worth.

I'm sure all of us remember the Muscat Out time this year when we were not only playing horrible but some of the tactics and subs (or lack of) were mind boggling.
 
Some of the younger guys also apparently were getting frustrated at what they felt was Kevin favouring the older players when they were clearly not performing.

Can’t blame them on that front.
 
This may just have some legs not just rumors.
I don't want to get to excited just yet but wow what a coupe this will be! Just what the club needs.

Make it happen!

Victory driving bid to snare multi-million dollar Honda

Fresh from helping the Blue Samurai reach the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup, Honda - who turned 32 last month - has been in negotiations with FFA for six weeks over bringing his brand of brilliance Down Under.

Initial talks foundered over his salary expectations.

But it now seems that his agent and brother Hiroyuki has softened his stance and that a large chunk of the $3 million FFA marquee war chest provided by FoxSports could be lavished on Honda, with Victory also chipping in a significant sum.

The former CSKA Moscow and AC Milan attacking weapon announced his international retirement after Japan’s heart-breaking, last-gasp loss to Belgium in Russia.

They led 2-0 before succumbing 3-2 in injury time.

He scored his 37th goal in 98 appearances for his country against Senegal in the group stage and is the only Asian player to provide a goal and an assist in the last three World Cups.

Were Victory coach Kevin Muscat to seal his signature, it would go a long way to making up for the recent departures of Besart Berisha, Leroy George and Rhys Williams, and provide significant sponsorship potential from Japanese interests and could herald a spike in shirt sales both here and in Japan.

Still near the peak of his powers, Honda would be the competition’s most high-profile acquisition since Alessandro Del Piero.

Though he prefers to be deployed as a number ten, he can also play out wide and even as a lone striker.

His most recent assignment was with Mexican side Pachuca, where he scored 10 goals across 29 appearances.

A-League boss Greg O’Rourke, who has been overseeing the pursuit of Honda, said last month: “He is the one we really went after and we’re still talking to his management.

"We made a pitch and they came back with a larger number and we’re working through that.

"We won’t give up until he’s actually gone and signed with a team elsewhere.

"He’s been top of the player targets and these things can take time."

O’Rourke declined to comment when contacted by The World Game.

Muscat was also approached for comment.

However, an FFA spokesman said: “As policy we won’t comment until and unless deals are done.”

https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/victory-driving-bid-to-snare-multi-million-dollar-honda
 
From my understanding when we undertook the review of the football department prior to signing Kev on again there was some issues that stemmed from that. Some of the younger guys also apparently were getting frustrated at what they felt was Kevin favouring the older players when they were clearly not performing. I'm not going to pretend I have some inside info from someone high in the club so can be taken for what it's worth.

I'm sure all of us remember the Muscat Out time this year when we were not only playing horrible but some of the tactics and subs (or lack of) were mind boggling.

100% correct, can back you up on this. Younger players were confused on why they were dropped from the starting 11 after playing well without explanation.
 

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2017/18 Melbourne Victory Thread. We Are The Champions!!!!


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