Qld Roar - season 2007/08 reviewed

Overall, Queensland Roar can view their 2007/2008 A-League season as a success. They finished 4th on the ladder during the regular season. Then, they ousted Sydney FC 2-0 in the home-and-away semi-finals. Next up was Newcastle Jets in the preliminary final, but lost 3-2 after extra time. Losing narrowly at the Jets' home ground was no disgrace. And it is of some consolation for the Roar that Newcastle Jets would then go on to beat Central Coast Mariners 3-2 in the grand final to become A-League champions for 2007/2008. Consolation in the sense that at least Roar lost to the eventual champions.

Qld's achievments must be regarded as remarkable, considering how ordinary they were in some of the home games during the early stage of the season. Readers of this blog would have noted how I ranted & raved every time Qld Roar put on a mediocre performance and/or achieve unimpressive results. That was the case early in the season, & it looked unlikely that Qld Roar would achieve a top 4 position. But all that changed in the middle of the season, where the Roar put on an unbeaten run to propel themselves up the table. Eventually, they achieved the playoff spot, & even entered the last game of the regular season with a chance of winning the A-League minor premiership, but crumbled in Adelaide to finish 4th when just any win would have been enough to secure the minor premiership. Then came the playoff games against Sydney FC & Newcastle Jets.

The season also saw coach Frank Farina introduce some talented youngsters into the first team, such as Robbie Kruse, Michael Zullo & Tahj Minniecon. These youngsters produced some impressive performances, which bodes well for Roar's future if Roar can keep them at the club. As I always believe, clubs must give talented youngsters a chance. You never know what you got unless you try them. Also, it should be noted that reserve goalkeeper Griffin McMaster did well in the 3 games he played as replacement for the other injured goalkeepers. Perhaps McMaster has a strong case for starting next season as Roar's first choice goalie.

While Roar's season was pretty satisfactory, I still think they need more firepower upfront. In some games, the lack of finishing power was all too apparent, & it was frustrating to watch. They will certainly need new recruits upfront, because strikers Reinaldo & Lynch have departed. Reinaldo has gone to a Korean club while Lynch has gone goodness knows where. So signing at least 2 decent strikers should be top of Roar's priorities.

Besides new forwards, Roar could also do with at least 1 commanding central midfielder. I would recommend that an approach be made to sign Jonas Salley, the Adelaide Utd midfielder who hails from Africa. He played very well & impressed me when Adelaide played Qld at Suncorp in the first game of the season. Qld also need at least 1 central defender, as Ognenovski has signed for Adelaide. He has had a good season for the Roar, & will be missed.

All in all, whatever people's perception of Qld Roar, I would like to say well done to the club for all that it has achieved this season. I hope they can go on to greater things in the new season. It will not be easy, but if they continue to develop & sign the right players to boost their squad, there is no reason why Qld Roar cannot finish in the top 4 again. Roll on season 2008/2009. And go the Roar!