Brisbane Roar FC - Rise of the Roar

@Griffo: Cheers mate, glad to see you're enjoying it

It was exactly a day after the press conference. I had just called up the players for a team meeting, it was time for me to make an impression on the players, to motivate them. I was busy wondering the change rooms when the walked down, I sat down and they gathered around. I took a deep breath, and then began.

Me: Well then boys. Most of you might already know me, but I’m here to introduce myself as new Brisbane Roar Head Coach.

I was surprised by the reaction. The seniors looked matured and professional but the youngsters who I coached previously began to whoop and clap, I almost blushed.

Julius Davies: Really pleased to have you on board gaffer! Really pleased to have you!

I let out a beaming smile. Julius was an incredibly bright talent whom I wanted to develop, I admired him and I’m happy that he admires me.

Me: Well then, thanks for the delighted response. I’m pleased to be able to coach you wonderful bunch of players.

I stopped for a response, after 30 seconds I continue

Me: Anyways, considering our class and ability, I believe we have what it takes to win the title this year.

The players looked up at me, delighted. The Captain of the team, Matt Smith, responds first, voice full of pride.

Matt: I believe those expectations are exactly right. We have what it takes to retain the title this year. So lets go boys!

The whole team whoops and cheers, the atmosphere is amazing and all the players look motivated.

Me: Well then! I think enough has been said, so let’s get into training!



I am very pleased with the effort all the players put into training. Someone who really caught my eye was Thomas Broich, the clubs star player. A fantastic player who really makes the play happen for the team, he will be vital in the clubs plans for the season.


In terms of the massive gap left in the striker position due to Berishas move to the Victory, I trialed some players in the position. Jean Carlo Solaranzo proved himself as a true striker, but he needed another striker up front to support him, so that’s what I will be looking for in the transfer market.


Julius Davies was the youngster that caught my eye. He showed flashes of brilliance in the exercises, and showed real potential. I will be giving him some playtime in the preseason, and throughout the season as well.


Another massive player for the club is Matt Mckay. A marquee player for the club, and an amazing player who will be a massive boost to the midfield and will form an amazing pairing with Broich, his dynamism throughout the pitch will prove vital.


The one position I am afraid of is goalkeeper. Our existing one, Micheal Theo is a great keeper, but we have no backup, no challenge for the position. The next best thing is Nicholas Tubbs, who still isn’t of the quality to play in A-League yet.

Good update, I hope McKay does well for you!

@Griffo: He's going to play a massive role in the clubs plans for the season, so I hope he does well as well

Some very good players Brisbane have! Hope you can finish 1st, good luck!

good update and good luck

@ASR-PSV: Thanks mate, I took to take advantage of the quality of players and I am confident we will be main title challengers

@walkinshaw: Cheers mate

good luck mate, as a brisbane roar fan myself ill be following

@toonman8589: Amazing to see another Roar fan at Fmscout! Hopefully we'll do well

In terms of transfers, I was aiming to bring in another striker to the team, to complement Solaranzo who really needed it and to add depth for the team. I didn't want to add much to other positions, so I decided to scout players in english leagues who can come for loan, and looked towards free agent, due to Melbourne Heat (Now Melbourne City) releasing all it's players.


As I said, I would look more to loans and free agents. I was really pleased to have signed Beto, who adds depth, is an adept finisher in the box and has experience. He will work well with Solaranzo upfront.


Another really pleasing capture of free transfer was Aaron Moy. A really good player, with huge potential to fill, I hope he will replace Thomas Broich when he eventually decays. He was part of the group of players the Melbourne City let go.


I also loaned Yuji Ono and Fraser Fyvie. Both had to leave however. Fyvie had to leave due to max number of foreign players. And Yuji picked up a massive injury which ruled him out till thesummer transfer window. So I let them both go.

I did however loan Ivan Bulos, who will challenge for the striker spot alongside Beto and Solaranzo. A young player with huge potential to fill, I hope I can eventually tie him down to a contract once I get a greater budget than what I got earlier.


Overall a transfer window well done I believe, and players who will add another element to the team. Now onto the preseason.



Overall I'm really pleased with the pre-season. The players looked upto the task and played their guts out, which is pleasing to see.

Brisbane Roar vs Brisbane Olympic Utd (1-0)
Dimitri Petratos (16)
Man of the Match: THOMAS BROICH
Overall I decent result. I was disappointed with the number of chances we failed to make pay, and we dominated possession with 70%. The Olympic team did nothing special, so I was annoyed at the small result despite our domination. However it was a decent start, so we look to build of of it. Thomas thankfully made the play happen, and assisted Petratos for the goal.

Brisbane Roar vs Ipswich Knights
Jade North(12)
Shane Stefanutto (17)
Henrique (31,38)
Yuji Ono (61)
Beto (69)
Julius Davies (89)
Man of the Match: HENRIQUE
This match I was so incredibly pleased with. We could've won 9-0 if we had fully taken out chances, but I mustn't complain, because 7-0 is something to be proud of. We held 70% possession again and had 30 shots on goal. Henrique was absolutely brilliant, notching up a 9.5 rating and really helped make the play.

Brisbane Roar vs Coomera (4-0)
Henrique (6)
Beto (17)
Thomas Broich (38)
Shane Stefanutto (45)
Man of the Match: SHANE STEFANUTTO
Another fine display from the boys really showed our dominance in all areas of the game again. Shane may have picked up the man of the match awards, the whole team put in a brilliant display, with the lowest rating in the team being 7.6. Overall I great display.

Brisbane Roar vs FNQ FC (3-1)
Henrique (23)
Jade North (43)
Shane Stefanutto (53)
Man of the Match: THOMAS BROICH
A decent display which proves we are ready for the season. Defsnive concerns aren't really on my agenda due to the fact that they scored of a free-kick, and free-kicks to me are individual brilliance. Broich put in another Man of the Match performance, finishing off a very good pre-season for the man.




As you can see, my player of the preseason went to this amazing german here. He put in a great display over the whole preseason, notching 5 assists, a goal and two man of the match awards to inspire the team through the preseason. Whilst some players fluctuated in form, Broich was consistent and kept the play ticking, proving how vital he will be for the team throughout the season.

solid preseaon, well done staying unbeaten

great signings aswell. hope thomas broich stays fit cause he is crucial to any success you have

Nice preseason mate. I for one prefer to arrange friendlies with bigger sides, especially with the A-League, but playing local sides will definitely boost morale rather than get money. Broich is a real gem, make sure to use him well and you'll go far. Keep up this good work!

@toonman8589: I hope to god he stays fit, we need him like hell. Moy is good with a lot of potential but he isn't quite Broich yet to I'll be watching over them and making sure everything goes well. I'm very pleased with the signings as well, hopefully Moy will improve to fill in the gap for Broich when Broich eventually begins to falter (which I wish is never, but hey, it will happen)

@fzemdegs: I completely agree with you when it comes to Broich, he is extremely talented and one of A-Leagues best. As for the friendlies I couldn't get another big A-League side to accept an offer, so I stuck with the big local clubs to just train the tactic. All the other A-League sides played local clubs as well, so that's why I couldn't get one to play a friendly. Thanks for the feedback and I hope you enjoy the story

Good pre-season: 12 points from 4 games, although it weren't the hardest opponents to play against

@ASR-PSV: Maybe so, but 7-0 shows that we are ready for the season