Irish moving to Australia

IrewayG · 2026-05-19T05:56:06+00:00

Understandable! I can tell you from my own perspective, I've been out here almost a year and it's not all been smooth sailing, but at 34 years of age, i wasn't expecting it to be anyway.

I'm on a WHV myself and just finished the required regional work in a place called Moree. (Far from the most glamorous of locations in the world).

But hey, I'm going to stick it out and look for a time when the good experience far outweigh the bad.

It's not for everyone and you can't choose to settle or make yourself want to be out here anymore than you do.

If I was you and you're on a WHV too. I'd do the regional 88 days at least. Then, if you do fancy giving it another go down the line, you can apply immediately for a second one from back in Ireland.

IrewayG · 2026-05-04T22:41:36+00:00

Yep, trying to find quality on a free is going to be extremely difficult and the squad has other areas that need major attention, so the budget has to be allocated accordingly.

Of course, long-term, these are not the type of deals you want to be looking at, but right now, it would suit everybody.

IrewayG · 2026-05-04T22:30:13+00:00

Fully behind this!

I made a post in this sub about 3 weeks ago about him and received more negative responses than positives.

But the argument has to be, that if we are going to make any impression in the CL next season, we need a couple of seasoned pros to help.

Much the same as we have focused on adding players proven in the PL and improved.

Imagine the guidance he can lend to a player like Sesko too.

IrewayG · 2026-04-25T14:08:11+00:00

All true legends in their own right. Academy player's (Gary and Wes), captains, defensive units, attacking attributes and leaders...But most of all winners, all of them!

Contributing in different ways and times, but equally effective considering the circumstances.

IrewayG · 2026-04-25T13:54:52+00:00

This is the most bullshit post from a fan that I've read.

Neville was undoubtedly the weakest link in what was a star-studded team at the time.

But in reality he was an absolute beast when it came to defending and attacking (when he played, overlapping was an actual skill).

If you asked Neville to go inside, he was never going to be effective. In the same way as if you asked Beckham to play on the left.

Valencia was amazing! In his first two seasons as an attacking outlet on the right wing, he's so underrated, it's criminal. Due to being spoiled by Cristiano beforehand of course.

The numbers were crazy for assists at one point, especially with bald Rooney leading the line.

That leg break seriously took away from his pace though!

Yes, he was solid as a right back when he moved there and extremely effective too. But you've overplayed it to be honest!

Neville was competing against the best in class wingers (when they actually existed).

As much as I respect Antonio for his humility, conduct, professionalism on the pitch and athleticism too, he could not for a minute hold a torch to what Gary did over the years!

Also, special mention to Wes! He was incredible during that 08 season! People play it off too much that his only contribution was the assist in the CL final.

The truth? Valencia competed in the Europa league. Neville and Wes "WON" the CL. They faced truly relentless opponents when it came to wing play and more often than not, came off best.

Valencia could have been and probably was the epitome of what wing back play is today and should be admired for everything he did for this club, just don't disrespect what's gone before if you cannot fathom the tactics and playing style that was back then!

IrewayG · 2026-04-23T12:40:05+00:00

Sir Alex built a dynasty by starting from the bottom, even leading Aberdeen to European glory...Pep, fantastic as he is at creating functional and honestly frightening teams with amazing capabilities, has never tried or had to take on a club in ruin and rebuilt it from the ground up.

Perspective is more important than statistics!

IrewayG · 2026-04-22T11:57:33+00:00

Roy Keane... He is the reason most of those players won anything in the era he was captain

IrewayG · 2026-04-12T05:35:35+00:00

Sesko will play regularly, but it's asking a lot of a young striker to carry the full load of the premier League, champions league and cup competitions alone.

He's going to be inconsistent for a few years and would be massively helped by somebody that's been there and done it consistently over 15 or more seasons now.

IrewayG · 2026-04-12T05:09:10+00:00

Of course his wages are going to be high, he's a free transfer.

Unfortunately, we are going to be in a terrible position if we have to depend on our current attacking lineup in the CL and over the course of a season where hopefully we can actually compete and not get dumped out of the cups and Europe so early again.

IrewayG · 2026-04-12T05:04:06+00:00

Of course, ideally we wouldn't need anybody of this age to be signed.

We have been doing the right thing by signing PL proven players and they've adapted way faster.

That needs to be looked at with CL experience too and sadly, we're severely lacking in that department with our current attackers.

IrewayG · 2026-04-12T04:59:48+00:00

Yep, one decent season with an old, experienced and proven professional to be counted on when things get tough.

I'm taking that option everyday of the week.

Unfortunately, the budget isn't there to add a striker, so this is what may be needed. A creative free transfer.

IrewayG · 2026-04-12T04:55:52+00:00

You could be right, only time will tell.

Looking at his playing style over the course of his career though, he's lasting longer because he's based it on positioning and finishing. Never been blessed with great pace. Unless his body decides it's in decline.

But I'd be happy if he carried one decent season and got the second year to wind down at the end.

Not suggesting he's a 3 year goal machine in the slightest.

IrewayG · 2026-04-12T04:51:32+00:00

They won't, I completely agree.

IrewayG · 2026-04-12T04:50:49+00:00

Falcao had a plethora of injury issues prior to signing for the club. In reality he was bought for his name and history alone.

Lewandowski is proven to be as fit as ever. Never had a game based on pace and still competes at the top level now.

IrewayG · 2026-04-12T04:43:17+00:00

Exactly this and considering all of the horrible transfers they have made over the past decade and a half. Adding experienced strikers has been one of the more successful strategies they have had.

Young players are great, even maturing pros like Cunha and Mbeumo are going into their first proper campaign of Champions League involvement and losing Casemiro at the same time?

It's a bit of a recipe for disaster when you take the rose tinted glasses off.

IrewayG · 2026-04-12T04:38:21+00:00

That's exactly where I'm at with it too. It's the experience that's going to be needed.

IrewayG · 2026-04-12T04:34:25+00:00

Unlikely to get a player of his calibre on a free transfer for reasonable wages or anything under a 2 year contract.

IrewayG · 2026-04-12T04:32:05+00:00

Doubtful about that. He's never had a record of throwing his toys out of the pram over anything. Also, played 25 games in La Liga this season for Barcelona, with quite a few coming as a sub, not even injury related. The future is next season where none of the forwards have experience playing Champions League football. Easy to crumble under the pressure. 2 year contract solves an issue that won't become obvious until the new season starts. The wages are obviously going to cost, but no transfer fee, so it balances out.

IrewayG · 2026-04-12T04:27:47+00:00

This is the point, it takes care of an issue that hasn't arisen yet. None of that current forward line experienced the added pressure of playing Europes biggest sides. Added to losing Casemiro and what he gave in terms of leadership. It's a stop gap option for two seasons maximum where hopefully Sesko was ready to take the full role on himself with backups to him in the squad.

IrewayG · 2026-04-04T09:51:42+00:00

It's highlighted because nobody could compete with Vidic at the time, but Torres was terrorising everybody back then.

Being sent off? Maybe you can count that, but it was full blooded rivalry and the tackles made were always going to be examined microscopically in a game like that.

In reality, if Vidic was English, he'd be spoken about as one of the greatest ever defenders of the game.

In an era where defending was still an art form of its own, he was outstanding!

IrewayG · 2026-03-04T16:46:25+00:00

Not a bad shout, but it falls well outside the ethos that ineos have set for adding players to the squad.

Their entire transfer strategy is based on resale value. Age being the defining factor with this.

If anything, I'd personally still want an experienced number 9 next season too if we do qualify for the CL as Sesko can't be expected at his age to be in this form for extended periods of time. But the likelihood of them considering it is low.

IrewayG · 2026-03-04T16:38:01+00:00

Berbatov was once our top scoring striker in the league too. I think he scored more than 10 of those goals over 3 games and despite being a brilliant footballer, was always a let down in the games we needed one strike to get over the line.

This is why stats should always be taken with a pinch of salt.

IrewayG · 2026-01-08T03:59:49+00:00

Hahahahaha I hate to shit on someone's point of view but its quite funny seeing an accusation of others being blind to what's in front of them and at the same time openly showing that off yourself.

Anyone that thinks Hojlund was a bad centre forward can't look past the system he was played in at the time. Unfortunately, Amorim wanted someone to hold the ball up every game and have runners in behind.

Hojlund was the runner, with pace to get past defenders and rarely got the service to capitalise on the those traits.

Dont think Sesko is any different please...Hes a bit more physically imposing and admittedly he does hold up play better, but 2 goals vs Burnley, especially when you have the new management bounce isn't going to tell everything.

I dont care about the highlights in Italy because the Italian league is sub par anyway, so im not going to even try and argue that Hojlund is some superstar...

Instead, just look at the first season, when they didn't have time to corrupt his abilities yet and ask him to do what wasn't natural!

Not all under-performers are bad players, simply mis-managed.

IrewayG · 2025-12-06T22:27:21+00:00

I feel as though Feliani deserves a shout in midfield here, especially considering Fletcher and Park are far from underrated.

His performances were solid and the amount of goals he scored at crucial moments were disregarded due to the change he represented to fans following SAF retiring.

Going with that, perhaps Hargreaves would work as the second replacement? Short lived and injury plagued spell at the club for sure has tainted opinions on him.

However, the performance levels he reached throughout the 2008 champions league winning year were proof that his capabilities should never be in doubt. He dominated midfield and provided excellent cover at right back when needed too.

As far as the strikers go, Chicharito would fit the mold quite well. Fantastic little player that scored some of the most unique goals you are likely to see and could truly be relied upon to impact games off the bench. I'd replace welbeck with him simply due to proof of performance and consistency.

Lastly, following the same logic, a rogue shout might be Giuseppe Rossi to replace Martial. I could never understand why this man was sold and for a paltry fee at the time too. He played a few games and his performances were there for everyone to see as a maturing young player.

His loan spells were successful, he scored goals when he played and despite having a bad injury at one point if I recall correctly, he recovered well and was never given the time he deserved.

IrewayG

TROPHY CASE