Recruiting:
Ins: Fred Agius (Adelaide City – 1 year), Beau Busch (Sydney FC – 1 year), Jeremy Brockie (Team Wellington, New Zealand – 1 year), Robbie Fowler (Blackburn Rovers, England - 2 years), Rostyn Griffiths (Adelaide United – 1 year , Chris Grossman (Brisbane Roar – 1 year), Paul Kohler (Newcastle Jets – 1 year), Osama Malik (Adelaide United NYL – 1 year), Daniel McBreen (York City, England - 1 year), Robbie Middleby (Sydney FC – 2 years), Justin Pasfield (Wollongong Wolves - 2 years),James Robinson (Perth Glory – 2 years), Jason Spagnuolo (Adelaide United – 2 years), Chris Tadrosse (Central Coast Mariners – 2 years), Ufuk Talay (Avispa Fukuoka, Japan – 2 years), Jacob Timpano (Sydney FC – 2 years), David Williams (Brøndby - 1 year loan), Scott Wilson (Dunfermline Athletic – 2 years)
Out: Felipe (mutual termination), Brendon Santalab (Sydney FC – 2 years), Marton Vass (APIA Leichhardt – 1 year),
Analysis: The signing of Robbie Fowler ranks up among the biggest coups in the A-League and it was certainly a big boost for the Fury, who had already seen original marquee Jade North opt to play in Korea. But apart from Fowler, the Fury have fallen well behind the standard set for Gold Coast in terms of luring quality players to a new club. In fact two other signings have already left the club in Felipe and Brendon Santalab. There is plenty of tried A-League talent in the squad, the best of which are Robbie Middleby and Ufuk Talay who were both very good players at Sydney. Former Rangers and Dunfermline defender Scott Wilson will miss the first two months through injury, while Daniel McBreen and David Williams have both returned to Australia to lend support to Fowler in attack.
Pre-Season:
North Queensland have played nine pre-season friendlies in the past two months as Ian Ferguson looks to get his squad used to playing alongside one another. They won just two of those matches and lost seven, but Ferguson has been happy with how his players have gelled over that time. The club's best result was a 3-2 win over Adelaide United in Darwin, a match where Fred Agius scored a double, while Fowler got on the scoresheet with a penalty in the 2-1 loss to EPL club Wolves in Perth.
Strengths: Any team with Robbie Fowler up front will obviously be a threat in attack. McBreen would appear to be a good foil for the English legend, while the addition of the lightning quick David Williams gives Ferguson plenty of options in terms of scoring goals. Jeremy Brockie is looking to resurrect his A-League career and is a real talent when fit and focussed. With that sort of finishing power, if the Fury get more than their fair share of the ball, they are going to be hard to stop.
Concerns: There is a real lack of depth in Ferguson's squad, with Gold Coast picking up much of the best uncontracted A-League talent. It has meant that Ferguson has had to go to the recycle bin with players who have struggled with other clubs. No.1 goalkeeper Paul Henderson is yet to officially commit to the club, leaving Justin Pasfield, with one A-League game to his credit, as possibly the only stopper. Veterans Talay and Middleby will carry a lot of the load, as might Fowler.
Key player:
Ufuk Talay: While Fowler is the marquee man, he won’t be doing much this year if he can’t get the ball. And the man who will be charged with doing much of the ball-winning will be Talay, who spent last season in the J-League after three seasons with Sydney. A journeyman, having played in Australia, Turkey and Japan, his experience will be vital to getting this new squad playing as a unit.
Where will they finish?
North Queensland faces a major battle to be competitive this year. While Fowler's a great promotional signing, he has constantly had to deny he is heading elsewhere and has struggled with fitness in the off-season. Three players and a football manager have already left the club before the first game is underway and Ian Ferguson faces a baptism of fire trying to get a reasonably talented squad to be competitive over the 27 weeks of the season. It will be a tough gig maintaining the enthusiasm and the energy over the course. The finals will be a big surprise, the wooden spoon somewhat less of a shock.
Coach's Quote - Ian Ferguson
"I think I have a terrific dressing room. The lads are all pulling together and it is starting to show on the park. We are going to be very competitive."
"The toughest part is the injury problems we had early on," Ferguson said. "I haven't been able to put my best team on the park yet and, to be honest, I would have liked a couple more weeks to sort things out before our first match."
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Check out all our 2009-10 A-League Team Previews:
Adelaide United | Brisbane Roar | Central Coast Mariners | Gold Coast United | Melbourne Victory | Newcastle Jets | North Queensland Fury | Perth Glory | Sydney FC | Wellington Phoenix