The Branko Culina interview

Branko, "I expect us to have a marquee player."

Football in the Capital caught up with Sydney FC Coach Branko Culina before thepre-season game with the Central Coast Mariners.

Given the club’s excellent performance in the Asia Champions League what are your expectations for the coming year.

“Well, it’s fair to say we expect to continue on in the same way. Sydney FC want to be on top, and for the game to continue to grow in Australia we need a strong Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory.

"No disrespect to the other teams, but obviously we are in the biggest city in Australia so we need to succeed on and off the park.”

The Central Coast seems to have engaged with their community far better than Sydney FC, and they are reaping the rewards in terms of sponsorship, any thoughts?"

“We’re aware that previous administrations haven’t engaged with the Sydney people as well as we would like. We took games to Wollongong and Penrith during the Asian Champions League preparations and the crowds were outstanding. We were popular wherever we went. So we are aiming to improve in this area.”

“If Melbourne can pull 50,000 then Sydney FC should bring in at least of that. We have similar populations so it’s up to us to attract the crowds. We need to get results and also play attractive football.”

Sydney fans are concerned over player numbers and quality, particularly if Socceroos Mark Milligan and David Carney leave.

“Well they are not gone yet! But it is a concern. Obviously if we lose Mark Milligan, he is currently the best player in the country, that would be a big loss. We had $130,000 (under the salary cap) left for 5 or 6 players. The previous administration set the wages too high. How many players can you get for $130,000?”

“And we haven’t been inactive, I’ve been to Europe, we’ve had hundreds of videos of players cross my desk. Even Erol Iba, the Persik Kediri player, wanted $200,000. Asian footballers are not cheap.”

“Sometimes you have to spend more on new, better players to grow the game. And it costs money."

But could Sydney FC afford to pay?

“Funny, but if the FFA would increase the salary cap we could find the money. You always seem to find a way.”

“I expect Sydney to do well this season. I am concerned about losing three or four players to the Olyroos. The FFA hasn’t told us if we can replace these players or if we just do without. At least they should tell us the rules so we can plan. It’s frustrating.”

Will Sydney FC get a marquee signing?

“We will, and it will probably be announced next week.”

John Aloisi, or another striker?

Branko laughs, “Everyone tells me I need a striker, but an attacking midfielder may also be valuable. Well, Aloisi wanted a three year contract and more money than Robbie Fowler or Phillip Cocu!"

“What happens if he’s a dud, or gets injured. We can’t afford to take that risk. If he really wants to see the game grow and help the game in Australia, why doesn’t he come back and play for the same money as everyone else?”

So, not Aloisi?

“You never know, I’ll be interested to see where he goes though.”

You claim Sydney were underdone against Wellington Phoenix when you lost 3-0. Why is this?

“We only started back three or four weeks ago. We had a much longer season with the Asian Champions League and we are concerned about burnout. We’ve gave the players the necessary 4 or 5 week break. We’ve always planned to be ready for the opening day of the A-League season and we’ll be ready.”

And fond memories of Canberra from your time as Canberra Cosmos Coach?

“Sure, off the field I enjoyed the Kingston Markets, on the field the highlight was the 8-1 win over Sydney Olympic. It was a difficult time there were a lot of changes at the club, but I enjoyed my stay. The people of Canberra were very friendly.”