The Drake Articles

Heres some hot Strikers news for you all....
About contracts and potential signings from the bssa website....

They are not shouting it from the Spencer Park rooftops just yet, but it seems the Brisbane
Strikers will be fronting the new NSL season with a mixture of old and new faces, both on and off
the park.

Several pieces of the Strikers' jigsaw for next season are still to fall into place amid another
uncertain off-season, but it seems that one key piece will remain exactly where it was last
season - the piece bearing the name 'John Kosmina'.

Strikers board member Ray Evans told the BSSA that the question of who will be the club's
coach was "not finalised yet, but we are in deep discussions with John Kosmina". He said there
were currently no other candidates.

But although at least 15 of last season's squad will return, we can expect to see a few new
players under Kosmina's tutelage. "We have a wish list that John Kosmina has put forward",
Evans confirmed "and from that we will look at which players to target".

Evans said he was not concerned that the delays in appointing the coach and negotiating with
players might make the club too late in its attempts to bolster the squad. "Not with the players
we are looking at", he said. "And remember that all of the clubs were in the same boat because
of the uncertainties with Soccer Australia (in its recently resolved life-and-death dispute with
IEC)", Evans explained.

The Strikers were still awaiting the conclusion of negotiations with French club Auxerre over the
services of young Strikers goalkeeper Nathan Coe. Auxerre is apparently looking to part
company with one of its 'visa players' so that it can accommodate Coe.

Evans said the Strikers were expecting to receive a compensation 'windfall' from Auxerre, but the
size of the windfall was not yet known.

Financial improvements of a different kind are also in the offing, but are dependant on a
restructuring of the club and on negotiations with major sponsors Parmalat.

For all those supporters concerned about signs of a shake-up within the club after negotiations
with the Queensland Lions ended, Evans confirmed that the Strikers have, for some months,
"been working on a massive restructure". The restructure will bring new members to the
Strikers board and increase its size.

"It's not finalised yet, but we're almost there," Evans said.

While the restructuring nears completion, Evans said the Strikers were also considering a new
sponsorship proposal from Parmalat.

As for the press conference the Strikers had scheduled for this week, Evans said this had been
put on hold. The club had intended to hold the conference to coincide with a visit to Brisbane by
Soccer Australia Chairman Ian Knop, but these arrangements had fallen through.