Ange Postecoglou: They will be a good challenge for us. It is always difficult when a manager comes in mid-season like Jim did last year but now he has his squad together and they have made a lot of changes and it has been a positive start for them in the cup. They have had four good competitive games under their belt and they are game ready and that is always a challenge for us. At the same time, we have had a good pre-season and had some competitive friendly games and tough games which have been good for us.
The squad is in a good place in terms of health-wise and we are at home in front of our fans and we just want to make sure that we lay down a really strong marker for the year ahead. Irrespective of who you play in the first game there is always a little bit of the unknown there as everyone starts the season feeling good and optimistic about their chances. It’s only after the first 90 minutes that everyone gets to really assess how they are going. For us, it is the first game of the year and we are looking forward to it.
Q: With Sunday being flag day that gives you a chance to give a nod to last season’s achievements but do you consign that to the history books and look to kick on when the whistle blows?
Ange Postecoglou: In a symbolic way, the playing group have already put it into the history books on the first day of pre-season. The players have come back and worked really hard and they understand that it is a new challenge ahead for us and a new season with new things to be achieved. It was put to bed four weeks ago but Sunday will be the final day when we recognise the fantastic achievements of of everyone representing our football club and it is a good way to begin the new season and the new adventure that awaits.
Q: How do you assess the domestic challenge that you will face this season?
Ange Postecoglou: It will be tough. It will be no tougher than last season. It is hard to assess things in pre-season. Every manager thinks they have had a great pre-season and every signing has been fantastic and all that stuff gets to unfold in the reality of competition in the next few weeks. We will see then how everyone’s pre-season has really been and how their signings shape up.<
We didn’t have a great pre-season last year but it didn’t stop us from being successful so I don’t think that is an indicator of what lies ahead for us. All we can do is concentrate on ourselves and know that whatever lies ahead we are going to have to be at our best to be successful. That means starting on Sunday we are going to have to perform to the levels that we know we can and make it difficult for the opposition and lay down a strong marker for what is ahead.
