42x16ss said:
What choice do they have? They are caught between a rock and a hard place really.
If Goss, Albasini, Langeveld and Gerrans don't fire what are they left with? Aging "stars" (Lancaster, O'Grady, Cooke, Tuft, Mouris etc) and a bunch of very promising kids who aren't ready to step up yet (Trav Meyer, Matthews, Durbridge, Hepburn, Howard, Keukeliere, Teklehaimanot etc.) This is because their plan B isn't usually good enough.
Guys like Weening, Cam Meyer and Daryl Impey are solid pros but they aren't team leader material. OGE will be more than ok if they can hang onto most of their young guns for a few years but until then they are a one trick pony.
Tend to agree, unless Goss and Gerrans are firing, this team is hoping for a little luck in the big races. They are still capable in the smaller ones. I was messing around with some names, and thought this might be a good team.
CANCELLARA Fabian, TALANSKY Andrew, GERRANS Simon, DURBRIDGE Luke, GOSS Matthew, HAUSSLER Heinrich, DE GENDT Thomas, SLAGTER Tom-Jelte,
LANGEVELD Sebastian, WEENING Pieter, CLARKE Simon, HOWARD Leigh, MEYER Cameron, DOWSETT Alex, KEUKELEIRE Jens, MATTHEWS Michael, O'GRADY Stuart, HAYMAN Mathew, HANSEN Adam, HOWSON Damien, COOKE Baden, MCCARTHY Jay, EWAN Caleb, SULZBERGER Wesley, DOCKER Mitchell, KERBY Jordan, MORTON Lachlan, HEPBURN Michael.
1 expensive signing and a couple of moderately expensive ones, but I think it'd make an impact all year long, maintain an Australian identity, and foster youngsters.