Porter poised for Glitter Strip

Gold Coast United are on the brink of luring English-based one-time fringe Socceroo Joel Porter to the Glitter Strip, six years after he left in search of the big time.

United's head coach Miron Bleiberg, a long-time admirer of Porter's work ethic and eye for goal during his days with Melbourne Knights and Sydney Olympic in the defunct national league, is all but sold on the striker.

But he will not make a final decision until watching Porter, 29, in the flesh playing for his club at home to Yeovil on December 6, as part of his odyssey to England to snap up displaced Aussie talent.

"Porter's at the right age. I've seen a lot of him down the years, but my rule is that I won't sign any player I haven't watched in person, so that's what I'll be doing with him,'' explained Bleiberg.

"It shows that we are serious about signing players still near, or in the primes, rather than foreigners on the wrong side of 30 who have nothing left to prove.

''All the indications are he's still very good. He scores regularly in a tough competition and it's not easy to be a striker anywhere.

"He's left-footed, he can play centre-forward, behind the strikers and on the wing.

"I don't see him as a squad player if I sign him it will be as a starter.''

Despite missing large chunks of the last three seasons through injury, Porter, who cannot officially enter into negotiations with clubs until January 1, has banged in 43 goals in 123 appearances for the club he joined in 2003.

Don't know if it's being on here already.

Gold Coast go for Hartlepool's Porter, Kiwi striker Smeltz24.10.08

Cashed up Gold Coast United's signing spree is continuing.

It's understood the new A-League franchise has agreed terms with Hartlepool United striker Joel Porter.

The Australia international went well down the road with Wellington Phoenix over the close-season before committing to United for another 12 months.

Also expected to be confirmed is a deal between Gold Coast and Phoenix's top scorer, Shane Smeltz.

Must be true his house is up for sale already.

Sandy

Good luck to him if he goes - but let me be the first one to say I hereby declare HUFC will be relegated this season if he and Brown go in January - unless seriously good replacements are found.
If the above happened and we sign average run of the mill shite as replacements, I will hunt down Wilson and strangle him

... cn you rephrase that, I'm getting some awful thoughts in my head.

The club should be doing everything, literally everything, that it can to get Porter signed up for the next few years.

He is the best striker at pools and deserves to be paid well.

I concur, however if he doesn't want to stay then money might not tempt him to.

who said anything about porter going in january? Bloody hell mr parmo you can be bloody negative at times

Porter is not allowed to discuss terms until January though???

I said "if" in my post.......... "if"...........


I was playing out a scenario - if it happened, that is my opinion of the consequences.......

Pools believe in players sticking to their contracts. Porter was on the recieving end of this last close season. The chances of him tying himself up with Pools again simply do not exist.

a lot of people would be right pissed off with Pools at the prospect of ending up back in L2 - the old accusation of lack of ambition would rear itself again and the damage could be long term

I don't believe he will sign. He wanted to go in the summer but Pools would not allow him to break the contract. That has to still rankle with him. Yes he's played well this season but thats down to him being a good pro and getting his head down. Come the summer when a top Aussie club are waving their cheque book, he'll disappear quicker than Darlo's promotion prospects in any given April.

Well Mr Parmo, one down (sort of) and it's not even January yet.

How optimistic are you now?