Crook warns: Hard Work Starts Monday

Sydney FC Head Coach Ian Crook has warned the Sky Blues players to expect hard work ahead as the squad returns to Pre Season training on Monday.

Sydney FC Head Coach Ian Crook has warned the Sky Blues players to expect hard work ahead as the squad returns to Pre Season training on Monday.

Crook has re-shaped the Sydney FC squad over the off season, staying true to his theory the Sky Blues needed an injection of pace in the recruitment for the 2012/13 season.

Yairo Yau, Ali Abbas, Kruno Lovrek, Fabio and Adam Griffiths have been added to the squad and, combined with the elevation of Mitch Mallia from the Youth Team to the A-League roster, Crook and Football Director Gary Cole have recruited with an eye on pace.

But with the squad returning to start pre season on Monday, Crook warned hard work was also required to elevate Sydney FC back to the top of the A-League.

“Talk is very cheap,” Crook said. “We can turn around and say this is how we want to play and this is what we want to do but at the end of it we have to put the work in. To make it work for us as a group of coaches and players on the pitch, this is where the hard work starts.”

While Crook warned the Sky Blues squad to expect a tough pre season, he was excited about the start of training after a long break, as were the players.

“I-m looking forward to it. They-ll (players) come back keen and eager that-s for certain. They-ve had a while off now and we are still a while out from the start of the season, but it will be good to get back on the field and we can start working on the things that we need to do.”

The Sydney FC squad will play its first Community Pre Season clash against Macarthur Rams at Campbelltown Stadium on Tuesday 14 August. Kick off is at 7.30pm.

2012/13 Sydney FC Memberships are now on sale with Public Transport to and from the game from all over Sydney covered in the Membership price.