But signed up he is, and with Carlos Hernández picking up an injury at training last week, we will see Pondeljak in Victory colours sooner rather than later. Grant Brebner’s groin injury means that the club can bring in two injury replacements. As it stands, the only two players available are Joe Keenan and Pondeljak.

So So with Pondeljak likely to debut for the Victory in the next month, I decided to take a closer look at the Melbourne-born footballer.

Success in the NSL:

After starting his career at the Victorian Institute of Sport, Tom Pondeljak signed with St Albans, with whom he would stay for two seasons, scoring 14 times in 62 matches. But it wasn’t until he moved to the Melbourne Knights that he won his first championship (the 1995-1996 NSL Championship). As at St Albans, Pondeljak was a regular in the Knights squad between 1995 and 1999, playing in 97 games and scoring 29 times.

After his time with the Knights, Pondeljak made his first foray out of Victoria. A two year stint with Sydney United was followed up with another two year deal with Sydney Olympic. Once again, Pondeljak was part of a successful team, with United winning the 2001-2002 NSL season. Fortune followed Pondeljak when he moved to the Perth Glory for the 2003/04 season: for a third time in 9 years, Pondeljak was part of an NSL-winning squad.

The A-League so far:

When the Hyundai A-League started in 2005, Pondeljak wanted to play for Melbourne:

To be honest, my wife really wanted to stay in Melbourne, but the big problem was they weren’t organised enough. My manager spoke to them four or five times. He said: ‘Can you offer him anything?’. They didn’t come back to us, so we went to the next stage, and that was to go interstate again.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald (March 10, 2005)

It was the Central Coast Mariners who snapped Pondeljak up. For the past three years, he has been an integral part of the Mariners line-up. Despite his injuries, he has still racked up 55 appearances. He has been less prolific as a goal scorer than during his time at the NSL, with just 7 goals from the three seasons. But some of his goals have been exquisite. Take this one, for example:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG_sVFpCL3Q[/youtube]

What can he contribute to the Melbourne Victory?

While Pondeljak’s age has drawn criticism from Melbourne Victory fans, my hunch is that his age is one of the reasons why the club signed him. A glance at our midfield reveals four players in the current Olyroos squad. Grant Brebner is injured. Kevin Muscat is playing back in defence. Pondeljak provides age and maturity in the midfield.

While he hasn’t scored many goals in the A-League, he has assisted 11. As a technically proficient player who can play an integral part in an attack, Pondeljak could be a very handy addition. One of the key issues for the Melbourne Victory last season was the gap between midfield and attack. Danny Allsopp and Archie Thompson appeared to be lone rangers up the front, tasked with creating their own opportunities. It wasn’t until Carlos Hernández hit his stride towards the end of the season, providing that critical support for Allsopp and Thompson, that the Victory seemed to “gel”.

Pondeljak’s success on the Australian football landscape speaks for itself: three times an NSL winner; two times an A-League Grand Finalist; a Socceroo. He may be a few years beyond his prime, but then so is Kevin Muscat. And he has proved invaluable.

Ultimately, the success of Pondeljak’s next two years with the Victory will be dependent on whether he avoids injury. Uninjured, Pondeljak has class and talent to contribute. Injured, well… he may give us a reason to get an injury marquee.

Read more about Tom Pondeljak:

• Tom Pondeljak article on Wikipedia
• “It’s full speed ahead for Mariners“, Sydney Morning Herald, March 10, 2005
• Central Coast Mariners profile
• Melbourne Victory profile

Pondeljak’s move from the Central Coast Mariners had been rumoured several weeks ago, but clearly the club and player were waiting till after the Grand Final to finalise any agreement.

While Pondeljak’s signing comes too late for him to be added to the preliminary squad list for the Asian Champions League, he could be drafted in as an injury replacement. Considering Grant Brebner’s persistent injury, this may be more likely than you’d think.

When I wrote about Pondeljak possibly signing a few weeks ago, most of you were quite sceptical. As I mentioned then, Pondeljak is a somewhat risky addition to the squad. Not only is he 32, he is also injury prone. But if he manages to avoid injury, I still think he could be a useful addition to the midfield.

Responses on the Melbourne Victory forum have been quite mixed. Pondeljak is a technically gifted player, but one who, at 32, is in the twilight of his career. In short, signing him would be risky and potentially wasteful if he should succumb to injury.

Sydney FC signed 34-year old Juninho but were unable to reap the benefits of their investment for much of the season. And Pondeljak is no Juninho.

On the other hand, if Pondeljak were to avoid injury, he would certainly be a valuable asset for the Victory. Granted, he has some competition in the attacking midfielder role, but with Kaz Patafta and Nick Ward both doubtful members of the squad for next season, Pondeljak may be a useful player to have on hand.

How do you rate Tom Pondeljak? Should the Victory sign him?