HIS tone was gentle but David Carney’s summation of why he wanted to trade Newcastle for Sydney FC was as direct and dangerous as a freekick delivered with his left foot.

The ink on his new 18-month contract at the Sky Blues barely dry, Carney sat down to discuss why he had agitated for a move from the Jets, where he had been comfortably his side’s best, and forced through a deadline-day exit in order to rejoin the club where his senior career began more than a decade ago.

Quietly noting that playing with his former teammates at the Jets “you can get flat”, Carney said that after an hour and a half of training “it’s two very different sides ... training (here) reminded me of the Socceroos again.”

Carney is likely to go straight into the side to face Adelaide on Friday, seeking to reignite a Sydney side raggedly beaten 3-1 by Brisbane last Friday and avoid falling to sixth place on the ladder.

Insisting he had not had a falling out with Jets boss Scott Miller, Carney said he had “given everything” for Newcastle — but now he had a different level of motivation.

“I love Sydney, it’s where I’m from, and I just want to kick on now,” he said. “When you’re in a good team it keeps you on edge. With Newcastle, just with the quality of players compared to here, you can get flat. With here it gives me that next step to be with better players and thrive, to enjoy my football again.

“It was just a great feeling being out there again today, the way training was reminded me of the Socceroos again. I feel like, compared with Newcastle, it’s two very different sides. It suits me better, I like to keep the ball.”

The return to Sydney marks another point in a 10-club career best described as nomadic, though Carney noted that three shoulder reconstructions hadn’t helped his cause. Claiming to be joining the “biggest club in Australia” — a label several others might claim — Carney said it was a homecoming he had long sought.

David Carney believes the Jets compare unfavourably with Sydney FC. Source: News Corp Australia

“When it got down to the last day (of the transfer window), I was a bit worried because I definitely wanted to come,” he said.

“I’ve worked with Arnie before, and it’s just the quality of players in the whole squad. I wanted to get in a squad like that, to get the winning feeling again and have the ambition to go forward.

“It’s probably the biggest club in Australia and I want to be a part of that, especially with the Asian Champions League coming up. With the squad we’ve got we can really compete. It’s also like coming home, it’s where it all started with me. We won the league first season, so there are great memories.

“Before I went to Newcastle I always thought I’d end my career at Sydney. I wanted a last hurrah, and do something in the last days of my career. I gave everything for the Jets and I think I played a part in most of their goals. I feel like I did my part for Newcastle, so I don’t think they would stand in my way, they knew it was a better opportunity.

“I didn’t have any bad blood with Scott Miller at the end.”