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The Kreas (meathead) Of The A-League

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DURING the days of old soccer when the smell of souvlaki would waft around Belmore Oval and teenagers girls would spend 90 mins doing happy laps looking for future husbands, there was a word that was often used to describe the hard man archetype football player. That word was simply “kreas”; it’s the Greek word for flesh or meat.

Think of when the commentator says "That was a meaty challenge..."
You were only called kreas if you were lacking in any football skill, talent or intelligence. The English call this type of player the hard man. Simon Hill famously described the Central Coast Mariners as a team with too many bouncers and not enough DJ's.

The term kreas can also be linked to calling someone a meat head as well. So lacking in any football skill talent or intelligence the kreas only attribute is the ability to take out chunks of the opponents flesh through their so called hard challenges.

Australia has a proud history of kreas football players.

Kevin Muscat is a true kreas. Having the ability to throw stray elbows and stamp on players while they are on the ground and getting away with getting sent off in full view of referees is a talent in itself. While the Fox Sports commentary team suggested that elbowing your opponent in the head is fine as long as it looks like your jumping as well as elbowing. After all Matt Simon made the mistake of jumping with his arms to the side. He basically sent Muscat an invitation to the elbow ball.

Other famous kreas are Ross Aloisi, The Dodd brothers and Paul Wade.

Devoid of any real skill the kreas's job is to neutralise the most creative and influential member of the opposition.
So my laboured introduction comes to the meat of my story. Steve Pantelidis kreas effort on Steve Corica during the Gold Coast -Sydney FC game on Saturday night halted the blings promising start and gave the white shoe brigade an unfair kreas advantage. Kevin Muscat would have been proud seeing one of his former protégés continue on with his good work.

As a Sydney FC fan I think the evenness of this league is very frustrating. Rather than being a selling point, the fact that any team can beat any other team on any given day is making the A League predictably unpredictable.

So the kreas Pantelidis did get some of his own medicine back during the game and I'm sure some other Sydney players got his number. So pencil in the date Sunday January 17 when the two biggest egos of the A-League will meat again at the SFS.

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Money is a Fake Muse

I don’t regularly agree with Melbourne Victory supporters but after reading Neil Zimmerman’s blog: Does Anyone Care about Success over Crisis? I found myself nodding in agreement.

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/115866,blog-does-anyone-care-about-success-over-crisis.aspx

Referring to the Gold Coast Circus Neil asked: “Is a club in crisis much more exciting to talk about?

Unfortunately the answer is yes. People prefer watching a house burn down rather than getting a hose and helping put it out. Look at all those flames so red and tall.

Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory are playing some of the most entertaining and exciting football seen in the A League for years.

Instead of getting excited about that, the main news of the moment is the Gold Coast debacle.

The FFA should get out of the Gold Coast. The lesson from all those failed Rugby League and AFL ventures has not been learnt.

It will take many years before any team on the gold Coast is accepted. It’s not because no-one likes football, it’s just that the market is saturated. Rugby League and AFL should be left to fight it out and Football should re-evaluate.Perhaps they should start in the B league and try and grow slowly from there.

The awful mixture of politics and sport is undoing all the good work that the football folks have put in. The subtext of this debacle is that most of the posturing from the professor is due to political grievances with the Queensland Labour Party and Premier Anna Bligh

The other aspect that could be putting prospective fans off is that Clive Palmer has made all his dollars from Mining.

He finds an area to exploit takes what he needs and then moves onto to the next hole. Taking out the earth’s finite natural resources is not going to endear you to one Australia biggest hippie population bases.

The fire twirling, white guy singing blues songs and bongo playing at every party demographic are not going to buy into your Football dream.

Money is a fake muse!!!

The rich billionaire owners now raiding Europe’s top clubs are business minded folks. They are hoping to buy and sell like 80’s movie characters. There are no messiah’s in football except for the true fan and the child that is practising keepy ups until the sun goes down, oblivious to his/her limitations that they will never reach ten.

Jason Culina should be on the phone to his agent asking for a January transfer. “Clive Palmer wrecked my World Cup Dream”. That is the headline Jason and his talent does not deserve.  The enjoyment Jason had in his face for the first month has gone. It has for almost every Gold Coast player except for Michael Thwaite who wears a permanent Andrew Gaze type smile on his face so I can’t tell with him.

Anyway Sydney FC amassed 26 points from 21 games last season. This season the Bling has 25 points from just 13 games. Mark Bridge is living up to his potential and a youngster like Mate Dugandzic is getting me off the coach every time he touches the ball.

But who wants to read those stories when a Billionaire’s house is burning.

Look at those flames so red.............

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Sydney Fc Blog: Highs And Lows

WITH the halfway mark of the season approaching, Con gives a mid-term report card on Sydney's spluttering squad.

Clint Bolton (GK) Rating: 7/10.
The High: Clint has had one of his best seasons in recent memory. As long as he remains clean shaven and does not to any more interviews with Anthony Lapaglia he will be fine. His injury time penalty save against the Central Coast Mariners in round three at Gosford is the high so far.
The Low: Against Adelaide United Bootsa dived to his right in that all too familiar slow motion action and saved the ball onto the post and into the net.


Shannon Cole (RB) Rating 6/10
The High: The game against Melbourne Victory in round 10 showed Shannon at his most fearless. A surge down the right resulted in the delivery of the most perfect text book cross.  The cross was so good that not even a pre-mediated air swing by Mark Bridge would have resulted in him not connecting with that ball.
The Low: Shannon has been guilty of giving away too much cheap possession, his crosses at times haven't been all that accurate and his free kicks have not been as dangerous. Let's not even mention the defending. If I was a commentator I would say Shannon is a confidence player.


Sung Hwan Byun (LB) Rating 6/10
Highs: Round Four against Wellington Phoenix when Sydney won 2-0 was the South Korean's best game. He made my A League team of the week.
Lows: I often hear groans and cursing akin to those of a sea hardened sailor every time Byun loses a ball or crosses poorly. It's what you get when you are an import.


Simon Colosimo (CB) Rating 8/10
Highs: It's been a season of highs for Simon and being moved to defence was one of them. Playing consecutive games and being given an unofficial captain role has seen his Socceroos prospect lift. But unless he moves to a European or Asian side and stays on the bench he has no chance of making it to South Africa. (That Joke was brought to by all the benchwarmers overseas; represent!!!!)
Lows: God damn you nature with all your God damn rules about positive and negative and the balance of all things. Having a great season could be see Simon paid big dollars to move to the Melbourne Heart next year. nooooooooooooo


Stephan Keller CB Rating 6/10
Highs: That's the ball you see flying high above the midfield and into the keeper's arms or out of play for a goal kick. Decent defender all jokes aside.
Lows: No-one believes me when I say he looks like a young Homer Simpson and talks like a dodgy Swiss banker.


Sebastian Ryall (CB/RB) Rating 7/10
Highs: Has left his off-field controversy behind him and fitted in " just like a glove" (Jim Carey voice from  Ace Ventura Pet detective) into Sydney's defence.
Lows: Was not booed as much as I though upon his return to Melbourne when they played there in round 10.


Karol Kisel: (RM/CM.LM) Rating 6/10
Highs: Karol showed that his best position is right midfield. A great goal against Brisbane last week should see the mullet stay on the right.
Lows: All those missed and scuffed long rage shots was getting the natives restless. A goal makes all the bad stuff go away. The mullet brings some eastern European culture into the Sydney FC dressing home. Business at the front party at the back!!!


Terry McFlynn (CM) Rating 7/10
Highs: Terry's header against the Mariners in round nine for the 1-0 win was the high light so far and it was the first sign of the blossoming midfield partnership between himself and Disco Stu.
 Lows: I would like to see a bit more of that creativity unleashed. Tezza does posses an array of flicks, through balls, chip shots and long range bombs that he hides.


Stuart Musialik Rating 7/10
Highs: Disco Stu has been patient after being frozen out of the first team. His appearance against the Jets in round 7 were he set up his ex Jets team Mate Bridge showed why he needs to play every game.
Lows: Unfulfilled potential. Disco Stu has more skills than most. He will either stay where he is or go to the next step.


Kofi Danning (RW/LW) Rating 6/10
Highs: Kofi exploded during the first two games of the season.  His first round goal against the Fury was sublime.
Lows: However since then almost a pathological desire to build up every up and coming kid who scores a couple of goals perhaps has placed an awfully large amount of pressure on the kids shoulders


Steve Corica (CAM) Rating 6/10
Highs: Papou Corica still has it. Bimby is still classy and is the most creative player in the side. His absence from the team is felt the most.
Lows: Not as influential in terms of goals or assists.


Mark Bridge (CF) Rating 7/10
Highs: Is starting to step up and score some goals. The double against Melbourne in round 10 and the screamer against the Jets in round 7 have been his most memorable offerings so far.
Lows: Too many air swings and ineffective flicks and turns.


Alex Brosque (CF/LW) Rating 6/10
Highs: His work rate and willingness to work has improved. His partnership with Bridge is starting to blossom.
Lows: I think the confidence thing with Brosque is an issue. He needs to be more selfish and let out the crazy a bit more.  If he could funnel his crazy/ruthless side when he is in good shooting positions it might help.


John Aloisi (CF) Rating 6/10
Highs: Makes the hard goals look easy (First round against the Fury)
Lows: Makes the easy chances look hard (every other chance he misses)
Check out some of Australia's best independent football writers at: http://www.halftimeheroes.com.au/ - Issue 3 online now!
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Gold Coast United are an embarrassment to the A-League

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Gold Coast United are an embarrassment one moment and the headline act in the theatre of the absurd the next. None more so than the antics of the ubiquitous owner Clive Palmer.

Before season five began, I wrote a pre-season preview on each A League club. With players to look out for and a light hearted prediction. Let’s rewind the tape.

“I predict Miron Bleiberg to be sacked after four games because of the poor form shown by the side in only scoring two goals per game not three. I expect to see Professor Palmer in pure Roman Abramovich-style, giving half time speeches while a bemused Paul Okon looks on.”

Last week that happened.

During the half time break, the Fox Sports camera’s showed Clive Palmer at half time in the Gold Coast dressing room.

A case of life imitating absurdity.

What’s more bemusing is that Clive Palmer has tried to cap the crowds at 5,000 so the Gold Coast don’t have to pay transport costs if more than 5,000 attend a home match.

No wonder the White Shoe Brigade don’t go to any games. In a first for football anywhere in the world, the owner doesn’t want the crowd to support his team.

Recently, I spoke with well-known surfing journalist and magazine editor Jimmy O’Keefe, who was actually born and raised in the area. Jimmy offered some fascinating insights into the Gold Coast market.

Me: What are your thoughts on having an A League team on the Gold Coast?
Jimmy O’Keefe: “Tops. I think there’s potential for it to really blossom”.

Me: Why do you reckon the crowds are so low?
JOK: “It’s because Gold Coast is full of Visigoth-type bogans with bad tatts, and the only sports that seem to flourish in this cultural vacuum are burnouts in low-rider utes and rugby league”.

Me: Does the Gold Coast have the potential to be a football town?
JOK: “Certainly, it’s one of the biggest cities in the country. I think the place has had trouble as far as fan bases go because over the last two decades AFL and Rugby League consortiums have come and gone about five times. There’s also a huge transient population there, no affiliations to any teams”.

Me: What needs to be done to get bigger crowds? How would you engage the community so fans can watch the game on TV or attend?
JOK: “When it comes to families, let them know that it’s an alternative to whatever else is going on. That it’s a day out, people would jump at it. They just need to know that when it comes to singles, I think push it as a great place for women to go (unlike league) and a great afternoon to catch up with friends for a drink. Kind of like a Sunday session.

“I think marketing wise, it’s kind of strange place in that it’s a radio town, and people do a lot of driving or listen to the radio at work. And they seriously get into all the ‘Morning Crew’ and ‘Black Thunder’ sort of stuff. Sadly, they are indeed an effective way to mobilise Gold Coasters”. (The Gold Coast Titans signed Mat Rogers and gave his girlfriend a job on local radio.)

So there you have some free market research.

I am embarrassed to watch some of the Gold Coast matches. I think the FFA should have chosen a team in Canberra or Wollongong.

Those towns have football history and easily would have had greater crowds.

I also think the club would have used the word “Community”, rather than words like “three Jets”; “second richest”; and “undefeated”, in the way it sold the club to the local folks.

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