Latest Episode of the A-League Snobcast for March 2016 Out Now!

Latest Episode of the A-League Snobcast for March 2016 Out Now!

The latest A-League Snobcast w/ Rob Toddler is out now! Brisbane back on top, Sydney show fight in the relegation battle while Arnold uses the Chewbacca defence, Matildas go off ...to Rio, FFA Cup, Socceroos latest transfer signing and Western Sydney - They might be Giants?

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/a-league-snobcast/id940151220

FFA Cup story Marko Jesic: Rockdale City Suns can beat Melbourne Victory

Ex- Newcastle and former Olyroo Jet Marko Jesic says Rockdale City Suns can be Melbourne Victory giant-killers in the FFA Cup.

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/jesic-suns-can-be-giant-killers

Interview with Sydney FC Captian Alex Brosque

My interview with Sydney FC Captain Alex Brosque. The Sky Blues skipper out for FFA Cup & Big Blue revenge.

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/brosque-sydney-chasing-big-blue-revenge

Exclusive Interview with Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold

In a wide-ranging interview the Sky Blues tactician says Sydney helped put ex-marquee, Marc Janko's career back on track, and says cross-town rivals Western Sydney Wanderers were thwarted by FFA scheduling during their AFC Champions League campaign.



http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/arnold-league-young-mans-game

Latest A-League Snobcast out now! 2014/15 Season Review

The latest episode of the A-League Snobcast Podcast is out now! With Rob Child and Me! It's the last episode of the season. Featuring a vast array of Copyright infringements plus Victory to the Victorians, Sydney's shocker, We hand out the Snobcast Awards the 'Snobbies', FFA Cup Review. The Rob Toddler Review, more reviews than a FIFA World Cup Bid decision!

Exclusive only to the Snobcast Kevin Muscat's pre game Grand Final Speech.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/a-league-snobcast/id940151220

Four Four Two Grand Final Preview Podcast

On @FourFourTwoOz biggest PODCAST of all we preview the Biggest Blue of ALL with thoughts from Josep Gombau and Arnie, Plus I speak to Alex Brosque, Bernie Ibini and Kiki Naumoff as we dissect the weekend's semis and look forward to Sunday's Biggest Blue Blockbuster!

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/podcasts/442FM_10x23.mp3

Latest 442 FM Podcast interviews with Craig Goodwin and Ryhan Grant

I'm on latest 442 Podcast we talk about the shit in my beard and I interview Adelaide Unted's  Craig "Bend it like" Goodwin and Sydney FC's Ryhan "I'll never forget my jersey again" Grant as they preview the big Sydney FC v Adelaide final plus we preview the Melbourne Derby.

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/podcasts/442FM_10x22.mp3

The Secret Art of the Striker Four Four Two Cover Feature

Get the latest FourFourTwo Australia Magazine tomorrow. My first cover feature called The Secret Art of the Striker with Marc Janko, Shane Smeltz, Archie Thompson, Andy Keogh and Nathan Burns!

Latest Four Four Two Podcast

I'm on latest @FourFourTwoOz Podcast we chat about the strange round of 16 A-League upsets.

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/podcasts/442FM_10x12.mp3

Part Two of Interview with Perth Glory Coach Kenny Lowe

Ahead of tonight's Perth GloryFC & Melbourne Victory FFA Cup tie read my yarn with Perth Glory coach Kenny Lowe 

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/jig-perths-kenny-lowe

Love this quote he gave me. “It’s all right being a character
but you don’t want to be a caricature"

A-League Season 10 Preview

So the longest off season in any sport in any world is over. My sentiments exactly.... pretending to care about the other codes is done. Let the real football begin. Bring on Season 10 of the A League. 

Here are some musings and rantings of what I expect from Season 10 of the A League.

O Marquee, Marquee wherefore art thou Marquee?

Alessandro Del Piero is in India drinking Mango Lassi and collecting Rupees, Emile Heskey is in England doing the pundit thing and Shinji Ono’s is in Japan’s second division the question is wherefore art thou A-League’s Marquees?

There will be pundits on TV and in print rolling out the line “The biggest Marquee in Season 10 of the A League is the number 10” or something like that. The A-League was spoilt the last two seasons with Alessandro Del Piero, Emile Heskey and Shinji Ono

The Top Marquee this A-League season is the number 10. Why would you want a washed up number 10 when their is the Tenth Season of the A-League to celebrate. 

Judging by the memberships sales figures the lack of big name Marquees is not affecting the fan numbers. Nice work number 10! It’s taken you ten years but you’ve proved round numbers are very sexy.

David “who needs a pre season?” Villa

Word is David Villa with a hard soft L only arrived a week before the start of A League season because he wanted to see as many Enrique Iglesias concerts as he could. Check out Villa’s Instagram account it’s very true! http://instagram.com/p/tZEYTlPBfW/

Will the World Cup, Euro, La Liga, Champions League winner even bother to play the 10 guest games for Melbourne Heart (Excuse me I forgot it’s Melbourne City now isn’t it) before he heads over to New York to catch up with his superstar mate Frank Lampard?

Or will Villa with the hard soft L love Melbourne so much that he decides to stick around for the whole season?

Probably not. Melbourne City isn’t New York City.

Perhaps if Enrique Englesias does a 28 week tour of Melbourne he’d stay longer. Twenty thousand Euro snobs will be pissed off if he doesn’t play in the opening game of the season against Sydney FC?

Melbourne “Lipstick on a Pig” City

Continuing on with the Melbourne City theme without Damien Duff, Robert Koren and David Villa and a changed home strip and changed name this eerily still feels like Melbourne Heart. Sure it’s ok to change things around with new owners coming in but what will all those Melbourne Westpac workers do now? Only support Melbourne City when they play in their away strips?

Also Robert Koren as the marquee? The richest club in this dimension and the club have chosen a Slovenian Midfielder who used to play for Hull?

Sydney FC

Now that Alessandro Del Piero has left what will all those Euro Snobs do with their summers and their Sydney FC Del Piero named shirts?

I surely thought Sydney FC’s membership numbers would drop due to the Euro Snob factor but they’ve actually increased this season. At the Sydney FC fan day ex Central Coast Mariners coach Graham Arnold said that it was always his dream to coach his home town club of Sydney FC. Nicely said Mr Arnold the Mariners fans must love hearing that.

Are Sydney FC doing a Manchester United and lining up the attack with quality, but not bothering to improve the defence?  With Alex Brosque, Shane Smeltz, Marc Janko, Corey Gamiero and Bernie Ibinie, Sydney FC probably have the best attack in the A League. It will be back four that that will be the Sky Blues problem this season.

Brisbane Roar

My new Albanian - Mensur Kurtishi is better than my old Albanian -  Bersart Bereshia. That's what Brisbane Roar will be hoping.

The off season was so long I forget that the Roar are the current A-League champions. Is the reason I’m forgetting because of the A-League has world’s biggest offseason in sports? Or just the fact that because of the vast news and information going through our modern brains as each moment occurs we are simultaneously experiencing and forgetting them.



Western Sydney Wanderers

Can they repeat last two season’s success and lose the grand final three seasons in a row? 

Can they lose the Asian Champions League Final in between and lose four finals in a row? 

Everyone knows the real star of the team is The Red and Black Bloc. Perhaps they should try a new way of supporting their team. Perhaps they could try the reverse of turning your back on your team, and actively watch them from the front of their heads.

And what’s with the silent protesting and the I’m not coming to the game anymore because my mate lit a flare and they banned him for life protest!

Tony Popovic must be an autistic genius at the art of suffocating the opposition and the grinding out a result with Mark Bridge and Labinot Haliti and Brendan Santalab in attack. He could have been Crystal Palace Manager by now instructing Mile Jedinak to break legs and shave off that beard.

Beware Victor Saba your Ned Kelly is numbered!

 The "Mutiny” on the Perth Glory

Last season “ The Mutiny” on the Perth Glory “ was led by their captain Jacob Burns, against Lieutenant Alister “Curriculum “ Edwards.

According to accounts, the players were not happy with the "idyllic" life and the opportunities that Lieutenant Edwards afforded to his two sons Cameron and Ryan.

It has also been argued that the Mutineers were motivated by Edwards’s allegedly harsh treatment of them when asked they were asked to play out from the back.

The Mutineers look foolish now as one of the sons Ryan Edwards had amde a decent impact at Reading since he set sail for the Royals in the English Championship.

Newcastle “for sale” Jets

When will the suited and booted folk at Football Federation Australia realise that having billionaires like Nathan  “I want to buy the club, no sorry I want to sell the club”  Tinkler  who use A-League clubs as their playthings is not a good idea?

The Jets haven’t made the finals for years and this year will be just as tough as they have more injuries in their squad than the aftermath of a Friday Night out in Kings Cross and an NRL grand Final.

Adelaide “Mini Me Barcelona” United

So the coach of Adelaide United Josep Gombau was at FC Barcelona for seven years.

The Technical director of Adelaide United former Barca and Spanish International Gillermo Amor after his playing days was responsible for the youth categories at FC Barcelona for four years and most recently he was the director of football training while Messi, Iniesta and Xavi were there.

A slow start to the season led to Gombau being told to harden by a local journalist. The Reds could make a big impact this season they have best technical football knowledge. Will their 3-4-3 make an impact?

Central ”I’m moving to North Sydney maybe” Coast Mariners

One week they are staying on the Central Coast, the next they are moving to North Sydney, another week they can’t pay their players, another week they are opening a 10 million dollar Centre of Excellence, another week goes by and they announce a team of football scouts, the next week, they are being bought by South Melbourne.

It’s never dull up the Coast.

Wellington “does anyone care besides us Wellingtonians?” Phoenix

No Disrespect to the sheep botherers but I’d rather watch a team from Wollongong or Canberra.

Melbourne Victory

For the team that is the biggest club in World Football, it Feels like Melbourne Victory have flown under the radar during this pre-season. Usually the Central Coast Mariners fly under the radar. The Victory took the Bipolar Albanian Besta Berisha from Brisbane Roar so they should be challenging.

Will some Melbourne Victory fans rush to buy memberships because they have mistaken Allesandro Del Piero for Matthieu Delpierre ? Thinking that it’s a typo and the Blue Tongued Maestro is now playing for the Victory?

Who is Del Pierre anyway and what is the Victory's fascination with Marquee defenders Paulo Contreas ?

A League Before of Season Awards

Best Name that almost has a swear word in it: Devante Clut (Brisbane Roar)

Best use of alliteration in a name: Jimmy Jeggo (Melbourne Victory

Best misspelt marquee name: Matthieu Delpierre

Best if it worked with one Albanian let’s try another: Brisbane Roar

The Tom Rogic Groin Injury award: Tom Juric just like the RBB his groin is involved in a rather loud active protest.

The award for best use of useless A-League knowledge: being able to name the Wellington Phoenix squad besides Paul Ifill who doesn’t even play with them anymore. Just joking Phoenix........

Best Hipster Ned Kelly Beard: Victor Saba

Australian Football Podcast A League 2014/15 Season Preview

                                                                                            

What do you get when you combine a football writer with a comedy genius? 



You probably get the funniest Australian Football Podcast maybe in pod-casting history perhaps!


Featuring the 2014/2015 A League Season Preview. Quirky Music interludes, The Les Murray Football Hotline


Every A-League Team is covered, even Wellington Phoenix! We talk David Villa, Preview the chances of Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar, Central Coast Mariners, Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory, Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory, Wellington Phoenix and the Western Sydney Wanderers.

Click the link below to listen to Rob Toddler and Stama's A League Podcast:

http://magiclunchbox.com/shit/podcast/Podcast_01_v01.mp3

Celtic and Aussie midfielder Jackson Irvine Interview

Here is an interview i did with young Aussie Jacskon Irvine.

first published on 442 Aus website

Can you give us a rundown on your time in the Scotland? 

I have been fortunate to play in many European tournaments, in many countries, against many of the worlds biggest teams. I’ve been lucky enough to play against teams such as Borussia Dortmund, Boca Juniors, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Wolfsburg, FC Basel, Real Mallorca, Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur. 

I was also involved in the Scottish Youth Cup Final in May. A Celtic-Rangers Old Firm final attracted a crowd of 10,000 at Hampden, Scotland’s national stadium. We won 2-1 after extra time, an amazing experience.

The most exciting opportunity I’ve had is to be a part of the NextGen Series, a youth Champions League style tournament including the best of the best of Europe’s elite. Our group consists of Marseille, Manchester City and world champions Barcelona. If we manage to qualify through our group we will be joining the winners of the other groups in Abu Dhabi in January for the finals.

You are a former Endeavour United and Knox City junior and had a short spell with Richmond’s youth team. You also played for Southern Blue Tongues in the Victorian Champions League summer competition. What was it like playing youth football for those teams?
My times at Knox and Endeavour were really great for me and the stage of my development I was at.

I was at Knox City from the ages of 10-13 and Endeavour at 14 and 15 and the most important thing for me at that point was that I was enjoying myself and that I had a good group of boys in my team as well as trying to learn about the game.

A big step for me was playing in the summer league with Southern. Was lucky enough to be captain of the under 18s at the age of 15 and we managed to make it to the final. My time at all of these teams was greatly beneficial to me.

Richmond was not a great time for me, I was 15 trying to get a spot in the under 21s which was a difficult task and I found myself on the bench and sometimes not even in the squad for most games. At such an important age it’s not about what league you play in, it’s just important to be playing regularly. So just before my 16th birthday I made the switch down a division to Frankston.

2009 was the big year for you.  You joined Frankston Pines in Victoria’s State League Division One. You were coached by Tommy O’Halloran and after just one game in the reserves against Northcote you were promoted to the first team and then won the club’s best and fairest award and the players’ player-of-the-year trophy. What was that year like? 

My year at the Pines was the biggest step I made in football. Tommy signed me and gave me my first game in the first team just a week after joining the club. A full season of playing against men, many of which had played at the highest level in Australian football, was a massive step for me and I was fortunate enough to gain the rewards at the end of the season.

After your great year with Frankston Pines you got a trial with Melbourne Victory and after one game you were off to a trial with Celtic. What was it like trialling with Celtic and what was the pressure like?
The Melbourne Victory coaches came to watch one of our games against Bentleigh Greens and I was lucky enough to get a phone call later that week inviting me to come and train with the youth team.

Unfortunately due to some FFA rules involving age restriction and players that haven’t been developed in state academies like the VIS, I was only able to make one appearance. It was actually my Frankston coach Tommy who organised my trial at Celtic.

I was there for 10 days in December 2009 where I did four or five training sessions and played in two friendly games, after which I was fortunate enough to get offered my first contract. The pressure was actually not something that worried me, because I was just one of many trialists all I could do was try and show something a bit different. I wasn’t expecting any miracles, just wanted to take the opportunity to train with some of the best players and coaches in Europe.

What is it like living in Scotland and how do you quell the homesickness?
I really like it here in Scotland, I have been living for quite a while now so I am used to this way of life. It isn’t as different from Australia as some people might think, at least they drive on the same side of the road!

Homesickness was very hard to begin with, especially after only a month of football I found myself with and ankle injury that had me on the sidelines for nearly four months. I’m lucky enough to be able to have my parents over here for a two or three months a year and I get to come back to Melbourne for Christmas so that is always good.

How did you get used to the professorial environment in Scotland and what were the differences to level you faced in Australia?
The difference in the standard of football was probably one of the toughest changes I faced when I made the move. The tempo of the training and games was something it took me months to get used to.

Considering the majority of players at the club are full Internationals for their respective countries, you can imagine how the first few weeks were for a kid from state league one in Melbourne trying to keep up!

What do you hope to achieve in your football career? 
I’ve been very lucky to achieve many of my short term goals for this season already, including securing a new contract and playing International football. By next season I’d like to either be in and around the Celtic first team or be out on loan playing first team football at another club in the UK or Europe. In the long term I’d like to continue being included in the International scene and try and establish myself at a high level club as a regular first team player.

There are a lot of young players like yourself that are going straight to Europe and bypassing the A-League.  What advice do you have for young players who want to follow your path?
In my opinion the most important thing for young players in Australia that want to establish careers in Europe is to stay focused and committed, and don’t believe that the only way you will obtain such an opportunity is through FFA-based academies and select squads.

I was never selected for any state teams and I was turned down by the VIS at a young age. Just keep trying to play regular football, and if you are committed and have the talent you will get your opportunity at some point.

How do you relax away from football?
Most of my time away from football is spent playing my guitars, watching movies, reading, going to the driving range or hanging out with the boys playing PlayStation!

What kind of person are you?
I’d say I’m a pretty laid back and outgoing person, a bit shy at times as well. I’m a bit of an individual as well, the boys aren’t massive fans of my clothes and my music!

What is a usual week for you at Celtic?
A usual week consists of training in the morning and going to the gym in the afternoon on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with our games on Saturdays and usually a pool recovery session on a Sunday. Wednesdays we go to college.

You can play right back and as a midfielder what position do you play at Celtic and what do you prefer to play?
I was always a centre midfielder from a very young age until my time at Frankston where I played most of my football at full back, right and left. After I returned from injury at Celtic I began to play a lot of football at centre half.

I then made the switch to right midfield and eventually got my chance at centre midfield and I have managed to keep that spot since then. Although some injuries and suspensions this season have meant I’ve played a few games at centre half. Overall I see myself a midfielder and that is where I like playing my football the most.

How is it watching the first team train and what do you have to do to make it in the first team?
The first team has some terrific players, we have Internationals for Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Greece, Wales, Israel, South Korea and Honduras. I’ve been fortunate enough to train with the first team several times, and they have been some excellent experiences. The pace of the game and their passing and movement is truly another major step above even youth level.

Which Celtic players have impressed you?
We have some extraordinary players in our youth team this season. Some players that have stood out for me since I have been here include Filip Twardzik, Marcus Fraser, Paul George and Callum McGregor.

Filip has made several first team appearances in friendlies, is a full Czech International at U19 level and is one of the most technically gifted I have ever played with or against. Paul just recently made his full first team debut in the Scottish Cup, he is also a full International for Ireland at U19 level and is one of the most skilful players I have seen.

Marcus and Callum both played with me in the U19 European championships for Scotland and are both truly gifted footballers. These are 4 names I would keep an eye out for!

Has anyone at Football Federation Australia contacted you about playing in Youth Tournaments?
I have been contacted several times by the FFA asking me to play for the U18 and U19 national teams. It has been a complicated situation for me as before I was approached by Australia I was approached by Scotland, who I am eligible to play for through my Scottish father.

I jumped at the chance to play International football and I travelled to Slovenia to play against Wales, Belgium and Slovenia in the European Championships. One day I would love to play for Australia and I hope they continue to invite me to be a part of their International set up as it is something I have always dreamed of doing.

Sydney FC Melbourne Victory Semifinal podcast

Here is podcast I recored at the Sydney FC Melbourne Victory 2nd leg Semifinal.

It features Sydney Fan Dave Anderson and myself Con Stamocostas as well as the sounds of the Cove and the reaction to all the goals. Feel the passion of Australian Football.

If you are a Sydney Fan I don't recommend going past the 23 minute mark as that is when the heartbreak happens. But before the heartbreak it's all fun before that.

http://ia311518.us.archive.org/2/items/SydneyFcMelbourneVictorySecondSemiFinalPodcast2010/SydneyFc-melbourneVictorySecondSemi.mp3

Also here is a video I made (very amateur) during the Sydney FC Melbourne Victory final round game where Sydney beat the Victory 2-0 on Valentines Day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSWwueDT4Gc&feature=player_embedded

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.............

Melbourne Victory-Newcastle Jets: A League Round 5 Preview

Thursday, 3 September 2009

Melbourne Victory v Newcastle Jets

Etihad Stadium, Melbourne

Local kick-off: 7.30pm

Referee: Chris Beath

Matchday Five of the A League begins in Melbourne on Thursday night with 7th placed inconsistent Victory taking on the high flying 3rd ranked Jets.

The Newcastle Jets should get a big thank you from all the other A League teams after ending the Gold Coast United unbeaten 3 game run last week. Melbourne Victory seems to be suffering from the after effects of champion’s syndrome. Will it be a case of success then failure again or is too early to make such a prediction? It’s not a do or die game for the team from Bleak City but another loss and they could be bottom of the table and nine points off the lead if Sydney beat Gold Coast United on Saturday and other results go a certain way..

I wrote off the Jets before the season and tipped them to come somewhere in the bottom four. Proving once again that most of the time, most people don’t know anything, and I’m quite sure of that.

Victory coach Ernie Merrick may move Tom Pondeljak in a more advanced role to cover for the loss of Costa Rican attacking midfielder Carlos Hernandez who is on World Cup duty this weekend. Nick Ward is to come in to the midfield. Ward has been getting splinters on the Melbourne bench during the season so look for the ex QPR player to have an impact if given room.

Victorious Quotes: I'm really glad that at this stage of the season we are playing good football. I think over the course of the season, that's what you rely on, rather than the game against Fury which is all defence, we win the game, but you aren't going to do much in the year if you play like that," said Victory coach Merrick during training this week.

Victorious Form (last four games):

LDWL

Jets Quotes: “It was terrific,” said an excited Jets Boss Culina speaking after the win over Gold Coast United. “I just briefly looked at some statistics there and they had 59% possession of the ball but I thought the best chances by far fell to us.”

“I was disappointed that we didn’t take one or two others because it was too close for comfort considering the number of chances that we had,” added Culina.

Jets Form (last Four Games):

WDLW

A Football Story Prediction:

Victory 1 v 2 Jets

Melbourne Victory squad:1.Mitchell LANGERAK (gk), 5.Surat SUKHA, 6.Leigh BROXHAM, 7.Matthew KEMP, 8.Grant BREBNER, 9.Danny ALLSOPP, 10.Archie THOMPSON, 11.NEY FABIANO, 12.Rodrigo VARGAS (c), 14.Billy CELESKI, 15.Tom PONDELJAK, 17.Matthew FOSCHINI, 20.Glen MOSS (gk), 22.Nick WARD, 23.Adrian LEIJER

In: Matthew KEMP (promoted)

Out: Carlos HERNANDEZ (international duty)

Unavailable: Evan BERGER (groin - 3/4 weeks), Kevin MUSCAT (hamstring - 1 week)

Newcastle Jets Squad:1. Ben KENNEDY (gk), 2. Angelo COSTANZO, 3. Adam D’APUZZO, 4. Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY, 5. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 7. Jin-Hyung SONG, 8. Matt THOMPSON (c), 9. Sasho PETROVSKI, 10. Donny DE GROOT, 11. Tarek ELRICH, 15. Sean ROONEY, 16. Jason HOFFMAN, 17. Fabio VIGNAROLI, 19. Jason NAIDOVSKI, 20. Neil YOUNG (gk), 22. Kaz PATAFTA, 24. Chris TRIANTIS, 25. Labinot HALITI

*three to be omitted*

In: Labinot HALITI (new player), Donny DE GROOT (promoted), Chris TRIANTIS (promoted)

Out: Shaun ONTONG (Achilles – indefinite)

Unavailable:6. Ben KANTAROVSKI (ankle – 1/2 weeks), 12. Jobe WHEELHOUSE (ankle – 2 weeks), Marko JESIC (knee – indefinite)

*Head-to-Head: Played 12: Melbourne Victory wins 3, Newcastle Jets wins 7, Drawn 2)

A League Round 4 Preview Part One

Friday 28 August 2009

Adelaide United v North Queensland Fury

Friday 28 August 2009, Hindmarsh Stadium, 7.30pm local (8.00pm AEST)

Round four kicks off with a Friday double header. The action begins in Adelaide with the Reds taking on the winless and pointless Fury. The Reds will be looking to bounce back from being outplayed by the Gold Coast while the Fury will be looking for their first ever A League point.

Adelaide will be missing Travis Dodd while the Fury will be hoping one at least of their defenders knows how to play the offside trap.

Reds Quotes:“It’s very disappointing but there’s not much you can do about it, you’ve just got to get on with it".said Reds Coach Aurelio Vidmar speaking about the disappointment at the loss of Captain Travis Dodd to a calf injury.

"But we’ll still put out our strongest team and I’m still very confident we can get the three points, because we’re in a position already after four rounds that it’s a must win,” added a determined Vidmar.

“Every striker wants to score as many goals as they can and don’t get me wrong, the opportunities have got to come, we’ve just got to make sure we put them away…and hopefully on Friday night they’ll be in the back of the net,” said the Reds’ former Ghanaian international Lloyd Owusu speaking about Fridays night’s game with the Fury.

Furious Quotes:'I want to bring that attacking flair. We've got Robbie up front, there haven't been too many balls put through to him, so hopefully I can do that,'' said 25-year-old Attacking midfielder Fred Agius who could debut for the Fury on Friday Night.

Here is under pressure Fury Coach Ian Ferguson speaking about left back Shane Stefanutto’s inclusion in the Socceroos squad for next weeks game against South Korea: “It's a great thing for Shane to be selected to play for his country and I'm sure David (Williams) will want to be given another chance with the Socceroos and (Osama) Malik recently toured Argentina with the Young Socceroos.

“We have quality players in this club, we just have to click,” added Ferguson.

A Football Story Prediction: Adelaide 3 - Fury 0

Adelaide United Squad: 1.Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk), 2.Robert CORNTHWAITE, 3.ALEMAO, 4.Iain FYFE, 5.Daniel MULLEN, 7.Lucas PANTELIS (c), 9.CRISTIANO, 10.Adam HUGHES, 11.Lloyd OWUSU, 12.Paul REID, 14.Scott JAMIESON, 15.Francesco MONTEROSSO, 16.Inseob SHIN, 17.Michael MARRONE, 20.Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk), 21.Mark RUDAN, 23.Joe COSTA

*two to be omitted

In: Paul REID (returns from injury), Mark RUDAN (promoted)

Out: 13.Travis DODD (calf – 1 week), 18.Fabian BARBIERO (calf – 1 week)
Unavailable: 6.Cassio (calf – 2 weeks), 8.Kristian SARKIES (calf – indefinite)

North Queensland Fury squad: 1.Paul HENDERSON (gk), 2.Robbie MIDDLEBY, 3.Chris TADROSSE, 6.Ufuk TALAY, 8. Shane STEFANUTTO, 9.Robbie FOWLER (c), 14.Chris GROSSMAN, 15.Fred AGIUS, 16.Paul KOHLER, 18.James ROBINSON, 19.Daniel MCBREEN, 20.Justin PASFIELD (rgk), 22.Karl DODD, 23.Rostyn GRIFFITHS, 24.Dyron DAAL

In: Fred AGUIS, Chris GROSSMAN

Out: John TAMBOURAS, David WILLIAMS (thigh – 1 week)
Unavailable: Scott WILSON (foot – 4 weeks), Jacob TIMPANO (hamstring – indefinite), Jeremy BROCKIE (quadriceps – indefinite), Osama MALIK (thigh – 1 week), Jason SPAGNUOLO (hamstring - 1 week)

Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory

Friday 28 August 2009, Members Equity Stadium, 8.00pm local (10.00pm AEST)

Perth Glory will be looking to continue on from last week were they more or less grinded out a 2-0 win against a disappointing Newcastle Jets. The visit of Melbourne Victory who last week travelled to North Queensland and got a narrow 1-0 win against the Fury will be an opportunity for the Glory as the Victory players could be tired from all the travel.

Expect a fast start from the home team. The Socceroos trio of Mile Sterjovski, Jacob Burns and Chris Coyne will be out to prove to Pim Verbeek they are worthy of a World Cup place after missing out on the latest Socceroos squad to face South Korea next week.

The return of former Brazilian international Amaral could be an inspired choice if the veteran stays fit as the Glory lack a genuine playmaker.

Having Adrian Leijer back from OS is a huge bonus for the Victory. Club captain Kevin Muscat is still out injured for two more weeks and Leijer's return from Fulham after almost three years away is almost like the former Olyroos captain never left. A negative for the Victory is that left back Even Berger is out for two weeks.

Glorious Quotes:“He has an infectious character, he’s bubbly, a good guy and great player. He felt that the club and fans didn’t get the best from him last season and he wanted to come back and help the team achieve our goals this season and I’m sure he will be able to do that,”said Glory Coach Dave Mitchell talking about prodigal son Amaral.

“The reception has been great, the team has made me feel very welcome and I think the team this year has big potential. There is a strong squad and I think I can complement the players that are already here,” said Amaral talking about his glorious return.

Victory Quotes: "I think it's always difficult to travel over that distance and also to New Zealand and to Townsville. We found it difficult to get the guys up for the game. It's something we need to learn to cope with if we are going to do well. We've got our flight protocols in place and it's really about individual motivation to play at their best every game, home and away, travel or no travel," Victory Coach Ernie Merrick said.

A Football Story Prediction: Glory 1 - Victory 1

Perth Glory Squad: 1.Tando VELAPHI (gk), 4.Andy TODD, 6.Chris COYNE, 7.Jacob BURNS (c), 8.Victor SIKORA, 10.Wayne SRHOJ, 11.Branko JELIC, 12.Scott NEVILLE, 13.Scott BULLOCH, 14.Eugene DADI, 16.Adriano PELLEGRINO, 17.Todd HOWARTH, 19.Naum SEKULOVSKI, 20.Aleks VRTESKI (gk), 21.Mile STERJOVSKI, 23.Andrija JUKIC, 24.Matthew MAYORA, 25.AMARAL

*three to be omitted*

In: Scott BULLOCH (promoted), Eugene DADI (promoted), AMARAL (promoted - guest player)
Out: Nil
Unavailable: Jamie COYNE (knee - 2 weeks), Jimmy DOWNEY (knee - 4 weeks), Jamie HARNWELL (hamstring - 1 week), Anthony SKORICH (hip - 5 weeks)

Melbourne Victory squad: 1.Mitchell LANGERAK (gk), 5.Surat SUKHA, 6.Leigh BROXHAM, 7.Matthew KEMP, 8.Grant BREBNER, 9.Danny ALLSOPP, 10.Archie THOMPSON, 11.NEY FABIANO, 12.Rodrigo VARGAS (c), 14.Billy CELESKI, 15.Tom PONDELJAK, 16.Carlos HERNANDEZ, 17.Matthew FOSCHINI, 20.Glen MOSS (gk), 22.Nick WARD

In: Matthew FOSCHINI (promoted)

Out: Evan BERGER (groin - 2 weeks)
Unavailable: Kevin MUSCAT (hamstring - 2 weeks)

Saturday 29 August 2009

Brisbane Roar v Central Coast Mariners

Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Local kick-off: 3.00pm

Referee: Ben Williams

The Brisbane Roar and Central Coast Mariners have the Saturday to themselves. The Roar will face a tough Mariners side. The Fisherman will be disapointed they are not on nine points after out playing the Jets in round two and missing two late chances against Sydney FC last week including a penalty. The Mariners should have had a perfect record instead they have started the season with a win and two draws.

The Roar has not won a game so far this season. They have played well in their last two. but they have only two draws to show for their attacking efforts. Craig Moore and Bob Malcom do not look comfortable at the back and it appears the loss of midfielder dynamo Massimo Murdocha is affecting their play.

Roar Quotes: "Everyone was disappointed with the crowd on the weekend."(But) from a team's perspective, we have only really played 45 minutes poorly (this season) and that was in the second half against Wellington.

"But it's a long season and we encourage our fans to continue to support us because we will get there - we will be there at the end of the season.

"It's not all gloom and doom." said Roar coach Frank Farina speaking about the record low crowd of 7,084 fans last Sunday.

Mariners Quotes: "We need to keep on top of what we’ve been doing. We are really well disciplined, the only thing we need to do is keep the ball a wee bit better, as we said last weekend. We got better as the game went on whereas the week before we probably dropped off a wee bit in the second half.

"It’d be great to put a good 90 minutes in at the weekend, and three points would put pressure on Sydney and Gold Coast as well," said Mariners boss Lawrie McKinna.

A Football Story Prediction: Roar 2 - Mariners 1

Brisbane Roar squad: 1. Liam REDDY (gk), 3. Luke DEVERE, 4. Craig MOORE (c), 5. Josh McCLOUGHAN, 6. David DODD, 7. Michael ZULLO, 9. Sergio VAN DIJK, 10. Charlie MILLER, 11. REINALDO, 12. Matt MUNDY, 13. HENRIQUE, 15. Matt McKAY, 16. Bob MALCOLM, 17. Mitch NICHOLS, 18. Danny TIATTO, 20. Griffin McMASTER (gk), 24. Robbie KRUSE.

*two to be omitted*

In: Josh McCLOUGHAN (returns from injury), REINALDO (promoted)

Out: Tommy OAR (suspended - 1 week)

Unavailable: Andrew PACKER (adductor - 2/3 months), Massimo MURDOCCA (fractured leg - 3/4 months), Tommy OAR (suspended - 1 week)

Central Coast Mariners squad: 1. Andrew REDMAYNE, 4. Pedj BOJIC, 5. Brad PORTER, 7. John HUTCHINSON, 8. Dean HEFFERNAN, 9. Nik MRDJA, 11. Dylan MACALLISTER, 14. Michael McGLINCHEY, 15. Andrew CLARK, 16. Nigel BOOGAARD, 18. Alex WILKINSON (c), 19. Matt SIMON, 20. Danny VUKOVIC, 21. Ahmad ELRICH, 22. Nicky TRAVIS, 23. Adam KWASNIK

*one to be omitted*

In: Andrew CLARK (promoted)

Out: Nil

Unavailable: Chris DOIG (calf - 2 weeks), Shane HUKE (knee - 4 weeks), Adrian CACERES (hamstring - 1 week)

Hyundai A-League Head-to-Head: Played 14: Brisbane Roar wins 6, Central Coast Mariners wins 2, Drawn 6

Overall Head-to-Head: Played 19: Brisbane Roar wins 7, Central Coast Mariners wins 4, Drawn 8

Quotes Courtesy of Sportal Australia and A League website.