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

Alessando Del Piereo (Sydney FC) vs Emile Heskey (Newcastle Jets) Review

There have not been queues like this in SYDNEY COVE since Captain Cook and the First Fleet landed and decided that even though Aborigines had been here for 40, 0000 years they didn't really exist. The buzzzzzz around the Sydney Football Stadium could be cut with a knife and be used as a gelatin material to keep Mark Bosnich's rebel wig in place.

The TIFFO told the story.  Alesandro Del Piero is such a superstar he can make 35,000 Sydney siders  get off their comfortable tanned and manicured arses and don the Sky Blue Jersey that has been hiding in their closet for seven A-League seasons.

I was in the Cove with the best atmosphere and the worst view in the stadium when Alesandro Del Piero scored that free kick. Like a lot of the action when viewed from the Cove end it felt like everything was in slow motion as the ball seemed to float in the air for an eternity before it nestled into the back of the net. When that goal went in 35,000 fans forget their crap jobs, mundane lives and the pre-game arguments about parking to engage in what other sports can never offer: A collective primal scream that shook the roof off its hinges and the wig of Bosnich’s head.

DA Media Loved it

“as sweetly as Adam Scott strikes a long iron, Del Piero's right foot sent the ball flying past goalkeeper" That’s right folks The Sydney Morning Herald CHIEF! Sports writer compared Alessandro Del Piero’s free kick to a golf swing. Merda! & Stronzo!

Never has a free kick been talked about in the same breath as a non-descript god bothering Australian golfer. Who chokes it at the end like a porn star.

Reading non-football writers articles about football is like watching white people dance at Hip Hop concerts.  Elbows and Knees everywhere.

The False Striker

How many times can someone say this? Sydney FC need a decent Striker. it’s the reason why football fans wake up in the morning. Do I have to say it again? It’s to see Strikers Shoot Farken! Won’t they think of the poor football Striker?. 

Everyday Strikers around the football world turn up on milk cartons and missing person’s lists kidnapped by over eager coaches who want to take attacking players and turn them into right backs.

Go to Twitter for more great A-League cartoons. Nothing B League about it. Wayne Snowdon ‏@waynesnowdon
Game Points

• No flies on Alessandro Del Piero!! But plenty on his teammates. He is ClarSH with a capital SH!
• Was Kruno Lovrek playing as a  false number 9 or a pretend quality footballer? Is he a Striker? Does or he play midfield and like war. What is he good for?

• Blake Powell was a breath of Fresh Air he scored a goal he plays Striker. Yeah!

• Brett Emerton is no right back he should be right midfield what a sweet cross for that  Blake Powell goal.

• Pascal Bosschaart can’t come back soon enough for Sydney FC fans. He will be having a get to know my position meeting with Adam Griffiths soon.

• Paul Reid meet Terry McFlynn you’ll be playing in his position for a while.
• Top Blokes get sacked first. If Ian Crook can’t get a win against our cross city rivals then the sack word might come up.

• Fabio is a liability at left back but because he has that burst of energy and speed and can play a pass what else you gonna do?

• Not forgetting the Jets. Emille Heskey scored a volley and was a menacing beast up front. How tall are you?

• Goodwin destroyed Sydney down the right. Ryall and Emerton tch tch tch

Encore

Why do players who come to Sydney FC play below their best compared to whence they came from? And when they leave sin city to a new team why then in turn do they play better for their new club while at the same time sticking up a middle finger to Sydney FC in the process.

Scott Jamieson I’m talking to you.

Bring on the Sydney Derby!

Alessando Del Piereo (Sydney FC) vs Emile Heskey (Newcastle Jets) Preview

Normally these preview things take on a dour vibe. Some critique about last week’s performances, suggestions and ideas on what can be improved but I’d rather use this space as a bitch session about Sydney FC’s first game.

Sydney FC the so called biggest club in the country travelled to Wellington with the least match preparation in world football. Sydney FC’s cause wasn’t helped by not playing a competitive pre-season game for three weeks prior to the start of the season. It was all thanks to the one-upmanship of Brisbane Roar and Central Coast Mariners who cancelled friendlies for the most absurd reasons. If I was those clubs I’d be well pleased that their antics let to such a bad performance by the Sky Blues.

Let’s stick to the Sydney FC is the biggest club in the country theme.  If Sydney FC is the biggest club in the country shouldn't their roster reflect this?  Do they have the best local defender in the country, What about the best midfielder and the best attacker?

Oh Dear

“Oh Dearism” is a term coined by documentary film maker Adam Curtis. It refers to the shame we feel after watching all the terrible images the news shows on our TV screens. These images leave us feeling helpless and depressed and to which the only response is: “Oh Dear.” 

After watching Sydney FC against Wellington Oh dear is the only sane response.

NO pre-season games for three weeks Oh Dear!

The coaching staff decided not to pursue a late practice game, Oh dear!

Fabio:  Has a left back wanted to play number 10 as much as Fabio? Oh Dear!

Lovrek: Please change those colourful boots it makes your misdirected passes stand out more and talk about him being the new Krešimir  Marušić? Oh Dear!

Emerton doesn't know how to play RB? He only played there for a local Dutch side called Feyenoord and helped the team make a final of a small competition called the Uefa Cup. Oh Dear!

What makes this worse is that Sydney FC’s cross town rivals the West Sydney Wanderers had just a matter of days to form a team.  Compared to Lame FC the Westies looked organised and played with passion to get a respectable result against the Fisherman. It also helps if the other players know each other’s names. Oh Dear!

The Jets

What about the Jets? They didn’t do much better either losing 2-0 at home to the Pissants..  Emile Heskey was his usual self unfortunately. Both teams should  come out fighting as the saying goes. Let’s hope both teams have figured out that the start of the A League season is upon us.

“Right Here Right Now” by Fat Boy Slim should be ringing in the players ears before the game.  Phrases like “Work in Progress” and “It will take time to gel” should be cast aside and some of the players and coaches should act talk and play like they mean it!

It will be interesting to see what Alessandro Del Piero will do on the weekend now that he has some minutes under his belt. NO! It will not be interesting it will be AWESOME!

"There is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn." Albert Camus 

Shoot Farken! The Terrace has spoken!

Young Socceroo Capitan Ben Kantarovski Interview

Here is an exclusive interview I did with Young Socceroos Captain Ben Kantarovski (pictured above)that featured in Soccer International magazine a few months back this time in feature style and uncut from original version. The Young Socceroos will be in Columbia in a few months as the Under 20 World Cup kicks off on July 29. Best of luck to Ben and the boys.

“This could be heaven or this could be hell” is a famous lyric from the Eagles song Hotel California and it seems an apt way to introduce my article on Newcastle Jets midfielder Ben Kantarovksi. 

The Young Socceroos captain cites the Eagles as his favourite band and what better way to describe the Newcastle Jets season so far.

One moment the club cannot afford to pay their players salaries and the club is on the brink of dying and the next moment the club has it future secure for ten years with mining magnate and White Knight Nathan Tinkler riding on his steed to save the day for the Jets. Since Nathan Tinkler has taken ownership of the Jets David Beckham’s La Galaxy are on their way for an exhibition match, a new coaching structure has been installed as well as a new playing surface (although it would have helped if they had ordered grass for a full length pitch) . And in a sign of the club’s ambitions it also signed former Arsenal and England International striker Francis Jeffers. It’s never a dull time being a Jets footballer it seems.

Growing up playing Football

While still attending Lambton High school at 16 years and 208 days Ben is the youngest ever player to play in the A League and such was his impact he was named the Jets players of the season that year. Studying Psychology at University as well playing full time for the Jets you get the impression that Kantarovski is no meathead jock. 

Able to play in midfield or defence and at 18 years of age you would think he is not quite the finished product yet. However the Newcastle born Jet has already been likened to former Socceroo legends Paul Okon and Ned Zelic.  Comparisons aside Ben is one of the A-League most cultured looking players, he is elegant on the ball and plays with a composure that belies his years. 

Newcastle Jets

I was lucky to speak to the Young Socceroos Captain and asked him about his feelings regarding the events that have been happening in Newcastle lately.

“There's definitely a good feeling around the place at the moment,” Ben said. “Things are obviously a lot more settled and everyone can concentrate on winning games. I've always loved playing for the Jets so it was great to re-sign for another three years. Things are really looking up for us.”

His love for the Jets can be seen when Ben talks about how the players stuck together during the period when wages were not paid. Speaking about this difficult time the midfielder talked about the close bond between the players:

“We've got a great bunch of guys here and we're all pretty close. Obviously it wasn't a great situation but we all came together and tried to concentrate on the football side of things rather than worry too much about what was going on off the field. With the new ownership there is definitely that feeling of security and I think that is a reason we are putting in much better performances in the last few weeks.”

While most A-League players are trying their luck overseas early in their careers Ben has just signed a three year deal with the Jets. Here is the midfielder explaining his decisions why:

“I feel like the club is heading in a good direction and I wanted to be a part of that.  Our position on the ladder doesn't reflect our team's ability and I know that we've got better seasons ahead of us. Hopefully if I continue to play well, those overseas opportunities will be there for me later on. For now, I am determined to play well for the Jets and hopefully be part of something special here.”

“We have a great squad at the moment.  Last year, we were probably a bit young and inexperienced but this year we have a lot more depth to the squad which is good.  Hopefully we can come away with a better result than we achieved last year."

Just recently Ben scored his first goal for the Jets against the then league leaders Brisbane Roar on the 17 November, 2010 and his second half display against the Wellington Phoenix  just a few days later was possibly one of the best of his career, showing  off  his  range of  deft passing and some neat skills hitherto not seen before. So the Jets are slowly starting to climb the ladder.

When asked the question what was different from the person and player that made his debut in January 2008 as the youngest player in the A-League at 16 years 208 days Ben spoke about his maturity:

“My age is probably the biggest difference”, Kantarovski responded. “I was pretty young when I started and have obviously matured a little bit particularly off the field.  On the field, I think I have matured in terms of the way I play.

Like most Aussie kids Ben grew up playing all sorts of sports but lucky for football he chose the round ball game. “I was brought up playing football since I was a baby really, I have experienced every other sport having played cricket, tennis, rugby, swimming, all those sort of sports and I have had a good go at them as well but they were not really for me and football was the one that prevailed – it always came first.  “

Asked who his biggest influence in his career he doesn’t forget his playing days with local Newcastle club Broadmeadow Magic. “There are a wide number of people who contributed to my football including coaches like Richard Hartley but the biggest influence were my dad”, Ben says.

Bayern Munich calls

In March 2009 Ben caught the eye of European Giants Bayern Munich. It gave the young player a feel of what it was like to play in Europe: “Bayern Munich approached me and it was a good experience.  They had a good look at me and I got to experience the European side of football and it was great to be a part of that culture and that environment.”

Media pundits and ex players have compared Ben with former Socceroos greats like Paul Okon and Ned Zelic. When asked if it was hard to define yourself as a player with your own identity when the media loves to compare, Ben took a philosophical look at such comparisons:

“I think everybody compares in life and it is just a matter of doing your own thing and people will start to recognise that.

Socceroo Ambitions

When asked about his Socceroo’s ambitions Ben was just taking it a step at time but fans know it will be sooner rather than later.” At the moment, I have the U20 Socceroos and the World Cup in Columbia, hopefully, after that, I can make the Olyroos and we are able to qualify for the Olympics and then the Socceroos after that.”

FFA Technical director Hann Berger has gone on the record as saying that A League teams don’t give any chances to young players. When I asked if Ben thought more young players should be given a chance Ben was thoughtful in his response:

“That’s a tough one; it depends on the player and the coach.  I think most coaches in the A-League would like to give the young players but they have to show their worth and prove that they want it just as bad as anybody else.”

Young Socceroos

The Young Socceroos had a great Under 19 Asian Championships. They just missed out to North Korea in the final losing 3-2 in heartbreaking circumstances.  Getting past the Quarter Final stage meant that the Young Socceroos had qualified for their second consecutive Youth World Cup and for Ben it will be his second as captain. 

When asked about  his feelings on the tournament and his feelings going forward on the World Cup in Egypt next year it was a proud captain speaking:

“Any time you're chosen to wear the green and gold it's a special occasion, but I really do enjoy the Youth World Cup. I think it's a great way to introduce young players to international football and really develop at that level.  I think we're all pretty excited to be going to a place like Columbia for the next tournament. I'm sure the conditions will be tough but I think that will be good for us.

“The experience gained and the teams we played against in Egypt motivated me again to want to better myself and to play those sorts of teams again” 

Many football writers and pundits claim this is the best under 20 side since the teams of the 91 and 93 eras. Mathew Leckie, Tommy Oar and Kerem Bulut, when I put this to Ben he was happy to take the comparison:

“They are all great players and it's a thrill to be in the same team as them. It pushes you as a player to perform well, having guys like that in the team. I'm not sure how our side compares to the 1991 side, I wasn't even born then! But it's flattering to hear those comparisons all the same.”

On Young Socceroo Coach Jan Versleijen

Ben also gave us an insight into the Coach Jan Versleijen methods and it should get Socceroo fans excited about the future:

“The likes of Leckie, Oar and Bulut upfront with Amini in behind is a lot more attacking focused. The method really is just ball movement which is the key thing we need for the football the coach wishes us to play. It allows us to use the qualities that the front men have and play that attractive winning brand of football.”

So what about paying in Asia? Some of the senior Socceroos struggled during the 2007 Asian Cup but it seems like lessons have been learnt particularly in terms of preparation:

 “Obviously hydration is an important part of the preparation because of the heat and humidity. You just have to stay on top of it and make sure your body is getting enough water, because it can be easy to cramp up late in games if you don't. The coach doesn't usually need to say much to get us motivated, we all know what's at stake and we all want to perform well every time we take the field.”

So away from the football pitch what does Ben do to relax? Living in Newcastle the sea has a big influence on the Jets midfielder:“I go fishing, watch a lot of TV, I love Harry Potter movies, and I study psychology at University which takes up a bit of my time away from football”

Ben Kantarovski may not get the headlines like some of the A-League’s attacking players do but at only 18 years of age and already a very important player for the Newcastle Jets and the Young Socceroos his value to Australian football cannot be understated and like the guitar solo in the Eagle’s song Hotel California watch out for Ben in midfield he will keep going and going and going.

Not a Local League for Local Coaches: Round 7 Sydney FC Analysis

One of the best things about your team getting a win when they play badly is the reaction of the losing coach. 


Having to front a press conference after watching your team out- play the opposition is bound to make the coach say some crazy things.

So it was no surprise that ex Sydney FC boss Branko Culina marched to the front of the pack in the A League Coaches Sore Loser Award:

"I don't care what their coach says and the fact that he's on $500,000 and I'm on 50 bucks or whatever it is, but if that's what the foreigners are going to bring to this game, let's have more local coaches."

"There was only one team that really deserved to win that game, but we can only blame ourselves, we can't blame anyone else."

John Kosmina has usually taken out the award every year and he even managed to win it when he took a year off from coaching.

Isn’t it time to move away from the most boring debate in Australian Football? The overseas coach’s vs local coaches debate makes me yawn and say things like oh dear..........

To me the debate sounds like an episode of League of Gentleman featuring  Tubbs (Michael Cockerill) and Edward (Branko Culina) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOGAAlHzF4o
Tubbs (Cockerill): “I haven’t seen you before are you a local?

Edward (Culina): “Are you a local coach? This is a local league for local coaches......this is a decent town and a local team; there is nothing for you here!

So to the action on the bumpy SFS surface. If you take out Mark Bridge’s goal (that by the way was deceivingly brilliant because he got a friendly SFS bobble that usually sees the ball land in the middle of bay 23 next to deadpool who holds the megaphone) and Corica’s excellent taken penalty the performance by Sydney FC to quote Jorge Valdano “was like watching shit on a stick”.

One of the positives apart from winning was seeing Stuart “Disco Stu” Musalik play in midfield again; he is one of my favourites. Simon Colisimo had another good game; but the performances of his teammates are making him look good.

The decision to rest Karol Kisel, Stephen Keller and John Aloisi due to injury or otherwise at least showed that Sydney FC has some depth. The performance of Musalik Sebastian Ryall and Mark Bridge means that all three veterans will have to work harder at training this week, it might be tough to get back in the starting line up since the instruction by Lavicka all season has been “quicker, play quicker!”

Alex Brosque hasn’t scored a goal yet but he was won three penalties. Memo to his teammates: Just give Brosque the ball when he is in the box running towards the by-line. Like bees to honey and flies to shit A League keepers are attracted to the option of bringing him down when there is no apparent danger.  

So forget about watching a slick passing team that will play exhilarating football. Sydney FC will win games because they hard to beat. Branko and all the other local coaches may have a right to be jealous at the huge salary our Bohemian maestro is getting. However if the Czech delivers the precious things that us Sydney FC fans covets then there certainly will not be any trouble here!

Sydney FC - North Queensland Fury Analysis: 442 Blog

Biblical Improvement Needed

IMPROVEMENT needed and of Biblical proportions.

What a fabulous sight it was to see all those Liverpool supporters at the Sydney Football Stadium cheering Robbie Fowler and the North Queensland Fury on Saturday night.

Ummm........ Let me re-phrase that. What a pathetic sight it was to see all those euro-snob Liverpool supporters get off their euro-snob stained football couches and grace us with their presence.

I hate euro-snobs as much as I hate waiting, music genre-snobs and Jamie Oliver. I'm sure there are things that I hate more but I'm too hateful to list them right now.

For me, anyone who attends an A- League game with a replica shirt besides the home team or away team colours should be banned.

It's matter of respect. When attending a football match appropriate dress standards must be observed.

It's like seeing a Wallabies jersey worn at Socceroos games. Remember John Howard in his Wallabies tracksuit pretending to watch the Socceroos play at the World Cup in 2006? Sure I like to present myself as an anarchy-loving Greek from time to time but as a football supporter there are unwritten rules that must be followed.

Anyway rant finished for now. I was so disappointed after leaving the SFS. Sydney FC showed no fight and had no solutions.

During the lead up, the game was promoted as Aloisi vs God. Cue the joke about Aloisi's mortal mistake in missing the first half penalty and Fowler's goal being a divine act. Those puns never get boring do they?
Eamonn Flanagan in the latest edition of my Half Time Hero* (out now) wants people to stop the 'God' nickname, claiming only a minority of Liverpool fans called Fowler such a title.

To try and dissect that game and to offer solutions would be harder than threading a camel through the eye of a needle. Maybe the midfield could do with some tinkering or perhaps Sydney just didn't want it. Who knows?
What I do know is the return of ex Sydney FC Coach Branko Culina to the SFS on Sunday with his hot and cold Newcastle Jets has me worried.

Last season it was exactly the same. Terry McFlynn got injured and the good start to the season saw Sydney eventually fall away. I just don't think we have any weapons in attack and in the last three games the defence has gone to sleep at critical moments.

The space that Robbie Fowler found himself in when he ran onto the Daniel McBreen flick on that led to the goal will be making Viteszlav Lavicka yelling "discipline" twice as hard at training this week.


* Half-Time Heroes is back for it's second edition. Nearpost blogger and radio host Eamonn Flanagan and 442 Sydney FC blogger Con Stamocostas have combined to bring over twenty football bloggers, writers and cartoonists together.

This edition is fifty seven pages in length and full of Australian football. ABC's Adam Spencer reveal his football passion, FourFourTwo's Fiona Crawford checks in from the Homeless World Cup in Milan, W-League, A-League, Socceroos, it's all covered.
Here is the link. http://issuu.com/nearpost/docs/halftimeheroessept09/6

Join the debate at 442: http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/112532,blog-biblical-improvement-needed.aspx

A League Round Five Review

(Article published in Goal weekly)

The A League crowds are the talk of the competition at the moment. Particularly puzzling are the Gold Coast Crowd figures. Arguably the White Shoe Brigade has the best squad in the league, the best stadium and is getting more press than any other team. Mad Miron and Professor Palmer are doing a great job PR wise so what’s the problem?
  

Even though most of the Surfer chicks and Grommets were absent at Skilled Park Stadium up on the Gold Coast, those who did go were treated to a wonderful game of entertaining high pulse football.While sometimes the focus is on who is not there, when it should be on who is, the action on Saturday evening was excellent dude, gnarly even! 

The Gold Coast support would have been stoked to get a 2-1 win over title pretenders Sydney FC and go two points clear at the top. Shane Smeltz has been as cool like an ocean breeze this season with eight goals scored in five games. Like Russell Crowe, Phar Lap and everything else that is good from New Zealand we should really be claiming him as an Aussie……… somebody check his passport.

Melbourne Victory is in crisis mode read the Tabloid head line.Danny Allsop is normally the consummate professional but he did a Cassio and refused to play on against the Jets on Thursday nights. The management at Victory knocked a big money move to the Middle East and Danny had a bit of a dummy spit and took his ball and went home. 

The Victory must be cursing the FFA and Fox for scheduling their games opening two home games of the season on Thursday night. Both round one and five crowds were lower than expected and the A League need the large victory support so they can prop the league's plummeting crowd averages.

Adelaide United is a club who seem to have lost their way at the moment. They just can’t put it together on the park. The team look they are trying too hard and it’s draining to watch at times. The Reds are wasting chances when they get them and some players are not showing up….Cassio, has anyone seen Cassio? A couple of weeks back Red’s coach Aurelio Vidmar said they would have to change the way the team trains, due to the large amount of players that were getting struck down with calf injuries. If you can’t train properly the obvious question how can you play……..

The Central Coast Mariners are just the jammiest of bastards of the A League aren’t they? The game was played in Canberra on Friday night .A small crowd of 5000 plus will not help the Canberra’s bids cause to get into the A League next season. However the surface certainly helped the Mariners get a win as a tennis ball bounce did not assist Perth Glory keeper Tando Velaphi. With the score at 1-1 and with only a handful of minutes remaining Velaphi slipped and fell at them most awful moment.

Dylan Macallister did show some skill to run past the Glory keeper who was now crawling on his knees. The Mac then laid the ball to Mat Simon from the by line and the tall lanky striker side footed it in to an empty net, for an unlikely home away from home  2-1 victory to the Mariners.


The North Queensland Fury are starting to finally get there shit together. The Scouse man Robbie Fowler scored a delightful goal when he found room in the penalty box to open the scoring with a sublime right finish. The Fury were unlucky to have Paul Kohler sent off in the first half and were cursed by the football gods when a Mitch Nicholls deflection salvaged a point for the Brisbane Roar. 

The Roar seem to be suffering from a huge fan backlash after the club raised membership prices from $390 to $1080 for a family pass. Those extra four games the hike has been justified for better have fairy dust sprinkled on the ticket; otherwise it’s a con job. Who knew Scrooge moved to Brisbane!!!

All in all round five of the A League had a mixture of granite juxtuposed with some excellent play, if only the crowds would stop paying attention to those sports they play with a rockmelon.

A League Import Watch:Chicks love getting them and blokes want to play like them………… I’m talking about Gold Coast United’s Brazilian triumvirate of Milson, Anderson and Robson. Other imports that impressed were the Phoenix’s Paul Ifill, Adama Traore and Bas Van der Brink of Gold Coast United and of course the Fury’s Robbie Fowler. Song for the Newcastle Jets is playing consistently well this season and the Kosovo kid Labinot Haliti scored a great equalising header against the Victory.

A-League Socceroo Watch:Mile Sterjovski and Jacob Burns are starting to “show themselves” as Pim Verbeek likes to say. The Jets Ljubo Milicevic was superb again. and Verbeek should have a look at Grizzly Adams when Holland and Oman come to Australia in October.

Hot Spot: The Gold Coast United showed that without Jason Culina they can beat a full strength Sydney FC and must be favourites for the Championship.

Odd Spot:Mathew “Hallmark” Breeze once again showed he has a card for every occasion, sending the Fury’s Paul Kohler to the sheds after the defender received a second yellow for a rather soft challenge.

Best Goal Celebration so far:Lloyd Owusu (ADL) scored against the Fury last week and there must have been at least three different dance moves in one. The man who played for Ghana twice finished the move by the holding up the roof.

Quotes Of The Week:“When Shane is one-on-one with the goalkeeper like he was for the second goal, you can light your cigar!”Miron Blieberg coach of league leaders Gold Coast United lights up a Cuban.

Goal of the Week: Robbie Fowler’s poise and composure for the Fury’s opening goal against Brisbane Roar brought back memories of God’s Liverpool days.

A Football Story Team of the Week:

GK:Vuckovic(CENT), LB:Traore(GCU), Ljubo Milicevic(NEW), Vargas(MEL), RB:Elrich (NEW), LM:Minneicon(GCU) CM:Talay(Fury) CM:Thwaite(GCU) RM:Williams(FURY) FW:Smeltz(GCU) FW:Fowler(FURY)

Round Six Predictions:

Adelaide United 1v1 Central Coast Mariners

Newcastle Jets 2 v 1 Brisbane Roar

Sydney FC 2v 1 North Queensland Fury

Melbourne Victory 2 v 1 Wellington Phoenix

Perth Glory 0 v 2 Gold Coast United

Hyundai A-League 2009/10 – Leading Goal-Scorers

 8 – Shane SMELTZ

 3 – John ALOISI, Robbie FOWLER, Sergio VAN DIJK, Archie THOMPSON

 2 –Chris GREENACRE, Carlos HERNANDEZ, Jason HOFFMAN, Branko JELIC, Lucas PANTELIS, Paul IFILL

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)