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Wednesday 30 December 2009

Nearpost Local - 29/12/09

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The closing program is given to a lengthy "fireside chat" with John Mitchell, Coach and technical director of the ANU Premier League club, the U20 Elite program, which broke new ground in the Capital Football Premier League in the 2009 season. For the first time we saw a Premier League club take a whole of year approach to football and players, much like the AIS. John and ANU lifted the bar considerably and good thing they did if we are to see a significant improvement in the standard of Premier League football in 2010 and beyond. In fairness, Capital Football gave them the thumbs up to proceed. The ANU program is aimed at giving talented players under the age of 20 years, who have missed ACTAS and AIS, a chance to pursue serious football. So should every other Premier League club and the question remains as we close the year - what will Capital Football do to address this "tragic vacant space" (to quote John in an earlier interview) in our football development process? Perhaps this is the way? The new HP program has left it a vacant space (excluding the Summer 20s comp - club based anyway) and it looks like staying that way. For all the other PL clubs - if you want to keep your best - do as well or better than the ANU program. Who could argue with that?
In this discussion, much of which has not been broadcast before, John ranges across several football topics pertinent to the ACT and region. Its very interesting and he leaves you in no doubt about how he sees things. We need more of this.

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Nearpost National Show - 29/12/09

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Lucy and Paddy have the controls for the last show in 2009 and there's no stopping them. Its all happenning! The A league gossip, who really coaches Kuwait and what's in a name anyway, the Soccerros playing roster, whose in and whose out and who knows, and can they win, where did all the people come from to watch the last A league round - that's easy - they listen to the Nearpost National. The odd fearless prediction for the next A league round. Cry in ya Chardonnay Paddy, the Perth Shin-kickers are done for - and who adminstered the kiss of life to the Gold Coast. Strange things going on in the A league!! What about Harry K and the Turkish connection? When too much football gossip is what its all about. "Eamonn who", Paddy is heard to exclaim! They sent Eamonn on an all expenses paid "Celtic Tragics" reunion in storm ravaged Western NSW - something about inland beach football and would he like to be the inaugral patron. Eamonn couldn't resist. He's wet, not happy and someone borrowed his Celtics jersey! Is there no end to the lengths that Lucy (Paddy made me do it) and Paddy (my hand is no where near the ball) will go to, to promote the Nearpost National - No!. So listen.

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Thursday 24 December 2009

Pim bashing the A-League?

Clive Palmer reckons Sir Pim is bashing the A-League by pushing for all A-League players to leave on loan before the finals season.

If this happened it would destroy the finals in my view but before we get all excited lets get real for a moment.

This is a one-off.

By the next World Cup surely the season will be longer and with four teams in Asian Champions League the problem should not occur again.

Secondly players like Archie Thompson, Matt Kemp, Eugene Galekovic and Scott Jamieson play ACL football next year so they should be okay to remain with their clubs and potentially be in the running for a Socceroos call-up.

Of the 15 players called up for Kuwait, 4 play ACL football. Of the others Tando Velaphi, and Danny Vukovic have NO CHANCE of ousting the current keeper mob. So 6 are covered.

Matt Thompson, Alex Brosque, Jacob Burns, and Matt Mackay have little or no chance of making the Socceroos squad given who we have played in the last 14 Asian Cup qualifiers, so no need for these guys to get off the beach never mind even contemplate a loan deal.

And that leaves Tommy Oar and Simon Colosimo. If they start in Kuwait, and only if they start should they even think about a loan deal. Remember Harry and Bresc and co have a tad more chance than a 9 game A-League rookie, exciting as he is, than Tommy Oar. And again where was Simon against...well Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar etc etc.

For all the excitable Aussis journo's talking up Colosimo and Brosque...funny how they are always Sydney players... the question remains.

Why didn't Pim choose ANY of these A-League players for the World Cup Qualifiers over the last two years?
And who is going to be left out from Emerton, Kewell, Bresciano, Kennedy, and co to make room for Brosque or Matt Thompson or whoever.

Craig Moore, Jason Culina and possibly Mile Sterjovski have a real chance so need to move by Pim's reckoning. Given the ACL starts during the final series moving to Adelaide or Melbourne maybe difficult, should those teams want them.

But Perth or the Roar may not make the finals, in which case, where is the problem really?

Happy Xmas to y'all!

More interesting to me is the amount of changes our wonder coach has made from the last team that I had to endure play Kuwait...and lose, in my home city of Canberra. Grrrrr Pim......

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Tuesday 22 December 2009

Nearpost Podcast is here...yippee

Happy Christmas to all who come here....and no matter who you support may your team win over the Xmas break. Thanks to Con Stamocostas for joining me at very late notice to do a quick replacement show...original show failed to record. Thanks Con.

Pim Verbeek interview, Socceroos, A-League, W-League news and views it's all here.

Nearpost national download







Nearpost local with Peter Funnell Download here

This program is given to George Huitker, the Director of Co-Curricular at Radford College and the subject is Junior Football and Talented players. George is a man of many parts – teacher, mentor, actor, playwright, poet, author (of two books on Junior Football), football and futsal coach (school, club, representative) and a former player.




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Wednesday 16 December 2009

Asia on the line for Melbourne this Saturday

Melbourne v Sydney is always a big game in the A-League. Big crowds, send-off's thrashings we've had the lot.

This Saturday's is bigger than most.

Should Melbourne win they would be six points clear with 8 to play. Who would bet against them finishing top of the league and grabbing that crucial first Asian Champions League qualification spot.

And that would mean Melbourne a club that plans better than most in the A-League would be guaranteed two years in the ACL before the finals even start.

Barcelona, Man Utd and the like are always in the Euro Champs League, and if Melbourne make it again they will more evidence to say they are Australia's biggest and best football club on and off the field.

If Melbourne score first, at home, they will win and Asia is theirs.

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Tuesday 15 December 2009

Nearpost radio rocks...SSG's abolished?

Nationally we predict Melbourne Sydney blockbuster, look at the Jets revival and why the Fury will finish ahead of Gold Coast...says Paddy!

Eilis Fitt and Eamonn discuss and predict the W-League Grand Final and we have all the news views and opinions.

And all your World Cup tittle tattle.

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Locally Peter Funnell has it all covered. The best local football coverage in the region.

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This week we speak again to Eddie Senatore, co-founder of the Boomerangs and ACT Futsal Coach about preparations fro the Nationals, the usefulness of joining of HP Football and HP Futsal over the last eight weeks for futsal training, prior to the naming of the ACT teams and what might be important in preparing an ACT team for the Nationals.

Then we speak to Pat McCann about the recent FFA Senior Licence course run in the ACT and those two new mantras for coaches – “Run it or Play it” and “Play what you see”.

Capital Football has advised all clubs that the playing rules for Under 12s will change from 9 v 9 and a reduced size field, to 11 v 11 and a full size field.

The change was foreshadowed by Han Berger when he briefed us on the new National Curriculum – he gave no good reason to change, but the change was coming whether we liked it or not.

Small sided games underpin technical development, particularly in the junior ages groups and the ACT championed the introduction of small sided games. So it’s a very strange decision in this new football world of technical development across the early years.

The football “flat- earth” aficionados have the day it seems – well for now anyway. They just don’t get it! Just listen to the Georgia Soccer Association (USA) analysis of the matter. They know more about junior football development than Han Berger!

And of course the Under 10's are going BACK to 9 v 9. And interesting that "the experts" consider girls to be about two or three years behind boys in terms of football development....SO WHY ONE SIZE FITS ALL for boys and girls at all ages!

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Half-Time Heroes is here!! Happy Xmas

Australia's best football writers have combined once more to provide you with the most independent views in Australian football.

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Tuesday 8 December 2009

Nearpost World Cup Draw and young players transfers

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We cover the World Cup Draw, why the AFL Leader is an idiot, all the W-League Semi Final coverage and of course the unleashing of Australia's new full-back Troy Hearfield and are Sydney back, is Aloisi really back, will The Jets win three in a row, can the Mariners do it again and Andrew Baresic follows Ned Zelic, Joe Simunic, Stephen Lustica and Kofi Danning all from the same Junior Canberra Club.

Hear it all here.







And locally Peter Funnell has another stunning show on one of Football's hot topics.

This week we have a special edition on the “International transfer of young players”. All players under 18 years of age will not be granted an international transfer to join and play for overseas football clubs.

In this special on this important subject we hear from the President of FIFA, The President of the English Professional Footballers Association, the CEO of the Australian Professional Footballers Association, FFA Head of National Teams and Development and the father of a young Australian Player (aged 16 years) who is currently with an EPL Academy but has clearance to play. If you have a young player who wishes to pursue professional football, you need to hear this program.


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Monday 7 December 2009

The draw: Not the World Game for nothing is it?

Australia 2009 is not as good as team as the one which took the field in Germany.

The group is much stronger this time: Germany and Brazil are not dis-similar, Croatia are nowhere near as strong as this young Serbian side, and of course Ghana are a much stronger proposition than Japan.

All that and a much more battle hardened Aussie team, one which has achieved wonderfully well to qualify, but has not convinced it's supporters it has the goal power to do well in South Africa. Not to mention the defensive abilities despite their meagre goals conceded in Asia qualifying.

Since Germany, Mark Viduka has not been replaced. Key players Scott Chipperfield, Vince Grella, Brett Emerton, Harry Kewell, Craig Moore, Lucas Neill have big big question marks over their pace and potential performances going into this World Cup.

Will they all make it?

Carl Valeri, Rhys Williams, Dario Vidosic, Brett Holman are all new World Cup possible starters. None are ripping it up at a top top club in Europe just yet.

But the draw is good.

Most Australians will expect Australia to do well especially after Germany. It's a World Cup, it's sport and Aussies often do well in Cricket, Union, and League albeit on a much much smaller World stage.

But by June 2010, no-one will expect us to get through this group easily. I don't think we can. But if we'd have drawn Algeria and USA everyone would have thought we'd walk that group, but of course we may not come through such a group either.

So the second World Cup may see us fail to achieve the heights of last time, but at least the expectations across the country will be tempered after a cruel cruel draw.

Will we win a game? Will we get a point? Who knows, it will be that tight and not completely impossible to see us go through, or indeed fail to get a point.

Should we fail the Aussie media will have their field day of course; but for football fans we know where we're at and what we are capable of.

The draw is a great test of Pim Verbeek and the Australian team. Will we succeed? It's going to be a test of the highest order and providing the "second appearance syndrome" doesn't raise it's head and the team bonds, remains focused and doesn't get distracted by Tim Cahill's media grabs and the like then we should perform to our potential.

Will we get through the group.

Not too optimistic..are you?

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Andrew Demetriou: Are you an idiot?

In this mornings Herald Sun the Head of the AFL says,

An entire AFL season could be abandoned and some clubs would "cease to exist" if the MCG was unavailable for 16 weeks during a soccer World Cup in Australia

What a complete idiot!

At the end of the interview he thinks wiser heads will prevail and the AFL season wouldn't be cancelled.

Of course it wouldn't, and the AFL season will continue as normal with a small break. Big deal.

The World Cup comes but once, and the AFL is the biggest game in Australia now, and will be after the World Cup should we get it...and that's a big if.

Why are the AFL so scared, it's truly pathetic.

Most AFL fans support the World Cup, support other Aussie sports, but would not wish to see their code close for a season; and no-one is asking them to. The AFL even moved their season for the Olympics didn't they so what's the big deal with the football World Cup.

Demetriou must be an idiot, scaremonger and Head of AFL rolled into one.

After all why would the greatest game in the World, as we're always told, be scared of a little old boring round ball!

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Wednesday 2 December 2009

AFL delighted with World Cup Supporter

Bishop Desmond Tutu announced his support for the Aussie World Cup Bid this morning and immediately drew loud support from the AFL Community across Victoria.

AFL CEO Andrew Dimitriou said,

"This is a great step forward for the bid. AFL fans are always complaining that football (soccer) just doesn't have enough goals. Announcing TuTu (pronounced Two-Two) as a supporter means all AFL fans will now be behind the bid."

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Tuesday 1 December 2009

Nearpost Podcasts

National Download

Lucy Zelic, Patrick Bertrand and Eamonn Flanagan talk World Cup draw and who Australia would like, why Thierry Henry should be banned...yes we're still on that, and all the A-League chat, and why Paddy loved the Fury, watched the Mariners and thinks Sydney are...well not very good. And all the news and quiz and update on the Aussie World Cup bid.






Local Download

All the local news with Peter Funnell. Where else can you get such coverage of local football. Peter is doing a fantastic job bringing quality interviews from across the football community to air. Who else gives such coverage to the game in Canberra? Well done Peter, keep up the great work. Look at this weeks line-up!

Hear from Canberra United Coach Ray Junna, Mike Swan President of Woden Valley Senior Club, and Capital Football Asst Technical Director and Futsal Co-Ordinator Pat McCann.

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Vote for Canberra United player of the year now!

It's time for the Canberra United Player of the Year Awards.

Send your votes to russ.gibbs@mail.com

1. Best
2. Second best
3 Third best.

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