Nearpost Football: A-League

Showing posts with label A-League. Show all posts

Showing posts with label A-League. Show all posts

Saturday, 28 April 2012

Five things the A-League needs in Season 8

What the A-League needs in Season 8.

1. We need 10 teams including Newcastle Jets.

2. We need two more players a la Kewell and Emerton to build the hype. Who? Only Tim Cahill could spark the media if not the fans but he's a long way from coming home. Dwight Yorke not Robbie Fowler? But who is good enough, exciting enough and cheap enough. West Sydney and Brisbane would benefit.

3. We still need one or two overseas coaches to bring something extra to the game and I'd don't mean English. John Van Schip not Terry Butcher.

4. Matthew Leckie, Tommy Oar, and others who are rarely playing would light up the league, but would they come for game time???

5. FFA - to clue up. Our FFA funding a Western Sydney team - wouldn't trust them with 10 cents of grassroots money, government money or expansion plans, plans for grassroots or anything else.

Monday, 2 April 2012

Finals Football Week 1 - Perth linesman gives Perth a goal that never was.

Shane Smeltz stole the headlines as Perth put a strangely negative Melbourne Heart to the sword.

Perth aren't pretty for the neutral and with Liam Miller off his game it was dire stuff. A strange second "goal" that clearly wasn't killed the game all hats off to Smeltz for celebrating early - did he influence the Perth-based linesman who gave a goal.

And Heart conceded the game way before the ninety as they played a lone striker - refusing ever to send their excellent wide defenders forward.

Heart lacked courage in the game that most mattered.

And next week it' Perth v Wellington - not just the longest game in World football - is destined to be the most dire. Two pretty ordinary teams, albeit packed with experienced pros, working hard getting the job done. Talk that one up Fox Sports.

In Brisbane the Roar gave me a real taste of finals football and let's hope for the sake of the league, progressive football that these two teams meet on Finals day.

If Perth make it to the final it will be so disappointing for football fans in this country and if they won it - that is too scary to contemplate.

Perth in Asia - or even Wellington. God no! Not on this form with this "style."

Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Move over Arsenal, Australia's got Gold Coast United

Clive Palmer is leading the way in terms of giving chances to younger players and Holger Osieck looks set to play the good old 8-1-1 against Saudi Arabia. All this and more in this week's edition of the Nearpost podcast, featuring Paddy Bordier, Aaron Walker and Nick Amies.

Download.
or play right from your computer....

Sunday, 12 February 2012

Jim Magilton sees the future - and it ain't the killer B's thank god!

We knew the Melbourne Victory defence, central defence was too slow, too fragile and lacked Muscat.

And in midfield the pairing of Leigh Broxham and Grant Brebner could never control the game in the Asian Champions League games - at times the Victory were embarrassing - and these our Aussie Champions - and this season they've never had the ball, kept the ball or enabled the style boys to get on the ball.

No good for Asia - surely not a pairing worthy of Australian style - and so it proved - Ernie didn't know it, Mem didn't nor Muscat it seems.

Are they gone for good as a pair - they should be.

Thank you Jim!

And in Sydney - everyone talks up Liam Reddy. Finally he's gone too - but how long did it take and the Coach and the Aussie media talked him up for two years too many.

How many goals were Sydney prepared to concede through Reddy's displays? How many points were lost as a direct result of his fumbles?

Seems we football fans often have clearer perspective than so-called wonderful coaches.

Nice one Jim didn't take you long to see the light - and Vitelav you might have taken two years to do it, but it might have saved your season. You never know do you?

Canberra continues to produce quality footballers - Tom Rogic is next.

We're a small city in a region of 700,000 people. Not a professional mens football team worthy of a mention, not now, not in living memory.

And yet we still produce quality - quality footballers and in the case of Joe Simunic, Carl Valeri who are both still playing, star Internationals.

Throw in excellent A-League stalwarts, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Matty Kemp and Brisbane Roars Kofi Danning and we've almost got a half a team.

Steven Lustica is on the rise - a four year deal in Hadjuk Split's centre midfield - how good is that for a guy who couldn't get 90 minutes or a new contract with the Gold Coast.

And now we have Tom Rogic.

When did Canberra last produce an attacking midfielder of real excitement, real promise? Kaz Patafta? But his star waned. Before then - who knows.

A long long way to go for Tom - but there are guys running around professional football all over the World, who have never and will never produced two pieces of football like Rogic did on Friday in Victory land - one a goal, the other an almost.

We love the biff down here in Canberra - League, Union and now AFL - and yet somehow we keep produce these real football gems.

If we had a Professional Mens team - could we double our output of the type of quality we have listed above.

Of course we could.

Anyone got a plan?

Monday, 16 January 2012

A-League on fire: Brilliant Kewell, Brilliant Brisbane.

Fantastic the football on the weekend.

Tucked into two games. Victory and Adelaide and Brisbane v Sydney.

What treats.

Harry Kewell turned back the clock with a wonderful performance, again. If Archie or Danny could have finished one or two of their Harry inspired chances Victory would have won.

But weren't Adelaide a joy...a joy. Great performance from the Reds. Great to see how a new Coach can get the team playing - that's four strong performances and the Reds are again worth watching.

And in Brisbane - if you missed that game - you have missed one of the games of the season.

Brilliant tense, tactical battle with lots of pace, skill and effort on display.

Hats off to both teams or should that be shirts with Berisha having a rant after the game.

Great to see Brisbane on the march again. Sydney could have done no more...and that remains their problem.

Who was the last British Coach to perform in Australia?

Robbie Slater has taken Craig Foster to task over Fozzie's article/analysis of Melbourne Victory's Coaching appointment.

Fozzie's article is intelligent, well thought out and something we need in this country - even if you don't agree with it's sentiment.

It adds to our football intelligence, it makes us think.

Robbie's reply is like a fan on a forum having a rant. It's unprofessional, lacks analysis and if his point is British Coaches are good - he hasn't been able to articulate this.

He hasn't taken the debate forward.

So when was the last British Coach to inspire a team in Australia at club level.

Terry Venables did well at National level - but failed ultimately - at 2-0 the great British Coach was unable to close the Iran game out. His ultimate test, the ultimate judgement?

Richard Money, Terry Butcher and Steve McMahon were rubbish. Some had stellar international careers and playing careers way way beyond Jim Magilton.

Ernie Merrick and Lawrie McKinna have been here way too long to be counted as British Coaches in my view - although the British influence remained. Ernie could never adapt his play to Asia - was this his UK influence? And indeed McKinna's team were pretty ordinary to watch.

So the recent evidence is British Coaches outside the very elite of the Premier League are a huge risk.

Playing/Coaching teams like Bolton, Stoke, Sunderland and all Championship teams does not give you much assistance in preparing for the Aussie game.

Our game is different, not necessarily better, just heading in a different way.

Having arrived in Australia in 1990 I took to the NSL lke a duck to water. I was pleasantly surprised by the style of play of all NSL teams. Much more emphasis on the ball possession than I'd ever seen in the UK bar Liverpool and Leeds back then.

Sure the whole squad wasn't at the individual levels of the UK teams but the way teams tried to play was different.

And today the A-League is much more football oriented than any Championship team and let's face it teams outside the Premier League big six are pretty dire to watch. Ever watched Wolves?

So Fozzie's points are important.

It's not anti-British necessarily, more anti the football culture, coaching etc those countries produce.

Adrian Leijer calling Magilton the Gaffer - stank to me.

Good luck to Jim - I hope he plays Harry on the left, and improves the team, but I'm with Fozz - the debate is bigger than Magilton and needs to be raised.

Can British Coaches outside the EPL really contribute to Australian Club Football - and where is the evidence in Australia that they have done this?

Friday, 13 January 2012

Jim 1 Mehmet 0: Coaching, so much more than tactics?

He's been here a week - who knows who the better Coach is - but football is often about bluff and baloney and the man from Belfast has it in spades...or so it seems.

Memhet has a deep rich voice but his media efforts were poor, didn't inspire or excite the fans. He couldn't explain his vision, looked frozen before the camera and when things got tough he had no bluster or baloney to fall back on.

Jim's got a look, the blue eyes and the media despite their Ockerness seem to be swooning for him.

A win tomorrow, with a little conviction and Harry starting to fire and Jim may well up the rhetoric a notch of two.

Football fans enjoy the brash and brazen. Mem was never that.

Jim has seen a few battles no doubt from Belfast to QPR and back. If he gets his team playing, and let's face it he has the talent on the park to assist - a little Irish blarney and a wee blue twinkle of the eye from the big man and the media may flirt a little more.

Who said Coaching was just about the football?

Jim's Victory v Kossie's United - a belter.

With Victory showing sides of improvement last week, and Harry Kewell turning in another quality performance tonight's game should be a belter.

Big crowd, great stadium and lots of footballers on the park.

If Victory can seal their defence, the team could gain some serious confidence and climb the ladder.

A turning point?

Last weeks game showed many defensive flaws again. Like Man United they score more at home than they let in but they keep giving chances away - too easily it seems? Can they keep it up?

No doubt the biggest loss to the team is Kevin Muscat as the defence has struggled in Adrian Leijer's "leadership" and defence.

With Adelaide playing on adrenaline this could be another cracker of a game down in Melbourne.

Tomorrow" Don't miss the return of Thomas Broich...finally.

A-League: Owners and fans are....mad! Ask the Coaches

Rini from Adelaide he's gone, Branko from Newcastle he's gone, Mehmet from Melbourne already gone...

A-League winner Vitaslav is surely going...The Jets give Championship winningrecently appointed Van Egmond a guarantee, Fergie is he really still there? and Miron draws 2,000 a week, crowd not dollars, and now is set to wear a mic in the half-time dressing room....

With all these contract breaks, threats etc the A-League owners must have money to burn on....Coaches.

The place is all gone mad.

God help yer man Jim if he doesn't win a few games - he might not last till March, Arnie is safe, Ricky is across the ditch and out of harms way, and that leaves Ange - come to think of it he lost a few just recently!

How much does a Pro-Licence cost?

Thursday, 25 August 2011

A-League stars to boost TV Deal?

With the A-League teetering along last year football was heading back to the future.

Despite the move into Asia, a successful Asia Cup campaign, the rise of the Matildas and the increasing number of Young Guns pushing into the Socceroos and starring in the A-League moving to Europe and Asia, football still lacked any sense of security or money for our A-League clubs to survive, never mind to move ahead.

The easiest way to get a heap of dough is through the next TV Deal.

And that's why Brett Emerton's signing on the back of Harry Kewell's is really interesting. The two Socceroos will increase crowds, media interest and TV audiences. No doubt about that

What TV figures would Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC bring in now?

What TV figures would a Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC Grand Final bring in?

Could they match an Origin game or AFL Grand Final - (obviously we're not on FTA) - or the Socceroos v Japan game on Fox in 2006? They might go close - even close means $$$$ and big increased $$$$.

And suddenly we can see the TV dollars start to rise and that is so crucial to a game which has 9 international teams to fund, grassroots club with shockingly poor infrastructure and funds, not to mention over a 1 million players in need of cheap football, great coaching and a few decent grounds to play on.

We've a lot to do!

The TV deal would help, massively. A-League clubs would then have increased revenue and perhaps stability.

I say perhaps because even in the UK where football earns many millions more from TV than the A-League ever will clubs are always in debt!

Still with TV money, possibly, increasing, it shouldn't be too long a bow to see Tim Cahill, Marco Bresciano and a small number of Dwight Yorke's added into the mix in the next two or three years to maintain that star power.

Because despite the standard of football last year being the best we've ever seen in a domestic Aussie league, the star player power has people talking more than any game of A-League ever did.

Maybe that's because we're not on FTA, maybe that's because people didn't even know the game had improved as they weren't watching or listening - either way now the fans return, occasionally, they may actually like and be surprised by what they see.

Then again most Aussies like EPL football - up and at em at the best of times - so why would they like the increasingly more intelligent Aussie football?

And I wonder how many Aussies would like to tune into Harry's first game?

Of course they aren't on Fox - so another opportunity missed?

Long-term, the World Game taketh our stars away and now, maybe, the World giveth back!

Saturday, 20 August 2011

Harry to Melbourne - the perfect fit

If you have played at the top in front of the Kop when you return home you want to have some passion, some feeling from a large crowd.

And what better team to sign for than the one with the biggest fanbase.

The Victory are already popular on the road - but the Derbies, Adelaide and Sydney games have just gone up a notch.

Be interesting to see a Victory support re-energised and numbers swelling as you'd expect.

Melbourne v Sydney is the season opener for the Victory - Harry's debut - wow that should get a bit of interest!

Harry is coming - rejoice!

Harry Kewell the man who so nearly won the Asian Cup for Australia, in January 2011 is expected to sign for Melbourne Victory for THREE YEARS tomorrow.

This is great news for football fans, for the A-League and Australian football.

The process may have been long and arduous but Australia's greatest player will return to Australia at just 32.

When you see what Ryan Giggs and Dwight Yorke have achieved playing intelligent football beyond their 30's there is no reason to expect Harry won't be able to do the same. He might turn from striker to midfielder as the years go by.

And won't that be worth watching.

Welcome home Harry!

Saturday, 30 July 2011

SBS catches up with the Aussie football fan - and comes full circle.

Having denigrated the A-League in its early years, SBS, the home of FTA Football has finally come full circle.

Many football fans were sick and tired of SBS in its coverage of the A-League in those eary season. They not only failed to promote and cover the game in a meaningful way but they stuck the boot in, again and again, to a new professional league with all it's teething problems.

Times have changed and in the last couple of seasons it's noticeable SBS has now caught up with the Aussie football fan.

Must have been an email from Sir Les!

And the proof of the change, if it were needed:

Sir Les Murray stated on his blog this week:

The A-League is now of a high technical quality and the vast majority of its players are Australians.

Great to see SBS on board again with the local game - although we've been seeing it for a while now.

For the rest of us - we've appreciated the A-League for what it was in the beginning, is now and can continue to aspire to.

SBS - looking ahead to TV contracts perhaps!

Saturday, 23 July 2011

Rugger building slower than Football?

Union and Football are the two codes trying/needing to increase their foothold in Australia.

Both have seen their domestic games take a fall in recent years - first Union with the short-lived ARC and then football with the demise of a number of A-League clubs.

Union fell first - but may have picked itself up quickest - not least with the support of the international S15.

Melbourne Rebels followed Western Force into the S15 - suddenly Union has Five domestic teams in an expanding competition spread across the country. Something to build on you'd think. Although still a short season and one that couldn't provide enough opportunity for our footballers it's interesting to see Union emerging from it's dark days - albeit on the field the recent loss to Samoa shows we're still a basket case and a long way away from World Cup domination.

Maybe climate change can see an influx of Islanders into Australia!

For football we now have an extended off-season. We've taken a few hits and are regrouping. With Murdoch hindsight we clearly went too hard too early thinking the notion of the World Game would mean we could play all year in Australia and roll in the fans - NRL or no AFL!

This year is crucial - but if you listen to the AFL and NRL expansions plans maybe we have further hits and a shorter season still to come!

We need to build a strong product, slowly. It won't be easy, we're a fickle lot and when you see fans in the NRL and AFL clubs dropping in their tens of thousands when their club plummets what chance fans will hang around at say, Perth Glory, once the you fat bastards come out to play!

Having won the first round, the AFL and NRL are not short of funds and will be well aware of the need to push football further into October if they can - whilst at the same time providing further TV exposure for their own codes.

Each code will want more clubs - an extended season if possible.

Long-term, Football needs to fill August and September?

The off-season is way way too long - the runarounds against local clubs is quaint but over two weeks not two months.

We've failed to fill August and September with the A-League quickly running back into our piggy banks - and there's lots of space.

So what can we do?

The FFA Cup is the obvious idea - games played throughout August/September at local/regional grounds.....with quarters onwards thru October - December maybe.

Given the crowds at the likes of Brisbane Roar friendlies this could be a strong opportunity to put some real zest into these games. A place in Asia wouldn't hurt for the winners either. Maybe they could wing it so the team could start in Asia in the follwing March as well - not twelve months later!

Perhaps we need to get the Socceroos into some serious competition, (not the Euroboys of course but the home based ones) - certainly they could play in July in any or many of the competitions across the World in non-World Cup years you would think. A guest entry in the Gold Cup would be nice. Could we develop our own Cup - a la the Gold Cup, the Bledisloe, or East Asian, South Asian whatever. It has to be sustainable, perhaps bi-annual, but something we can build.

It's not an easy problem to solve but our players and fans need something through July or August, something competitive, if we are going to have this massive break each year. Of course a run in the Asian Champions League would help, it restarts in August/September - bring on the second tier for the first round Aussie losers! Shades of the Europa Cup in time maybe.

What it will be that can extend our domestic season and interest?

I'll get back to you but we're short on ideas and cash at this stage it seems.

If we fail we can expect the A-League not just to be a feeder league for Europe and China/Korea but for every other league in Asia and the World as well. Footballers might not want 11 months football but the market demands it.

Ask Lionel Messi, currently back from his Champions League high in May - he's been running his little legs out for Argentina already.

Add in Celtic who start their league this weekend and you get the picture across the World.

We don't want that much football but somehow we need a little more. We just need to find a way to fund the Socceroos increased number of games - or A-League club alternatives!

Wednesday, 6 July 2011

Pim: Playing in the A-League better than training in Europe....now!

I was sad when Mr Flores left for China, he has so much skill - and then Bernie said Harry wasn't coming. Harry has a fair bit of skill too - although he may yet turn up.

I'm a Celtic fan and although Liam Miller (not so much skill) signed for former Rangers player Fergusons' Perth Glory I wasn't that happy about the stars of the new A-League season - albeit a long long way off.

Then Musti Amini says he's allowed to stay for one more year - you see Pim playing in the A-League is better than training in Germany - and now Dario Vidosic a stylish and energetic Socceroo is to play for Adelaide.

And Sydney has Karol Kisel - no I'm joking I'm not excited by that - let's hope they get Harry or else it'll be gloom time again on the terraces at the SFS.

The smile is back, young players, exciting Aussies lighting up the league - bring on the football - and if Harry signs I'll be really ready for a new season - but hurry up!

Tuesday, 5 July 2011

Harry Kewell: The time to come home is now.

Don't get Twitter? Do yourself a favour and have some fun - check out the fantastic tweets on Our Harry from the funny Aussies.
http://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23kewellaleaguedemands

And check out Bernie Mandic - the interview that started this whole thing on Monday - hear what Harry's agent actually said.

http://www.sen.com.au/audioplayer/Audio/Harry-Kewells-manager-Bernie-Mandic/2588

Why do people keep throwing money at us

- Bernie Mandic

so they keep throwing money - but you are still not happy - and when you ask for 70% of all away gates - that ain't good enough.

We don't want any financial guarantees

- just to stuff the League you are coming to promote. No room for negotiation, nice try, and nice to try and blame Kyle Patterson - piss weak actually Bernie.

So hard ball we play - and guess who looks like an idiot in his own country - reputation shattered - by his Agent.

One can only imagine Harry has had a better more interesting financial guaranteed offer from somewhere that suits.

Time to come home Harry, do the deal, for the good of your name and your family.

Sunday, 10 April 2011

Ozzie for Melbourne - surely it's time

Roy Keane, Ozzie Ardiles were great players and both are supposed to be after the Melbourne Victory job.

Surely they would cost a bomb - and surely we've learnt that Ange Postecoglou and Graham Arnold can play great football, much cheaper and they're Aussie.

So give another Aussie a go - how do they learn if they don't get a gig.

Do we really need another foreign coach - how much would that cost if it went wrong - indeed how much would the club make if it succeeded?

Remember Pierre Littbarski at Sydney FC - won the title, great crowds, sell-out grand final - club went belly up!

Lest we forget.

Canberra A-League bid still on the radar? With Tassie or Wollongong?

FFA have written to Canberra A-League Bid Leader (Friday last)stating if/when Canberra can raise the $6 million start-up fund ($3.5 mill currently) and all other requirements being fulfilled the FFA are very interested in a team from the Capital.

Hmmmm maybe so - but once bitten twice shy. The FFA need to work with Canberra to ensure it happens for the good and growth of the game.

Alternatively if Canberra stumps up the money - pressure should be placed to ensure the team is accepted.

Would be better to start with a Youth team - if the FFA are serious about the growth and development of the game - and the A-League bid should seriously consider the long-term financial viability of a Canberra team in the current A-League and Canberra sporting team environment.

If AFL has to play four of it's GWS games in Canberra - surely Canberra playing four A-League games in Tassie and/or Wollongong would make the team more viable going forward.

We could get good crowds to 8 home games a year, 8 games much much easier to sell - whereas straight into 14 home games, given the size of the city, the rest of the league crowds currently - large home crowds over the first three seasons are most unlikely.

Time to look at a different strategy - one that brings in more fans in total, more dollars from more sources.

When we're stronger - then we could build our own, one city, team. And maybe Wollongong in time could similarly advance the game in their region.

We can have a team in Canberra. Union and League and now AFL can so football can to. But getting the financials right is crucial.

We can learn from every other A-League Franchise - so we are sustainable. It requires a different model from the current one - $6million and we're in.

That will end in tears and a waste of six million in my view - much the same as money has been wasted in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Newcastle, Townsville, Perth, Auckland by many previous owners!

Tuesday, 5 April 2011

Nearpost radio tonight - We beat Germany, ACL and more.

Great strides for young Aussies this year but a big roadblock in develop with expected start to A-League in October. Matt McKay may not play until OCTOBER competitively.

Can't wait to watch Melbourne Victory in China this afternoon at 5.30pm followed by Sydney FC tomorrow. Both need to win, simple as.

SBS put up their schedule for May/June - simply awesome. All the usual Champions League and FA Cup stuff - but it's the FIFA World Cups, Women, U17 and U20 plus a couple of Aussie friendlies that really excited me.

Should the A-League take a game to Marconi stadium - packed out 12,000 v dismal 7,000. Interesting discussion on 442 today.

And nearpost radio podcast is on tonight - get all your football news streamed 630pm www.2xxfm.org.au

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