With A-League clubs beginning to convince the younger and fitter members of Australia’s golden generation to return to antipodean shores, the moves come with a warning from the country’s favourite penalty-taker, John Aloisi.

Aloisi, the first Australian to play in the all three major European leagues (with Cremonese, Coventry City and Osasuna), retired after one season at A-League new boys Melbourne Heart and did not have a happy homecoming after two years as Sydney FC’s marquee player. Even though he scored a creditable 27 goals in 75 A-League matches, his time in Australia has formed an unhappy coda to a wonderful career.

His experience has apparently convinced Australia custodian Mark Schwarzer never to return to the A-League. This is presumably because he “copped it” from non-football types who expect their superstar striker – which was what Aloisi was paid like, at least initially – to score more than four goals every ten games. With soccer, the general complaint of those who don’t follow it regularly is a relative lack of incident – and Australia have plenty of those fans. He was unable to bear the media and uneducated fan pressure which expected his building excitement around the league and his own play.

This is not his fault: he was the first striker from the 2006 World Cup squad to come home – Archie Thompson never left – and arrived in town at an age where his pace and skills were beginning to decline. Many of the expectations were not only unrealistic, but fantastical.

The A-League has garnered significant publicity for a fledgling competition, and in a country where it’s very much the fifth sport (or worse), it’s only natural that attention falls on those players with the greatest reputations and past achievements. That much of the publicity surrounding John Aloisi (and his less-gifted, more brutal younger brother Ross) was more negative than positive (language warning) has apparently left Aloisi – now the manager of Heart’s youth team – feeling like it’s important to shoo his Socceroo teammates away.

He’s now warned Brett Emerton and Harry Kewell that they face playing with lesser teammates. This, combined with his almost vicarious words through Schwarzer, makes him the opposite of what he was paid for in Sydney and Melbourne – an anti-advertisement for Australia’s premier football competition. His words – though almost certainly true – aren’t constructive.

He is of course free to give his opinions – and some of his observations are astute. Kewell and Emerton are likely to be frustrated by some of the circumstances surrounding football in Australia. Both, however, are aware of any potential pitfalls, but have been offered terms (or family benefits) which can’t be found elsewhere. Given his propensity for a life under the microscope, Kewell may find the going especially tough, while the reserved Emerton looks a virtual certainty to succeed at Sydney FC.

By making statements such as these while being engaged to develop youth talent mixes his messages and he hasn’t offered the A-League up as an enticing option for Australians or any other big names looking for a final payday. In fact, given his role in youth development at Heart (eeugh) he may be in the medium term, minimising his own future employment prospects.

The A-League is a flawed league – as are most, especially where football is not the nation’s primary sport. Australia relies on big name players to generate interest in football between World Cup campaigns. It is simple enough for Aloisi to say as such, rather than elucidating further. He should inform his teammates and friends of what they should expect to encounter in a private, rather than a public forum.

According to Henry Ford, should a person be satisfied with a purchased service, they will tell a maximum of three people; if they are dissatisfied, they will tell a minimum of seven. Aloisi is following that rule of thumb. Bad publicity now outweighs the A-League’s success stories in the national press. Further sideways aspersions from Aloisi is press attention the league can ill afford.

Matthew Wood writes regularly for Soccerlens.  You can find more of his commentary and analysis at Balanced Sports or follow him on Twitter @balanced_sports

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Harry Kewell.

A show-pony. A drama queen. The best football player to come out of Australia.

Just the mention of his name prompts the football fan to offer their opinions. It’s impossible not to, given his remarkably high-profile successes and failures. The recent debate over a possible move to the Australian A-League has once more forced even the non-football fans to choose a side of the fence – for or against Harry.

The move didn’t materialise amidst reports Kewell’s salary demands were met by the A-League’s biggest two clubs, Sydney FC and the Melbourne Victory, but his requests to the Football Federation Australia (who administer the league) were not. Those demands allegedly included a percentage of the gate for increased attendances his appearance likely would encourage. His manager Bernie Mandic last week nixed any possible return to Australia, saying 32 year-old Kewell would pursue further European opportunities.

The reaction from Joe Public was almost overwhelmingly negative, prompting the hashtag #KewellALeagueDemands to trend on Twitter as amateur wits made increasingly ludicrous requests. Australians, never the most patient or forgiving of peoples, have very little time for “it’s all about me” types. It was taken in fun by Kewell and his wife Sheree Murphy, but still exemplifies the scorn such demand generated.

And more than any other combination of four words – more even than “Injury plagued Aussie footballer” the words “It’s all about me”, define Harry Kewell. At seventeen he was the darling of the Australian soccer community with two goals in the World Cup qualifying playoff loss to Iran (hardly an upset as the partisan video suggets), he married the soap-star princess and played, sorry, rehabbed for one of the world’s great clubs, Liverpool, in a country where the cult of celebrity is worshipped by many above almost all else.

How else would you describe him after his comments concerning a galling red card in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa? “The guy has killed my World Cup” doesn’t reflect his unavailability despite an obvious important role for the Socceroos, but how it affects Harry. Mandic shouldn’t be blamed for his role and neither should Kewell – Mandic is just doing his job, while as a football-hungry public demanded identification, home-grown Harry was our best association with the World Game and thus the unholy combination of Australian expectation/respect and English tabloids created the persona Harry Kewell now proffers.

Who are we to blame a young(ish) man for wanting it all? A family life AND a well-paid football career – sound familiar? It should, because it’s nearly exactly the same situation as the latest Carlos Tevez dilemma, only in reverse. Kewell is content with family life – indeed, Australia would be preferable to Turkey, Russia or even Germany – but isn’t able to meet his financial demands. And while Tevez’s constant “Look at Carlos” act has worn thin and his methods are dubious, Harry’s act is walking a similarly fine line.

By asking for a percentage of any increased gate takings, Harry Kewell and Bernie Mandic are asking for a degree of responsibility that few have shouldered in the fledgling competition. Indeed, while Archie Thompson, Nicky Carle and most notably Robbie Fowler have tried to lift the competition on their shoulders, only Dwight Yorke has managed to do so successfully. The combination of responsibility doesn’t usually rest well on the shoulders of someone whose first priority – and he’s hardly alone in this – is himself.

In a business based on exposure, both Kewell and Tevez benefit from their profiles; Tevez also so through his talent. Harry Kewell has become the object of scorn because his profile appeals to a much smaller population: that of Australia, England and possibly Turkey. It is only right he should seek the best deal for himself within that market.

And the FFA is perfectly within it’s rights to refuse to accommodate those demands. Partly because even Kewell’s salary would further imperil already-struggling A-League teams and therefore further payments based on increased attendance would make even less fiscal sense. It just isn’t good business for Ben Buckley and his offsiders and so the likelihood is you’ll see Harry next pop up in the hoops of Celtic, Queens Park Rangers or Kayserispor.

It’s almost certain that Harry Kewell will perform a valedictory tour in the A-League, displaying as a marquee player some of that dazzle which won him so many admirers so long ago. It would be good business sense to do so – but not for another contract period or so, while bigger dollars, less expectation and better competition await. With those business aspects kept firmly in mind, the chances of Harry Kewell joining the A-League this year were never great, but the publicity certainly was.

Matthew Wood regularly contributes to Soccerlens.  Shoot across to his blog, Balanced Sports for more commentary and analysis, or follow him on Twitter @balanced_sports

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The Hyundai A-League – and by extension, the Football Federation of Australia – reels from one crisis to another. If it’s not declining crowd numbers, owners threatening to close stands rather than see empty seats, franchises folding, disastrous World Cup bids (corruption or not) or even stars entering fan forums, then it’s clubs failing to take advantage of the league’s generous marquee player policy.

Of course most of these problems can be traced back to one thing – A-League clubs are struggling to make ends meet. Football ranks a clear fourth on the Australian football consciousness behind Australian Rules, Rugby League and Rugby Union. Therefore the sport tends to pick up hard core fans, bandwagon supporters leftover from World Cups and the occasional family based around a growing number of Soccer Mums. This is to be expected however, having remained unchanged for five yeras – and the sport, though not making quantum leaps in popularity, forms a much greater part in the nation’s sporting psyche.

The A-League now allows each club three marquee players, ostensibly top-end guys whose wages are not counted towards a team’s salary cap: an International Marquee player, a Marquee Australian and a Marquee Youth player. These rules exist in theory to both lure top end talent and protect young assets. While this is a generous format, the FFA (who administer the A-League) does not contribute to the players’ salaries, the result of this being A-League clubs draw five to ten-thousand fans per match are forced to pay players like Sergio Van Dijk, Robbie Fowler and his Perth Glory replacement Liam Miller serious dollars.

In business, organisations must almost always spend money to make it. It’s the way the world works – wise investment brings about fiscal rewards and peace of mind. It was thus when Dwight Yorke signed for Sydney FC for the A-League’s first campaign – he signed for the lifestyle, found the football to his liking, led Sydney to the A-League title and secured a move back to the English Premier League with Sunderland. It was coincidence that he (along with the Victory’s Archie Thompson) was the first big name to join, but he is now the A-League’s definitive Marquee Player and the benchmark – for better or worse – by which all subsequent imports are judged.

Yorke’s situation was the perfect combination of circumstance: famously involved in a big club (Manchester United), with a sparkling, eloquent public profile and due to Trinidad & Tobago’s 2006 World Cup campaign, still with reasons to perform other than personal pride. That Manchester United connection created a 10% increase in crowds across the league – Yorke was a man the crowds came to watch. Subsequent marquee signings like Robbie Fowler haven’t had the same impact either on the pitch or as a league ambassador.

Approaching the A-League’s seventh season, the ten clubs employ a grand total of Three Junior Marquee players, four Australian Marquee players and two (!) international “stars” – New Zealand striker Shane Smeltz and former Dutch U21 International Van Dijk. The Australian Marquee players are Archie Thompson, Mile Sterjovski, Nicky Carle and Jason Culina. Culina perhaps aside, it’s difficult – impossible, even – to see any of those six transferring to a high-level club abroad.

Could Kejman help revitalise the A-League?

The marquee player must in future be modeled on Dwight Yorke. He shouldn’t be the only prototype as South Americans also could well check the requisite boxes, but it must be remembered antipodean crowds have a far greater knowledge of European football than the Samba style (no, not Christopher). Not only must such a player sparkle on the pitch, but he must be able to provide a lift to the league in the media.

Some players linked to out-of-cap positions – like Harry Kewell – could perform those functions; others however, most notably Serb striker Mateja Kežman, are a risky proposition. Melbourne in particular has a large Slavic population and could provide a slight bump in local crowds but club executives must ask themselves if a player such as serial-mover Kežman could warrant such spendthrift expenditure – does his one season at Chelsea, four at PSV and cups of coffee at Fenerbahce, PSG and Atletico really provide the league-wide PR lift the A-League so desperately needs? While his age and skills could well justify the salary slot he’d take up, would his name inspire the Rugby League fan to join? Or the AFL nut?

Australian soccer consciousness, so far increased since the magical 2006 World Cup, is still really in its infancy. It is so far behind that, for better or worse, it takes big names, not just quality footballers, to get the alert sporting landscape to attend. And with the local clubs haemmorhaging money, is it in fact prudent to spend $40,000AUD a week on a player not a “sure thing”?

The FFA must step in and contribute. Perhaps it could facilitate local teams signing the fading superstars of the game, if only on one-season deals. Though the game’s governing body is skint from a highly unsuccessful World Cup hosting bid, contributing a small percentage of an international marquee player’s salary to each team strictly for that purpose could be an option.

While Australian “marquee” players aid the competition, the league now understands it is names who will grow the sport. Of Australians, only Kewell could fit that bill. It takes money to make money and as abhorrent as spending more money sounds to leaky propositions such as Central Coast and the Gold Coast, prudent investment may be the best way forward.

Would Roberto Carlos, Alessandro Del Piero, Shunsuke Nakamura or even Theofanis Gekas be interested in a final payday? Even though Clarence Seedorf and Florent Malouda have suggested a desire to play in Brazil, both have the requisite stature and ability for them to be attractive targets for Aussie clubs. Perhaps with all six the answer would be negative, but certainly they would be players of whom League chiefs should be aware.

The A-League is a good league. By inspiring the masses – and cashing in on their attendance – it can become very good.

For more commentary and analysis, shoot across to Matthew Wood’s blog, Balanced Sports. You can also follow him on Twitter; @balanced_sports.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

“England’s moment of strewth against Australia was hard to swallow, but there were some positives to be had amid the rubble of the Upton Park shambles.  Plaudits for the performances of Jermaine Jenas, Wayne Rooney and Francis Jeffers in England’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of Australia could arguably be heard over the rustling backdrop of straws being clutched.”Stuart Roach – BBC

Wed 13th February 2003 – Upton Park – England 1 Australia 3
The lowpoint of English football from the past decade.  Sven Goran Eriksson fielded a different team in each half to not only devalue the English national team but to leave us with our heads hung in embarrassment.  A full house at Upton Park saw Australia race to a 2-0 lead thanks to first half goals from Popovic and Kewell.  Wayne Rooney came on at half time to be the youngest ever England international at 17 years and 111 days but it was too little too late.  Franny Jeffers got one back in the second half but Brett Emerton made the final score 3-1.  And what sort of players did out illustrious leader chose for that Valentine’s treat? Danny Mills, Paul Konchesky, Danny Murphy and James Beattie anyone?

Well, we still haven’t forgotten that night, and I can be that our guest today hasn’t either.  Australia are on their way to their second successive World Cup after an impressive campaign that saw them qualify way back when we had some sunshine in this country.  Their main supporters organisation is the Green and Gold Army, and we are honoured have been joined by Mark van Aken from the GGA.

Thanks for taking the time out to speak with us Mark.  Let’s start with the Green and Gold Army then. When was it formed?
Back in 2001 in the lead up to Australia’s two-pronged World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay. A small nucleus attended the 1-0 win at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground for us Poms),  but the real spur for the group was the subsequent 3-0 loss in Montevideo that cost us a place in Japan/South Korea. That was the line in the sand.

How many members do you have?
The group offers a free membership which now numbers 12,500 in 60 countries with the lions share in Australia (well duh!).

I know one of the issues at Wembley when England play at home is that the stadium is so huge that it is difficult for the more vocal fans to be able to sit together and create much of a home atmosphere.  How do you organise yourself for home games?
It’s been a fluctuating ride in this regard. For many years the FFA designated a dedicated Green and Gold Army area but now it’s termed the more generic Australian Home End which, most of the time, serves the same purpose. The group’s site – ggarmy.com – is the virtual meeting place for fans to coordinate pre-game functions, choreos and the like.

How many of the 12,500 members attend home games?
You can bank on the home end being filled for most home matches which usually equates to 500 to a thousand punters behind the goals for any given game. Aussie support has quickly made up ground on its counterparts in Europe and South America at club level, but it’s still a push to get more than a few hundred die hards singing loud and proud for the Socceroos. While you’ll see Spurs and Gooners singing together for England, it seems hard to get Sydney and Melbourne folk to get along!

And what about away following?  This is one area that us England Fans are suitably proud of.
Given the girth of Asia, away travel can be a logistical and financial challenge. The Green and Gold Army has had as few as 50 hardy souls traveling to places like Tashkent and Doha through to a few hundred in Kunming, China. The biggest away crowd was in Yokohama when nearly 2,000 Aussies packed the stands for the Socceroos showdown with the Blue Samurai in February last year.

Apart from our rousing rendition of God Save the Queen, England Fans are short on songs.  Any rituals or specific songs?
No rituals apart from the obligatory pre-match pub. Not that it really gets sung during the game, but The Land Down Under is a post-match favourite. As for chants, we tend to lend them from other countries, including England. There is the tired old, Aussie-Aussie-Ausie-Oi-Oi-Oi, but that is fairly derided by football fans. It’s usually met with a reciprocal chant – It’s not the F%&king Cricket, It’s not the F%&king Cricket. The number one tune is simply AUS-TRA-LIA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA to the chorus of Crocodile Rock… I guess there’s some symmetry there.

After missing out for so long on a World Cup place because of the Oceania Play Off situation, did you support the decision to move to the Asian federation and thus a harder route to the World Cup?
Absolutely. And it’s the most important thing that’s ever happened in Aussie football. It gives us a future and some direction. And you could argue that it’s a far lengthier path but not necessarily a harder one. What’s hard is having a national team essentially dormant for four years then being dusted off and expected to beat a South American team that’s gone through 18 tough matches together. Now Australia, like Italy, like Holland, like Argentina, are judged on the strength of their whole campaign, not a two-legged lottery.

Did you expect to qualify for this World Cup when the draw was made, and then again when you got drawn in a tough 2nd round group?
We certainly hoped so, but with Asia being somewhat of an unknown, it was very much a ‘suck it and see’ type deal. There were some hairy moments along the way, but it’s the journey of getting there this time that we hadn’t had in the past that gives you some sense of real accomplishment. And a match-hardened team will hopefully bare fruit in South Africa.

Any stand out memories as fans from the qualifiers?
For me personally it was the Japan trip. That was the only one that I caught on the road, although the game itself was a text book nil-nil, it was the result that essentially put us in qualification cruise control. I think most foreigners can’t appreciate what a challenge it is to follow the team, especially Europeans. An away trip to Turkey or Russia is probably as far as an England fan can be asked to travel (You’d be surprised – England took nearly a thousand to Trinidad and Tobago for a friendly in May 2008, and nearly double that for the qualifier in Kazakhstan). For us that’s a domestic trip to Perth in terms of cost and distance. I know others loved far flung places like Uzbekistan.

How many Australian fans you expect to travel to South Africa?
We have an official tour which will take nearly 500 fans, then we’d expect a few thousand more GGArmy folk to make up the 10,000-plus landing on the veldt. It’s amazing, considering the relatively small population and that football is growing but still well behind cricket, Rugby League and Aussie Rules, that Aussies have requested the third-most tickets for the Cup from FIFA. More than Brazil! More than the USA! More than Italy! C’mon.

Do you have organised tours in place for the tournament?  I wonder if they are as expensive as our ones with Thomsons!
We do. We’ve managed to commandeer the entire Hotel Nicol in Bedfordview in Johannesburg for the Cup, which is great because the Socceroos are based close by and it’s a central point for getting to and from all the games. There are still some spots left - ggarmyontour.com and it offers the best of both worlds – the camaraderie of traveling with your comrades while experiencing life the Jozi locals.

Your World Cup group is the traditional “group of death”…confident of qualifying?
Yeah well I don’t know about a group of death. I mean every group means death for two teams, but it’s a challenge. Germany first up is tough, you’d definitely like the strongest team last up in the hope they’ve already made the second round and take their foot off the gas. Ghana are beatable. Serbia are beatable. It’ll be tough but we’re good enough.

And a potential 2nd round game v England beckons for the runners up (England have the group of boredom) – how much will the fans look forward to that?  Will it be payback for the Ashes?
It’ll be the biggest thing ever won’t it? The Aussie media will go into overdrive. Everyone will bring up the 3-1 at Upton Park. Revenge for the Ashes? We’ll get that next summer in Oz, but this is way more important than that.

Which players should we look out for in the Summer?
The thing with the Aussie team is that it’s very similar to the one we had in Germany. So we’re banking on the old grey mare having the familiarity of four years together to win the day.  Dario Vidosic is a youngster at Nurnberg in Germany who might spring up to add some pace to the midfield. Mark Bresciano has been around a long time but is in career best form with Palermo in the Serie A and will be important, especially since our attack is pretty impotent.

As a West Ham fan I was glad to see the back of  Lucas Neill in the summer.  He seemed to lack pace and tactical awareness in the Premier League, yet then re-surfaced at Everton.  Is he still seen as a hero by the Australia fans?
By many yes. I think his good looks and charm (Not his wide girth then?) really made him a star after the last World Cup. And he was very good in Germany, save for the part where his sliding tackle got us eliminated that is! He’s definitely up there with Harry Kewell and Timmy Cahill as the stars of Aussie football. Whether his club form and latest bizarre transfer warrant the hype is another thing.

How much influence has the growing importance of the A-League had on the national team?
Not much really. The national coach, Pim Verbeek, has publicly expressed his preference for players playing in better leagues abroad. He famously put it that players would be better off training in the Bundesliga than playing in the A-League. And by and large any young and up and coming players pressing for World Cup spots will come from a foreign league.

Why do you think that friendlies in London have been so poorly supported in the past (2,000 v SA in 2007, 4,000 v Nigeria) when there are so many Aussies in the city?
I wasn’t aware the numbers were that low. I think you’ll find that demographically football support in Australia comes from very different parts of society than cricket or rugby. The nation enjoyed a massive post WWII population boom from immigration and it changed the country forever. All of a sudden recently arrived Greeks, Italians and those from the former Yugoslavia (for example) were here and they were football people. The game was around before them, but it was these vents that kick started it all into a slow ride to prominence.

So even today football is a game supported very strongly – but not exclusively – by first and second generation Aussies. That’s not to say that Anglo-Saxons and Celts aren’t also on board, but it is a different mix to the very stereotypical crowd at the cricket. Aussies in London, broadly, probably come from a background that would be more likely to watch the Wallabies than the Socceroos.

Who are your greatest rivals in terms of opposition and fans?
Definitely Japan. For a start there’s the history. England have Ze Germans, we have Nippon. Now, in a very short time, we’ve built a great football rivalry with them. There was our knock-out punch in Kaiserslautern, our move to Asia that has knocked them off their perch as Asia’s best team, their elimination of us from the Asian Cup and then us topping the group on the way to South Africa. There’s a friendly rivalry yes, but it’s got a little bit bubbling away under the surface.

What will the Australian fans deem as success from the World Cup?
There are two camps in Australia. Football fans and non-football fans, and you can appreciate there are more of the latter than the former. People who know football understand that we can play well and still not advance. But I think a Round of 16 appearance would be the pass mark and the quarters would be great. The football haters out there will pounce if the Socceroos don’t get out of the group and, as long as they haven’t lost all three games and been spanked, that is just naivety about what a real World Cup is all about.

Finally, it is deemed the “greatest league in the world”, but we recently disproved that here on the blog to some extend.  As an outsider looking in, what is your view of English football in general?
Well the EPL is great. Great football. Great teams. Great promotion. The EPL receives probably as much publicity as the A-League here. It is funny to see ‘English’ teams which are really only English in geography these days. It probably isn’t seen this way in the UK as it’s hard to see the forest from the trees, but these clubs are now owned by Americans and Saudis. The players are from all over the world and there are less and less Englishman in the EPL.

I get that there is such a strong emotional connection between the fans and the clubs but guess what? They aren’t even yours anymore and the blokes on the pitch aren’t locals. You basically watch the Championship and think, ‘well this is actually England’s league. These clubs are fan-based and the players are actually English’.

The EPL has filled this vacuum where it is literally a global product for global consumption, not entirely different from the Indian IPL Twenty20. I know this is like nails on the blackboard for English fans but it’s reality. That’s why the 39^th step will happen eventually because there are 3-billion in Asia that feel on some level that the league is there’s too, and they’re (our) money is as good as anyone else’s.

As for England’s national team? Read the above. One World Cup, 44 years ago won at home in dubious circumstances. It ‘aint much to hang your hat on is it? But, for now, it’s more than we’ve got. See you in the Round of 16!!

Many thanks to Mark for the interview.  Us English love to get one over on the Aussie’s but deep down I am sure we are all just a little bit jealous of their passion for sport, and winning.  If we had 10% of that fire in our bellies all the time then we would not be constantly talking about “xx years of hurt”.

Let’s hope we do meet in the 2nd round and gain revenge for Sven’s nightmare at Upton Park back in February 2003.

Thanks as well to my mate Jon down under for the use of some of his snaps – Yes I know you still love me Jon!

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The A-League uses a ‘Marquee’ player system – similar to the MLS’s Designated Player – that allows the Australian soccer league the room to attract star names to their teams without smashing the salary cap.

Shane Perris wrote an excellent series of articles on the main Soccerlens site last year reviewing the Marquee system – here they are:

Part 1: Introduction to the Marquee player system
Part 2: Has the overseas Marquee experiment worked?
Part 3: Coming home – the local Marquee players

Shane Perris is the resident geek of techwhimsy.com and journeyman wingback for Narrabundah FC.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

36 year old Alexandre da Silva Mariano, a.k.a. Amaral, is not one player that you would expect to be the (unofficially) most polite footballer.

Previously playing in footballing danger zones such as Italy (Parma; AC Fiorentina) and Turkey (Besiktas), representing Brazil 31 times, and winning an Olympic Bronze medal (Atlanta 1996), nobody anticipated that the former grave digger would have written a thank you note to his most recent club, Perth Glory.

The Glory’s fan favourite only played 8 matches in his first stint, mostly off the bench, with most of it ruled out due to a hamstring injury. After being released by Perth on the 2^nd May 2009, he brought back his wealth of experience to Perth, signing onto a 9 match guest stint, despite only playing 3 matches. Amaral, understandably thanked the club for the second chance, but then, did something quite out of the ordinary. The fan favourite then turned to popular Australian sporting magazine ALPHA, and sent his fans and all A-League followers a message.

Just looking at this message, it really does seem sincere. How many former Brazilian international players take time out of their busy schedule to write a letter praising the growing A-League and Australian football scene? None, if I can remember, but we are all hoping that Carlos Hernandez will do the same. Amaral, from me, thank YOU, for showing me that football players are actually real people, and thank you also for your praise. Yes, you have contributed, not in some way, but a lot to the development to Australian football, and I hope that you will continue to play your best at your future clubs.

From me, at Soccerlens, Thank You Amaral, and as ALPHA put it, you’re all class!

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

In this week’s Match of the round, we travel to Etihad Stadium, where Melbourne lost both a match, and their epic pride, going down 4-0 in front of 18,000 fans. A quiet first half and start of the second was ignited by a rampant Central Coast side.

Ernie Merrick left his side unchanged for his side’s clash with Central Coast, the standout being Carlos Hernandez, who is in blistering form for the Victory. Unfortunantely for Hernandez, he was left out of Costa Rica’s side to face Uruguay. Thompson’s history tells us he has scored 9 goals in 10 matches against Central Coast, and today broke the club’s appearance record, and is joint holders of this record with Danny Allsopp.

The Mariners on the other hand making three changes, Matt Crowell is suspended with Chris Doig and Michael McGlinchey both injured. Boogard moves into Central defence, with 19 year old Matthew Lewis making his first A-League start. Brad Porter moves into right back, with Nicky Travis moving into a more playmaking role.

The first goal came for Central Coast on the 15th minute, when Travis’ shot was deflected by Moss, before being knocked in spectacular fashion by Adam Kwasnik, with his 2nd goal in 3 games. Kwasnik picked up a knock in the process however it would have been no doubt worth it, shooshing the home crowd in the 15th minute.

Simon then added to their tally long after on the 75th minute, from a corner. Nicky Travis once again had a hand in the goal, with a pin-point corner. Simon’s brilliant header took a deflection off Vargas’ shoulder, to make the game 2-0.

Just 5 minutes later, Hutchinson’s great run ended with a great inside ball to Heffernan, who slotted it between Moss’ legs. The score was slowly header to an embarassing level. The goal has to be credited to Hutchinson, whose committed tackle inside the Melbourne half sparked the counter.

On the 83rd, Nicky Mrdja converted a scramble in the box, to continue a terrible error riddled day for Glen Moss. Clark smartly prevented the ball from crossing the line, before Mrdja smashed into the back of the net.

At the end of that match, this was Melbourne’s worst ever home defeated, as well as of this match, they have conceded 16 at home, the worst record for any A-League club.

Match Details

Central Coast Mariners 20. Danny VUKOVIC (gk), 4. Pedj BOJIC, 5. Brad PORTER, 7. John HUTCHINSON, 8. Dean HEFFERNAN, 12. Matthew LEWIS (25. Ahmad ELRICH 64’), 16. Nigel BOOGAARD, 18. Alex WILKINSON (c), 19. Matt SIMON (15. Andrew CLARK 81’), 22. Nicky TRAVIS, 23. Adam KWASNIK (9. Nik MRDJA 60’).

Unused Subs 1. Andrew REDMAYNE (gk).

Yellow Cards Boogaard 46’, Travis 88′
Red Cards None
Goals Kwasnik 16’, Vargas 76′, Heffernan 80’, Mrdja 84’

Melbourne Victory 20. Glen MOSS (gk), 2. Kevin MUSCAT (c), 3. Mate DUGANDZIC (13. Nathan ELASI 63’), 6. Leigh BROXHAM (5. Surat SUKHA 46’), 7. Matthew KEMP, 8. Grant BREBNER, 10. Archie THOMPSON, 12. Rodrigo VARGAS, 16. Carlos HERNANDEZ, 23. Adrian LEIJER, 27. Sutee SUKSOMIT (11. Ney FABIANO 57’).

Unused Subs 1. Mitchell LANGERAK (gk)

Yellow Cards Brebner 45+3′
Red Cards None
Goals None

Referee Strebre DELOVSKI
Crowd 18,531

A-League Table

Adelaide United 0 – 2 Brisbane Roar

Gold Coast United 0 – 1 Sydney FC

Wellington Phoenix 1 – 1 Perth Glory

Newcastle Jets 2 – 0 North Queensland Fury

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

In the (self-dubbed) newbie derby, Gold Coast have been defeated by a rampant North Queensland Fury side. Robbie Fowler lead the team from start to finish, getting on the scoresheet twice. The defeat has added to the horrible week that the Gold Coast have suffered, including a 6-0 whitewash by Wellington, and a huge condemnation by the public over club owner Clive Palmer’s (right) decision to cap crowds at 5,000 to save money. In the Brisbane Times today:

United supporters group “The Beach” – waving banners that read ‘Cap is Crap’, ‘Want fans not dollars’ and ‘Scrap the Cap’ – turned their backs on the game at one stage and chanted ‘Stop the Cap’.

Onto the match, played in front of an A-league all time low of 2,616 fans, Gold Coast made 2 changes to their side, with Vanstratten replaced by Higgins after injury, Christian Rees also made way due to injury. Zenon Caravella and Joel Porter were both dropped as a result of last week’s thumping. Steve Fitzsimmons, Tahj Minniecon both started as replacements, as well as a debut for Brazillian Jefferson, rated as one of the best Midfielders Miron Bleiberg has ever seen.

Moving onto the Fury, with only one change, Ufuk Talay’s injury paving the way for a midfield shuffle, with Williams moving into the central 4, with McBreen moving upfront, partnering with Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler. McBreen is apparently being looked at be Pim Verbeek for Asian Cup Qualifiers.

First chance fell to Fowler, whose free-kick from the 18-yard box sailed just wide of the right hand post. The match was quite quiet from then on, with few very few chances. On the 40th, however, Higgins was forced to make a top notch save turning over a close McBreen header. United’s Robson then fell prey to injury, having to be replaced by Zenon Caravella.

Deep into stoppage time, Gold Coast had their first chance, when Tahj Minniecon made a speedy break, before passing to Smeltz, whose shot was deflected, causing Henderson to push the ball past the right hand post.

In the second half, Gold Coast had the first real chance, with Porter getting the ball into the box, before laying it off to Culina, before the Fury’s Griffiths piled in to prevent any shot. Culina was obviously disappointed, thumping the ground.

Almost a minute later, North Queensland had half-a-chance, when Tadrosse squared the ball for Robertson, who’s shot went straight to Higgins. Grossman’s cross on the 57th minute was smartly punched clear by Higgins, however the rebound fell to Tadrosse, who shot just wide of the left post thanks to a deflection.

5 minutes later a similar situation befell the Gold Coast again , this time Williams’ cross was easily claimed by Higgins. After Higgin’s distribution however, Gold Coast’s defensive toying of the ball made them pay, after Williams’ intercepted Culina’s careless pass, nutmegging van der Brink in style, then playing it to Fowler, who shot first time into the back of the net. A classy goal by two classy players.

Dyron Daal tested Higgins with his powerful shot, however Higgins showed why he deserves the Gold Coast gloves, making sure he wasn’t embarrased almost as much as the Gold Coast’s crowd. Fury were pushing hard and were going all out for the three points.

They got the golden chance on the 74th minute, when Fowler’s corner was cleared, before Tadrosse’s cross found Pantelidis’ hand. Craig Zetter duly pointed to the spot, and Fowler stepped up to take the penalty, converting with a small stutter step to put off Higgins. 2-0 for the Fury.

A great result for the Fury, who are finally off the bottom end of the A-League table:

Sydney FC are holding onto the top only by a point, thanks to their win over Wellington. The Fury are now one spot away from the Final series spot, however need to be mindful that the Jets and Wellington have still played one less match. Gold Coast’s torrid week doesn’t really reflect in the standings, holding onto a valuable 3rd.

Results:

Brisbane Roar 1 – 1 Newcastle Jets

Central Coast 0 – 0 Adelaide United

Sydney FC 3 – 1 Wellington Phoenix

Melbourne 2 - 1 Perth Glory

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

 A large number of good results this round, including an interesting match in Brisbane, with two disappointing defensive errors gifting a win to a deserving Perth Glory. Central Coast won the first ever Battle of the Coasts, in magnificent fashion. Sydney FC won by a narrow margin, but that seems to be a trend for the Sky Blues. Melbourne defeated Adelaide away, but still look disappointing, and will probably not defend their title this season. Despite their valiant efforts, North Queensland were unable to lift themselves off the bottom of the table. 

Adelaide United 0-2 Melbourne Victory

Hindmarsh Stadium, 15,028

In a grand final rematch, Melbourne Victory won their 6^th straight win over Adelaide in fron of 15,000 spectators. With the AFL finals series being held at the same time, it was a worry that Melbourne supporters wouldn’t make the southern trip, however that was not the case, when close to 2,000 Victory men went through the gates. The game started horribly for the home side, when Eugene Galekovic looked unlike himself, and conceded a goal from an acute angle when he failed to cover his post. Ward was ecstatic, as it seemed he didn’t actually mean the shot. Melbourne didn’t stop there, they continued to press on the the stretched Reds defence. Pondeljak came close of 9 minutes when his back heel shot went just wide, and on 30 minutes, when Archie Thompson’s chip beat Galekovic, but also the crossbar. Kevin Muscat and Broxham made their prescence felt, after both picking up cards. Adelaide upped the pressure just before half time, with a few small chances, including some corners and Jamieson’s free-kicks.

 The second half was almost the same, with Lloyd Owusu squandering some easy chances, but it was still all Melbourne, dominating, play however they just couldn’t find the net. Archie Thompson had his shot tapped over on 77 by Galekovic. Thompson however set up Melbourne’s second, after taking the ball into the box from the side, with his shot was blocked, before Adelaide failed to clear the ball and Brebner pounced on the chance. Full-time, 2-0.

 In other Melbourne Victory news, Kevin Muscat, captain has stated that following the departure of Danny Allsopp to the Middle East, and a lack of performances, former Socceroos striker Mark Viduka would “solve all our problems.” With the former Newcastle man now living back in Melbourne after being released from Newcastle and not being able to find a club, it seems quite logical to sign the V-bomber, who was once considered one of the best strikers in the Premier League.

 Central Coast Mariners 3 – 0 Gold Coast United

Bluetoungue Stadium 7,394

The Central Coast Mariners have turned over the performance of their lives, after downing the league leaders Gold Coast United by three goals in the match dubbed the battle of the coasts. In an even match up, Central Coast scored from their only three attempts on target. Early on Bojic having the first chance smashed over the bar. On the 26^th minute however the deadlock was broken by Nicky Travis, who recieved the ball from Simon, before slotting it past Vanstratten, who was returning. Gold Coast added some pressure, with Anderson’s spectacular free-kick tipped over the bar by a ready Vukovic.

 Just after the half, Vukovic was on standby to collect a few dangerous headers, however it was Central Coast’s attack which stole the headlines on the 54^th minute, when Simon’s shot dipped and went under Vanstratten’s arms. Shane Smeltz didn’t come to his team’s aid however, he was sent off for decent. It then got worse for the United side, who were punished on the 69^th minute. A string of passes found Hutchinson on the edge of the area, who shot and scored against a stunned Vanstratten. In the end, Lawrie McKinna handed out a 3-0 whitewash to a previously unbeaten side, in his 100^th game at the helm.

Wellington Phoenix 1-1 North Queensland Fury

Westpac Stadium 9,713

It was a great start for the Phoenix, who looked sharp, when they took the lead on the 6^th minute. Ifill took the ball past two defenders, before lobbing the ball to Bertos, who shot and scored past Henderson who couldn’t do anything. They should have had more, but Paul Henderson was there to deny them. He denied Brown, and then Daniel’s shots within the first 16. Fury had a few chances, including James Robinson who was set up by Fowler, only to hit the netting. Mark Paston made a good save from a Robinson cross which was headed by McBreen. Later on in the second, Robbie Fowler’s free-kick was pushed out by Paston.

 A slightly quite second half start was brought to life by Tambouras’ cross which found Fowler, who scored, however it had to be brought back for offside, despite the replays proving otherwise. Fury continued to attack, and they got the goal in the 94^th minute. Fowler’s free-kick was deflected and fell to the feet of Grossman, who scored with the very last kick of the game.

Sydney FC 2-1 Newcastle Jets

Sydney Football Stadium 10,357

Sydney FC have regained winning form, with a 2-1 win over the Jets. This leaves the Jets having 12 winless games. Newcastle had the first real chance, on the 22^nd minute, with a penalty, however Thompson’s shot was saved by Bolton. Bridge’s single effort gave Sydney the lead, when he took the ball and drew in the defenders, before unleashing a stunning shot past an awestruck Ben Kennedy. 11 minutes later, the Jets replied, with a goal from Thompson thanks to a great lead yp from Patafta. “Nutty’ing” Byun, before working into the box, he shot which Bolton parried, with Thompson cleaning up and scoring.

 After the half, from the first real chance, Brosque was brought down by Ben Kennedy for a spot kick, and with Aloisi out, Corica stepped up to take it, a perfect kick, giving Sydney the lead, and eventually the win. Both sides continued to attack. Hyung-Song’s shot took everyone by surprise, including Clint Bolton, who just stood watching the shot hit the crossbar. The Jets continued to press, looking to get a win, however they just couldn’t hit the back of the net. In the final minutes, Durante was sent off for a studs-up tackle on Byun, which gave Sydney FC a win.

 Post match, Branko Culina (Jets Coach) didn’t hold anything back when he made a comment at Vitezslav Lavicka, saying “if that’s what foreigner’s bring to the game, lets have more local coaches.” His comment was followed up by a comment about only one team was deserving to win, implying Newcastle.

 Brisbane Roar 2-4 Perth Glory

Suncorp Stadium 7,549

*Correction* Last Week I incorrectly used the term verteran in reference to Tando Velaphi (who is 22). I think the correct term I had intended to use was custodian.

Seven and a half thousand fans packed into Suncorp stadium to watch a great match, heralding 6 goals. The first came in 45 seconds, when a defensive blunder caused McCloughan to head the ball past his own keeper. On 4 minutes, Glory had lost Pellegrino to a head injury, after the ball came down onto his head. Glory should have found a second, after they beat the offside trap and it was only denied by Dave Dodd. On the 41 minutes, Wayne Shroj found the net after Reddy ran out of his box, only to be chipped from long range.

 Into the second, Henrique gave Brisbane a lifeline, after beating two players, before slotting the ball into the bottom corner. Jelic however made it 3-1 to the visitors, after a cross from an acute angle, he shot under pressure and scored. Van Dijk then scored from an acute angle 3 minutes later, after taking the ball past two, then scoring. The Roar were then denied a penalty, however it just got worse, when Liam Reddy spilled a simple cross from Pellegrino, to concede an own goal, to make it 4-2.

 North Queensland are still sitting bottom, despite their valiant efforts. Despite Gold Coast losing and Sydney winning, Gold Coast are still topping on goal difference. Brisbane’s loss pushes them down to 5th, while Perth’s great win heaps them up to 4th. Adelaide and Melbourne are both disappointing their fans this season. Sydney and Gold Coast are the only consistant teams this year, and look to be the two teams into the finals.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Adelaide United vs Melbourne Victory

Hindmarsh Stadium

What will be a very tough encounter, on the basis of revenge. Adelaide losing in the finals of last season hurt, and will be out to challenge for the title this year. Adelaide so far have been underperforming, but only just however their performances are deserving of a better placing. Melbourne have been disappointing so far, and have yet to please their large fan base. Hopefully Hernandez and Thompson can perform for Melbourne, and hopefully Dodd, Cristiano and Owusu can step up and please their fans. If I had to pick a winner, it would be Adelaide by the slimmest of margins, as they have the home advantage, however my actual prediction would be for a draw.

Draw 1-1

Central Coast Mariners vs Gold Coast United

Bluetoungue Stadium

Central Coast will be out to do what their F3 derby rivals did back in August however Gold Coast will be just too strong for the Mariners. Snatching draws against Sydney and Newcastle shows that they can do better despite being the less dominating side in a match, however Gold Coast have amassed wins against North Queensland (5-0), Brisbane (3-1) and Sydney (2-1) which shows that they have a great attacking approach and can defeat the toughest sides. After all they did defeat Fulham at Skilled Park 2-1, so they might as well just go and play in the EPL. Macallister and Mrdja will be key if the Mariners are to snatch anything from the match, however the Gold Coast strikers of Smeltz and Culina should prove too hot to handle.

Gold Coast 2-0

Wellington Phoenix vs North Queensland Fury

Westpac Stadium

Despite winning against Sydney AT Sydney, North Queensland will be thinking to far if they believe that this is the start of something. An underpowered team has the likes of Robbie Fowler, who is very dangerous at times, but he is backed up by players who is just not all that cut out for the A-League. Having said that, Wellington are currently unable to really find the net, especially winners, after drawing 3 out of their last 4 matches, and in all of them, they had the chance to go on and win it. It should be a great match for anyone who travels to the Westpac Stadium to watch the match.

Draw 1-1

Sydney FC vs Newcastle Jets

Sydney Football Stadium

Following a heavy loss to the Roar, it seems that Newcastle seem to struggle against any team that takes an attacking approach. With the current top 3 teams in the comp all sporting an attacking mindset, it seems unlikely that the Jets will be able to defeat Sydney at their own stomping ground. Having said that, the Jets are still the only team to defeat the Gold Coast United team, which shows the potential that the team has, especially in their youth. As such Sean Rooney will need step up, working along side Petrovski could give the Jets a surprise win in Sydney. The Sky Blues are coming back on a 2 match winning streak and will want to turn their horrid performance last week to a win here. Aloisi needs to up his game, especially if he wishes to claim a spot in the 2010 World Cup squad. Kofi Danning will be once again closely watched, as his performances have equated to goals and wins. In my opinion, with the Cove behind them, Sydney will easily be able to defeat the Novocastrians.

Sydney 1-0

Brisbane Roar vs Perth Glory

Suncorp Stadium

On the back of a great performance away at Newcastle, the Roar look like Championship contenders. Their squad is filled with A-League superstars, and even potential Socceroos. With the crowd behind them, there is really nothing stopping the Roar taking this match. Glory still have Jelic and Sterjovski, who have shown in previous matches that they have a great partnership up front, boosted by Burns and Shroj in the mids. Velaphi will be key in the match if they wish to repeat their Round 6 performance, as the veteran shot stopper will be once again up for the challenge.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News