It really is a tough one to decide who to support. Kevin Muscat is an absolute joke, one of the dirtiest players I have ever seen. But then, we have a team who decides that Robert Cornthwaite is worthy of a run on a football pitch. The only thing that could make me dislike this match more is if you put Danny Tiatto as ref.

I’m just hoping for an entertaining game, and that Mr Muscat is rolled of the part by a crunching tackle from Mullen. I can see the photo now “That’s for Diego”.

Shame Queensland – such a capitulation. Van Dijk had some shocking moments, but Nichols got the blame, shameful post match comments from VDijk and Farina. Bit too easy for Farnia, it seems. Next season won’t be so easy to face the media when if we flunk out against Gold Coast or Fury for those crunch games.

Still nothing on the TWG site about Archie, thats two days in time three if you count the days.. Strange maybe they missed it

I’m sure he’ll be a big asset to the FFA and turn the A-Leagues fortunes around in a very big way.
He returns to the sport that he truly loves and that he has played himself as a professional.

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/socceroos/coyne-wary-of-a-league-move–174190/

I might be wrong about the A-League GF not being a sell out.
Only 2000 tickets left with 2 days to go and will all be gone by match day.

Only thing to determine if it will be a domestic football record crowd will be how many Etihad Stadium members turn up this time.

Another good article and well done… Like you I was at Parrmatta oval in the down pour that day and wondered why the game was never called off.

But you are right how far we have come … its like A football add said once that those that enjoy football no explanation is needed those that don’t know no explanation will ever do. OMG how we have come you are so right and that day at Parrmatta showed just how bad it was

Personally my memory about football history its management runs deep and much is about it failures / the almost there moments the neglect… more recently Crawford, Hal 1, Uruguay 2005, Asia , 2006 WC, Women’s League, Youth League.. the future is looking bright more so than ever before and that pre Crawford Soccer world seems like a different world to the one we have today. Where the Socceroos made almost no media attention today arguably Australia leading sporting brand. The Socceroos count in millions there fans today and unlike the few there is an army today.

The Grand Final will be won by AU, I offer no reason for this than my gut says the same as the Roar match being such an underdog makes me think they will win.

Just as an aside I have been watching the SBS web page http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/ and I am looking for the positive story about the new Head of the A-League given he coming from a football background …. I think Les & Fozzie may have mentioned this on the odd occasion … funny it’s not there …. Love how the good news stories like Pim blast A-League appear as he finishes his sentence and they keep the bad news stories that an experienced business man with a huge football background including local football and trained in the Australian by the AFL is kept from us … good work SBS

“Great article…..honest and balanced ..

but way too insightful…which means it has no place in the ultra-competitve pond that is the aussie sporting landscape..”

I did have a good laugh at that one as there is a lot of truth in it. For me it’s been a season in which football has had to justify its place in the Australian sporting landscape. A lot of bullets were fired, and I think in the end with a 50,000 crowd in Melbourne in the grandfinal it will be a fitting finale. Next season hopefully we can learn a lot of what we might have done wrong this year and consolidate. Just glad in a way we can start a new season with some fresh blood.

Hopefully on April 1 also the Socceroos will cement there place in the World Cup. Hopefully people will get to the game in Sydney (I know I will be there), and the memories of the last qualifier will inspire us to victory.

So The Roar played the best football and lost so the coach quite ….. today the same SBS experts say in the SA case good play and by and large for Pim as well. However with Pim they do say they want to see another side of our play…

How things have changed … or how the agendas have chjanged.

I don’t think it will sell out either if the Roar where their it would have…

For me there is a direct connection with the absurd and surreal comments and negative coverage in the main media [pro and anti-football] from Vidmar and Pimbo and the lower crowds for the finals. I don’t think the GF will be a sellout and the AU crowd last weekend was a disappointing aspect of a very good contest.
Where else in the world of sport do you get comments like that.

Hopefully with the excitement of the upcoming ACL games, Grand Final and the two new teams in next season we’ll see some of the crowds return.

I’m hearing voices in my head . . . am I starting to wish that AU and the Socceroos start losing badly so we finally see the end of Vidmar and Pimbo in Australian football.

Totally agree…hopefully he gets a few kicks and they begin to leave him alone.
BTW As usual it is that rag the HS doing most of the harrassing.

I did notice on the HS website, “Cousins countdown”,

but, I think most people agree they’ve gone completely over the top – - and that they seem to have assigned a permanent 24/7 photographer to tail the poor fellow………..it’s just really, really sad!!!! Gee, BEcks only have that treatment for one or 2 days he was in Australia, Cuz is getting it for weeks/months.

” Growth and expansion of the Hyundai A-League is critical to the growth of football in Australia and is an absolute priority for FFA,” Buckley said.
“With that in mind, I am delighted to announce that we have appointed Archie Fraser to become the new Head of the Hyundai A-League.”
Fraser is a former professional football player in Scotland and Queensland Premier League player in Australia.
“Archie has not only played the game to a high level, he’s also a professional sports administrator and he has a first class commercial and strategic background. Although he has worked in AFL for the past several years, he is the first to acknowledge that his number one sporting passion is, and always has been, football.”
Fraser joins FFA from St Kilda Football Club where he has been CEO for the past four years.”

Interesting times when AFL club CEO’s leave to run Sokkah…Buckley (AFL 2IC) now Fraser who next…Eddie??

So far agreed.

Redb

Is this the same Redb that was complaining last week about the treatment AFL receives from Sydenee media?? Something about pot, kettle and black me thinks!!
BTW Nothing said in my post is incorrect compared to the Cuz story and media build up for that the HAL GF has been swamped…the good news is in this case doesnt matter and that may well be a sign of things to come re media in Melb

“It’s been a tough old year – but then, sometimes it’s worth remembering just how far we’ve come.”

No offence Mike but the above expression is contradicting itself. Rembering how far we’ve come & what we’ve come from this year has been ” Hammock days, knocking back stubbies of fourex, served by nubile maidens, on Hayman Island in the dry season.

but way too insightful…which means it has no place in the ultra-competitve pond that is the aussie sporting landscape..

where its all about jingoistic , simplistic and self-grandiosing slogans through your big media mates to protect market share..

so get into the spirit:

‘this been the best year ever for the A-league..maaate”
” the game’s never been better , maaate”
‘ ‘this will be the games best year ever , maaate”

” our great game just gets better and better , maaate”

You make me laugh, yes, man the battlements, defend the castle, spin the doctor? Of course the HAL GF will sell out. There is even a countdown clock in the Herald Sun leading up to the HAL GF. So stop whinging and just enjoy.

Redb

The GF is almost sold out with restricted view tickets and a few single seats available only. Should be 50,000 plus if the Medallion members (TD members) show up. A fantastic result given that they have been swamped by AFL media talking about a local game coming up this week. Headlines for the AFL game but the HAL GF sells 50,000 tickets.
Really looking forward to a cracking atmoshere and a game between 2 teams that play the opposite styles. Defensive and dour AU vs the attacking intentions of MV. l hope for the sake of the local game the team that atacks and makes all the scoring opportunities wins. As we know in our great game that does not always occur.