From the experts

The low down from those in the know

A-League growth not halted by economic downturn

By AAP - October 14th 2008 (3 hours ago)

 Melbourne celebrate after beating Sydney 5- 0 in the A-League Football match between Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC, Olympic Park, Melbourne Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005. AAP Image/Andrew Brownbill

Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley says the A-League’s expansion plans will not be slowed by the world’s economic crisis.

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Melbourne, Sydney share remaining World Cup games
Midfielder hopes Verbeek feels the need for Reid
Dunga complains of dirty tricks as Brazil go second

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Dunga complains of dirty tricks as Brazil go second

By AFP - October 14th 2008 (3 hours ago)

Brazil and Argentina put the mediocrity of recent World Cup qualifying performances behind them this weekend with respective wins that has left them second and third respectively in the table.

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Melbourne, Sydney share remaining World Cup games

By Sam Lienert - October 14th 2008 (3 hours ago)

The remaining home games of Australia’s World Cup qualifying campaign will take place exclusively on the east coast, with the nation’s soccer chief saying Perth and Adelaide no longer have big enough venues.

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Midfielder hopes Verbeek feels the need for Reid

By Guy Hand - October 14th 2008 (3 hours ago)

Playing 10 matches in 44 days isn’t enough for Adelaide United midfielder Paul Reid. He’d like to make it 11 - if Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek will let him.

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Chipperfield in no hurry for A-League swansong

By Jim Morton - October 14th 2008 (3 hours ago)

Veteran Socceroo Scott Chipperfield is considering prolonging his European crusade to aid his 2010 World Cup ambitions.

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Viduka seeks Socceroos medical miracle

By Guy Hand - October 14th 2008 (3 hours ago)

Mark Viduka may have taken a step closer to returning to the Socceroos’ fold, joining them in Brisbane today as he turns to the national team’s medical staff to help him overcome a debilitating injury.

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Guus the boss? Not if Pim beats Qatar

By Guy Hand - October 13th 2008

Pim Verbeek’s win-loss record as Socceroos coach will surpass Guus Hiddink’s if he can mastermind a victory against Qatar in Wednesday night’s World Cup qualifier in Brisbane.

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Socceroos’ left-side weakness a myth says Stefanutto

By Guy Hand - October 13th 2008

National team hopeful Shane Stefanutto has dispelled the myth about any shortage of left-sided talent for the Socceroos, saying it’s a position in which Australia is doing all right.

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France and Portugal in World Cup struggle

By Dave James - October 13th 2008

Former champions France and 2006 semi-finalists Portugal were struggling to keep their 2010 World Cup dreams on track on Saturday as Europe’s major powers toiled on the rocky road to South Africa.

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Capello warns England will face tougher test

By Angus MacKinnon - October 13th 2008

Fabio Capello has warned his England stars that Belarus will provide a much sterner World Cup test than a Kazakhstan side that frustrated them for the best part of an hour at Wembley on Saturday.

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Verbeek finally ditches Harry hopes

By Jim Morton - October 12th 2008

Pim Verbeek has reluctantly given up hope of an unexpected Harry Kewell recovery in a major blow to the Socceroos ahead of Wednesday night’s crucial clash with Qatar.

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We are going to win, says Socceroos coach Verbeek

By Laine Clark - October 11th 2008 - (0)

Mitchell faces the chop says Glory owner

By Justin Chadwick - October 11th 2008 - (0)

The black curse of Nicky Carle

By Jesse Fink - October 10th 2008 - (128)

Injuries rock Italy, Germany ahead of qualifiers

By Robert Millward - October 10th 2008 - (0)
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Why Abba is music to football player’s ears

By jimbo October 11th 2008

Manchester United's Patrice Evra jumps for the ball. AP Photo/Jon Super

Having sat through Mamma Mia: The Movie with my wife, I read with some degree of amusement Giles Smith’s article in the Times about Roy Keane’s dislike of Abba music.

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Baan’s last rites for the FFA

By The Bear October 11th 2008

After being underwhelmed by The Graham Arnold Olyroo’s Finishing School, that was the Beijing Games, I opined that the FFA served the bad china in the wash-up. And now it appears that Baan has poured the tea.

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Les Pogliacomi, where are you now?

By Dave Childs October 11th 2008

I’m curious as to where the goalkeeper, Les Pogliacomi, has disappeared to. He was dropped for Chris Day by Ronnie More in the 2005-2006 season, and went to Blackpool FC. However, John Sheridan brought him back to Oldham in the 2006/2007 season.

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Adelaide are the Manchester United of the A-League

By jimbo October 8th 2008

Adelaide United's Bruce Djite gets the ball - AAP Image/ Rob Hutchison

In a post-match interview with Aurellio Vidmar, Simon Hill referred to the Adelaide United Football Club as the Manchester United of the A-League. Is that some sort of praise or largely due to Adelaide United’s involvement in the Asian Champions League and their very busy match schedule of the past few weeks?

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Pim handles the pressure well

By Slippery Jim October 8th 2008

Coaches and their symbiotic relationships with the media often generate fireworks. Although speaking to the media is part of what professional coaches are paid to do and the media also need their precious sound bites from coaches to sell their wares, at times the mutual relationship seems fraught with drama.

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SBS is finally right about the A-League

By Millster October 7th 2008

Shannon Cole of Sydney celebrates scoring his teams third goal with a cart wheel during the round two, A-League match between the Gold Coast Mariners and Sydney FC at Blue Tongue Stadium in Gosford on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008. Sydney beat the Mariners 3-2. (AAP Image/Sergio Dionisio)

Scanning the football websites this weekend made me smile. And it was an SBS article about the A-League, in particular, that was responsible for bringing on that smile - surprising if discussions over the past year have any basis in truth.

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Buying an A-League franchise takes some heart

By jimbo October 6th 2008

A few months ago the A-League franchise hotline was ringing off the wall with investors looking to buy a share of a sporting business with annual growth running at nearly 20 per cent.

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Aloisi not marking his territory

By Con Stamocostas October 6th 2008

One of the best analysis of football I have read is by Dr. Istvan Gorgenyi, who was the coach of the Gold medal winning Australian women’s water polo team in Sydney 2000. An expert in group dynamics, he developed a theory in team life called ‘The Hunting Territory’.

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The A-League will miss its refereeing Shield

By jimbo October 3rd 2008

Australia’s top referee Mark Shield has dropped a bombshell by announcing his retirement. His last game will be in round eight of the A-League. Shield said family and business commitments were the main reasons behind his shock resignation.

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Is the A-League really a credible competition?

By Pippinu October 2nd 2008

Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory in action last month in Sydney. (AAP Image/Jason McCawley)

I can recall Melbourne’s first red card of last season: Pantelidis was dribbling the ball down the left wing, going deep into the Jets’ half, and for the whole of the 20-metre run he had Joel Griffiths hanging off his shoulder, pulling him back, trying to slow him down illegally.

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Raw Prawns for Iraq FA is good for Socceroos

By jimbo October 1st 2008

I read with some degree of sadness a report that the Iraq FA have lost their last chance of competing at the 2010 World Cup after a court rejected an appeal against Qatar for using an ineligible player.

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AFL grand final week and Adelaide is full of football

By Eamonn Flanagan September 26th 2008

Which Australian football side, of any code, last achieved a sell-out for a club game in a midweek match? It’s AFL grand final week, but it’s Adelaide United, the football team, making all the noise in Adelaide.

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Adelaide United’s sweet timing

By Millster September 26th 2008

Over the next week, some 150,000 live fans will see the grand finals of the two domestic winter codes in Australia - AFL and NRL - and countless conjecture will be consumed on the basis of those two games.

The timing of Adelaide United’s result at Hindmarsh is, in this context, nothing short of perfect.

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To reschedule or not to reschedule?

By dasilva September 25th 2008

Adelaide United’s historic quarter-final win over Kashima Antlers in the Asian Champions League following their 3-0 demolition at the hands of Sydney FC has brought up an interesting question: should the FFA rearrange the A-League schedule to assist Adelaide United make history in Asia?

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Counting the football crowds: manic or depressive?

By Con Stamocostas September 25th 2008

Besides the action on the park, watching the crowd figures and the response to them can be a sport in itself. This is not just for the round ball game but all the codes. However, due to football’s colourful past with crowds in Australia the response by fans and the media to most crowds stories are usually manic or depressive.

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Craig Foster and Paul Wade on Tasmania in the A-League

By Julius Ross September 22nd 2008

In Hobart for junior development clinics, freelance journalist Julius Ross queried former Socceroo duo Craig Foster and Paul Wade on the potential expansion of the A-League into Tasmanian territory and the hopes for a truly national competition.

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Where to from here for Australian football?

By Midfielder September 19th 2008

Football is in its infancy as a professionally-run code in Australia. Maybe still at the rolling stage in that football is not crawling, never mind being able to toddle along. Walking then running and sprinting are still a fair way off.

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A European Football salary cap?

By SamM September 19th 2008 - (20)

Sydney FC fans lead the A-League League

By Con Stamocostas September 18th 2008 - (46)

Graham Arnold’s China crisis

By The Bear September 17th 2008 - (48)

Can the Socceroos show the Wallabies the way forward?

By Midfielder September 17th 2008 - (35)

Hamer Hall vs New Rectangular Stadium

By Michael C September 17th 2008 - (4)

A million-dollar air swing, a cow paddock, and our own Joey Barton

By Con Stamocostas September 15th 2008 - (151)

Introduce divisions into Australian football

By Adam Pearce September 10th 2008 - (30)

Has football’s rise really hurt anybody?

By Midfielder September 10th 2008 - (234)

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