The Newcastle Jets are only one of three teams from the old NSL competition to appear in the A-League. The Jets won their first premiership in 2007/08 when they defeated the Central Coast Mariners 1 nil in a controversial Grand Final. With their maiden premiership under the Jets belt, Newcastle have assured themselves a spot in the Asian Champions League – which will see them compete for Asia’s most coveted club trophy.
Dear Con, Bad luck about Sunday. Your players (you own them right?) stuck it out til the death and performed admirably, if a little ugly.
You, and it’s all you, can give yourself a pat on the back for the season just completed. Your team has exceeded expectations and then some.
The problems for the [...] Read article
As an advertisement for the A-League and for finals football, you can hardly ask for a better five or six hours than we saw yesterday, with two games, across two countries, going the distance.
We got colour, crowds, cracking goals and class, in abundance.
After a wonderful Wellington crowd and some typical wizardry from Paul [...] Read article
The Wellington Phoenix are kicking and screaming for their very existence, and doing a damn good job of it. A sell-out crowd of 32,792 watched them defeat Newcastle 3-1 in extra-time to book their place in the preliminary final against Sydney FC for the right to face Melbourne Victory in the Grand Final.
It was an [...] Read article
The Newcastle Jets coach and captain could barely bring themselves to talk up the Wellington Phoenix after bowing out of the A-League soccer race here today.
Soon after the 3-1 extra time loss, Jets coach Branko Culina reinforced his personal stance that an Australian club should be in the competition ahead of the Phoenix while captain [...] Read article
It hasn’t been the best of weeks for the A-League, with the possible implosion of the North Queensland Fury, and the scheduling nightmare that sees Melbourne Victory playing twice in three days.
But the two finals matches played on Sunday might have put a smile on A-League chief Ben Buckley’s face…. if only temporarily. For Wellington-Newcastle [...] Read article
It’s been almost 18 months since Wellington have lost an A-League match at their Westpac Stadium fortress but don’t think that bothers Newcastle coach Branko Culina.
“That just means that every game they’re getting closer to a loss,” the Jets coach said ahead of Sunday’s sudden-death A-League minor semi-final in New Zealand.
Ricki Herbert’s men head into [...] Read article
Wellington Phoenix assistant coach Jonathan Gould offers no platitudes about finals football ahead of his team’s soccer A-League elimination semi-final clash against Newcastle on Sunday.
While Jets coach Branko Culina has been vocal in pre-match build-up about his team’s approach going into the game, Gould has been somewhat more pragmatic.
“Culina said they’re going to be free. [...] Read article
Preview of week two of the A-League finals (all times AEDT).
SUNDAY
Minor semi-final
WELLINGTON PHOENIX v NEWCASTLE JETS at Westpac Stadium, 2pm
Head-to-head: Wellington 3, Newcastle 3, Drawn 0
Last meeting: Wellington Phoenix 1 bt Newcastle Jets 0 at EnergyAustralia Stadium, Nov 2009
TAB Sportsbet: Wellington $1.90, Draw $3.35, Newcastle $3.80
A big year for New Zealand soccer just keeps getting [...] Read article
If you cross back over to the Italian mainland from Venice and then take the freeway northeast for about half an hour, you’ll eventually arrive at Portogruaro.
The Stadio Piergiovanni Mecchia, home of local side Portogruaro-Summaga, stands as one of the first main sights you’ll see as you enter the town. However very few in [...]
Sydney FC’s penalty shootout hero Clint Bolton has admitted the difficulty of maintaining the focus which won his side the A-League grand final as the club ushered him to the exit door.
Bolton broke down in tears after playing his part in the shootout win over Melbourne Victory which secured the championship – admitting it was [...]
With an A-League championship and man-of-the-match honours secured hours before, Sydney FC grand final hero Simon Colosimo jetted off on Sunday to make the biggest dream of his footballing life a reality.
Colosimo, outstanding in Sydney FC’s gripping penalty shootout grand final win over Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, had no time to [...]
Sometimes the best nights turn out nothing like you’d planned. A chance happening, a change of circumstances, an unscripted turn of events can make what was going to be a quiet one into a belter – destined to be remembered for years and years.
And so it was for the A-League on Saturday night – the competition [...]
Melbourne Victory may be tempted into making a play for Socceroos striker Mark Viduka after their worst fears were confirmed with Archie Thompson’s A-League grand final knee injury.
Thompson is facing a full knee reconstruction and up to 12 months on the sidelines after scans on Sunday confirmed he had ruptured the anterior cruciate and medial [...]
Many of you will read the above title and think “what is this author saying?” It’s OK guys, I’ll explain it to you.
Sitting inside Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, an amazing sensation came over me. Whilst it took 80 minutes to happen, the “sensation” bit me quicker than you could say “Archie Thompson ACL Joint”.
The [...]
The A-League is ready to introduce a Supercup. The winner of the league the season before (home), versus the the winner of the grand final (away). If a team wins the double, then the losing grand final team would play.
It would be a great way to kick-off the season.
The game to be played one week before [...]
Given very little separated Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory throughout the regular and post seasons, it was perhaps fitting last night’s A-League championship decider went to penalties, and perhaps even more fitting it went to the team that finished first past the post.
A hundred and twenty minutes of attritional, confrontational, energy sapping football ultimately couldn’t [...]
Melbourne Victory coach Ernie Merrick was left frustrated that Sydney FC were not penalised more heavily for a string of “blatant professional fouls” in Saturday night’s A-League grand final.
The Sky Blues won a epic match 4-2 in a penalty shootout at Etihad Stadium after the teams were locked 1-1 at the end of extra time.
Merrick [...]
Melbourne Victory’s star striker Archie Thompson is facing up to 12 months on the sidelines after a serious knee injury destroyed his, and the club’s, A-League grand final.
Thompson was stretchered off after 12 minutes following a challenge from Sydney FC defender Simon Colosimo – a strong but fair tackle after which the striker landed awkwardly [...]
