Harry Kewell will lead the charge for Victory
Today marks the start of the hugely anticipated A-League season. And I mean huge. It will be so epic, I have given this edition of A-League season Roman Numerals. If it’s good enough for the Olympics and the NFL Superbowl then it’s good enough for the A-League. A-LEAGUE VII, now that looks impressive.
Actually, when it comes to the Roman Empire, the A-League has an uncanny resemblance. Just like Rome was the seat of power in the Roman Empire, so is Melbourne Victory in the A-League. Just ask the club and their multitudinous fans. They see the rest of the competition, with understandable hubris, as uncivilized outposts of their empire that only exist to be pillaged.
Even the fate of dual championship winning leader Ernest Merrick spookily recalls the fate of Julius Caesar. “Beware the Ides of March” the soothsayers whispered to Ernie as he fatefully boarded the plane to Japan. And just like Julius, poor Ernest was stabbed by the newly appointed Melbourne Victory senators.
The new Victory regime, led by Anthony Di Pietro, promised an era of uninhibited football hedonism and lured Australia’s sexiest footballing gladiator, Harry Kewell, to satiate their legion of fans at the disliked Etihad Collesseum.
Melbourne Victory’s legendary active supporters did not sit idly by during the seven month hiatus leading to A-League VII. They were busy negotiating the Charter for Football Supporter Management with their match day adversaries, the Victorian Police.
Included in the charter is the welcome introduction of Supporter Marshalls, lower profile policing and educating the police in football fan culture. For more information just click here.
In the new spirit of accord, Sergeant Brown, of the Victorian Police, and Tunna, of the Blue and White Brigade, had the following exchange:
“Mr Tunna, what are you going to put on the banner for the opening game of the season against Sydney FC?”
“Sergeant Brown, the banner will say – NOS ES PEDIFOLLIUM”
“But Mr. Tunna, surely, that is illegal”
“Relax, Sergeant Brown, it’s Latin for WE ARE FOOTBALL”
“Well, Mr. Tunna, I guess you learn something new everyday. But shouldn’t we notify Hatamoto. Remember the Eureka flag issue? When they see the banner they’ll put the BWB on the Sex Offenders watchlist.”
Good luck to your teams this opening round. I hope you get a chance to get to a game and remember WE ARE FOOTBALL.
The Mug’s Guide To Picking Winners This Weekend
Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Heart, Saturday 4.30pm (EDT) Ausgrid Stadium
With Branko Culina unceremoniously hooked off the stage at the season launch I can’t see the Jets overcoming the turmoil, on and off the field, in the opening match of the season against Melbourne Heart.
In normal circumstances, the sacking of a manager produces a win the following game but, in this case, the Jets are not bouncing back from a series of poor performance. So, ditch the theory.
Prediction: New Heart captain Fred to set up five golden assists but the rusty Heart strikers to put only one away against a stubborn Jets defence. Jets 0 – Heart 1
Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC, Saturday, 6.30pm (EDT) Etihad Stadium
Unless you’re a Jets or Heart fan, this is the season opener everyone is waiting for with Kewell and Emerton making their debuts in front a big, passionate crowd at Etihad Stadium.
Both teams will play 4-2-3-1. If Sydney can deny Victory quality possession in the midfield they are in with a chance. The form of the 2 defensive midfielders for Sydney will be pivotal. Will Lavicka be brave enough to give young Antonis a start in a fiery derby?
Prediction: Kewell to score on debut and lift the roof off the stadium, a Brett Emerton assist for Sydney and a dodgy penalty to win it for Victory. Victory 2 – Sydney 1
Brisbane Roar v Central Coast Mariners, Saturday, 8.45pm (EDT) Suncorp Stadium
Yesterday’s official announcement of the foreign takeover of Brisbane Roar by the Indonesian Barkie Group heralded a new era in the A-League. It was the day the Brisbane Roar became the Bintang Roar.
The happenings off the field will not affect Ange Postecoglou. He’s been too busy with his jigsaw puzzle trying to get the new pieces to fit into his fluid 4-3-3. Thus, he provides Arnold’s more stable line-up a golden chance to overcome the torment of last year’s Grand Final loss.
Prediction: Bright new talent, Ibini-Isei to score for the Mariners and Arnie’s torment to continue as a disjointed Roar snatch another late equalizer. Roar 1 – Mariners 1
Gold Coast United v Wellington Phoenix, Sunday, 5pm (EDT), Skilled Park
The unanimous picks to finish in the bottom two square off in front of Clive Palmer and few of his mates. Gold Coast in the off-season went cut price and triple Dutch, picking up Beekmans, Jungschlager and Rigters. The Phoenix picked up, Dani Sanchez, the first Spaniard to play in the A-League. He’s Spanish, so he must be good at football.
Prediction: 3686 – Oops, that the crowd number. Here’s the score, Gold Coast 1 – Phoenix 0
Perth Glory v Adelaide United, nib Stadium, Sunday, 7.30pm (EDT)
Adelaide, the team considered to have an astute manager and strongest, most balanced squad open their season by traveling out West to play against the perennial flops with the most maligned manager. In football, this can only mean one thing. A Perth Glory win.
New Glory import Liam Miller will draw Broich-like comparisons, the hanging jury will have to re-think Ferguson’s ability as a manager and the fans in the Shed will dream of silverware. Well, only for one week, anyway.
Prediction: Travis Dodd to score the winner after Adelaide import Levchenko gets distracted by someone waving a chocolate bar in the crowd. Glory 2 – Adelaide 1
Athas Zafiris is on Twitter @ArtSapphire
Thanks for all the comments. Well what a start to the season. Heart were the victim of inexperienced defending, dodgy refereeing and just cruel bad luck to concede a late goal in their defeat to the Jets. As the script always seems to go, the new interim Jets manager got the win his first game. Heart looked terrific gong forward and looks like they'll be full of goals this season but it looks like they'll be shipping goals unless they tighten up at the back. Whoever takes over as Jets can look forward to working with a squad capable of playing good football which will end up being Branko's legacy. The Victory - Sydney match did not disappoint. Even though the game remained scoreless there were plenty of talking points. Sydney reverted back to familiar 4-4-2 with the diamond midfield and were worth the draw. Victory would've been disappointed with the lack of drive from midfield. Celeski was disappointing and Allsopp starting in front of Solarzano was a curious choice. Mehmet will have an even bigger headache when Hernandez returns. Highlights: 1)The form of Rojas 2) The form of the crowd - only 2 evictions, that's right only 2 evictions - from a crowd of 40k. The new fan charter is already proving a success. Lastly, Brisbane Roar resumed normal transmission. New pieces in Ange's jigsaw but the song remained the same. Like last season they will be a joy to watch and just as successful.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
nice article
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
Great article, Art Ironically the Roman Empire collapsed at the point when chefs started to become celebrities. Shall 'Junior Master Chef' prove to be Victory's Archille's heal?
pete4
Guest
US Fan Reaction: Melbourne Victory Play to Scoreless Draw with Sydney FC http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ycn-10163827
Bondy
Guest
Wow, you cant write scripts like that .
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
NJFC v MHFC has opened very brightly. Lovely move by Heart but David Williams put the shot just wide and 60" later equally incisive move by NJCF and excellent work by the stand-in Heart keeper, who has been recruited from the VPL! Very entertaining stuff and non-stop drums and singing from the Novacastrian crowd.
Kasey
Guest
You're not wrong that 'everyone' really is looking forward to the big game at Etihad. Andrew Orsatti has just tweeted that Fox Soccer Chanel will screen the MVFC vs SFC game live into the USA at 0330 Eastern. Yes its an odd time, but as football fans, how many times have we risen at odd hours to watch a big game? Me, plenty of times! I know nthe only thing Roarers love more than a good code war is an argument over ratings and who/what should be included, too bad we cant add up the worldwide viewing audience for this game ..what a job that would be, to compile even the estimated potential worldwide audience:) Only a couple of hours to go, the drought is almost over Forza Football:) Rejoice, for the football season is upon us! COYR!!! Any one know which other countries besides NZ the big game is being broadcast live into..is there a way to view it in Europe(mid morning)/SE Asia? (early evening)
Griffo
Guest
Haharr Kasey! I remember that - put it down to youthful exuberance! I think the Heart got their first point away from the Jets in Port Macquarie after Ausgrids motor cross event. Ground still showing the effects of that...
The Cattery
Roar Guru
I don't want to offend people, but we have to be honest here - the Jets v Heart game is the season opener in name only. Given the events of the past week, and the fact that the Jets' recruitment has been threadbare over the off-season (a very long off-season at that), expect a very dull affair. The one factor that might make it interesting is that the Heart have some exciting signings in the front half with Fred and our young mate Dugandzic, but equally, they have the Victory's disease of a thin looking back four. Of course the Victory vs SFC game is the true season opener, the game that truly heralds the start of the A-League, and the one game all fans are hanging out for. SFC have signed up half a dozen 33 year olds, including socceroo Emo. In the meantime, the Victory has signed up Harry, Covic, rojas, Solorzano, Velpahi, Cernak and Fabio. Velaphi off injured? No probs, how about Covic as a replacement. Even witih Solorzano and Cernak under an injury cloud, the starting XI is likely to look pretty damn good - as long the Victory's two central defenders don't get injured - there ain't anyone else. Likely line-up: --------------- Covic Foschini - Leijer - Vargas - Fabio --------- Brebs - Celeski -- Rojas -- Harry -- Arch ----------- Allsopp Harry and Arch know each other pretty well already, Danny will do what he does best, playing as a true centre-forward, and Rojas is likely to relish running onto some of Harry's passes. In the middle of the park, Brebs will be keeping his eye on Carle, while Celeski has a lot to prove as he tries to find some form, which he all but lost after a long lay off - probably a make or break season for him, watch for him to go forward and bolster an already potent looking attack. Going the other way, new signing Fabio will be keeping an eye on Emo, and no doubt Carle will be favouring that wing for the full 90 minutes - and why not. As long as the Victory defence can hold up, I'd think we are looking at a 3-1 scoreline in favour of the Victory. Danny, Arch and Harry to share the goals for the Victory, the latter will bring the roof down (open or closed). SFC's goal will come from a Foschini own goal.
Kasey
Guest
Griffo, I've tipped your lot, a case f sack the coach, win a game IMO You should be right as long as you don't go scoring for them again...best future football trivia question...Who scored Heart's first HAL goal?? Ben Kantarovski!!:)
Griffo
Guest
Nice one! In the 'ISC Jersey Derby' I can't help but think the Jets will come out victorious once again, if only because of our Barça-like shirt awesomeness will guide us through the Branko-less darkness ;-) Of more interest will be how the past week will affect the potential crowd numbers. Probably not that much because everybody is strung out for some A-League action. Should be a good night. I might make it home from the Jets just in time for the MVFC vs SFC kickoff.
Roger
Guest
Hahahaha, loved the "discussion" between BWB and VICPOL. Very clever.
Axelv
Guest
Lmao, the opening piece of the article certainly made me laugh out loud, because it's half true! Like the Roman Empire, may the Victory last 500 years, not including Byzantine :)
Kasey
Guest
Bondy, I enjoy this site a lot... even the semi-coherent "Bring back da effnik clubz" rants(that usually ignore such logic as financial common sense/reality) from some, mostly for the wide range of writing styles and the fact that it is populated by fans of many sports which tends to remind me that whilst we have come a very long way in 6 years, we still have a long journey in front of us to get football to the level some of us believe it should be at.
Bondy
Guest
Move on nothing to see here, there's no money in football . http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3858897/Beckham-rakes-in-more-than-33k-a-day.html .
Midfielder
Guest
Agree guys ... and it is a publication that has as many football articles as any other sport and for that we should support it... also it has in Tony T IMO the best A-League writer in Australia...
Bondy
Guest
I agree Kasey it's far more enjoyable reading stuff here rather than the bogged down same olds from Fairfax and News L.T.D .
AGO74
Guest
Top read Art. Look forward to your next contribution.
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
Athas, Gold Coast 3686 v Nix 0.... well done lads----we may finish at the bottom of the table, but our goal difference will be the best in the league :)
punter
Guest
You had me for the whole article, thanks. If a dubious penalty was awarded to MV, can Kevin MusCAT come out of retirement to take it, please....