A-League's Heart beat has returned

Just like the loss of kruse, zullo, oar and sarota and minniecon suposedly derailed the future of the brisbane roar? The onus is on the coaching staff to have a plan and a system which can survive these losses, and a development and talent sourcing that can replenish. The clubs are doing a good job of continually bringing players through. We (the HAL) lose djite and burns, we get amini and langerack, ryan. We lose hamill and good and wilkinson, we get >insert CCM team sheet<... Every season names come and go. Money is made, money is lost. Rosters change and evolve. The Heart is part of the same process of the HAL that's been going since inception (and before) and they are lucky to be able to sell these players and make money from them and build up an alumni that will raise their profile and prestige. If these guys make it will the club bask in saying they were their old boys? MV does for Langerack still and he has only played once or twice a season (but for the german champs). The big questions are the Heart out there to find whoever else, who they are developing (or identify from another team like gcu etc). Life goes on. its not over for the Heart. Its only just begun. The season is yet to unfold and one thing about the HAL is you never know how it will unfold with all the teams continually improving and changing. The seasons not over but the pressure is on the new unproven coach to have a plan.

Lynchy this morning adding Behich alongside Babalj, Good and Hamill to the transfer talk. http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/heres-one-club-that-is-all-heart-20120718-22alm.html?rand=1342618413953 I think for some people it's now official, Heart are hemorrhaging badly and this season is all but over:) Might just have to get used to the squad of 11 one legged midgets.

Mantis, where did I say that it should have been about Brisbane? I also don't see a high horse within coo-ee of my present location. The trouble with only singing the praises of Heart in relation to on-selling youth is that it suggests that it is only MH that is doing so. That is the point of my comment, and the point of Midfielder's comments below. Rather than fap on about MH specifically, a better article would have either avoided the generalisations that led to the criticisms made by myself, Mid, and jbinnie, or would have focused on the A-League as a whole and the process of developing and on-selling young players. The article could have easily been written about Adelaide, CCM, Brisbane, or Heart. It probably should have been written about all of them and the growing trend in this area. As I said, the way it reads it suggests that MH is the only place doing this (whereas his reference to CCM refers to on-selling Wilko, not the sale of Amini and the potential sale of Matt Ryan. Do you get my point now?

source?

Id agree it is time, the issue is heightened at youth level as they are all playing together. I say we forget results at 20s and 23s for a decade. They do decent at their clubs domestically when mixed with more experience, both local and overseas players. Over time, once a few really assert themselves overseas it will help the other aussies as perceptions and the reality of our standards lift.

Candy.- Instead of speaking in generalisms you would do well to back up your statements with some actual figures. Let me explain. You group Europe and Asia together as to where our young players are now being asked to play. Might I suggest that this is not because of the HAL but is due to the emergence over the last 10 or 15 years of Asia, as not only a growing football power, but more importantly, as an emerging financial giant. Now if you take the Asian component out of our most recent "exports" and compare the European figures with those of the same 10/15 years ago you may well get a surprise remembering that Europe is still regarded as a much higher standard of football for any youngster to achieve success. You mention the NSL, I don't recall anyone claiming the NSL had any great record of "making" players. You see Candy,players are not "made" as seniors,the essential skills are taught at a much earlier age so you'd be better aiming your praise ,if warranted,at the huge amount of work being done at the junior levels of our sport.Has that improved?, a debatable point indeed.jb

Dave- My confusion did not concern Heart,it was your statement that " the HAL had proved to be an excellent breeding ground for young talent" (which I did not dispute either, only your using the 2 year old Heart as an example).I simply pointed out 2 things, (1) It takes more than 2 years to bring raw talent through a coaching curriculum, and (2) That Australian football has a much longer history of supplying the opportunity for overseas "excursions" than 2 years (Heart). or 8 years(HAL). You will gather I am not in favour of "fiddling" with the history of our game and I will continue to point out areas where this is happening.That is no refelction on your efforts Dave, simply pointing out that our game here is well over 100 years old.jb

The deal runs out next year so by the end of season 8 they'll get their new contract and money, but it will also be expanded to include internet and digital media and possibly FTA, which weren't in the last deal. So it would have to be more, also because there are 10 teams now instead of 8 and many more games per season. The FFA had the chance to take up an offer from Fox of about 60M a year for 5 years a couple of years ago but decided to not take it up hoping to get more in future. We'll have to wait and see if that was a good idea in hindsight.

The upcoming TV deal, as it stands today, is looking positive. But I think it would be smarter for the FFA if they brought the negotiations forward by a year, if Foxtel permits, and have new terms signed before this coming season, as the current deal expires at the end of the upcoming season. It would mean clubs don't have to struggle as much for another 12-18 months. In saying that, FFA might be trying to do this, I hope so. This is yet another reason why clubs are selling players left, right and centre. Sure players want leave to double and triple their wages, but if clubs weren't doing it so tough financially, they'd be able to take a stance and reject low offers. In turn they could hold onto their better players for that extra season or 2, and perhaps get better deals done in the long run. This is also what a better TV deal will help with. We're really paying the price now for having signed a 7 year deal back then.

Good point, but where did Bablj, Hamill and Curtis Good come from in the first place? They are local talents no-one had heard of 18 months ago. There is plenty more good local talent coming through and more kids we had never heard of becoming first team regulars in season 8. A lot of talent coming into the A-League lately as well and coaches and talent scouts spending their money more wisely. Watch out for players coming back from overseas and some new faces this season and a new WSW team. Looks promising again in many ways.

There's something wrong with our youth setup when we have so many talented young players who can play in the A-League and even get contracts overseas and yet can't play together as a successful tournament team or become successful players overseas. Something is missing, not sure if its lack of technique, skill or tactics or the mental attitude to succeed, but a lot of false starts and no real standout players or teams. Something's got to change and I hope that soon we'll see another golden era of Socceroos emerge as some of these players go on to become great players and a great national team again. Maybe 2018 in Russia?

Yes, young players have gone overseas before, but never to the extent of what's happening today with the advent of the A-League. MVDave is right, a lot of them are being spotted in the A-League and asked to play overseas and bought by some of the biggest clubs in Europe and Asia. Back in the NSL days players like Cahill and Kewell weren't sold by NSL clubs. It was a case of Kewell packing his bags and trying his luck through a youth academ in the UK. In fact I don't think Kewell even played in the NSL. The A-League is growing in stature and player movements both out and back in are greater than ever. How many players are coming back to the A-League to give themselves a better chance of getting into the Socceroos squad? And yet, how many Aussie footballers are professionals playing overseas right now and another dozen or so being sold and going overseas before A-League season 8 even starts?

Heart gave these boys the opportunity which they may well have missed out on...they seem to have done very well over a short period of time having sold perhaps 3 youngsters for $1-2m. No one has claimed they brought them up from the cradle...surely you can see they have done well (and l'm a MV 8 yr member), give them some credit. Not really sure why your confused...the article was about Heart!

MVDave - Are you questioning about why I am upset?. I don't recall saying I was upset,confused yes, and to be honest Dave your answer has just confused be even more, for in trying to explain your point you have stated "Heart are doing a good job despite only being 2 years old" and that in fact is only pushing my point about "history proving our ability to raise players to European standard" even more.Players are not raised to a transferable level in 2 years Dave, so the players you have in mind,(I assume it is the players just sold) must have started their "apprenticeship" somewhere else other than at Heart. Agreed????.jb ps This is NOT an anti-Heart letter just a pointing out of facts re a statement an observer has made.jb

Big boon for tuggerah, the inland part of the coast is really lacking quality accomdation like this. CCM have done well to keep the latter stage proposals alive, despite having even some basic funding challenges themselves. Amazing achievement to have kept this project in motion...

this is FIFA regulation. % fees get filtered down their career path. to ALL players EVERYWHERE.

How does he imply in any way that the Heart invented the wheel? The article was about the Heart, so that was what he spoke about. If the article had been about Brisbane he would have written about them. Get off your high horse

Not quite sure what you are upset about...this article mentions Heart and by any measure they are doing a good job (given that they are only 2 years old as a club) developing and selling young players to o/s clubs. Surely that is not open to question. Other clubs such as MV and CCM have done similar good jobs with some young players. All good so far. HAL is in its eighth year and it is a testament to the clubs that players are being developed to the point where they are sold to big o/s clubs...surely nothing wrong with that statement...l don't recall mentioning that this development and selling of young only started with HAL. I would argue that HAL is more of a professional league than we've ever had before and that over time more opportunities will be available to younger players to be developed and spotted eg CCMs new facility as detailed by Mid below.

Add a golf course and you'll be laughing. Looks pretty impressive IMO.

That'll be great in ten years Mid, thanks for that.