Australian players should choose the A-League over Asia

Brett Holman, was top player in AZ Alkmaar team that won 2009 Dutch league ...it just he didn't play well at a bottom Aston Villa Josh Kennedy played 50 Games in Bundesliga Alex Brosque, , i think it safe to say didn't really make it, Look, for me, football no longer about what league you play in, but more about what team you play for in that league .and if australia players are going to play in asian, then a lest you want them in a team that playing in Asain Champ league

'I have also attended a lot more football games than most peeps, including yourself I suspect' This is what you are best at, assumptions!!!!! You have no idea how many games I have played, coached, attended, followed or studied. You may have watched a few games but you are no fan. I love my A-League, even more so then any foreign team I have followed for many more years & having also lived & worked in Europe, living the dream for a football fan. I know many like me. However I know not 1 A-League fan that is under the illusion that the A-League is of the highest standard, we have a $2,5mill salary cap per team, Wayne Rooney a debatable top 20 player, earns more than that in a couple of months. However you consistently like to inform us that the A-League is not of the quality of the EPL, next you might let us know that Russia has invaded the Crimea.

True, though the point on where you and I would differ is that I see no problem going to Japan. It is on the whole the best league in Asia as evidenced by the surging crowds and the superb players they have produced for their national team. Just as many good players in SOuth American countries like Paraguay and Chile play in Argentina and Brazil, so some of our players will hopefully play in Japan and South Korea. Of particular disapointment to me was seeing McGowan win a Scottish FA cup at Hearts and then put in an assured performance in the Europa leauge against Liverpool and then go to China. I can only speculate that with Hearts financial troubles he had little choice in the matter. And seeing Holman go to the middle east was bitterly dissapointing and has robbed us of a player we desperately needed laying in Europe. I know its negative thinking but I wish he had stayed at AZ Alkmaar instead of going to Villa.

Yes Griffo many puzzling questions on this subject. It's not though that we don't have examples and answers on the way forward ,as indicated by the article you mentioned by Craig Foster.

raising the salary cap is not an option right now, teams like Adelaide and CCM can't afford the whole salary cap right now, if the salary cap was raised right now 3 or 4 teams will truely sink, financially wise and on the field as well.

Towser, on this I wonder how many are using their secondary passport to gain a football overseas to get access to better development? Also thought this piece by Craig Foster on the weekend was interesting: http://m.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/coaching-investment-will-set-up-our-next-golden-generation-of-footballers-20140315-hvj2l.html

Going forward and assuming a salary cap of 4-5million dollars in the next few years, will some of these guys, instead of choosing the chinese K/j league divert to A league. Also I would prefer an ENDO come to the A league as Marquee rather than the likes of Contreras , Gallas and co.

striker- I base my comments on a variety of criteria including obviously the quality and skill of players, but also quality of stadia, attendance, sponsership, age of quality players from Europe going there. Players who has have the choice of both have almost always chosen the MLS. Quite a number of MLS also have 'soccer specific' (their terminology not mine before you start with the football/soccer stuff) stadiums whereas the a league has to share stadiums with two or three other codes resulting in terrible playing surfaces.

punter - I have always understood the world game and have followed it since birth. I have also attended a lot more football games than most peeps, including yourself I suspect, particularly when I lived and worked in Europe. You seem to imply than I only follow AFL which is not accurate. I attend all football codes throughout the year as well as cricket in summer. However if there is a clash between matches I would normally, though not always, watch AFL these days. In Europe though, as you imagine, I did not attend many AFL games!!!

46 games is a start,but when he left he didn't go to the A-league, he went to the J-league, something i would like to see changed in the future

Always worth revisiting the Ozfootball list of Australian players overseas,when discussing this sort of topic. First I find it a disturbingly long list for a country that is trying to grow the game. Part of that growth is expansion of the A-League Also worth asking a few questions regarding where our players are. For instance on first glance it appears there's quite a few players in the English leagues from Premier downwards. A more detailed look shows they are youth players. I make 36 on a quick count. Why are they at English club and not developing here ? Is the scouting network for A-League clubs so weak they escape the net or are they just speculators hoping to "do an arry" and make it to the top. If it's the second reason I dont see to many making the breakthrough. Then there's another eight in Blue square Leagues which I presume nowadays is Conference level. In fact their all over the shop. I've no problems with them plugging away in Leagues like the Bundesliga or German second level or Eredivisie but why are they leaving here early to go to lower European leagues? It all goes back to me to what Jaliens said about Taggart and if Australia is to make a serious dent in World football well either the perception of what can be acheived here by our football youth is wrong or they are right and we need pull our finger out big time and develop them to as close to the finished product before heading off overseas. http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Abroad/2014-02.html

Totally agree with this. Plus the more transfers the more opportunities for the ne t crop to flourish, and so it goes on.

we have created many good players through the a-league system, but the players leave for Asia, good for the socceroos, not so good for the a-league

i wasn't aiming this article at the harry kewells and the tim Cahills but more like the Alex brosque type player,who tried to make it as a young player in the J-league, and tried to used it as a stepping stone to Europe, which is a good plan, (i hope this is the plan for Mitch Nichols)but Brosque moved to the Middle east once he realised Europe wouldn't be happing.(and probably stunted his Socceroos career) if players like Brosque come home after realising they can't play in Europe, the overall strength of the A-league will rise without the need of 'dead end" international player, i hope one day the A-league will equal or tromp the strength of J-league, then these players will stay home until Europe comes knocking.

Didn't realise that Holman with his 39 goals in 215 appearances in the Dutch First division, and 5 goals in 27 Europa league and Champions league appearances was a player who didn't cut it in Europes top divisions. Re Kennedy, while not an unqualified succes in Europe, I wouldn't say he failed in Europe either. 48 appearances with 10 goals in the Bundesliga shows that he was a player good ennought to break into the first team and keep a spot at two different clubs during a period which he suffered a serious injury after the 2006 world cup. There was also a period at Dinamo Dresdenn where he made 60 appearances and scored 16 goals in the German second division. No if we has a player make 48 appearances with 10 goals in the EPL and 60 appearances with 16 goals in the championship he would be considered a good player yet the same level of success in Germany is considere to be a failure?

I think you are starting to understand the world game. Now imagine if AFL was a world game & great athletes from Nigeria, Germany, Brazil, US, Thailand, England & many, many more playing the game you may find that the AFL in Australia may also be the 99th best competition in the world & a player like Garry Ablett may be only good enough to play locally while the best players are in the US or Europe. So while the AFL is the best professional competition in the world they are also the worse. The idea of the A-League is any decent football knows it's not the best in the world but it's live football, there are about 235 countries in the same boat as Australia.

Azz, punter and striker - It is not me who has a problem accepting the true state of the a league. I fully accept the standard of the a league is very poor by global standard. This does not mean that it is not exciting or enjoyable because I like watching the games even though the players are poor. The a league was recently ranked as 99th best league in the world which appears about right. Anyone who watched the F1 derby and in particularly the standard of defending and goalkeeping would acknowledge the standard is light years behind Europe, South America and even the MLS. The standard of refereeing is also disgraceful- anyone who witnessed the performance of Williams in the Phoenix v Heart game must acknowledge this. Unfortunately Williams is going to be Australia's representative referee at the World Cup which means that as well as having one of the worst teams, we will also have the worst referee in Brazil.

But surely Gosford is the centre of the World. How could anyone resist the charms of bankstown on the sea!!

Completely agree with you Ben. I think players based overseas (and coaches) bring a lot back to Oz football not only in terms of knowledge & quality when they play with the NT (or come back to an Oz club) but also in terms of country exposure, connections & networking between overseas clubs/agents and Australia, the players, clubs etc. Yes we should celebrate them rather than point fingers or prevent them from playing for their country ( like we do in other sports.). The only feeling that i can understand and share sometimes is the frustration we someone have with players who choose to go to a similar or weaker league with even less exposure than the HAL, solely based on finances (am thinking mostly middle east there). Supporters' frustration is imo understandable but again who are we to say "NO' to someone making a lifestyle choice for himself and his family?

Zlatan, Falcao and Cavani aint serious in Johan's books...... Love to see what the assumption is based on re MLS v A League - what because Henry and Becks preferred New Yrk and LAX to live in over Central Coast