BREAKING: Perth Glory alleged to have significantly breached A-League salary cap

Je suis Punter!

UJ - I think you are basing your comment on some "facts" that have occurred over the last 3 or 4 seasons.in the HAL. AP did not introduce a "new" style of football to the HAL What he did do was introduce a system of football into Australia that emphasised the age old edict that you cannot play football without the ball so he set about teaching a group of players the benefit of shortening their passes,speeding up distribution, upgraded fitness levels and encouraging movement all around the field.Did he succeed,? No doubt. It could be said he is now doing exactly the same with our national team. That first Asian Cup journey should have, and maybe did to AP, spell out a warning but it was then a disturbing factor started to emerge,for players in the team who were important to it's success,were either ageing,or seeking different pastures and were having to be replaced.so AP's teachings had to be put on hold until any new signings "caught up" I have never been convinced that factor, and the shenanigans going on behind the scenes, were not instrumantal in AP.s departure from a job well done up to that point in time. This year has seen a reversal in fortunes for some teams and really at the root of any success gained by "lesser" clubs can be put down to good recruitment,in coaches and players where the opposite is true for the former top 4. Will we ever get to a league that is hard fought from top to bottom? That is a dream we all hope for, but only time,good fortune,and dare I say good recruitment at every level of the game, will have to take place. Cheers jb.

We have 50% of the ALeague teams playing the best football in the history of the competition. How can anyone be disappointed? If, every season, we could keep aiming to have 50% or more teams improving on their best ever football that would be a major input in my definition of success. And, let's not forget the Roar teams under Ange were spectacularly unsuccessful in Asia. They didn't win a single match. For sure, the Roar teams under Ange played delightful football. But, it's obvious the 10 ALeague opponents weren't putting up too much resistance. When Ange won the Double NQF & GCU were in their 2nd year of competition & MelbHeart was in its 1st competition season.

Real Fair point and I agree with you Re Roar under AP no other team has reached that standard but the Roar dismantled everything in its path with ease for over a year or so what did that make of the league then,my point would be that AP's Roar wouldn't be " as" successful in today's HAL, could AP's Roar have one this years league ?, of course but not by 13 points ?,I believe . Hal clubs today are more organised in both attack and defence than what they were a few years ago or as the table suggests there are more clubs than ever who can win the league instead of 2 possibly 3, and yes of course I believe there are 2-3 teams in the HAL who are playing near an amateurish level...

I would question the assertion that the standard has risen, Bondy. I don't believe that is the case. I do not believe that any of the teams are playing as good a football as Ange Postecogou's first champion Brisbane Roar side. CCM, Newcastle, and at times Wanderers, Brisbane and Mel City have played the worst football we have seen in the A League since that dire season 4.

Bondy -You touch on a few "hot potatoes" in this reply.First of all let's look at "the fan" and why he attends a football match. There are those who will go through "hell and high water" with their team and lets call them "hard core". Then there is the fan who goes along to be entertained by what is being presented to him/her on the field.Lets call them "swinging fans". If a team is performing well one would expect that these 2 types would have amalgamated and their team would be enjoying maximum walk-in crowds.Converse to that the team who are not performing would see their attendances drop back to the number of "hard core " fans who will still turn up while the "swinging fan " will vote with his feet and go elsewhere. That is the theory but as the table presently shows does not always reflect a numerical gain for effort expended,Perth and Wellington have lifted their average crowds but are still a financial chasm away from Victory when it comes ro amalgamated fan numbers. You mention "marquee" players and their effect on our game but that leads to the question how many "marquees" playing in teams today are putting bums on seats no matter where they are playing,the best example being ADP in his first year at Sydney FC.Now today in the HAL we should have 10 "foreign marquees" and 10 "local marquees" who operate outside the salary cap,and because of their "pulling power" should offset the money being paid to them by doing an "ADP". Is this happening or are our clubs simply using this loophole to denigrate the concept that the ADP experiment showed us can work.? Your last sentence contains a lot of truth,fans,especially the ones I christened "swinging fans", demand entertainment, not only from the football being played but, just like in "showbiz", the "stars " who are being employed to supply that entertainment.That surely is the reason for suitable "marquees" to be employed outside "the cap" but in all honesty that situation is not being exploited by the clubs themselves but the cynic could say there are 20 players who are very happy with the status quo. No? Cheers jb .

Everyone seems to be in one of two camps. Keeping the salary cap or getting rid of it completely. What about a common sense approach where we keep a salary cap to manage some sort of financial rectitude and to stop clubs bying silverware but at the same time increase the cap so that clubs are able to be rewarded for good recruitment and pay their players more and keep some sort of team together. Everyone is saying Brisbane Roar are a basketcase this season on the basis on one bad season, never mind the fact that crowds have remained consistent despite some less than impressive scheduling. (this season ticket holder has not being able to attend 1 game this season, though that is due in part to a punishing work schedule) and less than impressive performances. How much better would the situation have being had we being able to pay more money to Berisha within the salary cap? I feel the A league has outgrown the current salary cap and that it is time to increase it while still keeping it so that a club like Central Coast can rely on canny recruitment and youth development.

Jb I think the cap does need minor tweaking " possibly out to $3 mill per annum " where in which most agree that the style of play and the type of players playing in the HAL have increased over the last couple of years ,everybody has had more pressure applied to them results and performance wise and look at the type of marquee who now comes to the HAL largely unknowns who impress for their clubs and are acknowledge to have been successful by HAL fans I.E. G Arnold's purchasing at Syd FC this season ... I think the HAL Ladder doesn't lie from 1st - 5th there's a two point spread those teams are very well organised both in attack and defence apart from the Perth Glory getting the mid season wobbles or losing partial direction, there's no question that the standard has risen .Being an effective team in the HAL doesn't cut it nowadays . In saying that there's always a ton of improvement needed and expected from HAL fans ...

IMO penalty decisions are what they are - some obvious, some not so. Fact is Perth came to Brisbane to play foot-MAN instead of foot-BALL. They made sure they kicked Roar players every time they went to tackle. They collected 5-6 yellow cards and got a player sent off. They didn't create a single chance and benefited from a lucky own goal. They weren't going to last another 30 minutes with one man short given the fitness of Roar team. The score was 1-1 at the time of the penalty decision and they CLAIMED they were robbed!!!! Glad FFA is now telling these jokers what cheating actually is!

I bet Sean Dobson is cursing the weather right now ;)

yup, but one of us may get the chance

This article has degenerated from why a club may have breached a salary cap ruling to opinionative comments on who and why "clubs" are playing "good football" and yet are languishing near the botom of the league.That statement hinges on 2 factors "What is beautiful football" and "the points spread" over the 10 positions being played for. What these 2 items have in common with the plusses and negatives of a salary cap is beyond my comprehension. Surely the question is, is the salary cap achieving what it is meant to achieve?, and the next question would be is the salary cap actually causing a restriction in the growth of crowd numbers when allied to the standard of football being delivered at all levels.? Let's examine the potential answers to these two questions. (1) It has to be assumed the salary cap was introduced into the system in an an attempt to keep the standard of player at each franchise at a level that resulted in team performance at some sort of equal level. This in theory appears to be a great idea but does not take into effect the "talent" at each club to always be signing "good" players.Results over the years have shown this"talent" to be questionable at more than 1 league identity. I won't name names but I am sure there are multiple examples at each club of players who had been signed with the "tongue firmly in the cheek" Those sort of signings and resultant contracts have put a strain on the salary cap restrictions at each club. (2) It must be obvious to regular readers of these comments that the term "good football" has many different meanings to different people.To the technical minded "good football" can usually be related to position in the league as the aim of the game is to win 3 points at every opportunity. To the die-hard fan it can mean his team playing a style of football like the giants of the game and in doing so entertaining his psyche on the game. For the analytical minded the term can go much deeper than both of these for they will take into consideration the short term and long term futures of the game in general and how the standard of football affects the growth factor. I would ask that the reader condsiders these observations and then pose the question,is the "salary cap" doing what it set out to do and if not what changes are needed Has it outlived it's usefulness or does it need tweaked to suit conditions that have evolved over the years.Whether points are deducted or teams gain promotion is not really the subject under discussion,it is the salary cap it's aims and achievments. jb

I'm leaving shortly too. Count that as 3 plus a toddler. Make it 7000 Note my comment is being posted 5.30 QLD time

UJ - I cant comment for other clubs but as a Roar member the club this season has gone to great lengths to seriously alienate it's fans - I'm sure not intentionally but alienate them they did (it takes an angry mob to call for boycott of games but that's happened on some fan forums). From a record membership of 11,000+ we've been given Poor signings, Mulvey telling us his best signing wasnt even a player, the handling of Mulvey's sacking, no news on a new coach for 6 months now, the often shocking displays and only 9 goals in 9 home games, the ACL debacle, the "exciting times ahead" PR job on their own fans, players looking like they don't care, the LFC Ticketing fiasco, 10 home games played on 7 different days of the week, a Sunday game moved to a Monday, rain like we've never seen (stuff the "suncorps a great stadium" bull - it's not when it rains, you get wet), the Phoenix abandonment debacle (that hasn't gone down well up here - another PR own goal but beyond the clubs control), poor match scheduling with SFC set between RL and RU internationals, more midweek games than we'd care to mention with 7PM kick offs which in rush hour traffic are quite difficult to get to for many, and even tonight - game day and it's been raining all day so who wants to show up at Suncorp and get wet for 90 minutes? .... so I think Roar are exceptional this season - the fans aren't just reacting to the results, there's a bigger issue with the running of the club. And yet, I'm still going tonight .... but I'll be one of only 3,500 I'm betting!

I punt, therefore I am!

That's true Waz, which would be a bonus but it might feel a big hollow- like sneaking in the back door!

Some balance is needed, there is still a lot of good things going on (more people registered to play football than AFL in Victoria for example). The HAL is having a difficult season compared to expectations but is still holding its own. I think there was a little bit of complacency at the top which we're paying for now but it's not yet a heavy price.

SVB I've got an idea try and make people feel like sh^^ and are following a sport that's a completely futile exercise ,Oh hang on you're already doing that ....

Uncle junior might be able to bring him back

I miss Fussball :( If only there was a way to get him back. Even if he came back under a different name. If only....*sigh*