Who’s leading the annual game of A-League off-season musical chairs? (Part 1)

Players moving regularly, signing short term deals, playing for almost half of the teams in the league during their career, losing good players that you would like to keep and keeping lower end players to fill out the squad are always going to be features of a salary capped league. To some people that's exciting, but to some it is very boring. There is a recurring feeling of "same old players back again for two seasons, just at a different team" and it makes it generally quite unexciting. It makes the teams become quite homogenous. In a non-capped league, "big" teams are able to progress themselves and they develop some sort of "aura". Otherwise you get teams going from top to bottom, bottom to top, season to season, which may sound exciting, but it isn't really exciting when it only happens because all the players from the top team left for better contracts that the salary cap could not give them at their current team, and these better players join the lower teams and either they shoot up the league for two season whilst they have better players, or we see good players tread water in a team which isn't good all round, and they become wasted. But these are the things you buy into when you create a salary capped league.

Thanks JB. I am familiar with the history associated with the concept of 'Total Football' but was unaware that both the Austrians and Russians had experimented with the concept before the Dutch. So thank you for that insight. As for what AUFC are doing at their youth level, I can honestly tell you that yes, they are working with the process of 'give and go' also building up fitness levels to help the players achieve the required level to play that type of game. So knowing the coaching staff at the club, at all levels, I will not be surprised by this next crop of youth players being able to use these skills, to the benefit of the REDs and hopefully the Joey's, Olyroo's and eventually the Socceroo's, after all in my mind that is what our clubs should be aiming for, other than the obvious trophies.

that was a typo, contract is halloran/mauk - goodwins only on loan, but is the largest weekly wage

Rodger -you finish off your comment by saying it will take a whole generation of coaches to change the status quo. Football has been following a coaching path based on a "Dutch" authorship which just coincidently had as it's basis work done back in 1974 into junior sports education by Loughborough College in England. Their findings are widely available for any interested party and actually were commented on in Australian back in 1974 when the then NSL had a Director of Coaching called Eric Worthington. With the termination of cigarette advertising in sport Worthington's tenure was cancelled (Rothman paid his salary).He was not replaced. From that point we bungled along until Lowy employed a Dutchman to write a coaching curriculum for junior coaching. This was after the establishment of the 'grand plan", the fully professional A-League . and surprise ,surprise, the "new" curriculum " had as it's basis the Loughborough findings from some 30 years before. So you see Rodger we have had more than one generation of coaches employed in our game and yet we still appear to be behind the advancement being made in other countries. Any ideas as why this is so? Cheers jb.

That hasn’t come out yet

who was it who warned us that the Matildas coach was gone? bigger news than anything seen before or some such nonsense

Understand JB. Pretty sure Roar has a new goal keeper coach this coming season., but yes, McAualy Gillesphy has returned to the UK. Young Courtney-Perkins also a centre-back has been sold (according to the CEO for a good price) to a Europe club. As Waz says, they have Kai Trewin at centre-back who is quite capable. The youngster who I thought they might hang on to was Antonee Burke-Gilroy who came in as an injury replacement for just a few games. I thought he was good out wide, but obviously not.

Rodger - Do not be fooled into thinking these latest trends in football tactics are in fact "new". Decades ago ,the nation playing around with "total football" tactics were not in fact the Dutch but rather the Russians who through coaches like Arkadiev, Maslov, Malofeev and Lobanovskyi started to play around with a pre- war idea that had emanated from Austria, where players were encouraged to swap their starting positions and play where their movement took them. This was supposed to be achieved by the team as a unit moving around, The Austrians had christened it " The "Viennese Whirl" while the Russians used the term "Organised Disorder". These ideas severely contradicted the accepted WM formation widely used around the world and were slow to be accepted throughout Western Europe and South America and it was not until England were given a football lesson in 1953 by the Magyars of Hungary that Western nations began to take note. Since those early days we have seen a complete range of football tactical plans designed to achieve what was regarded as "sure things". We are now seeing fitter, better prepared players trying to play "give and go" football, highly prevalent at this time in Europe and England. To play this game well skills like first touch, passing, and movement, have to be highly developed and fitness maintained at a high level for for success at the top level. As you are probably aware these skills have to be developed, not in the A-League, but at a junior level. Ask yourself the question, is this being done at your club. Cheers jb.

This is where we need internal transfer fees for the A-League, Franko. Adelaide could do a nice bit of business taking on Troisi for free and then picking up a transfer fee as he walks out on the eve of the 21/22 season.

in terms of what actually happened on the plane? or which a league players were involved? or tonyik? lol or all the above?

i cant really state my personal opinion on this matter, i dont think its over is all i will say lol

just from a mentorship level, isias will be good for the kids on the cusp of the first team like johnny yull and ethan alagich

tratt wont start, he'll fill in centrally when ansell gets injured (which he will) or at right back when lopez gets injured (which he will)

was unlucky at oldham, injuries and kewell being sacked hurt his chances. blackwood wont be a started, hes a squadie

top wage earner currently is goodwin, in terms of contract the numbers are close between halloran/goodwin

not with lescanos skill set, i wouldn't play that way. long ball is perfect for this guy, he holds it up nicely and has good passing range. if you get ivanovic/milusenic/parsons close to him, you will cause teams issues

yeah hes a lumbering striker, i didnt use the wrong word. He doesnt burn past players with pace. hes also a big boy, hes easy 6'2/6'3 whats his height? i cant be bothered googling it. don't let some youtube highlights of goals in the 2nd division of russia influence you lol

JB my back ground on the park is very limited, social and recreational at best. I am an optimist, so I tend to look on the bright side. Yes the AUFC youth do lack some skills, which is made up for by youthful enthusiasm and tends to colour some peoples opinions. I certainly hope you are right in that the trend in football is heading towards a faster distribution and less of the slow build up from the back. Nothing infuriates me more than seeing an opportunity to put a ball into a forward space, only to see the passing opportunity missed or not seen and the ball pushed backwards, just to keep possession. I think it is fear of turning over the ball. It will take a whole generation of coaches to instill the required skill set into our youth. Hence the ongoing discussion about the worth of an AIS program. From where I sit, it is a no brainer, just do it. But then again I don't have to pay for it.