not entirely true, you need to also factor in that peligra will be wiping away perths debt.

during the covid years, perth was losing over 4 million each season – they have debts on what im aware is between $25-32 million

no team in the a league should be playing any type of ‘hoof ball’ – especially with how much emphasis has been put on developing technically proficient players over the past 15-20 years.

i always sound like im having a go at the coaching fraternity in australia/nz, but it all boils down to how a side is coached

as for possession, controls great – but whats the point of having possession just for the sake of it? (reminds me of that episodes of the simpsons where homer is watching football and those 3 players just pass it side to side and backwards)
i would expect a team that dominates possession to also dominate attacking entries into the final third, shots on goals etc etc – but it doesnt always go that away

why do i always look like the bad guy when i try and critique things? ahhaha

let me put it like this, id rather wellington won compared to a NSW/vic club hhhhhhhhhhhhowever
football is a results based industry that is true, but it is also very reliant on entertainment as well.

im sorry but wellington do not play the sort of football that will attract casual fans, let alone fans that have fallen off over the years.

top of the league and barely getting 8000 fans to home matches, in the 30k+ cake tin – not a good look.

$30 match ticket, $10 carparking, multiple beers and food $60 – you’re already at a $100 to watch a team that is not even close to entertaining, see where im going with this?

financially wellington can compete with the bigger teams, i just would expect a better brand of football thats all im saying.

the leagues there’s to lose with 3 of the last 5 at home

hes done well and deserves credit, but the reason he and the side dont get any plaudits is down to the football they play
no team leading the competition should be playing such an anti brand of football like wellington do
all players back behind the ball, absorb the pressure and play through the press with a ball over the top – i’d be incredibly dissapointed if i was a wellington fan with that type of football
in terms of attacking stats they are outside the top 5 in almost all of them, they’re just a very efficient side when a chance comes and thats what seperates them from the rest.
#1 in clean sheets
#1 in least goals conceeded per match.
#1 in clearances per match
#3 in passes per match
also dont overlook that this club has spent money, not to the level of a sydney/city/victory/wanderers but they are on the next rung down.
barbarouses is on $16k a week, which is more than the highest paid players weekly salary at brisbane, mariners, adelaide, newcastle & perth. – its also a higher wage then what some fans consider as ‘marquee’ (eg mak, fabio, taggart)
next year italiano must start changing the style of football to a more attacking brand, otherwise new zealand club football will stay boring with the master of the boring style corica also in NZ haha

he’s hit the ground running and his performances in training have made him one of the first names on the team sheet – thats all you can ask for from any young player in a brand new country.

great start to life in gwanju and if he can keep that up (which he should because gwanju are a very good side, i’d expect them to mount a title challenge this season) then he’ll likely get that move to europe a player of his talent deserves next season

i know he’s not a lock for australia at international level either at this stage of his career, even though australian CB stocks arent great he’s keeping his options open because there is still serbia lurking in the background who arent exactly developing CB’s atm

potentially could be an interesting tug of war in 12-24 months

never been, but from what im told Gwanju is incredibly under rated as a city.

i know the player has struggled walking down the street, because the locals tend to stop and stare as they don’t see too many ‘foreigners.’

he is one of the ‘original’ melbourne city academy boys (you know a player that actually came through there system, not one they took from interstate)

a move back to city, who will be looking at potentially a brand new midfield would be an option as well

if you play to his strengths (which adelaide seldom seem to do) he is an excellent point man & also not on a massive salary (400k+)

remember joe lolley is on more thatn 3 times ibusukis wage this season

from what im aware trewin has an agreement in principle to join city upon completion of the season (i would’ve liked him to move to europe as he has all the talent to play overseas) the city move is a backwards step for me.

the nisbet move is a lot more complicated because there is another a league club challenging city for him.

yes unfortunately matters outside of actual football steal the headlines

especially in a position that australia hasnt got depth in currently, like i said above serbia are also watching him with interest.

the lebanon game has come too soon, but he has been excellent in both matches for the table topping side

i think thats because most of the sites actual writers (mike/stuart/david) leave anything SA related to me.

they dont have to, nor does anyone else – ive got zero issues with anyone writing about south australian football.

just remember to fact check, because if you dont i will 😂

the club cannot afford to release him, its as simple as that – adelaide are not a wanderers/victory/sydney/city that can just jettison players (hes still got another year left of his $120k+ contract)

and agreed about your latter point – the clubs metrics (especially social media wise) have been through the roof since he came out.

its a very tricky situation, because no matter where he goes next – that club will also have to deal with his baggage.

he was very lucky to get a new contract, because form wise he didnt warrant it. Adelaide is very good to players who miss out a large portion of the season to injury though, they tend to renew them (eg juanda, cavallo, ansell, konstandopolous)

there is so much going on behind the scenes at adelaide currently, i’ve only provided a slither of information on here due to my friendship with several players.

i wish i could say alot more but i am also on a very short leash with certain subjects (inparticular the current one we’re on about.

adelaide have completely imploded from the most settled squad over the past 3-4 years, to perhaps the most disillusioned (although wanderers are running them close this season)

usual dull uninspiring selections under arnie (‘favourites’, players who arent playing weekly and the terrible scottish born players)

perhaps a member of the media will actually break away from the questions the sides PR mananger recieves prior to any media conference and actually ask a hard hitting question.

example: ‘why wasnt AP selected? (i know that he has had not even a courtesy notification re selection yet again.

hopefully arnie can get sacked soon and a new manager can be brought it that follows the rules with international football

played and started his second match and the team is top now, if he keeps up his form he will have a decision very soon to make about his international future

hasnt been part of the playing group? yet he been around that same playing group even while recooperating from his various injuries………..

the thing is his personal life is of no interest to anyone, thats what people are failing to realise.

he is constantly referred to as a gay footballer (which obviously he is) but he is a footballer first and foremost – yet he gets media attention purely for his sexuallity which has enabled him to gain modelling contracts, multiple endorsement deals, public speaking opportunities etc. – hes profitting off his sexuallity (like many celebrities/sports people do)

all this is purely because of his sexuallity which the current generation of media have an agenda with when it comes to celebrities or sports stars

if anything its been a distraction to his own failing career.

hes engaged, well done – what about the other hundreds of couples around australia that also got engaged 24 hours ago? you dont seem them all over the media (purely because of his sexuallity)

you’ve got a splintered playing group and you’ve also got many supporters of adelaide united who have walked away from the club because of all the unnecessary sideshows.

both players are as good as gone from their respective clubs – i had mentioned a couple months ago that halloran for milusenic switch as this move works for both players and their clubs.
milusenic has had a very good offer financially from a nsw club , which i dont believe adelaide will match
adelaide are also looking at lachlan brook who still has over a year left on his contract with wanderers so this deal could be tricky to complete – he is one of several players in the wanderers camp who has become unsettled with rudan in charge

draw/draw/dra/bri/per

now some gossip from the past week in adelaide.

*musa toure scored a fine goal for the SA NPL side after being dropped for his views on a certain hot topic.

*once again that hot topic has reared its head with josh cavallo getting engaged and doing the media rounds in relation to it.

as usual his personal life takes preference over his actual profession, which has caused an issue within the playing group for multiple seasons now.

the bigger question is how many team mates actually legitimetly congratulated him and how many will be attending the wedding? – heres a hint, not many

*training ground bust up between veart and a player i mentioned looked likely to be mutually terminated in january (only for the club to change its mind) – this player is good as gone at seasone end.

*ben halloran appears to be heading back to brisbane, adelaide will not renew his contract on his current salary.

*isaias has been offered a role in the coaching group at season end.

*hiroshi ibusuki has rejected the clubs offer for a new contract (open to staying though) he has recieved a high financial offer from another a league club and has also been targeted by J2 clubs.

*james delianov is open to leaving the club as well as staying – adelaide has not been happy with his performances and there is a massive amount of south australian depth behind him (ethan cox, perhaps the best teenage ‘reflexes’ keeper in australia + the under 15 schoolboys keeper of the year james elul recently made his debut for the SA NPL side

*14 players off contract at season end, the second highest amount of players off contract in adelaide uniteds history

its the hope that kills you, and thats part of the problem with australian football.

doesnt matter if its kewell, arzani, irakunda etc, there are multiple players in each group in europe with similar stats

people forget it’s also much cheaper for a european club to develope thier own players then bring across an australian (having to pay a transfer fee to the club, trainings fees, flights, accomodation etc etc)

add to that alot of the australian kids arent used to the training methods, weather or language when they go to these countries – they’re already on the backfoot as soon as they step off the planet

irakunda may break the mould as you do not get that many australians with that level of power, strength, acceleration, dead ball expertise and the ability to strike a moving ball with such ferocity

but then again he has his own demons to overcome, that a lot of australian players before him didnt have.

the main thing going for him, is that he is wanted by the coach at Bayern II – alot of boys before him going to europe have rarely had that level of support before getting there.

lets see what happens

its important that any young player has a say in the club he goes to, but that is incredibly difficult when a lot of agents are alligned to certain clubs.

I know a lot of the bigger agents in australia quite well and quite a few of them get additional payments for having there clients go to certain leagues or countries (and then they pocket another fee when they go out on loan to a different team or a different club)

agents in general is a very murky world and its important that all these young teenagers that we have constantly going to europe each year have one that puts thier clients interests above the financial side of it.

its also critical that the players skillset matches up with a country/league that benefits them.

g koul was never going to do well in the UK (england/scotland) – his playing style is not suited to those leagues

milusenic for halloran makes 100% sense – both off contract and both want to return home

time will tell but the coach at Bayern II is extremely happy with his impending arrival in several weeks (very good sign for the player)

culture, language and weather will all be barriers he will need to overcome (as will his own self doubt) – but like i said being out of the limelight of australian football is going to make things a little easier.

there are some very good players in bayern II that are more than good enough to start for the first team.

*alex pavlovic (who serbia and germany are both fighting for) has recently broken into the bayern first team and has been excellent since coming up from bayern II

*lovro zvonarek (has the potential to be the long term heir to luka modric for croatia) is knocking on the door of the bayern first team.

*lucas capado recently moved to an austrian club

*younes aitamer and dion berisha (2 players irakunda will directly compete with) are very good technically

i’ve spoken about ben on here a lot this season.

i like ben, however on occasions this season his performances in training and in games have not met the coaching groups standards – so he has been dropped on more that one occasion.

i dont believe the club will renew his contract at season end (hard to believe but he is one of the clubs top wage earners) he has been sounded out for a move back to brisbane

it comes down to coaching, theres a reason no a league clubs play any teenagers as center forward and attacking mids (and that channels down the pyramid to semi pro and amatuer)

until this players are given the minutes the status quo will remain the same

i’d say they would be a firm favourite for the spoon given the fixture list (only 2 home matches left), a horror run of injuries (worst in the league this season) and all the shenanigans going on behind the scenes