Roar Guru
Joined December 2009
267k
Views
223
Published
1.4k
Comments
Published
Comments
Those bastions of Warner Brothers cartoons, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd engage in a famous skit whereby Daffy and Bugs try to…
On a spring Friday evening in Gosford in 2018, more than 10,000 fans flocked to Central Coast Stadium to watch a pre-season game. This…
Chances are, if you drop the name Edson Arantes Do Nascimento into a conversation, the football followers in the group would nod and smile.…
There's a scene in Terminator 2: Judgement Day where the teenage John Connor asks Arnold Schwarzenegger's character if there's any hope for the human…
Since the start of the A-League in 2005, it's quite possible Monday's announcement that the Grand Finals - the showpiece event of both the…
In 1997, the band Everclear released 'So Much For the Afterglow', a particularly poignant tune in light of a fateful Socceroos night at the…
There was a time, not so many years ago, before the "C" word sent the world in general and sport in particular into hibernation,…
The word 'fan' derives from the longer form 'fanatic' and being a Socceroos fan is an exercise in fanaticism.
It was as predictable as the Sydney rain - less than 24 hours after Australia's 0-2 defeat to Japan, the rumours were gathering force…
In high school in the late 1970s, our English teacher set an assignment for us.
It was only supposed to be for a few months. Besart Berisha was plucked from relative European obscurity by then-Brisbane Roar coach Ange Postecoglou…
On a black-and-white portable TV, with a screen size about one-fifth of today's flat-screen, pristine, HD gems, the old rabbit-ears aerial pointed strategically towards…
Since his passing two days ago, there has been significant reflection on the contribution Frank Arok made to Australian football. My previous article contained…
Former Socceroos coach Ferenc 'Frank' Arok has passed away at the age of 88. He was one of the most influential football figures in…
There are many sportsmen and women who can lay claim to being the greatest at what they do. They can be called champions. They…
The National Rugby League are planning to restart the competition on May 28, despite the probability that most of the population will still be…
A flick through Fox's various sports channels revealed the way in which the pay TV provider was filling the massive gaps left by the…
The 1970s had turned this gangly kid into a football tragic, complete with the requisite muddy role-playing of rain-soaked English games in a northern…
It was a May night in 1972 when my mother and grandmother made a decision that would change my life. They woke me up…
One heel click of the red-and-black shoes and the Western Sydney Wanderers were back where they belong. Not in Kansas, but Parramatta, to the…
JB, love your insights as usual. What you’re suggesting was actually the strategy in reverse when most of our players were European-based in the early 2000s. It has merit, but I’m not sure choosing a player who plays in the A-League over one in the top leagues of Europe is necessarily the best way to go. (I know you didn’t directly suggest that, but picking on locality would at some point throw this scenario up) I do agree that players moving overseas – even to Europe – don’t automatically become better players for it, and quite a few have discovered this to their detriment in recent years and returned to play in Australia.
There is no need to replace Arnold for World Cup playoffs
I was at the game too, and I can assure you I wasn’t missing any points. We were lucky to hang on for 89 minutes and it was evident that as an attacking force, the team was severely lacking. Part of that is tactical, and part of it is developmental. MY point is that calling for a change at this stage will simply gloss over the problems we’ve seen coming for years.
There is no need to replace Arnold for World Cup playoffs
The main thrust of the article was more about what a new coach could achieve with the same problems in such a short amount of time.
There is no need to replace Arnold for World Cup playoffs
The choice of headline was not mine. The original one was “FA and Socceroos are all out of quick fixes.”
There is no need to replace Arnold for World Cup playoffs
I agree that the fee is far too much. However, sports like cricket, rugby league and Australian Rules heavily subsidise junior registration costs as part of their huge TV rights money.
'Fading into obscurity': What's wrong with the A-League Men?
The irony of the Wanderers situation is that they were at their very best when they were owned and run by FFA.
'Fading into obscurity': What's wrong with the A-League Men?
Some really good points regarding the disengagement of active support and the difficulties associated with moving to a brand new streaming service. However, I think the article fails to acknowledge the extraordinary difficulties encountered by the A-League since the pandemic took hold. More than any other sporting code, the A-Leagues were going to be vulnerable due to border closures, overseas players being unable to return, and the lack of financial clout that enabled codes like the AFL and NRL to completely relocate their comptetitions. This season has become a scheduling nightmare due to circumstances that are completely out of the APL’s control. Perth and Wellington have been nomads for some time,most clubs have missed action for almost a month, there is a backlog of games to get through, and even the most loyal fan can’t keep up with the changes.
'Fading into obscurity': What's wrong with the A-League Men?
That’s the complete opposite of what de Vanna said, but don’t let her words get in the way of your assumptions.
Is De Vanna brave to blow the whistle, or is it sour grapes?
Why on earth would you make that assurance, given the ABC have already highlighted abuse within gymnastics and swimming? They have also presented the Lisa De Vanna story on a number of theur news outlets.
Is De Vanna brave to blow the whistle, or is it sour grapes?
Pffft, kids these days…they’ll never experience the LSD-fuelled production values of H.R Puff’n Stuff…
What should football’s new Network Ten/Paramount+ commentary team look like?
He at least CALLED it football when the Ten/Paramount deal was announced, unlike the rest of the Project team who called it soccer.
What should football’s new Network Ten/Paramount+ commentary team look like?
Middy
Andy Pascalidis still knows his way around a commentary box better than most in this country.
What should football’s new Network Ten/Paramount+ commentary team look like?
Can someone let me know the 24 leagues that are better than the A League? And is it even relevant?
What should football’s new Network Ten/Paramount+ commentary team look like?
This would explain why Adelaide were awarded three incorrect penalties against the Mariners earlier in the season, being the “bigger” club…?
What should football’s new Network Ten/Paramount+ commentary team look like?
I googled Tony Palumbo just to see if he was still with us, and Wiki tells me he’s a capo for the Genovese crime family. Hire him as a consultant!
What should football’s new Network Ten/Paramount+ commentary team look like?
Duncan, that’s some serious long term planning.
Farewell Bobby Fulton, a childhood hero
Albo
Many years ago I read a book by legendary fitness trainer George Daldry. George was an old-school trainer and he used to do the conditioning work for a lot of the the rugby league clubs in the 70s and 80s. In the book, he said that Fulton was the fittest, strongest, most committed trainer and player of his generation.
Farewell Bobby Fulton, a childhood hero
AndyAdelaide, That is the most delusional analysis of the game I’ve read. But congrats on the victory!
VAR blunders produce yet another A-League comedy act
John, great to hear from you. Frank was a fantastic motivator and those cage sessions and the goalkeeping sessions with Fred Wall were as physical and as intense as any training I’ve done. YOU were a big part of that – training with you was another level, so all these years later, thank you for that.
Vale Frank Arok: A man ahead of his time
I’m not sure they were a “dominant force” but of course, the All Whites made the World Cup finals in 1982 at the expense of Australia, and they did beat the Socceroos twice in 1983.
Club Australia: Frank Arok's Socceroos of the '80s
JB, Yes, it was 1989 and that crucial game against Israel, which drew a record crowd to the Sydney Football Stadium (a record which was never bettered, no matter how the NRL try to spin it). I remember that players like Krncevic and Yankos had come back from Europe for the game, and were clearly not in tune with the match. It was an era where “some” players had gone to Europe but the squad was still largely home-based, which as you point out, did not gel with Frank’s Club Australia concept. Ironically, had ALL the players been based in Europe, as they were more than a decade later, the Club Australia would still have worked just as well.
Club Australia: Frank Arok's Socceroos of the '80s
Thanks Middy. They have sad lives when they must troll other sports. Best ignored.
Vale Frank Arok: A man ahead of his time
Tigertown, thank you very much for that. Frank, as you can gather, was a big part of my footballing career, along with many hundreds of players who were touched by his genius.
Vale Frank Arok: A man ahead of his time
Tigertown, The book’s proper title is Frank Arok; My Beloved Socceroos, and is written by Robert Lusetich.
Vale Frank Arok: A man ahead of his time
It was a disgrace that Maclaren was allowed to play for Melbourne City on the weekend. I have no problems with him declaring his unavailability due to his wedding, but to then turn around and play for his club on the weekend doesn’t seem to be in accordance with the FIFA policy on players declaring unavailability for international matches.
The Socceroos won't win on the pitch when all the focus is what happens off it