It’s all about seeing the game in context. I know I have said it before, but it’s taken over 100 years for the EPL to become what it is, and is it really the pinnacle of football when one team continually wins? You have to ask what you want from your football. It’s a bit like watching tv, do you only watch one channel? I don’t I like a variety of programs. Football is the same, do you watch only the EPL, or do you adjust your thinking and context to the A-League and sit back and watch Nestory Irankunda, Ben Old, Max Caputo, Lachie Brook, Milanovic and a host of other young lads getting about and admire there abilities at such a young age and think about the future of the game here. Do you flick over to the Matildas Channel and marvel at what this country has produced and then think about the elebenty billion young girls playing and loving the game and think, wow, what is the future going to be like? And if you want the difference, the EPL has taken 100 years to develop, the J-League is 20 odd years ahead of us, this provides us with a gauge has to how Australian football is tracking. the only way it’s going to be like the J-League and the EPL is to support the game.

Stu, I love my rugby as well, but you have to ask the question, do the NRL and AFL genuinely earn respect when it could be suggested that there has been a long history of obstruction, interference, and media labelling of football that could maybe be seen as out and out aggressive to football. If you want respect you have to earn it. And similarly, the second question that surfaces, the perceived behaviour towards football, is that a result of the fact that NRL and AFL are pocketed sports and football is a genuinely global sport with far my international engagement, competition and ultimately opportunities to garner income?

Harry, in two dozen sentences you have really earned my respect. God bless ya lad, you are a football supporter. Not some cosmetic EPL watching bloke who purports to knowing football, but genuine football supporter. Go hard lad, educate wherever and whenever you can. i find questioning people as to why, that’s the way to educate people, it makes them think. Why don’t you go to A-League? Have you seen some of Bruno Fornaroli’s goals? Have you seen Terry Antonis half way line worldie? Do you know about the Australian lads playing or about the International quality in the A-League? Have you been to a Sydney or Melbourne Derby? Honestly it really makes em’ think

Stu, I am sitting here with a smile a mile wide. Thank you, and thank you again. Call me an old fella, call me disconnected, out of touch, what ever you want to label me, just don’t call me late for dinner ahahahah. No seriously, I just don’t understand what we need to do to get people to understand the football Australia is producing. I am sure if you hit these people up about some other aspect of their lives e.g. employment, and we said to a brickie, what do you know about plumbing, he would say he has to learn, but he has the basic tradie skills. We’ll if you like football, and you have the understanding of football, why not learn about the J-League or heaven forbid, the A-League. A mate’s son who plays All-Age football in one of the highest grades was talking to me about football, and he was surprised that I look at the J-League. But it’s not EPL was his response. How do you know that it’s not as good as the EPL? Have you looked at the J-League before? He hadn’t and and could not answer and further questions I threw at him. Two weeks later, he turns up at football when my nephew was going round and I asked again, have you looked at the J-League, the response was astonishing. Yeah, how fast do they play the game, and the quality is excellent, we need to be more like the Japanese. I then proceeded to explain that they have a 20 odd year head start on us, and that the only way we’re going to get there is if we support Australian football. The last thing I said to him is, “do you think I enjoy coming to watch you play?” And he said, you would come if you didn’t enjoy it. My response was yeah but it’s not EPL is it!!

just like your mate Christo the To@#er, the anger in your posts speaks volumes, are you incapable of accepting tangible evidence irrefutable criticism?

why do you choose to go on the offensive and not accept that AFL has more issues than a rehab clinic. It’s in the media, Grem has given you plenty of tangible evidence, so why do you choose to take the offensive stance you are taking, if you can explain that to me, it might be a learning experience for both of us

you just made a rookie error young fella, you assumed and assumption is the mother of all errors

hey, i am a sucker for the symphony, is there a problem with that ahaahahahahah

you’re right Micko, but those Nix supporters are not phased by it, they get stuck in and I love their passion

Grem, mate i just responded to the cerebral giant you have engaged with, I tried to keep my tongue in check

mate all I am going to say is have a chat to Adam Goodes and the Winmar boys.

no Moe probably comes from the booners of North Melbournem drives a Garbage truck and likes to stick to single syllables, but he’s a real Australian just ask him.

yep, ever sat in the crowd at an AFL match or an NRL match and just absorbed the dialogue around you. There’s a lesson to be learned there.

I’ve got mates in CBR and they’re dead keen. Get out and support them lad

Tell me what is inaccurate about my description. And I’m not insecure, by any means. AFL was saying football would be dead in a few years almost two decades back. A-League celebrates 20 years next year, football will surpass 2 million registered players this coming winter and we’re a global game. I don’t see Cross country volleyball being touted as the next Olympic sport, and come and see me when you have under 17s through to seniors competing internationally. And the prospect of a Genuine Cross country volleyball World Cup, mate there’s more chance of Putin becoming a Bhuddist monk. Big news in Cross country volleyball is that Fred Nerk is changing suburbs. Struth he’s moving from Richmond to St Kilda. Tommy Glover is playing for Middlesbrough and is wanted by Copenhagen Celtic Rangers and Newcastle in the EPL. And he’s not our number one keeper. Come and see me when you have a decent argument

excellent question. Because it’s not EPL!!! To get the attachment we have to get the people to the games, and to do that, Clubs have to be proactive in their engagement in their region. We don’t have media access like the backyard codes do, so A-League presence at grassroots football has to be everywhere. Can we employ suitable members of the A-League clubs to undertake this sort of promotion and engagement at their kid’s clubs on a Saturday morning? it’s a question that has to be asked and put under the noses of Club managment

Mrs FIL and I can’t wait for the Kiwi derby next year.

Murdoch propaganda is nothing short of toxic

Exactly Buddy, most Australians have no idea what it means to be a football supporter and follow your club through thick and thin, in good weather or bad. The clubs here need to engage grassroots more, and not just the kids when they kick a ball with the players. They need to engage the parents and reinforce that A-League is a really positive environment, and that the clubs want their support. Secondly, Australians are very fickle in their support. If the team is winning, every man and his dog is on the band wagon, but lose a few games and that’s it, they’re out. We need to build football culture in this country and to do that we have to conquer the media and the rubbish they disseminate about football.

“If you know where to look.” “Brisbane Roar can’t afford to pay the rent at Suncorp Stadium“. These are two of the key issues. Media access and government funding. The first of the two is a an absolute farce. Netball is being given more air time than football. Nothing wrong with netball, used to go out with a netballer when i was young, wonderful lass and those girls don’t hold back when they get wound up, but struth. We have our U/23s in the Asian Cup at the moment, we have Tommy Glover being scouted by Copenhagen, Celtic, Rangers and Newcastle United after a cracking season with Middlesbrough but is there any talk of that on the news or in the print media? Bugger all and none. We have the Olympics in a few months, there should be media chatter over who should be picked in the Olyroos squad, there should be media chatter about Irankunda playing his last match for the Reds and moving to Bayern Munich of all clubs, but nothing. It’s all about the backyard, and the World’s Highest Paying Probation Scheme or the Cross-Country Volleyball. What about government funding to football. 40,000 registered footballers in Taswegia alone, and a grand total of 19 dollars per head is afforded to football, but hey the Cross-Country Volleyball kiddies, who’ve been afforded the gift of early onset brain trauma by their parents, they get 500 bucks per head. In Newcastle football is feeding on rugby league fields like a possum in a caravan park, they cannot get enough playing space, but does local, state or federal government recognise this. Not bloody likely, because our elected representatives turn up to media conferences with a Collingwood or Rabbitohs scarf dangling from their bollards. When the old mentalities, the old stereotypes and the old cultures disappear only then will football get a fair crack. In fairness to the supporters, the crowds are slowly coming back. Well done to Nix fans for turning up in filthy weather to support their lads, well done to all those that rock up and watch the ALW, come on you Jets girls!! There was a good crowd at the Sydney Derby and the RBB has my respect. They worked through their issues with both the Police and the club and where bloody marvellous on Saturday night. We the Jets faithful, we have belief that we’ll be there next season, but if we aren’t my support is going to Nix because they’re doing it right. Even the Kiwi Sky commentators are brilliant. If you haven’t got the gist of things I am fed to the eye teeth with the bogan culture in this country, the naysayers, the bias and treatment of football by the media. Some young bloke got laid out cold on Saturday night at the Cross-Country Volleyball but hey, he’s hero. in 20 or 30 years time he wont remember the names of his family members but what a bloke!!! The Jets have won two on the trot, made Sydney look ordinary, played some great football and are playing for their lives, and the best we get is “if the Jets are around next season”. If it’s all so doom and gloom then get off your a@#es and go to a game. How can people say that the A-League is inferior if they don’t go to a game. Would you call the Nix game, the Reds game and the Derby boring games? The media, the supposed football fans, who “know” football, my guess is some of them will end up as politicians in the future. May the Almighty help us!!

I never tire of hearing the Yellow Fever singing for their team.

Come on you Nix!!!! There’s just a lot of goodness around Nix. They play honest football, their supporters are gold, I mean how many supporter groups organise the twelve pubs of Christmas!!
i hope that Mariners are tripped up, and Nix take the plate, if not, i want the Nix to take the GF, god bless em’. And you are right, Paulsen is a class act. In my opinion he should be up for keeper of the year. It’s only a matter of time for that lad, and he will be off to bigger and better things. By geez, they frustrated Victory. It was a master class in patience and taking your opportunity, and when they did, they big fella came flying in like a B52 on a low level run. That was an excellent illustration of why the A-League has so many positives. Mrs FIL has put her foot down too, she’s determined that we will be in the land of the big strong Bro for the first Kiwi derby. Hope you had a great weekend lads, bring on the football, it’s bloody marvellous.

Afternoon All,
Well, we are into the back end of the season and it’s getting interesting. Tonight’s game is going to be epic. Wellington need this game so badly it’s my hope that we break the cycle of the ‘regular winners” and Nix take the three points here so that they are still in the race for the Premiers Plate. Nix 1-0. Reds v Bulls at Cleansing Beverage Stadium will be another cracker in my opinion. Reds 2-1. Those mighty Jets proved nothing is certain in football, that’s why certain commentators were very quiet last weekend. Western are starting to get some form about them, and to do what they did last weekend, with a happy and settled Penha 2-2. Brisbane have been up and down and so have the Jets 2-2. Sydney have had more issues than the nightly news in the last few weeks and Wanderers are just starting to get some fire back in their bellies 1-1. City too good for the Purples City 2-0 and Western and Adelaide, Reds 2-1. Have a great weekend lads

Gents, I am no advocate in any way shape or form of simulation it brings the game a bad name. What I did observe was a senior player who got completely and utterly duped by a younger player who had his number. How silly was Mak to even respond!!! Not condoning any of the reaction from Cancar but he had Mak’s number when he was lacing his boots. Apart from the Cancar incident, the Jets proved that nothing is certain in football and in the first half they played Sydney off the park. But i do agree that simulation is only an embarrassment to the game. Two key points came from Sunday’s game, A) Play football, if you want to be a thespian, joint a theatre company and B) Senior players are there to lead by example, Mak did anything but.

But as just advertised on P+ there are 89 games of football in 30 days, Asian Champions League, Matildas, Scottish Cup, FA Cup, U23’s Asian Cup, A-League M and W remaining rounds and finals, so for the football purist , this is just getting better and better. Sadly, the perception that football is the EPL and only the EPL shows that there needs to be rigourous advancement in football education in this country and, the Football Australia are subject to media bias and are, in a lot cases, relying on word of mouth outside 10’s FTA games to raise awareness.