Wenger would never want Cahill, he would never fit in with Arsenal’s movement because he’s not great on or off the ball, he’s an opportunist and Arsenal need 11 players who can pass and run, with Cahill they’d have 10.

He is certainly an excellent judge of talent and Cahill was looking good at Millwall, Everton certainly got a bargain picking him up so cheap but that’s not to say that Arsenal should have ever made the move.

Wenger has seen most of he great names before they were big and in most cases it was one thing or another that stopped the move. I think with Drogba it was the mental side of his game and C Ronaldo, well United just moved quicker.

You also seem to be forgetting that Arsenal built a very expensive new stadium so while they might make profit, they’ve got debts.

Yes, had you clicked on that picture of Barnes you’d have noted that I’m a Man Utd supporter.

That was the beginning of their dominance for mine, they were an excellent team but winning that match in the way they did sort of seemed unreal, like it just couldn’t happen – at least not amongst mere mortals.

Cahill is unbelievably overrated by Australian’s. He’s a good player yes, but take him out of Everton and he’ll struggle, he is neither a midfielder nor a forward, he has to play somewhere in between and is lucky that Moyes affords him that luxury for he would certainly not fit into a team with genuine structure up front or in the middle.

I won’t say his game is based on luck, that would be harsh, he has a bit of Solksjaer about him in that he seems to constantly pop up in the right places, that’s not luck, that’s instinct and of course he has a fantastic leap but the other aspects of his game are average at best and he needs a team that creates chances.

As for Neill, well if Cahill is overrated I have no idea what to class Neill under. He is utterly crap, a hack with no technical skills, he wins the ball by kicking wingers off the park and is always exposed when a player runs at him or pulls out a trick, further, when on the ball he is very much a hit-and-hope type defender. That he is the glue for the Socceroos defence is a good indicator of their chances for South Africa.

Thank god he didn’t go to Spain because he wouldn’t have gotten a game, regardless of the language barrier his game would have been sorely exposed in the less physical La Liga.

No we don’t. We need to drop this topic. There’s been well over 1000 comments inside a few days on an issue which no-one can really comprehend. The stadiums are one part of the bid and everyone keeps on focusing on these small segments of the big picture – totally pointless.

Well done Pip, respect for p!sssing so many people off with some utter stupidity on your part.

Right up there with the Bulldogs (your own team) supposedly not having had a ‘legitimate key forward … since Kevin Templeton won the Brownlow in 1980’.

Round and round and round it goes, where it stops, nobody knows.

How could I have a better idea? I do not have the time or the oversight to plan how the hell an Australia or Aus/NZ bid could work and if I did I’d be getting a full-time salary from some football body, not posting simplistic ideas on The Roar about such a complex issue.

You don’t seem to realise that this all involves a little more than will power. You’ve suggested it will help “some” of the issues, but did you consider how much bigger it made the problem of transportation which is already huge with Australia alone without putting a sea between the groups? Or the genuine financial implications?

No.

I’m all for ideas but think it through.
I simply think yours is rubbish

Yeah man, I’ll do that dude. If you want to put a theory forward, you should at the very least give us a basis, you’ve simply said “let’s do this” and not put any thought into how it would for if you did you would never have submitted this ridiculous idea.

What a great idea. Let’s make them invest in our WC by upgrading stadia to support one group but we won’t give them any of the benefits ie. an automatic slot or the lucrative knockout games, we’ll just let them foot the bill and hope that they make hundreds of millions off of a few group matches.

The Windies isn’t one sports made country with a population of 21 million, it’s 12 tiny nations, with a combined population of less than 6 Million, a relatively poor area with not much land mass and not a lot of places for cricket grounds.

That the Windies became what they did in the 70s and 80s and early 90s was simply amazing. Why would you expect them to dominate any longer? How can one possibly compare Australia and the Windies?

Only upgrades would be necessary? I see, and are all the grounds capable of being upgraded? You’ve not outlined which stadiums would be used and which cities would be included, by adding NZ does Perth or Adelaide miss out? Or do they just get less games to fund the redevelopment that will cost the same?

It’s not viable on so many levels. Look at any aspect of the bid and you will see just how stupid the idea is. Australia will have difficulties enough as is without having NZ complicating everything further.

FIFA will not award another WC to a joint bid, you can forget the idea and I’ll stick with what I said earlier – it’s one of the dumbest I’ve heard in a while.

You don’t seem to realise Johnson’s place in the side. He is there solely to take wickets, a bit like Lee when he came into the team. The captain will expect his other bowlers to be tight but Johnson will be expensive and take wickets – even when he is bowling bad.

No-one seems to be with me in dropping Katich except maybe Brian who has read my mind. He is good, of that there is simply no question and he is probably the third best batsman behind Ponting and Clarke but he’s simply too old, I’d much rather see an early-20’s guy get his spot than a mid-30’s guy.

If Katich was brilliant he would have played 100+ tests by now, that he couldn’t displace Langer and Hayden at the top or any of the lower order batsman shows that he was never going to be a great of the game, however Ferguson (who should bat at 5, Clarke at 4 (agree with Vinay here, he’s the closest to ME Waugh I’ve seen in a while) and Watson at 6) is young and every bit as talented as Katich, but because he is young I’d rather he go on to play 100+ Tests than get another 20 out of Katich.

Just think of Ferguson at age 30 with 60+ caps. It’s a lot better than Ferguson at 30 with 15 caps because Katich stuck around til close to age 40.

Davidde, I admire your “bravery” here. You are bound to get a lot of comments continuing on from what Adrian wrote and you’ll probably be attacked by both sides. I made a comment after about 320 others and made the same point as you did here;

“The truth is that few, if anyone, had all the facts in front of them to draw accurate conclusions on what was and had transpired.”

This debate will continue amongst fans who look at little sections of the argument, of the stadiums, then the income for the states, of transport etc etc but it takes a lot more than anyone is going to put into either a comment or an article on The Roar to make a WC tick, the situation the AFL and NRL find themselves in is a lot more complex than anyone seems to want to admit to and that’s why these things are decided almost (this time, more than) a decade ahead of time.

There are so many numbers to crunch, aspects that will affect the long term economy of the entire country and of course the leagues and no-one is capable of that here, if it will take FIFA years, the FFA, NRL and AFL months to come up with anything with full-time staff dedicated to solving exactly these kinds of problems – well I fail to see how anyone here can even make a dent.

Let the people who know what they’re doing sort it out, sometimes we don’t need the opinion of every Tom, Dick and Harry on this.

“These concerns are currently playing out with South Africa’s 90,000 capacity Soccer City stadium.
So it got me thinking: why not put a joint bid with New Zealand?” – Exactly, we can build all the white elephants in NZ because they are so rich and have money to throw at everything?

“First of all, joint bids for World Cups are not uncommon. They occur regularly for the European championship and occurred with Japan/South Korea hosting the World Cup in 2002.” – No, they are uncommon (only one WC ever) and the Euro’s are a bit different, excellent transport infrastructure compared to crappy flights versus outdated airports in Aus and NZ.

“Second, it would take the pressure off the FFA to provide all the stadiums” – And put it on who? It’s great to take the pressure of the FFA but ANY partnership of Aus/NZ for a WC bid wouldn’t be 50/50, you’re talking more 80/20.

“Thirdly, New Zealand’s interest in football will have jumped recently after the All Whites qualified for the 2010 World Cup” – Why would FIFA care about NZ with its 5.4 rugby fans? Australia has the advantage that it’ll be the only continent that hasn’t hosted the WC and the WC could be the first international sporting event to be held on all continents which will be important for Sepp when thinking of his legacy. What does NZ offer?

“The key would be to be sensible about it, just like Japan and Korea were. ” – Oh yes, they were most cordial. They hate each others guts, they squabbled over the rights from the start, they didn’t ever want to share the WC.

One of the dumber ideas I’ve seen be put forward here on The Roar.

That’s a pretty harsh assessment of a very inexperienced team.

Nobody feared Matthew Hayden after 13 Tests (as many as Watson has played), Steve Waugh wasn’t much after 9 tests (as many as North has played), McGrath didn’t have to lead the line with just 28 Tests under his belt (as does Johnson) and Lee was given free reign for the first 5 years of his career to just thunder in and bowl quick whereas Siddle with 14 Test matches expierence has to bowl tight to compensate for others.

The Australian team weren’t feared until they’d played together for a number of years, only really Warne and Ponting were great from the off, the others took their sweet time to become the legends that they eventually became, even Langer had questions over his head after 50 odd tests (a few more than both Katich and Hussey). There was a lot of stick for Gilchrist because Aussies were used to Healy’s excellent keeping (although I think Gilchrist was a fantastic keeper both with bat and gloves) and it took him a few good innings and diving catches down the leg for those voices to be hushed.

There is a solution. Time. Faith. Consistency. Get Katich out and bring Hughes in. Move Watson down the order. Make sure Ferguson comes straight back into the team after his rehab, give this young Steve Smith a chance, make sure Paine gets a lot of ODI experience etc.

Australia has a very good batch of young players, better than we’ve had for the last 10 years but we don’t have the right selectors. We need some men with guts and courage, who are willing to give some of the younger guys a chance and to keep them in the team even when they have an off-match.

“But how can we expect to be taken seriously internationally with only one 12 team competition?” How can Australia with all it’s 21 Million people, with its 7 cities of more than 500,000 people, with it’s own football code and two rugby codes which are by far the more dominant sports, how can we possibly support a seriously competitive international competition 12 team comp?

Where is the money going to come from to produce seriously good football? Where is the infrastructure going to come from? I think the worry should be about how teams will survive in the long term rather than “how can we get a couple of eastern european internationals to come and play in Aus”?

I have to agree, while it would have been nice to see Warne get a ton – which he undoubtedly deserved – I think he will probably hold that record for a long time and while it’s not exactly the sort of record you’ll put on your resume, it is rather unique and fitting of the man.

He was a joy to watch at bat I have to say. He often looked like he had no idea against the genuinely quick bowlers like Donald and Akhtar and really struggled against Walsh and Ambrose but he looked like no coach had ever even spoken to him, it was just natural what he did and while it wasn’t always pretty, it was effective, I honestly enjoyed watching him with a bat in his hands more than some of the top order (eg Steve “The Robot” Waugh), there was always something happening with him at the crease, he’d shout “oh” himself when he played and missed, he’d have a huge grin when a close LBW went his way, he never shut up and sledged as much while batting as fielding – simply great to watch.

I agree, I’d like to see umpires be able to refer decisions where they are unsure, they won’t want to do it too often I’m quite sure, we’ve already seen that it is an imposition on the field umpires and anytime a decision is overturned the umpire will feel the fool and probably feel like the third umpire isn’t in the same boat.

At least if umpires can call for it when they’re not sure they have some less pressure, that’s why batsman have always gotten the benefit of the doubt because umpires are encouraged to err on the side of caution, particularly in LBW’s where it is solely an interpretation of events rather than something clear-cut like a catch to mid-off.

Further, while I’ve been harsh on Ponting’s captaincy before and I haven’t seen the Windies Tests I think it’s a little early to be bagging his use of the referrals in the current system. This isn’t necessarily there as a “tactic”, it’s there as a method to eliminate bad mistakes. It will take a while for them to get it right, the same as the use of the powerplay (which is purely tactical) still hasn’t been perfected or the use of bowler’s in ODI’s to make sure you’ve got enough overs spare at the death.

While I can’t agree with your team I’ll commend you for sticking to the players you know. Picking a World XI is impossible, even when I had endless time on my hands after doing my knee I still only really managed to follow the EPL, SPL, La Liga and the Bundesliga with a match from Serie A and sometimes Ligue 1 thrown in so it’s sort of hard to judge and keep everyone in perspective, then of course with different styles in different leagues etc.

I’d only say Rooney and not because I’m a United fan but because probably 99% of managers in the world would take him given the chance as he offers so much to the team, he does literally everything and along with CRonaldo is one of the two best individuals who can turn any game on its head in a second.

Where are the Editors when you need them?

This debate is beyond ridiculous. The term un-Australian is bandied about here like its use doesn’t matter when you all know it to be seen as offensive.

For starters, who cares what benefits go to what state? I don’t see Jimbo’s point in giving Canberra an 80k stadium but if he thinks thats great, well, GREAT, give it to them.

States in Aus don’t mean a great deal, can anyone here really hear the difference in accents between a Melbournian and a Brisbanite? Or someone from Meningie compare to Wagga? The only real difference is which sport you follow and there is no right or wrong in that.

Fact is about half the population follow one of AFL or Rugby and football is mixed between both sets. That the AFL doesn’t want to be inconvenienced is perfectly understandable, anyone stating anything negative about the WC bid is also understandable as is anyone who is in favour, if the NRL doesn’t want to be inconvenienced it’s also understandable, none of these points are incorrect.

The WC would cause some big headaches for Australia, it could also cause some big winfalls and the fact of the matter is not one person here is qualified to make a call on what is best, right or wrong.

I read Michael C’s analysis, yes it is somewhat correct but it perfectly demonstrates the problems of this argument. They address one single aspect of a very big picture, I hardly think comments on a Roar article are going to be in depth enough to touch on the current and required infrastructure or economics of a WC, the event (and the impacts of it on Australia and AFL/NRL) require a bit more thought and planning than throwing a few numbers out there that support your side.

“Australians are one of the most travelled peoples in the world” – since when? If you don’t count Bali and New Zealand (and even if you do) probably half of Australia hasn’t left the country by the time they turn 18. Europeans go on short trips every other weekend, I’d say they are a lot more travelled and culturally diverse.

Australian’s just like to think they are culturally diverse, mass immigration stopped a long time ago and the country is full of 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation Australians by now who live with Australian values and ethics.

Christ, you can’t even get proper mozarella in Coles and while that mightn’t be the single most definative measure of cultural diversity, it does tell you a lot about the tastes and thoughts of Australian’s.

How very Australian of you. Gambling doesn’t have to be a part of sport the same as cigarettes don’t have to be smoked after sex. Gambling is killing sport, just take a look at the match fixing scandal in Europe (of which we’ve no doubt only seen the tip of the iceberg) or cricket where everytime Pakistan loses everyone accuses them of match-fixing, it’s all because of gambling.

I fail to see how laying the blame at Demetriou’s feet or those of the AFL is harsh. The SACA and SANFL haven’t gotten on for decades but they have lived in silent harmony, there were no constant stoushes in the media or verbal sprays, the SACA have had Adelaide Oval and the SANFL Footy Park and it worked just fine. The AFL on the other hand are the single reason for the death or malicious wounding of the SANFL, they can no longer compete financially due to the AFL for if they could they would surely have funded any redevelopments themselves and not set foot in the same room with the SACA.

You have obviously been to Footy Park more recently than myself but we also know your a Melbournite who has the pleasure of sitting under the roof at Etihad and one of the most impressive stadiums I’ve ever been to in the MCG.

One simply cannot begin to draw comparisons, yes Footy Park is exposed to the elements and it needs an upgrade, I don’t think anyone is hiding from that fact but it isn’t in a state of disrepair, it needs the upgrades so the AFL clubs in particular can maximise their profits and as I’ve noted, half of the $450 Million would suffice for expansion and roofing, I’m not sure about parking but I think that might cost a bit more.

The Adelaide Oval doesn’t need to be a major stadium. It’s one of the few remainining quaint cricket grounds, many Adelaidians don’t want it to become some major attraction, they’d rather see it protected in its current state as a reminder of it’s history, it’s fine the way it is so why does it need fixing?

Locationwise – here you’ve really shown you’re a gumsucker. Even if you don’t know Adelaide, go look on Google maps, you don’t have to be a city planner to note the lack of transport infrastructure around the Adelaide Oval, to see the difficulties any huge redevelopment will pose, how it will stress the city no end etc etc.

Many of Adelaide’s best restaurants and bars (taste dependent of course) are found out in Glenelg or in Brighton, it’s easier to get there from Footy Park than it is from the CBD. The casino – well the joke that is Adelaide Casino – is hardly some major drawcard for the city and all-in-all, Adelaide doesn’t function around it’s CBD like Melbourne or Sydney, that’s something that yourself and Mr Demetriou have failed to understand, Adelaide doesn’t need a stadium at its heart for Adelaidians, they happily commute by car, it is a foreign concept that doesn’t fit in the South Australian landscape and it shouldn’t be forced on the residents of Adelaide just so the travelling support of some Victorian teams can stay in a hotel near the casino and still be within walking distance of the stadium.