Roar Guru
Joined September 2009
431
Views
2
Published
1.7k
Comments
Published
Comments
If the inaugural World Cup was held at the commencement of a worldwide economic depression, the subsequent edition came along in the middle of…
This is the first of a 15 part history of the FIFA World Cup, taking us through each iteration from 1930 to 1994. Early…
This might be one of the more illuminating post-game comments.
The best thing about the 2017-18 A-League season is that it's over
It might also explain the US defeating Belgium 3-0, although it would appear the Yugoslavs were not affected by the sea voyage, managing to defeat Brazil.
La Coupe du monde - part I
Precisely why criticism of the linesman is wrongheaded – it was very close, and in real time it would have been very difficult to discern, especially when other Victory players were more offside than Donachie, who was actually the last one to break just as the ball is being kicked.
The best thing about the 2017-18 A-League season is that it's over
Headline: “The best thing about the 2017-18 A-League season is that it’s over”
Bit of a harsh headline, I don’t really believe that MIke actually thinks that.
Also, some editing on the second last sentence has gone awry: “It was a campaign in which the decent football on display was overshadowed by some dire administration off it.”
Presumably the phrase “off it” would have been connected to an earlier reference to the pitch or field, which has disappeared along the way.
The best thing about the 2017-18 A-League season is that it's over
The commentary on the VAR (from others) is conflicted. Many, perhaps most, don’t want it, but at the same time they are demanding that it pick up what the linesman missed, which is its main purpose.
It failed, although in fairness to the linesman, it was barely a full body width in it at the time the ball was struck.
The best thing about the 2017-18 A-League season is that it's over
Yes, a 12 day sea voyage (perhaps even longer for the Romanians and Yugoslavs).
I will touch on the players Italy managed to include in their team in the following WC.
La Coupe du monde - part I
Wasn’t sure where to put this, but for those interested, these are last night’s ratings:
GF STV – Fox: 210k
GF FTA – One: 183k
Total 393k
Last season:
Foxsports
Game: 275k
Penalties: 460k
Average Rating Given: 367k
SBS: 258K”
Total (depends on how you want to calculate it): between 533k-718k
Title lost but Jets back on A-League map
They are coming, with the good will of the eds (and allowing for my own motivation to make it all the way to Pt XV).
La Coupe du monde - part I
I think in the trade, they call it white line fever.
He’s a competitive beast, his main trait as a player was his competitiveness and determination to win. Standing on the sideline, it’s no different.
Once he’s away from the pitch, he’s a perfect gentleman.
How Melbourne won the grand final, and how the Jets lost it
pretty accurate goal kicking by both teams
Brisbane Lions vs Collingwood Magpies: AFL live scores, blog, highlights
One big positive is that Newcastle got to host the grand final, and did a pretty good job at it.
The pre-game entertatinment looked pretty good on TV, and it was a decent crowd.
The Fox commentators mentioned that the official attendance of 29,400 (going off my memory here) was the largest A-League crowd ever for that stadium, beating the previous mark by some 5,000.
Title lost but Jets back on A-League map
realfootball
that’s not how the world of sport works.
Once the score is put in the record books, that’s the end of the matter (with the exception of drug cheats discovered after the event).
How Melbourne won the grand final, and how the Jets lost it
Cousin Claudio said: “Melbourne Victory won it by scoring an offside goal, continually fowling their opponets…”
sounds like a game of ducks and drakes
How Melbourne won the grand final, and how the Jets lost it
This is football. A game can be decided by one deflection, one poor decision, an incredible feat of goalkeeping.
As it happens, the Victory got all three in the one go – to win a championship no less.
Jets weren’t able to get one back, and that’s where it ends.
FFA confirms VAR got it wrong
Waz
The term “counter-attacking” football contains a large array of possibilities.
Even when the Jets were at their most dangerous (the next 25 min or so after the goal was scored), the Victory clearly played on the counter, as is evidenced by the occasions players such as George got in behind in oodles of space…that’s counter-attacking football.
Whether we like it or not, Victory adapted to the game’s scenario, and did what it had to do to win, relying a fair bit on Thomas at times, but it had to given its minimal defensive stocks.
At all times, the Victory had the players up front to play on the counter.
How Melbourne won the grand final, and how the Jets lost it
Agreed, very hard for him to argue accidental contact, or to argue he didn’t know that Thomas was there and/or it didn’t occur to him that raising his foot head height would most likely cause high contact.
How Melbourne won the grand final, and how the Jets lost it
Realfootball said: “The win won’t solve Victory’s problems…”
If there are problems, they can be somewhat allayed, at least temporarily (even indefinitely) if silverware is being won.
How Melbourne won the grand final, and how the Jets lost it
I too have had the pleasure of meeting Muskie a few times, very polite, personable, good St Albans lad that he is. He was initially a bit reticent in talking about his Western Suburbs beginnings, but he need not have been with me, given my own Western suburban immigrant background.
In fact, I once interviewed him for a magazine piece.
He was captain of the club at the time, a true leader, there was definitely an aura about him around the club.
The Victory has basically built a club around him. He has been involved in a leadership capacity in all the silverware the Victory has won since the very start.
How Melbourne won the grand final, and how the Jets lost it
Nick
Three reasons:
– as we approach the present-day, it becomes less of an historical account (and most football fans would have clear recollections of the last few WCs
– 15 has a nicer ring to 14 or 16 or 17
La Coupe du monde - part I
The point still stands that there in some quarters, there is great pressure on clubs to play attractive, possession based football, but the bulk of the A-League championships have been won by teams playing counter-attacking football (by definition, this is not possession based football).
How Melbourne won the grand final, and how the Jets lost it
One of the things which makes this early period of international football so interesting is that it was a period of minimal mass communication.
So it’s understandable that the countries surrounding France, in particular, the Francophile countries took a lead in forming FIFA, they would have been relying on telegrams and letters to communicate, with the very occasional face to face meeting.
It’s also understandable that only four European nations made it to Uruguay in South America in 1930.
Very little documentary evidence remains of the first world cup, although we still have all the early art-deco posters, which are great art works in their own right.
La Coupe du monde - part I
Actually, I would disagree that the Victory’s first half defensive effort was exemplary, they allowed the Jets to keep the ball around their own box for extended periods, let them get into dangerous positions time after time, and the Jets had a few golden opportunities on goal.
If there is one reason why the Jets weren’t level at HT, it wasn’t because of any great defence from the Victory – it came down to one person alone.
As I wrote midway through the first half on the live feed:
Grobbelaar said | 8:35pm |
if MV win it, Thomas likely to get man of the match
How Melbourne won the grand final, and how the Jets lost it
Apart from an Ange coached Roar, all the A-League champions have played counter-attacking football.
From the manager’s perspective, it’s a no-brainer that you will favour counter-attacking football in the A-League – it works.
Why?
Because there is this constant demand from fans and the media to improve the football, to play possession football.
If you’re a smart manager, you’ll let the others succomb to the demands to have a go at possession football, while you stick to a counter-attacking style to clean up on the errors which will inevitably follow, as day follows night.
Let the dreamers muck around with something they can’t deliver while the pragmatists go and win the silverware.
How Melbourne won the grand final, and how the Jets lost it
At one point there was an edict to favour the attacking team for all line-ball offside decisions (which in my view, is a good approach).
Personally, I think it’s less about the rule as it currently stands, and more about being able to interpret events in real time (and even with the aid of video assistance, it can be tricky).
I would like the rule to be interpreted in a manner where the linesman is confident of a clear offside, i.e. where he can clearly see space between the attacker and defender, which in turn would bring us back to the above edict of favouring the attacking team (and also why I’m comfortable about the events of Sat night).
The best thing about the 2017-18 A-League season is that it's over