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One of the world’s most entertaining leagues kicks off tonight, but Australian fans will still react with astonishment whenever they see one of its teams in action.
Sydney FC’s 1-1 draw with the Central Coast Mariners at Leichhardt Oval was another case of the Sky Blues doing everything right off the pitch and not a lot right on it.
Perhaps the worst thing about the ongoing Matildas crisis is the fact that Football Federation Australia once again seemed to think that nobody would care.
The Premiers’ Plate is heading to Perth and a grand final at Optus Stadium would be the biggest thing since the Glory beat Sydney Olympic at Subiaco Oval in 2003.
The outpouring of public emotion at the plight of Hakeem al-Araibi is a reminder of how powerful football can be when everyone in the game pulls together.
When Andrew Redmayne saved Riley McGree’s penalty at Jubilee Stadium he punctuated one of the most entertaining A-League rounds in recent memory.
Football’s powerbrokers sitting on their hands doing nothing while the A-League crashes and burns is no longer looking like a commercially viable option.
‘Dear Melbourne City. Thanks very much for the extra motivation! From your friends in the west, Perth Glory.’
You have to hand it to Football Federation Australia, who saw the A-League was struggling and took the focus off it with a scandal entirely of their own making.
“I would like to think that people judge me on what I’ve done, not what people might suspect,” new FFA chairman Chris Nikou told journalists last November.
Congratulations to the Central Coast Mariners, and more importantly to everyone who supports them following a belated first win of the season.
The glory days are back in Perth and the fans should be too, but increasingly we’re seeing a rise in the number of fans whose only contribution is to boycott.
“This next game we’ve got to come out and fight,” reckons Arnie – which makes you wonder why the Socceroos didn’t simply do that the first time around.
Congratulations to Jordan, who came at Australia with a game plan and executed it to perfection in their 1-0 win over the Socceroos last night.
The Socceroos kick off their Asian Cup defence against Jordan on Sunday night. It will give us a chance to see if they’ve learned anything from previous campaigns.
They may have moved up to fourth after ten games played, but we’re still no closer to knowing whether Adelaide United are a decent football side or not.
There’s no use pointing the finger at Chris Sutton for his idiotic comments when the A-League has a significant problem of its own to sort out.
The Mariners wouldn’t win the chook raffle at the Central Coast Leagues Club if they were holding the only ticket and conducting the draw themselves.
It’s that time of the year when I don my Christmas hat and dust off some Yuletide cheer to wish season’s greetings to my fellow Roar readers and football fans.
Warren Joyce is a genius, and after dropping the most popular player in Melbourne City’s history, he’s won the public relations battle now and forever.
A former SBS employee once told me they’d get written complaints about Football Asia.
They told me the attitude was: “if we can’t watch European leagues, then why should we watch Asian football?”
Japan is the template, but does our football culture allow us to follow it?
Yep. Which is a shame, because I think the average A-League fan would be blown away if they tuned into a few J. League matches.
Japan is the template, but does our football culture allow us to follow it?
I agree with AGO’s points! I never said otherwise.
None of that changes why Postecoglou quit as Socceroos coach, or moved to Yokohama, and it has very little to do with Japanese attitudes towards training.
There’s literally no conspiracy here. Is there supposed to be?
Japan is the template, but does our football culture allow us to follow it?
Fadida, I can’t help but chuckle at some of your posts. You’d pretty much be spot on with so many of your theories… if only you posted the exact opposite of virtually everything that you say!
Japan is the template, but does our football culture allow us to follow it?
For what it’s worth, I think South Korea is as talented a football nation as Japan. Both teams have arguably been a bit robotic in the past, but I think players like Keisuke Honda and Son Heung-Min have broken the mould.
It certainly helps to have a hierarchical culture when you want to produce an army of technically proficient, tactically disciplined players, but I think both countries are starting to produce players who are a bit more capable of making decisions for themselves these days.
Japan is the template, but does our football culture allow us to follow it?
There’s no reading between the lines at all. Postecoglou got wind of plans to replace him as Socceroos manager, so he quit, then he accepted a job coaching the sort of players he wants to coach. And unless something drastic goes wrong for either party this season, the City Football Group won’t be moving him on anywhere.
Japan is the template, but does our football culture allow us to follow it?
I’m not telling anyone to do anything – I’m talking about the difference in attitudes between two cultures.
Japan is the template, but does our football culture allow us to follow it?
Don’t think there was on any naivete on Postecoglou’s part. Not only did he try to set up a tactical system that would allow Australia to compete with teams like Japan, but when he realised he had no support, he manufactured a move to a country that would allow him to play that style of football.
Worth remembering, too, that Japan sacked the coach who pulled off that victory before the World Cup kicked off. At least we have something in common with them!
Japan is the template, but does our football culture allow us to follow it?
This is precisely the sort of attitude I’m talking about that keeps Oz football from going anywhere. Here we have an opportunity to discuss a part of football culture we don’t know enough about in Australia, and what do we do? Scoff, sneer, demean and debase. Then we imply that results like Japan 2 – Australia 0 or Kashima Antlers 4 – Newcastle Jets 1 are proof that we’re on the right path. Incredible.
Japan is the template, but does our football culture allow us to follow it?
Yes, the Socceroos certainly showed Japan how to play football when the two teams last met in Saitama. A real lesson indeed.
Japan is the template, but does our football culture allow us to follow it?
Fair points. Were you stuck in the sun yesterday?
Everything is going great for Sydney FC - except for the results
I think everyone should just accept my opinion as gospel.
Everything is going great for Sydney FC - except for the results
Journalism, for me, is about holding people to account. So to ignore the most important news story of the week in favour of writing a match preview would be a betrayal of that fundamental tenet.
FFA have lost control of a narrative now threatening to consume them
To be honest Fadida, you can and I just did. And here’s why.
Firstly, Mary Konstantopoulos has a preview of the W-League grand final up today, so it’s not quite accurate to say this website has ignored the game.
Secondly, Alen Stajcic’s press conference was on Monday morning and I write for Mondays and Fridays. So today’s obviously the next day I could write about Stajcic.
Thirdly, new information did come to light last night – drip-fed (or leaked, depending on your preference) by the FFA to an ABC journalist. I linked to it in this column.
Fourthly, everyone from Richard Hinds to Robbie Slater has added their two cents on Stajcic’s sacking within the past 24 hours. The simple reality is that this story is still dominating the news cycle.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, columns about what’s happening on the pitch gain little traction compared to when I write about what’s happening off it. So if you want to see things like W-League previews, perhaps you should engage with them?
FFA have lost control of a narrative now threatening to consume them
He sort of played like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Bit strange – he’s a fantastic talent, but maybe being out of the Australian spotlight will suit him up in Suwon.
Brisbane Roar deal Adam Taggart to Asia
Listen mate, if I wanted to censor your opinions on Australian football I would have done so long ago.
I’m not going to indulge your narcissistic desire to drag me into a debate on this, so I’ll state clearly for the record once more and once only: I didn’t see your comments and even if I did, I have nothing to do with moderation on here.
You’re as entitled to your opinion as the next poster, but you’re on shaky ground when you go basing your assumptions on things that never happened.
Australia has proved that Hakeem al-Araibi will not be forgotten
You can agree or disagree with whatever you want, but I never saw your earlier comments and certainly didn’t ask for them to be removed.
Australia has proved that Hakeem al-Araibi will not be forgotten
I think the only people using the size of the stadium inappropriately are the Western Sydney Wanderers.
The A-League has six months to save itself from oblivion
Because their fans say they’re loyal but in reality they aren’t?
The A-League has six months to save itself from oblivion
Nope, but as I’ve said before Mahler, you are the problem. The only contribution you make on here is to complain about negativity… then never contribute to any other discussion.
I simply write about what people want to read. You’re obviously not interested in contributing to anything positive, so the person death-riding the A-League here is you, not me.
So I guess we’ll see you again in a week or two?
The A-League has six months to save itself from oblivion
I can’t remember the last time I’ve ever encountered someone so determined to bark up the wrong tree, but okay…
Japan is the template, but does our football culture allow us to follow it?