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You would think the APL might be able to go a week without embarrassing themselves, but then they go and announce this season’s Dolan…
There was no better illustration of the agony and ecstasy that makes football so unique than Sydney FC’s stoppage-time winner over Western Sydney Wanderers…
Bottom club Western United’s 4-2 win over Macarthur on Saturday afternoon was a rare bright spark in a season in which just about everything…
The sight of dozens of Adelaide United supporters lining up to secure an autograph from the club’s outgoing teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda was a…
The Socceroos will draw a bigger crowd on Tuesday night than many NRL games, yet the simple act of football asking for fair funding…
There can’t be too many sports around the world where a former match-going fan can one day rise to the rank of professional coach…
One of the most exciting players in world football scored a goal that should send shockwaves around the globe this weekend, but does anyone…
One of the biggest games on the Australian sporting calendar took place in front of a huge crowd on Saturday night – and it…
You’d have got long odds at the start of the season on Central Coast Mariners coach Mark Jackson staring down the ladder at Tony…
Perth Glory’s 3-2 win over Brisbane Roar on Saturday night was the icing on the cake of a week in which the club’s long-standing…
When Nestory Irankunda fired a last-gasp free-kick straight into the wall, Perth Glory coach Alen Stajcic could be forgiven for thinking he had another…
To blame Lewis Miller for conceding the penalty and the defeat to Korea Republic – is to overlook a few key points plaguing the Socceroos as a team.
“My initial thoughts were it was a harsh one,” explained Brisbane Roar’s head coach Ben Cahn after seeing talismanic midfielder Jay O’Shea sent off…
At the end of yet another tumultuous week for the A-Leagues, it was easy to forget there was a round of football being played…
One of the best moments of the A-Leagues’ inaugural Unite Round took place in front of just over a thousand fans, while most of…
It took a fan on social media to remind the APL who was on top of the table - until the latest round where Victory let the football do the talking with an emphatic winner.
Almost 12 years after the Bakrie Group took full control of Brisbane Roar, the question that has vexed football fans in Queensland remains –…
On the back of what has already been a bumper round of festive fixtures, it’s time to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and…
More fans showed up to watch the Big Blue at AAMI Park than to see Australia beat Pakistan on day four of the Test…
If domestic club form is worth anything, then Bruno Fornaroli should be one of the first names on Socceroos coach Graham Arnold’s list for…
Take a closer look. Almost the entirety of this column is a description of what happened in Sunday’s games.
If the Matildas can draw sell-out crowds, why can't the A-League Men?
The 2pm fixtures suit no one. Not the fans in attendance, nor the minuscule audiences tuning in on TV.
If the Matildas can draw sell-out crowds, why can't the A-League Men?
I appreciate the detailed response, Cameron, but my job isn’t to sit down and frame what’s going on in a positive light – or even to answer the question posed by the headline.
My job is to get people talking about football on the The Roar. And considering the hundreds of comments my columns have generated over the past couple of weeks, I’d say I’m making a pretty good go of it.
If the Matildas can draw sell-out crowds, why can't the A-League Men?
What is difficult to understand? Fans have voted with their feet.
The APL made a decision that infuriated the majority of fans, failed to rectify it until the last minute, and were rewarded with below-average Round 1 attendances.
If you don’t like me pointing that out… take it up with the APL.
The A-League's 'family-friendly' kick-off times are keeping fans away
I appreciate the sentiment, jamesb, but you’re barking up the wrong tree if you think me writing about an APL decision five days after they’ve announced it has any bearing on how things are going.
The blame for a decidedly mediocre start to the new A-League Men’s campaign lies squarely with the game’s administrators, who – as Waz pointed out – appear to be asleep at the wheel.
The A-League's 'family-friendly' kick-off times are keeping fans away
Considering more than 7,000 additional spectators turned out in driving rain and freezing conditions to watch last year’s corresponding Big Blue at Allianz Stadium compared to Saturday night, I’d say many A-League fans have taken your suggestion and ironically ‘moved on’.
The A-League's 'family-friendly' kick-off times are keeping fans away
It’s not for lack of desire that Brisbane Roar haven’t signed a striker. That they haven’t is a bit worrying.
Cracking Australia Cup Final was a reminder of just how good Australian football can be
Plenty of fans said they had issues securing tickets. It would have been interesting to see what sort of crowd they would have got at Suncorp Stadium.
Cracking Australia Cup Final was a reminder of just how good Australian football can be
Josh, have a think about it, mate.
The Wanderers were mentioned because Sydney FC are hosting them at Allianz Stadium in Round 1 of the A-League Women next weekend. They’re hoping to draw a record attendance.
We all want football to grow in this country. I don’t want to spend another season pulling you up on these silly conspiracy theories and ridiculous attitudes towards rival clubs.
Cracking Australia Cup Final was a reminder of just how good Australian football can be
Garry, much as I appreciate your presence for the past six months or so on a column I’ve been writing for almost 15 years, this one wouldn’t even crack the Top 20 for views or reader comments.
Sometimes when a column strikes a chord with readers, my preference is to let them lead their own discussions on it.
'Nothing short of a disgrace': Lack of football-specific venues is holding the A-Leagues back
Again, not sure of the need for such an aggressive line of questioning, but…
a) he simply talked about where he’d like to play next once the final year of his current deal runs out
b) he’s been called up to the senior Philippines national team a few times, and subsequently ruled out through injury.
Josh Grommen is proof Australian footballers can succeed outside the A-League
I mean… I always love it when you guys drop by to leave super-aggressive comments based on things that no one said.
But for what it’s worth, Grommen has so far turned down every Filipino national team call-up, for a variety of personal and professional reasons.
He also didn’t say a single thing to me about being unhappy about where his football career has taken him to date.
But sure… go off.
Josh Grommen is proof Australian footballers can succeed outside the A-League
Venue TBC by Football Australia tomorrow.
Josh Grommen is proof Australian footballers can succeed outside the A-League
G’day Spiro. Just thought I’d add to the chorus of comments and say it’s nice to see your byline back on The Roar. Hope you enjoy the RWC.
SPIRO ZAVOS: The best team in the tournament, not necessarily the best team, will win the 2023 RWC
Firstly, the Asian places you’re alluding to where the Premier League is particularly popular – like Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong – also speak English.
Having lived in Japan, I can state unequivocally that way more people watch the J. League than the EPL in that particular part of Asia.
Secondly, the popularity of a league has little to do with its competitiveness. Marseille don’t average crowds of 60,000+ because someone bought a jersey in Doha, they draw huge attendances because they have a passionate local fan base… just like every other major football city around the world.
Lastly, I’ll end this by pointing out that I couldn’t care less whether the Premier League is popular here, there, or wherever.
I simply asked the question why more Aussies don’t tune into Ligue 1. I’m not terribly interested in turning it into a contest about which faraway European league is supposedly better.
Sacré bleu! Is Ligue 1 the most underrated league in world football?
That’s probably because those three big leagues send virtually the same clubs into the Champions League every season, whereas the more competitive Ligue 1 often sends relative newcomers (as it has done once again this season with Racing Club de Lens).
Sacré bleu! Is Ligue 1 the most underrated league in world football?
Not that I feel particularly passionate about it one way or another, but this entire take reflects a typically Aussie ignorance of the French game.
France lacks “working class” clubs? Then what are Lens, Lille, Rennes, Nantes, Strasbourg etc?
Big clubs challenging the local hegemony? Olympique de Marseille and Olympique Lyonnais are two of the biggest clubs in world football. (And produce the day-to-day drama that comes with it).
Ligue 1 broke attendance records last season… and that was without well-supported teams like Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne in the division.
A big part of the reason we watch the Premier League in Australia is because they speak English.
Sacré bleu! Is Ligue 1 the most underrated league in world football?
What was your last column about, Middy?
Sacré bleu! Is Ligue 1 the most underrated league in world football?
No different to Bayern winning the Bundesliga eleven times in a row, or Juventus when they won nine Scudetti in succession. And neither of those competitions are struggling for crowds.
It’s UEFA Champions League money that has distorted domestic football more than anything else.
Sacré bleu! Is Ligue 1 the most underrated league in world football?
I mean… Monaco won the league in 2017, and Lille won it in 2021. And before the Qataris bought Paris Saint-Germain, the last five winners of Ligue 1 were Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Lille, and Montpellier.
PSG only won the league with one game to spare last season – and that was after a decisive 3-1 win over Lens at the Parc des Princes on Matchday 31 – so I don’t think it’s quite the one-horse race many Aussies seem to believe.
Sacré bleu! Is Ligue 1 the most underrated league in world football?
I was browsing a rugby league forum the other day, and noticed someone on there had called me a “soccer-obsessed European immigrant”.
Not bad for a kid from Parra who was born in Westmead Hospital!
The Matildas have united a nation the way no other team can
Mary’s was an absolute ripper. She’s a joy to watch.
The Matildas have united a nation the way no other team can
I used to side-foot them all the time. Not always terribly successfully, mind you.
The Matildas have united a nation the way no other team can
News just in: football columnist writes column about football. More to come!
The Matildas have united a nation the way no other team can
I think, like Ange Postecoglou did during the week, we just need to accept the referee’s decision.
Sorry Adelaide fans, but Nestory Irankunda deserved to be sent off