I hate VAR with a vengeance as it has destroyed the games fluidity, Referees have become more reticent to make a decision and leaving it to the guy with a video that he can replay again and again. Lines people are instructed to keep their flag down and the game can go on for some time before being dragged back.

I say bin VAR and let the game flow.

I should have also said where will Pep go as he has stated in the past that they have promised him at Man City that no rules were broken and they have been deceptive he will not stay.

When Man City lose most of their titles due to breaches of premier league FFP rules, where will that leave Pep? Which team will gain those titles?

I thought Slot was German with an excellent grasp of English as reported in the Pommy press.

Nice comment/contribution Grem.
Brisbane Roar to hit Adelaide for five good goals with Irakunda pulling one back.
Newcastle to fold late in the game with Mariners scoring in injury time . N2 v M3
Macarthur hold Phoenix to 2 – 2 draw in rainy, windy Wellington (so cold the fans keep their shirts on)
Perth surprise Sydney with a one nil smash and grab as Brattan, + Lolley both sent off. VAR man of the match in what may prove to be its last season.
WU to beat the money bag talent stealers 2 – 1 in a failed attempt to reach the eighth place.
CCM to wallop Adelaide to emphasize the gulf in team spirit.6 – 0
The whole of the Adelaide team and SS join Irakunda in a tear fest.

As a Coventry fan I much prefer replays to penalty shootouts. I recall when the Final had to be replayed in the event of a draw. Much more passion in the FA Cup years ago.

Some Premier League teams are known to have rested players in the competition which devalues it.

I first followed Coventry City as a 9 year old and I am now 74. Manyups and downs along the way but a committed fan takes the good with the bad. I picked up supporting Liverpool when Coventry were relegated from the PL and also support Brisbane Roar and Rochedale Rovers in the NPL. Football is my passion and it can be so cruel but sometimes as administrators we destroy the very essence of the game such as introduce VAR.

I could fix it tomorrow, you do not need a board you need a single minded individual that will do it for free. The clubs need to be bought into line and control their metrics in fan engagement, advertising, economics and youth promotion. The game has to be played in the winter on a regular home and away basis at times that are acceptable to the general public. TV should not dictate who plays who at what time and where and if they walk away we start our own streaming service after all we pay the production costs anyway. Football should control it’s own destiny and not be used as a plaything by men in suits.

All paying spectators Christo, unlike GWS?

VAR has been a thorn in the side of football since its introduction. Everywhere in the world the clubs hate it.

As a lifelong Coventry fan I am so proud of the team and I know nothing about the VAR guys so cannot claim bias for Torp’s goal other than to say we eventually lost with dignity.

There are lots happening in the world game this year with this story a major contribution. In the PL Villa look like making the Champions League, St Pauli a good chance of promotion in Germany, Ipswich with two Aussies in their side on the cusp of PL, CCM with such a tight budget could go all the way in the Asian Cup, Indonesia have a strong chance of making the Olympics at Australia expense and of course the biggest one of all my team Coventry City to beat Man Utd in the Semi Final of the FA Cup.

Midfielder you are better than that. Imagine if the APL had spent that money in producing a streaming service for every game in the A League and sold it cheaply to fans of the game? They are already paying for the production so why did they waste so much on Keep Up? They got more out of Silverlake than they get from Channel 10 didn’t they? Example 100,000 fans at $10.00 per month = $12,000,000 pure dollars with no added coin from advertisements. Double your viewers would not be hard $24M add advertisers another 12M suddenly all clubs get $3M a year. Add internal transfer fees will bring media attention and support the smaller clubs. Add sponsors, ground advertising and merchandising and suddenly things are not so bad. I have not included gate receipts but the must add something to the pot although some clubs pay a motza in rental.
Clubs such as yours, CCM are currently stars of the A League because they have found ways to be successful on a budget so be proud of them and support them as you do but reserve the right to stand up when things are obviously wrong. WE the fans, are stakeholders in the game not mere customers.

A constructive comment from you Christo for a change. Some of your points make real sense, winter football is paramount, specific football stadia another and community based clubs would be ideal.
Unfortunately we have progressed with a franchise system and to change it would mean the Bakries doing a joint venture with an existing club (for example) in Queensland. It ain’t going to happen because the only Queensland club that owns their own ground is Lions (they have already been there) and The Bakries want a hell of a lot of money back from their total investment.
Can we start again? Football Australia think so by starting the second division in competition to their flagship although it’s not their flagship anymore. This however is part of the problem with too many people pulling in different directions. Example of a successful competition is the A League under Frank Lowy, and why because he was virtually a dictator. At the moment we have too many cooks spoiling the broth.
Accepting what we have and being a glass half full certainly does not suit me when I can see so many things that are wrong and it all starts at the top. Football Australia has lost it’s way, it is too soft and not aggressively seeking government assistance in state or federal areas. It is not demanding discipline from the clubs, players. referees or coaches. (it expects it from the fans). It should be demanding assistance from FIFA after a fantastic women’s World Cup and it should be demanding a true legacy from government in regard to that competition.
What can we say about the APL? There are people on this page regularly that could do a much better job with much less money involved because they love the sport. I am talking about Grem, Jordan, Midfielder, Punter, Waz and a huge list of footballaholics even SS although he doesn’t like women’s football. So the APL should step up or step out.

Grem it would not happen with Sydney FC, thry are a protected species.

What Waz is alluding to is the complete imbalance in the way the rules are implemented. Because of Irankunda’s snub Brisbane lost Jelacic we will impact on any chance they had of making the six.

I thought the complex look great as a startup. It has a long way to go to become a fully fledged stadium but the bones are there for an adequate home for an A League club. What a game and form reversal in the second half will certainly increase their fan base.

If Arnold was brave he would play Nisbet from the off and play him in the way Mariners play him. With Silvera and Goodwin on and Yengi/Iredale in the middle and Hrustic pulling the strings they will score goals. Defensive midfield is the problem? Can Metcalfe or Irvine fill that roll? I’ve no doubt both Goodwin and Silvera can track back down the flanks and Nisbet has a great engine but Hrustic defensively needs to be counted and central defenders Soutar, Burgess/Rowles can push up a bit and tighten the midfield but I ask is Arnold brave enough because progression will still be there irrespective of this game.

Transfer fees are a necessity because they bring 1) longer contracts for player security. 2) outside interest by media and fans with speculation on who’s buying who and what they are worth.
There are many web pages devoted to this such as Transfermarket (Europe wide) and Teamtalk (UK). These publications never stop however I am not expecting an immediate influx of media interest but it will build.

There has been a lot of talk about changing the Australian flag recently which drives a lot of passion both for and against but nobody has actually done it and would not without full discussion and an appropriate referendum. So what gives Nike the right to just change the colours of the English flag. The English like the Australians are protective of their own flag that millions have died for in past conflicts,

A good appraisal and perhaps too kind to Arnie because they must be playing to instructions thats why they cost us so much with all of the hangers on. You have a player on form in Nisbet who is used to playing with Silvera and a centre forward in the Yengi mould that I believe would be ideal against the tight Lebanon defence. I must ask what Metcalfe brings to the team and I thought his St Pauli team mate had a poor game by his standards.

However put all of that to one side and discuss how we can get more viewers. We must entertain and stop the sideways and back passing and go in a forward trajectory. it is a mindset that the Socceroos must get out of if they want more support.

I was impressed by Yengi he has good skills for his size and I believe he can deliver given the right service. Not so impressed with many deliveries into the box that were too deep or never got past the first defender.
Our propensity to pass back or sideways leaves the fans and our strikers utterly frustrated, it is no wonder Taggert was caught offside so many times. Graham must instill entertainment into the team,

You are good at the art of deflection why do you not realise this is all international sport that footballers play and the home for the Socceroos’ will be used all the way down the pyramid.

I agree it does not happen in ARL because it is not an international sport and in NRL it is scarcely international as players change nationalities whenever there is a “world cup”. Both of these codes have no junior international competitions to enter so do not have soccer’s huge pyramid.

Tells us how much AFL put into the Gabba Parkeror NRL put into Lang Park?

You are wrong on so many levels and it is your lack of knowledge about a truly international game that is your biggest flaw/fraud. There are many age groups in both the male and female football family that play both here and overseas. They get very little funding and are derided by the Murdoch press most of the time.
The Womens World Cup was an enormous success and promoted this country worldwide whilst bringing in millions of dollars. Where is the legacy promised by government from the games? Likewise our A League teams fly the flag all over Asia opening doors for government and business with Albo donating $60m to Papua New Guinea for an NRL team.
We have the Olympics in 2032 and as in every Olympics football/soccer will have the highest attendances (usually around 50%)of the whole games. Where is the support for it basically very low on both the federal and state governments.
Take off your rose tinted spectacles and actually view the real world Christyo.

He has done well but is ultra defensive away from home and we want the A League to excite.