Roar Guru
Joined December 2009
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As one wit remarked recently on The Roar, if there’s one thing A-League expansion has brought about, it’s a preponderance of articles on expansion.…
The financial reports for AFL clubs for last season are starting to come in, and early indications are that quite a few clubs are…
Following a couple of years of agitation, working groups and negotiations, which finally led to a change in the FFA constitution, the expanded congress…
This is the second book review I was intending to do for those interested in some light reading over the AFL off-season, which happens…
Given that the festive season is almost upon us, which happens to coincide with the middle of the AFL off-season, I thought I would…
The pre-finals bye weekend is the perfect moment for some reflection, and what better case for introspection than the club that was the first…
This was the year in which the AFL was meant to have headed towards an untimely fall from grace. For a two to three-month…
It’s that time of year when we review the Australian TV ratings for all the football codes for the previous year. I am relying…
The Doggies Almanac: The story of a magnificent premiership, edited by John Harms and Mandy Johnson, came out just in time for Christmas -…
After a solid week of premiership celebrations, high fives, hearty hugs, back slapping, swapping texts with distant friends, celebratory drinks, special dinners with family,…
With most Western Bulldogs fans relishing their club's first appearance in a grand final in 55 years - for many, the first in their…
The start of the AFL season meant the Easter long weekend was fully booked, with Super Rugby and the NRL having started a few…
Being on the eve of the WNBL finals, now is a good time to pay tribute to one of the great clubs of the…
Yesterday, The Roar reported on the GWS Giants' plans to develop the Manuka Oval to the tune of $800 million. A bit more has…
I am about to enter very dangerous territory – a story carrying a trifecta of controversy. It involves an Australian footballer who decided not…
In Part 1 I briefly touched on the WADA/CAS strands in the cable approach to finding the 34 players guilty of using Thymosin Beta-4…
I should know well enough to leave the issue of the Essendon players' suspension alone. The vast majority of Australian sports fans appear more…
One of the great Australian sporting stories of all time is how at the very inception of Super Rugby, at the dawn of rugby…
It was earlier this year when the AFL CEO, Gillon McLachlan, publicly announced the AFL's intention to have a national women's football competition commencing…
This article continues my series of monthly updates on the ratings and attendances of club football games in Australia across all four codes. This…
Re the question about the salary cap, as we know, it’s sole purpose is to allow clubs like the Mariners to not only survive, but be competitive.
When we reach a point where the cap has to remain so low just so a club like the Mariners survive, we know we’ve reached the point where the salary cap is no longer worth it.
What are your hopes for the A-League next season?
And FIFA chose that over pearl necklaces?
Why an Australia-Indonesia World Cup bid is worth it, even if it fails
As the author says, the minute China puts up its hand, they’ll host the next Asian world cup, meaning the next Asian host gets pushed out to goodness knows when (too far into the future to even bother thinking about it).
By that point, maybe the rest of Asia will stomach an Australian bid being viewed as an Asian bid? It’s possible.
Another advantage of focusing on 2050 is that Australia might have a handful of good soccer stadiums by then.
Otherwise, for the immediate future, we know the ASEAN talk of a bid does NOT include Australia, and the chances of the AFC supporting Australia over ASEAN are buckleys and none.
Why an Australia-Indonesia World Cup bid is worth it, even if it fails
Let us all hope that is the case.
FFA reportedly launching joint 2034 World Cup bid with Indonesia
When you hit rock bottom, the only way is up.
Although even a dead cat will bounce at least once.
What are your hopes for the A-League next season?
” I reckon we finally need to see an end to the internecine politics…”
To quote a line from MASH: we can do the impossible, but miracles might take a little bit longer.
What are your hopes for the A-League next season?
Pretty long bow being drawn.
The FFA could transform Australia by supporting the ASEAN World Cup bid
I quote from the article itself:
“The ASEAN bloc recently endorsed an audacious bid to co-host the 2034 World Cup among ten different countries in the region, including Indonesia, but not including Australia. “
FFA reportedly launching joint 2034 World Cup bid with Indonesia
It would be 11 hosts if ASEAN accepts Australia in the fold.
FFA reportedly launching joint 2034 World Cup bid with Indonesia
I didn’t realise you were so well versed in Dutch soccer. One wonders whether Cleberson ever came across Leandro Love and Marvin Angulo in his travels.
If anyone is looking for a smile, I urge you to have a read of Cleberson’s wikipedia page, it’s every bit as funny as actually seeing him trying to play the game.
One suspects he spent about as much time at PSV as he did at the Nix. We can imagine the Dutch coaches asking each other with a puzzled look upon seeing him for the first time: Waarvan komt die speler? Speler? Hij is geen voetballer!
A highlight of his career appears to be the three years he spent in Saudi Arabia, where he turned out for his club for exactly zero games.
Getting it right: The rocks and diamonds in A-League recruitment
Jardel is a unique case, in that he was a once competent player who had let himself go completely by the time the Jets signed him, although the one similarity we had is that clearly no one had seen him within a couple of years of him being signed (without the imprimatur of the coach I might add).
Getting it right: The rocks and diamonds in A-League recruitment
Clearly, in the case of Cleberson, that comment is open to debate.
Seriously, you have never seen anything funnier in your life. There’s no one within about 30m of him, and he smashes the ball out into row Z.
This may not have registered with you, but I tell you what, Andy Harper noticed it.
ps it may have happened while you were living in Eastern Europe, you probably never saw Leandro Love or Marvin Angulo play
Getting it right: The rocks and diamonds in A-League recruitment
A large percentage of foreign players recruited to the A-League over the years have provided much mirth over the journey. In that respect, Piovaccari was an A-Lister. One can imagine, the first time he turned up for training, shuffling around the ground in his, slow, ponderous inimitable manner, the senior coach would have asked: did anyone actually see this bloke play??
No club has been immune.
The Victory had Leandro Love and Marvin Angulo. Hilarious.
SFC had Patrick.
But my all time favourite is Cleberson who played a few games with Nix before they realised he actually couldn’t play. No seriously, he really couldn’t play.
I’ll never forget one game when he was alone in defence, no one in sight, and he’s followed the ball towards the corner flag and then smashed the ball out into row Z, no one else near him.
Andy Harper says in his understated manner: that was most un-Brazilian.
Getting it right: The rocks and diamonds in A-League recruitment
Speaking of Remo, he publicly stated the other day that it’s going to be a tough negotiation with the A-League clubs when it comes to introducing P&R to and from the top flight (years down the track).
They aren’t about to fold, and open up the closed shop to all-comers.
This is why they are lobbying to make the B-League more of a reserves comp for their own clubs.
If their B-teams are winning the “Championship”, it reduces the odds of any of them being relegated to the B League.
Rest assured that P&R will only be introduced in the future when there is virtually zero chance of any of them being relegated.
Is football finally uniting?
With GWS being the last of the expansion teams, in a relatively hostile area, I always thought keeping up with the Suns would be viewed as a success.
Even better, keeping up with other football codes in Sydney is good enough, isn’t it?
I doubt anyone had higher expectations than that.
Also worth mentioning that overall, GWS TV ratings aren’t bad, and as a consequence, their sponsorship revenue is pretty strong as well (top half of the AFL).
GWS are tearing up the AFL, so where are the fans?
At the start of the year I thought the Matildas had the capacity to lift Australian soccer out of its present doldrums.
I was wrong.
The FFA failed the Matildas, now the clubs must do better
Looks like they have already caught the number of Mariners supporters.
The A-League merry-go-round is in full swing
Kangas
Stacks of players have turned out for 4+ clubs.
Far too many to mention.
The A-League merry-go-round is in full swing
Some on here don’t like the bleeding obvious being pointed out to them, seem to take it as a personal attack and then commence to argue that black is white.
Some A-League players will turn out for 60% to 70% of ALL A-League clubs in a 10 to 12 year period.
That is not normal. Period.
The A-League merry-go-round is in full swing
Still, players going out for loan in lower divisions, or starting their career in lower divisions is way, way different than a player turning out for 60% to 70% of the clubs of the top division.
We get the latter in the A-League.
For mine, that’s a whole different kettle of fish.
The A-League merry-go-round is in full swing
As you say, four were Championship clubs (perhaps a couple of loans were involved?)
With the A-League, we are talking about players turning out for six or seven (of ten) clubs across a 10 to 12 year period.
The A-League merry-go-round is in full swing
Personally, I thought the Matildas enjoyed a stack of luck across the whole tournament.
That’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.
Across the whole 120 minutes, Norway were clearly a cut above the Matildas, and Graham was the stand out player of the game, that one is not even a close call, head and shoulders above all the Matildas.
Pens are often a coin toss, but on this occasion, the class Norway had shown the previous 120 mintues came to the fore in the penalty shoot out, with four excellent, precise well struck pens.
I thought making the QF was a pass mark for the Matildas, so on the whole, we have to say the Matildas failed on this campaign. That said, they came up against a very good side in Norway, and they were not disgraced, hanging in there for the whole game.
Matildas World Cup campaign leaves us wondering 'what if?'
Marginally better?
Let’s be honest here, Norway was a lot better, and had the very best player on the park, no other Australian player came close to Graham.
Australia had plenty of luck during the tournament: Italy’s first goal called offside; Kerr’s penalty; the 2nd half goals against Brazil were very lucky, and even the goal scored against Norway directly from a corner, a weak corner kick at that, bouncing twice with no one touching it, was about as lucky as things can get in soccer.
Australia had more than its fair share of luck.
Did the refs rob the Matildas against Norway?
Sheek
While I don’t agree we were thoroughly outplayed by Italy, I agree that the warning bells were clearly there across the opening games.
Our only goal against Italy was as 50/50 pen.
We outplayed Brazil in the 2nd half, but in all honesty, the two goals scored in that half came from non-shots.
Similarly, our only goal against Norway came from a non-shot.
Ultimately, we may have paid the price for being a one-trick pony.
Matildas knocked out by Norway in penalty shoot-out
You have described a salary floor.
What are your hopes for the A-League next season?