Roar Guru
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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
Norway was clearly a class above for most of the match, we did very well to stay in the game for the whole 120 min.
Graham the stand-out player, by a mile, no one on the Australian team came close to her class.
Matildas knocked out by Norway in penalty shoot-out
The North Europeans have always been strong. Germany has won it twice and Norway has won it once and also been runners-up. It was always going to be a very tough match.
I can still recall seeing the opening womens soccer game in the Olympics back in 2000, and Germany gave us a bit of a footballing lesson.
There is no doubt we have improved immeasurably since then.
Matildas knocked out by Norway in penalty shoot-out
Reminds me of:
Winning is 70% effort; 20% skill and 15% luck.
Socrates and Aristotle debate the Italy game and the Matildas' defence
Interestingly, the other day, Gerard Whately mentioned that Ash and Sam are his two biggest sports people at the moment, of any sex, and then it’s daylight to 3rd.
There was then a discussion about who was 3rd, and it was a struggle to even think of a single nomination.
Women's sport needs personalities like Sam Kerr
Fair enough question too.
I think it’s because of two reasons:
– they happened to employ some willing to champion soccer, and
– at the time SBS was established, soccer was viewed as the immigrant game. For much of the NSL’s 27 year history, over 90% of the soccer clubs involved were immigrant clubs (representing a particular immigrant community).
On top of that, in the early days of SBS programming, there was an overwhelming European focus (read Southern European), which mirrored the make up of the bigger soccer clubs.
This is the end: Rugby’s Nations Championship abandoned
Thankfully we have Mary and the Roar, so that those of us who follow womens sport can congregate here in large numbers to sing its praises.
If you are not aware, there are a few excellent all-female sporting podcasts doing the rounds, and I believe Mary hosts one of them.
Women's sport needs personalities like Sam Kerr
Once famously known amongst soccer afficionados as Sex Before Soccer (referring to, I believe, the propensity to show some explicit arthouse movies from Northern Europe before the telecast of European soccer games in the middle of the night)
This is the end: Rugby’s Nations Championship abandoned
Franko
You’ve made the analogy so let us explore it a bit a we will see that it is more supportive of my argument.
In the example you give, the premier football league in the country, the teams rebuilding stay in the top league: so they continue getting a substantial annual dividend, they continue getting the sponsorship money from sponsors wanting to sponsor clubs playing at that level, and they hold onto most of their fan base because they are still playing in the top flight.
Now let us envisage a time when CCM gets relegated: their current paltry crowds drop to what? 500? maybe 700?
Their annual sponsorship revenue drops from around $2 mill per annum (I’m probably being generous), to next to nothing.
Their share of the TV dollars drops from $3.3 mill to next to nothing.
Any player with the team who is near A-League standard has left (they were either on a one year contract or had a release-clause).
The only benefit is that the club won’t cop a loss of $2 mill per annum in the lower division, it will probably be closer to $300k.
But this idea they will somehow miraculously be in the box seat to win immediate promotion is flawed. They are in the pack, in fact, they are probably worse off than the bigger clubs playing out of Sydney.
In other words, when the Mariners get relegated, that’s the end of them.
FFA recommends introduction of second division in two years
Anyone who thinks a soccer club is going to prosper if they are relegated from the A-League is living a fantasy.
There’s zero media interest now for the top flight, and you reckon a club is going to prosper if they drop down?
You’re ‘avin’ a larf.
FFA recommends introduction of second division in two years
Over 50% of A-League players are on one year contracts. Anyone in that situation, leaves for free.
Why Perth Glory was right to sell Jason Davidson
You’re ‘avin’ a larf!
‘e’s ‘avin’ a larf!
FFA recommends introduction of second division in two years
50/50 games from hereon in. Anything can happen.
The Matildas are making football fun again
A little club barely able to exist now, despite years of success, will be better off if relegated to the fabled B-League?
If they have no support and resources now, watch the new low they hit when in the B-League.
FFA recommends introduction of second division in two years
When they said two years ago that there was going to be a national second tier soccer comp in two years time, I guess they meant two years from now (although the wording in the press release still makes it sound aspirational).
FFA recommends introduction of second division in two years
I heard that Facebook is about to release its new crypto currency.
Perhaps Facebook could offer to provide a live stream, from someone’s phone, for a handful of its new crypto currency?
Foxtel’s financial problems will change the way football is viewed in Australia
Two bread and butter cross and header goals, good team play, good service, good finishing from Kerr – if you’re going to give her metres of space within 10m of the goal mouth, well, she will always be a good chance to score.
As for the other two goals, well it was less a case of Kerr harassing, and more a case of below par play from the Jamaicans gifting kerr two absolute gimmes with an open goal mouth, I’m talking absolute gifts, the Jamaicans presenting the ball to Kerr on a platter for her to tap in!
That’s unlikely to happen from this point on.
Kerr clinic highlights need to truly unlock her brilliance
Better than the Australians?
You’re ‘avin’ a larf.
Sam Kerr hits Jamaica for four, as Matildas progress to Round of 16 at World Cup
Across the 90 minutes, the majority of the Jamaicans were woeful.
There is no other description for it.
Sam Kerr hits Jamaica for four, as Matildas progress to Round of 16 at World Cup
Even after the first game loss, I was always very confident of progressing.
Jamaica was always going to be a guaranteed 3 points.
Watching them reminded me a lot of my daughter’s U15 team.
Sam Kerr hits Jamaica for four, as Matildas progress to Round of 16 at World Cup
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