Half Time Heroes Contents Page

Page 4 Celebrity Interview with CH10 sports reporter Neill Cordy

Page 10 Mike “The Football Tragic” Salter asks who will plug the Asian drain?

Page 12 Sunil Awasthi in part two of the Socceroos best games . This month’s countdown is No’s 5 to 1

Page 8 Chris Paraskevas talks Socceroos

Page 11 Bill Skinner and

Page 22 Kieran Pender runs the rule over the happenings in Spain’s La Liga

Page 14 Con Stamocostas chats with English fan “Dave from Bow” in East London

Page 16 Shane Davis looks at how Australia’s footballers are developing

Page 18 Ben O’Neill is im- pressed with Jets midfielder Jobe Wheelhouse

Page 20 EPL blogger Stuart Randall and the fall of Liverpool

Page 28 Micheal Huguenin writes about the 3+ 1 rule & rates the A League Imports

Page 24 The Big D and Buckle up Ben talk careers.

Page 26 What’s on Chippy’s shoulder this month?

Page 31 Sarah D reviews the performance of the

A League Idols

the pain of a Reds Fan

Page 32 Matt McGrath asks if any A League side in the bottom four want to make the A League top six ?

Page 34 Russ Gibbs reviews an exciting season two of the W League

Hello football fans and welcome to the January edition of Half Time Heroes. First off a big thanks to Channel 10 Sports Re-porter and host of Sports Tonight Neil Cordy for giving his time so he could answer some of Half Time Heroes questions.

Neil has some interesting things to say on the chances of the Socceroos in South Africa, hang-ing out in Uruguay and the World Cup bid.The ex-Sydney Swans defender also discusses the recant argy bargy that went on between the AFL and the FFA regarding the use of Stadia for the World Cup bid.

And last but not least we also chat about a new football show that will be aired on the 8th February on One HD that will feature Socceroos and A League highlights as well as news stories, features and interviews.

Once again we have a heap of excellent football articles covering the A League, Socceroos, Eng-lish Premier League, La Liga and the W League.

Half Time Heroes prides itself by taking a seri-ous and not so serious look at football.

On the serious side we have contributions from writers of the world’s biggest football websites. Goal.com leading Australian journal-ist (Chris Paraskevas), The World Game blog-ger (Stuart Randall) and Kieran Pender (the offside.com) keep you up to date with what is happening in Australia, England and Spain respectively.

Let’s not forget some of Australia’s best known independent football writers like Mike “the Football Tragic” Salter, Bill Skinner (A Pissant Town fanzine), Sunil Awasthi, Shane Davis (Hiraldo blog), Ben O’Neill ( Jets 442 blogger), Matt McGrath (442 Fury blogger) and Sarah D keep you informed and entertained on all that is happening in the local game.

HTH is also happy to welcome for the first time well known football writer Micheal Hu-guenin.

Chippy Brady and Buckle Up Ben provide the light relief and Wayne Snowden’s (front cover) cartoons manages to say what the common fan is thinking.

It’s going to be a big year for Australian Foot-ball again. I hope you join me and the HTH crew for the ride.

Peace and Football Con Stamocostas

The Editor makes a comment

Half Time Heroes: So I here you’re a foot-ball fan?Neil Cordy: I’ve been a football fan virtually all my life. Since I was a teenager I started following the English First Division in the 70’s. I used to watch Match of the Day on the ABC at 6pm and I subscribed to shoot magazine. It was great publication. I read it religiously.

West Ham was the team I followed, I used to watch The Big Match also on the ABC and it was produced by London TV. So we got all the London teams. West Ham was a very attractive team to watch. Trevor Brooking was an outstanding talent, they also had some great characters in the team like Frank Lampard Senior. They also had one of the first black players in the top flight there, a player called Clive Best. They were quite a charismatic team. But what’s happened over the last two decades is that I have tended to fol-low Australian players.

Socceroos Chances at the World Cup in South Africa HTH:You witnessed the World Cup in Germany 2006, how do you think the Socceroos will fare at the World Cup in South Africa this year?Neill Cordy: I hope we advance to the next stage, but I think it’s going to be a bigger challenge. I think we have a more difficult group this time than the one we had in Germany. The other thing is our playing group has barely changed from that time. Some of them are a little bit best past their prime.

Half Time Heroes Celebrity Interview with Neil Cordy. By Con Stamocostas

HTH: So do you think the Socceroos are four years older rather than four more years experienced?NC: The experience is good. The thing that concerns me more is that I would like to see more emerging talent coming through. There certainly isn’t very much emerg-ing talent coming through the Socceroos. I think they are certainly capable of getting through to the next round but I would have liked to see more pressure on the in-cumbent guys to hold their spots. There really isn’t a lot of pressure on any of those key players.

HTH: With the current playing group being the same as last world cup in Germany 2006, do you think the play-ers will use the frustration from the last moments of the Italy game when they take the field in South Africa? NC: I don’t think it will be a factor in the players’ minds. It’s not a good source of motivation that sort of thing. Feeling like you have been wronged by the refs.,well that’s football.

HTH: A lot of athletes always say that they don’t feel motivated by revenge but surely revenge is a factor in South Africa?NC: Who are you going to get revenge against, the ref-eree? Cause he was the one who made the call. It doesn’t pay to get angry at that stuff. You get some good calls you get some bad calls and you take it and get on with it. What they should take away from that is a belief that they belong there.

Had they got to the second half of extra time in Kaiser-slautern they could well have been playing the Ukraine in the quarter finals then who knows what could have happened.

Neil Cordy is an ex AFL player who currently works for Channel 10. His sporting career began when he debuted with the Footscray Football Club in 1979 . Neil went on to play 139 games for the Bulldogs and remained with the club until 1986 before he made the move to the Sydney Swans in 1987. He played 96 games in total until 1993 then retired. Channel 10’s dedicated sports chan-nel ONE will screen a magazine style football show in February where Neill will contribute some stories. Half Time Heroes had a chat about his football experiences the chances of the Socceroos @ the World Cup and the new football show that has fans of the world game in Australia buzzing!

Germany 2006HTH: You were in Germany 2006. Tell us your favourite moments?NC: The first one was the Japan game. The eight min-utes where we came back from 1-0 down to win 3-1 was unforgettable and the second was In Stuttgart when Harry scored the equaliser and we got through to the next round.

I have another one that was brilliant for all the people who were there. After the final whistle against Croa-tia all the Australian fans stayed in the Stadium. The players went in for 15 minutes and then came back out again and did another lap while all the Croatian fans were leaving. And the Socceroos came out to the ground gain while they were playing ACDC. I remem-ber the songs. You shook me all night long and TNT. Possibly that moment was the best of the lot.

HTH: Do you think we are going to beat that moment, it was the first time we were at the world cup for 32 years?NC: No well that’s the thing it’s unlikely that will ever be recreated again. I can’t see us being away from the World Cup finals for another 32 years again and having the heartache that we had over all those years. It’s hard to see it happening again. So it’s going to be very dif-ficult to recreate that atmosphere that we had in Ger-many and also that night in Sydney when we qualified.

The night of qualification for mine in Sydney was the best of the lot. Atmosphere wise . That was the moment for me. It was brilliant in Germany but that moment when John Aloisi scored.......... in my sporting life, that was it, number one.

HTH: Did you ever think Australian football could provide you with such moments after those earlier disappoint-ments?NC: Yeah I did. I have been to most of Australia’s big World Cup qualifying matches, I didn’t go to the Scotland matches. But I went to the qualifying game against Argentina in 93, I was in Melbourne for the Iran game (groan) in 1997, and I was at the Charlie Yankos match where we beat Argentina 4-1 at the Gold Cup. Particularly the Argentina match and the match against Iran. If you were there you understood what the game was capable of delivering in terms of a sporting experience was at the home legs for the Uruguay matches and lucky enough to be in Montevideo in Uruguay in 2005.HTH: That would have been incredible?NC: It was. An amazing place Uruguay, it hosted the first World Cup in 1930 and looks like it hasn’t had a coat of paint since. It was an unforgettable match.

‘The night of qualification for mine in Sydney was the best of the lot. Atmosphere wise . That was the moment for me. It was brilliant in Germany but that moment when John Aloisi scored.......... in my sporting life, that was it, number one.” Photo by Atosha McCaw http://www.mortartown.

Neil Cordy Interview Cont..........I remember reading somewhere, afterwards that the last 20 minutes in Montevideo where Tony Popovic and Tony Vidmar where putting their bodies on the line and kept the away leg at 1-0 was the reason we got to the World Cup. That qualification process could have been two or three goals down and heading to Sydney but they held them out and they kept the game in reach.

Once you experience a few of those games it didn’t sur-prise me because the thing that happened at the ANZ stadium that night. All those other matches were all part of it. The four legs against Uruguay (2001-2005) the two legs against Iran (1997) the two legs against Argentina (1993) they all contributed to what made it so special on that night. Because it was everything. All those decades of frustration, they were relieved.

World Football NewsHTH: All football fans are buzzing at the news Channel 10 is going to air a football variety show shown on the dedi-cated digital free- to- air sports station One; can you give us more information?NC: Sure “World Football News” will be starting on Feb-ruary the 8th. It will have a mixture of International and Australian content. With panelist discussing issues with stories and features. It will be a combination of all those things. We will have an English based reporter who will be catching up with a lot of our guys that are playing overseas.

HTH: A League highlights as well?NC: Yes it will have A League highlights from the week-end’s matches.

HTH: That’s great. With German and Italian football and FA Cup now being shown on 10’s digital free to air chan-nel One, does this mean that 10 will be looking to add more football content particularly since the rapid increase in popularity of Football in Australia over the last five years or so?NC: Yes, no doubt about it.

HTH: So with the advent of the A League, Socceroos qualifying for World Cups the demand is rising for football and Channel 10 seems to be leading the way regarding get-ting it on to free to air?NC: They are definitely interested in it. The current deal has a number of years to run but 10 is interested in football in Australia.

HTH: Channel 7 has the Tennis and Channel 9 has the Cricket, could you see Football being on Channel 10 over the summer months?NC: Why not?

HTH: Why not indeed! You mentioned before that when English football that was shown on the ABC it was very popular in the 70’s and 80’s. Recently SBS has been the lone free to air station, basically speaking to the con-verted. This new show will no doubt spread the football message to new fans.NC: Massively, it’s going to be fantastic for Football. It’s a major free to air network, and more Australians will be able to watch Football full stop. Pay tv is in less than 25% of Australian homes,what free to air gives us is all of Australia, not just the converted.

AFL and World Cup Stadium IssueHTH: As an ex-AFL player what did you think about the FFA and the AFL arguing in public? And will affect Australia’s bid for the World Cup?NC: I’ll say a couple of things about that. I think we are actually going to win the bid. I genuinely believe we will win it for 2022. It just stacks up right. We are the right country at the right time.

From Andrew Demetriou’s point of view I haven’t heard him ask any unreasonable questions. I think it’s not unreasonable to ask for some more detail and I don’t think he is necessarily trying to undermine the bid. But I think it is reasonable to ask what is required, so they can get their games in order. It’s a big thing that they going to have to work around and in co-operation with. So he obviously thinks they haven’t been given enough detail from the FFA. I haven’t heard him ask from anything that I have read in the media any unreasonable questions of the FFA.

HTH: Do you think the FFA and the AFL could have aired these questions and comments in private? And do you think the reason why Andrew Demetriou went public is because privately the communication with the FFA wasn’t working, he had no other choice?NC:I think that is exactly right. Judging from what I read because this has been going on for over 12 months since the first announced the bid and they (THE AFL) have been asking for details and clearly they haven’t been get-ting them, not what they need anyway.

Another relevant question you can ask, if the bid process has been going on for 12 months why do we have you have a brand new dome facility in Melbourne which isn’t going to be appropriate for the World Cup?

HTH: That would have made the Etihad stadium dramas non -existent if they made it a bigger stadium.NC: Exactly, All they needed was an extra ten thousand seats. The number one issue that you deal with is ap-propriate venues and if they hadn’t started to build, you would say hang on guys, how much is that capacity? And it if it’s not going to be suitable for a World Cup let’s get some plans where it is. What a waste of money!

HTH: It seems pretty stupid, thinking about it now, the FFA planned for Etihad when they could have used the new dome stadium which was practically made for viewing footballNC: Yes exactly they would then have two ven-ues. The MCG and ANZ in Sydney would have been used to hold all of Australia’s matches as they would be sell outs. If you got a 40,000 stadium in Melbourne you wouldn’t need Etihad and the AFL can run it’s competition using Etihad stadium.

HTH: So back to what you said about the World Cup bid I agree Europe gets it in 2018 and the Aus-sies hopefully get it in 2022.NC: Let’s just hope we live that long mate.

HTH: Yes let’s hope we do. On that note thanks for talking with HTH.NC: No problem Con, nice chatting with you.

‘Sound of the drums Beatin’ in my heart The thunder of guns

Tore me apart You’ve been - thunderstruck’

“After the final whistle against Croatia all the Aus-tralian fans stayed in the stadium. The players went in for 15 minutes and then came back out again and did another lap while all the Croation fans were leaving. And the Socceroos came out to the ground again while they were playing ACDC’

Both photo’s courtesy of Phillip Stamocostas

Goal.com’s leading Australian jour-nalist Chris Paraskevas examines the aspiring Socceroos prospects.

Pim’s Bell Curve

Most of us have been in the unfortunately famil-iar scenario that manifests itself the night before a HSC exam: the familiar epiphany that hits at around the stroke of midnight, just as we’ve fin-ished off watching that conveniently-timed Michael Bay film that seems to have been created for the purpose of procrastination, where we realize we’re not quite prepared enough for the upcoming exam.

It is an epiphany that goes on to take one of two forms: one of clarity and spiritual cleansing in which we allow supernatural forces to determine our destiny (returning, in the process, to the next conveniently-timed sit-com marathon in an at-tempt to calm any remaining nerves) or one of ut-ter and absolute state of panic in which we franti-cally search for that ancient ‘quick fix’.

One can’t but help get the HSC panic vibe when monitoring the movements of the aspiring Soc-ceroos as they look to prove to Pim Verbeek that they are in fact good enough to go to a World Cup – an analogy that works, given that Verbeek could easily pass as a maths teacher among the less-foot-ball savvy in this country, given the right suit and tie combo.

And like most panic-stricken HSC students, it is likely that such a state of hysteria is well-founded: they probably aren’t good enough to pass their exam due to a lack of knowledge or preparation, just as most of the eager loanees probably just aren’t good enough to go to this World Cup.

It’s a logical argument that, when you con-sider it carefully, can probably be applied to most of Australia’s January movers – and those planning to make a swift exit from the A-League.

If they aren’t good enough to warrant a place in Verbeek’s national team set up in the build up to the World Cup, it’s rather unlikely that a particularly conservative and methodical manager will change his mind on the eve of the tournament in South Africa, bar a stun-ning turn around in form and fortune at club level.

Of course, loan moves aren’t always condu-cive to such a change in form given that the player will need to adapt to a new style of football, surroundings and teammates, as well as potentially build-up form and fitness from scratch after suffering from a lack of game time during the first half of the season

From the start, it will be an uphill battle for the likes of Djite, Rukavytsya and Spiranovic, despite their undoubted talent and impor-tance to the national team in the long term.

Run the rule over Verbeek’s preferred Euro-pean stars and you’ll find that the majority of them don’t carry such concerns at club level – places truly up for contention in the squad are few and far between.

Whilst the last-minute cram sessions of fringe squad members is admirable, for most they will probably be futile.

‘Verbeek could easily pass as a maths teacher among the less-football savvy in this country, given the right suit and tie combo.’ (Photo byPhillip Stamocostas)

Mike Salter “the football Tragic” discusses the recent Asian drain.

It’s Draining Again The much-discussed “Asian drain”, only a trickle a couple of years ago, has been slowly gathering momentum.

Josh Kennedy has found his feet in Japan, and Matthew Spiranovic is also on his way to the J-League, with game time at a premium in Germany. The brothers Griffiths have made China their home (more on that later).

Jade North, after a mercurial few years with the Jets, is now based in Korea, and his erstwhile colleague Nick Carle looks set to join him. Even Michael Beauchamp has quietly retreated from the helter-skelter of Europe to the relatively cushy UAE league.

And for all the recent warbling about how much stron-ger the Asian leagues have become, the simple truth is that these competitions represent easy money for a certain standard of player. The real test will always be Europe, and a move to the Far (or Middle) East is tanta-mount to an admission that one’s career is on the slide.

With the 3+1 rule now in place in Asia for foreign recruits, there is every reason for Australian players - cheap, and offering the physicality so badly needed in Asian compe-tition - to be hot property. But what is surprising is that even the young A-Leaguers appear to be looking to Asia as a good career option, and a quick route to a Socceroo cap.

This should not be the case. Although Adelaide were ulti-mately outclassed during their amazing 2008 Asian Cham-pions League adventure, A-League sides have not looked markedly inferior to non-Japanese opposition in the ACL. The step up in quality is not as great as certain pundits are keen to suggest.

Fifteen years ago, a certain Craig Foster turned his back on a lucrative life in Hong Kong football to pursue his Socceroo dream...at Adelaide City. How ironic that the new national competition is increasingly considered a poor second to Asia!

The case of Joel Griffiths is particularly hard to understand. A marquee man at Newcastle, with a devoted following, in a familiar environment...and yet he risks a ban from all football for the sake of a permanent move to the corruption-ridden Chinese Super League, partly with an unlikely World Cup berth in mind. Has the A-League really lost so much face?

‘A photo of Nick Carle actually playing a club game? Who would of thought.......’(Photo by ballon buster)

Always next season..... On the face of it, you might think it’s an un-happy time to be an Adelaide United fan. We haven’t won at home in three months and we’re grovelling at the bottom of the ladder, gazing up with envy at all those teams that were tipped to struggle this season. Wellington, who have spent the previous two seasons in roughly the position we are now, are happily ensconced in fourth spot.

The perpetually-mismanaged Newcastle are doing better than us. Brisbane, for whom the phrase ‘utterly shambolic’ is an understatement this season, are doing better than us. Even the ex-Adelaide cast offs at North Queensland are sitting above us on the table. We’ve got a bunch of players who don’t look like they care and a coach that looks out of his depth. I know that Adelaide can play well and win games, because I’ve seen it happen before (I think), but it just doesn’t seem likely to happen again any time soon.

So why am I not more upset with the way things are going? Quite frankly, it’s because I’m actually enjoying watching the A-League at the moment. There’s something nice about being able to watch your team play football without all the stress of actually having to care about the final score.

Yes, we are still ‘mathematically in contention to make the finals’ (a favourite phrase of all coaches on a chronic losing streak), but if we’re honest with ourselves we’ve realistically been out of the picture for a long time now.

Therefore, the pressure’s off.

I’ll be watching the rest of the season and cheer-ing the goals whenever they come, but I won’t be too worried about the results.

It’s not going to change anything, which is a strangely liberating thought. Anyway, to echo a phrase uttered by supporters of inadequate foot-ball teams around the world, there’s always next season..

Hindmarsh Stadium Pic by Alexander Carter. (Adelaide United vs Perth Glory 14-JAN-2009)

Bill Skinner finds it tough being anAdealide fan this season

Sunil Awasthi concludes the countdown to the top 10 Socceroos games. This month, matches five through to number one feature.

AFFAIRS TO REMEMBER, PART II

5. Hong Kong HeroesAustralia 1-0 Korea RepublicWorld Cup Qualifier, sudden-death playoffHong Kong Stadium , Hong Kong, November 13, 1973 Ah, yes, you never forget your first time. Now, they didn’t bother with that fancy-pants away goals crap in those days, so just two days af-ter the teams tied 2-2 in a two-legged playoff, Australia and South Korea adjourned to neutral Hong Kong for a one-off playoff to settle it all. Confident that his team would ride their come-back momentum from the second leg in the decider, coach Rale Rasic reporters that his side was “unstoppable” (beat that, Miron Bleiberg!).

And his men proved him right: a screaming 70th minute Jimmy Mackay volley from 30 yards was enough to send the ‘Roos through. A wonderful moment- but who knew it was to be the last of its kind for more than a generation… 4. Argentine AssassinsAustralia 4-1 ArgentinaBicentennial Gold Cup, group stageSydney Football Stadium, Sydney, July 14, 1988 “You are the generation to change everything,” Socceroo coach Frank Arok told his men pre-match. Well, they didn’t quite do that, but they did man-age this little pearler. Against an Argentine side coached by the man who had led them to World Cup glory two years prior (Carlos Bilardo), Aus-tralia scored first through Wade, but Ruggeri got it back to 1-1.

Then, just before half-time, the party got well and truly started with an incredible free-kick goal from way, way downtown by Charlie Yankos to put Australia ahead. Even Martin Tyler was amazed. After the break, Yankos added another from the penalty spot, before Bozinoski scored to seal it. Sure, there was no Maradona, Valdano, or Burruchaga in the Albiceleste line-up. But Australia hadn’t just beaten the World champs. They’d flogged them! Happy bicentenary!

3. The agony…Australia 2-2 IranWorld Cup qualifier: intercontinental playoff, second legMelbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Novem-ber 29, 1997

Without doubt, the most painful moment in Aus-tralian football history. We’d gotten a 1-1 draw in the first leg. Kewell and Aurelio Vidmar put us up 2-0 on the night. We were headed to France!

And then it all went wrong

Whose fault was it?

Aurelio’s, for missing other chances? The de-fenders’, for playing the offside trap in contra-vention to instruction? That dickhead who ran on the fieldand broke the net- and our concen-tration?

That smarmy Venables for not reassuring the team during the time-out, and for not picking Milan Ivanovic? The debate rages on. And the pain will always live on, somewhere, for every Socceroo fan.

It’s not often that one man can speak for an entire nation. But when Johnny Warren wept on national TV after it was over, he summed it up for all of us.

2. Eight crazy minutes Australia 3-1 JapanWorld Cup finals, group stageFritz Walter Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany, June 12, 2006 So here we were, back in Germany, at our first World Cup finals in 32 years. The first game is a critical one. But things aren’t going to plan. Our goalkeeper’s been fouled on a Japanese free-kick that’s gone in the net. But the ref doesn’t call it. And now time’s running out and we’re trailing. But a Kewell blocked shot off a Neill long throw falls to Cahill. Bang! 1-1. Then, Aloisi lays it off to Timmy. He shoots- and it goes in off both posts!

Try doing that on your Playstation. And then, just to cap it all off in injury time, Aloisi goes himself and makes it three. Oh yeah, and the nation goes absolutely ballistic at about 1am. After all that, it ended up alright.

Easy stuff, this World Cup caper…

1.One glorious night…Australia 1-0 Uruguay (4-2 PSO)World Cup qualifier: intercontinental playoff, second legStadium Australia, Sydney, November 16, 2005Yeah, like you need an explanation. Oh, alright then…The near-brawl in the tunnel. Booing the Uruguayan anthem. Kewell on for Popovic early. Kewell scuffs the shot, Bresciano puts it home. We go mad. 1-1. Oscillating back and forth. Extra time. No nails left. A penalty shootout for a spot in the World Cup, Jesus H. Murphy. Linking arms with strangers. We score. Schwarzer saves. We score again. They score. We score. They score. Bloody Viduka misses. Schwarzer saves again. Then, the moment….ALOIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSS-SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!! We’ve done it! The wait is over! We’re going back to the World Cup!

Johnny takes his shirt off. Pure, unbridled ecstasy, to be remembered and cherished forever.Yeah, not a bad evening’s entertainment…

Photo’s of Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell during the November 16 qualification game against Uruguay taken by Atosha McCaw.http://www.mortartown.com/

No, I’M Jack the Ripper Who wants to beat England? I know I do! The World Cup draw means that a potential round of 16 clash between the Socceroos and England is a real possibility.

Also the World Cup bid for either 2018 or 2022 will be decided in December this year and this pits Australia directly against England. I spoke to a well known media personality in England about Old Blighty’s chances at the World Cup in South Africa and for World Cup bid.

Half Time Heroes: England’s World Cup group compared to some other teams was relatively easy with USA, Algeria and Slovenia. Will Eng-land win the World Cup? Dave from Bow in East London: One problem is we love the underdog to win in any team competi-tion, so with our ‘team of life’ it’ll be hard not to support Slovenia and Algeria for at least part of each match. Will England win? Don’t you remem-ber 1966? HTH:Who do you think are your key players?DFBIEL: Simon Cowell and the commentator from the 1966 match who uttered the immortal phrase “they think its all over...it is now” (a piece of com-mentary anyone living in England will hear about 25 times a day from the start of the tournament)

HTH: England’s main weakness is having to cope with the pressure from themselves and an expectant public what’s the hubris level like this time?DFBIEL Hubris? after 1966? No chance.

Half Time Heroes Anti -Interview with English Football Fan Dave From Bow in East London by Con Stamocostas

HTH: As an Englishman would you have pre-ferred an English manager as opposed to the current boss Italian Fabio Capello. DFBIEL The Romans, ice cream, Isabella Rossel-lini...um...thats about the end of the list for inter-esting Italian exports. After all, We didn’t need an Italian in 1966.

HTH: The World Cup bid for 2018-2022 has England as the favourites for winning in 2018, Australia is not for behind in terms of the current odds but even as an English man you must admit that Australia should host in 2018 and England can have it in 2022. It would be much better in warm welcome country as ap-posed to cold and rude Old Blighty, wouldn’t you say?DFBIEL I had no idea we were even in the run-ning, and I think you forget global warming in your calculations there, my son - England will be a warm and tropical climate by then. I’ve got an Aussie mate who thought everyone hated him for the first year of living here because everyone was so rude to him at work and down the pub.

Then he realised it was just our sense of hu-mour he didn’t get and everyone had liked him all along. If, for the sake of argument I can say he represents all Australians, I’m not sure that a nation which is thin skinned, and is a bit slow on the uptake is an ideal host for a multi-cultural sporting event. And we have form hosting the World Cup, I think it was in 1966, by all accounts

Simon Cowell is

tipped to be a key player for England at the World Cup in South Africa

HTH: What would you say if the Football Fed-eration of Australia used this Bill Hicks joke to sell Australia as a better World Cup desti-nation than England?

Bill Hicks On Convicts being sent to Australia:“Let me get this straight... You keep the shitty food and the shitty weather and we get the Great Barrier Reef and lobsters the size of canoes? ...I’m Jack the Ripper! --No, I’M Jack the Ripper!”

DFBIEL: You don’t get the joke do you? It’s not about us, its about you

HTH: David Beckham and Posh Spice; too much is not enough or leave me alone al-ready?

Becks reckons that England is in pole position to win the World Cup in South Africa.(Photo of Becks byTsutomu Takasu. Photo of Posh by Darkness Black-heart fr om Mystery Babylon, In-finita)

HTH: The English Wags (wives and girlfriends) get as much coverage as the players what do you think of this recent phenomenon in foot-ball?DFBIEL: We’ve always liked a bit of glamour and a touch of class in our game (see 1966 final for instance), and if our team isn’t supplying it, then all power to the WAGs I say. HTH :What would you say is the current vogue in hooliganism fashion? The polo t-shirt, loafer wearing skinhead apparel, or the Chav, tight jeans and hoody over the head type look?DFBIEL Something with big pockets coz you have to dig deep to fork out enough readies to see the inside of a stadium these days.

Athletic StridesFor all the fashionable critique regularly made over the need to improve the technical and tacti-cal aspects of Australian football, the comments of Sydney FC’s fitness coach Craig Duncan in a recent club newsletter provide plenty of food for thought.

“The development of [Australian] players is poor and this is not only technique but also from a fitness perspective,” says Duncan. “Players need to move at speed rather than wasting our time running medium paced laps of the park...Foot-ball is an intermittent sprint sport that requires many changes of directions and fast movement over short distances.”

I personally consider there to be three main aspects to the make-up of a football player; technique, athleticism (speed, strength, aerial ability, mobility, fitness, etc.) and mentality (in-game intelligence, temperament). I also generally consider it neces-sary for a player to be strong in at least two of these aspects to make it at the highest level, or strong in one and decent in the other two.

In addition to fitness, Duncan’s comments through-out the newsletter brings to my mind the qualities and styles of central defenders from Australia and then those at the highest level.

The latter have undergone a striking transformation in the last decade or so. While I feel there has been a drop in the quality of the defensive reading of the game, today’s top defenders have undoutedbly improved athletically and even the tallest, strongest ones are generally quick (Brazil’s Lúcio, being a good example).

Most top level defenders are now good value at least athletically and technically (or are excellent athletically and decent technically and mentally). In terms of Australia, it’s hard to see any such all-round defenders coming through and sufficiently replacing some of their predecessors who have been up to task for the Socceroos.

In the 1990s, Milan Ivanović was certainly up to it mentally (with his superb reading of the game, defensively and offensively) and technically.

The same applied for his long-time Socceroo and Adelaide City defensive partner Alex Tobin with his aerial ability and defensive intelligence.

‘Sorry Tim-my, but Har-ry reckons the kebabs in Instanbul are to die for’ (Photo by Gordon Flood)

Shane Davis looks at the way the development of Australian footballers affects the Socceroos

Their main successors in the 2000s, Craig Moore and Lucas Neill, replaced them well enough to form one of the 2006 World Cup’s better perform-ing central defensive pairings. Moore is good in the air, strong and before his recent sluggish de-cline, a very sound defensive reader of the game. Neill meanwhile provides more pace and some good intelligence and technique.

When it comes to new Australian centre-backs on the scene, there is invariably plenty of muscle and height on offer but they fall well short in terms of pace compared to top level defenders.

Of course, the likes of Ivanović, Tobin and Moore were never particularly quick, but they all had something else many new Australian centre-backs also seem short on - in-game intelligence. To improve this aspect seems like a trickier matter than it is with athleticism because so much of it is developed from experience.

Ivanović learnt his trade in the Yugoslav First League in the 1980s, Moore enjoyed two long spells at Rangers after joining them as a teenager

and Neill also went to Europe in his teens before only being shifted into the Socceroos’ central de-fence at 27 years of age. Tobin meanwhile estab-lished himself when domestic football was argu-ably at its peak in terms of on-field standard.

In fairness, today’s top level defenders probably aren’t a match for those 10 or 15 years ago in terms of their defensive reading of the game either. So for now, perhaps the type of athletic improve-ments outlined and desired by Duncan would be the most effective way to bridge the gap between Australian and top level defenders

Craig Moore (left)(photo by Cam W) has left Bris-vegas to hang out with his mate Zeljko Kalaz in the northen Greek seaport town of Kavala (below). Nice work, if you can get it! (Photo by Marsyas)

Ben O’Neill reckons that Jobe Whelhouse re-cent perfomances deserve a closer look by Pim Verbeek and his assistants.

Jobe Wheelhouse impressesFollowing the Jets’ 2-0 win against Brisbane Roar last Saturday night, a fan – I assume a Newcastle one – e-mailed the Fox Sports Fan-zone questioning the panel as to the prospects of Jobe Wheelhouse being included in an A-League based Socceroos side for the March 3 Asian Cup Qualifier with Indonesia. While Robbie Slater was given the chance to answer the enquiry, he didn’t, somehow avoid-ing the question and surmising how the Jets are a dark horse should they make the finals, as they look set to do. So while I’m certainly no former Socceroo or EPL winner, I’d like to give that supporter what I think is a reasonable answer to his query. And while the short and simple answer is Wheelhouse is at long odds to make an A-League based Socceroo side at the moment, year long continuation of current form could well put the player in the frame for the National Team at a later date. But, to realise this it’s probably relevant to acknowledge present performances in line with Wheelhouse’s past, where he was highly touted as one of the brightest young talents coming through the system. Indeed, as far back as seven years ago Wheel-house, who is still only 24-years-old, was play-ing in the National Soccer League as a teenager much like current Jet Ben Kantarovski.

Like Kantarovski too, Wheelhouse was making relevant National sides, playing for Australia at the 2003 World Youth Championships in the United Arab Emirates . And, some would say he was even better equipped than the likes of a Kantarovski for life as a professional footballer due to the fact he’d been through the Australian Institute of Sport system. Then disaster. Wheelhouse suffered a spate of ankle injuries requiring major surgery each time and, as a result, the midfielder only managed 23 appearances over the first three seasons of the Hyundai A-League. Fast forward to seasons four and five of the com-petition and Wheelhouse’s injuries have largely cleared, and under Branko Culina especially the player has become an ever present in the Jets’ engine room. Culina is obviously a fan due to his sheer te-nacity in the tackle, hard working pistons that take him all over the park game after game, and generally good vision combined with the ability to pick a pass. Of course, Pim Verbeek has some quality options in the ‘Gennaro Gattusso’ role at the moment, in-cluding the Euro-based Vince Grella, Carl Valeri and Luke Wilkshire. But few home-based play-ers embody the qualities that Wheelhouse does, willing to labour for the side without taking up any headlines…to do the dirty work, and enjoy it.

So, there is absolutely no reason Wheelhouse shouldn’t be considered in the future. A-League form is beginning to count for more and more and on current outings Wheelhouse is ensuring he’s one of the first names on the Newcastle Jets team sheet each week. If, and I stress if, Wheelhouse can continue pull-ing the strings in a side that’s winning games for 12-months or so, it’d be foolish for whoever the National Team bosses are not to take a look at a player who was once professed as one of Austra-lian footballs next big things.

‘few home-based players em-body the qualities that Wheel-

house does, willing to labour for the side without taking up any headlines…to do the dirty work,

and enjoy it’

Even the biggest squadron fan must be suprised at the current form of Jobe Wheelehouse.(Pic by Garry Murrell)

Rafa Walks Through the Storm

“The fans are amazing and if I decide to stay it will be because of them.”

These were the words of Rafa Benitez after Liv-erpool’s latest uninspiring result at Stoke. Well, Rafa, it may not be down to you whether you stay or not.

By anyone’s standards it’s been a terrible six weeks for Liverpool. Eliminated from the Cham-pions League, cast adrift in the EPL title race and bundled from the FA Cup by Reading in front of The Kop. These are dark days on Anfield, and echoes of the Souness era are resonating through Merseyside.

It’s nearly 12 months since Rafa’s bizarre “Fact” press conference, made when Liverpool were the best team in the land; the team to beat; the title favourites. How quickly things change.

Liverpool are now a team rocked by in-fighting; paralysed by a lack of confidence; hamstrung by a recruitment and selection policy that leaves most baffled.

And the blame lies firmly at the feet of the man from Madrid. It is Rafa who has frittered away Liverpool’s transfer funds on second rate stock. It’s Rafa who has frozen out internationals like Babel from the first team in times of crisis.

Well known English Premier League blogger Stuart Randall reckons it’s time for Liverpool gaffer Rafa Benitez to be afriad.

And it’s Rafa who has left the heartbeat of the club, Steven Gerrard, to the brink of jumping ship.

Yes, that’s right. Stevie G, the very watchword of Liverpool, is reported to be considering life elsewhere. All this in the same week that Rafa himself admitted that their other talisman, Fer-nando Torres, was in danger of leaving the club if they didn’t improve.

So how has it come to this? Can Rafa find a dra-matic comeback once again? Not this time. Rafa has made his bed. A series of terrible transfer decisions – Keane and Johnson cost the best part of 40 million pounds – have made a mockery of Benitez cries of poor.

Is Rafa on his way out? Photo by Agnieszka Mieszczak

And his handling of the cattle on the paddock leaves much to be desired. The blindness of the inadequa-cies of the likes of Lucas leaves most Reds fans agog. Yes, there have been injuries, but look around you.

But above all it’s his stubborn refusal to accept any criti-cism, from the latest poor performance, to the inexplica-ble sale of Xabi Alonso, the metronome of his team that really rankles. There’s a tempestuous side of Rafa that riles the neutral. An almost schoolboy petulance when confronted by awkward questioning.

Even given the Reds perilous financial position, the Hicks/Gillet combo will surely bite the bullet and pay out the Spaniard’s contract. Failure to qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League was costly. Failure to qualify at all next season….well that’s a finan-cial meltdown.

A once great club is on its knees. It’s a far cry from Istanbul. It’s time for Rafa to be afraid of the dark.

Liverpool Captain Steven Gerrad gets some encouragement from some Chelsea fans. Photo by Ben Sutherland

“ it’s Rafa who has left the heartbeat of the club, Ste-ven Gerrard, to the brink of jumping ship”

The Question

At the end of the day, the biggest issue in La Liga this season is simple, Barcelona v Real Madrid. It is a battle between the passing perfection of Messi, Xavi and co, simply the excellence of Bar-celona, versus the Galacticos of Real Madrid.

The last season saw Barcelona have their most successful La Liga season ever, and continuation of this form has seen them win every competi-tion they entered in the past year. Sublime at-tacking football from Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Henry (pictured left) and Eto’o formed the foundation for a team that really looked unstoppable.

The bizarre swap of Eto’o for Inter Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic (a move that isn’t actually as crazy as it may seem) had the potential to derail the Barca attacking trio, but unfortunately for the rest of La Liga Ibra has fitted in superbly. Some even say they look better than last season when in full pomp.

While some may say Barcelona’s unprecedented success will have dented their hunger for suc-cess, the emergence of the second era of Galac-ticos will almost certainly have them striving to beat Real, and gain the upper hand in the bitter rivalry.

Real Madrid on the other hand had a severely disappointing season last time around. Despite an amazing, but largely uncredited run of form in the second half of the season, Madrid were unable to catch Barca and were humiliated in the second El Clasico of the season.

La Happenings

Kieran Pender looks over the recent action in Spain La Liga.

Combine this with the Champions League thrash-ing at the hands of Liverpool and Real Madrid, with the help of the returned Florentino Perez, is hunting for a successful season.

Not even a week after Barcelona’s stunning Champions League success and Madrid had already replaced Barca on the front pages, with a spectacular double swoop for Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo. Now whether this was a smart tacti-cal ploy, as it has placed the pressure on Madrid to win, rather then for Barcelona to repeat their outstanding season, is arguable, but there is no doubting it was a very bold statement.

As I write this, Barcelona is two points ahead of Madrid (with 43), but a difficult game against Sevilla this round (which will already have been played by the time this is read), could see a po-tential slip up.

The first El Clasico of the season saw Barcelona take the game thanks to a second half goal from sub Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Sergio Busquets dismiss-al should have seen Madrid capitalise, but they failed to do so and despite being a man down managed to control the end of the game. The El Clasico win for Barcelona may have given them some breathing room, but the two point differ-ence is too slender a lead for Barca to rest on their laurels.

The second Clasico of the season will take place on April the 11th, and with only seven rounds af-ter it, the result could be crucial to the title race.

‘Barcelona is a well oiled passing machine, and the addition of Ibra has only added to their skill and finesse in the final third.’

Despite the millions spent by Madrid this season, I still can’t see them taking the La Liga title this season. Barcelona is a well oiled passing machine, and the addition of Ibra has only added to their skill and finesse in the final third. Madrid on the other hand at times look disjointed, and the fitness of Ronaldo seems to have too much of an effect for the team to be able to effectively challenge Barcelona.

However while Barcelona may still be my pick for this season, five months of playing together and the possibility of new signings in the sum-mer will see Real Madrid a real force for next season (with or without Manuel Pellegrini). But this season at least, it has to be Barca.

‘So kids, FIFA say you can cheat and get to the World

Cup’ (Barcelona and France hand ball specialist (attacker) Thierry Henry (pic by Orie10))

Barcelona Striker Zlatan Imbrahimov-ic has is eye on the La Liga title.(Pic by Giancarlo Rosso)

Buckle –Up Ben (Ben Buckley) and The Big D (Andrew Demetri-ou) talk careers, World Cups and ambition over a coffee.

Career Counselling

Deep in the heart of St Kilda the two ambitious giants of Aussie sporting administration meet over coffee. Buckle-up is smooth, slick, with film star looks. The Big D...well he’s just plain fat!The waiter brings two coffees and one cake full of cream. The Big D stirs the coffee; and looks into his Best Mans’ eyes.

Big D: “I used to be your boss!” Buckle-Up doesn’t answer straight away. He lets it linger.

Buckle-Up: “I know. Do you still have ambi-tion? Any ambition? It’s not too late. You’re still young, decisive, with connections galore. Where next for you Big D. Or is this all you want?”

Big D thinks a moment, and looks around the room. A small man, St Kilda scarf around his neck looks at the AFL’s Big D. Big D nods.

Big D: “So where have you been Buckles? Buckle UP: “Kuwait?”

Big D: ”Where?”Buckle Up: “Kuwait near Iraq. How about you?

Big D looks at his coffee some more.

Big D: “St Kilda, Richmond and Fitzroy. I see you’ve got links with Turkey on Anzac Day and now I read today, Indonesia.”

Buckle-Up: “200 million in Indonesia Big D, but you’ve got your Anzac Day clash at the G each year.”BIG D: “Yeah 90,000 plus every year. Met any-one recently Buckle-Up?”

Buckle Up: “Archbishop Desmond Tutu, David Beckham, Nicole Kidman, Sepp Blatter, Frank Lowy, Kevin Rudd, and President of South Africa to name a few. How about you?”

BIG D: “Oh the usual, Ben Cousins, Eddie Every-where, Sheeds.”Buckle Up:“No women?”Buckle-Up knew this would hurt his old mate, but he couldn’t’ resist.

BIG D “Bastard.” Big D licks the cream around the cake.Buckle Up: “So where next Big D?”

Big D: “We’ve got Western Sydney covered, also the Gold Coast. We’re thinking...top secret Buckles, top secret..we’re thinking Albury/Won-donga, and maybe Alice Springs.”

Buckle Up:”Nice Big D, nice.”BIG D: “How about you?”

Buckle Up: Buckle-up let out a sigh: “We want to host the Asia Cup, the World Cup, Women’s World Cup, club games against Barcelona, Man United maybe, further agreements with Brazil, China and Japan and games against England. And add new teams in Sydney, Canberra and New Caledonia.”

BIG D: “And travel?”Buckle Up: “Off to Jakarta next week, onto Zu-rich and of course then Jo’Burg before we play Indonesia in Brisbane in March. How about you Big D?”

BIG D: North Melbourne Monday, meeting with Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide, Wednes-day.Buckle Up:“Sounds busy Big D.” Buckle Up smiles at his one time Boss, his mentor.

“How many more years can you take of that Big D? Come on mate, come over”

Big D was hurting, his ambition sitting right across from him:

BIG D: “You’re right Buckle-Up, I’m ready. I guess you did it, Archie Fraser as well. A lot of people down here would resent me. You think I can do it?

Buckle Up: “We’ll move you out of Melbourne out of AFL focus. Got a passport Big D?”

BIG D:“Nah never needed one! We’re not called Aussie Rules for nothing,” groaned Big D.

Buckle Up: “Time to get one Big D, time to get one.”

Will the Big D be the next to move from the rockmelon to the round ball game? Caricature by Andrew Fyfe.http://cccaricatures.com/testimonials

Football Commentary in Aus-tralia is taking off.....or is it?

A football commentator can make a game. A co-commentator can destroy it.

We’ve got more games on TV than ever, more commentators, more co-commentators; but how good are our Aussie callers?

Admittedly one fan’s dream is another’s night-mare. But here’s this months chip.

Simon Hill. He’s gold. Pure gold and he adds knowledge and humour to any call. And more; he can work with anyone no matter how linguis-tically challenged some are. And aren’t they. And he’s English, not a problem, but when will we get our true blue dinky die Aussie Gold?Mike Cockerill. He understands football, not just the type I know and watch. And don’t take my word for it. Andy Harper, Ross Aloisi and many others spend many games discussing, or arguing with Mike at the inaccuracy of his assessment, his call.

Andy Harper is passionate, and intelligent. But even he has to work with Cockerill sometimes. And don’t they love to argue on-air. Cockerill is a journalist; he’s not a match caller, never was.Now we have so many games we have many more match co-commentators coming through.Paul Trimboli another educated commenta-tor and a man with passion for the game. Enjoy Trimmers a lot, he commentates like he played. Astutely.

Robbie Slater is getting better as a co-commen-tator. It’s taken some years. Although still inar-ticulate on occasion Simon Hill gives him the ribbing he deserves. Robbie seems to handle it more easily these days, the rapport is strong.

Chippy B has a large chip on his shoulder. This month Chippy targets the Fox Sports commnentary team

And then the latest entrant. Ross Aloisi. Give me a break.

If you like hard tackling midfielders breaking up play, then Ross is your man. He’s the same on screen. Stunted, inarticulate and doesn’t under-stand the beautiful game. He admires the cheats, the game breakers and finds it hard so hard to get those words out. Ross disrupts the action.Did he even play the game? And if he did what did he learn along the way? This week at half-time Ross thought Lloyd Owusu was the game breaker for Adelaide United. Just after half-time Lloyd was taken off. Another insight from Ross. Was he paid?

We need good commentators. Simon Hill is the standard we require. Mike Cockerill can ruin the best game. Put him with Ross Aloisi and I’m tempted to turn-off. It’s that painful.

Fox Sports need to be concerned about the stan-dard of their commentary team as the league expands.

Surprisingly it’s not all bad. Mike and Ross in the studio on Fox Sports are fine. Clearly where their strengths lie. Likewise give Mark Bosnich a co-commentary gig and he thinks he’s talking to kids. In the studio apart from his childish antics with Robbie “I’m more articulate than Rosco just” Slater, Bozza is the business.

Report Card: C+ for the Fox team: Developing slowly, but too many inarticulate members of the team.

Studio presentation: Needs work. Co-hosts need to stop messing around in the studio when the host is speaking

Co-Commentators: Need to employ co-commentators who are articulate and played the game with the passion and style of a Trimboli or Harper. There seems to be a link between the position and style of player in their playing days and their co-commentary style. Note to Fox: Ross is not your man.

Commentators: Simon Hill is outstanding. Mike Cockerill ruins the game. Brenton Speed improv-ing. Need to improve the standard of our number 2 and 3 commentators and quick as more games are coming, more often.

Lynx’ from Doctor Who and Andy Harper

Michael Huguenin is a sports journalist for Prime Television in Wagga Wagga. He has previously written for Soccer International Magazine and has also worked with the Foot-ball Federation of Victoria writing match reports for its websites.

The “3+1 Rule” - You Know It Makes SenseAdelaide United faces some tough decisions ahead of the 2010 Asian Champions League (ACL). The continental competition starts in the last week of February. United has too many foreign players on their books. The ACL has no limit on how many imports can be in each club’s 30-man squad but requires only three imports plus one from another Asian Football Confederation (AFC) country in each 18-man match-day squad. Adelaide will be unable to field all their imports in the same game. Melbourne Victory is lucky. It’s fifth import (goal-keeper Glen Moss) has an Australian passport and so is considered Australian for the ACL.

This disparity between A-League and ACL compe-tition rules doesn’t make a lot of sense. A-League clubs play an entire season under one set of rules and get used to having certain players at their disposal. Then the clubs that play in the ACL have to leave at least one of their import players at home each time they play. Adopting the AFC’s “3+1 Rule” would avoid this problem and benefit the Australian game in many other ways.

This situation isn’t a new one. The Jonas Salley episode in the 2008 ACL is the first example of an A-League club being caught out by the ACL rules. Salley had been selected in Adelaide United’s squad as a non-import player because he had re-ceived Australian citizenship the year before.

But Australia’s criteria for citizenship are differentto FIFA’s rules for eligibility. FIFA requires a player to be resident of a country for five years after their eighteenth birthday to be considered eligible to playfor that country (and in the ACL’s case be considered native of that country).

Melbourne Victory’s Grant Brebner will be af-fected by this rule in 2010. Brebner is considered Australian by A-League rules due to his perma-nent residency but will be an import in the ACL. The simple solution is to adopt the AFC’s rules on imports. The 3+1 Rule” will improve the Austra-lian game in general.

Both the clubs and the players should gain a lot from the “3+1 Rule”. The A-League will provide“a good stepping stone to Europe for Asian players. Newcastle’s Song Jin-Hyung moved to the A-League to improve his English and to learn how to play a more physical brand of football.

After almost two seasons the playmaker is one of the Jets’ best players and is ready to have a crack at Europe. The Jets have benefited from Song’s skills and creative talents. This mutually benefi-cial relationship could be replicated around the A-League.

A-League clubs will also benefit from the expo-sure in Asia. Asia is the most populous continent in the world and football mad. Tapping into that market via an Asian import could mean serious cash to A-League clubs.

Less imports should improve the league too. A reduction from five imports to four should result in stronger imports in general. Clubs will most likely still use the same amount of money on their import players but spread over four rather than five, the quality of each player should be better. Plus there’ll be more spots available for Australian players.

At the moment too many foreign players in the A-League sit on the bench or don’t even get a game. Less import spots will force A-League clubs to work harder on scouting and recruitment to en-sure their foreign players are top notch. Under the current system it seems like clubs play a numbers game (sign five players, hopefully two succeed).

By Round 22, 55 foreign players had signed to clubs in the A-League in the 2009/2010 season. Of these 27 receive a pass mark by my criteria (see “A-League Imports” next page). That’s a lot ofdead wood taking up a fair chunk of each club’s salary cap. The AFC’s “3+1 Rule” has been adopted by most leagues in the confederation. The A-League will gain a lot and lose little from following suit. And if it means A-League clubs handle the transition to the ACL a little bit easier surely that’s worth the sacrifice of the likes of Lloyd Owusu.

‘Newcastle’s Song Jin-Hyung moved to the A-League to improve his English and to learn how to play a more physical brand of football.’ (Pic by Kevin Airs)

A-League Imports by Michael Huguenin

Adelaide United

Cristiano (Brazil)Alemao (Brazil)Cassio (Brazil)Marco Flores (Argentina)Lloyd Owusu (Ghana)Inseob Shin (Korea)

Brisbane Roar

Sergio van Dijk (The Nether-lands)Henrique (Brazil)Reinaldo (Brazil)Pieter Collen (Belgium)Bob Malcolm (Scotland)

Central Coast Mariners

Nicky Travis (England)Michael McGlinchey (New Zea-land)Chris Doig (England)Jonathan Brown (Wales)Matthew Crowell (Wales)

Gold Coast United

Bas Van den Brink (The Netherlands)Anderson Alves da Silva (Brazil)Shane Smeltz (New Zea-land)Adama Traore (Ivory Coast)Charlie Miller (Scotland)Robson (Brazil)Jefferson (Brazil)Milson (Brazil)

Melbourne Victory

Carlos Hernandez (Costa Rica)Grant Brebner (Scotland)Glen Moss (New Zealand)Surat Sukha (Thailand)Marvin Angulo (Costa Rica)Ney Fabiano (Brazil)Sutee Suksomkit (Thailand)

Newcastle Jets

Jin-Hyung Song (Korea Rep.)Fabio Vignaroli (Italy)Michael Bridges (England)Ali Abbas (Iraq) Donny de Groot (The Netherlands

Perth Glory

Victor Sikora (The Netherlands)Branko Jelic (Serbia)Amaral (Brazil)

Sydney FC

Karol Kisel (Slovakia)Stephan Keller (Switzerland)Sung Hwan Byun (Korea Rep.)Terry McFlynn (Northern Ire-land)

Wellington Phoenix Paul Ifill (Barbados)Daniel (Brazil)Chris Greenacre (England)Eugene Dadi (Ivory Coast)Diego (Brazil)Jiang Chen (China)

North Queensland Fury

Robbie Fowler (England)James Robinson (England)Dyron Daal (The Netherlands)Jeremy Brockie (New Zealand)Grant Smith (Scotland)Kojiro Kaimoto (Japan)Terry Cooke (England)

A player receives a pass mark if they have started 10 matches and have been in the match-day squad for the majority of the last five rounds.

Players are considered worth another chance if injury has meant they haven’t met the above criteria, they haven’t been at the club long enough to start 10 games or a change in club or coach means they’ve only got a serious run in the second half of the season.

Green = passBlue = worth another chance Red = fail

A-LEAGUE of Talent

Some things in life you can’t unsee or unimagine. A-league players singing in an Australian idol fashion contest is definitely high on the list. If there wasn’t enough rivalry between A-league teams already, this competition sure takes the icing.

Two boys from at least six of the A-league clubs showed off their singing skills recently. It was rather bizarre to watch and cringe-worthy.

Call me bias but I must say as much as I adored Sydney FC’s Shannon Cole’s winning rendi-tion of ‘what about me’ by Shannon Noll, and as adorable as Rhyan Grant was, as he rapped ‘Tik Tok’ by Keisha. I don’t think they should swap Soccer for the stage anytime soon.

I’m a little disappointed that Melbourne Victory didn’t take the chance to belt out some tunes but then again maybe it was best they didn’t embar-rass themselves.

Also did anyone else catch Ready Steady cook a few weeks ago? Singing is one thing, but a cook off? Really? Sydney FC’s Simon Colosimo and Central Coast Mariners’ Danny Vukovic got kitted up in an apron and played for the red and green capsicum team. Both boys were rather quiet as they pottered about the kitchen creating dishes out of their grocery shopping. But in the end is was Danny’s cooking of Kangaroo meat that won.

I’m a little tentative about what cringe worthy competition will be arranged next? Maybe they should all focus more on their day jobs and stop scaring the fans.

Sarah D reckons some wannabe singers and aspiring cooks makes for some excellent A League footballers.

You just have to love the intranet.There is actually a Shannon Cole (pictured above) who is a singer in the states.

Her bio reads:

“Shannon Cole is a South Jersey native who has been rocking the Philadelphia area original music scene for the past three years with her infectious rock hooks and her raw, dynamic en-ergy. Her “take-no-prisoners” style of writing, along with her power vocals and her “in-your-face” guitars have audiences rocking wherever she performs”

Position Vacant

Does anyone actually want this sup-posedly coveted last finals place for the Hyundai A-League’s 2009/10 knockout festival? All the remaining contenders say they are desperate to play finals football but after 23 of 27 scheduled rounds Wellington Phoenix is the only team from that still congested huddle between fourth and last place to have made any sort of move and to have shown the sort of intent that suggests they are finals bound.

The remaining clubs still firmly in the equation continue to close out the season with a cough and a splutter rather than forcing the issue with a charge or swash buckle.

When studying the remaining fixtures Perth Glo-ry looks best placed to sneak into that final place. However after Perth’s recent form could anyone in their right mind put anything on the Glory making the six? They do have a game in hand on most of the pack but due to their national team stars personnel World Cup aspirations are possi-bly on the cusp of losing three Socceroos for the remainder of the season.

The next cab off the rank is those Jekyll and Hyde Mariners who were trouncing opponents at one stage of the season before the annual yips set in.

This club in future seasons should perhaps fol-low a year planning calendar from cultures other than our own, as the moment anyone mentions that a new or the end of a year is approaching

Matt McGrath looks at the A League season 5 through some furious eyes!

they seem to endure an encounter of a fourth kind. Aliens abduct them, perform weird exper-iments and they are never quite the same when returned.

Equal on points with the Mariners is Brisbane who on paper has talent oozing from every crevice. Except the only word that justly de-scribes this outfit circa season five, and of course after much careful consideration, is the term trauma. The whole club just seems trau-matised from the unsavory goings on both on and off the park.

As for North Queensland (My own particular poison) an inaugural finals place had honestly been written off some weeks ago. However Fury has become like an irritating mosquito that continually buzzes around your ear, is hard to shake off, annoys everyone but never actu-ally bites anybody.

Last but not least is Adelaide. A club that cur-rently resembles a rabbit stunned in bright headlights and a team that couldn’t score in a … (Add your own clichéd obscenity here). It all seemed so easy last season when impressing on fronts local, continental and global.

Could it be that for a second season running Aus-tralia will provide its last placed team as one of two entrants in the confederations most glamorous club tournament (Asian Champions League). Can the Reds mount a late season charge? They also have a game in hand.

One thing for sure is that a finals place is currently still vacant and all the applicants to date for varying reasons seem hesitant to fill the role and by the next edition of HTH all will have been revealed.

Much can be said on salary caps, player quotas and the stringent conditions accompanying the A-League, but with four rounds remaining there doesn’t look to be many dead rubbers on the horizon and in an expansion season we have the tightest race home on record with every club still involved.

‘The remaining clubs still firmly in the equation continue to close out the sea-son with a cough and a splutter rather than forcing the issue with a charge or swash buckle.’

Season Two W League Review

Sydney FC proved that Brisbane Roar were human after all dismissing the reigning champions and hot favorites for a second succes-sive title by a far more comfortable margin than the final score of 3-2 may indicate in the Westfield W-League Grand Final. The sky blues were the stronger team all over the field in the W-League showdown and thoroughly deserved their first crown. The final capped a terrific second season of the fledgling competition and hopes are high for an even more competitive third edition. So, how did the teams fare in 2009?

Sydney FC

Final League Position: 1st (Champions)Top Scorer: Sarah Walsh, Leena Khamis (8 goals)

Quite simply the best team in the league as dem-onstrated in a highly effective Grand Final perfor-mance against the Roar. Led by the goals of Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis (the pair managed eight each during the year) Sydney were a dominant force. Highly influential was the midfield triumvi-rate of skipper Heather Garriock and the imported Danish internationals Julie Rydahl and Cathrin Paaske.

Indeed, the dead ball prowess of Rydahl was noticeable in both the semi-final victory over Canberra United and the Grand Final. Unsung, perhaps, but of equal importance was the contri-bution of teen-star Linda O’Neill. O’Neill’s tireless running and high energy were a huge boon to Syd-ney and the midfielder/full-back was well worth her goal in the final.

With careful recruitment and retention of star names Sydney FC, under the guidance of Alen Sta-jic, will be tough to back against again next time round.

Russ Gibbs reviews what was an exciting season Two

of the W League

Heather Garriock (Sydney FC) holds aloft the W League season two winners trophy!

Central Coast Mariners Final League Position: 2nd Top Scorer: Michelle Heyman (11 goals)It was a wonderful season from the Central Coast Mariners, but ultimately one of what might have been.

Top of the ladder heading into the last round fixture with Sydney defeat in the champion-ship showdown was followed by the agony of a narrow loss to Brisbane Roar in the semi-fi-nals. A major revelation of the season however was the form of striker Michelle Heyman.

The 11 goals she scored saw the tall attacker claim the Golden Boot and the award of West-field W-League ‘Player of the Year’. The Mari-ners slick attacking style was made possible by the silky skills of Kelly Golebiowski out wide and the influence of their United States im-ports. Kendall Fletcher and Lydia Vandenbergh excelled but the performances of Jillian Loyden were astonishing earning her the ‘Goalkeeper of the Year’ award.

Masterminding all this was likeable coach Ste-phen Roche, a worthy recipient of the ‘Coach of the Year’ alongside Canberra’s Ray Junna. Should they retain their American stars for 2010 the Mariners will have plenty of backing.

Brisbane RoarFinal League Position: 3rd Top Scorer: Tameka Butt (6 goals)

For the first time in the two years of the Westfield W-League the Roar looked shaky. Head Coach Jeff Hopkins still had stacks of international experience to call upon and, on paper at least, had arguably the strongest squad in the competition. And, for long stretches of the campaign, their form was red-hot. Then came some inexplicable results in the shape of a loss to Perth Glory and a scarcely believable 2-2 draw with lowly Adelaide United. Ultimately the dropping of five points in these matches was to prove crucial to their final league placing.

However, few would have foreseen the touch-up they received in the Grand Final from Sydney. Perhaps the jiggling of the team to keep the myriad of stars happy had a knock-on effect but the Roar will surely come bouncing back in 2010. Rumours of a mass exodus of players to a mooted Gold Coast United team have yet to come to frui-tion but, if it does happen, the Roar have enough depth to cope.

Goalkeeper Casey Dumont once more underlined her credentials as a Matildas international ‘keeper in waiting with a string of excellent saves whilst joint ‘Young Player of the Year’ Elise Kellond-Knight continues to flourish.

Golden boot winner and player of the year Michelle Heyman (Central Coast Mariners)

Elise Kellond-Knight (Brisbane Roar)

Canberra UnitedFinal League Position: 4th Top Scorer: Ellie Brush, Shu O Tseng (4 goals)

Having lost the experienced heads that saw the team make the Grand Final in the first season of the Westfield W-League Canberra could have been forgiven for using 2009 as a rebuilding phase. However, under astute new coach Ray Junna, joint ‘Coach of the Year’, United flour-ished in the latter part of the campaign only to bow out meekly to a ten-player Sydney FC in the semi-final.

New signing, and dual football-cricket interna-tional, Ellyse Perry (below) was outstanding. Not content with sweeping the board at the club’s internal awards ceremony the 19-year-old was named joint Westfield ‘Young Player of the Year.’ Another new signing, Emily Van Egmond, showed glimpses of her potential and Co-Cap-tain Ellie Brush was as forceful as ever, even managing to become a real menace at set pieces with four goals.

United also became the first W-League club to import Asian players with the introduction of Chinese Taipei internationals Chiung Ying Lin and Shu O Tseng, the latter with her purple hair, becoming a McKellar Park cut hero. Expect more from Junna’s emerging squad next term.

Melbourne VictoryFinal League Position: 5th Top Scorer: Katrina Gorry, Katie Thorlaksson (2 goals)

A severe lack of goals was the major disadvan-tage for Melbourne in 2009 with the Victoria based outfit struggling in that regard, netting only nine times throughout the season. The emergence of wide player Katrina Gorry as a constant threat was a bonus for the Victory as was the almost wa-tertight defence that conceded only ten goals in as many games, not surprising when you consider they were marshaled by Melissa Barbieri in goal and the giant centre-back pairing of Laura Alle-way and Maika Ruyter-Hooley.

The Victory desperately needs a noted goalscorer though to help bolster their attacking ranks if they are to be seen as a genuine title threat in W-League season three. A lean season in front of the net saw Gorry and Katie Thorlaksson the leading scorers with two apiece. A six or seven goal-a-season player will be Coach Matt Shepherd’s target during the off-season with the addition of a creative midfielder also required.

Perth GloryFinal League Position: 6th Top Scorer: Katie Gill (3 goals)Perth looked much better towards the tail end of the season particularly when the returning Katie Gill( next page) was partnered with ‘Rising Star’ award winner Sam Kerr in an exciting attack-ing duo. The absence of Lisa De Vanna from the starting line-up on a number of occasions was a surprise suggesting that the talented Australian striker may be on the move come next season. However, it was a De Vanna goal that finally ended any chance that Melbourne had of a play off place in the final game of the season. The absence of experienced campaigner Collette Mc-Callum through injury hindered the squad as well and a lack of goals, despite the undoubted quality of De Vanna and Kerr was a headache.

Should the Glory manage to harness the skills of their most important players in tandem for 2010 then they could push for a finals place.

Ellyse Perry (Canberra United)

Adelaide UnitedFinal League Position: 7th Top Scorer: Rachael Quigley (5 goals)

A season to forget for the South Australians which saw them score only three points from the season on the back of a hat-trick of draws. On a positive note a 2-2 draw with the seemingly invincible Brisbane Roar would have been well-received amongst Coach Michael Barnett and his team. Shorn of most of their international players from 2009 the Adelaide squad was, like Canberra, based mainly on youth.

The vibrant performances of leading scorer Ra-chael Quigley was a bonus as was the reliability of Donna Cockayne and Georgia Chapman. The concession of thirty-one league goals, the worst in the competition, will not have pleased former Young Matildas shot-stopper Sian McLaren who will undoubtedly be keen to make amends next season. With the players being a year older and better for the experiences gained in 2009, West-field W-League season three should see a more solid Adelaide outfit take to the field.

Newcastle JetsFinal League Position: 8th Top Scorer: Tara Andrews, Renee Cartwright (2 goals)

As with Adelaide United, the Jets will probably want to draw a line under the 2009 season and file it under ‘work in progress’ as the Novocas-trians struggled for consistency throughout the year. A lack of real strike power certainly came back to haunt them as the seven goals scored was a league low along with Adelaide. More will be expected of Australian internationals Hayley Crawford and Amber Neilsen in 2010 and the progression of young Tara Andrews, a striker of frightening potential will be interesting to follow.

Her development could provide the answers to the Jets goal scoring issues. Discipline will need to be tightened up in 2010 as well as fourteen yellow cards and two reds was a large tally in a, mostly, card-free league and a problem that Coach Wayne O’Sullivan will try to address.

Katie Gill (Perth Glory) above left and Tara Andrews (Newcastle Jets) below

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