Inside Issue 4 Cover Page: Wayne Snowden 3 About us Editorials/Opinions 4 Ben Somerford: makes a case for the Socceroos defence. 6 Tony Tannous: gets tactical and technical with the Wellington Phoenix. 8 Fiona Crawford: Homeless World Cup short film.
20 Chippy Brady: What’s on Chippy’s shoulder this month? 21 Wayne Snowden: The Ambassadors Cartoon 22 Glenn Sievier discusses the skills of the youth. 23 The coolest football fan ever! 24 Rob Child: The Twin Threats 26 Danny Nighttime: Takes us on a South American adventure with Boca Juniors.
10 Mike Salter: Gets critical.
29 For the fans: Build your own Stadium
12 Sunil Awasthi: Who is underrated in the A League?
30 Kieran Pender: Runs the rule over the Spanish League, ole!
14 Con Stamocostas: Australian Football Lexicon and breaking news.
32 Matt McGrath: is furious!
16 Adam Brown: goes behind the scenes at the Kiwi’s World Cup qualification. 18 Ben O’Neill: spare a thought for poor Bahrain.
34 Russ Gibbs: plays football with Style. The W League Season 2 36 The HTH Back Page: List of all independent Football media in Australia
Hi football fans and welcome to Half-Time Heroes Issue 4
Adam Brown was in Wellington and he brings us all the drama and emotion of that amazing night, while Ben O’ Neill feels for poor Bahrain. Hi Football fans and welcome to another action packed edition of Half -Time Heroes. Wayne Snowden HTH’s resident cartoonist is in fine form as always. Our regular writers are featured: Ben Somerford our Aussies Abroad expert looks at the Socceroos defence. Tony Tannous is back and his insights into the Wellington Phoenix are fascinating. Fiona Crawford reveals a new short film about the recent Homeless World Cup in Milan she attended. Not forgetting stories from HTH regulars Mike Salter and Sunil Awasthi. The biggest news over the last month without a doubt was New Zealand’s qualification for the big show, the World Cup in South Africa next year.
Rob Child looks at the serious threats facing the stability of the A League. Danny Nighttime is HTH’s South American correspondent. Danny takes us into the loco world of a gringo in South America. His Boca Juniors experience is a feast for the senses. A Chelsea fan makes the case for the being the coolest fan ever! Kieran Pender joins HTH and covers everything in the Spanish League. Matt McGrath writes about the North Queensland Fury and Robbie Fowler. Glen Seiver takes a look at the skills of the youth and last but not least Russ Gibbs runs the rule on season two of the W League. I really do hope you enjoy issue 4.Peace and football. Con Stamocostas
Ben Somerford puts forward a case for the Socceroos defence.
Who Will Pim Pair Up Back At SA? While the Socceroos recent matches against Oman were geared towards qualification for the 2011 Asian Cup, the matches have offered Pim Verbeek another insight into preparing for the 2010 World Cup. Australia’s most recent result, the 2-1 triumph in Muscat, proved a dogged effort after an early red card, but the Socceroos certainly rode their luck. And one of the alarming signs for Aussie fans was the joy the Omanis were getting out of veteran Socceroo central defensive pairing Lucas Neill and Craig Moore who were exposed for a lack of pace on several occasions. Sure, Neill and Moore were imposing and showed their experience by thwarting several attacks but they also found themselves stretched on occasions too, including Oman’s opener where Neill was clearly outpaced. Moore and Neill, who will be 34 and 32,
respectively by the time the World Cup rolls around, represent an experienced backline but one with its collective weaknesses, with the lack of pace the chief concern amongst them. It raises a big question for Verbeek. Can he use those two together at the World Cup or will they get exposed? And if he believes the latter, then who is a better option? That’s the big question but currently no one jumps out as an obvious replacement. The worry is if no one lifts their game at club level or takes an opportunity to impress at international level, then the conservative Dutchman will have little choice.Neill, the Socceroos skipper, is a stalwart of the team and basically assured of his spot in the side, but the veteran Moore is potentially dispensable. The possible replacements include Patrick Kisnorbo, Mark Milligan, Shane Lowry, Matthew Spiranovic, Jade North, Michael Beauchamp, Chris Coyne and Simon Colosimo.
The 24-year-old was offered a run in Australia’s defence during June and looked okay but didn’t totally convince and this may work against him. Lowry has impressed on loan at Championship club Plymouth recently and that initiated the thought he deserves a shot.
(Captain Socceroo Lucas Neill, pic by David Luu) But few of these players are doing enough to suggest they could do a better job than Moore, although they have about six months to change Verbeek’s opinion. Kisnorbo is having a stellar season at Leeds United but he’s playing in the English third tier which works against him, considering his weekly opponents are hardly ideal preparation for a World Cup. The 28-year-old has won a few international opportunities recently and hasn’t performed too badly. He seems next in line with Verbeek at the moment, but he doesn’t offer the experience of Moore despite being a tad quicker than the Brisbane skipper. Milligan has revitalized his career after an awkward time in no-mans-land and he enjoyed a good 2009 with Shanghai Shenhua but didn’t regularly play in the heart of defence there.
Working against Lowry is the fact his loan deal at Argyle expires on December 19 and he’ll struggle to play at parent club Aston Villa if he returns. He’ll need to sort that out to have any chance. Spiranovic is a great hope for many Aussies with his height, agility and coolness on the ball, but he continues to battle injuries and struggle to break into the FC Nurnberg first-team. The 21-year-old has made just one Bundesliga appearance this season, but the latest reports from Germany suggest he’ll seek a January loan move which could revitalize his World Cup hopes. Interestingly, some of those who’ve decided to change clubs have had moves backfire on them. North has had a hellish time in Korea and looks out of favour, Beauchamp’s move to UAE has seen the Aussie spend most of his time in the reserves, while Coyne’s A-League return hasn’t worked. But with time ticking away ahead of the World Cup, Verbeek will be crossing off the options and the next few moves and months will prove crucial.
Tony Tannous takes a look at the axis of Wellington.
Brown-Lia duo key to Wellington’s pro-active play
One of the more impressive, yet underrated, central midfield combinations this A-League season has been the Tim Brown and Vince Lia axis in Wellington.It didn’t appear to be Ricki Herbert’s preferred partnership at the start of the season. His preference, partly by circumstance, partly by design, appeared to be the Jon McKain-Michael Ferrante combo. They teamed up for five of the first six games of the season, of which the Phoenix won only one. On paper, at the start of the season, one would have looked at the players at Herbert’s disposal and argued the McKain-Brown combination as the number one. Certainly that’s how it started. But after playing the first match Brown was unavailable for the next few through injury.Meanwhile, McKain and Ferrante failed to grasp their opportunity, and
were particularly outplayed in Sydney in round four. By round seven, only one win to show, Herbert realised a change had to be made in his central midfield. You see, the front four in his 4-2-3-1 appeared to be functioning just fine. Chris Greenacre had mad a promising start, Paul Ifill was showing signs of being of consistently tricky option, while Leo Bertos was of fire, along with Jason Culina arguably the players of the first third of the season. The problem for Herbert appeared to be a little deeper. Both McKain and Ferrante are fairly defensive players, and the front four were often being isolated from the rest of the formation. But by bringing Brown and Lia in, Herbert suddenly had a more mobile central midfield that could be relied upon to not only win him the ball, but get forward and support his moneymen.
I have wondered, a few times this season, whether Ernie Merrick would happily have him back. While Lia ostensibly plays a little deeper than Brown, he is not quite a sitting midfielder in the mould of a McKain. Often he is seen high up the pitch, pressing the opposition, making sure Wellington compete for the ball as soon as they lose it.
Brown (pictured by Cam W) in particular, has been a complete revelation at breaking forward into the box and popping up for some crucial tap-ins. Early on his shooting radar was off, and many will remember him missing a number of ‘easy’ chances. Another player may have vanished, but Brown kept bombing-on, popping up for more chances, and eventually they started going in.He now has four goals in 11 games played, a handy return for any central midfielder. Lia, meanwhile, has yet to register a goal (at this rate it won’t be long), but the former Melbourne Victory man is having quite a season as a ball-winner and user in the heart of the ‘Nix midfield.
Indeed, both midfielders have been playing in a pro-active way, which is exactly how Herbert has been going about his football; on the front foot. It is an entertaining brand being dished up across the ditch, and the central midfielders have hitherto been a key part of that. While Bertos, Ifill, and lately, Daniel, have rightly received most of the plaudits, don’t for a minute underestimate the roles of Brown and Lia. While Wellington’s pro-active play may leave the central defenders, Andrew Durante and Ben Sigmund, a little exposed from time to time, their collective scrambling has also been first class, and Brown and Lia’s mobility has been crucial in this respect. At this rate and if the central third can continue to function this well, who knows how far the Phoenix can go.
Fiona Crawford writes about a short film that was recently made about an event that is more than just about football. It’s difficult to understand how an event that boasts a series of two seven-minute halves played with a round ball on a pitch roughly the size of a tennis court could be incredible, inspiring, and life-altering, but as anyone who’s experienced the Homeless World Cup (HWC) will affirm, it is precisely that. They’ll also agree that conveying not only the nuts and bolts of how it works but the strength of the emotion it evokes in short, small talk-length conversations is equally hard as, while the HWC always piques people’s interest, it also raises more questions than one can possibly answer. Who’s involved? How does it work? Are the games good to watch? What happens to the players after the event? How do you define homelessness?
How can football solve homelessness when other programs haven’t been able to? The short answer is that it’s proving very successful, with over 70 per cent of players reporting improvements to their lives as a result of participating in the HWC. These include finding work, housing, going back to study, or reconnecting with family. But the how and why it works? That’s when I get choked up. The games are fast—much faster than I could ever had anticipated—and the skill level ranges from beginner to extraordinary, with some players going on to play professionally or even for their country’s national team, as was the case with Brazil’s Michelle da Silva.
( Homeless World Cup Action in Milan. Pic by Bryan Crawford)
But the football is incidental to the joy, connection, and transformation you see in the players, the public, and the volunteers throughout the event. It’s the little moments that absolutely floor you. It’s where homeless players from a western nation pass around a hat to raise money for homeless players from developing nations who have even less than they do. It’s where players grasp your hands in theirs to thank you wholeheartedly for reporting on their match. Its where, in the HWC’s spirit of fair play and inclusion, incredibly skilful players go out of their way to give their less-adept opposition an opportunity to score goals.
And it’s where homeless people and the general public cheering them on are so caught up in the event that they forget they’re homeless and the players instead begin to believe—really know— that they can turn their lives around. The HWC organisers too have been grappling with how to convey the event to people unfamiliar with it and this year they invited filmmakers to pitch for the gig. The result is a short film which goes at least part way to capturing the HWC sentiment. It was filmed at the Milan event and, even though there are some slightly naff moments at the beginning, this short film is worth a thousand descriptive HWC words.
Mike Salter is ready to hand out a few cards to some A League referees.
Let's get critical
Two goals in Round 12 of the A-League threw up interesting debating points: Mate Dugandzic's second for Melbourne Victory against Adelaide, and Robbie Fowler's sneaky equaliser for North Queensland against Perth Glory. There was only one problem: due to the Fox team's ongoing failure to subject the refereeing in the A-League to any proper scrutiny, no debate ensued. Let's set the scene briefly. In the second half at Etihad stadium, with Melbourne leading 1-0, the Adelaide defence has pushed up high. Matthew Kemp steals possession deep in the Melbourne half and strides forward; then, he pushes a ball through to the forward line. It is headed directly towards Archie
Thompson, who is plainly offside. In the accepted fashion, he trots demurely back, allowing Carlos Hernandez to run on to the ball. The trap is sprung, and Hernandez squares the ball neatly for Dugandzic to tap in. Now such goals are a particular bugbear of mine, since defenders are forced to play two separate offside lines. At the very least, such "tactical retreat" goals should attract some discussion, especially when the ball forward is played in the direction of the offside attacker. Yet the commentators immediately went out of their way to assure viewers that there had been no hint of offside. And so to Fowler and the Fury. A free kick some twenty yards from the Glory goal, and Fowler sets it up quickly. A quick check with the referee, Peter Green, and Fowler gets the go-ahead for a shot. And he prods it wide of Tando Velaphi, and in at the far post.
“A mature football competition should be sturdy enough to withstand some apposite criticism from its broadcaster.�
(A League referee Stebre Devloski, pic by Cam W) There are always protests after such goals, and often they have little merit. Both the game commentators and the studio analysts certainly took that view. But none of them pointed out something quite blaringly obvious: Green's positioning at the free kick was appalling, completely unsighting Velaphi until practically the moment when Fowler took his kick. In other words, the goal should have attracted some controversy. But it didn't.
Those entrusted with broadcasting the A-League seem to have felt it their duty to defend the competition to the hilt. And that goes beyond the standard (and style) of play; referees and linesmen have been given the benefit of the doubt far more often than they have deserved. Of course, it's fine to take a positive approach, but a mature football competition should be sturdy enough to withstand some apposite criticism from its broadcaster. Especially in the case of the refereeing, which continues to be a real problem in the A-League.
Sunil Awasthi reveals the most underrated player at each ALeague club.
Football is something of a game of the stars. Think of the standouts, the celebrities, the icons it’s produced. But football’s also a team game. Eleven men on the park. Everyone must do their job. In every team, there are players who play very well, only to perhaps not receive the attention or credit they deserve for doing so. Whilst I may not be able to get you that pay rise or lucrative transfer… fellas…at least you know that I’m watching, and that I appreciate you, and that I care. Tear-jerking stuff, I know… Anyway, here goes: Adelaide United: Lucas Pantelis, midfielder An attacking cog in a side not renowned for having much down the business end of the park, this former Australian youth international went into the November
international break as the side’s top scorer this season, with three goals. Best in a wide role, but can play centrally. Brisbane Roar: Liam Reddy, goalkeeper Best known to many for his father’s rugby league career (and run-in with Nick Theodorakopoulos). You never hear Liam’s name mentioned as one of the better custodians in the league, but for the most part, he’s a pretty solid goalie, even if Brisbane’s defence has been a sore spot this season. Central Coast Mariners: John Hutchinson, midfielder It seems like looking for an underrated player at the Mariners is like looking for criminals in a prison, for the Mariners are a perpetually underrated team. But we’ll settle with this versatile midfielder and freshly-minted Maltese international. He can play either a holding role in midfield, or a more attacking role, usually in a wider position, with productive results (14 ALeague goals for the Mariners).
Gold Coast United: Michael Thwaite, midfielder In a side known for attack, he’s been the best holding midfielder in the league so far this season, who’s also surprisingly shown some ability going forward at times. Already has six Socceroo caps, and ought to be in with a good chance of making the squad for South Africa.
NTH QLD Fury: James Robinson, midfielder Known for scoring a dramatic semi-final winner at Melbourne, and being somewhat of a disappointment at Perth, this Englishman has flourished up north. The star attraction at the Fury is undoubtedly fellow pom Robbie Fowler, but the Liverpool legend owes this exAltrincham man somewhat: many of his eight A-League goals through the first fourteen rounds of the comp have come from Robinson crosses. Perth Glory: Naum Sekulovski, def Is reasonably prominent again, and is doing well again, for the boys from the wild west. A reasonably experienced attacking threat from left fullback.
Melbourne Victory: Archie Thompson, striker( pic by Asian FC) You’re kidding, right? The only-ever marquee player at the league’s best-ever club, and the league’s all-time leading scorer, underrated? No, I ain’t kidding: Archie doesn’t get the credit he deserves, from opposition fans, and at times even from his own followers. A hard-working player. Newcastle Jets: Matt Thompson, defender A reliable, versatile, experienced player in a team that sometimes looks flaky, the Newcastle skipper (and all-time ALeague appearances leader for the Jets) can play as an attacking central midfielder, a wide midfielder, or a fullback.
Sydney FC: Terry McFlynn, midfielder Was a bog-standard, strictly defensive midfielder for much of Sydney FC’s early life. But in the last twelve months or so, the Ulsterman has transformed into a technically-skilled, important member of the team with some attacking influence and punch. Cove-dwellers continue to wonder when he will be called up for Northern Ireland. Wellington Phoenix: Ben Sigmund, defender Another overlooked defender on a team known for its attacking qualities. Even within the Wellington back half, names like Jon McKain and Andrew Durante are more prominent. But this guy has improved, and has been reasonably solid, perhaps even impressive, for the ‘Nux this season. Oh yeah, and he was good for the All Whites in some little game against Bahrain recently, too…
Drunk-snob: A-league team supporter who gets so drunk before/at the game he can't open his eyes enough to watch the match and leaves not knowing what happened.
The Australian Football Lexicon
Crowd-snob: A crowd member who refuses to clap, cheer, sing or use any other form of interaction in order to get more/less out of the players on the pitch.
The local Euro-snob: a supporter of an overseas football club who looks down upon their local team without ever having seen them play.
VB-snob: A crowd member who refuses to invest in the VB monopoly on tap beer at his nearest bar at the ground.
By Con Stamocostas
The ex-pat Euro-snob: a football supporter living in a different country from where he/she is a citizen that looks down on their local club, without ever having seen them play.
The Kreas: It’s the Greek word for flesh or meat. The kreas only attribute is the ability to take out chunks of the opponents flesh through their so called hard challenges.
The part-time Euro-snob: a football supporter who enjoys supporting an overseas club and their local club but prefers to wear the overseas clubs colours more than their local team.
Crowd Police: Someone who forces other fans to sing for the whole game, in effect taking timeout from their own singing duties while forcing the other fan.
A League Purist: is someone who deliberately denigrates genuine support for football merely because it does not come from someone who wears an A League team kit.
Dutch Mafia: The dismantling of the 442 and the British football Empire and replaced with a 433 and a Dutch Empire. With thanks to General Ashnak, Rocknerd, Naprato and anth
Young Australian footballer scores a debut goal in the A League and claims he is ready for a move overseas. A League Imports state that the A League is just as good as any European League. Ex- A League import in scathing damnation of A League after move back to Europe (Dwight Yorke) Ex -Socceroo promises to give something back to Australian football. Australian football fans prefer above mentioned older and slower European based footballer not to give anything back to Australian football and advise the player to hold onto whatever skill they have for themselves. Australian players don’t retire they take their layers degree and work for Fox Sports or SBS. Ex- A League player and lawyer to move into punditry gig with a promise to deliver the same bumbling performances on screen as he did on the field. Lucas Neil agent hired by Australian government to find jobs for unemployed Australians.
Con Stamocostas takes a look at the latest football headlines. Mark Viduka opens up pie shop in Melbourne. “After being asked who ate all the pies for the past 11 seasons I thought I’d relax by baking some,” said a now retired Mark Viduka. Clive Palmer’s hair is real. Clive Palmer’s Jet pilot quits after his complaints about the plane being too heavy are ignored. “Clive Palmer’s weight was not the problem. It was Miron Bleiberg’s ego that made the load heavy,” explained the dude in the pilot sunglasses. Young Australian back paper claims that partying in Germany is better than playing in the A League. (Picture of Oktoberfest by Serce)
Adam Brown’s Kiwi’s are going to the World Cup!
What a night!
Words struggle to comprehend the roller-coaster ride of anticipation, emotion and passion that have unfolded over the last two days. This was the biggest football match of my lifetime (I was only a babe in arms in ’82), and it lived up to the heavily laden expectation surrounding it. Like a fairytale reminiscent of a “Roy of the Rovers” comic, Rory Fallon and Mark Paston
wrote themselves into the hearts – and the history books – of New Zealanders everywhere. These guys have become folk heroes - Fallon is being lauded by Plymouth Argyle fans and Paston) now has his own dedicated Facebook page – great stuff! Whilst those two guys are receiving the bulk of the plaudits, the rest of the squad are also heroes. Ryan Nelsen was absolutely immense, and surely has to take the mantle of New Zealand’s equivalent to Brian Robson in the “Captain Marvel” role. His leadership and the example he set for his teammates was immense. I certainly can’t find a negative slant to put on anything – I’m running with the theory that Lochead was just trying to keep things interesting! It’s created a wave of fervour and support of which I have not seen the likes of. The arrival of the Phoenix came close, but this event has captured a little more of the public imagination and more of the imagination and adoration of neutral sports fans.
(Mark Paston pic by Convilla 1)
When was the last time you saw football dominating the national news – not to mention overshadowing an All Blacks match played on the same day!? Here’s hoping that the profile of the game continues to grow – success on the pitch for the Phoenix, and a credible performance by Auckland City at the Club World Cup is essential to continue the momentum of the wave.
New Zealand Football need to put together some high profile friendly fixtures leading up to the World Cup too, and indications from Frank van Hattum suggest that the ball is already rolling on this. Saturday night made me proud to be a New Zealander – standing united with 35,000 other kiwis, giving the boys our all for our One Shot for Glory. Bring on South Africa!
Ben O’Neill feels the pain of Bahrain. Sparing a Thought for Bahrain
Watching New Zealand’s World Cup Qualifying win over Bahrain ignited many emotions. First and foremost, it brought back memories of Australia’s epic triumph against Uruguay four years ago (it’s gone so fast, hasn’t it?). Secondly, it elated me to see an Oceanic nation make football’s finest festival for consecutive tournaments, which will bring continued respect and attention to the region.
between their efforts and the ones our very own Socceroos experienced before finally booking a ticket to Germany 2006. Knowing how I felt when we missed out, I feel for their fans. This time four years ago Bahrain found itself having finished third in the final phase of automatic Asian qualifying in a difficult group which Japan and Iran had dominated. This meant the minnows met Uzbekistan, who they beat on away goals over two legs.
But lastly, it occurred to me just how unfortunate the tiny gulf state of Bahrain can consider itself to be, having gone so close to qualifying in the past two campaigns.
Setting up a clash with Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahraini’s bowed out by the most slender of margins, losing the second leg 1-0 to the Soca Warriors in Manama.
I can’t subscribe to sadness that the Bahraini’s won’t be on the plane to South Africa, but I do feel a correlation
This time out the unseeded Bahraini’s have had a marathon campaign to conquer.
(The Kiwi’s take on the Socceroos in a friendly international @ Craven Cottage, London 9th June 2005. Could this be a similar picture at the World Cup in South Africa next year?)
Starting against Malaysia in round 1 of qualifying, they then navigated their way through a tricky group which included the likes of Japan and Oman, to eventually finish 3rd in the final phase of automatic entry behind Australia and Japan, but in front of Uzbekistan and Qatar. Going on to beat traditional regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia on aggregate, 791,000 Bahraini citizens are undoubtedly distraught they’ve again been left to enjoy the party from afar having fell to the Kiwi’s by the only goal at the final hurdle.
“It elated me to see an Oceanic nation make football’s finest festival for consecutive tournaments” It’s not so long ago 20 odd million Australian’s watched with tears in their eyes as our team fell inches short at the last task. And so, I for one hope the Bahraini FA continue with the same formula that has seen them achieve so much. With a relatively young squad which will have gained so much from the past two tries, Brazil beckons for the boys from Bahrain.
Chippy B still has a chip on his shoulder and this month it’s about the A League ticket prices!
FFA: It’s the A-League stupid?
I keep noticing emails, appointments and spin spin and more spin coming out of the FFA. Yep, they seem to be working overtime to get the 2018 World Cup to Australia but maybe in all the excitement to dash to lobby in Canberra, Zurich and South Africa the FFA has forgotten something. It’s the A-League stupid. How else could such a “professional body,” have come up with so many bloopers in a few months. Arguably more in four months, than in four years. The Gold Coast has re-opened the whole of their stadium for their 5,000 fans. And the FFA has stepped in to take over marketing and game day operations. The FFA have also handed Brisbane exactly $1.4 million to help them through the season. And Brisbane had to reduce their extortionate Season 5 ticket prices as well. Surprise, surprise.
Blind Freddy knows if you double or even triple prices, in the case of Brisbane, and price A-League tickets higher than Rugby League, in the case of the Gold Coast, that you are going to have problems, severe problems attracting sufficient people to watch games. Blind Freddy but not the FFA. Maybe they were out of the country at the time! So why were the FFA Marketing guru’s asleep at the wheel? Did they think these pricing strategies were sound and would actually increase crowds? Did anyone do any market research either within the clubs or the FFA? One interview, just one, with a Roar or Gold Coast fan would have given you all the information they would have needed. And of course the 12th license was a further debacle; with the license eventually going to the bid with the least amount of money. Nice one! Still it could be worse the FFA could be telling us crowds are up this year!
Is this the coolest football fan ever? Wearing sunglasses at night. Making sure you have the correct hygiene Getting your dial on TV for the whole world to see
Glen Sievier discusses elite young footballers in Australia.
Few commentators have picked up on the excellent and OH so quite job Ben Buckley has done in stopping the Brain Drain of young footballers to other codes. So many elite players in other codes had their grounding in Football. A series of measures has resulted in an almost zero slippage of elites to other codes today. Let’s look to see what he has done, first he set up the Under 14 international team and Under 13 state teams meaning a place in a national side with good coaches was hard to leave; second a national talent recognition system meaning it was harder to play favourites, third the national youth league thus the best from about 15 to 20 in A-League clubs; fourth was the taking the state based sports institution and getting the football part of the state sporting institutes under the control of the A-League clubs thus creating mini academies. Recently and good at so many levels is the national training of the elites 25 coaches all recent A-League or returning from Europe players who can command respect to coach our best 600 players from 8 to 17.
Meaning a ten year technical training program producing 60 players per year as highly trained replacements for either the youth or A-League. SBS have two excellent clips on what Han Burger has done and is doing. Even if not a football fan but someone who loves to see strategic management the First Clip is a tad over 2 minutes and you can see the planning behind it.. The Second Clip over eight minutes and shows the degree of planning behind the training the players will receive. This must be costing a small fortune but the rewards in a few years for football will a huge talent pool. Remember to the Mariners Centre of Football Excellence Academy and NSW Football Academies plus Association and State team rep team’s players would get added to this pool. Some have the figure as high as 40% of our Football elite between the ages of 11 & 16 switch to other codes and often become great stars in the other codes. Meaning I guess a plus in that those stars with vision, quickness of mind, touch on a ball, balance who came from Football will no longer be going. Keeping the elite in Football and reducing the talented players in another code while greatly improving them as players and all so very quietly well done Mr Buckley.
Rob Child takes a serious look at some of the issue facing the A -League
Primitive football and the Lynx Effect After four or so years of the ALeague, pundits from across the media spectrum are asking the inevitable question – How is it coming along? Well, in my opinion, quite nicely thank you. Some of the more obvious issues are the overseas player drain, questionable pitch standards and the inevitable ‘fifth season syndrome’ where crowds aren’t as good as they were in season one (like, durr, hasn’t anyone heard of the ‘novelty effect’?).
mate’s house) I have formed a shocking theory. One which threatens to rock the foundations of football and change this country’s sporting landscape forever. The A-League is being taken over by aliens. Cheaply created ones. But aliens nonetheless. The evidence: It began in English football many years ago, when the evil Davros, creator of the Daleks, posed as a human known as ‘Roy Hodgson’.(see pic).
But these are mere teething problems. What are the real issues? I have identified two that seriously threaten the future of football in this country. Beware, this may shock some viewers. 1. Aliens “After extensive research (several late nights spent playing FIFA 10 at my
(‘Davros’ from Doctor Who Roy Hodgson)
More recently the plot for world domination has continued, as another Doctor Who foe known as ‘Lynx’ has created an Aussie football persona called ‘Andy Harper.
(‘Lynx’ from Doctor Who Andy Harper)
If these photos do not convince you that our game is in serious danger of intergalactic destruction, I’m afraid nothing will. 2. “Look, this has gone on long enough…” Look, there’s one thing that really annoys me about football in Australia. Look, you know what I’m talking about don’t you? Why does almost every Aussie player or football commentator answer a question beginning with the word ‘look’? No-one knows. But, in the words of my second grade teacher Mrs Kocis, “This must be stop immediately!” To determine just how serious this issue is, I decided to conduct a scientific experiment.
Have you ever played one of those drinking games, like the one where you put on a Led Zeppelin album with your mates and skull a beer every time Robert Plant sings the word ‘Baby’? It invariably ends in a high level of intoxication. Well, I decided to play a variation on this. Me and a friend tuned into Fox Sports F.C. one Tuesday and agreed to pretend we were cavemen, slowly evolving our technology towards modern civilisation. Every time a guest on the show began an answer with the word ‘look’, we took a step towards modern society. Let me explain. At the beginning of the show we were living in the stone age. As soon as the first football personality said “Look, they’re a tough team… etc…” we’d imagine we just invented fire. Then, the next time ‘look’ was used to answer a question, we would say ‘OK, now we’ve invented the wheel’. I think you get the idea. Anyway, by the end of the episode, we had not only surpassed mankind’s current level of technology by over 10,000 years, but we had perfected time travel and jumped into the past to shoot our grandfathers and replay every World Cup until Australia had won them all. Hopefully, now you can see how serious these issues are, and that we must act quickly to prevent disaster. Look, because if we don’t, Lynx and Davros may well land in a spaceship at half time during the Grand Final and blow us all away.
Danny Nighttime is an Aussie gringo hanging out at ‘- La Bombonera’ the home of Boca Juniors.
What’s the best thing to do after surviving a 19 hour flight on one of the world’s dodgiest airlines (won’t mention any names)? Celebrate of course. You’re in beautiful bustling Buenos Aires, it’s Friday evening and with the current exchange rate your wallet has just quadrupled in size. First, let’s erase the horrible memories of the nauseating airplane “food”. Straight to the local parilla joint (steak house) where an incredible meat-fest ensues. Wash down those ludicrously large tasty steaks with gallons of amazing Argentinean vino tinto and litre bottles of the local brew – Quilmes - sit back, ready to burst and say – “We made it.” Trouble is, you know you haven’t…yet. Sure, you will face the jetlag head-on by diving deep into the famed Buenos Aires nightlife which will more than live up to its reputation.
Yes, you will finally get some sleep, see some sights - a live tango in the street, the Avenida 9 de Julio – but something just still ‘aint right…. Boca are playing at home tomorrow and you haven’t got a friggen ticket! So far by using your best Spanglish all you’ve worked out is that kick-off is at 6pm and it’s sold out. Also that Boca is not the place for a gringo to go wandering about aimlessly, especially on game day. Further investigations reveal a ray of hope. Some of the big hotels near Calle Florida keep tickets to sell as a package. They pack hapless gringos into a minibus, take you to the match and get you back in one piece. Sweet. Well, it would be if any of them were open. Only one thing for it - taxi to La Boca. From out of the window of cab the neighbourhood of Boca doesn’t look so hardcore. The architecture is beautiful although definitely run down. Jump out at the stinky Rio Chuelo and cruise through the colourful ‘el Caminito’. You’ll see it in every B.A tourist brochure but today you have bigger fish to fry. Five minutes on you finally see it – La Bombonera (the chocolate box). The surrounding streets are already blocked off with barricades, riot police and swarming with the blue and gold Boca faithful. Alas, still no tickets.
( La Bombonera or the “Chocolate Box”)
Everyone has warned you about wasting your pesos on counterfeit tix but it’s now 4pm and you’ve come this far. Apparently a guy called ‘Chino” can sort you out on the other side of the stadium if you can persuade the riot police to let you through the barricades.
But if Chino is a man of his word, pretty soon you will be in the one and only Estadio Alberto J. Armando, better known as La Bombonera. Chino comes through and five rough ball frisking checkpoints later you are walking up the steps to take you place behind the goals with the blue and gold army.
To say these guys look menacing with their machine guns, big-arse batons, cans of mace, metal shin pads, perspex helmets, bullet proof vests and ‘what the fuck are you looking at?’ faces is the understatement of the year, but you have no choice.
It’s a balmy 24 degrees, the sun is slowly setting and you stare at the pitch and almost vertical stands literally trembling with frenzied fans, look over the rooftops of La Boca and beyond and start to wonder – is this the jetlag or am I actually here?
Chino. He wants 100 pesos for what would normally cost 20. Its chump change to you but are these tickets for real? A few barricades later and you’re in a kind of milk bar talking turkey with him. He runs his fingernail across them leaving a noticeable scratch. That proves they are authentic, or so he says. You buy them because it’s your best shot. If you’ve been duped it will only suck harder to come so close and get ripped off.
Here at the hallowed ground that in more recent times produced the likes of Maradona, Claudio Cannigia, Gabriel Batistuta, Juan Roman Riquelme and Carlos Tevez. Watching groups of guys expertly scale the razor wire fences in full few of the cops to hang their humongous blue and gold flags over the edge makes it all sink in. [Continued next page]
( the edge of El Caminito. right in the heart of Boca a few mins from the stadium)
Now you have definitely ‘made it’. The crowd is going ballistic - drums, tubas, trombones, confetti and almost 50 000 fans singing “Dale Bo!” and giving a quasi-Nazi salute in unison. The singing and party doesn’t stop. Not even when visitors Godoy Cruz from Mendoza go one nil up in no time thanks to a disastrous defensive blunder. In fact the party seems to go up a notch when Boca goes two nil down. No wonder the fans are known as ‘La Doce’ or the twelfth player, providing undying support up until the very end. Riquelme is having a real go from centre midfield but takes a knock just before halftime and doesn’t return for the rest of the match. Second half Boca urged on by La Doce pulls two goals back in quick succession - a cheeky header into the left corner followed by a suspect penalty. Does this send the crowd into overdrive? No. They have been in overdrive since before the whistle blew.
An end to end tussle follows until a minute to go when Godoy Cruz snatch the winner. A hush comes over the crowd….not! The party amps up again. Boca can do no wrong. The manager can however and after four losses in a row immediately resigns after the game. Then it starts to rain. Strange as there’s not a cloud in the sky. It’s Godoy Cruz fans gobbing off on the tier above. No wonder we’re all locked in the stadium for 45 mins after the match whilst the visitors enjoy safe passage out of Boca territory. When the gates finally open you make your way quickly downstairs. Stairs which Cruz fans have pissed all over on their way out. Once outside you treat yourself to a choripan. A chorizo served on a bread roll. Plop some chimichuri on top and it hits the spot. Walk with the hordes of not so dejected fans (its only the start of the season) back towards town or until you can find a taxi to a bar where you can drink a Quilmes and try to process what just happened. What did just happen? You put yourself in the box, literally, and you scored, big time.
Football for the Fans; Build Your Own Stadium
(Pictures by George Stamocostas)
Football fan Robert builds his own model football stadiums. If your hobby is football I’d love to see any others reader’s creations that are out there. Please send any photos to cstamocostas@gmail.com and you could be featured in Half- Time Heroes like Robert.
The two tiered model.
The days of the terrace only stadiums
Kieran Pender does a roundup of everything La Liga...and more
La Happenings
The 2009/10 La Liga season kicked off with all the hype surrounding the new Galacticos era, CR9, the 2009 Champions League winners and a crazy swap deal involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto’o. So far it definitely hasn’t disappointed.
Going into the international break, FC Barcelona are sitting proudly atop the La Liga table; on a grand total of twenty six points. One point below them is the Nuevo Galacticos of Real Madrid. However, while one point off the current European Champions may seem a fair effort for a new team still gelling together, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for Madrid this year. Star man, Cristiano Ronaldo(pictured next page) , has been the target of a voodoo priest; who claims to have been paid to inflict injury on Ronaldo. and whether a result of voodoo magic, or just- the rigours of football, Ronaldo has sustained an injury, which has kept him out of
Madrid’s team for a few important games. But Ronaldo has told the media, and his favourite voodoo priest, that he will be fit to play in the El Clásico; Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, at the Nou Camp on November 29th. So make sure you’re up bright and early (or very, very late) for the game. Despite the hype in the battle for first place, the real battle of the La Liga season won’t be for first place, the real battle is for third and fourth, the remaining champions league spots. The battle for these two places is traditionally fought between Valencia CF, Sevilla FC, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal CF, with the two losers dropping into the Europa League. To these clubs, coming third and fourth is the equivalent of winning the league, as the supremacy of Barcelona and Madrid makes that an unachievable dream.
“Ronaldo has told the media, and his favourite voodoo priest, that he will be fit to play in the El Clásico;” on seven points while Valencia’s neighbours Villarreal sit two above them on nine), it looks to be the year of the outsiders to challenge them for Champions League football. Deportivo La Coruna, a club who made their name winning the league in 99/00 are looking good in fifth, only two points behind Valencia. Elsewhere, Mallorca is sitting pretty on seventeen points and the team from Gijon (Sporting Gijon) is level with the boys from Bilbao (Athletic Bilbao).
(CR9 pic by Moller1890f17) Furthermore, entry into Champions League football offers these clubs large financial benefits, something some, such as Valencia, desperately need. After ten games, Sevilla and Valencia seem to be in control of the third and fourth spots, sitting on twenty two and twenty one points respectively. But while the usual challengers of Atletico and Villarreal may not be contenders after their poor starts (the ‘other’ team from Madrid sits in the relegation zone
While in all likelihood the season will end with the big boys being in the top four it could be an interesting season for the real battle of La Liga. Elsewhere in Spain, Madrid continues its proud tradition of insanity, crashing out of the Copa del Ray to Segunda B minnows. Alcorcon ply their trade in the regionalised third tier of Spanish football, and actually play in the same league as Madrid’s youth side. To put it in an Australian perspective, it’s like Gold Coast United losing to, say, Central Coast Lightning (the Lightning play in the NSW Super League), although given Gold Coast’s recent form I wouldn’t say that was out of the question.
Matt McGrath is a 40 something expatriated Englishman who has roamed QLD far and wide over many years. After settling in regional QLD he finally has a local team to call his own! doing such after the recent run of excellent results they would have gone
Let’s get Tropical
It is an absolute pleasure to join the HTH family and offer you the valued reader a little insight into all things football from a North Queensland prospective and after the editor approached suggesting breaking the ice with maybe a feel good Fury, Fowler type piece a ‘rags to riches’ or ‘Cinderella’ themed contribution was all set to be rolled out. However doing justice to Cinderella was always going to be very dependent on Ian Ferguson’s band of licorice all sorts doing the business in the round fourteen match away to the Newcastle Jets before the recent FIFA endorsed pseudo mid season A-League break. Well not for the first or the last time would a football team completely ruin ones best intentions. Now had Fury managed to have pulled a three pointer from Newy and why wouldn’t they have been confident of
into that said FIFA break sitting in a plum top six finals position. It wasn’t to be and rather than sitting in a finals place looking down over some much more highly fancied rivals that result in Newcastle sent the green and white crashing back to the basement and it’s hard to justify any rags to riches stories or Cinderella themes from the bottom of the league! Unfortunately the only correlation to Cinderella I could dig up is that round fourteen was a bridge to far thus becoming Fury’s midnight and they proceeded to turn back into pumpkins! However all is not lost and these fledgling battlers are still in touch and have definitely changed the doom say opinion of many of the clubs early and fiercest critics. Defy their critics Fury certainly has and no one more so than a particular marquee player who was almost universally being touted as a has been and complete waste of money whom would never even pull on a shirt while being taunted as Blobbie Fowler.
“It’s Robbie, not Blobbie!”
Not too shabby at all and the element that has impressed many fans is his commitment to the clubs cause. Robbie Fowler dead set cares and that alone has won many over not to mention eight goals of a varying nature for Fury and football fans in general to salivate over.
(Picture of God by Cam W)
Rather than the usual moniker of all encompassing religious body that had accompanied his name for oh so many years. Well fast forward fourteen rounds and that very same player is the league’s second leading goal scorer and has played more minutes than any other player at his fledging club whilst appearing in every match to date.
Sometimes in life it really is nice to be proved wrong and Fury has gone a very long way to at least gaining some credibility and that’s all supporters really want. Especially when considering the teams difficult introduction to A-league life as even the most devout and optimistic Fury supporters had that sinking ‘it’s going to be a long season’ feeling. There are no visions of grandeur and no proclamations of intent. Simply put most associated with NQ Fury just want a team that is competitive, a few grand moments to savour whilst appreciating our new found place at the table of the Australian football family. Until next time - Una Per Furor!
Its football with style as Russ Gibbs takes a look at season two of the W League.
As the Westfield W-League passes the half-way mark its business as usual in Queensland. They may have gone through a name change over the winter break, but little else as changed as Brisbane Roar continues to prove to be the class act of the field. At the time of writing the Champions only set-back had been a 1-1 draw to fellow title-chasers Sydney FC in Round Four, where a Daneille Brogan own goal earned them a share of the points. Other than that it’s been plain sailing for Jeff Hopkins team and a bagful of goals for the Brisbane support to cheer. With Courtney Buetel, Lana Harch and even supersub Sasha McDonnell, formerly of Canberra United, amongst the goals at one end, and Casey Dumont and her rock solid back-four having only
conceded one goal all term it would take a brave person to bet against them regaining their crown. So who, if anyone, can stop them? Sydney FC perhaps look the best bet, a summation based not just on their impressive 1-1 draw with the title holders, but on their all round roster. Matildas international striker Sarah Walsh seems to have shrugged off her injury-plagued season one and is looking deadly in front of goal while Walsh’s partnership with Season One Golden Boot Leena Khamis is finally firing with Khamis, who failed to find the net in the first two rounds, getting amongst the scorers. Heather Garriock is pulling the strings nicely in midfield, but it’s the signing of Danish international pairing Catherine
Paaske and Julie Rydahl that could prove the difference. Both have been in excellent form to date and could provide the nous and ability to take Sydney all the way.
Meanwhile it’s been a turbulent few weeks for last season’s beaten finalists Canberra United. Losing influential Matildas star Caitlin Munoz to injury in pre-season was a blow, as was the departure of leading scorers Kara Mowbray and Sasha McDonnell. Injuries have played their part at McKellar Park as well, but the signings of Ellyse Perry and Emily Van Egmond bodes well for the latter part of the season, should they both be available, whilst Kahlia Hogg (pictured bottom) looks to be an emerging talent.
The Central Coast Mariners have had something of resurgence this term having managed only four wins in finishing sixth last season. A surprise opening day 3-1 win over Sydney FC set the tone for the Mariners who have recruited three Americans in defender Kendall Fletcher, midfielder Lydia Vandenburgh and goalkeeper Jillian Loyden. The experience of the USA girls has rubbed off on the home grown talent and moulded a decent side.
And of course, there’s the small matter of Sally Shipard who, when her international clearance comes through, will bring a touch of class to the squad.
Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory are hanging on to the coat-tails of the top three and could pose a threat if they perform to the best of their abilities over the next few weeks. Perth, in particular, will be heavily reliant on Lisa De Vanna (pictured below) bringing her A-game if they are to prove any sort of title-threat.
So with four rounds to play it looks like Sydney FC are the most balanced and best-placed team to challenge Brisbane for their crown. Whether they can do it though is another matter entirely. .
Thanks to everyone who contributed. All who work on this fanzine do it as a labour of love with no payment. Web Designer/Logo Designer Peter Alexandrou Cartoonist/Logo Designer Wayne Snowden http://www.happinessforsale.org/ff/
Editor: Con Stamocostas, Photo’s: Cam W, Bryan Crawford, Shermozle and Asian FC George Stamocostas Send comments/feedback or if want to contribute in any way please e-mail Con Stamocostas @: cstamocostas@gmail.com
Kieran Pender: http://an-aussiesview.blogspot.com/ & au.fourfourtwo.com Matt McGrath: http://nqfuryfcthejournal.blogspot.com/ &
au.fourfourtwo.com More Football talk: Nearpost radio: www.2xxfm.org Streamed Tuesday 6.30pm Podcast at www.nearpost.blogspot.com and on itunes. Why not check out and support all the Aussie football fanzines: The Pissants can write as well:
We support recycling. We re-use the same screens every month. Distribution: Available at www.halftimeheroes.com.au Find more from our writers: Tony Tannous:
http://www.pissanttown.com/?p=29
http://roundballanalyst.blogspot.com/ & theroar.com.au
Independent Melbourne: http://ifm.mvfc.net/
Ben Somerford: www.theroar.com.au, www.euroo.blogspot.com, insidefutbol.com &au.fourfourtwo.com/ Fiona Crawford: http://www.footballfix.com.au/,au.fourfou rtwo.com/ & www.goal.com Con Stamocostas:au.fourfourtwo.com/, www.afootballstory.com, Mike Salter:www.thefootballtragic.blog spot.com Ben O’Neil: au.fourfourtwo.com Adam Brown: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/blogs/handof-god/,
Perth Glory: http://planetpurplefanzine.com/