Half Time Heroes Contents Page nth qld Fury & Socceroo david williiams q&A
A-LEAGUE PICTURE SPECIAL
ADVENTURES OF THE BIG D & BUCKLE UP BEN
CHIPPY BRADY it’s the a-league stupid
A-LEAGUE PICTURE SPECIAL
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MICHEAL TURNER THE 2022 WORLD CUP BID
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WAYNE SNOWDON THE COMMUNITY MODEL!
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KIERAN PENDER
LA LIGA young stars
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BEN HALLS IS AN ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK
FOREST BRAZIL
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TEAM USA AND THE MLS
MIKE SALTER THE EUROPEAN FIL TER
WAYNE SNOWDON YOOF DEVELOPMENT
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julian de martins Serie a
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gary -al-smith what’s ghana happen now?
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The editor makes a comment.. Hello football fans and welcome to the couresty of Goal!Weekly photographers. October Issue of Half Time Heroes. We haven’t missd a month just adjusting Mike Salter discusses the European Filour calander. ter with Nathan Burns and Bruce Djite as subjects. Andrew Donald talks dirty and It’s been all doom and Nat Adamopoulos gives us History 101 gloom with talk about the Awith Adelaide City. League with everyone with a paid opinion writing obitThis month at HTH we uaries. But here at Half Time also go cosmopolitan for all Heroes we celebrate football you Euro- football lovers/ and ignore the white elephant in snobs/connesairs. We start the room and in the stadiums. Sure our brand new Serie A secwe take it seriously as well but we tion with Julian De Martinis like to have fun and take the piss as and we also bring you Ze well. Bundesliga with Mark Hex. and don’t forget the La Liga This month’s highlights on Half Time with Kieran Pender. Heroes: An Interview with North Queensland You like US Soccer? Learn more about Fury and Socceroo attacker David Wil- the MLS and team USA with Forest Braliams. Thanks to Dave for giving us his zil. HTH sent our EPL writer Ben Halls to time. The Adventures of the Big D and the US. He is an Englishman in New York Buckle Up Ben Continue.... HTH’s satiri- checking out Soccer with some Yanks. cal look at the administration of football as we go behind the scenes ot two of Gary Al-Smith gives us an update on AfAustralia’s best mates thanks to Chippy rican World Cup Heroes Ghana Brady our secret ranter who goes off his nut again. We welcome Micheal Turner to Peace and football. the HTH family as he reviews Australia’s Con Stamocostas 2022 World Cup Bid. It’s in the bag right? Check out our A League picture specials
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mark hex bite size bundelsiga
NAT ADAMOPOULOS HISTORY OF ADELAIDE CITY
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GLENN SIEVER JOHHNY WARREN SHEILD
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ANDREW DONALD TO EXPAND OR NOT TO EXPAND
Half time Heroes Q&A
with DAVID WILLIAMS By Con Stamocostas At 18 years of age, David Williams ar-
rived on the scene in 2006 playing in a couple of substitute appearance for the Queensland Roar. Soon enough David made a dream move to Brondby where he played for the next three seasons.
Unfortunatley for David during his third season a new manager came in and he lost his place in the side. Eager to play regular football David came back to play with the North Queensland Fury last season and fans got to see an exciting quick and dangerous attacking player..
Playing alongside Robbie Fowler the Fury did not finish last as most pundits predicted. It seemed David’s decision to move back home worked as he was included in the Socceroos squad for the Asian Cup qualifier in March against Indonesia earlier this year.
Although the young Townsville side have impressed many this season, they have only recorded one victory back in round two.
Lead by eccentric coach Franz Straka the Fury produced some excellent early season form. They beat champions Sydney FC and drew with Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory by scoring late goals. However since they beat Sydney they have not won a game and are in second last. position
Away from football David also does work with Indigenous Australians. He is involved in a programme where once a week he goes to the Cleveland Detention Centre in Townsville as part of a mentoring programme. He is always attending local Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander events/programmes and will be involved in the club’s partnership with Mission Australia (the club’s front shirt sposnor ) which aims to improve the lives of Indigenous people throughout Northern Australia through sport. I was lucky to spend some time with David and one of the first questions I asked was about his time in Denmark. (Pics by Anita Milas / Courtesy of Goal! Weekly)
Half Time Heroes: Before you signed with Fury you spent three seasons with Brondby in Denmark. That must have been an exciting time, what was the feeling going into a new country having to deal with a new culture and language? David Williams: I loved it. It was a different experience. For me I went over and I was in the youth team for a while then I made the first team and I was consistently playing and unfortunate events happened over there and I just found myself not making the squad so I had to do what I can to play regularly. HTH: Some reports said the club sent you out on trial to South African club Bidvest Wits after you demanded a place in the starting line up; can you tell us what happened?
DW: I’m pretty happy that I did make the move back. There were problems there with not playing, I needed to cement a place. I was unfortunately a part of that but I have moved one and its all part of football. I have become better for it I know that I can learn from past experiences. HTH: What was it like living in Denmark?
DW: I loved it. I lived right in Copenhagen - it’s such a beautiful city and even in the winter and in the summer there are lots of things to do. I enjoyed every day I was there. I’d love to go back, but I just want to be somewhere where I can play football.
HTH: Looking back at last season were you happy with the form you showed in your first season with the Fury? DW: Yeah definitely. I think for us we read a few of the claims about what was written about us before the season and even during the season.
We did go further than expected, from expectation being bottom of the table I think if anyone had seen those predictions we have done very well.
We always thought that we were a good football team that could play and thought we could knock off some big teams. We did what we can and worked very hard.
HTH: How was playing with Robbie Fowler it looked like he had a good rapport with all the players? DW: For us seeing where he has come from to where he is now is a great journey for him. I think he is very comfortable and loves every minute of living in Australia.
HTH: Your new coach seems eccentric with loud jackets and exciting antics on the sidelines; did he turn up with the white suit when you first met him? DW: He did have some white pants on. He was very European looking; he has got a good fashion sense. For a European I think he fits right in. He brings a bit of a different fashion sense here, he’s a character. He didn’t have to change completely to fit into a place like this.
HTH: With young players like Isaka Cernak, Chris Grossman ,Osama Malik ,Chris Payne and yourself he has really embraced a youth philosophy?
DW: Some of these players didn’t get their chance at other clubs so they have come here and they are good footballers. I mean you don’t sign an A-League contract because you are a bad player.
We are professionals here and we get paid to do our thing and some of the players here are loving life and loving playing football regularly. So if you are happy and things are going well for you on the field you are going to be playing well. For me playing with Chris and Isaka up front, it’s very exciting for us. We never what’s going on, and we never if Chris Payne is going to pass it or not. Continued next page:
HTH: Well yeah, Chris has set up a few goals this season, he seems determined after his move from Sydney FC? DW: Yeah it’s very impressive and same with Isaka as well. He’s got a bag full of tricks and someone very unpredictable, you don’t know whether he’s going to run down the left, run down the right or take you on , he’s always got something and even if you know what he’s going to do he can still fool a defender.
It’s very very exciting to watch them , from my side of the field looking over sometimes it puts a smile on my face knowing they are doing all they can do. I am just happy to be a part of the attacking line up that we have up here in the new Fury.
goal was excellent he should be congratulated for that.
Adelaide is a good team and they should be congratulated as well. As I said before this league is very tight. You never know who is going to win games and lose games and it’s very exciting to be a part of. I just love the lead up to the games. The Thursday the Friday and the Saturday and getting out on that pitch on the weekend is a great feeling.
HTH:You have got a couple of African players in the squad this year adding a different international flavour how are they adapting to life in Townsville? DW:The experience of Eric Akoto and Eugene Supaya adds to the team no matter where they come from . If you see Eric in his game he is very calm
HTH: You have had a great start to the season, did the expectations change after such a good ‘As a role model I like havstart and after having ing my name next to that. your first loss how have you handled that?
I love doing what I can with these kids just hanging out and talking”
DW: It’s only one loss. I mean you might be able to go 26 something games without a loss but eventually every team loses in this league. It’s very tight. The coach explained to us that we have to carry on and lift ourselves up. He never believed from the start that we should be on the bottom of the table. I don’t think anyone should. I don’t know what they are thinking if they think we should be on the bottom of the table
Our Coach puts a lot of confidence and belief into the players. If he puts belief into the players I think it goes into the whole squad believing we are a good football team.
There is never an easy game in this league, for us it’s all about getting those three points it’s disappointing to have a loss at home and lose three points. We are kicking ourselves for it. I mean that’s football you accept it and you try to see what went wrong and look at your mistakes. We have a video session and try and improve on that and in training in the lead up to the game as well. HTH: Thoughts On Adelaide United?
DW:I think Adelaide did play some good football they capitalised on our mistakes. Flores
and it’s excellent to have someone so calming and having a big strong presence at the back and leading the defensive line for us.
HTH:Do you feel like a bit of an unofficial leader with your experience at the club?
DW: I do feel like I know a lot of the ropes, especially in Townsville. Knowing a few people is good just to help out the boys. I feel comfortable in that role because I have been here, you just know a bit more but once everyone fits in the team and finds their own feet then everyone is all equal. It’s not about who knows who or who knows the most people or anything like that. If we all work as a team I guess it doesn’t matter how long you have been at the club. If w can get results on the field and play well together then that is what I want to be a part of. HTH: Tell us about your Socceroo ambitions?
DW: Hopefully if I can keep scoring a few more goals and playing as well as I can I’ll just scrape over the line and get into the national team and hopefully get a chance when I get into the squad to do what I can. Hopefully some of the other boys in our team
can get over the line as well.
Any national team honours is a privilege to play and wear that shirt for the county.
HTH: With Pim Verbeek gone and with new hope that the new coach will turn his eye towards some A-League players, what do you think about reports that this year the ALeague has taken a step up in standard? DW: It’s difficult to say maybe it has or maybe the teams are fairer now and it’s more exciting that is why it seems that the standard has raised. You got football analysts and coaches looking at the games differently. As a player bottom teams are competing against top teams. It’s exciting that people have labelled this the most exciting A-League season ever and to be a part of that is excellent and hopefully I can do my part and make that exciting and enjoyable for people to watch.
I know us at the Fury we want to play entertaining football so people can watch us. We want to draw a crowd especially at our home games, and have that extra sense of atmosphere. This A League season I do see a higher level in that we have a few more international players, obviously we lost a few. There are more South Americans which is cool, but hopefully in a few more years we get some younger kids like us in the Fury starting regularly which
Hey Holger!!! The Youth, the Youth are on fire! David Williams & Mathw Leckie in action (Pic by Cameron Laird)
would be nice for the local community and the local fans to see some of what they can produce.
This sixth season of the A-League, I’m proud to be a part of it and play regularly for the Fury.
HTH: Tell us about being a role model for Aboriginal kids and do you think the talent identification system for young Aboriginal players can be improved for example how were you discovered? DW: For me I don’t think I was discovered, I was just brought up in the right path way to make it to the right teams. The local clubs first, then Brisbane Roar, then Queensland, then Australia. So I was right in the midst of it. I wasn’t discovered because I was some talented Aboriginal, I was in the mix with all the other boys. As a role model I like having my name next to that.
I love doing what I can with these kids, just hanging out and talking even if it’s just sitting there and talking and sitting at desks while they are at school. I go to Cleveland Street Detention Centre every week and that’s great, I love looking after a few boys there. It’s just a nice little group to be involved with.
“It’s exciting that people have labelled this the most exciting A-League season ever”
A-LEAGUE IN PICTURES Pics courtesy of Goal!Weekly Melbourne Victory “Ricardinho” Pic by Anita Milas / Courtesy of Goal! Weekly
Perth Glory’s Robbie Fowler Pic by Peter Simcox / Courtesy of Goal! Weekly
Serg
Sydney FC’s Terry McFlynn -”I’m sick of chasing shadows”Pic by Geoff Jones/ Courtesy of Goal! Weekly
gio Van Dijk for Adelaide United Pic by Adam Butler/ Courtesy of Goal! Weekly
CHIPPY B:
Frank and Ben - It’s the A-League stupid.
Think where you were in the early part of this decade, maybe 2001-2004.
Remember in the old days of the National Soc cer League, unless you attended games in Perth or maybe South Melbourne it wasn’t pretty was it. Not just the football but the atmosphere. Old codgers like Ian Rush trucked in for a game or two, part-time footballers and parttime pace.
Football fans dreamed of what we knew was possible. Big crowds, non-ethnic flags and its undertones, and of course no so-called ethnic violence. Not ever.
If I told you back then that football would change, change forever, would you have believed me? That we’d enter Asia and the Socceroos would play 10 or more games a year, all meaningful. They would head to not one but two World Cup Finals.
The Matildas would make headlines with their performances across the World. And a National Women’s league would be aired weekly live on ABC. A new National League would pull in Dwight Yorke, Juninho, Robbie Fowler and a host of former Socceroos and many other talented players in numbers we’ve never seen before. Our crowds would grow and grow, reaching 15,000 average per game in Season 3. We’d have record highs in Melbourne of 50,000, Brisbane 32,000 Sydney, 30,000+, Newcastle 20,000+ and even the Central Coast (Where the hell is that) would reach 18,000 for an innovative New Year Eve game. All games live on Fox Sports. Yes all games.
And Grand Finals, every year, packed out, in Sydney and Melbourne.
Oh and throw in an Asian Champions Grand Final appearance by Adelaide United that filtered across dead sports news desks in November 2009.Add in the hundreds of thousands of kids playing the games.
All this would be any marketers dream. The opportunities for growth would be unparalleled in Australian football. Even the old NSL board could have built on this? Well maybe but probably not.
We were lucky we had experts, professionals to drive the game forward. Frank Lowy with his marketing Westfield empire with exactly the sort of expertise we might need. In the CEO a marketing expert former Nike employee and professional sportsman Ben Buckley leading the way.
How did the opportunities slip from our grasp? How is it possible we couldn’t build on these opportunities? Who will bring us and the game with them in the future, all of us?
John O’Neill said there was no plan B if we didn’t qualify for Germany 2006. Is this the same post World Cup Bid Dec 2nd 2010? It feels like it doesn’t it?
Frank and Ben - It’s the A-League stupid.
a-league in pictures
The Mariners Oliver Bozanic! Pic by Geoff Jones/ Courtesy of Goal! Weekly
The Newcastle Jets Ben Kantarovski!Pic by John Turton Courtesy of Goal! Weekly
Sydney FC’ and up!Pic
Melbourne Victory Robbie Kruse left and Melbourne He
Adelaide United’s Marcos Flores! Pic by Adam Butler Courtesy of Goal! Weekly
’s Terry McFlynn & Mark Bridge suck it in c by Geoff Jones/ Courtesy of Goal! Weekly
eart Alex Terra right. Pics by Anita Milas / Courtesy of Goal! Weekly
Mike Salter “the football Tragic”
The European filter http://thefootballtragic.blogspot.com Pic by Adrian Gaglione/ Courtesy of Goal! Weekly
Some time ago, I wrote an article for the FIFA. com website detailing the rapid rise of a pair of Adelaide United youngsters ( here if anyone’s interested). Their names, of course, were Bruce Djite (pictured right) and Nathan Burns. Where they have ended up says a lot about the transition of Australian players to Europe, and the tests they face there.
When the Olyroo squad for Beijing 2008 was announced, it was significant that far more indignation was expressed at the absence of Djite than that of Burns. Yes, Graham Arnold’s men were missing a target-man type, and yes, Djite had enjoyed a prolific beginning to his sojourn in Turkey. But anyone who had followed the A-League closely enough was aware that Burns was, by far, the more promising player. It was easy to assume that, after Burns failed to make the grade at AEK Athens initially, his career was taking a David Seal-style dip. But his return home during the Sydney Festival of Football showed those of us who had ruefully shaken our heads just how wrong we were.
Here was a player who had really grown. His stint with Kerkyra in Greece’s second division had been far from wasted; he had returned to the Athens giants sharper, hungrier and smarter. His form during the pre-season tourney, which was thoroughly dominated by Dusan Bajevic’s side, has seen him rewarded with plenty of game time for AEK so far this season. And so...Djite.
Initial success with Genclerbirligi proved to be something of a false dawn, and he, too, was sent out on loan. But while Burns thrived on Corfu, Djite made no impact with Diyarbakirspor, and is now back home with Miron Bleiberg’s Gold Coast side. On the same ground that Nathan Burns had lit up some months earlier, Djite scored his first goal for Gold Coast United against Sydney on September 26. But the comparison between the two was even starker than during their Adelaide days; Djite still looks very far from the finished article, showing all the awkwardness and lack of nous up front that has characterised his sparse performances for the Socceroos.
There are many who still consider the standard of play in Europe vastly over-rated, and lament the fact that Pim Verbeek constantly refused to look to the A-League for Socceroo hopefuls. But there is a reason why Verbeek and others set their eyes on our European brigade first... especially on those who, like Burns, have passed that first test.
Micheal Turner discusses Australias’s 2022 World Cup bid Australian football writer
ComePlay. It has been the slogan that will carry
a nation toward the world’s biggest sporting event. It’s amazing to see that it only took four years for Australia to embrace the global game at such a large scale. With the momentum growing and showing no signs of slowing, the possibilities for our sport are endless. It’s no longer soccer; our sport that we passionately support is Football. For a hundred years it has been second to three other competitive and enjoyable codes of football. We have finally emerged, and now we just need that push. The impetus to seal the deal. FIFA, come pass us the ball. The Bid: Australia’s bid is hinged on one main idea as its focus. The United States has celebrities (Barack Obama, Oprah), England has history. Australia has people. Often dubbed the people’s bid, Australia has garnered the support of the Australian people to sway FIFA’s delegates. It has been a strong and innovative idea, with thousands throwing support behind the idea. The bid’s website has a counter of people who have registered with the bid, and this number has continually grown since its inception. Interaction is key. And the bid team has embraced this. Anyone can submit to the site, fan photos, videos, World Cup memorabilia etc. The Bid is simple. One Website. 20 Million People. It aims to reach out to everyone, and is doing a splendid job of it. Key Cities As per FIFA regulations, the bid team has nominated ten host cities that will host the FIFA World Cup, its players and fans. Eight out of the ten host cities are located in the Eastern states of Australia. All state capitals bar one have been selected (Hobart). NSW, Victoria both have two host cities, Queensland has three. Canberra, Adelaide and Perth are the others. Sydney is an obvious choice for a host city. Australia’s largest and arguably most hospitable city has a big history of hosting large events. The Sydney Olympics in 2000 is still regarded as the biggest and best Olympics of all time by the IOC, and the head of the London Olympic Committee. Sydney’s Olympic Boss Michael Knightly stated that the World Cup would be wonderful, and that Australia would be perfect to host it. Our track record does prove that. Melbourne and Geelong are once again obvious choices. Melbourne is often regarded by many (and myself) as the sports capital of Australia, and despite Sydneysiders’ complaints, the attendances speak for themselves.
With both being very hospitable places, high profile matches in Melbourne would draw fantastic crowds, and it would lead to a successful World Cup. Newcastle is part of the Hunter region known for its strong footballing culture. A footballing heartland would provide great exposure for the game, bringing the greats of the sport into the area where football never died. The Queensland cities of Townsville, Brisbane and the Gold Coast bring some geographical diversity to those already listed. Townsville will be interesting, as a well hosted and built up competition would help build the sport’s profile in the Rugby League heartland. Brisbane, being Australia’s third largest city, is another obvious choice, bringing the big city attitude Australia boasts once again. The Gold Coast is a wonderful choice for a host city. With a growing sport profile, in the area, the iconic sandy beaches and climate to die for would be the sought after venue for a team to base themselves. Canberra brings the icon that is the nation’s capital. The enthusiastic good natured people of Canberra are very much into sport, as shown by the attendances of matches containing neutral teams. Perth is an important choice for a host city. Being the biggest city on the Western seaboard, the FFA have embraced the western city, and also rewarded the city for its “services” to football. The citizens of Perth have been supporting Football since the NSL days, most notably 40 000 fans for an NSL Grand Final. Finally, Adelaide has become an important centre for the Australian football scene. The recent success of The Reds has cemented football’s place in Adelaide society. The scene of Hindmarsh Stadium on a match day has been a wonder to behold, with strong eccentric fans cheering on Adelaide United. A notable omission to this list would have to be the Illawarra area south of Sydney. The reasons are plain to see why it was not viable for another region on the Eastern Seaboard should receive host city status, however that doesn’t mean we cannot debate about the issue. The area has been a grove for footballing talent, with Scott Chipperfield and Tim Cahill to say the least. The area will most definitely boast an A-League by the time the World Cup comes around, so the legacy of the Wollongong Wolves will be tested in the years to come.
World Cup Stadia
One of the biggest focus points and a controversial part of the World Cup Bid would definitely have to be stadiums. And quite ignorantly we failed to see such a large conflict of interests that would occur in debatably the sporting capital of Australia. Melbourne’s competitive (even more so than the country in general) sporting landscape bred life into the debate with rival codes over their share during the duration of the World Cup. The AFL wanted to keep playing their competition, despite being overshadowed by the World’s biggest sporting event. A code war could be sparked from this, however I do not wish to delve into it right here and right now. The Bid team have chosen 12 FIFA compliant stadiums to host the FIFA World Cup should it be awarded to Australia. Sydney is the only city to be awarded more than one stadium (Sydney has three listed Stadia, Geelong is listed separately to Melbourne and both have one). Three Stadiums will be built from scratch, five will have major upgrades, and two will have minor adjustments, whilst two are already FIFA Compliant and have no cosmetic upgrades in the works.
The last of the new stadiums is the proposed Blacktown Stadium. Originally proposed by the State Government almost three years ago as part of an upgrade to the Olympic Park complex located there, the Blacktown Stadium will provide new breath into the depleted infrastructure in Western Sydney. Criticism of Blacktown Stadium’s (pic below) capacity of 41,000 idea has already been raised, with many parties believing that it would become a White Elephant, with no sporting teams in Sydney seeing Blacktown being financially viable to base a team out of. Other ideas raised were an upgrade to the Parramatta Stadium complex, however space requirements would mean the demolition of the Parramatta Pool complex, parts of Parramatta Park, and possibly the Historic Kings School Building located opposite for parking and/or transport interchanges. Nevertheless the Western Sydney area has proven to be a tough area for sporting organisations, and this is no different.
The new stadium in Canberra (pic below) will be a 40 000 seater ground is proposed to be situated next to the original Bruce Stadium in which several Hyundai ALeague matches have been staged.
Major upgrades to Townsville Stadium (Dairy Farmers)(Capacity: 40,000)
The 60 000 seater stadium planned for Perth (pic below) will feature an innovative exterior design. Using a simple red/white patterned aesthetic look in the shape of a bowl. Has been compared to many stadia located throughout Europe, and brings a World Class look to sporting infrastructure in Australia. ,Geelong Stadium (Skilled Park), (Capacity: 44,000)
Newcastle Stadium
capacity: 42,000
and Stadium Australia (Capacity: 83,000) POTENTIAL MATCHES: Opening Match, Group Stage. Round of 16, Quarter Final, Semi Final, Final
Gold Coast Stadium (Carrara Park) capacity: 40,000 will both be receiving minor upgrades to format. At the time of writing, no upgrades have been listed for the SFS, so it is only fair to assume that these will be minor cosmetic adjustments to the stadium. Upgrades to Stadium Australia as detailed by the State Government (2009), will contain a transparent retractable roof, state of the art seating, a change of form, from circular to rectangular, in order to boost seating, and bring the fans closer to the action. The planned upgrade will increase the seating to 90, 000. The upgrades will bring the status of the already famous Olympic Stadium to a modern world-class stature. and Adelaide Oval will all be capacity upgrades to bring the stadiums to over 40 000 capacity. As per all the stadiums listed, all of these will receive albeit minor cosmetic adjustments.
Finally, the two stadiums that have been listed as they are, the MCG and Brisbane Stadium (Suncorp Stadium) will receive no upgrades as planned by the bid team and/ or the respective State Governments. One notable omission has been made by the bid team, this being Etihad Stadium. If you were not aware of the ongoing code saga between the AFL and the FFA, the AFL withdrew the ground that they do in fact own from hosting any FIFA World Cup match. Melbourne’s AAMI Stadium (Bubble Dome) has also been left out, as it is believed that upgrading the stadium would prove too costly.
Sydney Football Stadium (capacity: 41,000)
In closing, an Australian World Cup will most definitely be a spectacle to behold, and will be a very innovative and visitor friendly affair. The real question is can we do it? Despite all adversities that the bid has faced to date, it has weathered the storm and persevered. On the face of it, the AFL’s dismissive attitude toward the bid is not one of disregard or minor inconvenience. It is one of fear and genuine concern toward the bid. For all football fans, its time. It’s business time. Support Australia’s FIFA World Cup Bid:
http://www.australiabid.com.au
Subscribe to my Twitter Page as I bring you the latest FIFA World Cup Updates, as well as other Footballing news, as well as random nonsense. http://www.twitter.com/turnermate
La Happenings! Kieran Pender la liga’s Young stars!
While the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and
Jose Mourinho are making news over in Spain, a number of young stars have been impressing without so much of the limelight.
So La Happenings thought it was high time to take a look at some of the youngsters lighting up La Liga this season.
David de Gea:
A product of the Atletico youth academy, de Gea could have been forgiven for feeling aggrieved last season when Los Rojiblancos purchased young keeper Sergio Asenjo just as the 19-year-old had been promoted to the first team. Slightly older than de Gea, 21-year-old Asenjo was highly touted as a future Spanish goalkeeper, and started the season as number one. Less than one year later however, and it was de Gea, not Asenjo, being called up to the provisional Spanish World Cup squad. While he may not have made the cut, it capped off a remarkable year for the Madrid born youngster, who had been pushed ahead of Asenjo in the Atletico side after a change in management, and responded with some spectacular performances. After such a standout year, some thought de Gea might struggle to maintain his form heading into the new season, but he saved a penalty as Atletico beat Inter Milan in the UEFA Super Cup. One month on and he is being tracked by one of the biggest sides in club football. But with three months until the transfer window reopens, de Gea has plenty of time to continue impressing, drawing in other suitors to push up his price.
Juan Manuel Mata: David Villa, exit stage left. David Silva, exit stage right. Juan Manuel Mata, enter, front and centre. As two of the most gifted forwards in world football left the Mestalla, fans and pundits alike worried about the future of Valencia. While manager Unai Emery knew the loss would be felt, he had another world class star waiting in the wings. When Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson missed his team’s Carling Cup game to travel to Spain, it was assumed he was simply scouting Valencia ahead of their Champions League encounter. Yet when details emerged that Ferguson’s travelling companion was goalkeeping coach Eric Steele, rumours circled that the pair were also keeping a close eye on Atletico Madrid custodian David de Gea, in action against Valencia in the Wednesday night clash. And if the one-all draw was de Gea’s audition for a place in the Manchester United squad, the young Spaniard, a mere 19 years of age, can be assured that interest from England will not go away any time soon. After Simao opened the scoring for Madrid, Valencia hit back, with wave after wave of attacking opportunities heading towards de Gea’s net. However just like three days earlier against Barcelona, the youngster was impervious between the posts, making a number of remarkable saves. Although Valencia eventually found an equaliser, and although Barcelona had won 2-1 the prior weekend, Atletico Madrid left both venues with their pride intact, largely thanks to their teenage prodigy.
22-year-old Mata, just another Real Madrid reject who made it after leaving the confines of the Santiago Bernabeu, moved to Valencia in 2007, and hasn’t looked back since. Pushing out the more established Vicente and Miguel Angel Angulo, Mata quickly found himself in the starting line-up where he combined with Villa, Silva and Pablo Hernandez to form a deadly attacking quartet. With nine goals and four assists last season, the young Spaniard was an integral part of Los Che’s rise to third place, and with it Champions League football. However Mata now has an even more important role at the Mestalla, filling the gaps left by Villa and Silva. Mata spent his summer in South Africa with the Spanish national team, and while he only made the pitch once, the experienced gained will be instrumental this season. After a slow start, he is once again firing on all cylinders for Valencia, and this could be the season that Juan Manuel Mata goes from promising youngster to world class footballer.
Sergio Canales: When 19-year-old Sergio Canales signed for Real Madrid in February, everyone assumed he was just another youngster being stockpiled at the Bernabeu, and would be allowed to stay at Racing Santander for the next few seasons. As such, when he wasn’t loaned back come July, cynics questioned whether he would be the next young talent to lose their way in the Spanish capital. With Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Özil, Sami Khedira, Pedro Leon and Angel di Maria all ahead of Canales in the midfield pecking order, it seemed unlikely the attacking spark would find much, if any, playing time. Yet when Madrid faced Mallorca in the first game of the season, Canales started ahead of Özil, Khedira and Leon. When Kaka injured himself in pre-season, the Madrid press went into panic, but a lone figure stayed calm. New manager Jose Mourinho simply stated that “Being without Kaka is not a drama.” Because the Portuguese manager knew he had an ace up his sleeve. And if that ace can recover quickly from a minor injury and force his way back into the team, it could be Canales, not the Galacticos, who fire Madrid to victory.
(Inset Top Right :Real Madrid’s Canales and Bottom Inset: Sevellie’s Mata)
Ben Halls is an englishman in
new york
http://thebenhallsblog.blogspot.com/ Usually around these parts of the woods I harp on about the Premiership. You know the stuff – I’ll bemoan Manchester City trying to buy success, say something mean about Fabio Capello and then proceed to dump on Liverpool until I hit the word limit. Today, though, I’m going to talk about something a bit different. I’m going to take a look at soccer in the United States.
Although there are numerous complex reasons why this is, here is a quick summary – rather than have internal youth systems to develop young players, teams draft them out of college; the season runs in the summer as a lot of teams share stadiums with NFL teams; there is no real transfer system, players are traded for draft picks, other players and small amounts of cash; there is no promotion or relegation; there is a salary cap; there is a limit on the amount of non-American players and, finally, if a player is bought by a European club the transfer fee goes to MLS centrally, not the franchise.
For the entire time I’ve been here, I’ve not seen one mention of MLS (Major League Soccer for those who aren’t up with the lingo) in the sports news, seen one advert for a team and, if it wasn’t for the fact that the New York Red Bulls have a small dedicated section in one of the department stores, wouldn’t have seen a jersey. Perhaps more tellingly, in Vegas I did not see odds offered on a single MLS game despite the amount of fixtures going on.
Honestly, although some teams are better than others there are some truly painful moments watching MLS. Aside from the odd player, I’m thinking most MLS teams would struggle in the Championship, England’s second tier of football.
I’ve been in the good old US of A for the last few weeks, you see, and as such my perception of football in America has changed somewhat. Even though I’ve been on this side of the pond plenty of times, I’ve always had the same perception of football in America; I know that there is a manamely, that Americans jor assumption in there don’t like it. Over here “So, if America gets behind it’s na- – the fact that MLS wants sports means NFL, Basewith European soctional team in major tournaments parity ball or Basketball and cer – but I believe that to that is about it – even Ice be true. MLS cannot conand enjoys European football, Hockey and NASCAR are tinue to solely attract the relatively on the fringe. just why doesn’t it get on with it’s odd 30-something EuroHowever, after spendpean washout looking for home grown stuff?” ing such a huge chunk one last major contract of time here I think I’m and pad the rest of the wrong. I think that Americans do like football, they just league with out with substandard players who fit a cerdon’t like their football. tain criteria based on their age, salary or nationality.
On the other hand, I’ve seen lots of Americans wearing soccer jerseys of European clubs, been in plenty of nontouristy bars showing European soccer and seen just as many people having a kick about as I’ve seen throwing American footballs. Dimitar Berbatov’s overhead kick against Liverpool even made ESPN’s Top 10 plays of the day.
So, if America gets behind it’s national team in major tournaments and enjoys European football, just why doesn’t it get on with it’s home grown stuff? Well, I have a theory. Unlike most of my theories, which generally tend to specialise on fusing whiskey and pillows into the best invention ever, I think this one could be a winner. My theory on why domestic football still struggles in the USA is this - Quite simply, MLS is incompatible with the European football to which it so desperately craves equality.
However, the big question is just what could MLS do to try to revive it’s fortunes? Although a small loyal following is enough to support it week in week out for now, small loyal followings are never enough for long term success. MLS needs to find a big, rabid loyal following. The only way I can see that happening is for MLS to begin to evolve towards becoming similar to European football. Using the traditional American sports system – drafts, trades, franchises all centrally controlled by a commissioner – MLS is completely incompatible to Europe and it’s youth academies, transfer fees and free market. Although we don’t want some franchises buying success, MLS needs to look at ways for teams to wheel and deal a bit more in order to attract a higher calibre of player. Most importantly, though, soccer needs to do a better job of attracting the prime athletes. Just the same way that many boxing gyms are losing young prospects to MMA, soccer loses a lot of top US prospects to baseball, basketball or American Football.
Frankly, can you blame them? In college those sports are cheered on by the entire school with games broadcast on national television, while soccer is just another sports program. Plus, if you’re good enough to go pro then league minimums for pay in the NFL or NBA are still in six figures, while the lowest paid MLS players get far less than $10,000 a year. Point in case: when Beckham ( pictured below) signed his bumper $125m deal with the LA Galaxy, the lowest paid person on that team earned about $9,000 and cleaned his team mate’s pools to earn a living.
MLS ATTENDANCES 1996-2009
Until now, MLS has quietly been growing thanks to it’s fundamental theory of controlled expansion. However, pretty soon it needs to take the training wheels off; MLS needs superstars, major youth investment and to be more financially attractive to top athlete prospects. However, between salary caps, strict NCAA rules and MLS’ borderline communist control, there is little chance of that happening. It’s time for MLS to take it’s training wheels off and adapt more to the European model of how the business of football is run. If it doesn’t, domestic fans will continue to ignore the product and follow the European giants. (Pic below Empire Supporters Club at opening of Red Bull Arena. PIC by Sam Szapucki 20 March 2010) ,
forest brazil US SOCCER UPDATE With the World Cup for the USA well and truly over it’s time to reflect on the disappointing and turn to thoughts of the future with hope for farther progression in Brazil in four years time.
In addition to finishing top of there group in the concacaf region for the World Cup, the yanks have had the better of there southern neighbors Mexico. Which is always going to put you in a favorable opinion of any American Soccer fan.
Even with these accomplishments taken into consideration I believe it was time for U.S. Soccer president Sunni Gulati to make a change for the benefit of American Soccer. As it stands Bob Bradley has been installed to continue on for another four year cycle. Unfortunately the other candidate Jurgen Klinsmann (pictured below) could not agree terms in writing with Sunni Gulati and U.S. Soccer. In other words it seemed the Gulati and the Federation were keen on Klinsmann, but did not want to give him the kind of control over the aspects of Soccer that he wanted. So that is where they turned back to Bob to continue on with the job. The main topic that people wanted resolved was whether Bob Bradley (pictured above) was continuing on as coach. I don’t think that anyone can argue that this decision is so black and white. It wasn’t like there were people calling for his head after the tournament. His accomplishments managing the squad give reasons for him to stay on as manager. Since taking over from Bruce Arena after the Germany fiasco on a then interim basis, he has won the Gold Cup, which in turn qualified them for the Confederations Cup where they were 45 min away from winning if it weren’t for playing a team fond of Samba with my same last name, go figure. Also in that same tournament a win over Spain doesn’t look bad on your resume.
My belief is that Jurgen would of had a positive effect on U.S. Soccer from the National Team on down to the way the States develops youth players. The U.S. is not even getting close to tapping the potential of bringing young players through an environment that will benefit the National team and the MLS. Making players good instead of average, finding players that under the current system would fall through the because his parents didn’t have the financial means.
Getting those kids who are amazing athletes to continue to play soccer instead of switching to more “American” sports. Given the example of the kind of athletes in Basketball, Gridiron Football, plus the sheer population of the country there is a wealth of talent out there. All these things that won’t change under Bob Bradley. So making it out of the Group stage is something will have to continue to be pleased with.
M.L.S.
With the playoffs for the MLS approaching the impact of foreign imports on there respective teams become apparent. In the Eastern Conference the impact of Henry has shown that he still has much to give, but one the very first imports who is making a bigger impact for New York is Juan Pablo Angel (pic below), consistently scoring goals and playing at a level that shows he could still cut it in the Englih Premier League.
On the merchandising side I’m sure many jerseys with the name Henry (CARTOON BELOW) on the back is selling quite well. Considering the dismal state of New Yorks last season having them second in the eastern conference, MLS executives and sponsors are very pleased with New York and L.A. being two of the Marque clubs in the league. Columbus Crew aging import Guillermo Barros Schelloto at 37 is pulling a Ryan Giggs and still going strong, with the Crew sitting top of the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately for Australian import Daniel Allsopp, his club D.C. United are a sinking ship sitting in last place in the East. For them the end of the season could not come soon enough. Hopefully with correct changes in the off season he can have a chance to make an impact. My gripe with the playoff system is that there can be games that are meaningless for many teams. For those teams that are at the bottom of the table with no playoffs, possible games can be a bit dull. In addition, those teams that have an average season and just squeak into the playoffs, and then end up on a hot streak to win the final, such as Salt Lake did last season, which some can feel is undeserved. On another note of positive news for the MLS the venues of many clubs have turned from playing in American Football stadiums with confusing lines on the field and seating reaching sixty thousand plus. Now that has changed to soccer specific stadiums with intimate settings similar to that of England’s championship league stadiums, which is great news for fans and players.
New York Red Bull Thiery Henry gives you cheating hands!
JULIAN DE MARTINS rates the top eight teams in italy’s SERIE A The World Cup? Meh. The Premiere League or La Liga? Laughable. There’s only one thing that die hard Italians care about- the league they love so much. Serie A is back with a vengeance, and early indications suggest that this will be a season to cherish.
Inter Milan
Indisputably- and admittedly, rather boringly to outsiders- the club to watch this season will be Inter. Jose Mourinho and Mario Balotelli have left the treble winning side, but they have already established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. They’ve won every Scudetto since 2006 (2005’s was awarded to them as a result of Calciopoli), and have a starting 11 that’s to be feared. Doubts remain over whether Rafa Benitez can cut it at the domestic level, though. He’s never once won the Premiere League with Liverpool, although he memorably captured La Liga with Valencia in 2004. Nevertheless, Inter’s squad is still the strongest in the peninsula, an they’ve been off to a solid, if not particularly impressive, start. Eto’ looks every bit the goalscorer he was at Barca, and Milito is starting to slowly recapture his form from last year. Sneijder has yet to recapture his glittering form, but it’s still early goings. Can the entire team recapture the hunger and desire that propelled them to the first ever Italian treble?
Inter Milan the current Serie A Champions!
A.C Milan A.C. Milan might be the most exciting side on the peninsula, having acquired Ibrahimovic and Robinho late in the transfer window. Along with Pato and Ronaldinho, this should be the strongest attack in Italy, but the four have yet to truly gel. Allegri has quite a challenge on his hands: satisfy all four with enough playing time, while also putting enough men in the midfield so that Milan aren’t overrun in the middle of the park (None of the Fab Four are truly known for tracking back). They’ll gel over time and get better, no doubt, but the key to Milan’s season might be Kevin PrinceBoateng.He’s every bit the dynamic, strong midfielder that they need, and his ceaseless stamina might be the key to allowing the fab four to play up top together.
Pic below inset: AC Milan free kick freak Andrea Pirlo: “watch me hit the post and then watch it go in; it just looks better!”
Roma Juventus Juventus have also made quite the splash in the transfer window, shoring up nearly every part of their team with young Italians. Boss Gigi Del Neri likes to play a 4-4-2 with the attacking impetus coming from the wingers, and it’ll be up to the likes of Pepe and Lanzafame to supply Juve’s attack. Selling Deigo might prove to be a mistake, as creativity may be short at Juve. However, like Milan, they can only be truly judged once their new signings gel. Bonucci and Chiellini will surely prove to be a stronger pairing than the latter was with an aging Cannavaro, and if Motta and De Ceglie can shape up their defense, we may well be looking at the Azzurri backline for the next decade as well as Juve’s. Unfortunately, they haven’t so far, and are looking like a defense right from a relegation team.
Roma, however, may just be the most predictable side in Italy. Like ever, they had a quiet mercato, although they did snap up Marco Borriello at the deadline. Like last year, they’ve had a terrible start to the season, including a 2-0 thumping away to Bayern. The key to their season won’t be new signings, but rather if coach Raineri can re-instill the diehard mentality they showed in the late stages of last year’s campaign. The squad is aging and questions are being raised about Raineri’s ability to win when it counts, so as for now Roma fans have reason to worry. Someone needs to steady the ship and Totti is finally looking like his playing days may be coming to an end. The savior might just be who it always is for the Giallorossi: Mirko Vucinic. He was against Inter, and if Roma are going to gain some form, it may well rest upon Mirko.
Luckily, Milos Krasic has been irrepressible since his arrival and has Juve firing on all cylinders in attack. Shoring up the back will be Del Neri’s number one priority over the coming weeks. Pic below inset: Juve legend Alessandro Del Piero
“Indisputably- and admittedly, rather boringly to outsiders- the club to watch this season will be Inter Milan.”
Thus the traditional top four are all worth keeping an eye on early this campaign. However, the rest of Serie A is shaping up to be the most balanced league in Europe by far. Genoa Genoa have had a stellar transfer campaign, bringing in the likes of Rafinha, Luca Toni (pictured below), Andrea Ranocchia, and Kaladze. Yet, they too need time to gel- clearly a running theme throughout the peninsula- as they lie 17th , a mere spot away from relegation. If Preziosi can stay away from the trigger button a while longer, Gasperini could be leading the surprise team of the season, if only he can steady the ship (and admittedly, there are quite a few “ifs” involved in that). Sampdoria need to somehow repeat last year’s magic with largely the same squad and a new coach, and as ever it will be down to the fantastical nature of Cassano and Pazzini. Luckily for the team, the two of them seem to have lost no spark over the summer and Cassano is in the form of his life.
Sampdoria Sampdoria need to somehow repeat last year’s magic with largely the same squad and a new coach, and as ever it will be down to the fantastical nature of Cassano and Pazzini. Luckily for the team, the two of them seem to have lost no spark over the summer and Cassano( pictured below) is in the form of his life. Napoli turned to Cavani to reinforce their squad and are aiming for the top of the table as well, and his attacking impetus is already reaping rewards for Mazzari’s side.
Napoli Napoli turned to Cavani to reinforce their squad and are aiming for the top of the table as well, and his attacking impetus is already reaping rewards for Mazzari’s side. Finally, Palermo Palermo have one of the most exciting teams in Serie A, and with the likes of Pastore leading the side, could go very far. Miccoli’s return from injury will be a huge boon to the team, and Cassani and Balzaretti have proven to be two of Italy’s very best wingbacks. Fiery president Zamparini claims that Delio Rossi’s job is on the line, but if he too can wait just a little longer, he might find that his Palermo side just needs time to find their rhythm.Honestly, can’t these presidents just relax? It’s only been 5 gamedays!
Player to watch: Despite the new transfers and the established superstars, it’s the up and coming Javier Pastore that really deserves fan’s attention. The amount of sheer talent running through him is electrifying and the sky seems to be the limit for Palermo’s young fantastista. He can dribble, he can shoot, he can get ovations from Juve fans. The kid’s special.
Team to watch: Genoa. Gasperini seems to be under the gun, and he may not be coach come November if Genoa don’t rise up the table. The team is in an odd situation, because on paper they should be right near the top of the table, though Gasperini’s ultra-offensive 3-4-3 may be to blame. His defenders are being put under enormous amounts of pressure, and converting to a more orthodox formation could ease the burden. Either way, October will be a very pivotal month for Genoa.
GHANIAN football writer
Gary-al-Smith keeps you up to
date on what Ghana’s been up to after the World Cup After we last met: Two months ago, if anyone would have told
Ghana that they would be looking under rocks for a new coach, that person would have been on a suicide mission. Ghana loved its Serbian coach, Milovan Rajevac (pictured below during World Cup 2010 in South Africa quarter final loss to Uraguay). And he loved them too. Or so he said.
Apparently Ghana’s FA president, who has a reputation for being a very smart lawyer, foresaw this during the World Cup and asked Rajevac if he would be leaving and so on. Rajevac brushed the questions off, saying that the task at hand was more important.
So we all concentrated on the task at hand, and he took us to the quarters. On August 14, his contract expired and that’s where the unease started. For someone who said he wanted to be with us, Rajevac was not as keen as people would have liked.
There was the usual negotiation, where it emerged that the Ghana FA would increase his monthly dues from $45000 to $65000 to prevent him from going. The word that came from the nether-sources was that he was cool. Soon, it became clear that he was not. First, his own country made open efforts to get him to lead them to Euro 2012 in place of Radi Antic, who had been unable to go past the Australia-Ghana-Germany group in SA. Rajevac totally rubbished their offer and said he did not want it.
And then, the heart attacks started. Ghana’s first qualifier for the 2013 African Cup loomed, having lost in a friendly to South Africa a few weeks prior.
After the Group D adventure of South Africa 2010 and all the wild success that followed, Ghana came home to realize that the coach’s contract was soon due to expire.
Around that time, Rajevac’s agent told a news website that he had signed a 4-year extension with the Ghana FA. Days later, the usually reserved and introverted Rajevac came out to quash that bit of news. That quashing made people sit up and realize that something wasn’t right. As the qualifier
against the southern African nation of Swaziland drew nearer, rumours started emerging that a Saudi club had signed the 56-year old on a one-year renewable deal.
The news will have been ignored but for the fact that everyone worth his salt knows how the Saudis love to use cash to bait human fish.
Initial reports said Al Ahli Jeddah were giving Rajevac $100,000 a month, and even went further to give specifics of the ‘deal’.
At the time this bit of news surfaced, the coach was with the national team in South Africa, readying to make the short hop to Swaziland. He was asked if the rumours were true and he, very convincingly, described it as a ‘nonsense rumour.’
They do not need coaching, they need manmanagement. Someone who will lead them. Because as we saw in South Africa, they are already quite good at kicking the ball. All they need is a firm hand to clamp down on the egos and make the kids in the team feel needed too.
Plus, the new man must able to deal with the hellhole that is African football politics. For the moment, the search is still on. Gary Al-Smith is a freelance African football journalist who writes for ESPN, kicker and WorldCupBlog. Get him on twitter.com/garyalsmith
Three days later, Ghana had the rudest shock of its football life – and we’ve had many – when we saw photos and other irrefutable proof of OUR coach shaking hands with oily Saudi sheikhs. It was heartbreaking, really.
The thing is, Ghana had adopted Rajevac as its own. Ghana doesn’t normally ‘accept’ coaches, but with this dude, he had totally earned the trust of the people. What galled many fans was that Rajevac had said on more than three occasions that he was going nowhere. Hell, two days before the ‘sheikh photos’ came out, he’d been interviewed on Ghana’s biggest English language station and he had assured people he would be back soon after going home to Serbia. Well, as it turns out he may be back soon, but definitely not as the Black Stars coach. Maybe as a tourist, or as an advisor to the new man.
The new man is not known yet, as the Ghana FA is going through the tedious process of finding someone for a team that has matured in so many ways. A lot of names have come up, but whoever he will be, his task would not be to ‘coach’ this Black Stars team in the strictest sense of the word.
(Above: Happy Memories; celebration during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after beating the USA in Round of 16 pic by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryusha/
MARK HEX Bitesize Bundesliga Sept 20 Herzlich Willkommen to my brand new Bundesliga column. Every month I will be focusing on the biggest news, the shocking revelations and of course, some football as well.
You can find out about all of the teams exploits on the official Bundesliga website: http://www.bundesliga.de (which is available in English for people like me who can’t actually speaka de lingo). Here is my roundup of the main movers and shakers from Matchday 1 until today (Wednesday 22nd September). FSV Mainz 05
These Bundesliga new boys are top of the table thanks to wins against Stuttgart, Wolfsburg, Kaiserlautern, Bremen and Koln. A true fairytale story from the league of make believe. 1899 Hoffenhiem Speaking of fairytales, Hoffenheims rise from nothingness makes the story of David and Golaith seem small potatoes. They have continued their ascendance to the top of German football and currently sit in second. Bayern Munich Everyone knows who Bayern are. If you asked your Granny to name a German team she would probably name the Bavarian giants and after doing the League/Cup double last term as well as being crowned Champions League runners up you would be forgiven for thinking that they were coasting at the top of the league but, alas no, it is not so (they are currently 7th).
Munich have struggled with scoring this term. Despite leaving lanky-waste-of-boots Mario Gomez on the bench most games they have only managed to notch up just four goals in five matches and with bad boy Ribery now sidelined for four weeks after an injury in their latest 2-1 win against Hoffenheim, who knows what the future holds for this lot. FC Kaiserslautern When the Kaiserlautern beat Bayern Munich in their opening fixture in the 1997/1998 season, they went on to win the league becoming the first newly promoted team to do so in Bundesliga history. They managed to shock Bayern again this season with a 2-0 victory early on but haven’t been able to maintain that form after a defeat and a draw in recent matches. Current position: 8th. Bayer 04 Leverkusen Michael Ballack returned to his old club this summer after becoming surplus to requirements at Chelsea. His move back to Deutschland has been underwhelming to say the least. Not only have Leverkusen won just a single game this season but injury-prone Ballack has picked up a fracture that will have him sidelined for at least 6 weeks. (Below inset pic of Robben by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryusha/)
FC Schalke FC St. Pauli Along with Kaiserlautern, newly promoted St Pauli also managed to win their opening game 3-1 against Freiburg. This is the first time that the new boys have both won their opening fixtures in Bundesliga history. More recent results have not been so impressive though and they are currently mid table.
Werder Bremen Bremen are clearly missing Ozil after his big money move to Real Madrid and as a result have been rank rotten this year. They have conceded 12 goals in just 5 matches and have chalked up just 1 win (a 4-2 home win against the similarly useless Koln). VfL Wolfsburg Wolfsburg were responsible for the main managerial excitement in the close season when ex-England flop Steve “Man with an Umbrella” McLaren (Wiki it) took over the reigns. This is the man, lest we forget, that within a matter of months of taking over at Dutch club FC Twente was talking in broken English during an interview (Youtube it for laughs). Comedy-character McLaren has spent almost €39 Million since taking over the reigns, the main chunk of this being in the form of Diego who cost the handsome sum of €15.5 million to procure from Juventus.
The big splurging has not paid off thus far as witnessed by the fact that as I write they are sitting second bottom. However, as Morrissey once sang, these things take time and after a 2-0 victory against Hannover in their last match maybe Mr McLaren will be able to get back through UK Passport control one day without a snigger.
Schalke have a 100% record this season. All losses. They are another team that have spent the annual GDP of a small African nation in the close season but have still looked like a bunch of Sunday league footballers. They have brought in Raul from Real Madrid (for free) and Klass Jan Huntelaar from AC Milan (for big bucks- approx €13 million) but in their first game some sloppy defending allowed Van Nistelrooy to trample all over them in his Bundeliga debut for Hamburg and things have not improved since. In their second game, sacked ex-Manager Mirko Slomk marked his return to the Veltins Arena by guiding his new team, Hannover, to a 2-1 victory.
In the Friday televised match they showed themselves up to the nation by losing 2-0 to Hoffenheim and in the tensely contested Ruhrgebiet derby they lost 3-1 to Borussia Dortmund. All of which has left them in a pit of despair at the bottom of the table.
Finally, in the Euro 2012 qualifiers, the German national team have continued with their fine World Cup form with victories over Belgium (1-0) and Azerbaijan (6-1). Can Mainz stay on top? Will Schalke succumb to relegation just like Hertha Berlin last year?
Can Bayern find their midas touch once again? And, most importantly, will Steve McLaren remain a laughing stock in foreign shores? Find out all this and more in the next installment of Bitesize Bundesliga. Mark Hex is a Scotsman living in exile in Berlin. He plays in a band called Pop Campaign. You can hear their music here: www.soundcloud.com/popcampaign.
South Australian football writer
Nat Adamopoulos
ADELAIDE CITY’S REIGN OF SWEET SUCCESS On any given day if you gave a Club Chairman in any state of Australia the following scenario…over 60 years in operation, numerous players representing the national team, national football records being held, former coach involved in World Cup campaign and 20 Championship Titles – five in the past six years…you would grab it with both hands and hold onto it like gold!
Well at the end of the 2010 season that’s exactly what the Adelaide City Football club has forged for itself, marking their Grand Slam 64th year in operation a most memorable one with teams winning all three tiers of Super League competition (Seniors, Reserves and 19’s along with the 17’s) and being right up there as one of the most successful clubs in Australia. And undoubtedly one of the catalysts in the recent successes of the Black and Whites would have to be player-coach Damian Mori (pictured below) being at the helm since 2004. As a player for the club he was the goalscorer extraordinaire who was extremely strong on the ball and knew exactly where the goals were. His knack of being in the right place at the right time to score goals was exceptional which is proven with his sensational goal to game ratio in the NSL, 216 games played for 128 goals scores. Since his return to the club in 2004, the club has been successful in winning 18 trophies across the 19’s, 23’s and senior teams. Whatever he does or says to his squad of men each year has obviously been the right ingredient for a winning recipe and successful football mentality.
As is with most of the ethnic clubs’ histories, the club was formed in 1946 by a group of expatriate Italian migrants and took on the name of Juventus. Less than 10 years later, the club enjoyed the first of what would be many titles, winning the 1953 League Championship, followed by a undisputable dominance with 5 titles before the end of the 1950’s including an unprecedented 4 in-a-row between 1956 and 1959. The club followed this up with an additional 3
League Championships in the 1960’s and 3 more titles were won in the 1970’s up to 1976. The following year in 1977 Adelaide City then went on to become a foundation member of Australia’s National Soccer League (NSL). It took almost 10 years for the first of three NSL titles to be won in 1986 under the coaching prowess of hard man Zoran Matic, whose expertise in tactical and psychological football lead Adelaide City to further NSL Championship successes in 1992 and 1994. The club also held the record for most consecutive finals appearances which stood at 11 years having being achieved between 1990 and 2001.
As the writing was on the wall for the NSL, Adelaide City withdrew from the NSL in 2004 being replaced by Adelaide United and the Black and Whites concentrated on focusing on the rebuilding of the club and its home base with new state of the art $4.5million facility at Oakden. Also in that year football legend Damian Mori returned to the club and took his place as the player-coach and after getting a season of consolidation under their belt went on to win the 2005 S.A. Premier League Championship. In 2006 Adelaide City celebrated its 60 year anniversary by winning all 3 domestic competitions. It won the 2006 pre-season Errea Cup, the 2006 knock-out Federation Cup and the 2006 BEST Super League completing the season undefeated setting an unprecedented path of success. To be able to achieve such success as anyone knows, depends on those that work and play within the club. Adelaide City hails many talented players that have graced the field playing in the black and whites stripes which have gone on to represent not only their state but their country. One of those that would be put at the top of the list would be Sergio Melta. He played for Adelaide City in its inaugural year in the NSL 1977 and continued playing until after the 1994/95 season, held the club record for the most number of games (445), an NSL record at the time and scored 64 goals. To add to that he represented South Australia between 1980 and 1990 and during that time representing his country was awarded Australian Player of the Year in 1984. His football excellence has been acknowledged with the South Australian Player of the Year Medal being named after him. Outstanding performances must also be acknowledged with the likes of John and Bugsy (Bohdan) Nyskohus, John Perin, jumping Joe Mullen, Milan Ivanovich, Aurelio
and Tony Vidmar, Alex Tobin, Damian Mori and David Mitchell to name just a few. All these men are no strangers to championship medals, state and national representation with several going on to be current day national coaches.
And speaking of coaches, no one could look past the great Zoran Matic (pictured below), the second longest serving coach in Australian senior competition.
He was the first coach to amass 200 career wins in the NSL and on the 27 October 2001 broke the record for the most number of games coached (430) in the National Soccer League. He won NSL Coach of the Year in 1990/91 and coached Adelaide City to the National Championship in 1986, 1991/92 and again in 1993/94 was also runner up in 1992/93 and 1994/95 a feat you would agree is not only outstanding but enviable by anyone’s terms.
And then there’s the ever colourful and debonair Rale Rasic (pictured top right), who revolutionised the game in Australia and still to this day is widely respected in Australian Football. Although his stint at the club was brief from 1979 – 1980 he too left his mark to those that served under him. In 1974 he led the Australia national football team to the World Cup as coach but was unceremoniously dumped by the Australian Soccer Federation replacing him with Englishman Brian Green. Rasic and others believe that he was dumped because he was not seen as being a real “Aussie” and stated, “They took from me something that I was doing better than anyone else. I was a true-blue Aussie and nobody can deny that. I taught the players how to sing the national anthem.” These days, as the first coach to take Australia to the World Cup finals, Rale Rasic is still widely respected in Australian football. Looking further into the archives of the club mention must be made to some key players over the years that work both in front of and behind the scenes in areas that all too many times are ignored when it comes
to appreciation and acknowledgement. Here again Adelaide City has had some outstanding men working for the club, over the years giving countless hours to contribute to its success. Such men as Bob D’Ottavi who has been Coach/Manager, Chairman, Owner plus much much more…without whom the club would not have been able to continue with its path to success. Charlie Capogrecco who has worked diligently in administration and management to ensure the smooth running of the club for many many years, Santo ‘Chic’ Caudo who was the Head Trainer of Juventus 196076, Adelaide City NSL 1977-81, Adelaide City Juniors 1982-92, Adelaide City Women’s team 1993-2000, 2003-2006 and Joe ‘Zepe’ Camillerri a ‘jack of all trades’ and a true club legend, who has done it all from line marking, grounds maintenance and upkeep of strips to instill a ‘professional’ side in regards to player preparation for games and at 78 is still working for the club tirelessly.
When you meet these men their passion for the game is blatantly obvious and comes through with their wonderful smiles and many hours they have volunteered to their great club. In 2010 marking the clubs 64 year history, Adelaide City FC has won a remarkable 20 Championships, that’s one Championship every 3.2 years, which is a truly outstanding achievement by an outstanding club. And now the time has come for the new breed to come through with some very mature championship winning performances by their ‘young guns’ this season. To add testament to this is their Best and Fairest Player for 2010 Matthew Halliday, creating a record for the club as the youngest ever player to win the award at only 19 years of age in his first full year playing for the Senior team, an unbelievable feat in today’s football. As the club looks forward to the 2011 season and grows from strength to strength, I am certain more names will be added to the list of champions and the outstanding success of the club will continue into the future.
Glenn Siever (alias Midfielder) proposes the johhny warren shield A new competition needs a name to inspire so with huge respect I have named this potential competition as the “The Johnny Warren Shield”. We football folk are all looking for a number of things. One of the big wants is a FA cup, something to bring Old Soccer, New Football and the Associations, together. To involve the entire Australian football family maybe 800 clubs covering all areas of Australia. I believe I have a competition format that in 30 to 36 games does all the above. The system I have is mind blowing simple . Simple in concept, only a small number of games making it very easy to run, with only a small cost, and maybe being able to go free to air. To explain I worked in New Zealand for about three years, and they have a great competition over there that would suit Australian Football. It’s the Ranfurly Cup and by heavens it gets people in. It works like this the holder plays each week for the cup until they loose it. The challenge match they play each week is away from home. Essentially mid week over 30 to 36 weeks …. Allowing for FIFA days and Asian Cup commitments it could run over 37 to 43 weeks. The format and workings.. every A-League and State 1 & 2 teams would be atomically invited plus any premier league division 1 side that wished to nominate. FFA would schedule twelve months in advance all matches and each quarter ( 3 months issue the next teams to play). Meaning all teams would have 12 months to prepare for the match, get its ground in order, and let the local community know they are playing.
This length of the competition and who is invited is not cast in stone. Personally I would like to see a 36 week competition. Assume all A-League teams invited meaning 11 matches involving A-League teams, add say ( not cast in stone) 12 State 1 & State 2 teams, leaving 13 Association Premier 1 teams from all parts of the country. Over a four year period all state 1 & 2 teams would play. The best association teams across 13 different locations could be chosen. The great beauty of this is the NSL teams or say at least 8 per year would get to play plus another 4 association rep teams. Within two years all NSL teams have played once, some twice, meaning for that one match they should behave which helps bring them in from the cold so to speak. The the excitement in say Bathurst and the greater western plains area if a Bathurst team was to play. Plus with only 36 matches very cheap to run. Also I assume outside the Fox contract with the State 1 & 2 teams & the Premier 1 teams from association teams. Meaning this may be able to go free to air and if we assume 90 % of matches will involve a A-League team every week there is an underdog side everyone aside from the A-League sides supporters are going for. Plus the upsets when Melbourne Victory are beaten by Bathurst, and how the Melbourne Knights would love to stick it to an A-League team.
As As II said said itit is is so so simple simple everyone everyone gets gets ininvolved volved and and all all in in aa 36 36 week week competition. competition. This This style style of of competition competition runs runs up up very very quickly quickly heaps heaps of of records records and and talking talking points points eg eg who who has has held held the the cup cup for for the the most most number number of of chalchallengers?.... lengers?.... the the first first NSL NSL team team to to beat beat an an A-League A-League team team ?? .... the the first first premier premier 11 asassociation sociation team team to to win. win. Other Other talking talking points points bragging bragging among among the the NSL NSL clubs clubs for for holding holding itit … … watching watching the the last last few few games games before before your your game game trying trying to to work work out out who who you you will will play…. play…. Country Country areas areas wanting wanting to to stick stick itit to to their their city city cousins… cousins… In In summary summary cheap cheap as as chips chips to to run run because because of of the the small small number number of of games, games, involves involves the the entire entire country, country, and and by by playing playing all all games games away away very very hard hard to to hold. hold.
Andrew Donald talks about Australian football’s dirtiest word --Shortly following the start of the 2010/2011 season of the A-League, controversy surrounding the first phase expansion clubs has continued to rear its head. There are many other people who will no doubt discuss Gold Coast and the attempt to re-implement the crowd cap. Leaving aside the legitimate issue that the FFA have taken their eye off the expansion ball due to the World Cup bid, I instead will focus on how expansion has been facilitated.
(pic above Gold Coast United – not going well)
Franchise brand and the search for major players, while at the same time the basic structure of the club and the revenue framework can be put into place. At the same time the upper tier of Australian football is helping the lower tier in terms of attendances and interest. Competing in the local state league provides a “bottom up” grassroots community angle that gives balance. The entity is on its way, it is playing games in the grassroots community where participation numbers are high. The new team can start to develop a core fan base that hopefully begins to grow via word of mouth but also acts as a platform for a solid inaugural membership base. Working in line with another idea of mine which involves a substantial FFA Cup running from the end of an A League season in February/March and running until May, an incoming A League team can also prospectively play in this competition prior to full participation in the A League.
A change of tack needs to be considered, rather than just throwing “Franchises” in from a top Active supporter groups, which give a fan perdown approach like the Gold Coast and the new sonality to the club, can Heart franchise, a “A change of tack needs to be considered, rather than help to balance out the profile of the major backmore phased just throwing “Franchises” in from a top down approach ers in the lead-in period transition like the Gold Coast and the new Heart franchise.” (like as occurred with involving F-Troop in the lead up to a “lead-in” North Queensland Fury’s period into launch). the A League needs to be facilitated. At the heart of it all is a balancing act If matches are being played at smaller grounds, they are firstly more conducive to allowing a fan Negotiation with the State Federations needs to community to grow around the new entity (none be undertaken to have a prospectively new team of the restrictions that are usually in place at inserted into the local State league (like the AIS some of the bigger stadiums). An authentic grasswas inserted into the Victorian Premier League). roots personality develops around the “Club” that This way, while we can enjoy the “top-down” helps to balance out the “plastic” factor of the anticipation that comes with developing the
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expansion.
Franchise model. This ties in with a larger issue that as well as the FFA needing to scrutinise the “Business model” of bidders, they also need to scrutinise the “community engagement model” of prospective clubs, as football clubs are about sociology as much as they are business.
United in the W League or Tasmania in the youth league. The coherent backbone of a team can be put in place. Some older players who are potent at State league level can be placed into the team, which just leaves having to find the potent A League level and international players before the leap is made. Lastly, the advantages of having a “lead-in period” is that networks can begin to develop. Not just fan networks but also networks between business entities in the local community. This may help with financial viability through securing a broad number of small to medium sized local businesses, not just through sponsorship but also in terms of them being local backers.
(Above and below: Balancing act. Developing a healthy Fan base and brand via the State Leagues
The fan base developing around the club is a prospective customer base for smaller to medium businesses. On the other side of the spectrum, having a broad number of small to medium size businesses firstly means there is much less of a vacuum if a major backer like Bianco, Palmer or Matheson pulls out. The identity of the club can be slowly and more surely refined over this “lead-in” time period as well, such as the Moniker, the logo and especially the kit theme so they have a more “football” feel to it and we can avoid calamities such as the Fury and their playing strip.
If State League participation is balanced out with having participation in women or reserve/ youth leagues, the new entity can begin to develop its brand and awareness in A League circles. Similar to what is occurring now with Canberra
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The next edition of Half Time Heroes is out November 2010. running a football club is easy: Just say words like grassroots, community model and like magic all the pieces will fall into place.