A-League in the Media Thread

zhuangzi · Aug 22, 2011

sometimes agendas are right, yanno

el-capitano · Aug 22, 2011

zhuangzi said: ↑

sometimes agendas are right, yanno
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That might be the case, but you can let go of things. Maybe one day, Cockers might let go of his.

zhuangzi · Aug 24, 2011

Kickoff kinda has to be moved now

el-capitano · Aug 24, 2011

zhuangzi said: ↑

Kickoff kinda has to be moved now
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There's no way they'll want to miss out on this game. In the words of Rachel hunter: it'll heppen

el-capitano · Aug 26, 2011

Elrich as usual bringing good press to the game

A former Australian soccer international who once played in the English Premier League has become the latest victim in a spate of drive-by shootings in Sydney.

Police began investigating the eighth such shooting in a week when they were called to Ahmad Elrich's home in Granville, Western Sydney, at 11:30am Thursday after a bullet hole was found in the window of a car parked outside.

Elrich told police he had heard four gunshots at about 4:00am but did not see the damage until later.

The 29-year-old is on bail on gun and drug possession charges after police allegedly found him carrying two loaded pistols and medication without a prescription in May.
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http://www.foxsports.com.au/footbal...ydneys-wild-west/story-e6frf423-1226122858785

zhuangzi · Aug 26, 2011

From Craven Cottage to this.

el-capitano · Aug 26, 2011

zhuangzi said: ↑

From Craven Cottage to this.
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Tell me about it- and he's still only 29. He should have had at least another 5 years left in him at the top level.

X@V!3R · Aug 26, 2011

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/we-are-football-but-are-we-original-20110825-1jc5h.html

We Are Queensland. We Are Red. We May Be Inspiring Similar Slogans In Other Codes.

The first two parts of that motto became the catch-cry of Queensland’s dramatic ascent from the basement of Super Rugby until they moved into the penthouse with a grand final victory in July.

The third burst into life yesterday morning after leaked details of the A-League’s new marketing campaign for the coming season disclosed Football Federation Australia’s bold, if slightly familiar, sales pitch: ‘‘We Are Football.’’
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/5510084/Serepisos-Phoenix-players-have-been-paid

Wellington Phoenix boss Terry Serepisos is adamant all player payments are up to date after the footballers' union intervened over what it called "outstanding amounts".

It is understood several Phoenix players were not paid on time this week as the financial squeeze continues to go on embattled property developer Mr Serepisos.

Professional Footballers Association chief executive Brendan Schwab said yesterday there were "certainly some outstanding amounts" this week, but Mr Serepisos said there was a one-day delay caused by an "internal issue".

"Everybody's been paid, 100 per cent, absolutely and categorically," Mr Serepisos said yesterday. "All players and all staff have been paid this week. I swear on that.
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http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/bus...ors-just-wild-about-harry-20110825-1jccu.html

MELBOURNE Victory is enjoying a boost in interest in sponsorship since signing Harry Kewell, with a new deal expected to be announced next month.

The soccer club is negotiating with several companies for a joint principal partner for branding on its away strip as well as for branding on its away shorts. Victory's commercial manager, Jim Christo, said the club expected a deal to be finalised within a fortnight, or four weeks at the latest.

Mr Christo said interest in sponsorship had spiked since Kewell was signed to the club, but he said the price of sponsorship would not be driven to ''extreme levels''.
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el-capitano · Aug 29, 2011

Yes, Osieck has first call on the services of both players under FIFA regulations. Yes, the FFA's decision not to build FIFA windows into the A-League draw means there could be more club-versus-country problems down the track, and therefore a precedent would be set. But these things only matter if there is a disagreement. And you'd be hard put to find anyone in the game - including opposing coaches and players - who doesn't think it's the right time to make an exception.

Kewell and Emerton squaring off against each other to kick off the season is infinitely more valuable in the long-term than having the two veterans playing a World Cup warm-up match against Malaysia in Canberra. That's right, the Malaysian team ranked 146th in the world. All Osieck needs to do is excuse both players from selection, allow them to play for their clubs the night before, and he still gets time to work with them before the World Cup qualifier against Oman in Sydney four days later. It might not be in the rule book, but it's definitely in the book of commonsense.
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http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-leagu...tars-light-up-the-aleague-20110828-1jgcv.html

jimbregas · Sep 8, 2011

Thought I'd chuck this up here:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVo4UiEmet0&feature=player_embedded"]Hyundai A-League Season 7 - Pre-season teaser - YouTube[/ame]
Nice looking vid, hopefully we see more stuff like this on TV this year.

el-capitano · Sep 9, 2011

jimbregas said: ↑

Thought I'd chuck this up here:
Hyundai A-League Season 7 - Pre-season teaser - YouTube
Nice looking vid, hopefully we see more stuff like this on TV this year.
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On this:

Although the new ad won't be launched until early October, a "teaser" reel has been released on YouTube and Facebook.

It is believed more than $4 million will be behind the attempt to sell the A-League to an ambivalent public. That's on a par with the amount spent in the first, and glitziest, year of the competition.
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http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...ld-new-promotion/story-e6frey4r-1226132538118

el-capitano · Sep 12, 2011

Who exactly is running football these days? Beats me. Just days after Football Federation Australia squibs the chance to get on the front foot after being cleared of corruption in the World Cup bid, the same organisation bottles it over the no-brainer of making sure Brett Emerton and Harry Kewell are available to kick off the A-League season.

Leadership has been a problem for a while, but it's getting ridiculous. In the nine months since the disaster in Zurich, the FFA has been virtually invisible. Who's going to help the game if it won't help itself?

If the match at Etihad Stadium isn't going to be rescheduled from October 7 (a decision only revealed on Saturday afternoon through a few calls to selected journalists), then the players need to be excused - publicly and unequivocally - from the World Cup warm-up game in Canberra against easy-beats Malaysia.

Given the Socceroos have kicked off their World Cup campaign with a 100 per cent record, how hard is that?

The recruitment of Kewell and Emerton within days of each other gave the A-League the best publicity it's had in years. Kicking off the new season with both players on the park produces benefits well beyond good gate takings on the night for Melbourne Victory. It's a message to the world: the A-League is back.
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http://www.smh.com.au/sport/footbal...-most-of-kewell-v-emerton-20110911-1k40f.html

X@V!3R · Sep 13, 2011

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/215870,central-coast-mariners-dismiss-cash-crisis.aspx

CENTRAL Coast Mariners have dismissed speculation that they are in the midst of a cash crisis - and insist they are actually better off than some rival clubs in the A-League.

Reports have claimed the Mariners have serious cashflow problems which could have seen them struggle to even pay player wages this month.

Mariners chairman Peter Turnbull today admitted the club was facing "issues" but insisted they were no different from any of their rivals.

"Every A-League club has financial issues," he said in a statement released by the club today. "So does almost every football club around the world.
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http://tvnz.co.nz/business-news/phoenix-offered-developer-4400616

Wellington Phoenix owner Terry Serepisos has offered millionaire property developer Mark Dunajtschik the majority holding of his football club as part of a bailout deal earlier this year.

Dunajtschik said yesterday he had been offered a 51% share in the Phoenix, but he believes the club, which loses up to $1.5 million a year, is a liability and he has no intention of taking control.

But he would contemplate offers from would-be saviours.
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http://www.theherald.com.au/news/lo...repare-for-season-without-culina/2290639.aspx

THE Newcastle Jets are preparing for the prospect of marquee signing Jason Culina not playing a game this A-League season.

In a desperate bid to play this summer, Culina will begin a series of blood injections into his problematic left knee this week and has been told by doctors to avoid weight-bearing exercises ‘‘for several weeks’’.

Jets chief executive Robbie Middleby confirmed last night that the 31-year-old Socceroos midfielder could miss the first four to six weeks, but he said Culina and the club had not ruled out the worst-case scenario – that the star recruit would not play at all this season.
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el-capitano · Sep 25, 2011

Tomorrow we're finally going to be put out of our misery. Holger Osieck will announce his Socceroos squad for the friendly against Malaysia and World Cup qualifier against Oman - and Brett Emerton and Harry Kewell will be in or out.

After more than a month of fevered speculation, many thousands of written words, and no end of behind-the-scenes manoeuvring, Osieck is going to have to come clean about his intentions.

Will Kewell be lining up against Emerton when Melbourne Victory host Sydney FC in the blockbuster season-opener on October 8, or will Osieck deny the A-League its moment in the sun by demanding one or both players instead turn out against the Malays in Canberra the night before?

Let's recap. Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory have made it abundantly clear they want their new marquee stars to be on the pitch at Etihad Stadium. Kewell and Emerton have made it equally clear that's what they would prefer. The fans, the media, the sponsors and the host broadcasters, Fox Sports, are also in no doubt where the priority lies.

But against the tidal wave of opinion stands the only man whose opinion counts. By refusing to issue an edict to the man it employs, Football Federation Australia has boxed Osieck into a tight corner. Now he has to show his hand.
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http://www.smh.com.au/sport/footbal...er-for-socceroos-friendly-20110925-1krng.html

el-capitano · Sep 30, 2011

Allstars game anyone?

This season there will be 43 imports - excluding Kiwis - playing for the 10 clubs. If you count the Kiwis, all six of FIFA's confederations will be represented. And quite a few of them have played, or continue to play, for their various countries. There will be full internationals from nations as diverse as Ethiopia, Bahrain, Canada, Ireland, Ukraine, Albania, Barbados and Iraq playing at a ground near you.

A one-off match, played as an annual curtain-raiser to the season, is the answer. Donate some of the proceeds to charity. Generate extra television revenue. Take it to a non A-League centre like Canberra, Wollongong, Townsville or Geelong to spread the word. Make it Australia 'B' versus International XI, so Socceroos coach Holger Osieck gets a worthwhile selection trial for his home-based hopefuls, while the imports get to make a point. Get technical director Han Berger to select the coaching staff - a homegrown coach for the locals, a foreign coach for the imports. And then watch the turnstiles swing.

Football is the world game, and the A-League is more cosmopolitan than ever. Not since the 1960s has there been such an influx of quality foreigners to Australian clubs, and yet the message still isn't out there. Kewell and Emerton versus Broich and Hernandez. A stadium-filler? You bet.

A-LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL XI [4-3-3 formation]:
Tony Warner [Wellington Phoenix/Trinidad & Tobago]; Byun Sung-hwan [Newcastle Jets/ South Korea], Tiago Calvano [Newcastle Jets, Brazil], Patrick Zwaanswijk [Central Coast Mariners, Netherlands], Adama Traore [Gold Coast United, Ivory Coast]; Liam Miller [Perth Glory, Ireland], Evgeniy Levchenko [Adelaide United, Ukraine], Robson [Gold Coast United/Brazil]; Paul Ifill [Wellington Phoenix, Barbados], Sergio van Dijk [Adelaide United, Netherlands], Thomas Broich [Brisbane Roar, Germany]. Reserves: Glen Moss [Gold Coast United, New Zealand], Carlos Hernandez [Melbourne Victory/Costa Rica], Jonathan Germano [Melbourne Heart/Argentina], Besart Berisha [Brisbane Roar/Albania].
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Yoshou · Sep 30, 2011

Someone is incredibly optimistic about all star games...

zhuangzi · Sep 30, 2011

Are you going to link to this marketing genius, el-cap or are you protecting him?

el-capitano · Sep 30, 2011

Who else but Cockers?

zhuangzi · Sep 30, 2011

Yikes.

That's par for the course for TWG or the Roar, but I thought the SMH was a quality paper...

almango · Sep 30, 2011

zhuangzi said: ↑

but I thought the SMH was a quality paper...
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Only in comparison to its very low quality opposition.

el-capitano · Oct 18, 2011

Newcastle Jets have stopped paying Jason Culina while they gird their loins for the inevitable dispute over how, and why, they unilaterally ripped up his three-year contract four days before the start of the season.

Culina, meantime, lays low in his Merewether home, dealing with the pain of a leg he broke by choice two weeks ago in an effort to play again, and the hurt of the football world thinking he's finished when he's convinced he isn't. And, outside, some local heroes have decided it's fun to egg-bomb his house just to rub salt into the wound. Ugly business? It doesn't get much uglier.

Culina started the year as a Socceroo, a member of the Asian Cup squad, and a marquee player in the A-League. He's going to end it in rehab after a second major operation on his knee, his own club insinuating he's deceived them, and Nathan Tinkler claiming he might not play again.
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http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-leagu...ut-fight-is-far-from-over-20111018-1lysq.html

el-capitano · Oct 20, 2011

What might have been. This weekend the A-League rejoices in its ''rivalry round'', with derbies in Melbourne, Brisbane and Newcastle. But where's Sydney?

If things had gone to plan, this weekend would have ushered in the inaugural Sydney derby. Imagine. ANZ Stadium, perhaps 50,000 fans. Sydney FC led out by Brett Emerton, Sydney Rovers taken down the tunnel by Tim Cahill. Vitezslav Lavicka takes his place in one dugout, Ossie Ardiles takes his place in the other. Game on.

A year ago, this was destiny.

Sydney Rovers had the licence to enter the A-League. Everything was in place. Well almost everything.

Rovers had a structure, a name, colours and a vision. But no money.

The licence was withdrawn, to the embarrassment of those behind the bid, and those (read Football Federation Australia) who had sanctioned it.

So it's back to the drawing board, and for now the Sydney derby remains a figment of imagination.
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http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-leagu...only-dream-of-derby-drama-20111020-1maag.html

el-capitano · Oct 24, 2011

Here's one from the archives................

A Cocker's special: February 12, 2005

Michael Cockerill greets Queensland's new A-League nickname with a roar, of laughter.

Somewhere in the brick veneer valleys of Brisbane suburbia, a squeak became a roar, and the latest nickname off the sporting production line was born.

Who actually invented the "Roar" will never be known, but it first emerged from a shopping centre survey, was workshopped through "focus groups" over a four-week period, and ultimately survived the cull of more than 1000 suggestions to become the name Queensland will carry into national and perhaps international competition for the foreseeable future.

"A lot of names were considered - we had traditional names like FC and United, we actually had Pride come out on top but it was already registered by a local gay magazine, and in the end Roar was the choice. It's a Lions derivative, it's got an 'O' in it which helps the logo, and we're told it will be well received if we go and play in Asia.
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http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/11/1108061875486.html

zhuangzi · Oct 24, 2011

Well received in Asia? wtf?

el-capitano · Oct 31, 2011

Remember this:

Controversial former Socceroo Ljubo Milicevic has posted an expletive-ridden rant about one-time Newcastle Jets teammate Michael Bridges on an Australian sports opinion website.

posting as 'Ljubo' - the site later confirmed that it was Milicevic - that Bridges "did f--k all for us on the pitch".

Milicevic continued: "We qualified for the second round of the ACL without him, we actually did well in the league knocking out Gold Coast in the finals one year, without Bridges, and in the second year we were firmly in the finals hunt, yet again without Bridges, until Branko ruined the squad by letting Jeffers go and I left!

"Aaron, my friend, once you clean your head after being stuck so far up Michael’s a--e, you may want to look at the facts!

"He always wanted a retirement plan, he has not played anywhere reguarly for more than 6 years...Okon, Zelic and myself were pushed out of the club!

"We have not quite figured how to conspire and lick ass like others!"
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http://www.foxsports.com.au/footbal...-michael-bridges/story-e6frf4gl-1226050495992

well........

Ljubo says "Sorry Australia."