Sunday, February 27, 2011

Grand Final - 4pm Sunday 13 March - Adults from $53

HYUNDAI A-LEAGUE 2011 GRAND FINAL

BRISBANE ROAR v TBC

Sunday 13 March 2011
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick Off 4.00pm (QLD time)
Gates Open 2.00pm

When do tickets go on sale?
Wednesday 2 March 9am to 9pm – Brisbane Roar Member Pre sale - all sales channels
Thursday 3 March 9am to 9pm - Football Family Pre Sale – all sales channels
Friday 4 March 9am - General Public – all sales channels
GENERAL PUBLIC SALES CEASE MIDNIGHT SUNDAY 6 MARCH
Monday 7 March 9am-9pm - Away team Member Pre Sale – all sales channels
Tuesday 8 March 9am - General Public – all sales channels (recommence)

How Do I Buy Tickets?
Book via the Ticketek website - www.ticketek.com.au
Phone Ticketek on 132 849
Visit a Ticketek agency - http://premier.ticketek.com.au/Content/Outlets/agencies_qld.aspx

Ticket Prices

Category A
- $98.00 Adult
- $53.00 Concession/Child *
- $249.00 Family (2 Adults + 2 Children)
Category B
- $78.00 Adult
- $43.00 Concession/Child *
- $199.00 Family (2 Adults + 2 Children)
Category C
- $53.00 Adult
- $28.00 Concession/Child *
- $134.00 Family (2 Adults + 2 Children)
Transaction Fees apply
*Concession (Pensioner, Student, Child)
Pensioner - Aged,TPI (valid ID cards) including seniors cards
Student - Full time tertiary and secondary school students (valid ID required)
Child - 4–16 years inclusive (children 3 years and under are free unless they are occupying a seat)
National Companion Card is accepted – complimentary entry for career

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Brisbane 2 v CCM 2 (4-2 on aggregate) - greatest unbeaten run in Australian sport

Ange came over to us at the end of the game. He was happy. Clapping. Waving. Punching the air. And we cheered. He did this.

A crowd of 25,000 is not a Roar record. But for season 6 2010-11 it will be close to the high point. And they will be back on Sunday 13 March for a 4pm kick off. Will CCM? I'm not sure. By the 90th minute they looked spent, despite still, literally, fighting including manhandling the ref (7 week band anyone - or don't we do that anymore?).

Brisbane had this match for the first 30 odd minutes. CCM struggled to push forward, struggled to get possession.

Then over 3 or minutes of play, Brisbane fell apart at the back. An own goal bouncing off Smith's chest and the off the kickoff, everyone backed off as CCM came forward.

Once the goals went in, CCM lifted and played as if they were the Roar and the Roar were not. Roar passes went short. They often looked flat-footed and stopped running off the ball. CCM were swarming towards the Roar goal. In the second half, Eric Paartalu shifted to centre-back in an attempt to get Susak and Smith wider. Then Henrique came on for Mitch. Henrique brought speed energy and ideas to what had started to look very static for Brisbane. Massiomo on for Solorzano allowed Henrique to shift from the left to the right, suddenly Brisbane were opening up CCM on both sides - back to the good old days.

After 2 brilliant games in a row, Kosta Barbarouses struggled to get going, firing off low percentage shots when he could have surged into the box.

Broich was again fouled out of the game. Let's hope that fouls clearly designed to take him out of the game are punished in the Grand Final.

CCM's keeper Ryan did keep them in the game, but by the end of the game was left on his own on the ground, head inside his shirt.

At the end, CCM were too reliant on their physicality, and panicked.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Central Coast 0 v Brisbane 2

CCM dominated the chances and Brisbane dominated the possession. While the Fox commentators claimed Broich was quite, he was dominant whenever he had the ball at his feet.

The scene is set for a massive celebration at Suncorp next Saturday 7pm, tickets from $28 per adult.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Brisbane 4 v Gold Coast 0 ... another day at the office

Brisbane played their best football so far. ran rings around a slow Gold Coast. You know a team is in trouble when they are 1-0 in 2 minutes and their centre backs start arguing within 10 minutes. The referee should have given more protection to Brisbane's skills.

Pity Miron went thuggish. Clearly their new no 30 is a dud and a thug.

Zenon should have been sent for his attack on Mitch after Mitch ran rings around him. Plus a pretty good shoot for 2 pens in the first half.

Wasn't Miron saying he was against thuggism?

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Don't be surprised if Ange Postecoglou is coach of Melb Heart next season (some time?)

(Edit: Ange's contract is believed to be till March 2012. Maybe I fell into a honey trap).

The current owners do not have the resources to match other A-League clubs.

While they are happy to have an investor or investors, for the right and big price, take minority interests, they will not give up control. Unfortunately, this has been a deal breaker for ambitious potential owners. And a frustration for FFA.

The lack of money was the cause of problems for Miron and Frank, and now Ange.

The current owners will be happy to keep things going as they are, with annual top up funding from FFA and annual year end sales of fan favourites. On the other hand, the FFA and other clubs and their fans are starting to see this policy as unacceptable.

Ange is already saying that his goal is to win the Asian Champions League and that current Roar club policy will not get him there. His contract expires in March 2011. It will not be a pay rise that keeps him in Brisbane it will be (I believe) a commitment to:

1. a marquee Australian player of his choice,
2. a marquee international player of his choice,
3. no more sales of the current squad
4. a full foreign roster (4 or 5 for next year)

My guess is that this will cost an additional $1.5m to $2.5m per year. Ironically, if the Roar had been prepared to spend this type of extra money 6 years ago, crowd takings would have more than covered the investment. As it is the Roar are struggling to find airplay to reach fans.

Over to you Roar Board.

Or will the FFA show that it has a plan?

Friday, February 04, 2011

Heart 1 v CCM 1 - and Roar win league

Roar trophy hand over?

The delay of the Brisbane-Fury match means that if CCM beat Melbourne Heart tonight, then Gold Coast on Wednesday 9 Feb, Central Coast will still have a chance of winning the A-League table - if Brisbane loose to Gold Coast. Central Coast's final game is the day after the Brisbane's last match.

It is possible that the Fury match may be delayed further. Particularly if it is to be the last time they get a home A-League match.

This is another reason that concurrent games may be in the best interest of the league. Then if CCM don't win by enough goals Brisbane could be given the trophy in front of the home crowd irrespective of the result against Gold Coast.

Of course, for CCM to win from here would take a massive effort. And I have already called it for Brisbane. Can you give them a trophy if not winning is still possible? And if you don't, when and how do you present the trophy?

It would be good to see FFA promoting the Brisbane v Gold Coast game (8:15pm on 12 Feb)? In the past a crowd of at least 20,000 would have been expected.

This year, with some hope that the trophy would be held high by a triumphant local Matt McKay returning as a Socceroo star and the symbolic and cathartic return of a Brisbane team to the flood recovered Suncorp, a sell out should have been expected.

Promotion?

Over the last 6 years, FFA don't seem to have been able to deal with the massive and untapped potential of Brisbane. Brisbane has been the closest rival to Melbourne's crowds without any silverware.