Craig Moore this morning at Ballymore.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Roar Challenge
Since the Roar announced they were acquiring a quality striker, Wellington have forked out for Fred and Adelaide look set to guest one of Japan's top strikers Urawa Reds striker Ichiro Nagai.
The challenge is there for the Roar, a club noted for both its limited spending on strikers and its poor goal scoring techniques, to match its rivals.
Dare they?
The challenge is there for the Roar, a club noted for both its limited spending on strikers and its poor goal scoring techniques, to match its rivals.
Dare they?
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Asian Boss says no to Wellington
According to Fox Sports FC Sepp Batter's 2IC and the head of the Asian region has said that Wellington will not be welcome in the A-League post the original agreement of 2011.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Craig Moore's Roar
The great strength of the Roar is the team environment. And Craig Moore has been Frank Farina's partner in the development of this team. Both Tiatto and Miller are at the Roar to support Craig and Frank. And their focus has been to build a team for the future.
As John Lennon warned before his untimely death, life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans. The prognosis for Craig is very positive. He can still plan to be part of the 2010 world cup. The early detection of his testicular cancer will ensure a quick recovery. And we wish him well.
November and its Movember campaign reminds us that for men another cancer, prostate, can be as deadly as breast cancer is for women. But men are much less tuned into its dangers and slower to react. Further, depression affects people of all ages, sexes and backgrounds. And again has considerable stigma and slow reaction times for treatment.
Craig's disclosure reminds us to foster both a optimistic approach to life and to take responsibility for our health. That is something valuable to share from his experience. Now I am off to sponsor Neil and his Moe for Movember.
As John Lennon warned before his untimely death, life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans. The prognosis for Craig is very positive. He can still plan to be part of the 2010 world cup. The early detection of his testicular cancer will ensure a quick recovery. And we wish him well.
November and its Movember campaign reminds us that for men another cancer, prostate, can be as deadly as breast cancer is for women. But men are much less tuned into its dangers and slower to react. Further, depression affects people of all ages, sexes and backgrounds. And again has considerable stigma and slow reaction times for treatment.
Craig's disclosure reminds us to foster both a optimistic approach to life and to take responsibility for our health. That is something valuable to share from his experience. Now I am off to sponsor Neil and his Moe for Movember.
CCM 3 v Adelaide 0: Strike power
Central Coast was offered a gift by FFA and they took it.
While Melbourne and the Roar have been forced into inconvenient and tiring re-schedules to support Adelaide's Asian matches, CCM caught Adelaide at their lowest ebb. While the Roar played Adelaide as a warm-up to their ACL run, CCM benefited from playing a team coming down fast.
Watching the game, it was clear that CCM have used every minute of the 3 and half years of the A-League to build a champion team. Their strike power of Simon, McMaster and Petrovski, backed up by Caceres, matches that of Melbourne. Contrast this to the Roar and Sydney who (apart from season one for Sydney) haven't been able to live up to their attacking promise.
The Roar in particular looks vulnerable. Reinaldo looks to be out for the season. Kruse for most of it. Tiatto hasn't reproduced last year's spark and make now be out injured for a number of games. Moore (our best wishes to you Craig) seems set to rush back into the team. The club admits that Miller's injury is a time bomb. Other players just have not lived up to their expectations. And half way through the season none of the young potentials have had enough game time to be realistically relied upon in numbers. Injury, bad luck and international duty have stepped in the way.
The Roar has announced it is in the market for players. At the same, time Perth and Wellington have achieved major coups with Scottish and Brazilian stars. For Wellington it is a 6 week guest appearance by no less than Fred.
For the Roar a major new recruit will need to be of the caliber of Fred to turn their home season around (only 5 games left). American MSL players are available but just who is there that would have the physicality to make a mark in the A-League?
All A-League clubs know that with North Queensland and Gold Coast entering the market local and international players will be able to pick and chose next year. For teams finishing in the bottom 4, particularly if they have regularly been doing so, tempting players will become relatively more expensive. Players, as Cristiano has done this year, will invest in ACL exposure, but only look to non ACL contenders if the money is better than the value of their skills. Next year the salary cap will, for the first time, limit the equality of the A-League. The buying power of the lesser teams will be restricted. Sydney found this out this week with the loss of Middleby, new star Santalab and other to North Queensland.
While Melbourne and the Roar have been forced into inconvenient and tiring re-schedules to support Adelaide's Asian matches, CCM caught Adelaide at their lowest ebb. While the Roar played Adelaide as a warm-up to their ACL run, CCM benefited from playing a team coming down fast.
Watching the game, it was clear that CCM have used every minute of the 3 and half years of the A-League to build a champion team. Their strike power of Simon, McMaster and Petrovski, backed up by Caceres, matches that of Melbourne. Contrast this to the Roar and Sydney who (apart from season one for Sydney) haven't been able to live up to their attacking promise.
The Roar in particular looks vulnerable. Reinaldo looks to be out for the season. Kruse for most of it. Tiatto hasn't reproduced last year's spark and make now be out injured for a number of games. Moore (our best wishes to you Craig) seems set to rush back into the team. The club admits that Miller's injury is a time bomb. Other players just have not lived up to their expectations. And half way through the season none of the young potentials have had enough game time to be realistically relied upon in numbers. Injury, bad luck and international duty have stepped in the way.
The Roar has announced it is in the market for players. At the same, time Perth and Wellington have achieved major coups with Scottish and Brazilian stars. For Wellington it is a 6 week guest appearance by no less than Fred.
For the Roar a major new recruit will need to be of the caliber of Fred to turn their home season around (only 5 games left). American MSL players are available but just who is there that would have the physicality to make a mark in the A-League?
All A-League clubs know that with North Queensland and Gold Coast entering the market local and international players will be able to pick and chose next year. For teams finishing in the bottom 4, particularly if they have regularly been doing so, tempting players will become relatively more expensive. Players, as Cristiano has done this year, will invest in ACL exposure, but only look to non ACL contenders if the money is better than the value of their skills. Next year the salary cap will, for the first time, limit the equality of the A-League. The buying power of the lesser teams will be restricted. Sydney found this out this week with the loss of Middleby, new star Santalab and other to North Queensland.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Mitch Nichols - U19 super star
My mate Mitch. This year he hasn't had a run this year for the Roar. But against the toughest team in Asia, Korea...
I was feeling quite down this morning. Clayton had told me about the Packer dive. I hadn't seen it. I had re-watched the stuff that had concerned me from the match. It's a service I provide my mates given FIFA won't allow controversial events to be replayed at games. So the Tiatto foul - looked like he just scared the guy by jumping on the ball then that thug Fabiano ran into his back after the whistle, the Murdocca pen that was but wasn't called, the Zullo pen that may not have been ... that sought of thing.I hadn't bothered with the Packer incident. At the time it just seemed that Celeski poked Packer in the eye and should have been sent off or at least booked. Then my wife told me it was a dive and she'd seen it... jez Andrew we didn't even draw, it wasn't near the goal...
But then I nice surprise, I read the paper. My mate Mitch. The most down to earth teenager you'll meet, scored both goals to qualify Australia for the U19 world cup next year. This is a team with 5 Roars in it. Against Korea who Mitch told me had beaten Australia 4-0 last year. And Mitch's late goal winner - a bicycle kick. Come on Frank you know you like those goals, let's see Mitch v Perth.
Poor old van Dijk. It isn't his fault, seems either he was over-sold by his scout, or quite a few people made a mis-calculation about how tough it is in the A-League. Even feather-weight Michael Thwait out-muscled him in the game and consoled him afterwards.
I was feeling quite down this morning. Clayton had told me about the Packer dive. I hadn't seen it. I had re-watched the stuff that had concerned me from the match. It's a service I provide my mates given FIFA won't allow controversial events to be replayed at games. So the Tiatto foul - looked like he just scared the guy by jumping on the ball then that thug Fabiano ran into his back after the whistle, the Murdocca pen that was but wasn't called, the Zullo pen that may not have been ... that sought of thing.I hadn't bothered with the Packer incident. At the time it just seemed that Celeski poked Packer in the eye and should have been sent off or at least booked. Then my wife told me it was a dive and she'd seen it... jez Andrew we didn't even draw, it wasn't near the goal...
But then I nice surprise, I read the paper. My mate Mitch. The most down to earth teenager you'll meet, scored both goals to qualify Australia for the U19 world cup next year. This is a team with 5 Roars in it. Against Korea who Mitch told me had beaten Australia 4-0 last year. And Mitch's late goal winner - a bicycle kick. Come on Frank you know you like those goals, let's see Mitch v Perth.
Poor old van Dijk. It isn't his fault, seems either he was over-sold by his scout, or quite a few people made a mis-calculation about how tough it is in the A-League. Even feather-weight Michael Thwait out-muscled him in the game and consoled him afterwards.
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