Leaving Adelaide are...

At the end of the season, Adelaide will loose Marquee Paul Agostino (retirement), Michael Valkanis (to become an assistant coach), Jason Spagnuolo (North Queensland Fury) and ex-Roar Saša Ognenovski (to play in Asia).

Other question marks (for me at least) are:
Daniel Beltrame - not happy with being keeper number 3
Cristiano - I suspect is looking at Asia - but if Adelaide, as is likely get a another ACL spot this year, he may see the benefit of staying for his final year of contract. The marquee spot may be his price.

Adelaide - as usual will have a very strong squad for 2009-10.

Photos of the experience left on the bench (Not Liam), and Tommy Oar and his mis-match in Matty Muscat...

Half way through the second half when it was 2-2 I was getting the feeling its wasn't going to be our night, again. Then I noticed just how hard Matt McKay was running and organising. And Craig Moore was pushing forward. After that I bucked up my ideas and started to enjoy the show.

Roar 3 v Wellington 2: Let's hope for Jung rather than Wagner

Wagner is big and noisy, puts people through hell and can end in failure. Jung is continually challenging, putting people through a journey that has a failure, a small success, a major failure and then a major, live happily ever after, success. At least when Hollywood does him.

At first we were dominating at home but losing, then winning away but not at home. Now the drama is within the match. Going behind and then coming back to win. First, Perth dominated first 44 minutes then its all Roar (4-1). Then, Newcastle went one up against the run but the Roar weren't playing well, suddenly they got their act together (2-1).

Last night, the Roar dominated all night with up to 70% possession.

But they need more practice with three at the back, after 10 minutes a relatively poor cross was rewarded with De Vere leading with his head and not looking where he was going. At that point it was clear just how much youth there was for the Roar on the park. We started to get worried. The Roar switched to all out attack. And Wellington retreated to their penalty area with a two player thick wall of defence. The Roar haven't really ever looked likely from distance and their were plenty of shots into defenders and away for corners. But Wellington defence looked both rugged quick to resort to shirt pulling and fouling. In the crowd, we felt the ref and particularly assistant refs just were not keeping up. I was thinking that the Roar were looking very narrow, trying to run through the middle. Then I worked out what they were trying to do. Get the ball through and wait for the trigger happy defenders to give the foul away. Mitch Nichols got it right mid way through the 30s, pitching through Durante and got clobbered. We thought it was in the box. Then it was van Dijk. Now we can see why he was picked and kept in. Great kick. Moss pushed it onto the bar and tries to re-claim but can't hang on and McKay, who has been confusing the Wellington wall, runs forward and taps in with his left.

Wellington hang on for 1-1 at the break. Van Dijk is having his best game. Mitch Nichols is amazing. A lot of the time he is walking. Telling the team what to do. Tapping the ball around. He'll be 20 in the first week of January. He'll have to watch his diving-in tackles. But now the Roar have another player who always looks ready to score. Moore is showing that he is the best player on the park, we hear him say 'work Tahj'.

After the break, we sit back to see what will happen. Then bang. Wellington have scored. What. Through Reddy's hands, seems to come out as Reddy hits the post. 1-2. Seconds later Zullo runs down the left. He may have hear me 'come-on we need to get one back.' He crosses into the near post side of the 6 yard box, whooosh Van Dijk beats the defender with the same kick as his last goal, bending off the left side of his left boot. 2-2.

On Saturday my son and I had watched the youtude videos of van Dijk. The bicycle kick, the 10 goals in a game, a few others, this is why they bought him. The only thing is the Dutch second division defenders just seem to stand around. A bit different in the A-League.

The game is really open now, it is clear that Wellington feel they must win. Shane Smeltz is just about out of the game. Craig Moore is good. The crowd gets more cheesed with the ref. But in pushing forward, the brittleness of the Wellington defence is getting more and more exposed. And they rely more and more on shirt holding and fouling. The foul count was Roar 11 v Wellington 23, and key ones were missed or advantage played. Van Dijk sets up Mitch in the box on the right and he pulls the trigger too early - over the bar. Tommy Oar comes on for Tahj, and Tommy and Zullo swap, Tommy is running right in front of us. Frank has told them at half time to play wider. It is working, Matty Muscat hasn't got anything left and he is gabbing Tommy's shirt whenever he can. At last he gets a yellow card. Now 3 defenders plus McKain are on yellows. (McKain wanted to come back to Brisbane but he is now talking about going overseas again).

Keep running at them and one of them is going to go. 'Get it to Tommy, Tommy run at them, go on grab his shirt.' Van Dijk mis-kicks with the keeper diving across him - did the keeper grab his foot? Mitch breaks through, his shirt is pulled, its as close as they can get to him, but scuffs his shot - why not a penalty? Packer, on for an injured Josh, skys a free kick. Why is he taking that? Van Dijk is subbed. Durante pollaxes a rampaging Zullo on the right, he is off. 90 minutes are up. Free kick outside the box. Later we would here Fox saying it was Zullo taking the kick. But we knew it was Tommy. Plus we knew he oarsome free kick reputation. Bang, full pelt banana.

Another young Queenslander proves his metal. What are the other states doing?

It is funny that a game can look so different to a fan sitting in the stands to a commentator in a box, a fan in front of tv, or, especially, a ref.

Victory 3 v Sydney 2: Melbourne push Kosmina out of the way...

I just heard this on my local radio:

'And Melbourne scored 3 unanswered goals to beat Sydney 3, 4, 2.'

Oh we have come so far. It is like the basketball call you get if you watch a MSL game.

It wasn't so much Melbourne as Danny Allsopp. Shouldered off the ball by Middleby he ran straight into John K with his hip and shoulder. Take that. And Kosmina was banging head on the chair legs.

The earlier story had been Cole being found by Middleby with space in and around the right hand top of the box, and Cole being able to hook the ball up and over the Melbourne defence and curl it above the keeper and in. That was about 30 seconds. Within 4 minutes, Gan had made it two from way outside the box. Before half time Archie got one back from a quickly taken free kick - running into the box unmarked and swivel kick. Into the middle of the second half Nicky Ward came on as a sub, and bam leveled it from way outside the box with his second touch of the ball. John Aloisi was waiting to come on at the time. Nay Fab looked dangerous from his entry. He didn't come to the A-League and its cap to fool around - and scrambled the winning running onto a far post ball.

Hernandas' club is asking $1m for him to stay here. So I'd say his is off.

Jets 1 v CCM 2, Perth 0 v Adelaide 1

Adelaide know how to kill off a game. Shame really what with Vidmar wanting FFA to ban Victory and the Roar's crowd pleasers. Perth played the better and more interesting game.

Jets can't close-out a game. This was Jedinak's last game for CCM and it could have been Mark Milligan's last for Newcastle as he limped off the field and is now said to be looking at a move to China in January. Anyway, Gary van said that their season is over - well except for representing Australia in Asia. Sensation of the game? Dylan McMaster getting himself straight reded for getting involved in after match pushing and shoving. So much for Fox wanting him to get a Socceroo call-up.

I was at the airport this morning and ran into the Roar Women's team off to Canberra. 'Win us some silverwear, we need it.' One of them said to me 'We have already won the league.' I had meant the finals. 'Do you go to Asia?' 'No they haven't organised that yet.' 'Good luck.' And off they flew.

John Aloisi

Players are human. You cut them and they will bleed.

It is difficult not to feel for John Aloisi. The pressure on him as a player, and possibly as a person, is significant. But it isn't something that he can't come out of as more of hero. Imagine if on his next start he scored three goals. Or even two.

He qualified Australia for the world cup. He didn't control the fact that he was there. Nor that he was able to step up for the kick that got us through. But he had the nerve to really belt it in. Good on him.

Then he wanted to bring his family to Australia. Who wouldn't? He was set to play with his brother in home town of Adelaide until Ross fell out of favour with the club. Then his agent approached the Roar. But the price was too high. Central Coast found the money was a star team was made. They won the competition and came second in the final.

Given his success, there was the opportunity to go to Sydney FC to capitalise on his match winning quality. Sydney were re-building to win the 4th season. John Aloisi was to be the marque of marques.

But with this comes expectation and pressure. And he picked up an injury in the pre-season. While he was out, Sydney did fairly well. his return was to push them into the lead. More pressure. And football is a very psychological game. Winning get a boost, they can play out of their skin, above their normal capability. bt if things start going against you. More pressure.

The Sydney had John out on the hustings. Interviewing with Hamish and Andy talking about how he was about to hit form... And more expectation...

He scores and celebrates. Particularly against his old team CCM...

Then mis-steps and slips against the team that has been down the bottom most of the season.
And ownership changes at Sydney FC.

According to Fox, the latest is a question from the Club along the lines of - do you want to play next year. Yes - he has a contract...

Whatever happens next. I will be thinking of John Aloisi the person. We all get ourselves into problems of our making and ... the making of others.

May be I have learnt something as well. Particularly when I get frustrated with some Roar strikers.

Coach John Wooden on how to succeed...

'1. Fear no opponent. Respect every opponent.

2. Remember, it's the perfection of the smallest details that make big things happen.

3. Keep in mind that hustle makes up for many a mistake.

4. Be more interested in character than reputation.

5. Be quick, but don't hurry.

6. understand that the harder you work, the more luck you will have.

7. Know that valid self-analysis is crucial for improvement.

8. Remember that there is no substitute for hard work and careful planning. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.'

John Wooden and Steve Jamison 'Wooden: a lifetime of observations and reflections on and off the court' McGraw-Hill 1997 page 72.

This book was nominated by former Brisbane Bronco coach Wayne Bennett as his favourite book.