Until now Japan has not exactly been a common destination for Australia Footballers. Currently only one Australian is listed on a J-League team (Eddy Bosnar at JEF United ) while a further two (Mark Rudan and Ufuk Talay) are plying their trade at second division team Avispa Fukuoka.

This is all about to change however with news last week that the J-league has allocated a fourth foreign visa place on their squads for next year to Asian only players. Click to continue reading...

Australia 2 - South Africa 2

The game yesterday morning was certainly a game of two halves. The first dominated by a rampant Australia and the second dominated just as fully by South Africa.

I like the fact that Pim continues to favour a two striker combination when using Kennedy up front. Click to continue reading...

Well season four of the A-league has finally kicked off. I can't say the build up to the first match was exactly electrifying. The media coverage has been bordering on nonexistent and with the FFA seemingly focussed on the expansion of the league next year it has left the start of the season feeling very flat. Click to continue reading...

A continuation of the look at the Foreign Player for the coming season


Adelaide United
Aurelio Vidmar seems to be in love with players with one name and now have four Brazilians. Adelaide fans have a lot of football to look forward to this year due to being the first team to graduate from the AFC Champions League Group Phase. Click to continue reading...

A continuation of the look at the Foreign Players for the coming season

Melbourne Victory
Victory have headed back to Costa Rica to find a partner for Hernandez and shape up very well on paper.

Carlos Hernandez
In outstanding form during the preseason, Victory fans expect a lot from him this season and it appears he may deliver. Click to continue reading...

There is already some excellent previews to the season out there, I especially recommend jumping over to Australian Football where they have provided a fantastic breakdown of each team.

As I couldn't possibly improve on that analysis I am going to take a different tack. The four visa squad spots in each team is always a hotly debated item. Click to continue reading...

I was doing some back reading on the FFV website and came across the section on the V>Elite program.

For those of you who aren't aware of the program, the FFV initiated a elite junior program late last year for 11-14 year olds. The idea behind the program was to take the top junior talent across the state and provide them with specialist training over the summer months (December to April). Click to continue reading...

I am generally a fan of Scott McIntrye's blog but his latest posting is way off the mark. Sometimes you really do have to wonder if the folks at SBS are locked in the past.

Scott seems to be suggesting that the FFA needs to re-look at the timing of the A-league with a view to move the League back to a winter competition. Click to continue reading...

Like an old friend you haven't seen for a few months it is invigorating to see that football is back (even if it is only the preseason). It would be nice though if we, the supporters, could actually get some coverage of the matches.

Once again No TV, No Radio and now Melbourne Victory seems to have dispensed with their text Updates. Click to continue reading...

If you haven't stumbled across it already I highly recommend taking a look at the 84th minute. This new e-zine, put together by Neil Zimmerman of Victory in Melbourne, looks good and Neil has roped in quote a few other bloggers to help him with content.

---
Victory have finally released details of probably the worst kept secret in A-League history (I know it is only a short history) when it confirmed the signing of Costa Rican international José Luis López Ramírez (Pupy Lopez). Click to continue reading...

Greame Arnold has the appearance of a man under siege. Seemingly frustrated at the continuing criticism of his squad selection for the upcoming Olympics he was again in the press yesterday defending his selections.

It seems he has backtracked from earlier comments where he appeared to dismiss the idea that Rob Baan and Pim Verbeek had input to the squad and has made it clear that the directive from the FFA executive is to bring home a medal (a clear indication that development of players for the Socceroos is not the priority). Click to continue reading...

One of the highlights for me of the A-league has been the support and crowds that have been attracted to the league. Three years ago just about nobody would have foreseen that Melbourne Victory would be averaging 26,000 to home games and have a membership of 21,000.

It is with deep sadness then that I read my membership renewal form for this year. Click to continue reading...

The Olympic team was announced today and I must say I am disappointed. Greame Arnold has left out Djite, Burns, Williams, Vidosic. He has bizarrely used age as a reason for the decision not to take Djite or Burns. These are the same players that have played against the likes of Kevin Muscat and Craig Moore week in week out. Click to continue reading...

It is good to see that the FFA are investing in the future. A Joey's team will use the Asean Football Federation Youth Championship in Jakarta as a warm up for the AFC Under 16 Championships later in the year.

It is a growing sign of the money that the sport is finally seeing that the FFA can fund a trip like this. Click to continue reading...

Big smile on my face right now !

In the end the draw was not prefect but it isn't far from it. As the young lady from the AFC was preparing to select the teams from the final pot tonight I looked at the two groups and said a quick little prayer for Group A. And it seems for once the God of Draws smiled upon us. Click to continue reading...