I was genuinely excited when the FFA announced that one of the new clubs to join the A-league this year was to be Gold Coast United. Here was a team to be based in the fastest growing area of Australia, was backed by one of Australia's richest men and would have one of the more interesting (if slightly insane) characters of the game here in Australia guiding them in Miron Beilberg. Click to continue reading...

One of the points in Frank Lowry's speech I failed to touch on in my last blog was the idea of moving the start time of the A-League Season to the first week in October.
After a honeymoon that was the first three seasons it has become blindingly obvious in the last two that the A-League struggles to make any impact in the mass media in the August/September period. Click to continue reading...

I have a huge amount of respect for Frank Lowry. Five years ago Frank was the driving force behind the rebirth of football in this country. The creation of the A-league, the move to Asia and the recruitment of Guus Hiddink all contributed to a resurgence of the game here in Australia.
However I do wonder if Frank understands that all of this new found love for the game may evaporate if a few missteps are made. Click to continue reading...

Its been just over a month since I last put fingers to keyboard and tapped out a paragraph or two for this blog and a lot has happened in that time. Crowds continue to be a major talking point and I was very pleased to see Gold Coast and Brisbane take steps to reduce their ticket prices and make them more affordable for the general fan. Click to continue reading...

With confirmation that Danny Allsopp has left for Qatar club Al-Rayyan Sports, Melbourne Victory has lost not only one of its two primary scoring targets but a long time servant of the club.
Of course the writing has been on the wall (or in this case within the forums) for a week now after Allsopp failed to not only take the field against Newcastle but wasn't even present at the game. Click to continue reading...

Last year Brisbane Roar played Central Coast Mariners in a Round 3 match that attracted 12,185 people along. This year their round 4 fixture against Central Coast could only manage 6,433. The low crowds in Brisbane have been focus of media attention over the last two weeks and much conjecture about the reasons behind this. Click to continue reading...

Interesting article on The Roar today regarding the viability of having the A-League on Free To Air (FTA) TV. It has generated a substantial amount of discussion amongst the readers and got me thinking about where I stand on the topic.
Although author Adrian Musolino makes some good points I cannot help but think he has missed a critical one. Click to continue reading...

If you are looking for a place for football betting.
Monday saw the Victorian Football Federation launch its Victorian Premier and Women's Premier Leagues at the Young And Jackson Hotel. The night was a celebration of 125 years of Victorian football. It was on February 29, 1884 that a group of gentlemen meet to finalise arrangements for the forming of Carlton, South Melbourne, Richmond and Prahran and thus kick off club in Victoria. Click to continue reading...

With the A-league Final on Saturday between Melbourne and Adelaide I thought I might have a go at a preview of the match.
There is a lot of history between these two teams. This will be the sixth finals match that two teams have played against each other. In fact in six finals appearances Melbourne has only ever faced Adelaide, a strange statistic. Click to continue reading...

Great news overnight with FIFA confirming that Kofi Danning will be granted exemption from their recent rule change that tightens international eligibility for Under 18 players.
The rule in question states "for any player who refers to art. 15 par. 1 of the Regulations to assume a new nationality and who has not played international football in accordance with art. Click to continue reading...

What a game on Saturday night! Probably the most exciting A-league match I have attended in terms of goals and attacking play. Of course both managers will need to ask some serious questions of their defences that allowed so much freedom and space to the opposition midfields.
Gary Cole will be madly scouring overseas leagues this week after Victory's defence failed miserably on Saturday night. Click to continue reading...

How nice to sit through a Socceroos match with a smile the entire 90 minutes. Pim Verbeek couldn't have asked for a more emphatic performance this morning and should satisfy even the most ardent of his knockers.
Right from the opening whistle Australia dominated this match and even though Ireland were unlucky not to score at least 1 goal the end result was well deserve. Click to continue reading...

Although it is only a friendly and the result itself will mean little, I am genuinely excited by the upcoming match against the Irish on Thursday morning (even if I am not looking forward to getting up at 4:30am to catch it live). Pim Verbeek has picked, whether by design or need, an extremely youthful side and hopefully some of these fringe players can get a starting run. Click to continue reading...

The wait is over, the first match played and a surprise result already. Season previews and bookie odds are in tatters after a team most tipped to finish in the bottom three up staged last years premiers (and bookies favourite) to take the points in the opening match.
To be honest Victory hardly looked interested in the first half. Click to continue reading...

In this third and last part to my preview of the upcoming season. Below is an examination of the teams that I believe will fill the top 3 places.
3rd – Brisbane Roar
There is a lot to like about Frank Farina's team, it is beautifully balanced with a strong defence, a midfield full of talent and an attack that oozes class. Click to continue reading...