Australia
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Jaumet
All round Nice Guy
With another dutchman - Pim Verbeek in charge we are playing some pretty good football!
With our new domestic league - "The A League" we are now able to produce homegorwn talent who play in aus instead of goign overseas! This helps heaps when we are not able to get our OS players back for NT matches!
I think we got some great young talent, but the biggest difference from last WC will hopefully Be Scott McDonald! Although with Bresciano, Kewell, Emerton, Cahill, Kenedy we are hardly pressed for attacking options! It's more the defense we needa watch, although we have Lucas Neill! - When you think about it, we actually have quite a strong team, most of our players play in the tops leagues in Europe... and with the Aussie spirit we can hold our own in WC, like we showed the world last time,
Boy oh boy did we scare the Italians, and if it wasn't for a bullshit PK in the last minute of Stoppage time in normal time we probably would've won!
With our new domestic league - "The A League" we are now able to produce homegorwn talent who play in aus instead of goign overseas! This helps heaps when we are not able to get our OS players back for NT matches!
I think we got some great young talent, but the biggest difference from last WC will hopefully Be Scott McDonald! Although with Bresciano, Kewell, Emerton, Cahill, Kenedy we are hardly pressed for attacking options! It's more the defense we needa watch, although we have Lucas Neill! - When you think about it, we actually have quite a strong team, most of our players play in the tops leagues in Europe... and with the Aussie spirit we can hold our own in WC, like we showed the world last time,
Boy oh boy did we scare the Italians, and if it wasn't for a bullshit PK in the last minute of Stoppage time in normal time we probably would've won!
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Jaumet
All round Nice Guy
Who Spiranovic? He sounds like he is from a Baltic state not Fiji ?
:bangHead: I'm confused!
antonnn
Blue Blooded Aussie
Hey on the other forum I was at I had a thread called Aussie Battlers, which consisted of me and another Australian member, but also everyone else could post, but the Aussies were the main posters. I was thinking about making that thread here but I wasn't sure if there was already an Aussie thread, or if there were many Aussies on this forum.
Maybe I should make a thread in Caffe Catelonia, like where M&C is and such?
Maybe I should make a thread in Caffe Catelonia, like where M&C is and such?
K
King Messi
Guest
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...orld-cup-fitness/story-e6frexni-1225852243743
By Tom Smithies From: The Sunday Telegraph April 11, 2010 12:01AM
HARRY Kewell is targeting a return to full training within a week as he aims to prove his readiness for the World Cup with two months until Australia's first game.
Suffering a pinched nerve in his leg that has set back his recovery from a groin operation at the start of the year, sources at his Turkish club, Galatasaray, say coach Frank Rijkaard has pencilled in a return for Kewell on April 25.
An Anzac Day appearance, when Galatasaray face league leaders Bursaspor, would be a timely boost for Pim Verbeek, already facing major worries over the fitness of Vince Grella and Mark Bresciano as he plots his World Cup squad, to be named on May 11.
It is believed Kewell has finally returned to individual strength training, working with former Wallabies physio David Bick in Istanbul, and club doctors hope to give him the green light to rejoin the squad by the end of this week.
The showdown with Bursaspor will determine whether Galatasaray's fading title hopes can stay alive, with Kewell's side seven points behind the leaders in fourth spot, with six games to go. Kewell hasn't played since December after he took advantage of the Turkish league's mid-winter break to return to Australia for treatment on a problem in his groin muscles.
At the time Kewell's manager Bernie Mandic emphasised that the issue was on the opposite side to the area which bedevilled his time at Liverpool, a weakness then that threatened his part in the 2006 World Cup.
Kewell had hoped to be out for only a month but has suffered the pinched nerve since.
Since he quit Liverpool in 2008 Kewell has been rejuvenated at Galatasaray, scoring 27 goals in 62 games and proving a huge hit among the club's fervent followers.
By Tom Smithies From: The Sunday Telegraph April 11, 2010 12:01AM
HARRY Kewell is targeting a return to full training within a week as he aims to prove his readiness for the World Cup with two months until Australia's first game.
Suffering a pinched nerve in his leg that has set back his recovery from a groin operation at the start of the year, sources at his Turkish club, Galatasaray, say coach Frank Rijkaard has pencilled in a return for Kewell on April 25.
An Anzac Day appearance, when Galatasaray face league leaders Bursaspor, would be a timely boost for Pim Verbeek, already facing major worries over the fitness of Vince Grella and Mark Bresciano as he plots his World Cup squad, to be named on May 11.
It is believed Kewell has finally returned to individual strength training, working with former Wallabies physio David Bick in Istanbul, and club doctors hope to give him the green light to rejoin the squad by the end of this week.
The showdown with Bursaspor will determine whether Galatasaray's fading title hopes can stay alive, with Kewell's side seven points behind the leaders in fourth spot, with six games to go. Kewell hasn't played since December after he took advantage of the Turkish league's mid-winter break to return to Australia for treatment on a problem in his groin muscles.
At the time Kewell's manager Bernie Mandic emphasised that the issue was on the opposite side to the area which bedevilled his time at Liverpool, a weakness then that threatened his part in the 2006 World Cup.
Kewell had hoped to be out for only a month but has suffered the pinched nerve since.
Since he quit Liverpool in 2008 Kewell has been rejuvenated at Galatasaray, scoring 27 goals in 62 games and proving a huge hit among the club's fervent followers.
K
King Messi
Guest
World is looking as we're in chaos
By Tom Smithies From:
The Sunday Telegraph April 11, 2010 12:01AM
IN a year dominated by the nation's World Cup bid, the Socceroos qualifying for South Africa and myriad other concerns, Ben Buckley will reflect today on one of the craziest weeks in his three years of running Australian soccer.
Little more than a week ago things looked rosy as he watched Frank Lowy claim the World Cup bid was practically finalised.
Since then he has faced speculation about his own future, authorised the wholesale rescue of one A-League club, was told by another club owner where to stick his franchise, and then received the resignation of the man running the league itself.
Buckley is known for maintaining a calm demeanor in the face of provocation. But he knows the sport faces a defining period, when the A-League itself has to prove it has the roots to survive - and at a time when the eyes of the world are watching as our World Cup bid is drawn up.
THE FURY
Insiders say there was intense debate within the FFA over whether to sink millions into saving the North Queensland franchise after owner Don Matheson walked away with crippling debts.
Several board members were all for pulling the plug, while Buckley was arguing fiercely that letting the club go to the wall was a terrible signal in the year of our World Cup bid. Only when Lowy unilaterally declared to the media that the Fury would continue was the debate ended.
The rationale is simple: to have an A-League presence in Townsville not only makes the league national but justifies a World Cup stadium there.
With A-League boss Archie Fraser now running the club full-time, his first priority is to bring in quality staff. Budgeted sponsorships and revenues dried up last season, leading to Matheson's huge outlay, and high-class marketing and commercial staff are urgently required.
GOLD COAST
As if the news from Townsville wasn't bad enough, an official reported to Buckley on Tuesday that "Clive [Palmer] has thrown his toys out of the pram again".
It seemed the maverick Gold Coast backer was pulling out for good, his latest threat to quit seemingly the most serious.
Nor was the timing coincidental, coming just days after the FFA had poured millions into another failed franchise.
"The thing about Clive is he's all over the place," said a source familiar with the billionaire's movements. "On Tuesday he was gone, but by Friday the club was saying it's business as usual.
"He's not used to criticism in the world he moves in.
"The FFA need to keep him on board for next season, even if it's with some small cash injection.
"And then [the FFA] needs to work with him to bring new investors on board and broaden the ownership base. There are people who apparently want to get involved, it's just a question of keeping everyone happy."
BOSS QUITS
Archie Fraser was Buckley's personal appointment to run the A-League, with the initial approach made over a round of golf.
They had clashes but also forged mutual respect when Buckley was the AFL chief operating officer and Fraser ran St Kilda. So it was the last thing Buckley needed when Fraser put his resignation letter on his desk late on Thursday.
Fraser doesn't suffer fools or A-League club officials gladly, and his negotiating style is described as blunt. He has few friends among the clubs, though Fraser would argue that is proof he is doing his job properly. He was undeniably frustrated by some of the issues and people he was dealing with, and will now concentrate his energies as a consultant aiming to lift the professionalism and success of the Queensland clubs.
Insiders say the fact Buckley had met several potential candidates for the job to run North Queensland during the week was proof he wasn't expecting Fraser's departure.
GOD'S FUTURE
THE cut-price model that was the cost of the FFA taking over North Queensland means Robbie Fowler's marquee status is over in Townsville.
But the Liverpool striker is keen to remain in Australia and is the league's only genuine star name.
He scored nine goals in a prosaic Fury team, several of which were contenders for goal of the season. Buckley spoke on Friday of how he hopes Fowler can remain in the league, but Sydney offer the only realistic option.
For Sydney, the choice is agonising, particularly as they wait to hear whether Gold Coast's players will suddenly flood the market in the coming weeks. Coach Vitezslav Lavicka would sign Jason Culina in a flash, and Shane Smeltz is not far behind. But dare they wait and risk getting no one? There are also concerns that if Fowler's time is up, his reference for the A-League will be less than glowing, hampering bids to bring big names here.
A-LEAGUE
The season just finished was supposed to be the A-League's coming of age, with more teams, more games, more fans. Instead it has barely ended and one new franchise is back under central control, and the other is surrounded by confusion.
It hardly augurs well for the next stages of Lowy's dogged determination to expand to at least 12 teams, even in the face of a global financial crisis that has sucked the life out of potential corporate backing.
The passing of Adelaide United to new owners was a rare flash of sunlight for the FFA, and Melbourne Heart joining next season have a wide and well established ownership base.
But still there is no firm news of financial backing for the Sydney Rovers consortium slated for entry in 2011. Their plans are grand, but insiders at the FFA say Buckley, who stuck his neck out in awarding the franchise to a hastily assembled group, is increasingly worried.
WORLD CUP BID
The shadow looming over everything is the audacious bid to lure the 2018 or 2022 World Cup here, with a decision due in December.
Success could kickstart a flow of corporate and supporter interest the game can only dream of. But failure would open a flood of recriminations and bitterness over the public money spent on such a grand mission.
For all their brave words, FFA officials are worried about how the events of the past week will play out overseas. For two months or more, soccer chiefs felt compelled to stay quiet about the bid rather than promoting it, for fear of negative headlines over the opposition from the AFL and NRL. Just as that appears to have largely been overcome, the A-League starts looking sickly in the extreme and needs an infusion from something huge like a World Cup.
But so far their message to the executive committee who award the tournament has been about Australia's growing love affair with the sport, and to change themes mid-bid would be a dangerous strategy.
By Tom Smithies From:
The Sunday Telegraph April 11, 2010 12:01AM
IN a year dominated by the nation's World Cup bid, the Socceroos qualifying for South Africa and myriad other concerns, Ben Buckley will reflect today on one of the craziest weeks in his three years of running Australian soccer.
Little more than a week ago things looked rosy as he watched Frank Lowy claim the World Cup bid was practically finalised.
Since then he has faced speculation about his own future, authorised the wholesale rescue of one A-League club, was told by another club owner where to stick his franchise, and then received the resignation of the man running the league itself.
Buckley is known for maintaining a calm demeanor in the face of provocation. But he knows the sport faces a defining period, when the A-League itself has to prove it has the roots to survive - and at a time when the eyes of the world are watching as our World Cup bid is drawn up.
THE FURY
Insiders say there was intense debate within the FFA over whether to sink millions into saving the North Queensland franchise after owner Don Matheson walked away with crippling debts.
Several board members were all for pulling the plug, while Buckley was arguing fiercely that letting the club go to the wall was a terrible signal in the year of our World Cup bid. Only when Lowy unilaterally declared to the media that the Fury would continue was the debate ended.
The rationale is simple: to have an A-League presence in Townsville not only makes the league national but justifies a World Cup stadium there.
With A-League boss Archie Fraser now running the club full-time, his first priority is to bring in quality staff. Budgeted sponsorships and revenues dried up last season, leading to Matheson's huge outlay, and high-class marketing and commercial staff are urgently required.
GOLD COAST
As if the news from Townsville wasn't bad enough, an official reported to Buckley on Tuesday that "Clive [Palmer] has thrown his toys out of the pram again".
It seemed the maverick Gold Coast backer was pulling out for good, his latest threat to quit seemingly the most serious.
Nor was the timing coincidental, coming just days after the FFA had poured millions into another failed franchise.
"The thing about Clive is he's all over the place," said a source familiar with the billionaire's movements. "On Tuesday he was gone, but by Friday the club was saying it's business as usual.
"He's not used to criticism in the world he moves in.
"The FFA need to keep him on board for next season, even if it's with some small cash injection.
"And then [the FFA] needs to work with him to bring new investors on board and broaden the ownership base. There are people who apparently want to get involved, it's just a question of keeping everyone happy."
BOSS QUITS
Archie Fraser was Buckley's personal appointment to run the A-League, with the initial approach made over a round of golf.
They had clashes but also forged mutual respect when Buckley was the AFL chief operating officer and Fraser ran St Kilda. So it was the last thing Buckley needed when Fraser put his resignation letter on his desk late on Thursday.
Fraser doesn't suffer fools or A-League club officials gladly, and his negotiating style is described as blunt. He has few friends among the clubs, though Fraser would argue that is proof he is doing his job properly. He was undeniably frustrated by some of the issues and people he was dealing with, and will now concentrate his energies as a consultant aiming to lift the professionalism and success of the Queensland clubs.
Insiders say the fact Buckley had met several potential candidates for the job to run North Queensland during the week was proof he wasn't expecting Fraser's departure.
GOD'S FUTURE
THE cut-price model that was the cost of the FFA taking over North Queensland means Robbie Fowler's marquee status is over in Townsville.
But the Liverpool striker is keen to remain in Australia and is the league's only genuine star name.
He scored nine goals in a prosaic Fury team, several of which were contenders for goal of the season. Buckley spoke on Friday of how he hopes Fowler can remain in the league, but Sydney offer the only realistic option.
For Sydney, the choice is agonising, particularly as they wait to hear whether Gold Coast's players will suddenly flood the market in the coming weeks. Coach Vitezslav Lavicka would sign Jason Culina in a flash, and Shane Smeltz is not far behind. But dare they wait and risk getting no one? There are also concerns that if Fowler's time is up, his reference for the A-League will be less than glowing, hampering bids to bring big names here.
A-LEAGUE
The season just finished was supposed to be the A-League's coming of age, with more teams, more games, more fans. Instead it has barely ended and one new franchise is back under central control, and the other is surrounded by confusion.
It hardly augurs well for the next stages of Lowy's dogged determination to expand to at least 12 teams, even in the face of a global financial crisis that has sucked the life out of potential corporate backing.
The passing of Adelaide United to new owners was a rare flash of sunlight for the FFA, and Melbourne Heart joining next season have a wide and well established ownership base.
But still there is no firm news of financial backing for the Sydney Rovers consortium slated for entry in 2011. Their plans are grand, but insiders at the FFA say Buckley, who stuck his neck out in awarding the franchise to a hastily assembled group, is increasingly worried.
WORLD CUP BID
The shadow looming over everything is the audacious bid to lure the 2018 or 2022 World Cup here, with a decision due in December.
Success could kickstart a flow of corporate and supporter interest the game can only dream of. But failure would open a flood of recriminations and bitterness over the public money spent on such a grand mission.
For all their brave words, FFA officials are worried about how the events of the past week will play out overseas. For two months or more, soccer chiefs felt compelled to stay quiet about the bid rather than promoting it, for fear of negative headlines over the opposition from the AFL and NRL. Just as that appears to have largely been overcome, the A-League starts looking sickly in the extreme and needs an infusion from something huge like a World Cup.
But so far their message to the executive committee who award the tournament has been about Australia's growing love affair with the sport, and to change themes mid-bid would be a dangerous strategy.
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