Well its not called that, or anything else, yet. However, the proposed Australian version of England's FA Cup has produced a sense of excitement among the football fans of Australia. There have been debates about how the setup of the cup and the fixturing between the cup and the regular season and how many state league teams should be involved. I am going to bring out the main ideas.
Style
First of all, how should it be setup. There are two main options. The first is the FA Cup style. The Second is the style of the UEFA Champions League. The FA Cup is based on two teams playing two legs (IE. One game at home, one game away) with the winner progressing. This is the proposed way to go for us. The FA Cup starts with teams from the lower leagues playing off in the preliminary rounds, with EPL teams being seeded and drawn in. If the two-legged playoff system is adopted, a couple of problems emerge.
Clearly with only 11 A-League teams (there is proposals, for a 12th team) it is not big enough. If one cup match per week is assigned, it would be over in a few weeks. Not to mention the fact that they wont be playing enough games, hardly the sign of a strong cup competition. Even if it was stretched out over the season, it wouldn't have the same feel, and excitement. This then goes to the idea that we get state teams involved. (More on them later) There is then the potential for better scheduling.
Next is the UEFA Champions League style. Basically, every team gets seeded, and drawn into groups. Teams play the other members of the group twice, top two progress. Then they get drawn to play one of the other teams who progress, in two legged playoffs until the final. So enough games, check. Better scheduling,check.
State League Teams
The biggest question is how many state league teams do we include? Every state league team is going to be interested. But you can't just throw 50 state league teams into the mix, travel times, air fares and where they are going to play are all problems. The obvious answer is to only allow a few state league teams into the competition, at least at first. That leaves how they are going to decide who gets in. Two options come to mind. Either top four in the league go in, Top four in the respective cup competitions come in or they have respective "playoffs" and top four comes in. The reason why I have chosen top four is because it is the best number to use. There would most likely only be teams from WA, NSW, QL, VIC and SA involved. This would mean that there would be 32 teams (including a possible 12 A-League teams). This is enough for a decent two-legged cup competition FA Cup style. If it was a UCL style 32 teams would mean a manageable eight groups with four teams.
I would propose the first option, the only thing I do not like is that not all the state league teams will play against the A-League teams. Still, it is the best option.
Scheduling
Scheduling is the next main topic. This season has seen the introduction of Mid-week matches. They have been a relative success, with a couple of them getting over 10,000 for the game. They also show that they command, on average just 2,000 spectators less than the regular weekend matches. That aint half bad. They soon could be replaced with Cup matches. Yet they can't completely completely replace them. Cup matches don't have to be played every week, in fact it's better when they aren't. There also must be room to account for any possible scenarios, such as games having to be cancelled and rescheduled.
Then you must decide when you want it to finish. More then likely it will finish before the season ends. This is because the season goes into finals. Or it could finish after the finals. I believe that with the cup competition, the FFA should remove the finals system once and for all. Then you have to consider whether you want the Cup to finish before the regular season starts or not.
I have no doubt that the addition of a cup competition will be success. It will be about finding the right way to go. But it will no doubt be a great addition to football in Australia
A look at the Perth Glory Football Club from the eyes of a supporter. Oh and a few other general football notes thrown in
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
You'll Never Walk Alone
"When you walk through a storm
hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never, ever walk alone.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never, ever walk alone."-Rodgers and Hammerstein (1945)/Liverpool
I know, I know. YNWA has become almost cliche. Yet the song made famous by the Liverpool Ultras is a fitting way to describe last night's match. The match attendance at NIB Stadium was just 5745, well short of the 16, 000 people who turned up for the first match of the season. Yet it was above the expected turnout of 4,000. On a hot Wednesday night, Glory coming off seven losses with not much hope for this match, overall better than expected. Certainly it was a better attendance than I expected.
It shows that while many will abandon the team when things turn sour, there are still many who will stand and walk by the team. It proves that Glory aren't alone. I must say, there were many a times when that 5, 000 crowd seemed louder than 10 or 11 thousand. Indeed most of those who were missing are content to only cheer when we score. To those of Perth; is that really what you want to be known as? A bunch of two faced supporters. Obviously you do.
Now onto the game. True to his word, Ferguson made a number of changes.
The lineup was as follows:
Velaphi
Neville-Todd-Griffiths-Coyne
Amphlett-Burns-Fondyke-Howarth
Sterjovski-Baird
Noticeable was the inclusions of young guns in Brent Griffiths, Howard Fondyke and Amphlett.
While the game itself was largely uneventful, Glory came out with a lot of energy, played with heart and played with the persistence and desperation that they have lacked. Led by Mile Sterjovski, Glory lifted and put pressure on the Melbourne defence.
The first solid attack came at about 10 minutes. Mile beat three defenders to the ball, got it to Howarth. A deep cross into the box was laid off to Amphlett, by Todd, but he couldn't capitalise.
On the whole, Melbourne Heart had to dig deep to stop Glory from scoring. A number of last ditch tackles were all that saved them. With Fondyke and Burns controlling the midfield, the wingers lively and the forwards pushing, it seemed only a matter of time. However, it was not to be. Sterjovski and Neville missed key chances and were, perhaps, unlucky in their attempts.
Half time came and went, and for a time so did Glory. Heart put a lot of pressure and it was our defense that had to dig deep. Griffiths and Todd were very impressive. Still the game wasn't over and Glory began to push up and create a few more chances. Sterjovski missed the best chance of the game, when he skied a cross from Baird. Then into stoppage time Babalj got onto a cross but his header smashed against the post, denying a winner for the visitors. The final score of 0-0 was fair enough and Glory will definitely take the point. The draw is just one step
Glory will stay at home for a game against the Wellington Phoenix. I hope that the rest of Perth can stand up and walk with us.
Monday, November 1, 2010
International Players-Its time Glory used it.
Glory are currently on a seven game losing streak. On Wednesday it could become eight. Many Glory fans have been left bewildered and utterly confused at how a five game unbeaten streak can turn into a terrible losing streak. I'm not going to. Instead, I am going to look at a feature that hasn't been used as well as it could be.
That (as the title suggests) is international players. Currently, A-league teams are allowed up to five international players, and one additional player from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). (I believe this is due to Asian Champions League (ACL) rules which state they must have one (or something like that)) There are currently 43 international players plus four in AFC spots. Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets have two of them and also have another player from the AFC that are in one of their regular International Spots.
Being a Perth Glory "expert" I am going to have a look at Glory's current international players, current internationals from around the league as well as a few past players and, finally, what next for Glory. As said, Glory just haven't had quality international players. Our current internationals include Robbie Fowler, Andy Todd, Victor Sikora, Steve McGarry and Branko Jelic. At first glance, they don't seem to be a bad lot of footballers to have on your squad. Two have experience in England, one is the man dubbed "God," who terrorised defences, and goalkeepers when he was at Liverpool. The other is an uncompromising defender. Victor is a former Dutch International. Steve has played with and against the best teams in Scotland. Jelic has regularly scored goals in Germany. Yet it seems, only Todd and Jelic are deserving of a spot in this Glory squad.
Fowler: Fowler is a great name to be associated with. Not many people haven't heard of him. Yet at the moment, that's all he is; a name. Constantly being isolated up front with only useless long balls for service its no wonder he is down. He still has that great touch, great shot and great football brain but is clearly not as good physically. Easily outpaced by younger, faster opponents. He should be a coach.
Todd: One of our best players but has been exposed by youth. We should play youth, alongside him. Will help them as much as it helps him
McGarry: Works hard but gets no reward. Like everyone else is really struggling. His generally good skills have deserted him.
Sikora: There are a lot of question marks surrounding Sikora. He is out with a seemingly never ending injury. Has impressed when fit but if he isn't going to be available then we simply can't afford him to take up a spot.
Jelic: Needs to get more chances. Put him alongside Jukic or Skorich. He is a smart player and will find the goals. But not if he isn't playing.
Glory fans will remember the many unsuccessful players who have come over and failed. So called "duds" and "flops." Mate Dragecevic and Henry Fa'arado were two such players. Yet in my view we have had a number of "good players" that just had a bad spell here. The player that immediately comes to mind is cult hero Eugene Dadi. "He's big, He's black, we want our Dadi back" was the chant from the faithful when he got cut. Things could be different had we kept him. Next, for me, comes the Japanese player Hiroyuki Ishida. Glory fans reading this will be saying "wait...what?" He only made 16 appearances with only about 1/4 of them starting on the pitch. Yet I believe he showed potential and could have developed into a solid player. Yes his skill level may have been down, but his effort always made up for it but still got cut. Why then is Jamie Coyne still on the team, has no skill, has no effort, and is the cause of at least 1/2 the goals Glory has conceded in the A-league. Then you start to think of the failures. English trio Brian Deane, Steve McMahon Jr and Stuart Young headline it. Deane was a shadow of the player he once was (he wasn't even that great to start with), Young had never had any talent and had plenty of chances to convince us that he isn't useless. He failed miserably. McMahon Jr only got into the squad because his dad was coach. The fact that Jamie Coyne is better than him is a testimony to how bad he really is. Then there was James Robinson. Another useless English striker who couldn't find the back off the net if the opponents played without a striker.
But, there is a bright spot. Former Brazilian international lit up ME Bank Stadium before injury ruined his time here. One of the best playmakers Glory have had. Adrian Trinidad was great when he (a) got game time and (b) got given the freedom to drift between an attacking midfielder role and on the wing. Yet ended up with no game time.
The A-League, in general has had some good overseas players. The quality has gone up this year. Here is my view on some of the best:
Marcos Flores (Adelaide): While I don't think he is as good as people say he is, there is no doubt how influential he is. He is still a reason why Adelaide are on top.
Thomas Broich (Brisbane): The German has been in fine form. Scoring goals, assisting goals, beating defenders left, right and center. Wonderful addition to the A-League
Carlos Hernandez (Melbourne Victory): Has been dominating the A-League for years. If I could pick any player to join Glory (from the other A-League teams) I would pick him
Paul Ifill (Wellington Phoenix): Been a top goalscorer and has been a star.
Glory Next Season
I think the only players Glory should keep are Todd and Jelic. I believe that they need to look at filling the spots like this:
Spot 1: Andy Todd
Spot 2: Branko Jelic
Spot 3: South America-Brazil. There is no doubt that we could find either a Striker, attacking midfielder or play maker in Brazil. The best will move to Europe, but underneath there are plenty waiting to be discovered.
Spot 4: Eastern Europe-Russia/Turkey/Ukraine. Skillful players are in abundance in the countries that produced Arshavin, Turan and Shevchenko. Look for Wide Players.
Spot 5: Western Europe-Italy/France/Spain/Germany. Well take your pick at which position you want to look at. I would suggest a strong center back or a full back
AFC: Well Glory will have to send out the scouts. They should look at Japan or China. The current AFC players have generally been good so keep the hopes up that more can be found.
Todd is coming towards the end of his career and Jelic doesn't have long to go. We will have to find solid replacements. Not just put blind faith into players who might be good or might not be.
That (as the title suggests) is international players. Currently, A-league teams are allowed up to five international players, and one additional player from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). (I believe this is due to Asian Champions League (ACL) rules which state they must have one (or something like that)) There are currently 43 international players plus four in AFC spots. Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets have two of them and also have another player from the AFC that are in one of their regular International Spots.
Being a Perth Glory "expert" I am going to have a look at Glory's current international players, current internationals from around the league as well as a few past players and, finally, what next for Glory. As said, Glory just haven't had quality international players. Our current internationals include Robbie Fowler, Andy Todd, Victor Sikora, Steve McGarry and Branko Jelic. At first glance, they don't seem to be a bad lot of footballers to have on your squad. Two have experience in England, one is the man dubbed "God," who terrorised defences, and goalkeepers when he was at Liverpool. The other is an uncompromising defender. Victor is a former Dutch International. Steve has played with and against the best teams in Scotland. Jelic has regularly scored goals in Germany. Yet it seems, only Todd and Jelic are deserving of a spot in this Glory squad.
Fowler: Fowler is a great name to be associated with. Not many people haven't heard of him. Yet at the moment, that's all he is; a name. Constantly being isolated up front with only useless long balls for service its no wonder he is down. He still has that great touch, great shot and great football brain but is clearly not as good physically. Easily outpaced by younger, faster opponents. He should be a coach.
Todd: One of our best players but has been exposed by youth. We should play youth, alongside him. Will help them as much as it helps him
McGarry: Works hard but gets no reward. Like everyone else is really struggling. His generally good skills have deserted him.
Sikora: There are a lot of question marks surrounding Sikora. He is out with a seemingly never ending injury. Has impressed when fit but if he isn't going to be available then we simply can't afford him to take up a spot.
Jelic: Needs to get more chances. Put him alongside Jukic or Skorich. He is a smart player and will find the goals. But not if he isn't playing.
Glory fans will remember the many unsuccessful players who have come over and failed. So called "duds" and "flops." Mate Dragecevic and Henry Fa'arado were two such players. Yet in my view we have had a number of "good players" that just had a bad spell here. The player that immediately comes to mind is cult hero Eugene Dadi. "He's big, He's black, we want our Dadi back" was the chant from the faithful when he got cut. Things could be different had we kept him. Next, for me, comes the Japanese player Hiroyuki Ishida. Glory fans reading this will be saying "wait...what?" He only made 16 appearances with only about 1/4 of them starting on the pitch. Yet I believe he showed potential and could have developed into a solid player. Yes his skill level may have been down, but his effort always made up for it but still got cut. Why then is Jamie Coyne still on the team, has no skill, has no effort, and is the cause of at least 1/2 the goals Glory has conceded in the A-league. Then you start to think of the failures. English trio Brian Deane, Steve McMahon Jr and Stuart Young headline it. Deane was a shadow of the player he once was (he wasn't even that great to start with), Young had never had any talent and had plenty of chances to convince us that he isn't useless. He failed miserably. McMahon Jr only got into the squad because his dad was coach. The fact that Jamie Coyne is better than him is a testimony to how bad he really is. Then there was James Robinson. Another useless English striker who couldn't find the back off the net if the opponents played without a striker.
But, there is a bright spot. Former Brazilian international lit up ME Bank Stadium before injury ruined his time here. One of the best playmakers Glory have had. Adrian Trinidad was great when he (a) got game time and (b) got given the freedom to drift between an attacking midfielder role and on the wing. Yet ended up with no game time.
The A-League, in general has had some good overseas players. The quality has gone up this year. Here is my view on some of the best:
Marcos Flores (Adelaide): While I don't think he is as good as people say he is, there is no doubt how influential he is. He is still a reason why Adelaide are on top.
Thomas Broich (Brisbane): The German has been in fine form. Scoring goals, assisting goals, beating defenders left, right and center. Wonderful addition to the A-League
Carlos Hernandez (Melbourne Victory): Has been dominating the A-League for years. If I could pick any player to join Glory (from the other A-League teams) I would pick him
Paul Ifill (Wellington Phoenix): Been a top goalscorer and has been a star.
Glory Next Season
I think the only players Glory should keep are Todd and Jelic. I believe that they need to look at filling the spots like this:
Spot 1: Andy Todd
Spot 2: Branko Jelic
Spot 3: South America-Brazil. There is no doubt that we could find either a Striker, attacking midfielder or play maker in Brazil. The best will move to Europe, but underneath there are plenty waiting to be discovered.
Spot 4: Eastern Europe-Russia/Turkey/Ukraine. Skillful players are in abundance in the countries that produced Arshavin, Turan and Shevchenko. Look for Wide Players.
Spot 5: Western Europe-Italy/France/Spain/Germany. Well take your pick at which position you want to look at. I would suggest a strong center back or a full back
AFC: Well Glory will have to send out the scouts. They should look at Japan or China. The current AFC players have generally been good so keep the hopes up that more can be found.
Todd is coming towards the end of his career and Jelic doesn't have long to go. We will have to find solid replacements. Not just put blind faith into players who might be good or might not be.
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