Half Time Heroes December
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Transcript of Half Time Heroes December
Inside Issue 5
Cover Page Wayne Snowden
3 About us
EditorialsOpinions
4 Tony Wilson Interview
8 Ben Somerford Gets ready to
rumble with the Socceroos midfield
10 Fiona Crawford Wants Boonie
back
12 Mike Salter Thinks the Kiwirsquos
should be part of Asia
14 Sunil Awasthi Counts down the
best 10 Socceroos games
16 Con Stamocostas comes out
fighting in the code brawls
18 Danny Cameron gets in on the
World Cup Bid with his BMX
21 Sarah D goes inside the Cove
22 Damien Keane thanks Thierry
Henry
24 Bill Skinner and the decline of
Adelaide United
26 Buckle Up Ben wishes he had a new
best man
28 Ben OrsquoNeill gets handy with some
German goalkeepers
30 Shane Davis takes a close look at
Australiarsquos group D opponents
32 Glenn Seiver discusses the case of a
young Australian footballer
34 Kieran Pender Interview
Australian and Valencia youth Theo
Markelis and runs the rule over the
Spanish League ole
39 The Damned United Movie Review
40 Matt McGrath profiles Fury
midfielder Royston Griffiths
42 Chippy Brady Whatrsquos on Chippyrsquos
shoulder this month
43 HTH Photo of the Month
44 Eamonn Flannagan gears up for an
exciting W League grand Final
46 The HTH Back Page List of all
independent Football media in Australia
Hello football fans and welcome
to Half Time Heroes Issue number 5
Itrsquos been another huge month in the
world of football both here in Australia
and abroad and just like a x-mas table
cloth does we got it covered
Australiarsquos World Cup opponents were
confirmed and the bookmakers say that
group D is the 3rd ranked group of
death
As Wayne Snowed HTHrsquos resident
cartoonist asks which one isnrsquot
Thanks to Australian media personality
Tony Wilson for answering some of
HTHrsquos tough questions
This month we also welcome Damien
Keane who gives us an insight into an
Irish fans response to the infamous
Henry hand ball
Danny Cameron also joins HTH and he
writes about an ndashex BMX bandit who
could hold the key to winning the world
cup bid for Australia
Ben Somerford looks at the Socceroos
midfield options
Fiona Crawford wants Boonie back but
not the ex Australian cricketer
Mike Salter the football tragic reckons
the Kiwirsquos have it easy in Oceania
Sunil Awashi counts down the top 10
Socceroos matches
Ben OrsquoNeill discusses German keepers
Shane Davis runs the rule of Australiarsquos
group D opponents
Kieran Pender interviews a young
Aussie starlet playing for Valencia in
Spainrsquos La Liga amp also does a roundup of
LA Liga
Sarah D goes behind the Cove
Chippy Brady is still chipping away at
the issues
Buckle up Ben is upset his best man
betrayed him
Eamonn Flanagan previews the W
League grand Final
Thanks to all the writers and readers I
hope you enjoy this monthrsquos HTH
Merry Xmas Peace and football
Con Stamocostas
HTH Interview Tony Wilson
Australian media personality
Tony Wilson (pictured above with Santo
Cilauro) is the author of Australia
United a book detailing his adventure in
Germany 2006 (an excellent read) he is
also a Radio announcer on 2RRR in
Melbourne and regular member of the
ABC TV show the Einstein factor and
last but not least he is a huge Socceroos
fan
Half Time Heroes In your book Australia United you say that you became a convert to the Socceroos cause on November 291997 When you fell into the arms of a 53 year old greengrocer called Con seconds after Aurelio Vidmar had put us 2-0 up
against Iran and into the 1998 world cup So from the nadir of that moment to
now two consecutive World Cups and
again meeting another Con (Irsquom not a
green grocer but it is a dream) did
you ever think you would be in this
position
Tony Wilson I did think we would
eventually qualify and I vowed after the
exhilaration and despair of November
29 1997 that I would be there to
witness it It was crazy pledge to myself
and it took me to Uruguay in 2001
which was truly the trip of a lifetime
even if the result didnt quite go our
way Eventually of course I was there at
Sydneys Olympic Stadium when Aloisi
ploughed that thunderbolt into the back
of the net Given I initially fell for the
game after a defeat I cant tell you how
addicted to qualifiers I feel after that
amazing moment
So the World Cup draw tells us your thoughts can the Aussies make it out of the group TW Its a really difficult group probably the second hardest after the Brazil Ivory Coast Portugal group Mind you there arent too many easy groups out there We have beaten and can beat Ghana even if the blazing potential in that London friendly has us all feeling a bit nervous I actually saw Ghana lose to Brazil in Germany and even then their young squad was very unlucky in that match Names like Klose Podolski
Schweinsteger and of course Ballack mean we have to expect to lose to the Germans Although hey upsets can and do happen at these tournaments And the Serbia match will be even tougher than its Croatian equivalent in 2006 although again if we can win against Ghana and results have fallen our way there is a spirit in this squad that has me hoping that we might get out of the group Having said that I wouldnt be surprised if we didnt win a game Either way I love this team and believe its qualifying performance has cemented its position as the greatest side we have ever had
Are you planning on going to
South Africa What do you think the
first ever World Cup in Africa will
produce
TW By some miracle my arsy father got his name pulled out in the FIFA ballot so not only am I going Ive already got my tickets Very very happy about that In Germany I stayed right through to the final and as the last chapter of Australia United attests snared a ticket to the game at the very last minute Missed the goals but was there for the headbutt Ive now got a 3 month old baby so this time I might not make it through to the end I think the tournament will be a beauty Germany had organisation and infrastructure and almost a sense of international rebirth after World War II
For Africa this is the chance to truly put on the biggest show on Earth and to prove to everyone that its fun and safe and friendly As a fan of Ladysmith Black Mamboso Im also tipping that the music dancing side of things will put thigh slapping lederhosen acts to shame
Tell me what you think about Pim Verbeek and the current Socceroo squad Michael Cockerill posed this question in a recent article he penned for the SMH Are the Socceroos four years better or simply four years older What do you say TW I love Pim because I was desperate for somebody to get us there and he hardly put a foot wrong I know that theres a sense that were not as good that the team is older and slower When I think of how good we were against Brazil and Italy last time its hard to imagine an Australian team ever playing that well again
I think weve definitely slipped a bit I asked Fox Sports Simon Hill and he thinks the loss of Mark Viduka is the biggest blow That might turn out to be pretty right We seem to be more defensive now than Guus had us playing but having said that some of our players have got better Emerton is better Wilkshire is better Cahill is better Incredibly Mark Schwartzer seems to be playing even better than in 2006 Against that stars like Kewell Grella Bresciano Chipperfield and Culina might have just dropped off a notch
The World Cup bid is starting to take shape from what you have seen so far with the promo videos and online book has the FFA sold Australia well Do you like that Nicole Kidman was used to spruik the bid And do we have a chance to host it TWI dont mind that Nicole has got the job If that nice Hugh Jackman can fall in
love with her in Australia surely the FIFA powerbrokers wont be able to resist her faux English botox infused charms I think this is a very rare opportunity to win the bid We are extremely lucky that two bids are being sorted out at once I think were almost no chance for 2018 and that the tournament will return to Europe but 2022 is a huge chance Europe wont get it again Africa wont get it South America will have just had 2014 So by my reckoning it comes down to the USA China and us Id choose us Ive actually just written a novel about a fictional footballer who is the face of our World Cup bid Hes an ex-Socceroo called Charlie Dekker and he gets caught up in a tabloid feeding frenzy when he falls for a Tiger Woods like sex scandal It will be out through Murdoch Books in July next year
Who is your A League team
TW Im a member of the Melbourne Victory and get to almost every home game My two-year-old daughter Polly is a member too and she has just started coming She likes the half time food and dressing up in the colours Last time we went the noise following an Archie Thompson goal resulted in her bursting into tears Shell have to improve on that Ive been there for our two Grand Final wins which were both great in different ways I think Henandez is playing so well this year that we have to be favourites to do it again
Do you have an overseas team
TW I used to say West Ham because I love the theme song Im Forever Blowing Bubbles As a kid I also loved the fact that they had a processed meat in their name But I have to be honest and admit that I watch very little Premier League football Certainly the Hammers have produced very little to inspire in 09-10 I dont have a great passion for any overseas club Id even confess that Im thinking of switching over to Everton now that Lucas Neill has joined Tim Cahill there Ive certainly been playing a lot of FIFA 09 on the PS3 as Everton
Your favourite A League player TW Carlos Henandez is a great favourite My friend Sam Pang calls him The silver fox I think hes the most gifted player in the A-League and that its a tragedy Costa Rica didnt qualify
for this World Cup I would have loved for him to be there All Melbourne fans love Archie and forgive him all those offsides (or are they offside) In terms of other A-League clubs I like the bruising style of Danny Tiatto (his cousin The Ox is a wrestler I know) and the distinguished grey of Steve Corica He will retire a legend of local football
Who is your favourite overseas player TW I think the best to watch is Lionel Messi Im so glad that Argentina overcame the Diego insanity that seems to be prevailing there at the moment and got Messi into the tournament His little mosquito legs are just freaky and his centre of gravity must be about 5cm off the ground I think he will win the Golden Ball in South Africa I also have a big soft spot for Wayne Rooney The story of Colleen throwing his 50000 pound engagement ring into a wood and rangers having to ask fossickers to respect the rights of the squirrels who may have found the ring was my favourite tabloid story of the last few years Colleen was angry with him for seeing hookers Tony Wilsons website is wwwtonywilsoncomau His second novel Making News will be released through Murdoch Books in July 2010 right in the middle of the World Cup
Battle Royale in
Defensive Midfield
As another weekend of European football action passes in comes another whole list of questions regarding our Socceroos
And one of the areas of intrigue is amongst the Socceroos defensive midfield stocks which seems a role perpetually crucial for Australian teams Vince Grella and Jason Culina have occupied the two-pronged role for years and Pim Verbeek clearly sees the pair as his favoured partnership looking ahead to 2010 But Verbeek may be beginning to question his certainty on that point with Culinarsquos uninspiring A-League form coupled by another Grella injury at Blackburn this weekend Without doubt Grella is one of Australia rsquos main stars and he has proven himself and while this problem is only minor it is a warning for a player whorsquos had a
terrible run of injuries in the last 12 months in the past but we must focus on the present and his recent troubles are concerning Grella has hardly endeared himself to the Blackburn faithful since his move to Ewood Park in August last year with a mix inconsistent form and consistent injury problems And his recent form at international level hasnrsquot been overly convincing either But still Grella remains a key man and rightfully so as he is Australia rsquos highest qualified player (so to speak) for that defensive midfield role The worry though is the injuries and whether Grellarsquos groin and hamstrings can hold up especially at a World Cup where Australia will play three (hopefully more) matches in a short period Nevertheless the news out of Blackburn this weekend is that Grellarsquos latest problem is only a minor groin injury which will see him miss one or maybe two matches
Ben Somerford previews
the battle royale that will take
place over the Socceroos midfield
(Mile Jedinak to start against Germany)(photo by cam w) Indeed this presents the question of Australiarsquos depth and who are the next options in waiting And this is the intriguing part which could see a real jostle amongst players for a seat on the plane to South Africa next year Beyond Culina Carl Valeri who was dubbed lsquoMini Vinniersquo is obviously an heir to the throne but his recent issues at Italian Serie B club Grosseto have clouded his future And with the rapid emergence of Mile Jedinak in Turkey rsquos Super Lig with Antalyaspor Valeri is no guarantee for South Africa Just last weekend Jedinak scored against Harry Kewellrsquos Galatasaray to claim his seventh goal in all competitions this season
It would be remiss of me to simply push forward Jedinakrsquos name based on a dozen or so goals but he has proven himself a player on the improve with some mature displays for Antalyaspor And a number of his strikes this term have come as headers from set-pieces representing a goal threat which could be an important part of the Socceroosrsquo game plan at next yearrsquos World Cup against some genuine heavyweights who could dominate us around the park Returning to Valeri who appeared to have resolved his contractual issues at Grosseto he was curiously left out of their side for the weekendrsquos win against Piacenza But Verbeek is a conservative type who likes the tried-and-tested method so you fancy the old guard The quandary though is how many defensive midfielders can Australia take to South Africa and it seems only three should go With defenders Luke Wilkshire and Rhys Williams employed as flexible squad options Australia has ample cover So it is likely one of Jedinak or Valeri will miss out and itrsquos turning into quite the race But Culina will have to deal with finding a club when the A-League season ends and Grella will of course have to stay fit It should be worth monitoring
Geof Wilson Interview
For two full seasons yoursquove been
getting a womanrsquos (my) perspective on the
womenrsquos game (the W-League) This week I
figured it was high time to hear what one of
the male fans has to say
Geoff Wilson (lsquoWallyrsquo to his mates) is a man
of many talentsmdashCEO musician
unicyclistmdashand is one of the biggest
grassroots proponents of the W-League Irsquove
yet met
His cheers are Irsquom-used-to-projecting-my-
voice-on-stage loud and witty his
knowledge of the game encyclopedic and
his support unrivalled
This is a man so dedicated he got himself a
jersey made up during the off-season with
Roar Women reserve goalkeeper Lara
Boonrsquos name and number (albeit much to
her amusement with the wrong number)
He proudly wears it along with the
memento headband and keepersrsquo gloves she
signed for him to each game
So how long has he been attending W-
League games
lsquoIve been going to see the Roar since the
first season although I only bought a season
ticket this yearrsquo he says lsquoFriends we used to
go with (sadly not many of them have stuck
around) started going to the W-league
games from the start and the first one I
went to I think I was the only bloke in a
group of girls who play indoor togetherrsquo
Clearly though something kept him coming
back after that initial game lsquoTo start with I
was just plain curiousrsquo he says And as for
many guys he admits lsquoThe idea of watching
attractive young athletes running around
getting sweaty was a big draw cardrsquo
lsquoThe second game we sat behind the Roar
bench and started mimicking the girls
sitting in front of us squealing Boonie who
it turns out were half of a junior team she
was coachingrsquo
At that stage he didnrsquot know who Boonie
was but his interest in the W-League was
definitely there lsquoThe appeal was already
growing there were some hot bods we
could sit right on top of the action the girls
were great at connecting with the crowd
Fiona Crawford gets a
male perspective on the W
League
after the game andmdashI was somewhat
surprised to learnmdashthey were actually
bloody goodrsquo
Indeed Wilsonrsquos reaction is that of most
guys who catch a W-League match lsquoThey
play the beautiful game quite literally
Althoughrsquo he quips lsquomaybe Ive just been
watching the Roar men for too longrsquo
Basically he says lsquoIts great to watch your
team bring the ball up the pitch and then
decisively put it into the back of the netmdash
consistently The standard of the
competition was much higher than Id
expected to see not just from Roar Women
but from all the teams Ive seen playrsquo
But supporting the W-League has had its
ups and downs not least arriving for the
first game of season two to find out that
crowdmdashand Wilsonrsquosmdashfavourite reserve
goalkeeper Boon hadnrsquot been re-signed
lsquoI dont know which of us felt worse finding
out shed been droppedrsquo he says lsquoAll I can
say about thatmdashwith absolutely no
disrespect to Casey Dumont who is a
spectacular keepermdashis that hopefully Ill be
able to peel off the 9 when Boonie gets the
run-on gig at some point in the future Just
in case Jeff Hopkins is reading Bring Back
Booniersquo Hersquos even started up a facebook
group
So does he envisage more guys becoming
W-League fans lsquoI am in the minority
gender-wisersquo he says lsquoThere are lots of girls
with their mums and dads and occasionally
their brothers and I guess boyfriends but
maybe the split is about 70-30rsquo
That potentially means therersquos room for fan-
recruiting improvement then lsquoI dont know
whether that means that fans like me who
have drifted across from the mens game
are the growth potential or notrsquo he says
lsquoId like to think more punters will be
enticed to come and see more games as
word spreads that the ladies actually play
damn well rather than sticking to the
dumb-obvious sex sells strategy [that the
glamour-oriented Westfield W-League
posters currently employ]rsquo
lsquoMaybe as in my case that strategy will get
bums on seats the first timersquo he says lsquobut I
really think the quality of the games is what
will bring fans back for repeat
performancesrsquo
Speaking of repeat performances hersquos
clearly hoping for a repeat championship
win for Roar Women this coming weekend
That and that they bring back Boonie for
season three
A reference to the number mix upmdashhis
shirt reads 19 when Boonrsquos number is 20
Oceans apart
Strange but true although Oceania is far far and away the weakest confederation in FIFA its representative in the cross-confederation playoff has qualified for the World Cup for the second time running Bahrain may not have been as daunting an opponent as Uruguay but New Zealands achievement has to be saluted Despite playing few competitive matches of any consequence over the last few years they showed their mettle when it counted against a match-hardened side Let us not forget Bahrain comprehensively outplayed the Socceroos in Manama earlier this year despite conceding that fateful late goal So cue once more the utterly ridiculous calls for Oceania to be allotted a full place at the World Cup The logic of this especially now that Australia is no longer in the mix is too fatuous even to discuss But the mere fact that such calls
are being made shows just how anomalous the Oceania confederation has become It is still permitted a full place at FIFAs minor events with some embarrassing results Tahiti qualified for the Under 20 World Cup thanks to a qualifying series on home turf and a leg-up from the officials in their key game against New Zealand But in Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but no Ricki Herberts team will not embarrass themselves quite that badly in South Africa But their performances at the Confederations Cup in June gave every impression of a side that lacked the nous to hold their own against quality opposition And thats where Australia comes in
Mike Salter argues
that the Kiwirsquos should be absorbed
into the Asian confederation
(Leo Bertos will be a key player for the Kiwirsquos in South Africa photo by Cam W) Although they have hardly thrilled the crowds on their way to South Africa 2010 the Socceroos have developed a shrewdness and resilience which comes from negotiating an arduous qualifying path In the long term Australian football can only benefit from this
And so can New Zealand football if the
right thing happensnamely for Oceania
to be absorbed into Asia
It makes sense on all levels The Pacific
nations occasionally get to test themselves
against opposition other than each other
and one regional behemoth The All
Whites get to experience what the rigours
of qualification travel are really like
And the Tahiti tokenism ceases to be an
embarrassment for all concerned
ldquoIn Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but nordquo
Since the first one in 1922 the Socceroos have played over 400 official internationals And when you play that many games over that long a span some are going to be more memorable than others Many on this list are from the comparatively recent past Take this not as ignorant or a swipe at generations gone by but as a yardstick for just how far the sport has come in this country But just what makes a great game Well not only the result Tension drama and historical significance all play big roles in making matches memorable And with that in mind here are the top 10 Socceroos showdowns ever 10 Bashing Blighty Australia 3-1 England (Feb 12 2003) International Friendly Upton Park London Yeah it was just a friendly and Sven substituted the whole Three Lions team at half time But hey Australia could beat England in marbles and itrsquod still be cause for national celebration The lsquoRoos led a star-studded English side 2-0 at the break and didnrsquot relinquish the advantage against the second stringers after it Popovic Kewell and Emerton were the Aussie scorers on a memorable night in East London
9 A+ in Asia Australia 3-0 Qatar (February 6 2008) World Cup Qualifier Docklands Stadium Melbourne Australia had been in the Asian Confederation for two years but no one knew for sure what to expect when it played its all-important first World Cup Qualifier in the AFC against lowly but cash-rich Qatar Well it didnrsquot take long to find out and thankfully the news was good a first half blitzkrieg saw goals from Kennedy Cahill and Bresciano and Australia was away and running on the road to 2010 8 Trans-Tasman Trauma Australia 0-1 New Zealand (July 14 2002) Oceania Nations Cup Final Mt Smart Stadium Auckland Rock-bottom A woefully under strength Socceroo side featuring just one European-based player (Scott Chipperfield) failed to get past the Kiwis and get to the lucrative 2003 Confederations Cup The backlash was immediate and earth-shattering The administration that had for long failed to do the job was finally called to account ldquoThe fish gentlemen stinks from the head It is time you all faced it and did the noble thing ldquowrote the doyen of Australian football broadcasters Les Murray
Sunil Awasthi ranks the top
10 Socceroos games ever
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Hello football fans and welcome
to Half Time Heroes Issue number 5
Itrsquos been another huge month in the
world of football both here in Australia
and abroad and just like a x-mas table
cloth does we got it covered
Australiarsquos World Cup opponents were
confirmed and the bookmakers say that
group D is the 3rd ranked group of
death
As Wayne Snowed HTHrsquos resident
cartoonist asks which one isnrsquot
Thanks to Australian media personality
Tony Wilson for answering some of
HTHrsquos tough questions
This month we also welcome Damien
Keane who gives us an insight into an
Irish fans response to the infamous
Henry hand ball
Danny Cameron also joins HTH and he
writes about an ndashex BMX bandit who
could hold the key to winning the world
cup bid for Australia
Ben Somerford looks at the Socceroos
midfield options
Fiona Crawford wants Boonie back but
not the ex Australian cricketer
Mike Salter the football tragic reckons
the Kiwirsquos have it easy in Oceania
Sunil Awashi counts down the top 10
Socceroos matches
Ben OrsquoNeill discusses German keepers
Shane Davis runs the rule of Australiarsquos
group D opponents
Kieran Pender interviews a young
Aussie starlet playing for Valencia in
Spainrsquos La Liga amp also does a roundup of
LA Liga
Sarah D goes behind the Cove
Chippy Brady is still chipping away at
the issues
Buckle up Ben is upset his best man
betrayed him
Eamonn Flanagan previews the W
League grand Final
Thanks to all the writers and readers I
hope you enjoy this monthrsquos HTH
Merry Xmas Peace and football
Con Stamocostas
HTH Interview Tony Wilson
Australian media personality
Tony Wilson (pictured above with Santo
Cilauro) is the author of Australia
United a book detailing his adventure in
Germany 2006 (an excellent read) he is
also a Radio announcer on 2RRR in
Melbourne and regular member of the
ABC TV show the Einstein factor and
last but not least he is a huge Socceroos
fan
Half Time Heroes In your book Australia United you say that you became a convert to the Socceroos cause on November 291997 When you fell into the arms of a 53 year old greengrocer called Con seconds after Aurelio Vidmar had put us 2-0 up
against Iran and into the 1998 world cup So from the nadir of that moment to
now two consecutive World Cups and
again meeting another Con (Irsquom not a
green grocer but it is a dream) did
you ever think you would be in this
position
Tony Wilson I did think we would
eventually qualify and I vowed after the
exhilaration and despair of November
29 1997 that I would be there to
witness it It was crazy pledge to myself
and it took me to Uruguay in 2001
which was truly the trip of a lifetime
even if the result didnt quite go our
way Eventually of course I was there at
Sydneys Olympic Stadium when Aloisi
ploughed that thunderbolt into the back
of the net Given I initially fell for the
game after a defeat I cant tell you how
addicted to qualifiers I feel after that
amazing moment
So the World Cup draw tells us your thoughts can the Aussies make it out of the group TW Its a really difficult group probably the second hardest after the Brazil Ivory Coast Portugal group Mind you there arent too many easy groups out there We have beaten and can beat Ghana even if the blazing potential in that London friendly has us all feeling a bit nervous I actually saw Ghana lose to Brazil in Germany and even then their young squad was very unlucky in that match Names like Klose Podolski
Schweinsteger and of course Ballack mean we have to expect to lose to the Germans Although hey upsets can and do happen at these tournaments And the Serbia match will be even tougher than its Croatian equivalent in 2006 although again if we can win against Ghana and results have fallen our way there is a spirit in this squad that has me hoping that we might get out of the group Having said that I wouldnt be surprised if we didnt win a game Either way I love this team and believe its qualifying performance has cemented its position as the greatest side we have ever had
Are you planning on going to
South Africa What do you think the
first ever World Cup in Africa will
produce
TW By some miracle my arsy father got his name pulled out in the FIFA ballot so not only am I going Ive already got my tickets Very very happy about that In Germany I stayed right through to the final and as the last chapter of Australia United attests snared a ticket to the game at the very last minute Missed the goals but was there for the headbutt Ive now got a 3 month old baby so this time I might not make it through to the end I think the tournament will be a beauty Germany had organisation and infrastructure and almost a sense of international rebirth after World War II
For Africa this is the chance to truly put on the biggest show on Earth and to prove to everyone that its fun and safe and friendly As a fan of Ladysmith Black Mamboso Im also tipping that the music dancing side of things will put thigh slapping lederhosen acts to shame
Tell me what you think about Pim Verbeek and the current Socceroo squad Michael Cockerill posed this question in a recent article he penned for the SMH Are the Socceroos four years better or simply four years older What do you say TW I love Pim because I was desperate for somebody to get us there and he hardly put a foot wrong I know that theres a sense that were not as good that the team is older and slower When I think of how good we were against Brazil and Italy last time its hard to imagine an Australian team ever playing that well again
I think weve definitely slipped a bit I asked Fox Sports Simon Hill and he thinks the loss of Mark Viduka is the biggest blow That might turn out to be pretty right We seem to be more defensive now than Guus had us playing but having said that some of our players have got better Emerton is better Wilkshire is better Cahill is better Incredibly Mark Schwartzer seems to be playing even better than in 2006 Against that stars like Kewell Grella Bresciano Chipperfield and Culina might have just dropped off a notch
The World Cup bid is starting to take shape from what you have seen so far with the promo videos and online book has the FFA sold Australia well Do you like that Nicole Kidman was used to spruik the bid And do we have a chance to host it TWI dont mind that Nicole has got the job If that nice Hugh Jackman can fall in
love with her in Australia surely the FIFA powerbrokers wont be able to resist her faux English botox infused charms I think this is a very rare opportunity to win the bid We are extremely lucky that two bids are being sorted out at once I think were almost no chance for 2018 and that the tournament will return to Europe but 2022 is a huge chance Europe wont get it again Africa wont get it South America will have just had 2014 So by my reckoning it comes down to the USA China and us Id choose us Ive actually just written a novel about a fictional footballer who is the face of our World Cup bid Hes an ex-Socceroo called Charlie Dekker and he gets caught up in a tabloid feeding frenzy when he falls for a Tiger Woods like sex scandal It will be out through Murdoch Books in July next year
Who is your A League team
TW Im a member of the Melbourne Victory and get to almost every home game My two-year-old daughter Polly is a member too and she has just started coming She likes the half time food and dressing up in the colours Last time we went the noise following an Archie Thompson goal resulted in her bursting into tears Shell have to improve on that Ive been there for our two Grand Final wins which were both great in different ways I think Henandez is playing so well this year that we have to be favourites to do it again
Do you have an overseas team
TW I used to say West Ham because I love the theme song Im Forever Blowing Bubbles As a kid I also loved the fact that they had a processed meat in their name But I have to be honest and admit that I watch very little Premier League football Certainly the Hammers have produced very little to inspire in 09-10 I dont have a great passion for any overseas club Id even confess that Im thinking of switching over to Everton now that Lucas Neill has joined Tim Cahill there Ive certainly been playing a lot of FIFA 09 on the PS3 as Everton
Your favourite A League player TW Carlos Henandez is a great favourite My friend Sam Pang calls him The silver fox I think hes the most gifted player in the A-League and that its a tragedy Costa Rica didnt qualify
for this World Cup I would have loved for him to be there All Melbourne fans love Archie and forgive him all those offsides (or are they offside) In terms of other A-League clubs I like the bruising style of Danny Tiatto (his cousin The Ox is a wrestler I know) and the distinguished grey of Steve Corica He will retire a legend of local football
Who is your favourite overseas player TW I think the best to watch is Lionel Messi Im so glad that Argentina overcame the Diego insanity that seems to be prevailing there at the moment and got Messi into the tournament His little mosquito legs are just freaky and his centre of gravity must be about 5cm off the ground I think he will win the Golden Ball in South Africa I also have a big soft spot for Wayne Rooney The story of Colleen throwing his 50000 pound engagement ring into a wood and rangers having to ask fossickers to respect the rights of the squirrels who may have found the ring was my favourite tabloid story of the last few years Colleen was angry with him for seeing hookers Tony Wilsons website is wwwtonywilsoncomau His second novel Making News will be released through Murdoch Books in July 2010 right in the middle of the World Cup
Battle Royale in
Defensive Midfield
As another weekend of European football action passes in comes another whole list of questions regarding our Socceroos
And one of the areas of intrigue is amongst the Socceroos defensive midfield stocks which seems a role perpetually crucial for Australian teams Vince Grella and Jason Culina have occupied the two-pronged role for years and Pim Verbeek clearly sees the pair as his favoured partnership looking ahead to 2010 But Verbeek may be beginning to question his certainty on that point with Culinarsquos uninspiring A-League form coupled by another Grella injury at Blackburn this weekend Without doubt Grella is one of Australia rsquos main stars and he has proven himself and while this problem is only minor it is a warning for a player whorsquos had a
terrible run of injuries in the last 12 months in the past but we must focus on the present and his recent troubles are concerning Grella has hardly endeared himself to the Blackburn faithful since his move to Ewood Park in August last year with a mix inconsistent form and consistent injury problems And his recent form at international level hasnrsquot been overly convincing either But still Grella remains a key man and rightfully so as he is Australia rsquos highest qualified player (so to speak) for that defensive midfield role The worry though is the injuries and whether Grellarsquos groin and hamstrings can hold up especially at a World Cup where Australia will play three (hopefully more) matches in a short period Nevertheless the news out of Blackburn this weekend is that Grellarsquos latest problem is only a minor groin injury which will see him miss one or maybe two matches
Ben Somerford previews
the battle royale that will take
place over the Socceroos midfield
(Mile Jedinak to start against Germany)(photo by cam w) Indeed this presents the question of Australiarsquos depth and who are the next options in waiting And this is the intriguing part which could see a real jostle amongst players for a seat on the plane to South Africa next year Beyond Culina Carl Valeri who was dubbed lsquoMini Vinniersquo is obviously an heir to the throne but his recent issues at Italian Serie B club Grosseto have clouded his future And with the rapid emergence of Mile Jedinak in Turkey rsquos Super Lig with Antalyaspor Valeri is no guarantee for South Africa Just last weekend Jedinak scored against Harry Kewellrsquos Galatasaray to claim his seventh goal in all competitions this season
It would be remiss of me to simply push forward Jedinakrsquos name based on a dozen or so goals but he has proven himself a player on the improve with some mature displays for Antalyaspor And a number of his strikes this term have come as headers from set-pieces representing a goal threat which could be an important part of the Socceroosrsquo game plan at next yearrsquos World Cup against some genuine heavyweights who could dominate us around the park Returning to Valeri who appeared to have resolved his contractual issues at Grosseto he was curiously left out of their side for the weekendrsquos win against Piacenza But Verbeek is a conservative type who likes the tried-and-tested method so you fancy the old guard The quandary though is how many defensive midfielders can Australia take to South Africa and it seems only three should go With defenders Luke Wilkshire and Rhys Williams employed as flexible squad options Australia has ample cover So it is likely one of Jedinak or Valeri will miss out and itrsquos turning into quite the race But Culina will have to deal with finding a club when the A-League season ends and Grella will of course have to stay fit It should be worth monitoring
Geof Wilson Interview
For two full seasons yoursquove been
getting a womanrsquos (my) perspective on the
womenrsquos game (the W-League) This week I
figured it was high time to hear what one of
the male fans has to say
Geoff Wilson (lsquoWallyrsquo to his mates) is a man
of many talentsmdashCEO musician
unicyclistmdashand is one of the biggest
grassroots proponents of the W-League Irsquove
yet met
His cheers are Irsquom-used-to-projecting-my-
voice-on-stage loud and witty his
knowledge of the game encyclopedic and
his support unrivalled
This is a man so dedicated he got himself a
jersey made up during the off-season with
Roar Women reserve goalkeeper Lara
Boonrsquos name and number (albeit much to
her amusement with the wrong number)
He proudly wears it along with the
memento headband and keepersrsquo gloves she
signed for him to each game
So how long has he been attending W-
League games
lsquoIve been going to see the Roar since the
first season although I only bought a season
ticket this yearrsquo he says lsquoFriends we used to
go with (sadly not many of them have stuck
around) started going to the W-league
games from the start and the first one I
went to I think I was the only bloke in a
group of girls who play indoor togetherrsquo
Clearly though something kept him coming
back after that initial game lsquoTo start with I
was just plain curiousrsquo he says And as for
many guys he admits lsquoThe idea of watching
attractive young athletes running around
getting sweaty was a big draw cardrsquo
lsquoThe second game we sat behind the Roar
bench and started mimicking the girls
sitting in front of us squealing Boonie who
it turns out were half of a junior team she
was coachingrsquo
At that stage he didnrsquot know who Boonie
was but his interest in the W-League was
definitely there lsquoThe appeal was already
growing there were some hot bods we
could sit right on top of the action the girls
were great at connecting with the crowd
Fiona Crawford gets a
male perspective on the W
League
after the game andmdashI was somewhat
surprised to learnmdashthey were actually
bloody goodrsquo
Indeed Wilsonrsquos reaction is that of most
guys who catch a W-League match lsquoThey
play the beautiful game quite literally
Althoughrsquo he quips lsquomaybe Ive just been
watching the Roar men for too longrsquo
Basically he says lsquoIts great to watch your
team bring the ball up the pitch and then
decisively put it into the back of the netmdash
consistently The standard of the
competition was much higher than Id
expected to see not just from Roar Women
but from all the teams Ive seen playrsquo
But supporting the W-League has had its
ups and downs not least arriving for the
first game of season two to find out that
crowdmdashand Wilsonrsquosmdashfavourite reserve
goalkeeper Boon hadnrsquot been re-signed
lsquoI dont know which of us felt worse finding
out shed been droppedrsquo he says lsquoAll I can
say about thatmdashwith absolutely no
disrespect to Casey Dumont who is a
spectacular keepermdashis that hopefully Ill be
able to peel off the 9 when Boonie gets the
run-on gig at some point in the future Just
in case Jeff Hopkins is reading Bring Back
Booniersquo Hersquos even started up a facebook
group
So does he envisage more guys becoming
W-League fans lsquoI am in the minority
gender-wisersquo he says lsquoThere are lots of girls
with their mums and dads and occasionally
their brothers and I guess boyfriends but
maybe the split is about 70-30rsquo
That potentially means therersquos room for fan-
recruiting improvement then lsquoI dont know
whether that means that fans like me who
have drifted across from the mens game
are the growth potential or notrsquo he says
lsquoId like to think more punters will be
enticed to come and see more games as
word spreads that the ladies actually play
damn well rather than sticking to the
dumb-obvious sex sells strategy [that the
glamour-oriented Westfield W-League
posters currently employ]rsquo
lsquoMaybe as in my case that strategy will get
bums on seats the first timersquo he says lsquobut I
really think the quality of the games is what
will bring fans back for repeat
performancesrsquo
Speaking of repeat performances hersquos
clearly hoping for a repeat championship
win for Roar Women this coming weekend
That and that they bring back Boonie for
season three
A reference to the number mix upmdashhis
shirt reads 19 when Boonrsquos number is 20
Oceans apart
Strange but true although Oceania is far far and away the weakest confederation in FIFA its representative in the cross-confederation playoff has qualified for the World Cup for the second time running Bahrain may not have been as daunting an opponent as Uruguay but New Zealands achievement has to be saluted Despite playing few competitive matches of any consequence over the last few years they showed their mettle when it counted against a match-hardened side Let us not forget Bahrain comprehensively outplayed the Socceroos in Manama earlier this year despite conceding that fateful late goal So cue once more the utterly ridiculous calls for Oceania to be allotted a full place at the World Cup The logic of this especially now that Australia is no longer in the mix is too fatuous even to discuss But the mere fact that such calls
are being made shows just how anomalous the Oceania confederation has become It is still permitted a full place at FIFAs minor events with some embarrassing results Tahiti qualified for the Under 20 World Cup thanks to a qualifying series on home turf and a leg-up from the officials in their key game against New Zealand But in Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but no Ricki Herberts team will not embarrass themselves quite that badly in South Africa But their performances at the Confederations Cup in June gave every impression of a side that lacked the nous to hold their own against quality opposition And thats where Australia comes in
Mike Salter argues
that the Kiwirsquos should be absorbed
into the Asian confederation
(Leo Bertos will be a key player for the Kiwirsquos in South Africa photo by Cam W) Although they have hardly thrilled the crowds on their way to South Africa 2010 the Socceroos have developed a shrewdness and resilience which comes from negotiating an arduous qualifying path In the long term Australian football can only benefit from this
And so can New Zealand football if the
right thing happensnamely for Oceania
to be absorbed into Asia
It makes sense on all levels The Pacific
nations occasionally get to test themselves
against opposition other than each other
and one regional behemoth The All
Whites get to experience what the rigours
of qualification travel are really like
And the Tahiti tokenism ceases to be an
embarrassment for all concerned
ldquoIn Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but nordquo
Since the first one in 1922 the Socceroos have played over 400 official internationals And when you play that many games over that long a span some are going to be more memorable than others Many on this list are from the comparatively recent past Take this not as ignorant or a swipe at generations gone by but as a yardstick for just how far the sport has come in this country But just what makes a great game Well not only the result Tension drama and historical significance all play big roles in making matches memorable And with that in mind here are the top 10 Socceroos showdowns ever 10 Bashing Blighty Australia 3-1 England (Feb 12 2003) International Friendly Upton Park London Yeah it was just a friendly and Sven substituted the whole Three Lions team at half time But hey Australia could beat England in marbles and itrsquod still be cause for national celebration The lsquoRoos led a star-studded English side 2-0 at the break and didnrsquot relinquish the advantage against the second stringers after it Popovic Kewell and Emerton were the Aussie scorers on a memorable night in East London
9 A+ in Asia Australia 3-0 Qatar (February 6 2008) World Cup Qualifier Docklands Stadium Melbourne Australia had been in the Asian Confederation for two years but no one knew for sure what to expect when it played its all-important first World Cup Qualifier in the AFC against lowly but cash-rich Qatar Well it didnrsquot take long to find out and thankfully the news was good a first half blitzkrieg saw goals from Kennedy Cahill and Bresciano and Australia was away and running on the road to 2010 8 Trans-Tasman Trauma Australia 0-1 New Zealand (July 14 2002) Oceania Nations Cup Final Mt Smart Stadium Auckland Rock-bottom A woefully under strength Socceroo side featuring just one European-based player (Scott Chipperfield) failed to get past the Kiwis and get to the lucrative 2003 Confederations Cup The backlash was immediate and earth-shattering The administration that had for long failed to do the job was finally called to account ldquoThe fish gentlemen stinks from the head It is time you all faced it and did the noble thing ldquowrote the doyen of Australian football broadcasters Les Murray
Sunil Awasthi ranks the top
10 Socceroos games ever
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
HTH Interview Tony Wilson
Australian media personality
Tony Wilson (pictured above with Santo
Cilauro) is the author of Australia
United a book detailing his adventure in
Germany 2006 (an excellent read) he is
also a Radio announcer on 2RRR in
Melbourne and regular member of the
ABC TV show the Einstein factor and
last but not least he is a huge Socceroos
fan
Half Time Heroes In your book Australia United you say that you became a convert to the Socceroos cause on November 291997 When you fell into the arms of a 53 year old greengrocer called Con seconds after Aurelio Vidmar had put us 2-0 up
against Iran and into the 1998 world cup So from the nadir of that moment to
now two consecutive World Cups and
again meeting another Con (Irsquom not a
green grocer but it is a dream) did
you ever think you would be in this
position
Tony Wilson I did think we would
eventually qualify and I vowed after the
exhilaration and despair of November
29 1997 that I would be there to
witness it It was crazy pledge to myself
and it took me to Uruguay in 2001
which was truly the trip of a lifetime
even if the result didnt quite go our
way Eventually of course I was there at
Sydneys Olympic Stadium when Aloisi
ploughed that thunderbolt into the back
of the net Given I initially fell for the
game after a defeat I cant tell you how
addicted to qualifiers I feel after that
amazing moment
So the World Cup draw tells us your thoughts can the Aussies make it out of the group TW Its a really difficult group probably the second hardest after the Brazil Ivory Coast Portugal group Mind you there arent too many easy groups out there We have beaten and can beat Ghana even if the blazing potential in that London friendly has us all feeling a bit nervous I actually saw Ghana lose to Brazil in Germany and even then their young squad was very unlucky in that match Names like Klose Podolski
Schweinsteger and of course Ballack mean we have to expect to lose to the Germans Although hey upsets can and do happen at these tournaments And the Serbia match will be even tougher than its Croatian equivalent in 2006 although again if we can win against Ghana and results have fallen our way there is a spirit in this squad that has me hoping that we might get out of the group Having said that I wouldnt be surprised if we didnt win a game Either way I love this team and believe its qualifying performance has cemented its position as the greatest side we have ever had
Are you planning on going to
South Africa What do you think the
first ever World Cup in Africa will
produce
TW By some miracle my arsy father got his name pulled out in the FIFA ballot so not only am I going Ive already got my tickets Very very happy about that In Germany I stayed right through to the final and as the last chapter of Australia United attests snared a ticket to the game at the very last minute Missed the goals but was there for the headbutt Ive now got a 3 month old baby so this time I might not make it through to the end I think the tournament will be a beauty Germany had organisation and infrastructure and almost a sense of international rebirth after World War II
For Africa this is the chance to truly put on the biggest show on Earth and to prove to everyone that its fun and safe and friendly As a fan of Ladysmith Black Mamboso Im also tipping that the music dancing side of things will put thigh slapping lederhosen acts to shame
Tell me what you think about Pim Verbeek and the current Socceroo squad Michael Cockerill posed this question in a recent article he penned for the SMH Are the Socceroos four years better or simply four years older What do you say TW I love Pim because I was desperate for somebody to get us there and he hardly put a foot wrong I know that theres a sense that were not as good that the team is older and slower When I think of how good we were against Brazil and Italy last time its hard to imagine an Australian team ever playing that well again
I think weve definitely slipped a bit I asked Fox Sports Simon Hill and he thinks the loss of Mark Viduka is the biggest blow That might turn out to be pretty right We seem to be more defensive now than Guus had us playing but having said that some of our players have got better Emerton is better Wilkshire is better Cahill is better Incredibly Mark Schwartzer seems to be playing even better than in 2006 Against that stars like Kewell Grella Bresciano Chipperfield and Culina might have just dropped off a notch
The World Cup bid is starting to take shape from what you have seen so far with the promo videos and online book has the FFA sold Australia well Do you like that Nicole Kidman was used to spruik the bid And do we have a chance to host it TWI dont mind that Nicole has got the job If that nice Hugh Jackman can fall in
love with her in Australia surely the FIFA powerbrokers wont be able to resist her faux English botox infused charms I think this is a very rare opportunity to win the bid We are extremely lucky that two bids are being sorted out at once I think were almost no chance for 2018 and that the tournament will return to Europe but 2022 is a huge chance Europe wont get it again Africa wont get it South America will have just had 2014 So by my reckoning it comes down to the USA China and us Id choose us Ive actually just written a novel about a fictional footballer who is the face of our World Cup bid Hes an ex-Socceroo called Charlie Dekker and he gets caught up in a tabloid feeding frenzy when he falls for a Tiger Woods like sex scandal It will be out through Murdoch Books in July next year
Who is your A League team
TW Im a member of the Melbourne Victory and get to almost every home game My two-year-old daughter Polly is a member too and she has just started coming She likes the half time food and dressing up in the colours Last time we went the noise following an Archie Thompson goal resulted in her bursting into tears Shell have to improve on that Ive been there for our two Grand Final wins which were both great in different ways I think Henandez is playing so well this year that we have to be favourites to do it again
Do you have an overseas team
TW I used to say West Ham because I love the theme song Im Forever Blowing Bubbles As a kid I also loved the fact that they had a processed meat in their name But I have to be honest and admit that I watch very little Premier League football Certainly the Hammers have produced very little to inspire in 09-10 I dont have a great passion for any overseas club Id even confess that Im thinking of switching over to Everton now that Lucas Neill has joined Tim Cahill there Ive certainly been playing a lot of FIFA 09 on the PS3 as Everton
Your favourite A League player TW Carlos Henandez is a great favourite My friend Sam Pang calls him The silver fox I think hes the most gifted player in the A-League and that its a tragedy Costa Rica didnt qualify
for this World Cup I would have loved for him to be there All Melbourne fans love Archie and forgive him all those offsides (or are they offside) In terms of other A-League clubs I like the bruising style of Danny Tiatto (his cousin The Ox is a wrestler I know) and the distinguished grey of Steve Corica He will retire a legend of local football
Who is your favourite overseas player TW I think the best to watch is Lionel Messi Im so glad that Argentina overcame the Diego insanity that seems to be prevailing there at the moment and got Messi into the tournament His little mosquito legs are just freaky and his centre of gravity must be about 5cm off the ground I think he will win the Golden Ball in South Africa I also have a big soft spot for Wayne Rooney The story of Colleen throwing his 50000 pound engagement ring into a wood and rangers having to ask fossickers to respect the rights of the squirrels who may have found the ring was my favourite tabloid story of the last few years Colleen was angry with him for seeing hookers Tony Wilsons website is wwwtonywilsoncomau His second novel Making News will be released through Murdoch Books in July 2010 right in the middle of the World Cup
Battle Royale in
Defensive Midfield
As another weekend of European football action passes in comes another whole list of questions regarding our Socceroos
And one of the areas of intrigue is amongst the Socceroos defensive midfield stocks which seems a role perpetually crucial for Australian teams Vince Grella and Jason Culina have occupied the two-pronged role for years and Pim Verbeek clearly sees the pair as his favoured partnership looking ahead to 2010 But Verbeek may be beginning to question his certainty on that point with Culinarsquos uninspiring A-League form coupled by another Grella injury at Blackburn this weekend Without doubt Grella is one of Australia rsquos main stars and he has proven himself and while this problem is only minor it is a warning for a player whorsquos had a
terrible run of injuries in the last 12 months in the past but we must focus on the present and his recent troubles are concerning Grella has hardly endeared himself to the Blackburn faithful since his move to Ewood Park in August last year with a mix inconsistent form and consistent injury problems And his recent form at international level hasnrsquot been overly convincing either But still Grella remains a key man and rightfully so as he is Australia rsquos highest qualified player (so to speak) for that defensive midfield role The worry though is the injuries and whether Grellarsquos groin and hamstrings can hold up especially at a World Cup where Australia will play three (hopefully more) matches in a short period Nevertheless the news out of Blackburn this weekend is that Grellarsquos latest problem is only a minor groin injury which will see him miss one or maybe two matches
Ben Somerford previews
the battle royale that will take
place over the Socceroos midfield
(Mile Jedinak to start against Germany)(photo by cam w) Indeed this presents the question of Australiarsquos depth and who are the next options in waiting And this is the intriguing part which could see a real jostle amongst players for a seat on the plane to South Africa next year Beyond Culina Carl Valeri who was dubbed lsquoMini Vinniersquo is obviously an heir to the throne but his recent issues at Italian Serie B club Grosseto have clouded his future And with the rapid emergence of Mile Jedinak in Turkey rsquos Super Lig with Antalyaspor Valeri is no guarantee for South Africa Just last weekend Jedinak scored against Harry Kewellrsquos Galatasaray to claim his seventh goal in all competitions this season
It would be remiss of me to simply push forward Jedinakrsquos name based on a dozen or so goals but he has proven himself a player on the improve with some mature displays for Antalyaspor And a number of his strikes this term have come as headers from set-pieces representing a goal threat which could be an important part of the Socceroosrsquo game plan at next yearrsquos World Cup against some genuine heavyweights who could dominate us around the park Returning to Valeri who appeared to have resolved his contractual issues at Grosseto he was curiously left out of their side for the weekendrsquos win against Piacenza But Verbeek is a conservative type who likes the tried-and-tested method so you fancy the old guard The quandary though is how many defensive midfielders can Australia take to South Africa and it seems only three should go With defenders Luke Wilkshire and Rhys Williams employed as flexible squad options Australia has ample cover So it is likely one of Jedinak or Valeri will miss out and itrsquos turning into quite the race But Culina will have to deal with finding a club when the A-League season ends and Grella will of course have to stay fit It should be worth monitoring
Geof Wilson Interview
For two full seasons yoursquove been
getting a womanrsquos (my) perspective on the
womenrsquos game (the W-League) This week I
figured it was high time to hear what one of
the male fans has to say
Geoff Wilson (lsquoWallyrsquo to his mates) is a man
of many talentsmdashCEO musician
unicyclistmdashand is one of the biggest
grassroots proponents of the W-League Irsquove
yet met
His cheers are Irsquom-used-to-projecting-my-
voice-on-stage loud and witty his
knowledge of the game encyclopedic and
his support unrivalled
This is a man so dedicated he got himself a
jersey made up during the off-season with
Roar Women reserve goalkeeper Lara
Boonrsquos name and number (albeit much to
her amusement with the wrong number)
He proudly wears it along with the
memento headband and keepersrsquo gloves she
signed for him to each game
So how long has he been attending W-
League games
lsquoIve been going to see the Roar since the
first season although I only bought a season
ticket this yearrsquo he says lsquoFriends we used to
go with (sadly not many of them have stuck
around) started going to the W-league
games from the start and the first one I
went to I think I was the only bloke in a
group of girls who play indoor togetherrsquo
Clearly though something kept him coming
back after that initial game lsquoTo start with I
was just plain curiousrsquo he says And as for
many guys he admits lsquoThe idea of watching
attractive young athletes running around
getting sweaty was a big draw cardrsquo
lsquoThe second game we sat behind the Roar
bench and started mimicking the girls
sitting in front of us squealing Boonie who
it turns out were half of a junior team she
was coachingrsquo
At that stage he didnrsquot know who Boonie
was but his interest in the W-League was
definitely there lsquoThe appeal was already
growing there were some hot bods we
could sit right on top of the action the girls
were great at connecting with the crowd
Fiona Crawford gets a
male perspective on the W
League
after the game andmdashI was somewhat
surprised to learnmdashthey were actually
bloody goodrsquo
Indeed Wilsonrsquos reaction is that of most
guys who catch a W-League match lsquoThey
play the beautiful game quite literally
Althoughrsquo he quips lsquomaybe Ive just been
watching the Roar men for too longrsquo
Basically he says lsquoIts great to watch your
team bring the ball up the pitch and then
decisively put it into the back of the netmdash
consistently The standard of the
competition was much higher than Id
expected to see not just from Roar Women
but from all the teams Ive seen playrsquo
But supporting the W-League has had its
ups and downs not least arriving for the
first game of season two to find out that
crowdmdashand Wilsonrsquosmdashfavourite reserve
goalkeeper Boon hadnrsquot been re-signed
lsquoI dont know which of us felt worse finding
out shed been droppedrsquo he says lsquoAll I can
say about thatmdashwith absolutely no
disrespect to Casey Dumont who is a
spectacular keepermdashis that hopefully Ill be
able to peel off the 9 when Boonie gets the
run-on gig at some point in the future Just
in case Jeff Hopkins is reading Bring Back
Booniersquo Hersquos even started up a facebook
group
So does he envisage more guys becoming
W-League fans lsquoI am in the minority
gender-wisersquo he says lsquoThere are lots of girls
with their mums and dads and occasionally
their brothers and I guess boyfriends but
maybe the split is about 70-30rsquo
That potentially means therersquos room for fan-
recruiting improvement then lsquoI dont know
whether that means that fans like me who
have drifted across from the mens game
are the growth potential or notrsquo he says
lsquoId like to think more punters will be
enticed to come and see more games as
word spreads that the ladies actually play
damn well rather than sticking to the
dumb-obvious sex sells strategy [that the
glamour-oriented Westfield W-League
posters currently employ]rsquo
lsquoMaybe as in my case that strategy will get
bums on seats the first timersquo he says lsquobut I
really think the quality of the games is what
will bring fans back for repeat
performancesrsquo
Speaking of repeat performances hersquos
clearly hoping for a repeat championship
win for Roar Women this coming weekend
That and that they bring back Boonie for
season three
A reference to the number mix upmdashhis
shirt reads 19 when Boonrsquos number is 20
Oceans apart
Strange but true although Oceania is far far and away the weakest confederation in FIFA its representative in the cross-confederation playoff has qualified for the World Cup for the second time running Bahrain may not have been as daunting an opponent as Uruguay but New Zealands achievement has to be saluted Despite playing few competitive matches of any consequence over the last few years they showed their mettle when it counted against a match-hardened side Let us not forget Bahrain comprehensively outplayed the Socceroos in Manama earlier this year despite conceding that fateful late goal So cue once more the utterly ridiculous calls for Oceania to be allotted a full place at the World Cup The logic of this especially now that Australia is no longer in the mix is too fatuous even to discuss But the mere fact that such calls
are being made shows just how anomalous the Oceania confederation has become It is still permitted a full place at FIFAs minor events with some embarrassing results Tahiti qualified for the Under 20 World Cup thanks to a qualifying series on home turf and a leg-up from the officials in their key game against New Zealand But in Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but no Ricki Herberts team will not embarrass themselves quite that badly in South Africa But their performances at the Confederations Cup in June gave every impression of a side that lacked the nous to hold their own against quality opposition And thats where Australia comes in
Mike Salter argues
that the Kiwirsquos should be absorbed
into the Asian confederation
(Leo Bertos will be a key player for the Kiwirsquos in South Africa photo by Cam W) Although they have hardly thrilled the crowds on their way to South Africa 2010 the Socceroos have developed a shrewdness and resilience which comes from negotiating an arduous qualifying path In the long term Australian football can only benefit from this
And so can New Zealand football if the
right thing happensnamely for Oceania
to be absorbed into Asia
It makes sense on all levels The Pacific
nations occasionally get to test themselves
against opposition other than each other
and one regional behemoth The All
Whites get to experience what the rigours
of qualification travel are really like
And the Tahiti tokenism ceases to be an
embarrassment for all concerned
ldquoIn Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but nordquo
Since the first one in 1922 the Socceroos have played over 400 official internationals And when you play that many games over that long a span some are going to be more memorable than others Many on this list are from the comparatively recent past Take this not as ignorant or a swipe at generations gone by but as a yardstick for just how far the sport has come in this country But just what makes a great game Well not only the result Tension drama and historical significance all play big roles in making matches memorable And with that in mind here are the top 10 Socceroos showdowns ever 10 Bashing Blighty Australia 3-1 England (Feb 12 2003) International Friendly Upton Park London Yeah it was just a friendly and Sven substituted the whole Three Lions team at half time But hey Australia could beat England in marbles and itrsquod still be cause for national celebration The lsquoRoos led a star-studded English side 2-0 at the break and didnrsquot relinquish the advantage against the second stringers after it Popovic Kewell and Emerton were the Aussie scorers on a memorable night in East London
9 A+ in Asia Australia 3-0 Qatar (February 6 2008) World Cup Qualifier Docklands Stadium Melbourne Australia had been in the Asian Confederation for two years but no one knew for sure what to expect when it played its all-important first World Cup Qualifier in the AFC against lowly but cash-rich Qatar Well it didnrsquot take long to find out and thankfully the news was good a first half blitzkrieg saw goals from Kennedy Cahill and Bresciano and Australia was away and running on the road to 2010 8 Trans-Tasman Trauma Australia 0-1 New Zealand (July 14 2002) Oceania Nations Cup Final Mt Smart Stadium Auckland Rock-bottom A woefully under strength Socceroo side featuring just one European-based player (Scott Chipperfield) failed to get past the Kiwis and get to the lucrative 2003 Confederations Cup The backlash was immediate and earth-shattering The administration that had for long failed to do the job was finally called to account ldquoThe fish gentlemen stinks from the head It is time you all faced it and did the noble thing ldquowrote the doyen of Australian football broadcasters Les Murray
Sunil Awasthi ranks the top
10 Socceroos games ever
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
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screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
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Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
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httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Schweinsteger and of course Ballack mean we have to expect to lose to the Germans Although hey upsets can and do happen at these tournaments And the Serbia match will be even tougher than its Croatian equivalent in 2006 although again if we can win against Ghana and results have fallen our way there is a spirit in this squad that has me hoping that we might get out of the group Having said that I wouldnt be surprised if we didnt win a game Either way I love this team and believe its qualifying performance has cemented its position as the greatest side we have ever had
Are you planning on going to
South Africa What do you think the
first ever World Cup in Africa will
produce
TW By some miracle my arsy father got his name pulled out in the FIFA ballot so not only am I going Ive already got my tickets Very very happy about that In Germany I stayed right through to the final and as the last chapter of Australia United attests snared a ticket to the game at the very last minute Missed the goals but was there for the headbutt Ive now got a 3 month old baby so this time I might not make it through to the end I think the tournament will be a beauty Germany had organisation and infrastructure and almost a sense of international rebirth after World War II
For Africa this is the chance to truly put on the biggest show on Earth and to prove to everyone that its fun and safe and friendly As a fan of Ladysmith Black Mamboso Im also tipping that the music dancing side of things will put thigh slapping lederhosen acts to shame
Tell me what you think about Pim Verbeek and the current Socceroo squad Michael Cockerill posed this question in a recent article he penned for the SMH Are the Socceroos four years better or simply four years older What do you say TW I love Pim because I was desperate for somebody to get us there and he hardly put a foot wrong I know that theres a sense that were not as good that the team is older and slower When I think of how good we were against Brazil and Italy last time its hard to imagine an Australian team ever playing that well again
I think weve definitely slipped a bit I asked Fox Sports Simon Hill and he thinks the loss of Mark Viduka is the biggest blow That might turn out to be pretty right We seem to be more defensive now than Guus had us playing but having said that some of our players have got better Emerton is better Wilkshire is better Cahill is better Incredibly Mark Schwartzer seems to be playing even better than in 2006 Against that stars like Kewell Grella Bresciano Chipperfield and Culina might have just dropped off a notch
The World Cup bid is starting to take shape from what you have seen so far with the promo videos and online book has the FFA sold Australia well Do you like that Nicole Kidman was used to spruik the bid And do we have a chance to host it TWI dont mind that Nicole has got the job If that nice Hugh Jackman can fall in
love with her in Australia surely the FIFA powerbrokers wont be able to resist her faux English botox infused charms I think this is a very rare opportunity to win the bid We are extremely lucky that two bids are being sorted out at once I think were almost no chance for 2018 and that the tournament will return to Europe but 2022 is a huge chance Europe wont get it again Africa wont get it South America will have just had 2014 So by my reckoning it comes down to the USA China and us Id choose us Ive actually just written a novel about a fictional footballer who is the face of our World Cup bid Hes an ex-Socceroo called Charlie Dekker and he gets caught up in a tabloid feeding frenzy when he falls for a Tiger Woods like sex scandal It will be out through Murdoch Books in July next year
Who is your A League team
TW Im a member of the Melbourne Victory and get to almost every home game My two-year-old daughter Polly is a member too and she has just started coming She likes the half time food and dressing up in the colours Last time we went the noise following an Archie Thompson goal resulted in her bursting into tears Shell have to improve on that Ive been there for our two Grand Final wins which were both great in different ways I think Henandez is playing so well this year that we have to be favourites to do it again
Do you have an overseas team
TW I used to say West Ham because I love the theme song Im Forever Blowing Bubbles As a kid I also loved the fact that they had a processed meat in their name But I have to be honest and admit that I watch very little Premier League football Certainly the Hammers have produced very little to inspire in 09-10 I dont have a great passion for any overseas club Id even confess that Im thinking of switching over to Everton now that Lucas Neill has joined Tim Cahill there Ive certainly been playing a lot of FIFA 09 on the PS3 as Everton
Your favourite A League player TW Carlos Henandez is a great favourite My friend Sam Pang calls him The silver fox I think hes the most gifted player in the A-League and that its a tragedy Costa Rica didnt qualify
for this World Cup I would have loved for him to be there All Melbourne fans love Archie and forgive him all those offsides (or are they offside) In terms of other A-League clubs I like the bruising style of Danny Tiatto (his cousin The Ox is a wrestler I know) and the distinguished grey of Steve Corica He will retire a legend of local football
Who is your favourite overseas player TW I think the best to watch is Lionel Messi Im so glad that Argentina overcame the Diego insanity that seems to be prevailing there at the moment and got Messi into the tournament His little mosquito legs are just freaky and his centre of gravity must be about 5cm off the ground I think he will win the Golden Ball in South Africa I also have a big soft spot for Wayne Rooney The story of Colleen throwing his 50000 pound engagement ring into a wood and rangers having to ask fossickers to respect the rights of the squirrels who may have found the ring was my favourite tabloid story of the last few years Colleen was angry with him for seeing hookers Tony Wilsons website is wwwtonywilsoncomau His second novel Making News will be released through Murdoch Books in July 2010 right in the middle of the World Cup
Battle Royale in
Defensive Midfield
As another weekend of European football action passes in comes another whole list of questions regarding our Socceroos
And one of the areas of intrigue is amongst the Socceroos defensive midfield stocks which seems a role perpetually crucial for Australian teams Vince Grella and Jason Culina have occupied the two-pronged role for years and Pim Verbeek clearly sees the pair as his favoured partnership looking ahead to 2010 But Verbeek may be beginning to question his certainty on that point with Culinarsquos uninspiring A-League form coupled by another Grella injury at Blackburn this weekend Without doubt Grella is one of Australia rsquos main stars and he has proven himself and while this problem is only minor it is a warning for a player whorsquos had a
terrible run of injuries in the last 12 months in the past but we must focus on the present and his recent troubles are concerning Grella has hardly endeared himself to the Blackburn faithful since his move to Ewood Park in August last year with a mix inconsistent form and consistent injury problems And his recent form at international level hasnrsquot been overly convincing either But still Grella remains a key man and rightfully so as he is Australia rsquos highest qualified player (so to speak) for that defensive midfield role The worry though is the injuries and whether Grellarsquos groin and hamstrings can hold up especially at a World Cup where Australia will play three (hopefully more) matches in a short period Nevertheless the news out of Blackburn this weekend is that Grellarsquos latest problem is only a minor groin injury which will see him miss one or maybe two matches
Ben Somerford previews
the battle royale that will take
place over the Socceroos midfield
(Mile Jedinak to start against Germany)(photo by cam w) Indeed this presents the question of Australiarsquos depth and who are the next options in waiting And this is the intriguing part which could see a real jostle amongst players for a seat on the plane to South Africa next year Beyond Culina Carl Valeri who was dubbed lsquoMini Vinniersquo is obviously an heir to the throne but his recent issues at Italian Serie B club Grosseto have clouded his future And with the rapid emergence of Mile Jedinak in Turkey rsquos Super Lig with Antalyaspor Valeri is no guarantee for South Africa Just last weekend Jedinak scored against Harry Kewellrsquos Galatasaray to claim his seventh goal in all competitions this season
It would be remiss of me to simply push forward Jedinakrsquos name based on a dozen or so goals but he has proven himself a player on the improve with some mature displays for Antalyaspor And a number of his strikes this term have come as headers from set-pieces representing a goal threat which could be an important part of the Socceroosrsquo game plan at next yearrsquos World Cup against some genuine heavyweights who could dominate us around the park Returning to Valeri who appeared to have resolved his contractual issues at Grosseto he was curiously left out of their side for the weekendrsquos win against Piacenza But Verbeek is a conservative type who likes the tried-and-tested method so you fancy the old guard The quandary though is how many defensive midfielders can Australia take to South Africa and it seems only three should go With defenders Luke Wilkshire and Rhys Williams employed as flexible squad options Australia has ample cover So it is likely one of Jedinak or Valeri will miss out and itrsquos turning into quite the race But Culina will have to deal with finding a club when the A-League season ends and Grella will of course have to stay fit It should be worth monitoring
Geof Wilson Interview
For two full seasons yoursquove been
getting a womanrsquos (my) perspective on the
womenrsquos game (the W-League) This week I
figured it was high time to hear what one of
the male fans has to say
Geoff Wilson (lsquoWallyrsquo to his mates) is a man
of many talentsmdashCEO musician
unicyclistmdashand is one of the biggest
grassroots proponents of the W-League Irsquove
yet met
His cheers are Irsquom-used-to-projecting-my-
voice-on-stage loud and witty his
knowledge of the game encyclopedic and
his support unrivalled
This is a man so dedicated he got himself a
jersey made up during the off-season with
Roar Women reserve goalkeeper Lara
Boonrsquos name and number (albeit much to
her amusement with the wrong number)
He proudly wears it along with the
memento headband and keepersrsquo gloves she
signed for him to each game
So how long has he been attending W-
League games
lsquoIve been going to see the Roar since the
first season although I only bought a season
ticket this yearrsquo he says lsquoFriends we used to
go with (sadly not many of them have stuck
around) started going to the W-league
games from the start and the first one I
went to I think I was the only bloke in a
group of girls who play indoor togetherrsquo
Clearly though something kept him coming
back after that initial game lsquoTo start with I
was just plain curiousrsquo he says And as for
many guys he admits lsquoThe idea of watching
attractive young athletes running around
getting sweaty was a big draw cardrsquo
lsquoThe second game we sat behind the Roar
bench and started mimicking the girls
sitting in front of us squealing Boonie who
it turns out were half of a junior team she
was coachingrsquo
At that stage he didnrsquot know who Boonie
was but his interest in the W-League was
definitely there lsquoThe appeal was already
growing there were some hot bods we
could sit right on top of the action the girls
were great at connecting with the crowd
Fiona Crawford gets a
male perspective on the W
League
after the game andmdashI was somewhat
surprised to learnmdashthey were actually
bloody goodrsquo
Indeed Wilsonrsquos reaction is that of most
guys who catch a W-League match lsquoThey
play the beautiful game quite literally
Althoughrsquo he quips lsquomaybe Ive just been
watching the Roar men for too longrsquo
Basically he says lsquoIts great to watch your
team bring the ball up the pitch and then
decisively put it into the back of the netmdash
consistently The standard of the
competition was much higher than Id
expected to see not just from Roar Women
but from all the teams Ive seen playrsquo
But supporting the W-League has had its
ups and downs not least arriving for the
first game of season two to find out that
crowdmdashand Wilsonrsquosmdashfavourite reserve
goalkeeper Boon hadnrsquot been re-signed
lsquoI dont know which of us felt worse finding
out shed been droppedrsquo he says lsquoAll I can
say about thatmdashwith absolutely no
disrespect to Casey Dumont who is a
spectacular keepermdashis that hopefully Ill be
able to peel off the 9 when Boonie gets the
run-on gig at some point in the future Just
in case Jeff Hopkins is reading Bring Back
Booniersquo Hersquos even started up a facebook
group
So does he envisage more guys becoming
W-League fans lsquoI am in the minority
gender-wisersquo he says lsquoThere are lots of girls
with their mums and dads and occasionally
their brothers and I guess boyfriends but
maybe the split is about 70-30rsquo
That potentially means therersquos room for fan-
recruiting improvement then lsquoI dont know
whether that means that fans like me who
have drifted across from the mens game
are the growth potential or notrsquo he says
lsquoId like to think more punters will be
enticed to come and see more games as
word spreads that the ladies actually play
damn well rather than sticking to the
dumb-obvious sex sells strategy [that the
glamour-oriented Westfield W-League
posters currently employ]rsquo
lsquoMaybe as in my case that strategy will get
bums on seats the first timersquo he says lsquobut I
really think the quality of the games is what
will bring fans back for repeat
performancesrsquo
Speaking of repeat performances hersquos
clearly hoping for a repeat championship
win for Roar Women this coming weekend
That and that they bring back Boonie for
season three
A reference to the number mix upmdashhis
shirt reads 19 when Boonrsquos number is 20
Oceans apart
Strange but true although Oceania is far far and away the weakest confederation in FIFA its representative in the cross-confederation playoff has qualified for the World Cup for the second time running Bahrain may not have been as daunting an opponent as Uruguay but New Zealands achievement has to be saluted Despite playing few competitive matches of any consequence over the last few years they showed their mettle when it counted against a match-hardened side Let us not forget Bahrain comprehensively outplayed the Socceroos in Manama earlier this year despite conceding that fateful late goal So cue once more the utterly ridiculous calls for Oceania to be allotted a full place at the World Cup The logic of this especially now that Australia is no longer in the mix is too fatuous even to discuss But the mere fact that such calls
are being made shows just how anomalous the Oceania confederation has become It is still permitted a full place at FIFAs minor events with some embarrassing results Tahiti qualified for the Under 20 World Cup thanks to a qualifying series on home turf and a leg-up from the officials in their key game against New Zealand But in Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but no Ricki Herberts team will not embarrass themselves quite that badly in South Africa But their performances at the Confederations Cup in June gave every impression of a side that lacked the nous to hold their own against quality opposition And thats where Australia comes in
Mike Salter argues
that the Kiwirsquos should be absorbed
into the Asian confederation
(Leo Bertos will be a key player for the Kiwirsquos in South Africa photo by Cam W) Although they have hardly thrilled the crowds on their way to South Africa 2010 the Socceroos have developed a shrewdness and resilience which comes from negotiating an arduous qualifying path In the long term Australian football can only benefit from this
And so can New Zealand football if the
right thing happensnamely for Oceania
to be absorbed into Asia
It makes sense on all levels The Pacific
nations occasionally get to test themselves
against opposition other than each other
and one regional behemoth The All
Whites get to experience what the rigours
of qualification travel are really like
And the Tahiti tokenism ceases to be an
embarrassment for all concerned
ldquoIn Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but nordquo
Since the first one in 1922 the Socceroos have played over 400 official internationals And when you play that many games over that long a span some are going to be more memorable than others Many on this list are from the comparatively recent past Take this not as ignorant or a swipe at generations gone by but as a yardstick for just how far the sport has come in this country But just what makes a great game Well not only the result Tension drama and historical significance all play big roles in making matches memorable And with that in mind here are the top 10 Socceroos showdowns ever 10 Bashing Blighty Australia 3-1 England (Feb 12 2003) International Friendly Upton Park London Yeah it was just a friendly and Sven substituted the whole Three Lions team at half time But hey Australia could beat England in marbles and itrsquod still be cause for national celebration The lsquoRoos led a star-studded English side 2-0 at the break and didnrsquot relinquish the advantage against the second stringers after it Popovic Kewell and Emerton were the Aussie scorers on a memorable night in East London
9 A+ in Asia Australia 3-0 Qatar (February 6 2008) World Cup Qualifier Docklands Stadium Melbourne Australia had been in the Asian Confederation for two years but no one knew for sure what to expect when it played its all-important first World Cup Qualifier in the AFC against lowly but cash-rich Qatar Well it didnrsquot take long to find out and thankfully the news was good a first half blitzkrieg saw goals from Kennedy Cahill and Bresciano and Australia was away and running on the road to 2010 8 Trans-Tasman Trauma Australia 0-1 New Zealand (July 14 2002) Oceania Nations Cup Final Mt Smart Stadium Auckland Rock-bottom A woefully under strength Socceroo side featuring just one European-based player (Scott Chipperfield) failed to get past the Kiwis and get to the lucrative 2003 Confederations Cup The backlash was immediate and earth-shattering The administration that had for long failed to do the job was finally called to account ldquoThe fish gentlemen stinks from the head It is time you all faced it and did the noble thing ldquowrote the doyen of Australian football broadcasters Les Murray
Sunil Awasthi ranks the top
10 Socceroos games ever
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
I think weve definitely slipped a bit I asked Fox Sports Simon Hill and he thinks the loss of Mark Viduka is the biggest blow That might turn out to be pretty right We seem to be more defensive now than Guus had us playing but having said that some of our players have got better Emerton is better Wilkshire is better Cahill is better Incredibly Mark Schwartzer seems to be playing even better than in 2006 Against that stars like Kewell Grella Bresciano Chipperfield and Culina might have just dropped off a notch
The World Cup bid is starting to take shape from what you have seen so far with the promo videos and online book has the FFA sold Australia well Do you like that Nicole Kidman was used to spruik the bid And do we have a chance to host it TWI dont mind that Nicole has got the job If that nice Hugh Jackman can fall in
love with her in Australia surely the FIFA powerbrokers wont be able to resist her faux English botox infused charms I think this is a very rare opportunity to win the bid We are extremely lucky that two bids are being sorted out at once I think were almost no chance for 2018 and that the tournament will return to Europe but 2022 is a huge chance Europe wont get it again Africa wont get it South America will have just had 2014 So by my reckoning it comes down to the USA China and us Id choose us Ive actually just written a novel about a fictional footballer who is the face of our World Cup bid Hes an ex-Socceroo called Charlie Dekker and he gets caught up in a tabloid feeding frenzy when he falls for a Tiger Woods like sex scandal It will be out through Murdoch Books in July next year
Who is your A League team
TW Im a member of the Melbourne Victory and get to almost every home game My two-year-old daughter Polly is a member too and she has just started coming She likes the half time food and dressing up in the colours Last time we went the noise following an Archie Thompson goal resulted in her bursting into tears Shell have to improve on that Ive been there for our two Grand Final wins which were both great in different ways I think Henandez is playing so well this year that we have to be favourites to do it again
Do you have an overseas team
TW I used to say West Ham because I love the theme song Im Forever Blowing Bubbles As a kid I also loved the fact that they had a processed meat in their name But I have to be honest and admit that I watch very little Premier League football Certainly the Hammers have produced very little to inspire in 09-10 I dont have a great passion for any overseas club Id even confess that Im thinking of switching over to Everton now that Lucas Neill has joined Tim Cahill there Ive certainly been playing a lot of FIFA 09 on the PS3 as Everton
Your favourite A League player TW Carlos Henandez is a great favourite My friend Sam Pang calls him The silver fox I think hes the most gifted player in the A-League and that its a tragedy Costa Rica didnt qualify
for this World Cup I would have loved for him to be there All Melbourne fans love Archie and forgive him all those offsides (or are they offside) In terms of other A-League clubs I like the bruising style of Danny Tiatto (his cousin The Ox is a wrestler I know) and the distinguished grey of Steve Corica He will retire a legend of local football
Who is your favourite overseas player TW I think the best to watch is Lionel Messi Im so glad that Argentina overcame the Diego insanity that seems to be prevailing there at the moment and got Messi into the tournament His little mosquito legs are just freaky and his centre of gravity must be about 5cm off the ground I think he will win the Golden Ball in South Africa I also have a big soft spot for Wayne Rooney The story of Colleen throwing his 50000 pound engagement ring into a wood and rangers having to ask fossickers to respect the rights of the squirrels who may have found the ring was my favourite tabloid story of the last few years Colleen was angry with him for seeing hookers Tony Wilsons website is wwwtonywilsoncomau His second novel Making News will be released through Murdoch Books in July 2010 right in the middle of the World Cup
Battle Royale in
Defensive Midfield
As another weekend of European football action passes in comes another whole list of questions regarding our Socceroos
And one of the areas of intrigue is amongst the Socceroos defensive midfield stocks which seems a role perpetually crucial for Australian teams Vince Grella and Jason Culina have occupied the two-pronged role for years and Pim Verbeek clearly sees the pair as his favoured partnership looking ahead to 2010 But Verbeek may be beginning to question his certainty on that point with Culinarsquos uninspiring A-League form coupled by another Grella injury at Blackburn this weekend Without doubt Grella is one of Australia rsquos main stars and he has proven himself and while this problem is only minor it is a warning for a player whorsquos had a
terrible run of injuries in the last 12 months in the past but we must focus on the present and his recent troubles are concerning Grella has hardly endeared himself to the Blackburn faithful since his move to Ewood Park in August last year with a mix inconsistent form and consistent injury problems And his recent form at international level hasnrsquot been overly convincing either But still Grella remains a key man and rightfully so as he is Australia rsquos highest qualified player (so to speak) for that defensive midfield role The worry though is the injuries and whether Grellarsquos groin and hamstrings can hold up especially at a World Cup where Australia will play three (hopefully more) matches in a short period Nevertheless the news out of Blackburn this weekend is that Grellarsquos latest problem is only a minor groin injury which will see him miss one or maybe two matches
Ben Somerford previews
the battle royale that will take
place over the Socceroos midfield
(Mile Jedinak to start against Germany)(photo by cam w) Indeed this presents the question of Australiarsquos depth and who are the next options in waiting And this is the intriguing part which could see a real jostle amongst players for a seat on the plane to South Africa next year Beyond Culina Carl Valeri who was dubbed lsquoMini Vinniersquo is obviously an heir to the throne but his recent issues at Italian Serie B club Grosseto have clouded his future And with the rapid emergence of Mile Jedinak in Turkey rsquos Super Lig with Antalyaspor Valeri is no guarantee for South Africa Just last weekend Jedinak scored against Harry Kewellrsquos Galatasaray to claim his seventh goal in all competitions this season
It would be remiss of me to simply push forward Jedinakrsquos name based on a dozen or so goals but he has proven himself a player on the improve with some mature displays for Antalyaspor And a number of his strikes this term have come as headers from set-pieces representing a goal threat which could be an important part of the Socceroosrsquo game plan at next yearrsquos World Cup against some genuine heavyweights who could dominate us around the park Returning to Valeri who appeared to have resolved his contractual issues at Grosseto he was curiously left out of their side for the weekendrsquos win against Piacenza But Verbeek is a conservative type who likes the tried-and-tested method so you fancy the old guard The quandary though is how many defensive midfielders can Australia take to South Africa and it seems only three should go With defenders Luke Wilkshire and Rhys Williams employed as flexible squad options Australia has ample cover So it is likely one of Jedinak or Valeri will miss out and itrsquos turning into quite the race But Culina will have to deal with finding a club when the A-League season ends and Grella will of course have to stay fit It should be worth monitoring
Geof Wilson Interview
For two full seasons yoursquove been
getting a womanrsquos (my) perspective on the
womenrsquos game (the W-League) This week I
figured it was high time to hear what one of
the male fans has to say
Geoff Wilson (lsquoWallyrsquo to his mates) is a man
of many talentsmdashCEO musician
unicyclistmdashand is one of the biggest
grassroots proponents of the W-League Irsquove
yet met
His cheers are Irsquom-used-to-projecting-my-
voice-on-stage loud and witty his
knowledge of the game encyclopedic and
his support unrivalled
This is a man so dedicated he got himself a
jersey made up during the off-season with
Roar Women reserve goalkeeper Lara
Boonrsquos name and number (albeit much to
her amusement with the wrong number)
He proudly wears it along with the
memento headband and keepersrsquo gloves she
signed for him to each game
So how long has he been attending W-
League games
lsquoIve been going to see the Roar since the
first season although I only bought a season
ticket this yearrsquo he says lsquoFriends we used to
go with (sadly not many of them have stuck
around) started going to the W-league
games from the start and the first one I
went to I think I was the only bloke in a
group of girls who play indoor togetherrsquo
Clearly though something kept him coming
back after that initial game lsquoTo start with I
was just plain curiousrsquo he says And as for
many guys he admits lsquoThe idea of watching
attractive young athletes running around
getting sweaty was a big draw cardrsquo
lsquoThe second game we sat behind the Roar
bench and started mimicking the girls
sitting in front of us squealing Boonie who
it turns out were half of a junior team she
was coachingrsquo
At that stage he didnrsquot know who Boonie
was but his interest in the W-League was
definitely there lsquoThe appeal was already
growing there were some hot bods we
could sit right on top of the action the girls
were great at connecting with the crowd
Fiona Crawford gets a
male perspective on the W
League
after the game andmdashI was somewhat
surprised to learnmdashthey were actually
bloody goodrsquo
Indeed Wilsonrsquos reaction is that of most
guys who catch a W-League match lsquoThey
play the beautiful game quite literally
Althoughrsquo he quips lsquomaybe Ive just been
watching the Roar men for too longrsquo
Basically he says lsquoIts great to watch your
team bring the ball up the pitch and then
decisively put it into the back of the netmdash
consistently The standard of the
competition was much higher than Id
expected to see not just from Roar Women
but from all the teams Ive seen playrsquo
But supporting the W-League has had its
ups and downs not least arriving for the
first game of season two to find out that
crowdmdashand Wilsonrsquosmdashfavourite reserve
goalkeeper Boon hadnrsquot been re-signed
lsquoI dont know which of us felt worse finding
out shed been droppedrsquo he says lsquoAll I can
say about thatmdashwith absolutely no
disrespect to Casey Dumont who is a
spectacular keepermdashis that hopefully Ill be
able to peel off the 9 when Boonie gets the
run-on gig at some point in the future Just
in case Jeff Hopkins is reading Bring Back
Booniersquo Hersquos even started up a facebook
group
So does he envisage more guys becoming
W-League fans lsquoI am in the minority
gender-wisersquo he says lsquoThere are lots of girls
with their mums and dads and occasionally
their brothers and I guess boyfriends but
maybe the split is about 70-30rsquo
That potentially means therersquos room for fan-
recruiting improvement then lsquoI dont know
whether that means that fans like me who
have drifted across from the mens game
are the growth potential or notrsquo he says
lsquoId like to think more punters will be
enticed to come and see more games as
word spreads that the ladies actually play
damn well rather than sticking to the
dumb-obvious sex sells strategy [that the
glamour-oriented Westfield W-League
posters currently employ]rsquo
lsquoMaybe as in my case that strategy will get
bums on seats the first timersquo he says lsquobut I
really think the quality of the games is what
will bring fans back for repeat
performancesrsquo
Speaking of repeat performances hersquos
clearly hoping for a repeat championship
win for Roar Women this coming weekend
That and that they bring back Boonie for
season three
A reference to the number mix upmdashhis
shirt reads 19 when Boonrsquos number is 20
Oceans apart
Strange but true although Oceania is far far and away the weakest confederation in FIFA its representative in the cross-confederation playoff has qualified for the World Cup for the second time running Bahrain may not have been as daunting an opponent as Uruguay but New Zealands achievement has to be saluted Despite playing few competitive matches of any consequence over the last few years they showed their mettle when it counted against a match-hardened side Let us not forget Bahrain comprehensively outplayed the Socceroos in Manama earlier this year despite conceding that fateful late goal So cue once more the utterly ridiculous calls for Oceania to be allotted a full place at the World Cup The logic of this especially now that Australia is no longer in the mix is too fatuous even to discuss But the mere fact that such calls
are being made shows just how anomalous the Oceania confederation has become It is still permitted a full place at FIFAs minor events with some embarrassing results Tahiti qualified for the Under 20 World Cup thanks to a qualifying series on home turf and a leg-up from the officials in their key game against New Zealand But in Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but no Ricki Herberts team will not embarrass themselves quite that badly in South Africa But their performances at the Confederations Cup in June gave every impression of a side that lacked the nous to hold their own against quality opposition And thats where Australia comes in
Mike Salter argues
that the Kiwirsquos should be absorbed
into the Asian confederation
(Leo Bertos will be a key player for the Kiwirsquos in South Africa photo by Cam W) Although they have hardly thrilled the crowds on their way to South Africa 2010 the Socceroos have developed a shrewdness and resilience which comes from negotiating an arduous qualifying path In the long term Australian football can only benefit from this
And so can New Zealand football if the
right thing happensnamely for Oceania
to be absorbed into Asia
It makes sense on all levels The Pacific
nations occasionally get to test themselves
against opposition other than each other
and one regional behemoth The All
Whites get to experience what the rigours
of qualification travel are really like
And the Tahiti tokenism ceases to be an
embarrassment for all concerned
ldquoIn Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but nordquo
Since the first one in 1922 the Socceroos have played over 400 official internationals And when you play that many games over that long a span some are going to be more memorable than others Many on this list are from the comparatively recent past Take this not as ignorant or a swipe at generations gone by but as a yardstick for just how far the sport has come in this country But just what makes a great game Well not only the result Tension drama and historical significance all play big roles in making matches memorable And with that in mind here are the top 10 Socceroos showdowns ever 10 Bashing Blighty Australia 3-1 England (Feb 12 2003) International Friendly Upton Park London Yeah it was just a friendly and Sven substituted the whole Three Lions team at half time But hey Australia could beat England in marbles and itrsquod still be cause for national celebration The lsquoRoos led a star-studded English side 2-0 at the break and didnrsquot relinquish the advantage against the second stringers after it Popovic Kewell and Emerton were the Aussie scorers on a memorable night in East London
9 A+ in Asia Australia 3-0 Qatar (February 6 2008) World Cup Qualifier Docklands Stadium Melbourne Australia had been in the Asian Confederation for two years but no one knew for sure what to expect when it played its all-important first World Cup Qualifier in the AFC against lowly but cash-rich Qatar Well it didnrsquot take long to find out and thankfully the news was good a first half blitzkrieg saw goals from Kennedy Cahill and Bresciano and Australia was away and running on the road to 2010 8 Trans-Tasman Trauma Australia 0-1 New Zealand (July 14 2002) Oceania Nations Cup Final Mt Smart Stadium Auckland Rock-bottom A woefully under strength Socceroo side featuring just one European-based player (Scott Chipperfield) failed to get past the Kiwis and get to the lucrative 2003 Confederations Cup The backlash was immediate and earth-shattering The administration that had for long failed to do the job was finally called to account ldquoThe fish gentlemen stinks from the head It is time you all faced it and did the noble thing ldquowrote the doyen of Australian football broadcasters Les Murray
Sunil Awasthi ranks the top
10 Socceroos games ever
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Do you have an overseas team
TW I used to say West Ham because I love the theme song Im Forever Blowing Bubbles As a kid I also loved the fact that they had a processed meat in their name But I have to be honest and admit that I watch very little Premier League football Certainly the Hammers have produced very little to inspire in 09-10 I dont have a great passion for any overseas club Id even confess that Im thinking of switching over to Everton now that Lucas Neill has joined Tim Cahill there Ive certainly been playing a lot of FIFA 09 on the PS3 as Everton
Your favourite A League player TW Carlos Henandez is a great favourite My friend Sam Pang calls him The silver fox I think hes the most gifted player in the A-League and that its a tragedy Costa Rica didnt qualify
for this World Cup I would have loved for him to be there All Melbourne fans love Archie and forgive him all those offsides (or are they offside) In terms of other A-League clubs I like the bruising style of Danny Tiatto (his cousin The Ox is a wrestler I know) and the distinguished grey of Steve Corica He will retire a legend of local football
Who is your favourite overseas player TW I think the best to watch is Lionel Messi Im so glad that Argentina overcame the Diego insanity that seems to be prevailing there at the moment and got Messi into the tournament His little mosquito legs are just freaky and his centre of gravity must be about 5cm off the ground I think he will win the Golden Ball in South Africa I also have a big soft spot for Wayne Rooney The story of Colleen throwing his 50000 pound engagement ring into a wood and rangers having to ask fossickers to respect the rights of the squirrels who may have found the ring was my favourite tabloid story of the last few years Colleen was angry with him for seeing hookers Tony Wilsons website is wwwtonywilsoncomau His second novel Making News will be released through Murdoch Books in July 2010 right in the middle of the World Cup
Battle Royale in
Defensive Midfield
As another weekend of European football action passes in comes another whole list of questions regarding our Socceroos
And one of the areas of intrigue is amongst the Socceroos defensive midfield stocks which seems a role perpetually crucial for Australian teams Vince Grella and Jason Culina have occupied the two-pronged role for years and Pim Verbeek clearly sees the pair as his favoured partnership looking ahead to 2010 But Verbeek may be beginning to question his certainty on that point with Culinarsquos uninspiring A-League form coupled by another Grella injury at Blackburn this weekend Without doubt Grella is one of Australia rsquos main stars and he has proven himself and while this problem is only minor it is a warning for a player whorsquos had a
terrible run of injuries in the last 12 months in the past but we must focus on the present and his recent troubles are concerning Grella has hardly endeared himself to the Blackburn faithful since his move to Ewood Park in August last year with a mix inconsistent form and consistent injury problems And his recent form at international level hasnrsquot been overly convincing either But still Grella remains a key man and rightfully so as he is Australia rsquos highest qualified player (so to speak) for that defensive midfield role The worry though is the injuries and whether Grellarsquos groin and hamstrings can hold up especially at a World Cup where Australia will play three (hopefully more) matches in a short period Nevertheless the news out of Blackburn this weekend is that Grellarsquos latest problem is only a minor groin injury which will see him miss one or maybe two matches
Ben Somerford previews
the battle royale that will take
place over the Socceroos midfield
(Mile Jedinak to start against Germany)(photo by cam w) Indeed this presents the question of Australiarsquos depth and who are the next options in waiting And this is the intriguing part which could see a real jostle amongst players for a seat on the plane to South Africa next year Beyond Culina Carl Valeri who was dubbed lsquoMini Vinniersquo is obviously an heir to the throne but his recent issues at Italian Serie B club Grosseto have clouded his future And with the rapid emergence of Mile Jedinak in Turkey rsquos Super Lig with Antalyaspor Valeri is no guarantee for South Africa Just last weekend Jedinak scored against Harry Kewellrsquos Galatasaray to claim his seventh goal in all competitions this season
It would be remiss of me to simply push forward Jedinakrsquos name based on a dozen or so goals but he has proven himself a player on the improve with some mature displays for Antalyaspor And a number of his strikes this term have come as headers from set-pieces representing a goal threat which could be an important part of the Socceroosrsquo game plan at next yearrsquos World Cup against some genuine heavyweights who could dominate us around the park Returning to Valeri who appeared to have resolved his contractual issues at Grosseto he was curiously left out of their side for the weekendrsquos win against Piacenza But Verbeek is a conservative type who likes the tried-and-tested method so you fancy the old guard The quandary though is how many defensive midfielders can Australia take to South Africa and it seems only three should go With defenders Luke Wilkshire and Rhys Williams employed as flexible squad options Australia has ample cover So it is likely one of Jedinak or Valeri will miss out and itrsquos turning into quite the race But Culina will have to deal with finding a club when the A-League season ends and Grella will of course have to stay fit It should be worth monitoring
Geof Wilson Interview
For two full seasons yoursquove been
getting a womanrsquos (my) perspective on the
womenrsquos game (the W-League) This week I
figured it was high time to hear what one of
the male fans has to say
Geoff Wilson (lsquoWallyrsquo to his mates) is a man
of many talentsmdashCEO musician
unicyclistmdashand is one of the biggest
grassroots proponents of the W-League Irsquove
yet met
His cheers are Irsquom-used-to-projecting-my-
voice-on-stage loud and witty his
knowledge of the game encyclopedic and
his support unrivalled
This is a man so dedicated he got himself a
jersey made up during the off-season with
Roar Women reserve goalkeeper Lara
Boonrsquos name and number (albeit much to
her amusement with the wrong number)
He proudly wears it along with the
memento headband and keepersrsquo gloves she
signed for him to each game
So how long has he been attending W-
League games
lsquoIve been going to see the Roar since the
first season although I only bought a season
ticket this yearrsquo he says lsquoFriends we used to
go with (sadly not many of them have stuck
around) started going to the W-league
games from the start and the first one I
went to I think I was the only bloke in a
group of girls who play indoor togetherrsquo
Clearly though something kept him coming
back after that initial game lsquoTo start with I
was just plain curiousrsquo he says And as for
many guys he admits lsquoThe idea of watching
attractive young athletes running around
getting sweaty was a big draw cardrsquo
lsquoThe second game we sat behind the Roar
bench and started mimicking the girls
sitting in front of us squealing Boonie who
it turns out were half of a junior team she
was coachingrsquo
At that stage he didnrsquot know who Boonie
was but his interest in the W-League was
definitely there lsquoThe appeal was already
growing there were some hot bods we
could sit right on top of the action the girls
were great at connecting with the crowd
Fiona Crawford gets a
male perspective on the W
League
after the game andmdashI was somewhat
surprised to learnmdashthey were actually
bloody goodrsquo
Indeed Wilsonrsquos reaction is that of most
guys who catch a W-League match lsquoThey
play the beautiful game quite literally
Althoughrsquo he quips lsquomaybe Ive just been
watching the Roar men for too longrsquo
Basically he says lsquoIts great to watch your
team bring the ball up the pitch and then
decisively put it into the back of the netmdash
consistently The standard of the
competition was much higher than Id
expected to see not just from Roar Women
but from all the teams Ive seen playrsquo
But supporting the W-League has had its
ups and downs not least arriving for the
first game of season two to find out that
crowdmdashand Wilsonrsquosmdashfavourite reserve
goalkeeper Boon hadnrsquot been re-signed
lsquoI dont know which of us felt worse finding
out shed been droppedrsquo he says lsquoAll I can
say about thatmdashwith absolutely no
disrespect to Casey Dumont who is a
spectacular keepermdashis that hopefully Ill be
able to peel off the 9 when Boonie gets the
run-on gig at some point in the future Just
in case Jeff Hopkins is reading Bring Back
Booniersquo Hersquos even started up a facebook
group
So does he envisage more guys becoming
W-League fans lsquoI am in the minority
gender-wisersquo he says lsquoThere are lots of girls
with their mums and dads and occasionally
their brothers and I guess boyfriends but
maybe the split is about 70-30rsquo
That potentially means therersquos room for fan-
recruiting improvement then lsquoI dont know
whether that means that fans like me who
have drifted across from the mens game
are the growth potential or notrsquo he says
lsquoId like to think more punters will be
enticed to come and see more games as
word spreads that the ladies actually play
damn well rather than sticking to the
dumb-obvious sex sells strategy [that the
glamour-oriented Westfield W-League
posters currently employ]rsquo
lsquoMaybe as in my case that strategy will get
bums on seats the first timersquo he says lsquobut I
really think the quality of the games is what
will bring fans back for repeat
performancesrsquo
Speaking of repeat performances hersquos
clearly hoping for a repeat championship
win for Roar Women this coming weekend
That and that they bring back Boonie for
season three
A reference to the number mix upmdashhis
shirt reads 19 when Boonrsquos number is 20
Oceans apart
Strange but true although Oceania is far far and away the weakest confederation in FIFA its representative in the cross-confederation playoff has qualified for the World Cup for the second time running Bahrain may not have been as daunting an opponent as Uruguay but New Zealands achievement has to be saluted Despite playing few competitive matches of any consequence over the last few years they showed their mettle when it counted against a match-hardened side Let us not forget Bahrain comprehensively outplayed the Socceroos in Manama earlier this year despite conceding that fateful late goal So cue once more the utterly ridiculous calls for Oceania to be allotted a full place at the World Cup The logic of this especially now that Australia is no longer in the mix is too fatuous even to discuss But the mere fact that such calls
are being made shows just how anomalous the Oceania confederation has become It is still permitted a full place at FIFAs minor events with some embarrassing results Tahiti qualified for the Under 20 World Cup thanks to a qualifying series on home turf and a leg-up from the officials in their key game against New Zealand But in Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but no Ricki Herberts team will not embarrass themselves quite that badly in South Africa But their performances at the Confederations Cup in June gave every impression of a side that lacked the nous to hold their own against quality opposition And thats where Australia comes in
Mike Salter argues
that the Kiwirsquos should be absorbed
into the Asian confederation
(Leo Bertos will be a key player for the Kiwirsquos in South Africa photo by Cam W) Although they have hardly thrilled the crowds on their way to South Africa 2010 the Socceroos have developed a shrewdness and resilience which comes from negotiating an arduous qualifying path In the long term Australian football can only benefit from this
And so can New Zealand football if the
right thing happensnamely for Oceania
to be absorbed into Asia
It makes sense on all levels The Pacific
nations occasionally get to test themselves
against opposition other than each other
and one regional behemoth The All
Whites get to experience what the rigours
of qualification travel are really like
And the Tahiti tokenism ceases to be an
embarrassment for all concerned
ldquoIn Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but nordquo
Since the first one in 1922 the Socceroos have played over 400 official internationals And when you play that many games over that long a span some are going to be more memorable than others Many on this list are from the comparatively recent past Take this not as ignorant or a swipe at generations gone by but as a yardstick for just how far the sport has come in this country But just what makes a great game Well not only the result Tension drama and historical significance all play big roles in making matches memorable And with that in mind here are the top 10 Socceroos showdowns ever 10 Bashing Blighty Australia 3-1 England (Feb 12 2003) International Friendly Upton Park London Yeah it was just a friendly and Sven substituted the whole Three Lions team at half time But hey Australia could beat England in marbles and itrsquod still be cause for national celebration The lsquoRoos led a star-studded English side 2-0 at the break and didnrsquot relinquish the advantage against the second stringers after it Popovic Kewell and Emerton were the Aussie scorers on a memorable night in East London
9 A+ in Asia Australia 3-0 Qatar (February 6 2008) World Cup Qualifier Docklands Stadium Melbourne Australia had been in the Asian Confederation for two years but no one knew for sure what to expect when it played its all-important first World Cup Qualifier in the AFC against lowly but cash-rich Qatar Well it didnrsquot take long to find out and thankfully the news was good a first half blitzkrieg saw goals from Kennedy Cahill and Bresciano and Australia was away and running on the road to 2010 8 Trans-Tasman Trauma Australia 0-1 New Zealand (July 14 2002) Oceania Nations Cup Final Mt Smart Stadium Auckland Rock-bottom A woefully under strength Socceroo side featuring just one European-based player (Scott Chipperfield) failed to get past the Kiwis and get to the lucrative 2003 Confederations Cup The backlash was immediate and earth-shattering The administration that had for long failed to do the job was finally called to account ldquoThe fish gentlemen stinks from the head It is time you all faced it and did the noble thing ldquowrote the doyen of Australian football broadcasters Les Murray
Sunil Awasthi ranks the top
10 Socceroos games ever
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Battle Royale in
Defensive Midfield
As another weekend of European football action passes in comes another whole list of questions regarding our Socceroos
And one of the areas of intrigue is amongst the Socceroos defensive midfield stocks which seems a role perpetually crucial for Australian teams Vince Grella and Jason Culina have occupied the two-pronged role for years and Pim Verbeek clearly sees the pair as his favoured partnership looking ahead to 2010 But Verbeek may be beginning to question his certainty on that point with Culinarsquos uninspiring A-League form coupled by another Grella injury at Blackburn this weekend Without doubt Grella is one of Australia rsquos main stars and he has proven himself and while this problem is only minor it is a warning for a player whorsquos had a
terrible run of injuries in the last 12 months in the past but we must focus on the present and his recent troubles are concerning Grella has hardly endeared himself to the Blackburn faithful since his move to Ewood Park in August last year with a mix inconsistent form and consistent injury problems And his recent form at international level hasnrsquot been overly convincing either But still Grella remains a key man and rightfully so as he is Australia rsquos highest qualified player (so to speak) for that defensive midfield role The worry though is the injuries and whether Grellarsquos groin and hamstrings can hold up especially at a World Cup where Australia will play three (hopefully more) matches in a short period Nevertheless the news out of Blackburn this weekend is that Grellarsquos latest problem is only a minor groin injury which will see him miss one or maybe two matches
Ben Somerford previews
the battle royale that will take
place over the Socceroos midfield
(Mile Jedinak to start against Germany)(photo by cam w) Indeed this presents the question of Australiarsquos depth and who are the next options in waiting And this is the intriguing part which could see a real jostle amongst players for a seat on the plane to South Africa next year Beyond Culina Carl Valeri who was dubbed lsquoMini Vinniersquo is obviously an heir to the throne but his recent issues at Italian Serie B club Grosseto have clouded his future And with the rapid emergence of Mile Jedinak in Turkey rsquos Super Lig with Antalyaspor Valeri is no guarantee for South Africa Just last weekend Jedinak scored against Harry Kewellrsquos Galatasaray to claim his seventh goal in all competitions this season
It would be remiss of me to simply push forward Jedinakrsquos name based on a dozen or so goals but he has proven himself a player on the improve with some mature displays for Antalyaspor And a number of his strikes this term have come as headers from set-pieces representing a goal threat which could be an important part of the Socceroosrsquo game plan at next yearrsquos World Cup against some genuine heavyweights who could dominate us around the park Returning to Valeri who appeared to have resolved his contractual issues at Grosseto he was curiously left out of their side for the weekendrsquos win against Piacenza But Verbeek is a conservative type who likes the tried-and-tested method so you fancy the old guard The quandary though is how many defensive midfielders can Australia take to South Africa and it seems only three should go With defenders Luke Wilkshire and Rhys Williams employed as flexible squad options Australia has ample cover So it is likely one of Jedinak or Valeri will miss out and itrsquos turning into quite the race But Culina will have to deal with finding a club when the A-League season ends and Grella will of course have to stay fit It should be worth monitoring
Geof Wilson Interview
For two full seasons yoursquove been
getting a womanrsquos (my) perspective on the
womenrsquos game (the W-League) This week I
figured it was high time to hear what one of
the male fans has to say
Geoff Wilson (lsquoWallyrsquo to his mates) is a man
of many talentsmdashCEO musician
unicyclistmdashand is one of the biggest
grassroots proponents of the W-League Irsquove
yet met
His cheers are Irsquom-used-to-projecting-my-
voice-on-stage loud and witty his
knowledge of the game encyclopedic and
his support unrivalled
This is a man so dedicated he got himself a
jersey made up during the off-season with
Roar Women reserve goalkeeper Lara
Boonrsquos name and number (albeit much to
her amusement with the wrong number)
He proudly wears it along with the
memento headband and keepersrsquo gloves she
signed for him to each game
So how long has he been attending W-
League games
lsquoIve been going to see the Roar since the
first season although I only bought a season
ticket this yearrsquo he says lsquoFriends we used to
go with (sadly not many of them have stuck
around) started going to the W-league
games from the start and the first one I
went to I think I was the only bloke in a
group of girls who play indoor togetherrsquo
Clearly though something kept him coming
back after that initial game lsquoTo start with I
was just plain curiousrsquo he says And as for
many guys he admits lsquoThe idea of watching
attractive young athletes running around
getting sweaty was a big draw cardrsquo
lsquoThe second game we sat behind the Roar
bench and started mimicking the girls
sitting in front of us squealing Boonie who
it turns out were half of a junior team she
was coachingrsquo
At that stage he didnrsquot know who Boonie
was but his interest in the W-League was
definitely there lsquoThe appeal was already
growing there were some hot bods we
could sit right on top of the action the girls
were great at connecting with the crowd
Fiona Crawford gets a
male perspective on the W
League
after the game andmdashI was somewhat
surprised to learnmdashthey were actually
bloody goodrsquo
Indeed Wilsonrsquos reaction is that of most
guys who catch a W-League match lsquoThey
play the beautiful game quite literally
Althoughrsquo he quips lsquomaybe Ive just been
watching the Roar men for too longrsquo
Basically he says lsquoIts great to watch your
team bring the ball up the pitch and then
decisively put it into the back of the netmdash
consistently The standard of the
competition was much higher than Id
expected to see not just from Roar Women
but from all the teams Ive seen playrsquo
But supporting the W-League has had its
ups and downs not least arriving for the
first game of season two to find out that
crowdmdashand Wilsonrsquosmdashfavourite reserve
goalkeeper Boon hadnrsquot been re-signed
lsquoI dont know which of us felt worse finding
out shed been droppedrsquo he says lsquoAll I can
say about thatmdashwith absolutely no
disrespect to Casey Dumont who is a
spectacular keepermdashis that hopefully Ill be
able to peel off the 9 when Boonie gets the
run-on gig at some point in the future Just
in case Jeff Hopkins is reading Bring Back
Booniersquo Hersquos even started up a facebook
group
So does he envisage more guys becoming
W-League fans lsquoI am in the minority
gender-wisersquo he says lsquoThere are lots of girls
with their mums and dads and occasionally
their brothers and I guess boyfriends but
maybe the split is about 70-30rsquo
That potentially means therersquos room for fan-
recruiting improvement then lsquoI dont know
whether that means that fans like me who
have drifted across from the mens game
are the growth potential or notrsquo he says
lsquoId like to think more punters will be
enticed to come and see more games as
word spreads that the ladies actually play
damn well rather than sticking to the
dumb-obvious sex sells strategy [that the
glamour-oriented Westfield W-League
posters currently employ]rsquo
lsquoMaybe as in my case that strategy will get
bums on seats the first timersquo he says lsquobut I
really think the quality of the games is what
will bring fans back for repeat
performancesrsquo
Speaking of repeat performances hersquos
clearly hoping for a repeat championship
win for Roar Women this coming weekend
That and that they bring back Boonie for
season three
A reference to the number mix upmdashhis
shirt reads 19 when Boonrsquos number is 20
Oceans apart
Strange but true although Oceania is far far and away the weakest confederation in FIFA its representative in the cross-confederation playoff has qualified for the World Cup for the second time running Bahrain may not have been as daunting an opponent as Uruguay but New Zealands achievement has to be saluted Despite playing few competitive matches of any consequence over the last few years they showed their mettle when it counted against a match-hardened side Let us not forget Bahrain comprehensively outplayed the Socceroos in Manama earlier this year despite conceding that fateful late goal So cue once more the utterly ridiculous calls for Oceania to be allotted a full place at the World Cup The logic of this especially now that Australia is no longer in the mix is too fatuous even to discuss But the mere fact that such calls
are being made shows just how anomalous the Oceania confederation has become It is still permitted a full place at FIFAs minor events with some embarrassing results Tahiti qualified for the Under 20 World Cup thanks to a qualifying series on home turf and a leg-up from the officials in their key game against New Zealand But in Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but no Ricki Herberts team will not embarrass themselves quite that badly in South Africa But their performances at the Confederations Cup in June gave every impression of a side that lacked the nous to hold their own against quality opposition And thats where Australia comes in
Mike Salter argues
that the Kiwirsquos should be absorbed
into the Asian confederation
(Leo Bertos will be a key player for the Kiwirsquos in South Africa photo by Cam W) Although they have hardly thrilled the crowds on their way to South Africa 2010 the Socceroos have developed a shrewdness and resilience which comes from negotiating an arduous qualifying path In the long term Australian football can only benefit from this
And so can New Zealand football if the
right thing happensnamely for Oceania
to be absorbed into Asia
It makes sense on all levels The Pacific
nations occasionally get to test themselves
against opposition other than each other
and one regional behemoth The All
Whites get to experience what the rigours
of qualification travel are really like
And the Tahiti tokenism ceases to be an
embarrassment for all concerned
ldquoIn Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but nordquo
Since the first one in 1922 the Socceroos have played over 400 official internationals And when you play that many games over that long a span some are going to be more memorable than others Many on this list are from the comparatively recent past Take this not as ignorant or a swipe at generations gone by but as a yardstick for just how far the sport has come in this country But just what makes a great game Well not only the result Tension drama and historical significance all play big roles in making matches memorable And with that in mind here are the top 10 Socceroos showdowns ever 10 Bashing Blighty Australia 3-1 England (Feb 12 2003) International Friendly Upton Park London Yeah it was just a friendly and Sven substituted the whole Three Lions team at half time But hey Australia could beat England in marbles and itrsquod still be cause for national celebration The lsquoRoos led a star-studded English side 2-0 at the break and didnrsquot relinquish the advantage against the second stringers after it Popovic Kewell and Emerton were the Aussie scorers on a memorable night in East London
9 A+ in Asia Australia 3-0 Qatar (February 6 2008) World Cup Qualifier Docklands Stadium Melbourne Australia had been in the Asian Confederation for two years but no one knew for sure what to expect when it played its all-important first World Cup Qualifier in the AFC against lowly but cash-rich Qatar Well it didnrsquot take long to find out and thankfully the news was good a first half blitzkrieg saw goals from Kennedy Cahill and Bresciano and Australia was away and running on the road to 2010 8 Trans-Tasman Trauma Australia 0-1 New Zealand (July 14 2002) Oceania Nations Cup Final Mt Smart Stadium Auckland Rock-bottom A woefully under strength Socceroo side featuring just one European-based player (Scott Chipperfield) failed to get past the Kiwis and get to the lucrative 2003 Confederations Cup The backlash was immediate and earth-shattering The administration that had for long failed to do the job was finally called to account ldquoThe fish gentlemen stinks from the head It is time you all faced it and did the noble thing ldquowrote the doyen of Australian football broadcasters Les Murray
Sunil Awasthi ranks the top
10 Socceroos games ever
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
(Mile Jedinak to start against Germany)(photo by cam w) Indeed this presents the question of Australiarsquos depth and who are the next options in waiting And this is the intriguing part which could see a real jostle amongst players for a seat on the plane to South Africa next year Beyond Culina Carl Valeri who was dubbed lsquoMini Vinniersquo is obviously an heir to the throne but his recent issues at Italian Serie B club Grosseto have clouded his future And with the rapid emergence of Mile Jedinak in Turkey rsquos Super Lig with Antalyaspor Valeri is no guarantee for South Africa Just last weekend Jedinak scored against Harry Kewellrsquos Galatasaray to claim his seventh goal in all competitions this season
It would be remiss of me to simply push forward Jedinakrsquos name based on a dozen or so goals but he has proven himself a player on the improve with some mature displays for Antalyaspor And a number of his strikes this term have come as headers from set-pieces representing a goal threat which could be an important part of the Socceroosrsquo game plan at next yearrsquos World Cup against some genuine heavyweights who could dominate us around the park Returning to Valeri who appeared to have resolved his contractual issues at Grosseto he was curiously left out of their side for the weekendrsquos win against Piacenza But Verbeek is a conservative type who likes the tried-and-tested method so you fancy the old guard The quandary though is how many defensive midfielders can Australia take to South Africa and it seems only three should go With defenders Luke Wilkshire and Rhys Williams employed as flexible squad options Australia has ample cover So it is likely one of Jedinak or Valeri will miss out and itrsquos turning into quite the race But Culina will have to deal with finding a club when the A-League season ends and Grella will of course have to stay fit It should be worth monitoring
Geof Wilson Interview
For two full seasons yoursquove been
getting a womanrsquos (my) perspective on the
womenrsquos game (the W-League) This week I
figured it was high time to hear what one of
the male fans has to say
Geoff Wilson (lsquoWallyrsquo to his mates) is a man
of many talentsmdashCEO musician
unicyclistmdashand is one of the biggest
grassroots proponents of the W-League Irsquove
yet met
His cheers are Irsquom-used-to-projecting-my-
voice-on-stage loud and witty his
knowledge of the game encyclopedic and
his support unrivalled
This is a man so dedicated he got himself a
jersey made up during the off-season with
Roar Women reserve goalkeeper Lara
Boonrsquos name and number (albeit much to
her amusement with the wrong number)
He proudly wears it along with the
memento headband and keepersrsquo gloves she
signed for him to each game
So how long has he been attending W-
League games
lsquoIve been going to see the Roar since the
first season although I only bought a season
ticket this yearrsquo he says lsquoFriends we used to
go with (sadly not many of them have stuck
around) started going to the W-league
games from the start and the first one I
went to I think I was the only bloke in a
group of girls who play indoor togetherrsquo
Clearly though something kept him coming
back after that initial game lsquoTo start with I
was just plain curiousrsquo he says And as for
many guys he admits lsquoThe idea of watching
attractive young athletes running around
getting sweaty was a big draw cardrsquo
lsquoThe second game we sat behind the Roar
bench and started mimicking the girls
sitting in front of us squealing Boonie who
it turns out were half of a junior team she
was coachingrsquo
At that stage he didnrsquot know who Boonie
was but his interest in the W-League was
definitely there lsquoThe appeal was already
growing there were some hot bods we
could sit right on top of the action the girls
were great at connecting with the crowd
Fiona Crawford gets a
male perspective on the W
League
after the game andmdashI was somewhat
surprised to learnmdashthey were actually
bloody goodrsquo
Indeed Wilsonrsquos reaction is that of most
guys who catch a W-League match lsquoThey
play the beautiful game quite literally
Althoughrsquo he quips lsquomaybe Ive just been
watching the Roar men for too longrsquo
Basically he says lsquoIts great to watch your
team bring the ball up the pitch and then
decisively put it into the back of the netmdash
consistently The standard of the
competition was much higher than Id
expected to see not just from Roar Women
but from all the teams Ive seen playrsquo
But supporting the W-League has had its
ups and downs not least arriving for the
first game of season two to find out that
crowdmdashand Wilsonrsquosmdashfavourite reserve
goalkeeper Boon hadnrsquot been re-signed
lsquoI dont know which of us felt worse finding
out shed been droppedrsquo he says lsquoAll I can
say about thatmdashwith absolutely no
disrespect to Casey Dumont who is a
spectacular keepermdashis that hopefully Ill be
able to peel off the 9 when Boonie gets the
run-on gig at some point in the future Just
in case Jeff Hopkins is reading Bring Back
Booniersquo Hersquos even started up a facebook
group
So does he envisage more guys becoming
W-League fans lsquoI am in the minority
gender-wisersquo he says lsquoThere are lots of girls
with their mums and dads and occasionally
their brothers and I guess boyfriends but
maybe the split is about 70-30rsquo
That potentially means therersquos room for fan-
recruiting improvement then lsquoI dont know
whether that means that fans like me who
have drifted across from the mens game
are the growth potential or notrsquo he says
lsquoId like to think more punters will be
enticed to come and see more games as
word spreads that the ladies actually play
damn well rather than sticking to the
dumb-obvious sex sells strategy [that the
glamour-oriented Westfield W-League
posters currently employ]rsquo
lsquoMaybe as in my case that strategy will get
bums on seats the first timersquo he says lsquobut I
really think the quality of the games is what
will bring fans back for repeat
performancesrsquo
Speaking of repeat performances hersquos
clearly hoping for a repeat championship
win for Roar Women this coming weekend
That and that they bring back Boonie for
season three
A reference to the number mix upmdashhis
shirt reads 19 when Boonrsquos number is 20
Oceans apart
Strange but true although Oceania is far far and away the weakest confederation in FIFA its representative in the cross-confederation playoff has qualified for the World Cup for the second time running Bahrain may not have been as daunting an opponent as Uruguay but New Zealands achievement has to be saluted Despite playing few competitive matches of any consequence over the last few years they showed their mettle when it counted against a match-hardened side Let us not forget Bahrain comprehensively outplayed the Socceroos in Manama earlier this year despite conceding that fateful late goal So cue once more the utterly ridiculous calls for Oceania to be allotted a full place at the World Cup The logic of this especially now that Australia is no longer in the mix is too fatuous even to discuss But the mere fact that such calls
are being made shows just how anomalous the Oceania confederation has become It is still permitted a full place at FIFAs minor events with some embarrassing results Tahiti qualified for the Under 20 World Cup thanks to a qualifying series on home turf and a leg-up from the officials in their key game against New Zealand But in Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but no Ricki Herberts team will not embarrass themselves quite that badly in South Africa But their performances at the Confederations Cup in June gave every impression of a side that lacked the nous to hold their own against quality opposition And thats where Australia comes in
Mike Salter argues
that the Kiwirsquos should be absorbed
into the Asian confederation
(Leo Bertos will be a key player for the Kiwirsquos in South Africa photo by Cam W) Although they have hardly thrilled the crowds on their way to South Africa 2010 the Socceroos have developed a shrewdness and resilience which comes from negotiating an arduous qualifying path In the long term Australian football can only benefit from this
And so can New Zealand football if the
right thing happensnamely for Oceania
to be absorbed into Asia
It makes sense on all levels The Pacific
nations occasionally get to test themselves
against opposition other than each other
and one regional behemoth The All
Whites get to experience what the rigours
of qualification travel are really like
And the Tahiti tokenism ceases to be an
embarrassment for all concerned
ldquoIn Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but nordquo
Since the first one in 1922 the Socceroos have played over 400 official internationals And when you play that many games over that long a span some are going to be more memorable than others Many on this list are from the comparatively recent past Take this not as ignorant or a swipe at generations gone by but as a yardstick for just how far the sport has come in this country But just what makes a great game Well not only the result Tension drama and historical significance all play big roles in making matches memorable And with that in mind here are the top 10 Socceroos showdowns ever 10 Bashing Blighty Australia 3-1 England (Feb 12 2003) International Friendly Upton Park London Yeah it was just a friendly and Sven substituted the whole Three Lions team at half time But hey Australia could beat England in marbles and itrsquod still be cause for national celebration The lsquoRoos led a star-studded English side 2-0 at the break and didnrsquot relinquish the advantage against the second stringers after it Popovic Kewell and Emerton were the Aussie scorers on a memorable night in East London
9 A+ in Asia Australia 3-0 Qatar (February 6 2008) World Cup Qualifier Docklands Stadium Melbourne Australia had been in the Asian Confederation for two years but no one knew for sure what to expect when it played its all-important first World Cup Qualifier in the AFC against lowly but cash-rich Qatar Well it didnrsquot take long to find out and thankfully the news was good a first half blitzkrieg saw goals from Kennedy Cahill and Bresciano and Australia was away and running on the road to 2010 8 Trans-Tasman Trauma Australia 0-1 New Zealand (July 14 2002) Oceania Nations Cup Final Mt Smart Stadium Auckland Rock-bottom A woefully under strength Socceroo side featuring just one European-based player (Scott Chipperfield) failed to get past the Kiwis and get to the lucrative 2003 Confederations Cup The backlash was immediate and earth-shattering The administration that had for long failed to do the job was finally called to account ldquoThe fish gentlemen stinks from the head It is time you all faced it and did the noble thing ldquowrote the doyen of Australian football broadcasters Les Murray
Sunil Awasthi ranks the top
10 Socceroos games ever
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Geof Wilson Interview
For two full seasons yoursquove been
getting a womanrsquos (my) perspective on the
womenrsquos game (the W-League) This week I
figured it was high time to hear what one of
the male fans has to say
Geoff Wilson (lsquoWallyrsquo to his mates) is a man
of many talentsmdashCEO musician
unicyclistmdashand is one of the biggest
grassroots proponents of the W-League Irsquove
yet met
His cheers are Irsquom-used-to-projecting-my-
voice-on-stage loud and witty his
knowledge of the game encyclopedic and
his support unrivalled
This is a man so dedicated he got himself a
jersey made up during the off-season with
Roar Women reserve goalkeeper Lara
Boonrsquos name and number (albeit much to
her amusement with the wrong number)
He proudly wears it along with the
memento headband and keepersrsquo gloves she
signed for him to each game
So how long has he been attending W-
League games
lsquoIve been going to see the Roar since the
first season although I only bought a season
ticket this yearrsquo he says lsquoFriends we used to
go with (sadly not many of them have stuck
around) started going to the W-league
games from the start and the first one I
went to I think I was the only bloke in a
group of girls who play indoor togetherrsquo
Clearly though something kept him coming
back after that initial game lsquoTo start with I
was just plain curiousrsquo he says And as for
many guys he admits lsquoThe idea of watching
attractive young athletes running around
getting sweaty was a big draw cardrsquo
lsquoThe second game we sat behind the Roar
bench and started mimicking the girls
sitting in front of us squealing Boonie who
it turns out were half of a junior team she
was coachingrsquo
At that stage he didnrsquot know who Boonie
was but his interest in the W-League was
definitely there lsquoThe appeal was already
growing there were some hot bods we
could sit right on top of the action the girls
were great at connecting with the crowd
Fiona Crawford gets a
male perspective on the W
League
after the game andmdashI was somewhat
surprised to learnmdashthey were actually
bloody goodrsquo
Indeed Wilsonrsquos reaction is that of most
guys who catch a W-League match lsquoThey
play the beautiful game quite literally
Althoughrsquo he quips lsquomaybe Ive just been
watching the Roar men for too longrsquo
Basically he says lsquoIts great to watch your
team bring the ball up the pitch and then
decisively put it into the back of the netmdash
consistently The standard of the
competition was much higher than Id
expected to see not just from Roar Women
but from all the teams Ive seen playrsquo
But supporting the W-League has had its
ups and downs not least arriving for the
first game of season two to find out that
crowdmdashand Wilsonrsquosmdashfavourite reserve
goalkeeper Boon hadnrsquot been re-signed
lsquoI dont know which of us felt worse finding
out shed been droppedrsquo he says lsquoAll I can
say about thatmdashwith absolutely no
disrespect to Casey Dumont who is a
spectacular keepermdashis that hopefully Ill be
able to peel off the 9 when Boonie gets the
run-on gig at some point in the future Just
in case Jeff Hopkins is reading Bring Back
Booniersquo Hersquos even started up a facebook
group
So does he envisage more guys becoming
W-League fans lsquoI am in the minority
gender-wisersquo he says lsquoThere are lots of girls
with their mums and dads and occasionally
their brothers and I guess boyfriends but
maybe the split is about 70-30rsquo
That potentially means therersquos room for fan-
recruiting improvement then lsquoI dont know
whether that means that fans like me who
have drifted across from the mens game
are the growth potential or notrsquo he says
lsquoId like to think more punters will be
enticed to come and see more games as
word spreads that the ladies actually play
damn well rather than sticking to the
dumb-obvious sex sells strategy [that the
glamour-oriented Westfield W-League
posters currently employ]rsquo
lsquoMaybe as in my case that strategy will get
bums on seats the first timersquo he says lsquobut I
really think the quality of the games is what
will bring fans back for repeat
performancesrsquo
Speaking of repeat performances hersquos
clearly hoping for a repeat championship
win for Roar Women this coming weekend
That and that they bring back Boonie for
season three
A reference to the number mix upmdashhis
shirt reads 19 when Boonrsquos number is 20
Oceans apart
Strange but true although Oceania is far far and away the weakest confederation in FIFA its representative in the cross-confederation playoff has qualified for the World Cup for the second time running Bahrain may not have been as daunting an opponent as Uruguay but New Zealands achievement has to be saluted Despite playing few competitive matches of any consequence over the last few years they showed their mettle when it counted against a match-hardened side Let us not forget Bahrain comprehensively outplayed the Socceroos in Manama earlier this year despite conceding that fateful late goal So cue once more the utterly ridiculous calls for Oceania to be allotted a full place at the World Cup The logic of this especially now that Australia is no longer in the mix is too fatuous even to discuss But the mere fact that such calls
are being made shows just how anomalous the Oceania confederation has become It is still permitted a full place at FIFAs minor events with some embarrassing results Tahiti qualified for the Under 20 World Cup thanks to a qualifying series on home turf and a leg-up from the officials in their key game against New Zealand But in Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but no Ricki Herberts team will not embarrass themselves quite that badly in South Africa But their performances at the Confederations Cup in June gave every impression of a side that lacked the nous to hold their own against quality opposition And thats where Australia comes in
Mike Salter argues
that the Kiwirsquos should be absorbed
into the Asian confederation
(Leo Bertos will be a key player for the Kiwirsquos in South Africa photo by Cam W) Although they have hardly thrilled the crowds on their way to South Africa 2010 the Socceroos have developed a shrewdness and resilience which comes from negotiating an arduous qualifying path In the long term Australian football can only benefit from this
And so can New Zealand football if the
right thing happensnamely for Oceania
to be absorbed into Asia
It makes sense on all levels The Pacific
nations occasionally get to test themselves
against opposition other than each other
and one regional behemoth The All
Whites get to experience what the rigours
of qualification travel are really like
And the Tahiti tokenism ceases to be an
embarrassment for all concerned
ldquoIn Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but nordquo
Since the first one in 1922 the Socceroos have played over 400 official internationals And when you play that many games over that long a span some are going to be more memorable than others Many on this list are from the comparatively recent past Take this not as ignorant or a swipe at generations gone by but as a yardstick for just how far the sport has come in this country But just what makes a great game Well not only the result Tension drama and historical significance all play big roles in making matches memorable And with that in mind here are the top 10 Socceroos showdowns ever 10 Bashing Blighty Australia 3-1 England (Feb 12 2003) International Friendly Upton Park London Yeah it was just a friendly and Sven substituted the whole Three Lions team at half time But hey Australia could beat England in marbles and itrsquod still be cause for national celebration The lsquoRoos led a star-studded English side 2-0 at the break and didnrsquot relinquish the advantage against the second stringers after it Popovic Kewell and Emerton were the Aussie scorers on a memorable night in East London
9 A+ in Asia Australia 3-0 Qatar (February 6 2008) World Cup Qualifier Docklands Stadium Melbourne Australia had been in the Asian Confederation for two years but no one knew for sure what to expect when it played its all-important first World Cup Qualifier in the AFC against lowly but cash-rich Qatar Well it didnrsquot take long to find out and thankfully the news was good a first half blitzkrieg saw goals from Kennedy Cahill and Bresciano and Australia was away and running on the road to 2010 8 Trans-Tasman Trauma Australia 0-1 New Zealand (July 14 2002) Oceania Nations Cup Final Mt Smart Stadium Auckland Rock-bottom A woefully under strength Socceroo side featuring just one European-based player (Scott Chipperfield) failed to get past the Kiwis and get to the lucrative 2003 Confederations Cup The backlash was immediate and earth-shattering The administration that had for long failed to do the job was finally called to account ldquoThe fish gentlemen stinks from the head It is time you all faced it and did the noble thing ldquowrote the doyen of Australian football broadcasters Les Murray
Sunil Awasthi ranks the top
10 Socceroos games ever
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
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The Pissants can write as well
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Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
after the game andmdashI was somewhat
surprised to learnmdashthey were actually
bloody goodrsquo
Indeed Wilsonrsquos reaction is that of most
guys who catch a W-League match lsquoThey
play the beautiful game quite literally
Althoughrsquo he quips lsquomaybe Ive just been
watching the Roar men for too longrsquo
Basically he says lsquoIts great to watch your
team bring the ball up the pitch and then
decisively put it into the back of the netmdash
consistently The standard of the
competition was much higher than Id
expected to see not just from Roar Women
but from all the teams Ive seen playrsquo
But supporting the W-League has had its
ups and downs not least arriving for the
first game of season two to find out that
crowdmdashand Wilsonrsquosmdashfavourite reserve
goalkeeper Boon hadnrsquot been re-signed
lsquoI dont know which of us felt worse finding
out shed been droppedrsquo he says lsquoAll I can
say about thatmdashwith absolutely no
disrespect to Casey Dumont who is a
spectacular keepermdashis that hopefully Ill be
able to peel off the 9 when Boonie gets the
run-on gig at some point in the future Just
in case Jeff Hopkins is reading Bring Back
Booniersquo Hersquos even started up a facebook
group
So does he envisage more guys becoming
W-League fans lsquoI am in the minority
gender-wisersquo he says lsquoThere are lots of girls
with their mums and dads and occasionally
their brothers and I guess boyfriends but
maybe the split is about 70-30rsquo
That potentially means therersquos room for fan-
recruiting improvement then lsquoI dont know
whether that means that fans like me who
have drifted across from the mens game
are the growth potential or notrsquo he says
lsquoId like to think more punters will be
enticed to come and see more games as
word spreads that the ladies actually play
damn well rather than sticking to the
dumb-obvious sex sells strategy [that the
glamour-oriented Westfield W-League
posters currently employ]rsquo
lsquoMaybe as in my case that strategy will get
bums on seats the first timersquo he says lsquobut I
really think the quality of the games is what
will bring fans back for repeat
performancesrsquo
Speaking of repeat performances hersquos
clearly hoping for a repeat championship
win for Roar Women this coming weekend
That and that they bring back Boonie for
season three
A reference to the number mix upmdashhis
shirt reads 19 when Boonrsquos number is 20
Oceans apart
Strange but true although Oceania is far far and away the weakest confederation in FIFA its representative in the cross-confederation playoff has qualified for the World Cup for the second time running Bahrain may not have been as daunting an opponent as Uruguay but New Zealands achievement has to be saluted Despite playing few competitive matches of any consequence over the last few years they showed their mettle when it counted against a match-hardened side Let us not forget Bahrain comprehensively outplayed the Socceroos in Manama earlier this year despite conceding that fateful late goal So cue once more the utterly ridiculous calls for Oceania to be allotted a full place at the World Cup The logic of this especially now that Australia is no longer in the mix is too fatuous even to discuss But the mere fact that such calls
are being made shows just how anomalous the Oceania confederation has become It is still permitted a full place at FIFAs minor events with some embarrassing results Tahiti qualified for the Under 20 World Cup thanks to a qualifying series on home turf and a leg-up from the officials in their key game against New Zealand But in Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but no Ricki Herberts team will not embarrass themselves quite that badly in South Africa But their performances at the Confederations Cup in June gave every impression of a side that lacked the nous to hold their own against quality opposition And thats where Australia comes in
Mike Salter argues
that the Kiwirsquos should be absorbed
into the Asian confederation
(Leo Bertos will be a key player for the Kiwirsquos in South Africa photo by Cam W) Although they have hardly thrilled the crowds on their way to South Africa 2010 the Socceroos have developed a shrewdness and resilience which comes from negotiating an arduous qualifying path In the long term Australian football can only benefit from this
And so can New Zealand football if the
right thing happensnamely for Oceania
to be absorbed into Asia
It makes sense on all levels The Pacific
nations occasionally get to test themselves
against opposition other than each other
and one regional behemoth The All
Whites get to experience what the rigours
of qualification travel are really like
And the Tahiti tokenism ceases to be an
embarrassment for all concerned
ldquoIn Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but nordquo
Since the first one in 1922 the Socceroos have played over 400 official internationals And when you play that many games over that long a span some are going to be more memorable than others Many on this list are from the comparatively recent past Take this not as ignorant or a swipe at generations gone by but as a yardstick for just how far the sport has come in this country But just what makes a great game Well not only the result Tension drama and historical significance all play big roles in making matches memorable And with that in mind here are the top 10 Socceroos showdowns ever 10 Bashing Blighty Australia 3-1 England (Feb 12 2003) International Friendly Upton Park London Yeah it was just a friendly and Sven substituted the whole Three Lions team at half time But hey Australia could beat England in marbles and itrsquod still be cause for national celebration The lsquoRoos led a star-studded English side 2-0 at the break and didnrsquot relinquish the advantage against the second stringers after it Popovic Kewell and Emerton were the Aussie scorers on a memorable night in East London
9 A+ in Asia Australia 3-0 Qatar (February 6 2008) World Cup Qualifier Docklands Stadium Melbourne Australia had been in the Asian Confederation for two years but no one knew for sure what to expect when it played its all-important first World Cup Qualifier in the AFC against lowly but cash-rich Qatar Well it didnrsquot take long to find out and thankfully the news was good a first half blitzkrieg saw goals from Kennedy Cahill and Bresciano and Australia was away and running on the road to 2010 8 Trans-Tasman Trauma Australia 0-1 New Zealand (July 14 2002) Oceania Nations Cup Final Mt Smart Stadium Auckland Rock-bottom A woefully under strength Socceroo side featuring just one European-based player (Scott Chipperfield) failed to get past the Kiwis and get to the lucrative 2003 Confederations Cup The backlash was immediate and earth-shattering The administration that had for long failed to do the job was finally called to account ldquoThe fish gentlemen stinks from the head It is time you all faced it and did the noble thing ldquowrote the doyen of Australian football broadcasters Les Murray
Sunil Awasthi ranks the top
10 Socceroos games ever
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
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The Pissants can write as well
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httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Oceans apart
Strange but true although Oceania is far far and away the weakest confederation in FIFA its representative in the cross-confederation playoff has qualified for the World Cup for the second time running Bahrain may not have been as daunting an opponent as Uruguay but New Zealands achievement has to be saluted Despite playing few competitive matches of any consequence over the last few years they showed their mettle when it counted against a match-hardened side Let us not forget Bahrain comprehensively outplayed the Socceroos in Manama earlier this year despite conceding that fateful late goal So cue once more the utterly ridiculous calls for Oceania to be allotted a full place at the World Cup The logic of this especially now that Australia is no longer in the mix is too fatuous even to discuss But the mere fact that such calls
are being made shows just how anomalous the Oceania confederation has become It is still permitted a full place at FIFAs minor events with some embarrassing results Tahiti qualified for the Under 20 World Cup thanks to a qualifying series on home turf and a leg-up from the officials in their key game against New Zealand But in Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but no Ricki Herberts team will not embarrass themselves quite that badly in South Africa But their performances at the Confederations Cup in June gave every impression of a side that lacked the nous to hold their own against quality opposition And thats where Australia comes in
Mike Salter argues
that the Kiwirsquos should be absorbed
into the Asian confederation
(Leo Bertos will be a key player for the Kiwirsquos in South Africa photo by Cam W) Although they have hardly thrilled the crowds on their way to South Africa 2010 the Socceroos have developed a shrewdness and resilience which comes from negotiating an arduous qualifying path In the long term Australian football can only benefit from this
And so can New Zealand football if the
right thing happensnamely for Oceania
to be absorbed into Asia
It makes sense on all levels The Pacific
nations occasionally get to test themselves
against opposition other than each other
and one regional behemoth The All
Whites get to experience what the rigours
of qualification travel are really like
And the Tahiti tokenism ceases to be an
embarrassment for all concerned
ldquoIn Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but nordquo
Since the first one in 1922 the Socceroos have played over 400 official internationals And when you play that many games over that long a span some are going to be more memorable than others Many on this list are from the comparatively recent past Take this not as ignorant or a swipe at generations gone by but as a yardstick for just how far the sport has come in this country But just what makes a great game Well not only the result Tension drama and historical significance all play big roles in making matches memorable And with that in mind here are the top 10 Socceroos showdowns ever 10 Bashing Blighty Australia 3-1 England (Feb 12 2003) International Friendly Upton Park London Yeah it was just a friendly and Sven substituted the whole Three Lions team at half time But hey Australia could beat England in marbles and itrsquod still be cause for national celebration The lsquoRoos led a star-studded English side 2-0 at the break and didnrsquot relinquish the advantage against the second stringers after it Popovic Kewell and Emerton were the Aussie scorers on a memorable night in East London
9 A+ in Asia Australia 3-0 Qatar (February 6 2008) World Cup Qualifier Docklands Stadium Melbourne Australia had been in the Asian Confederation for two years but no one knew for sure what to expect when it played its all-important first World Cup Qualifier in the AFC against lowly but cash-rich Qatar Well it didnrsquot take long to find out and thankfully the news was good a first half blitzkrieg saw goals from Kennedy Cahill and Bresciano and Australia was away and running on the road to 2010 8 Trans-Tasman Trauma Australia 0-1 New Zealand (July 14 2002) Oceania Nations Cup Final Mt Smart Stadium Auckland Rock-bottom A woefully under strength Socceroo side featuring just one European-based player (Scott Chipperfield) failed to get past the Kiwis and get to the lucrative 2003 Confederations Cup The backlash was immediate and earth-shattering The administration that had for long failed to do the job was finally called to account ldquoThe fish gentlemen stinks from the head It is time you all faced it and did the noble thing ldquowrote the doyen of Australian football broadcasters Les Murray
Sunil Awasthi ranks the top
10 Socceroos games ever
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
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httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
(Leo Bertos will be a key player for the Kiwirsquos in South Africa photo by Cam W) Although they have hardly thrilled the crowds on their way to South Africa 2010 the Socceroos have developed a shrewdness and resilience which comes from negotiating an arduous qualifying path In the long term Australian football can only benefit from this
And so can New Zealand football if the
right thing happensnamely for Oceania
to be absorbed into Asia
It makes sense on all levels The Pacific
nations occasionally get to test themselves
against opposition other than each other
and one regional behemoth The All
Whites get to experience what the rigours
of qualification travel are really like
And the Tahiti tokenism ceases to be an
embarrassment for all concerned
ldquoIn Egypt they were annihilated conceding 21 goals in three games and scoring none Worthy participants Im sorry but nordquo
Since the first one in 1922 the Socceroos have played over 400 official internationals And when you play that many games over that long a span some are going to be more memorable than others Many on this list are from the comparatively recent past Take this not as ignorant or a swipe at generations gone by but as a yardstick for just how far the sport has come in this country But just what makes a great game Well not only the result Tension drama and historical significance all play big roles in making matches memorable And with that in mind here are the top 10 Socceroos showdowns ever 10 Bashing Blighty Australia 3-1 England (Feb 12 2003) International Friendly Upton Park London Yeah it was just a friendly and Sven substituted the whole Three Lions team at half time But hey Australia could beat England in marbles and itrsquod still be cause for national celebration The lsquoRoos led a star-studded English side 2-0 at the break and didnrsquot relinquish the advantage against the second stringers after it Popovic Kewell and Emerton were the Aussie scorers on a memorable night in East London
9 A+ in Asia Australia 3-0 Qatar (February 6 2008) World Cup Qualifier Docklands Stadium Melbourne Australia had been in the Asian Confederation for two years but no one knew for sure what to expect when it played its all-important first World Cup Qualifier in the AFC against lowly but cash-rich Qatar Well it didnrsquot take long to find out and thankfully the news was good a first half blitzkrieg saw goals from Kennedy Cahill and Bresciano and Australia was away and running on the road to 2010 8 Trans-Tasman Trauma Australia 0-1 New Zealand (July 14 2002) Oceania Nations Cup Final Mt Smart Stadium Auckland Rock-bottom A woefully under strength Socceroo side featuring just one European-based player (Scott Chipperfield) failed to get past the Kiwis and get to the lucrative 2003 Confederations Cup The backlash was immediate and earth-shattering The administration that had for long failed to do the job was finally called to account ldquoThe fish gentlemen stinks from the head It is time you all faced it and did the noble thing ldquowrote the doyen of Australian football broadcasters Les Murray
Sunil Awasthi ranks the top
10 Socceroos games ever
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Since the first one in 1922 the Socceroos have played over 400 official internationals And when you play that many games over that long a span some are going to be more memorable than others Many on this list are from the comparatively recent past Take this not as ignorant or a swipe at generations gone by but as a yardstick for just how far the sport has come in this country But just what makes a great game Well not only the result Tension drama and historical significance all play big roles in making matches memorable And with that in mind here are the top 10 Socceroos showdowns ever 10 Bashing Blighty Australia 3-1 England (Feb 12 2003) International Friendly Upton Park London Yeah it was just a friendly and Sven substituted the whole Three Lions team at half time But hey Australia could beat England in marbles and itrsquod still be cause for national celebration The lsquoRoos led a star-studded English side 2-0 at the break and didnrsquot relinquish the advantage against the second stringers after it Popovic Kewell and Emerton were the Aussie scorers on a memorable night in East London
9 A+ in Asia Australia 3-0 Qatar (February 6 2008) World Cup Qualifier Docklands Stadium Melbourne Australia had been in the Asian Confederation for two years but no one knew for sure what to expect when it played its all-important first World Cup Qualifier in the AFC against lowly but cash-rich Qatar Well it didnrsquot take long to find out and thankfully the news was good a first half blitzkrieg saw goals from Kennedy Cahill and Bresciano and Australia was away and running on the road to 2010 8 Trans-Tasman Trauma Australia 0-1 New Zealand (July 14 2002) Oceania Nations Cup Final Mt Smart Stadium Auckland Rock-bottom A woefully under strength Socceroo side featuring just one European-based player (Scott Chipperfield) failed to get past the Kiwis and get to the lucrative 2003 Confederations Cup The backlash was immediate and earth-shattering The administration that had for long failed to do the job was finally called to account ldquoThe fish gentlemen stinks from the head It is time you all faced it and did the noble thing ldquowrote the doyen of Australian football broadcasters Les Murray
Sunil Awasthi ranks the top
10 Socceroos games ever
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Go they did and the seeds for a long-awaited new era were planted 7 The grief Australia 0-1 Italy (June 26 2006) World Cup Round of 16 Fritz Walter Stadion Kaiserslautern The game that broke a million (well probably more) hearts and the moment that will live in the crystalline frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen eternal memory that only immense joy or trauma in life seems to generate Upon beating Mark Bresciano Fabio Grosso goes down in the box in injury time in Kaiserslautern after a Lucas Neill challenge and earns a prized place in the pantheon of Australian sporting villains One Totti finish from the spot later and the Socceroo World Cup dream is heartbreakingly over With the tears though comes a stark realisation that Australia is not yet totally amongst the best in the world and perhaps wasted a one-man advantage for the preceding 45 minutes But too comes thanksgiving for the wonderful journey the men in green and gold have taken the nation on in the weeks and months preceding And also hope- a hope that as far as Australian World Cup journeys are
concerned this is not the end but only the beginning 6 Advance Australia Fair Australia 2-2 Croatia (June 22 2006) World Cup group stage Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion Stuttgart A wilder ride over the course of ninety minutes a nation has never known Playing a country with close footballing ties to Australia with it all on the line trying to advance to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time is a recipe for memorable drama of the first rate And so it ensued in storybook fashion A free-kick Srna stunner that made us nervous early Craig Moore replies from the penalty spot to settle the stomach A howler from a controversially-selected goalkeeper that looked to cost a place in the Round of 16 Harry Kewellrsquos reply that made a nation jump for joy A Pommy referee who couldnrsquot count struggled to send off an Aussie-born Croatian And finally that beautiful final whistle that signalled mission accomplished Yeah not a bad little game of footy really Next month Part II sees Sunil count down the top five games in Socceroos historyhellip
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Just because your
paranoid doesnrsquot mean football
is not after you
Thatrsquos it The gloves are coming off I
was planning on keeping my inner
Soccer Zealot quiet but that was until
the ldquoCode Brawlsrdquo turned nasty
You have to applaud the passion that
AFL folk have for their game
The territorial pissing by the AFL to
discredit Australia World Cup bid again
shows the AFLrsquos deep seeded historic
paranoia that it has about football
But the AFL is right to be paranoid
I think a Nirvana lyric says it best
ldquoJust because yoursquore paranoid
Donrsquot mean theyrsquore not after yourdquo
The song funnily enough is called
Territorial Pissings
Of course
the AFL has used the stadium issue for
years to block footballrsquos progress The
same local problem of crowded codes
fighting over who gets to use the field
first has now gone global
Could having too many codes be a
factor when the 24 person FIFA
executive committee decide on who will
host the world cup in 2018-22
Read ahead about the dark history of
AFL paranoia from the excellent Das
Libero website
ldquo As early as 1951 buckets of glass were
scattered on North Hobart Oval the night
before a Tasmanian representative side
took the field against a visiting English
Professional XIrdquo
ldquoNext season the VFL directed its
operatives to secure all available public
sporting space in Melbourne in order to
stifle the burgeoning threat posed by
soccerrsquos migrant-inspired growthrdquo
ldquoMelbournersquos reputation for paranoia
was crowned in 1965 when youths
daubed anti-soccer slogans over Middle
Park chopped down the goalposts and
tried to set fire to the grandstand (59-
60)rdquo
Itrsquos just like the story in the 1993
Australian movie the Heartbreak Kid
Con Stamocostas puts up the
gloves in the name of football
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Alex Dimitriades plays Nick Polides the
local football talent who wants to play
soccer on the school field but gets
bullied away by the AFL coach
Southgate (William Mc Innes) Grahame
Tuner in the book Nationalism and
Australian popular culture says the film
depicts Southgatersquos Australianness as
hostile to cultural differences
threatened by multiculturalismrsquos
challenge to cultural purity
Itrsquos only until the sexy teacher Christina
Papadopoulos (played by Claudia
Carvan) offers to coach the football team
that Alex and his football dreams lives
and he and teammates get to use the
school field
Damn those saboteurs It was only a
week ago the very beautiful and
glamorous Nicole Kidman was helping
spruik the Aussies World Cup bid
It was some excellent PR Local Aussie
kids were hanging out with Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Frank Lowy gave some
African kids some Westfield vouchers
and our Nicole (Kidman) fronted and
narrated a five minute film that was
shown to the Fifa excutive It was a five
minute tourism ad with heaps of
juggling and action shots of islands and
mountains and the outback- the World
Cup movement was gaining momentum
FIFA Vice president Jack Warner saidI
was very impressed because the video is
not just about football but highly
educational as well
I just donrsquot understand it fellow football
fans Australians love sport Any type of
sport and during the last World Cup in
Germany the whole country discovered
what many of us die- hards have known
for years-the beauty and infinite joy that
comes with following the beautiful
game
I like the reading the obligatory ldquohosting
the World Cup would be wonderful
and then the big BUT
Ex Victorian premier Jeff Kenett says
that a whole bunch of AFL fans will be
depressed if the World Cup bid is
successful
ldquoif we dont have the opportunity to
provide our public with a balance for a
year forget the financial cost the
emotional cost will also I think be a very
heavy price to pay
But Mr Kennett the World Cup is the
largest emotional event in the world
The untold emotional pain of listening
to other codes rant about how they
want the world cup but then cry about
how itrsquos bad for Australia is affecting my
own work life balance
If my mental health depended on AFL I
would be getting depressed as well
Even more reason to get behind the
World Cup bid and the Socceroos at the
World Cup in South Africa then
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Not since she raced through my
lounge room twenty six years ago
chucking a wheelie before bunny-
hopping up onto the coffee table and
jumping out through the window have I
been so overcome with a newly realised
shared joy passion and desire
Sure she might have been only slightly
more animated than a cardboard cut out
in the launch video for Australiarsquos bid to
host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or
2022 but you couldnrsquot deny that ldquoour
Nicolerdquo is the perfect soccer mum to
launch our campaign
During the eighties she captured the
hearts and passions of Australia and
started the BMX revolution where you
werenrsquot an Aussie kid unless you had a
badass BMX Of course now we have
outgrown our BMXs and most who
remember the days are now parents
But that doesnrsquot stop us reliving our
dreams
As the children of Australia see Nicole
Kidman in the bid video and ask who
she is parents around the country will
tell old folk stories of the queen banshee
of the BMX Bandits and will inflame the
a new generation of bandits around the
country Soon the kids will be juggling
soccer balls down the city streets and
along the dusty country lanes around
the country taking on the baddies with
well directed overhead scissor kicks and
power blasts They will be juggling and
shooting with football on the mind but
with bandits branded on their heart
Danny Cameron reckons
a bad ass BMX bandit
could win Australia the
World Cup bid
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
(Can our Nicole seduce the world and
win Australia the world cup bid HTH
says hells yeah)(photo by Rita
Molnaacuter)
We can reveal here first to Halftime
Heroes that it is in this culture of
bandits that Australiarsquos true intention
lie Sure we might be seeking to host the
ldquotournamentrdquo but what truly happens
during the lead up to the games
Here we reveal the cunning plan
All Australians know of the perfect get-
out clause to keep the golden trophy in
our arms ldquoIrsquom not playing anymore Irsquom
taking my ball and going homerdquo
So when we hear the official catch cry
for the Australia 2018-2022 World Cup
hosting bid when we hear Nicole
Kidman say ldquoCome Playrdquo we sneakily let
out a wry smile and the bandit in us
grins large
In our very own lifetime we will be
presented the trophy (apparently to
hold onto in the build up to the games)
and we will take this trophy and in our
moment realised we will hold it aloft
like the champion thieves we are The
World Cup will be ours
ldquoSurely you jestrdquo I hear you cry
But it is evidently plain for all to see the
underlying truth in Australia
From our early white man settlement
origins of stealing the land off the
indigenous folk continuing with our
early populous of convicts sent from old
blimey for stealing and on with our
celebrated pride for the bushranging
culture and finally to the our World Cup
representative the BMX Bandit
teachings of Nicole Kidman we have
learnt that if we are not good enough to
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
have what we want then we have to
just go out there and take it
Even in the official opening of
proceedings of our bid where a team of
Australians travelled to Cape Town to
present our new bid film in conjunction
with the 2010 World Cup Draw we
managed to hijack England bidding
representative David Beckham in a
perfect guerrilla marketing move
Federal minister for sport Kate Ellis and
eight children from around Australia
who represented Australias football
playing youth vitality and
multiculturalism ambushed Beckham in
a perfect Ned Kelly moment and asked
him ldquoCome Playrdquo in Australia in 2018 or
2022
Footnote The other bidders include
England Spain amp Portugal Netherlands
amp Belgium Russia Japan Korea
Indonesia Qatar and the USA A decision
on the successful hosts for 2018 and
2022 will be made by the 24 members
of the FIFA Executive Council on 2
December 2010
To help Australia win the right to host
the greatest show on earth in Australia
the team has developed a website
wwwaustralia2018-2022comau
[hyperlink in report] Log on and show
your support
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Irsquom sure there are some very
happy (but possibly unaware)
employers in Sydney because the
Sydney forums (SFCU) have been down
The temporary forums arenrsquot as great
but they are keeping everyone in the
loop a little and our forum creator is
working on getting it all up and running
again
Wersquove also seen a new group emerge
over the past few games the Sydney FC
Youth They march from railway square
up to the SFS and have been standing in
the cove encouraging everyone to
participate and bringing more energy to
the games Theyrsquove been attending the
W-league games and showing support
for the ladies
A few months ago the cove had some
visitors from DC United After
thoroughly enjoying the match he sent
some of the boyrsquos merchandise
including a fence banner which debuted
at the home game against Newcastle as
a thank you They are going to return
the favour and send them back some
Sydney FC merchandise
Our biggest away game of the season is
on the horizon ndash Sydney FC vs
Melbourne Victory Wersquore slightly back
on form as shown with a win against
North Queensland and Wellington
Phoenix itrsquos no wonder everyone is
getting fired up The last trip down
south resulted in a delicious 3-nil win
and as itrsquos almost the holiday season a
win would mean a very happy
Christmas
I donrsquot know what banners are going to
be used or what new ones have been in
the making Word is on facebook there
may be something in the works If the
flag tifo from the Newcastle home game
is anything to go by Irsquom confident some
people will have put a lot of effort into
something epic
A lot of Sydney fans are looking forward
to the trip There will be plenty of
drinking maybe winning some money
at Crowne casino and supporting
Sydney Hopefully we can get 2 goals or
more to go top of the table again
Sarah D
reports from inside
the Cove
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Ireland ndash Probably the Best Team in the Worldhelliphelliphellip
Now that the furore has finally died
down I would like to express my delight
as an Ireland fan to the decision that
there will be no replay of the most
disputed result in history This means
that no matter what team goes on to
triumph in South Africa in 2010 Ireland
fans can say lsquoit could have been us if
only we werenrsquot cheated out of itrsquo and
the rest of the world will probably have
at least some sympathy for the claim
Of course the best possible outcome
would be for the French to lift the Cup
and then it would be even clearer to all
that if this is now officially lsquoThe Best
Team in the Worldrsquoreg and Ireland are
better than them the ability of the Irish
team would be unfathomable Never
before would any team have been so
clearly better than the lsquoThe Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg It doesnrsquot matter that
Ireland never actually beat France and
may well have conceded an honest goal
in extra time or gone out on penalties ndash
Henryrsquos act has forever frozen in time
the limitless possibilities of the possibly
limited squad assembled by Giovanni
Trapattoni
If a replay had been agreed would it
have been of the whole second leg with
Ireland starting in Paris at 0-1 on
aggregate and having to match or better
their best ever away result in 90
minutes twice in a couple of weeks just
to get to the point of being level
Anything else (replaying extra-time
holding a one-off decider match etc)
wouldnrsquot really be a replay would it It
would not be beyond the realms of
possibility for France to be 2-0 up at
half-time with the bewildered looking
Irish players knowing that there were
still 45 humiliating minutes to pass with
the eyes of the world on them before
the World Cup dream was over
As it stands in the World of What-Might-
Have-Beens Ireland still have a chance
of being proved to be arguably lsquoThe
Best Team in the Worldrsquoreg (incidentally
this will be Irelandrsquos second World Cup
victory in the lsquoWorld of What-Might-
Have-Beensrsquo following on from the lsquoif
only Roy Keane had not walked outrsquo
(probable) victory in JapanSouth Korea
in 2002 where a draw against eventual
runners-up Germany in his absence
proves that Ireland would have been
Damien Keane
thanks Thierry Henry for
making Ireland the 33rd team
at next yearrsquos World Cup
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
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Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
better than lsquoThe Second-Best Team in
the Worldrsquoreg if hersquod played and
therefore lsquoThe Best Team in the
Worldrsquoreg (alongside Brazil of course)
There will now be no disappointing
World Cup exit after failing to beat
Honduras or Switzerland (teams that
frighten us more than Brazil or
Argentina)
My heart can enjoy (another) stress free
tournament this summer So come on
France Show the World who the best
team in it really is ndash Ireland
Thanks Thierry for making us for all
eternity the only team that could have
won the World Cup in 2010 (apart from
whoever actually does ndash a minor detail
when viewed through historyrsquos eyes
from the distant future)
ldquoThis will be Irelandrsquos second
World Cup victory in the lsquoWorld of
What-Might-Have-Beensrsquo following
on from the lsquoif only Roy Keane had
not walked outrsquo (probable) victory
in JapanSouth Koreardquo
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Off with their heads
I think were now in a position where we can safely say that this year has not quite gone to plan for Adelaide United Two thirds of the season has passed and were sitting dead last with misfiring strikers a leaky defense and a coach whose motivational genius is exemplified by his suggestion that his players might benefit from having their heads severed from their bodies Well at the moment anythings worth a shot I do feel for Vidmar though Hes obviously a capable coach and hes still got some brownie points up his sleeve after the feats of last season and the ACL But the pressure is definitely on and its showing Bad results piling up unhappy players and behind-the-scenes issues at the club create a vortex that is very difficult to escape from And the fans want blood Football supporters arent known for being the most rational creatures when things arent going well Once a scapegoat has been identified the knives come out Viddie is number one
with a bullet on the terrace hate-list at the moment with a few of the players not far behind Of course by and large we supporters dont know what the hell were talking about If decisions were made based on terrace opinion Kristian Sarkies would have been sent packing last season This year hes been our best player Two up front became a mantra earlier in the season for supporters sick of drab football - well now Viddies tried it and the team played worse than ever Once things are going this badly the vortex of negativity is so strong that it starts to override anything positive Last home game for example there was a period of play where Adelaide actually kept possession for a little while The team was holding the ball patiently passing it around outside Newcastles penalty box probing for an opening Fair enough it wasnt quite like watching Brazil circa 1970 but it was the right idea Behind me though there was a bloke going absolutely off his nut Put the fcking ball in the box you muppets You are FCKING USELESS
Bill Skinner
finds it tough being an
Adelaide United supporter
this season
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
This was the same guy that made donkey noises whenever Cornthwaite or Hughes went near the ball and gave Vidmar a massive spray every time a substitution was not made Obviously that guy was a moron But for all his negative irrational idiocy one thing about his ranting struck me at least he cared It takes a lot of commitment to hate your own team so strongly Its better than the antipathy of some of my mates who have just gradually stopped coming to games because they cant be arsed any more It would be nice if we could all go to every match happy watch some great
football and come away with a win every week but reality doesnt work like that Through the bad times its the discontent injustice and endless disagreement that keeps us going as fans Itrsquos not pretty but being a football supporter rarely is
ldquoVidmara coach whose
motivational genius is
exemplified by his suggestion
that his players might benefit
from having their heads
severed from their bodiesrdquo
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
But Buckle-Up you were my best man
AFL Chief The Big D (Andrew Demetriou) had heard the news from South Africa about the Australiarsquos bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 And it wasnrsquot good
ldquoThose soccer idiots as if they are ever
going to win the rights to host the World
Cup in Australia in Melbourne The Feds
are supporting them and I havenrsquot heard
pip from Union and less from the Rugby
Leaguerdquo said The Big D
ldquoWell what can Union say that OrsquoNeill
bloke started all this And Gee Geersquos
probably knows his code can play in
10000 stadiums so itrsquos not like they can
get any compo
Whatrsquos to be done Big D itrsquos only soccer
itrsquos not that big is it At least itrsquos not that
big in Melbourne Like as it wersquore gonna
give em the G or the Domerdquo said the
McMinion ldquoItrsquos Ettihad not the Dome
How many times do I have to tell you
Wersquore in this for the money Now get
Buckle-Up down hereand quickrdquo
Just Three hours laterafter a dash
from Sydney to Melbourne Buckle-Up
wandered into the Bid Drsquos office
Big D Remember when you were my
best man at my wedding Buckle-Up
Buckle Up Canrsquot forget that day Big D
nor the Stag weekend Four AFL games
and a dinner at the G Awesome
Big D Remember when I was your boss
at AFL HQ
Buckle-up Canrsquot forget those days Bid D
That TV deal we done got squillions for
ourselves as well as the Code
Big D Mates
Buckle up Ben is upset his
best man Andrew Demetriou
is trying to scupper his World
Cup plans
Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
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Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
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Buckle-Up Always mates Big D
maaaatte
Big D So tell me what the hell are you
doing with this bid Itrsquos getting bigger
and bigger So now the gloves are off
Yoursquore not having Ettihad yoursquore not
having the G And why do you need both
anyway Know-nothing (Head of
Ettihad) says we can play AFL and
Soccer games at the Etihad anyway It
stuffs up the Victory games but they
seem to go okay so whatrsquos the problem
And why the hell would soccer need the
G Have you seen these A-League
crowds
Buckle-up Look maate love to help but
my hands are tied The Feds want this
thing more than I thought and it is
pretty big people travel to games from
everywhere
Big D We get that in AFL all the time
When Sydney play in Melbourne you
can see the Sydney colours in the crowd
I know they are mostly Melbournites
from the old Bloods but itrsquos sort of like
the away support
Buckle-Up No I mean people will travel
from overseas to watch games
Big D So it would be like Norths v The
Crows 20000 or so
Buckle-Up No more like Germany
Brazil or Croatia England 100000
Big D Ah I get it so like Essendon v
Collingwood
Buckle-Up Yep only ten times the
ticket prices
Big D Ten Times Essendon
Collingwood
Buckle Up Yep ten times
Big D Irsquom starting to get it Any chance
you can find a job for me
Buckle-up Get fd
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Australian football fans would
be well aware of these two great
goalkeeping names from previous
World Cups KING Kahn Jens
Lehmann
But with Oliver Kahn (pictured
across page) fully retired and Lehmann
having hung up his national team gloves
are devotees of the Socceroos even
aware of whorsquoll stand in the last line
between them and Group D glory when
our Durban date against the Deutsche
rolls round on June 13
Sadly Irsquod suggest many wouldnrsquot be able
to give a reasonable answer to this
question A-League and EPL-minded
folk will learn it then spruik it in the
days leading up to the Socceroos
opener thanks to paperrsquos finally giving
coverage of our group stage rivals when
they really should be informing the
masses now
So for those of you who want to get
ahead of the curve here are the top four
contenders for the German number 1
jersey in South Africa Unlike Pim
Verbeek Deutsche boss Joachim Loumlw
still has a decision to make on his
starting stopperhellipand hersquos certainly not
short on quality
1 Reneacute Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Adler will be 25 by next June and is well
positioned to have a seriously long
tenure as Germany lsquokeeper He won the
mantle for best stopper in the
Bundesliga in 2008 and sat on the bench
behind Lehmann and Robert Enke as
Germany finished runner up at Euro
2008 Solid form in the New Year will
help this young custodians cause
2 Manuel Neuer (Shalke 04)
At just 23 Manuel Neuer has already
made over 100 appearances for his
beloved Shalke 04 While his German
national team appearances are more
modest at two in November he was the
only German lsquokeeper in a list of five to
be nominated for UEFA team of the year
Alongside Adler Neuer is a hot chance
Ben OrsquoNeill looks at
which Germans keeper the
Socceroos could face at the
World Cup in South Africa
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
(Oliver Kahn retires Photo by
Tsutomu Takasu)
3 Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
At 27 Wiese is a veteran compared to
Adler and Neuer But having been
involved in the most recent squad ndash a
friendly against Ivory Coast ndash will
consider himself unlucky if he doesnrsquot at
least make the plane to Johannesburg
Champions League followers may well
remember his serious gaffe against
Juventus three years ago ndash he spilled a
routine save to allow Emerson to score
and the Old Lady to move through to the
quarter finals at the expense of his side
Hersquos a volatile character too so Loumlw
would be chancing his arm if he went
with Wiese
4 Timo Hilderbrand (TSG 1899
Hoffenheim)
Always the bridesmaid never the bride -
this is the story of 30-year-old Timo
Hilderbrand Having sat on the bench
behind Kahn and Lehmann at Euro
2004 Confederations Cup 2005 and
World Cup 2006 Hilderbrandrsquos torrid
time at Valencia in 200708 means he
hasnrsquot featured for Germany since
But a move back to the Bundesliga a
year ago has reignited the custodian
and there have been calls inside
Germany recently that he deserves
another chance
Until his recent tragic suicide Robert
Enke formerly of Hannover 96 was
favoured to claim the first-choice
lsquokeepers spot in South Africa
Ben OrsquoNeill has just launched a new blog dedicated to the Durban date ndash Australiarsquos clash with Germany on June 13 2010 Visit wwwdurbandateblogspotcom to explore
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
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The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Group D
Germany Undefeated in a tough qualifying group Three goals were last year conceded in a draw in Finland (three key men were absent) and a month later Die Mannschaft were somewhat lucky to hold on against Russia to win 2-1 in Dortmund But only once did they concede in the seven remaining games and against Russia home and away Germany showed the attacking capability and aggression so important to their renaissance in the last few years In Dortmund last year Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski (pictured left) continued their fruitful partnership in attack while young goalkeeper Reneacute Adler did well at the other end Those three were again good value in Moscow two months ago as Germany impressively began on the front foot but also important was the young Mesut Oumlzil perhaps the type of creative schemer the Germans traditionally had but havent for some time Germany again hung on to win 1-0 this time in a manner hard to fathom when they were haemorrhaging goals four years ago The goal they did concede in their last seven qualifiers was at home to Finland in the last game but as in
Helsinki defender Per Mertsesacker was missing More concerning even with an experimental line-up was the very laboured play going forward We always have trouble playing against teams that pack their defence said frustrated full-back Philipp Lahm afterwards Germany does have the attacking ability not to have such issues but under the sometimes uninspiring overly methodical Loumlw they have often struggled to play to their best against minor opponents or in non-critical situations Hopefully they will take Australia lightly and their foot off the pedal in Durban but theyre likely to have too much firepower
(Lukas Podolski photo by MKBN)
Shane Davis takes a
close look at Australiarsquos Group
D opponentsrsquo
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
(Chelsea and Ghana star Michael Essien photo by Magnus Manske) Ghana The first African team to earn qualification although The Black Stars had their troubles getting out of the first group stage towards the end of which current Serb coach Milovan Rajevac was appointed From there things have generally been on the up The likes of captain Stephen Appiah in midfield and leading qualifying goalscorer Matthew Amoah in attack played more in the second group stage and four wins from four were enough to seal their place in South Africa Ghana werent as free-scoring as the other qualified African teams but did concede the second least amount of goals in the second group stage all two of which came in the final Appiah and Michael Essien (pictured above) provide further security in midfield and along with Sulley Muntari are also good value for Ghana going forward Of Australias three group opponents the Africans may replicate most the quick agile attacks that have often worried us in Asia but should also finish better
Serbia Their 2-1 loss in France last year came only weeks after Radomir Antić was appointed and before he changed the dynamics of a previously more negative-minded team significantly By the time Serbia drew 1-1 with the French in Belgrade two months ago only a point was really needed and last months 2-1 loss in Lithuania came after qualification was secured Aside from that the Beli Orlovi won seven out of seven The highlights were going 3-0 up inside 25 minutes in Austria in a 3-1 win scoring another three and showing good resolve to win 3-2 in Romania before wrapping up qualification with a 5-0 win over Romania at home Milan Jovanović scored in all of those games and is a skilful operator on the left wing while on the other side is the highly promising Miloš Krasić But Serbias biggest strength though is their general attacking style and confidence Unless they lose their heads or a possible lack of defensive ability in midfield gets exposed they will be very tough opposition for Australia
(Serbian left winger Milan Jovanavic
photo by Steindy)
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Difficult amp Thorny Issue - Reece
Caira
FIFA in an attempt to stop the
exploitation of young boys in Africa
wrote a law into its governance of
football that anyone under the age of 18
needed the clearance by their national
association to sign a contract with an
overseas club Further it was believed in
countries like Australia the best talent
would stay longer and not go on at times
to play for other nations
All good stuff But laws need to be applied with common sense otherwise innocents get caught Reece Caria is IMO one such case Football Federation Australia have picked the right cause but the wrong example
Hersquos father is English and his mother Irish they migrated to Australia Reece was not selected for a representative side or the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Reece was 15 when his father sent a video off overseas Aston Villa (AV) replied if you are ever in the UK come and trial AV offered no money or help with air fares
or UK accommodation In fact they offered him a trial with no guarantees
Reecersquos parents returned to the UK Both his parents got full time jobs Reece has his extended family around him and he is attending school Then Reece trials with AV AV have an academy with a requirement that all boys at the academy also get a high school education
Lawyers will tell you if you want to draw a line in the sand make sure it is a case you cannot loose This case looks almost un-defendable especially if you consider how important it is in a playerrsquos development at his age Compare AV Training academy with specialised school teachers against a Central Coast park team and a local high school
FIFA have exemptions to this FIFA law but the exemptions are approved club by club FIFA do not have a policy where they say if clubs meet this standard they can be quickly assessed and approved
Where are we today AV have Reece in their training academy where he attends school as well Reece goes home each night to his parents home I would assume also see his extended family FFA say you cannot sign or play with AV as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFA
AV are now taking FIFA to the European courts IMO there is almost no way they can lose given the facts as presented through the media The sting in the tale
Glen Seiver
looks at the case of young
Australian Reece Caira
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
is if FIFA loose and the law is overturned It is overturned for everybody even the kids in Africa Those agents and third level clubs in Europe will be popping champagne corks
In heavens name Can a boy who has never made a representative side or taken one dollar of taxpayer money go back to England with his parents Trial with a club and be knocked back to play park association football on the Central Coast by FFA
(Reece Caira has a club but canrsquot play due to red tape image from imagesmirrorcouk)
It is a part of the history and culture of our nation We voted against conscription twice in World War 1 despite the exhortation of the national government to support it we voted against the banning of the communist party at the height of the Cold War despite the national government strident support we ignore our national governments direction not to participate in the Moscow Olympics
I can see the frustration and anger in his parents because I and many Australians would react in a similar manner
It is distinctly Australian to question and debate to oppose decisions made by our governments and big business That is part of who we are sad will be the day when it does not occur
In closing I think FFA chose the right cause but the wrong kid
ldquoFFA say you cannot sign or play with Aston Villa as you are under 18 yet many other Australian players recently have signed and been under 18 with no protest from FFArdquo
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Living the dream The Theo
Markelis story
Itrsquos every young footballerrsquos dream To be
selected to travel to Europe play against the
best youth sides in the world and trial at
famous Italian and Spanish clubs
Except for young Australian Theo Markelis itrsquos
not a dream it been the past few years as a
young football star
Markelis recently signed a five year deal with
Spanish superpower Valencia Club de Fuacutetbol
Theo Markelis started his incredible journey
from Green Gully under 15s to Valencia CF
when he attended a football clinic in Melbourne
ldquoI went to this clinic this training academy and
started training and then he (the guy who
organised the clinic) formed a team to go to
Italy to play some games We went to Italy and
played against youth teams from Juventus
Genoa AS Roma And I was the youngest there
I was fourteen years
old at the time and I
there were some clubs
interested in merdquo
He returned to
Australia but only six
month later went back to Italy to trial with
some clubs ldquoAbout six months later I went back
to go trialling and I went to Genoa I trialled did
well and before they wanted to me sign a guy
said to go to Valencia to trial for Valencia So I
went to Valencia for a week trialled for a week
played a tournament and finished top goal
scorer and after that they wanted to sign me
for five yearsrdquo
Unsurprisingly Markelis originally found it hard
to adjust to Spain ldquoAt the start I was very
nervous I didnrsquot know the language and I found
it very nerve racking I wasnrsquot with my family
so found it a bit hard The first year that I was
here (last year) was hard I didnrsquot know anyone
so the first couple of months were difficultrdquo
(Theo asks for a translator)
Kieran Pender charts the
incredible rise of 18 year old Theo
Markelis a young Australian playing
for Valencia in Spain
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
(Theo and his Valencia youth team mates)
But even though Markelis originally found it
difficult adjusting to life in Valencia living life
away from his family and friends he has now
settled in well ldquoIrsquom still young and I had to
leave my family but now Irsquove gotten used to it
Irsquom happy hererdquo He can now also speak Spanish
fluently
Although Markelis is still at school in Valencia
football is now the major part of his life
ldquoSchoolrsquos every day but we train four days a
week then have a day off for a rest and then
play a Saturday or Sunday youth gamerdquo And
although he stresses that all the training is hard
he is still finding it enjoyable ldquothatrsquos what I like
to do Irsquoll be training four to five hours a day but
itrsquos still fun Irsquove always wanted to do this I
made a sacrifice to leave home and come here
to play this is what I want to dordquo
While he says that his time at the Spanish
football giant has been very enjoyable overall
Markelis believes his most enjoyable moment
so far was winning a youth cup in Holland
against the likes of Real Madridrsquos famed youth
academy ldquoWe had a tournament last season in
Holland and we won the tournament Teams
like Real Madridrsquos youth side were in it teams
from all around Europe and we won the
tournament thatrsquos basically been the best thing
thatrsquos happenedrdquo Another highlight of his
career so far has been the extensive travelling
ldquoWersquove been to Holland wersquove been to Japan
and wersquove been to Abu Dhabi to play
tournaments to Italy as well so Irsquove done a lot
of travellingrdquo
Another perk of playing for a major club is
being able to meet the stars in Markelisrsquo case
his role model David Villa ldquoI look up to David
Villa (as my role model) and Irsquove spoken to him
before Irsquove met him He knows who I amrdquo
However Villa isnrsquot the only player hersquos met
ldquoIrsquove met (David) Silva Irsquove met (Juan Manuel)
Mata Irsquove met Joaquin Irsquove spoken to them
before but Villarsquos my favourite playerrdquo
One experience that would not have been as
positive for Markelis was the financial crisis
that his club Valencia recently went through
The crisis culminated in Valencia not being able
to pay some of their players but Markelis
stresses that it hasnrsquot affected his time at the
club ldquoI was fine I was just concentrating on
training and playing
ldquoWe had a tournament last
season in Holland and we won
the tournament Teams like Real
Madridrsquos youth side were in it
teams from all around Europe
and we won the tournamentrdquo
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
(Theo at Valencia training still waiting for a
translator)
Obviously they donrsquot pay us as much as the
players in the first team theyrsquore the ones that
had the problems not usrdquo
However while Theo Markelis may be one of
Australiarsquos brightest young stars his
international alliance is still at stake Markelis
still hasnrsquot been called up to any Young
Socceroos squad and he doesnrsquot even know ldquoif
they know Irsquom hererdquo Markelis has a strong
Greek background and the option to play for
Greece is definitely open ldquoI have a Greek
passport and itrsquos possible I could play for
Greece it just depends who gives me the call
firstrdquo
However while itrsquos possible Markelis could
become the next Australian to represent
another country he still professes his loyalty
and desire to represent Australia ldquoIrsquod really like
to play for Australia because thatrsquos where I was
bornrdquo
Letrsquos just hope that one day Theo Markelis will
be turning out for the green and gold of
Australia and not the blue and white of Greece
Markelis is currently playing well in Spain for
Valencia U19 but he stresses the importance of
not getting ahead of himself ldquoTheyrsquore (the
coaches) are saying Irsquom doing well so at the
moment Irsquom going well but everything here can
changerdquo Markelis hopes to continue playing
well at U19 level and then move up to Valencia
Mestalla (Valenciarsquos reserve team) but once
again he realises that nothing in the football
world is certain ldquoI suppose Irsquoll move on
Valencia Mestalla but it all depends on what the
directors think of merdquo
While Markelisrsquo debut for the Socceroos is still a
long way off and in possible doubt letrsquos hope
that in a few years time hersquoll be Australiarsquos next
football superstar
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
The Damned United- HTH Movie Review By Con Stamocostas
The Damned United charts Brian Clough
managerial career starting in Derby where the
Northern English Club is on the bottom of the
old Division Two
Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough and is fast
becoming one of the best impersonators of
some of Britainrsquos most famous people He has
carried on his fine work from other movies
where he played Tony Blair in the Queen and
David Frost in Nixon Frost
The beginning of the film begins when Brian
Cloughrsquos Derby faces Leeds in the FA Cup and
those dirty buggers Leeds cheat their way to a
2-1 win with a dodgy penalty
The Leeds Manager Don Review played by Colm
Menie disrespectfully ignores the Derby boss
and from then on Clough uses that snub as
motivation to one day beat him
The film cuts between periods of Clough
coaching at Derby and at Leeds virtually
ignoring his most successful period when he
won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest
The Damned United is primarily a Bromance
between Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor
played by great English character actor Timothy
Spall Itrsquos at Derby where the relationship
between the two se them take Derby from the
old Division Two to the top of Division One
Cloughrsquos ego threatens all of Cloughrsquos
relationship particularly with the directors of
the clubs he manages and it also becomes
strained with Taylor as well
You get a sense of the megalomaniac of Clough
why he was both loved and hated when the
chairman of Leeds on his first day describes
him as the best young manager in the country
and Clough quips back with ldquoIrsquom the best old
one as wellrdquo
Sheenrsquos work is amazing in this film He is
almost in every scene and his portrayal of
Clough was impressive
If you are a football fan you will love this film
the story is well told with strong performances
from all the actors The film is not cheesy at all
which is what can happen with sport films The
mixture of old footage from the 70rsquos gives the
film an authentic feel
I give it five HTH stars
ldquoThe Damned United may not be the best
movie about an English Football Manager
ever made but itrsquos in the top onerdquo
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
La Happenings The Drop
Last month I focused on the real
battle in La Liga the battle for the
remaining Champions League places
but there is an even more intense battle
taking place in La Liga the fight for
survival in the top flight
After round 14 of La Liga the relegation
battle looks very scary for many Spanish
clubs The threat of relegation
realistically encompasses all from Xerez
in 20th to Osasuna in 11th but even
Villarreal or Gijoacuten (in 10th and 9th
respectively) are only a few losses away
from the pointy end of the table
While the battle for survival in Spain is
always exciting the form of two so
called lsquobig teamsrsquo has added to the
excitement Take for example Espanyol
while they may have been in the
relegation mire this time last season
they are still a decent side that finished
10th at the end of the season and would
have been expected to perform better
this time around Instead they find
themselves in 17th only one point from
the drop
Another notable side in trouble is
Atleacutetico Madrid or the lsquootherrsquo team from
Madrid While the insanity of Atletico
could fill many pages by itself the basic
story is that they are a shamble of a
club but with fairly good players who
go through managers faster than the
NRL go through cases of drunken
players acting badly (Sorry I really
should have been having a dig at AFL
instead of NRL after recent events)
After finishing fourth last season they
currently find themselves in 14th on
equal points with Espanyol and are
already onto their second manager of
the season
Kieran Penderrsquos
monthly roundup La Liga looks
at the intriguing relegation
battle
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
RCD Mallorca on the other hand is a
team that prior to the start of the
season was expected to be right in the
(Spanish Primera Divisioacuten 200506
trophy at FC Barcelona
museum)(photo by Electro07)
drop zone Even the staunchest Mallorca
fan would have to admit that at the
beginning of the season things looked
bleak They lost the players that had
staved off relegation the previous
season (Miguel Angel Moyaacute Juan Arango
and David Navarro to name a few) and
spent the lowest amount on new
signings in the entire first division
The club is a complete wreck financially
and shifty financial dealings saw money
move out of Mallorca at a time when
they are desperate for money
As notable La Liga expert Sid Lowe
wrote in his Guardian blog ldquoBecause
make no mistake Mallorca are rubbish
Or at least they should berdquo
But theyrsquore not They currently sit in 5th
place with 27 points only a point off the
Champions League spots So
congratulations to Mallorca and their
crazy battle against all odds
While in all likelihood it will be the likes
of Xerez Malaga and Real Zaragoza (the
current teams sitting below the drop)
that find themselves in the Segunda
division next season the excitement of
Espanyol and Atleacutetico Madrid being
down the bottom certainly adds to the
league
Lastly crazy accidents and disgruntled
readers telling Con to get rid of me
withstanding I will be back next month
for a complete run down of the big fight
the Barcelona v Real Madrid fight
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Rostyn Griffiths - A Footballers
Fate
Furyrsquos inaugural A-League campaign has provided many spills and thrills with arguably one of the brightest storiesrsquos to have emerged being the rise of young footballer Rostyn Griffiths who at just 21 years of age has already endured an expansive and arduous football journey
This Journey begins in Western Australia where a talented youngster impressed for the Joondalup academy on a tour of the UK The stuff dreams are made of followed when offered an opportunity to join established premier league club Blackburn Rovers
Excelling with Blackburnrsquos academy Rostynrsquos dream was dealt a serious blow when breaking a leg playing for Australiarsquos U17rsquos He then made a strong return and continued progressing eventually signing his first professional contract
Fate would then take another future determining twist when Rovers top
flight side suffered a tumultuous period after manager Mark Hughes who initially signed Rostyn followed his ambitions to fellow Lancashire club Manchester City
Paul Ince took the Blackburn reigns loaning Rostyn out to gain some professional experience Ince had a horrendous start to his Blackburn tenure and was subsequently sacked and replaced by renowned hard task master Sam Allardyce
Griffiths further impressed while on loan for almost the entire calendar year of 2008 with Gretna in the Scottish Premier League and Accrington Stanley in Englandrsquos league two before returning to Blackburn and being released by current boss Sam Allardyce
Itrsquos a common trait with managers that a player valued by one manager is not always rated by another Hughes signed the player Ince saw potential loaned out to gain experience then Allardyce let the player go This trend was to follow after returning to Australia Signed by Adelaide as a finals injury replacement then released Rostyn set off to attempt to trial his way to an A-League deal First stop was the Mariners
Matt McGrath profiles the young player of the Month fury midfielderdefender Rostyn Griffiths
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
(Royston Grifiths Irsquom a midfielder Irsquom a defender) (photo by Cam W)
After playing some pre-season trial matches Lawrie McKinna decided that Rostyn was not what the Mariners were seeking Fate would once again determine his immediate future via Mckinnarsquos close links with former assistant Ian Ferguson now team boss at expansion club NQ Fury had seen the
two clubs meet in a trial match played in Rockhampton
Rostyn turned out for the Mariners and limped out of the game with a minor injury after just twenty minutes or so However Ian Ferguson saw something he liked and subsequently invited Griffiths to trial
Standing out over a series of trials Rostyn was offered a 1 year deal and first team opportunities arose after injury to key senior players The rest as they say is history and at the time of publishing Griffiths had started 17 of Furyrsquos opening 18 A-League matches
Excelling in the centre of midfield and deputising with aplomb at centre half after injury and form saw Ferguson re-mould his team Rostynrsquos form and consistent performance was recently recognised with a young player of the year nomination a just reward for a fine season to date
Rostyn Griffiths is a young footballer whose career thus far has been determined largely by fate however one thing for sure is that Rostyn is indeed a fine young footballer with a very bright future ahead who has worked his way to a position where he may finally get to call the shots in regards to the future direction of his career
ldquoExcelling with Blackburnrsquos
academy Rostynrsquos dream
was dealt a serious blow
when breaking a leg playing
for Australiarsquos U17rsquosrdquo
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Herersquos why the Central Coast Mariners won the W-League Sydney FC are premiers of the W-
League Big deal
How come the team with the biggest
talent pool in the country gets to play
the easiest games during the (very
short) season
Newcastle Jets lost Kate Gill Cheryl
Salisbury Cheryl Salisbury (yes shersquos
worth two) Emily Van Egmond to name
a few and picked up no-one Surprise
surprise they wereinexperienced
conceding 6 on a number of occasions
Adelaide United was worse Pretty poor
last season they lost Matildas stars
Sharon Black and Emma Wirkus They
went backwards conceding 6 on many
occasions
In a league with 8 clubs teams get to
play 10 whole games to complete their
season And the top four head to the
semirsquos Clearly the team finishing first
has an advantage as they play the fourth
side who yoursquod expect to be weaker
Well Sydney won the Premiership but
played four games out of ten against the
Adelaide and Newcastle The Roar just
two points off the pace in third spot
played Adelaide and Newcastle only
once each
Blind Freddy and Chippy B both know
that Sydney and Brisbane are the
powerhouses of womenrsquos football but in
a short season these teams were only
set to play each other once unless they
made the finals They did
The game they played in the ldquonormalrdquo
season (whatrsquos normal about a season
ten games long) ended in a 1-1 draw If
they had played twice maybe the
Central Coast Mariners would have been
premiers and earned the easier Semi-
Final against Canberra As it was Sydney
got Canberra and despite having ten
players for 75 minutes they flogged
them 3-0
Sydney might be the Premiers but the
draw is a farce and when the FFA come
back from Zurich South Africa or
wherever they need to focus on the W-
League draw and for that matter the A-
League crowds as soon as possible
Chippy B still has a chip on
his shoulder and this month
itrsquos about the real W League
premiers
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Photo of the Month
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Sydney FC lost to eventual W-
League Champions Brisbane Roar in last
yearrsquos semi-final after a penalty shoot-
out Despite missing Sarah Walsh and
Heather Garriock for much of last
season Sydney still managed to run the
all-star Roar team so very close This
year itrsquos different
Everyone expected these two to make
the final and they have But few thought
the Central Coast Mariners top of the
league for so long would split the two
giants of the Womenrsquos game
In the end The Mariners missed top spot
after losing to Sydney FC in the very last
game of the season and then went down
1-0 to Brisbane in the semi
Big players win big games and Sydney
and Brisbane have bucket loads
Sydney played a player down for
seventy five minutes against Canberra in
their semi but no-one could tell They
controlled the game running out
eventual winners 3-0 against a vastly
inexperienced opponent
This is a different Sydney team to the
one the Roar faced last year Heather
Garriock and Sarah Walsh completed
the season Leena Khamis is a year
older Kyah Simon switched from the
Central Coast Mariners and Danish
International imports Cathrine Paaske
and Julie Rydahl have stood out
The Roar remains strong particularly
defensively Lauren Colthorpe (pictured
next page) is getting back to her best
Claire Polkinghorne and Kate McShea in
Eamonn Flannagan gets
excited about the W
League Grand Final
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
front of the leaguersquos best Aussie keeper
Casey Dumont will be tested by the
rampaging attacking Sydney line-up
Can Elise Kellond-Knight and Tameka
Butt provide the spark to light the Roar
or will the more experienced Danish
internationals win the day Jo Burgess v
Heather Garriock
(Leena Khamis has the skills to pay
the bills photo by Cam W)
Can the Roar defence stop Kyah Simon
Sarah Walsh and Leena Khamis
Will Heather Garriock be allowed to run
free down the left or with central
defender Alesha Clifford suspended will
Coach Alen Stajic stifle Garriocks
creativity and hold her back
Both sides are strong have a heap of
internationals and are well organised
Brisbane keep the ball better than
Sydney but Sydney break with more
pace and flair
It will be a tightly contested game with
plenty of passion and skill Itrsquos a brave
person who picks the winner Brisbane
will find this final a much more difficult
proposition that last yearrsquos walk in the
park over Canberra Indeed Brisbanersquos
temperament may be exposed if things
are a little too close for comfort
It will be a cracker of that there is no
doubt
The Championship is on the line and you
can be sure national Coach Tom
Sermanni will be loving the pressure
games What better way to see who
heads into the Matildas Camps in early
January for the crucial World Cup
Qualifiers in May 2010
Will Dumont become Matildas number
1 Will Khamis force her way into the
full squad Is Servet Unzular Tameka
Butt or Elise Kellond Knight good
enough to get us to the World Cup
I think Sydney by one goal but whatever
the outcome it will be advert for
football Donrsquot miss it
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom
Thanks to everyone who
contributed All who work on this fanzine
do it as a labour of love with no payment
Web DesignerLogo Designer
Peter Alexandrou
CartoonistLogo Designer
Wayne Snowden
httpwwwhappinessforsaleorgff
Editors Con Stamocostas
Send commentsfeedback or if want to
contribute in any way please e-mail Con
Stamocostas
cstamocostasgmailcom
We support recycling We re-use the same
screens every month
Distribution
Available at halftimeheroescomau
Find more from our writers
Ben Somerford wwwtheroarcomau
wwweurooblogspotcom
insidefutbolcom ampaufourfourtwocom
Fiona Crawford
httpwwwfootballfixcomauaufourfou
rtwocom amp goalcom
Con Stamocostasaufourfourtwocom
wwwafootballstorycom
Mike Salterwwwthefootballtragicblog
spotcom
Ben OrsquoNeil aufourfourtwocom amp
httpwwwdurbandateblogspotcom
Bill Skinner
httpwwwpissanttowncom
Kieran Pender httpan-aussies-
viewblogspotcom amp aufourfourtwocom
Shane Davis
httphiraldowordpresscom
Matt McGrath
httpnqfuryfcthejournalblogspotcom amp
aufourfourtwocom
Eamonn Fannagan
httpnearpostblogspotcom
More Football talk
Nearpost radio www2xxfmorg Streamed
Tuesday 630pm
Podcast at wwwnearpostblogspotcom
and on itunes
Why not check out and support all the
Aussie football fanzines
The Pissants can write as well
httpwwwpissanttowncomp=29
Independent Melbourne
httpifmmvfcnet
Perth Glory
httpplanetpurplefanzinecom