Blog

PREDICTION: Winners. Del Piero will bring big things to Sydney, so yes, I’ve jumped on the Sydney FC bandwagon too.

BEST FINISH: Champions in 2005/06 & 2009/10.

THE SIGNING: When the twittershpere went into meltdown with the rumour that Alessandro Del Piero could join Sydney, I was like many and thought the deal would never happen. It was great A-League clubs were chasing international superstars no matter what their age. But, when the rumours became reality, it was a watershed day for the league, proving the the world Australia isn’t just a place for a holiday.

THE LOSS: Losing last season’s club golden boot Bruno Cazarine as well as Shannon Cole could be considered losses, but neither will have a dramatic impact as Sydney FC improve dramatically on last year’s results.

THE STAR: Over 200 goals for Italian giants Juventus is as good a reason as any to say why Del Piero will be the star for Sydney. Del Piero is more than a goal scorer, he … Continue Reading

It’s hard to imagine now, but barely over a fortnight ago football was front page news for all the wrong reasons. Crowd incidents at two pre-season games in Sydney were met with predictable responses by the mainstream media, and again football and its fans were portrayed as something to be feared, and something not to be trusted. It stabbed at the heart of every fan across the country and, unfortunately for many, it was a path all too well trodden. With just over a month until the start of the new season, it was publicity the A-League could well do without. Like its predecessor, the National Soccer League (NSL), the A-League seemed destined to lose its battle with an often hostile Australian media.

But Australian domestic football is a resilient beast, having taken many knocks over the course of it’s existence and will no doubt have many more to weather. When news that Sydney FC were in … Continue Reading

With 50 points being the table topping total this week in our own fantasy league, and with only two teams managing to maintain clean sheets, it was never going to be a points-fest this week in A-League fantasy football. Add to that the fact that no strikers managed more than 1 goal, and than only 14 goals were scored over the 5 fixtures last week, and it made for a very competitive week when all was said and done.

For goalkeepers, it was once again a case of ‘keep a clean sheet, get lots of points’. For Ben Kennedy and Michael Theoklitos, who both scored 7 points, nothing is truer. Both kept a clean sheet, made a few good saves and, as such, racked up the points. If you have some cash burning a hole in your pocket, then Theoklitos ($244k) might be a great pickup before week 20 given that Brisbane seem to be getting back … Continue Reading

This weekend, football fans from around the country will pile into stadiums, with the sort of vigor and hope that only the first day of a season can supply. The off season is done, the pre season complete and supporters hope renewed. New recruits will surprise and disappoint, new jerseys will shine or wilt and twenty two men will take to the field with the with the collective expectations of the thousands of fans breathing on the back of their necks

On the sidelines, managers will gesture, point and sigh, some dressed in suits to impress and some dressed in sponsor supplied training gear. Substitutes will watch, warm up and wait for the call, their moment in the sun upon them. It is here where the A-League is different from many leagues around the world, not because of the dull, grey plastic garden chairs these men are forced to endure, but for the number of these garden … Continue Reading

As the Hyundai A-League gets set to go for another season, there’s no doubt it’s a machine in need of a tune up.

When it rolled out of the show room in 2005 it sparkled and turned heads. It was, for a couple of summers, the best thing on wheels.

Who could forget the 50,000 strong crowd at Etihad for the Melbourne Victory vs Sydney FC game?  This wasn’t even a final. Yet it seemed that in the space of 12 months, football had gone from the basement to the penthouse in record time.

Of course, like all torrid affairs, the passion fades quickly enough for some. After the initial euphoria of those early seasons, what was left was a lot of hard work to consolidate the gains the game had made and build a sustainable model that would be the foundation of the game domestically for the next 25 years.

Instead, we got an ill fated World Cup … Continue Reading