Blog

2012/13 A-League Semi Final
Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory
Sunday 14th April. 5:00pm AEST
Venue: Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Referee: Strebre Delovski
Broadcast: Live on Fox Sports 2/2HD

How they got there – Central Coast

Central Coast finished 2nd on the A-League table, and earned themselves both a week off in the opening week of the finals, as well as a home semi final this week.

How they got there – Melbourne

Melbourne came back late against Perth Glory last week at Etihad Stadium, eventually running out 2-1 winners after extra time. As they were the higher ranked winning team in week 1 of the finals, they booked a date with the Mariners, who finished in 2nd place during the A-League regular season.

The statistical breakdown

Head to Head: Central Coast 8 wins, Melbourne Victory 9 wins, 7 draws.
Head to Head (Previous 5): Central Coast 1 wins, Melbourne Victory 2 wins, 2 draws.
At Bluetongue Stadium: Central Coast 5 wins, Melbourne Victory 5 wins, 2 draws.
This season: Central Coast 1 … Continue Reading

2012/13 A-League Elimination Final
Melbourne Victory vs Perth Glory
Friday 5th April. 7:30pm AEDT
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Broadcast: Live on Fox Sports 2/2HD

How they got there – Melbourne

The Victory won their final match away at Wellington 3-2, sealing 3rd place on the ladder and a home final with a 13-5-9 win/draw/loss record.

How they got there – Perth

Perth managed to hold off a fast finishing Adelaide in their final match to share the points with a 1-1 draw. Combined with Sydney’s loss to Brisbane earlier in the week, the Glory qualified in 6th place with superior goal difference to that of Sydney FC. Perth managed 9 wins, 5 draws and 13 losses across the 2012/13 season.

The statistical breakdown

Head to Head: Melbourne Victory 9 wins, Perth Glory 10 wins, 5 draws.
Head to Head (Previous 5): Melbourne Victory 2 wins, Perth Glory 3 wins, 0 draws.
At Etihad Stadium: Melbourne Victory 4 wins, Perth Glory 0 wins, 2 draws.
This season: Melbourne Victory 2 … Continue Reading

The wash-up from the weekend’s controversial off-field incidents at the Melbourne Derby has been long and painful for those in football, but thankfully, the right steps have been taken to prevent these kinds of incidents from recurring in the future. However, it is the incorrect drawing of conclusions by some in the mainstream media that continually frustrate and flabbergast football fans. Earlier this week, 3AW Melbourne radio drive host Tom Elliott claimed that the reason football fans misbehave is that the game itself is inherently dull and boring. And it is that point that I would like to refute – through the world of records and statistics.

All too often football fans hear the same ’90 minutes for a nil-all draw’ slap from non-fans. “How can you sit there for 90 minutes and nothing happens”, they say. So, let’s start with a breakdown of nil-all draws in the A-League.

Season
Games
Nil-all games
Nil-all games (%)

2005-06
90
5
5.55%

2006-07
90
8
8.88%

2007-08
90
10
11.11%

2008-09
90
4
4.44%

2009-10
142
8
5.63%

2010-11
172
14
8.14%

2011-12
142
7
4.93%

2012-13
95
4
4.21%

Total
911
60
6.59%

That’s right – only 60 of … Continue Reading

Fan. Connoisseur. Disciple. These are the things I would consider myself to be before a football journalist. I wrote an article a month or so back where I called out the mainstream media on its inciting comments in the wake of an article which demonised those who called the sport soccer.

But if we were shown one thing in the last few days, it’s that ignorance is not always bliss, as in three cases over the last week.

The first involved Tom Elliot, a so called ‘afternoon expert’ on Melbourne radio station 3AW, who originally incited fans with this beauty:
The fact is, soccer is a dull, boring game. It is the only thing that explains why such bad behaviour doesn’t happen at AFL or NRL matches.

It’s just soccer, because it’s a dull game. That’s the explanation.
Like most football fans I sat there going “yeah, yeah” – we’ve seen it all before from the AFL boo boys. But then … Continue Reading

Prior to kickoff at Saturday’s Australia Day clash between Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC, the AAMI Park pitch played host to the induction of a fresh batch of Australian citizens. The setting was appropriate; a full stadium of people brought together by a sport largely introduced to this country by the immigrant families of decades gone by. Our multicultural identity has always been clearly evident in the context of football but after long being dominated by a strong European flavour, we are now beginning to embrace a far worldlier range of influences.

For Victory this season, it is two foreign born players, one from across the ditch and the other from an African football powerhouse (via south east Queensland), who have had the most dynamic on-field influence under the new and improved Postecoglou regime. The close-control wizadry and suddenly prolific finishing of Kiwi Marco Rojas has lit up the the A-League and even turned the heads of … Continue Reading

When the Hyundai A-League first launched, fans chastised the FFA for the shortsightedness of setting squad sizes at just a paltry 20 players within the salary cap. What was lauded however was the U-23 rule, in which three players under the age of 23 in the squad had to be signed on to a professional contract.

When you consider that with a starting line-up of 11 on the field and 4 on the bench, that left you with 5 possible replacements for any injured players. If none of your U-23′s were in the matchday squad, you had three out of five of your possible replacements being young players champing at the bit to be given a start.

But with the implementation of the National Youth League, extended 23 man squads and rules that allow for injury replacement players to come in from both Australia and overseas, unless your manager has a youth-oriented policy, the U-23 requirement becomes irrelevant in … Continue Reading

Three – Western Sydney Wanderers.

Probably the most anticipated expansion club in the A-League’s short history, Western Sydney Wanderers’ inclusion into the A-League was viewed as so vital to the competition by Football Federation Australia that a decision was made for the club to be set up and funded, at least initially, by the governing body.

Western Sydney has fast become Australia’s most sought after sporting area. With an expanding population and a rich sporting history across many codes, it has in recent years become somewhat of a battle ground for the hearts and minds of the western Sydney sporting public. Traditionally a football and Rugby League stronghold, the area has become even further crowded with the AFL’s incursion into the region with the introduction of the Greater Western Sydney Giants.

In 2009, Football Federation Australia awarded Sydney Rovers FC entry into the A-League, however the bid faltered after failure to secure funding meant that football fans in the … Continue Reading

Seven – The title defence.

Getting to the top is easy, staying there is the hard part. It’s an old saying that has an all too familiar truth for A-League clubs. Only once in the competition’s history has a club managed to successfully defend its title.

Brisbane Roar achieved the feat with successive Grand Final victories in 2011 and 2012, playing an impressive brand of football that would also set a new benchmark for performance and style, whilst accumulating an Australian record of 36 matches unbeaten along the way. The mastermind behind Brisbane’s A-League dominance, Ange Postecoglou, has since left the club, choosing to return to his home city and join Melbourne Victory as their new head coach.

The reigns have been handed to Rado Vidosic, who has been the clubs’ assistant coach since the Roar’s inaugural season in 2005. Vidosic has managed to retain the bulk of the Championship winning side, with last seasons Golden Boot winner, Albanian … Continue Reading

After playing the coaching merry-go-round last season, Melbourne Victory has finally got their man. Ange Postecoglou is arguably the best coach in the league, and turned Brisbane into a powerful outlet over the last two seasons. Many will expect him to work his magic at the league’s biggest club with immediate effect. It will take some time, but by the end of the season we will see a marked improvement from the boys in blue.

The recruitment of Flores and Milligan is a step in the right direction for the club, and much maligned striker Archie Thompson won’t have a year like last season. Expect Victory to be there or thereabouts when finals time comes around. Who knows – we could be in for an epic Melbourne/Sydney showdown on Grand Final day!

PREDICTION: 5th. Last year, not only did the Victory miss finals but they finished below cross town rivals Melbourne Heart. This year is about redemption, and a possible shot at finals glory.

BEST FINISH: … Continue Reading

Season 8, Season 2012/13 – call it what you want, I’m not too fussed really. It’s like the football/soccer argument. For years I have tried to point out that if it’s ok for millions of fans around the world to call the game ‘football’, then why can’t we. The counter argument normally mentions something about the Socceroos as our national nickname, but I’m getting off track; much like those who are running the great game in this country.

This season coming up for football in this country (and New Zealand) represents the most significant season of domestic football ever. Yes, that’s right, even more important that the relaunch of the domestic competition almost 10 years ago.  For years I have seen administrators, clubs and supporters making crucial errors of judgement in various facets of the game and not learn from previous mistakes. 2012/13 could very well make or break the A-League, and we need to excel on … Continue Reading