Football Analysis

Hell Or High Water

Hell Or High Water

It was only a few months back that a human kayak goal celebration at Suncorp Stadium was something to laugh about. Now, it seems eerily prophetic. I should have expected it really. Such displays of arrogance rarely go unpunished in the realm of professional sport. Usually such ledger-squaring... 20 Jan 2011
The "F Test" - 5 Simple Questions for Grassroots Coaches

The "F Test" - 5 Simple Questions for Grassroots Coaches

Like 99% of football coaches on the planet I work predominantly with grassroots players and - as I'm sure you already know - they are very, well, 'different' from elite players. Now 'different' sometimes means they can't fire 60 yard laser bolts onto the laces of a teammate, or they can't move ... 20 Jan 2011
24 Hour Party People

24 Hour Party People

I love John Hutchinson.  I love his toughness, his commitment, his versatility.  I love his uncanny ability to come out and score a cracking goal when you least expect it.  But most of all I love the way he gets up people's noses with his feisty attitude. In many ways, he ... 18 Jan 2011
Thirteen thousand, four hundred and sixty-seven

Thirteen thousand, four hundred and sixty-seven

That's how many turned up to see the Jets play the Mariners on Sunday. The Jets are setting the example for community engagement in the A-League and are a great model for bringing crowds back. Certain Sydney based fan forums might like to look at Newcastle's new modus operandi. There were more ... 18 Jan 2011
99 Luftballons and United's Fury

99 Luftballons and United's Fury

The next instalment of the successful Bundesliga show will be making his brief appearance next Saturday when Gold Coast United takes on the Newcastle Jets. German midfielder Peter Perchtold dons the blue and gold as he fills in for our captain for the rest of this season. This brings me to ... 17 Jan 2011
And then there were three...

And then there were three...

If that wasn't the most controversial offside call this year I will eat these words. This group has definitely been an awesome title fight with all the contenders throwing their weight around. In true street fighting spirit the combatants have not cowered at their opposition's status or ... 17 Jan 2011
Aziz Behich - One on one

Aziz Behich - One on one

In the build up to this Saturday's third and final Melbourne derby it seems fitting that the first player to play for both clubs should have his say on the biggest clash in Victorian football. Last week I was fortunate enough to interview one of Melbourne Heart's most impressive youngsters: ... 17 Jan 2011
Ugly no more...

Ugly no more...

Terrible. Bad Ugly. Good Ugly. These are five words that pretty much sum up Melbourne Victory's last three performances. Be that as it may, good ugly is way better than bad ugly. After two performances where they were never really in the contest it was always going to be interesting to see how ... 16 Jan 2011
Where Have Sydney Gone Wrong?

Where Have Sydney Gone Wrong?

Two wins on the trot for Sydney FC, is it a revival or a false dawn?   Against Gold Coast United they played with more energy and aggression and it was all hands to the pump. Sydney pressed as a team and made life difficult for Gold Coast.  Yes, they did survive some early Gold ... 14 Jan 2011
Two games, two wins and the end of King Ljubo.

Two games, two wins and the end of King Ljubo.

The FFA fixture list and other events lead to two Jets vs NQ Fury games within a week. Unfortunate for the Fury, fantastic for the Jets. The Jets have been in good form recently, while the Fury, due to injuries and their precipitous financial position are playing like a team who couldn't be ... 14 Jan 2011
Put your foot on it son!

Put your foot on it son!

So Arnie and his men showed that the improvement everyone was hoping for running up to the finals is really happening. Arnie promised there was better to come and he appears to have been right. The team over the last two games have been dominate and played a very attractive and free flowing ... 14 Jan 2011
Group C Review

Group C Review

Australia 4 - 0 India It's not often that Australia manage to put four goals past an opposition, keep a clean sheet and not have reason for extravagant celebrations. It's not often that such a victory would be the result of an unconvincing performance, either - but that's the reality of what we ... 13 Jan 2011
Counting down to the new season

Counting down to the new season

So how do you prepare for the new season with 32 ten year olds to work with for 30 weeks from the end of February? There will be four of us coaching this group for the season and just to reiterate our system - these kids play with their clubs at weekends and come to us on a Monday night for an ... 12 Jan 2011
Host with the most to lose

Host with the most to lose

With Group A throwing together possibly the most evenly-matched teams in the Asian Cup, staking your reputation on who will progress, and how far, is not for the faint-hearted. China, Kuwait, Qatar and Uzbekistan could hardly be described as regional football heavyweights but that hasn't ... 12 Jan 2011
Our Goliath Hath Been Slain!

Our Goliath Hath Been Slain!

All of Adelaide rejoice, for the mighty Goliath is no more!  The Reds strode onto the battlefield at AAMI Park and refused to yield.  A line was drawn in the sand and no more would they be pushed back into their little hole by the big bully Victory. United started the match, as they ... 11 Jan 2011
The Axis of Evil Group of Death

The Axis of Evil Group of Death

George "Dubya" Bush, ex-president of the United States of America and lead cowboy in a spaghetti western of his own making, once famously described Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an "axis of evil". His pronouncements on the United Arab Emirates were less noteworthy. Although I would like to ... 11 Jan 2011
Profit and Loss

Profit and Loss

A-League football has never seen anything quite like it. Season 2010/2011 has turned up the style and quality for the neutral observer, with Brisbane Roar running rampant in a style akin to the Strikers of 1996 and looking to take the title outside of NSW and Victoria for the ... 11 Jan 2011
The House That Arnie Built

The House That Arnie Built

It's a good place to be, isn't it ?  Second week of the new year and we find ourselves in the football equivalent of a comfy chair with a cold beer : third on the table with three games in hand against the top two and a decent goal difference.   If Bluetongue were a holiday house (and ... 11 Jan 2011
Group B: Where it's at...

Group B: Where it's at...

Now I know a lot of you will be waking up at bizarre hours to watch our beloved Socceroos do battle over in group C. Hopefully by the time you have read this you will be in post match ecstasy as Australia post a ridiculous score line against India. However if you want drama on soap opera scale ... 11 Jan 2011
By way of introduction

By way of introduction

As everybody knows we have a national curriculum (NC). But how do you implement the national curriculum into your club or representative system.  The people I talk to really don't understand how all "the pieces fit together". This is an extremely important point, one that the FFA needs to ... 10 Jan 2011
Guess who's back....

Guess who's back....

Sydney FC and Vitezslav Lavicka showed us in season five that you can successfully defend your way to a title. Seeing that Gold Coast have the league leading defence that seems a good possibility.... The only problem is Sydney didn't have a team like Brisbane Roar tearing their way through the ... 10 Jan 2011

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