The refs have come to the forefront, the Wanderers have been packing boxes, Nicky Carle has had an interesting run-in and we learn that ADP isn’t the only one handing out football lessons.

Oh – and there were some games on as well.

According to some dodgy websites, five is the number for instability and unpredictability so don’t expect too much from the tipping comp this week.

It’s a small football world
On-loan Baniyas SC midfielder Nicky Carle is enjoying football in the UAE pro-league but then he isn’t alone. Catching up with the Aussie diaspora – Lucas Neill, Alex Brosque and even former Marconi team-mate Darren MacDonald – is half the fun when you’re abroad. Lining up against Dubai CSC he was told about an Aussie in the team. “I said there are no Australians there, I know all the Australians,” Carle told au.fourfourtwo.com. Enter Richard Porta. Carle said: "I spoke to him in Spanish and he seemed like a real nice guy and doing really well in the league.” The Uruguayan-raised striker has indicated his willingness to play for the Socceroos and Carle confirmed he was in great form. “I didn’t know him from a bar of soap, obviously I heard about him over the past few years but I’d never met him and didn’t know much about him. But he’s doing really well. It’s only the start of the season and I think he’s scored five or six goals already. He’s not at one of the bigger clubs and he still manages to score regularly for them.” Read the full interview with Carle at au.fourfourtwo.com on Monday.

Ref it – ref it good!
It hasn’t been a good week for A-League referees. Sure, players get benched and cop the occasional fine but Adelaide v Phoenix whistle-blower Jarred Gillet has been “rotated out” which sounds like something best left in the hands of a qualified chiropractor. No such problems for Chris Beath, however, who is flying into Kuala Lumpur on Monday for an AFC Developing Referees conference. At 27, Beath is Australia’s youngest FIFA referee and is looking to join an elite trio of Aussie refs - Strebre Delovski, Peter Green and Ben Williams. The latter two of course have had their own controversial moments in the early rounds of A-League season 8.

Fighting fund update
And while on the subject of referees, au.fourfourtwo.com can report that Phoenix supporter group Yellow Fever raised $NZ1330 for the Andrew Durante fine fund following the skipper’s post-match spray against Adelaide United’s Jeronimo and the match officials. Durante has been issued with a please explain from the FFA after getting a few things off his chest post-match in Phoenix’s contentious 3-1 loss to the Reds. Given the new freedom of expression sweeping the A-League the only question remaining is which supporter group will be hitting the online donations next. We have our money on Perth Glory.

Wanderers no more
Sure there was talk about the need for extra firepower up front – even some mildly amusing rumours of Harry Kewell adding spark to the front third – but what about a desk? In a week of firsts – first win, first goal and the rest – Western Sydney Wanderers have secured some office space. No longer the A-League nomads, Executive Chairman Lyall Gorman and his whole kit and caboodle have officially moved into Blacktown International Sports Park after weeks of wandering between their training pitch and FFA headquarters. Their new base is a busy sports hub and home to the likes of the Sydney Blue Sox (baseball) and the GWS Giants (AFL). On the good news front there should be plenty of room for WSW now that the Israel Folau circus has pulled up stakes and moved on.

Lessons from the bench
Finally, while Sydney FC young guns are learning a lot from Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero it seems that Generation Next could do worse than follow the example of their skipper, Terry McFlynn. Paul Reid who came in for the benched Northern Irishman hailed his professionalism. “Obviously people talk about Del Piero but a player like Terry McFlynn – the players should look at him, the way he goes about his business, especially at training and learn from the way he conducts himself.” Even before he was dropped the 31-year-old put in extra hours on the training park, Reid said. “You don’t need people in the dressing room to be sulking when they get dropped and Terry certainly hasn’t done that – he’s been working so hard. He’s a great professional and knows his opportunity will come again.”