Hill backhand to fozzie

[marinermick]

Marinermick: How do you know that Foster loves Hutch? Does he use the same hair gel or something?

he said so

 

[clarence]

Marinermick: How do you know that Foster loves Hutch? Does he use the same hair gel or something?

he said so

You mean....like he actually said something..........something....that he actually LIKED about the Mariners!!!!!!!!!!     

Oh, I'm sure Lawrie WOULD be pleased to hear that finally Mr. Foster deigns something good from the club.

I guess all those bricks through his home in Sydney's eastern suburbs is finally paying some dividends eh? Not to mention the (*cough* Scottish) piper at 6AM every morning for the past two weeks.  ;D

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Great post Clarence. (The big one re Ange v Fostick)

 

[Hagar the Horrible]

oh, by the way, he loves hutch

I remember when they played together as part of Mick Hickman's 10-0-0 structure.

 

[clarence]

oh, by the way, he loves hutch

I remember when they played together as part of Mick Hickman's 10-0-0 structure.

Spirit?

 

[midfielder]

If anyone knows Fozzies email ... they should email him this article in 442 By John Iannantuono

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=670416&sec=australia&cc=3436

Frank Lowy must be pinching himself. When he and then-FFA chief executive John O'Neill rolled out the A-League back in 2005, they would have fantasised about European-based Australians returning home to play in the fledgling competition.

Culina opted to return home

Not necessarily the ageing legs looking for a final pay day, but those on the right side of 30 with plenty of juice still left in the tank. "If they're a current member of the Socceroos squad, even better," they would have quipped.

They realised that returning expats would elevate interest levels in the league and improve its overall quality. In achieving that, the A-League would be a lot closer to becoming the lifeblood of the national team - something that's commonplace among the world's elite.

And now that a pivotal member of the Socceroos squad is earning his bread and butter in the A-League, and not in Europe, Frankie's arms must be dotted with bruises from all that pinching.

Earlier this year, Jason Culina paved the way for the A-League to become a pool of talent from which national coach Pim Verbeek could fish from when he defied the Dutchman and turned down a contract extension with Eredivisie heavyweights PSV Eindhoven, in favour of a three-year deal with A-League newcomers Gold Coast United.

Verbeek once remarked that Australian footballers were better off training with a European club than playing weekly in the A-League. Some way to promote the domestic product, Pim.

Culina, who had been playing in Holland for a decade, didn't agree so he slipped on his flip-flops, slapped on some SPF 30+ and flew down to Coolangatta Airport.

Verbeek could have been forgiven for thinking his words of caution were lost in translation as another freight of Socceroos - Mile Sterjovski, Chris Coyne, Jacob Burns, David Williams and Joel Porter - returned home just in time for season five of the A-League.

And just when he thought the influx of European-based Aussies was over, both Shane Stefanutto and Adrian Leijer flew in to join North Queensland Fury and Melbourne Victory respectively.

A number of European-based Australians, ranging from players who have their eyes solely on South Africa 2010, to those planning ahead to 2014 and beyond, are now turning to the A-League as a means of resurrecting their careers and/or keeping their spots in the national team - Culina being the exception.

The fact that Culina, 29, was running around the A-League, reportedly made Leijer's decision to fly home a lot easier. And you get the feeling that having Leijer - a player touted with a bright future when he left for the English Premier League in 2007 - back in the A-League will have the same impact on those European-based Aussies who are bereft of first team football and contemplating their next move.

As Culina said earlier this week: "Just because you're playing in Europe doesn't mean it's any better than playing in the A-League. When I was in Europe, there were a lot of poor games I saw on TV and in the Dutch league. A lot of people perceive Europe as being great and all that and forget about their own A-League, which I think now is actually at a very high level."

As I wrote some five years ago when the A-League was launched: "The importance of a successful domestic competition should not be underestimated. A sound domestic league is, in my opinion, the lifeblood of the national team; a never-ending production line of emerging talent. Furthermore, it is the base to which further success can be built upon."

When I wrote that, I too believed the notion was more fantasy than reality, but when I saw Leijer running out against the Fury on Saturday night, it signified a shift in the A-League's appeal and purpose.

It's still early days, and perhaps a bold call for some, but the A-League is on its way to becoming the lifeblood of the national team.

 

[Arabmariner]

The standard of the A-league is getting better year by year and will continue to do so for some time yet imo.Eventually it'll plateau.

The standard in Europe outwith the top 4 or 5 leagues has fallen in recent years.

The only thing that will hold us back from levelling with some of these European leagues is dosh(salary cap).
One day.....it might be 20 years away.....but one day it'll be challenged and then we have problems.

 

[Wombat]

Nah....20 years and Aust will be a major world player in the game!!!!

And i'm not joking.....oh and Foster will be begging for change in Waterloo.

 

[Arabmariner]

Nah....20 years and Aust will be a major world player in the game!!!!

I agree.In fact I think Australia will be a major force internationally well before then.

I was talking about our domestic league.

 

[clarence]

Whoa, whoa, whoa guys. Back up a bit. Please.

As much as I'd love to be filled with your enthusiasm and desire about the future of Football in this country, I say it has to be less than what you are predicting.

Firstly, our comp. has to compete for the sponsorship dollars, and the spectators, from some very established Football codes in this country AND the simple fact is, unless we knock one of them back into the stone age (or their players do it themselves by continuing to behave badly), there is not enough money to go around, for the A-League to flourish to the upper levels worldwide.

And while we've seen media bias, we haven't seen the NRL or AFL really flex their muscle in other areas like stadium rights and exclusive sponsorship deals yet.

IF they manage to snap up some large corporate sponsorships on an exclusive basis, there will be a stack of Corporates we won't have a chance to talk to. And if they suddenly book out stadia  in solid blocks rather than one day event hiring, we will also have troubles in some regions.

To attract some very well known names or even established National Team players back into the A-League we need a larger salary cap, and concession from the FFA to increase the number of marquees per club. At the moment a substantial lift in the salary cap or allowing some of the richer clubs to bring in a second marquee would mean suicide to the closeness of this comp.

Now, I know we have had Sterjovski and Culina come back to Australia in recent times, and I commend these players for having the guts to probably take lesser salaries for the 'privilege' of playing back home. But I suspect these are two guys who are more an exception at the moment.

IF the A-League can continue improving its' playing roster s in their clubs, AND improve the salary cap as we go along, there will reach a magic number, at some point, where we will experience a quantum leap in interest in our comp.

But until then, IF we can even get to that figure or quality of comp., we have to be very 'steady as she goes'.

I assume the WC bids as nothing more than attempts to achieve a quantum leap for the game by another means, but it is like rolling the dice on a very uneven table in a shonky casino, to think we can win that. We might be lucky, who knows?

You also have to factor in what is happening worldwide with the game too. South America has just about plateaued for now, there are some cracks appearing in the veneer of the comp in Brazil for example, and they have some real issues with player retention.

Once South Africa hosts the WC, it will be interesting if the spotlight turns onto emerging African comps. and their stars. I'm sure there are already associations being formed between some Euro powerhouse clubs and clubs and Associations/Federations in Africa.

The Asian Conference is set to emerge as a real powerhouse challenging the might of Europe, but they have some really poor countries in Sth East Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos) that need some serious support, and comps in other places in Asia also have challenges ahead too.

We sit firmly on the better side of the ledger for conditions and stadia infrastructure as it is now within Asia, but we really have to keep on our toes about them wiping our ass every now and then. What happened to the Mariners vs. Kawasaki could easily happen to the Socceroos in a match against say, one of the Koreas or Japan.

I doubt we will emerge a powerhouse nation when we have to qualify against the likes of Japan, the Koreas, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq.

As for our comp., it may become a great place for some Asian stars to ply their trade on occasion, and we may get known amongst the player fraternity as a decent comp. to play in. I think we are getting close to that now.

Players like Culina, Fowler, Strejovski and co. are going to hopefully be spreading the word amongst their friends in the game, so we may be able to spring a few surprise signings here and there in the not so distant future.

But it will always be against the backdrop of the salary cap (which top players must detest), the competition for sponsors against the other Football codes and Cricket, the need to keep providing a spectacle to attract the crowds beyond the original hard core following & a continual need for us fans of the game to keep explaining to people that the season has started and who is playing etc., where in other codes it is an assumption in most workplaces that everyone knows what you are talking about.

 

[Gopher of Pern]

Whoa, whoa, whoa guys. Back up a bit. Please.

As much as I'd love to be filled with your enthusiasm and desire about the future of Football in this country, I say it has to be less than what you are predicting.

Firstly, our comp. has to compete for the sponsorship dollars, and the spectators, from some very established Football codes in this country AND the simple fact is, unless we knock one of them back into the stone age (or their players do it themselves by continuing to behave badly), there is not enough money to go around, for the A-League to flourish to the upper levels worldwide.

And while we've seen media bias, we haven't seen the NRL or AFL really flex their muscle in other areas like stadium rights and exclusive sponsorship deals yet.

IF they manage to snap up some large corporate sponsorships on an exclusive basis, there will be a stack of Corporates we won't have a chance to talk to. And if they suddenly book out stadia  in solid blocks rather than one day event hiring, we will also have troubles in some regions.

To attract some very well known names or even established National Team players back into the A-League we need a larger salary cap, and concession from the FFA to increase the number of marquees per club. At the moment a substantial lift in the salary cap or allowing some of the richer clubs to bring in a second marquee would mean suicide to the closeness of this comp.

Now, I know we have had Sterjovski and Culina come back to Australia in recent times, and I commend these players for having the guts to probably take lesser salaries for the 'privilege' of playing back home. But I suspect these are two guys who are more an exception at the moment.

IF the A-League can continue improving its' playing roster s in their clubs, AND improve the salary cap as we go along, there will reach a magic number, at some point, where we will experience a quantum leap in interest in our comp.

But until then, IF we can even get to that figure or quality of comp., we have to be very 'steady as she goes'.

I assume the WC bids as nothing more than attempts to achieve a quantum leap for the game by another means, but it is like rolling the dice on a very uneven table in a shonky casino, to think we can win that. We might be lucky, who knows?

You also have to factor in what is happening worldwide with the game too. South America has just about plateaued for now, there are some cracks appearing in the veneer of the comp in Brazil for example, and they have some real issues with player retention.

Once South Africa hosts the WC, it will be interesting if the spotlight turns onto emerging African comps. and their stars. I'm sure there are already associations being formed between some Euro powerhouse clubs and clubs and Associations/Federations in Africa.

The Asian Conference is set to emerge as a real powerhouse challenging the might of Europe, but they have some really poor countries in Sth East Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos) that need some serious support, and comps in other places in Asia also have challenges ahead too.

We sit firmly on the better side of the ledger for conditions and stadia infrastructure as it is now within Asia, but we really have to keep on our toes about them wiping our ass every now and then. What happened to the Mariners vs. Kawasaki could easily happen to the Socceroos in a match against say, one of the Koreas or Japan.

I doubt we will emerge a powerhouse nation when we have to qualify against the likes of Japan, the Koreas, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq.

As for our comp., it may become a great place for some Asian stars to ply their trade on occasion, and we may get known amongst the player fraternity as a decent comp. to play in. I think we are getting close to that now.

Players like Culina, Fowler, Strejovski and co. are going to hopefully be spreading the word amongst their friends in the game, so we may be able to spring a few surprise signings here and there in the not so distant future.

But it will always be against the backdrop of the salary cap (which top players must detest), the competition for sponsors against the other Football codes and Cricket, the need to keep providing a spectacle to attract the crowds beyond the original hard core following & a continual need for us fans of the game to keep explaining to people that the season has started and who is playing etc., where in other codes it is an assumption in most workplaces that everyone knows what you are talking about.

I do not see how Australia would get a 5-0 drumming by Korea or Japan, unless we produced a whole 2nd or even 3rd tier side against their best. Even then, as long as the players had heart and tried their best, it would not be a disaster.

Yes, we do have a lot to compete against in this country, but IMO, we are doing the right things to move forward. Investing in the lowest level (kids) now, will provide the stars for the future. We will never be as popular as certain overseas leagues internationally, but we don't need to be. It is our league, and as such it should gain popularity among Aussie fans, especially when the majority of the Australian team plays regular team football at home.

 

[Arabmariner]

Nobody's immune to the odd drubbing.It doesn't mean that all of a sudden everything that's gone before was wrong or that the future is doomed.Even though that's probably how some(Fozzie) would treat it.

Bolivia 6 Argentina 0 wasn't it recently ?

 

[coast]

When the Tv rights go up for auction again (2013 is it) there should be a much larger injection of cash into the game, with added publicity (more aired games/possibly free to air coverage) attracting bigger sponsorship and other codes (namely NRL shooting themselves in the foot).

This along with expanded comp (more teams and longer seasons) and more local derby matches (imo best way to convert public into fans), aswell as the added publicity and hype we will gain when we (fingers crossed) make 2nd round or better in Sth Afrika and take home the Asian Cup.

All this along with the prospect of more big name Aussies returning home and international marquee's coming to visit, with the national curriculum producing better juniors upping the quality of football played.

There are no doubts the only way for football in Aus is up.

 

[clarence]

When the Tv rights go up for auction again (2013 is it) there should be a much larger injection of cash into the game, with added publicity (more aired games/possibly free to air coverage) attracting bigger sponsorship and other codes (namely NRL shooting themselves in the foot).

This along with expanded comp (more teams and longer seasons) and more local derby matches (imo best way to convert public into fans), aswell as the added publicity and hype we will gain when we (fingers crossed) make 2nd round or better in Sth Afrika and take home the Asian Cup.

All this along with the prospect of more big name Aussies returning home and international marquee's coming to visit, with the national curriculum producing better juniors upping the quality of football played.

There are no doubts the only way for football in Aus is up.

I tend to agree with those comments Coast, but I do think you maybe are underestimating what both the NRL and AFL, and not to mention the ARU, have in store if the A-League gets too cheeky.

All of those codes are very entrenched in society at large, in fact, I have heard if you don't follow an AFL team in Victoria if you live there, you are quite the oddity at work or school.

NRL maybe less so, but the Sydney media is very set in it's ways and there are so many who owe their livelihood to the game - one way or another - and once they realise they may be losing some salary because of Football and specifically, the A-League  - then the knives will REALLY be out for us.

Shit even Star FM ( Mariners Official Radio Station on the Coast) is harping on and on about the Continuous Call team today instead of raising interest in the Mariners (barely a mention on the hour in the news). Don't expect score updates from Star when Hadley is doing his thing, I doubt he'd let them break from his skylarks to allow the local radio to do a score up date on Football instead of RL. [Best to listen to Coast FM 96.3 anyway, they have the broadcast rights]

What I am raving on about is that while my hopes and wishes are that you will be correct and that the only way is up, don't be at all surprised, if the A-League starts impacting upon these established comps in other codes, that all sorts of shenanigans happen.

 

[midfielder]

Clarence .. you should gather your thoughts and start a thread ... I tend to agree with you about the Code Wars ... I think the AFL has always been at war (if that is the right term)  and are spending 250 million dollars to get the GC and a second Sydney team... Most of the mainstream media and many business are AFL / NRL rusted on ... so start us off in a new thread with what you see as the dangers still confronting the A-League...

 

[goingtoadisco]

When the Tv rights go up for auction again (2013 is it) there should be a much larger injection of cash into the game, with added publicity (more aired games/possibly free to air coverage) attracting bigger sponsorship and other codes (namely NRL shooting themselves in the foot).

This along with expanded comp (more teams and longer seasons) and more local derby matches (imo best way to convert public into fans), aswell as the added publicity and hype we will gain when we (fingers crossed) make 2nd round or better in Sth Afrika and take home the Asian Cup.

All this along with the prospect of more big name Aussies returning home and international marquee's coming to visit, with the national curriculum producing better juniors upping the quality of football played.

There are no doubts the only way for football in Aus is up.

I tend to agree with those comments Coast, but I do think you maybe are underestimating what both the NRL and AFL, and not to mention the ARU, have in store if the A-League gets too cheeky.

All of those codes are very entrenched in society at large, in fact, I have heard if you don't follow an AFL team in Victoria if you live there, you are quite the oddity at work or school.

NRL maybe less so, but the Sydney media is very set in it's ways and there are so many who owe their livelihood to the game - one way or another - and once they realise they may be losing some salary because of Football and specifically, the A-League  - then the knives will REALLY be out for us.

Shit even Star FM ( Mariners Official Radio Station on the Coast) is harping on and on about the Continuous Call team today instead of raising interest in the Mariners (barely a mention on the hour in the news). Don't expect score updates from Star when Hadley is doing his thing, I doubt he'd let them break from his skylarks to allow the local radio to do a score up date on Football instead of RL. [Best to listen to Coast FM 96.3 anyway, they have the broadcast rights]

What I am raving on about is that while my hopes and wishes are that you will be correct and that the only way is up, don't be at all surprised, if the A-League starts impacting upon these established comps in other codes, that all sorts of shenanigans happen.

Ban on alcohol advertising during sport = much less money for sport from t.v rights.