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Mariners Squad - HAL 14 - 2018- 2019 - The challenge for Mike Mulvey is over
- Thread starter pjennings
- Start date
I’m not sure it’s just that. I’m 100% sure an insane amount of foreigners just laugh at this league when approached.
6 of 10 teams make finals. But it works for afl and nrl so it must for football (still waiting for the aleague state of origin series)
Finals football in itself is a large unknown to most countries and the fact that in this country we reward mediocrity is so insanely laughable. I’ll never wrap my head around it. Not to mention the embarrassing youth league set up, salary cap and stadiums WAY too big for every single club. Then that only a couple teams own their own training facilities. The biggest club here trains in a f**king public park.
Imagine if every teams stadium was similar to Hindmarsh in style and size. The atmosphere at every single match would be polar opposite..... although we wouldn’t hear the players call refs f**kin dogs and opp players c**ts
Rant over. I will give this league one credit though. Atleast not every foreign signing is 36+ these days
Maybe they do but I doubt they care too much about half the stuff you mentioned. If a player comes here and succeeds they are in a position to get a call up to the other Asian leagues as we’ve seen happen as recently as Taggart and Berisha or they can kick around here for a bit longer and get permanent residency in a country that is safe and stable, our wages are hardly terrible and you don’t have the contract risks some countries seem to have. Do a good enough job and they likely sit in a marquee slot where the salary cap isn’t applicable.
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Antlion
Well-Known Member
Aiden O'Neill article
Oz's next Premier League star admits the A-League cops 'a lot of criticism' overseas
https://www.ftbl.com.au/news/ozs-ne...cops-a-lot-of-criticism-overseas-519574/page0
By Lucas Radbourne Mar 6 2019 7:50AM
He's never played for Australia at any level and plies his trade for the worst club in the country, but there's something special about Aiden O'Neill.
While critics come and go, if Burnley wanted Aiden O'Neill to tackle the tough yards of professional football, they couldn't have picked a better side than Central Coast Mariners.
O'Neill, who played three Premier League matches for Burnley before successful loan spells at League One clubs Oldham Athletic and Fleetwood Town, has now played over 1,500 minutes across 19 appearances and scored four goals - including a couple of belters - for the struggling A-League side.
He leads the Mariners in minutes played, over-doubles his next nearest teammate in ball possession and, somewhat unbelievably for a makeshift centreback, is equal first in goals scored.
The 20-year-old Burnley loanee now faces another six matches in the yellow and navy before his loan deal expires and the Brisbane-born midfielder most likely returns to the English Premier League.
But what has been a tumultuous Gosford summer for the rest of his squad has been a breath of fresh air for O'Neill, who has excelled as arguably the Central Coast's most consistent performer this season.
Despite - or perhaps due to - enduring the worst run in the club's history, he's the first to admit that it's been a career-changing experience.
"Coming here has been a massive learning experience for me," O'Neill reflected.
"When you're a young kid, and I'm only 20-years-old, you just want to play games, play football and get experience."
It's a home-grown education that O'Neill nearly never had. The former Nudgee Junior College prodigy grew up playing for Brisbane Athletic but shot off to England at just fourteen, not for a football contract, but for his parents' work.
His Gosford seachange has also proven a departure from the relative off-field stability of Burnley, whose iconoclastic gaffer Sean Dyche is a perennial over-achiever and emerging club legend.
At the Mariners, O'Neill's dealt with pervasive rumours of a fractured dressing room, bust-ups, player desertions, fans that vary between mocking and irate and a coach who looks older by the day.
It's a long way from the English football system, which spawned the cool, calm and collected 18-year-old that debuted against Liverpool in 2016, just seven months after signing his first professional contract.
Technically adept and boasting a strong ability to read the game, the imprint of English youth coaches are clearly evident in the Australian's effortless style. Should his career continue along the same path, the whole of Australia will likely benefit in turn.
"It's every kid's dream to play in the Premier League and I've done that," O'Neill said.
"But now I want to cement myself. There's been a little bit of contact from Burnley since I've been here, but you've got to go there and show that you've improved and that you can come in and make a difference."
Despite skin so fair the Irish tried to claim him, a calm demeanour and a cushy footballing development (built upon purpose-built backyard pitches and private academy tuition), there is some Brisbane bite in O'Neill.
The hardy, heavily-tattooed midfielder isn't afraid to stick a leg in - he also leads Central Coast in yellow cards, accumulating the equal-second most in the A-League.
While fellow Queenslanders may proudly claim it's the sort of tact burgeoned in a Nudgee playground, O'Neill credits it to his previous League One loan clubs. The Australian spent last season escaping a relegation battle with Oldham Athletic before moving to Fleetwood Town.
"You've got to grow up quickly," O'Neill told Fairfax in November. "That's the way it goes in football."
"Dyche told me: 'You're going to have to battle. It's not going to be easy, you're going to get smashed. The football may not be pretty but you're going to learn to be a man and play under pressure - play for people's livelihoods, mortgages.'
"The fans, they don't hold back over there at all. It's not like the crowds here - they are very, very loud. I've copped it pretty bad a couple of times but you've just got to learn to ignore it.
"Smile and wave, my dad always says."
Regular game-time and generally strong performances in England's third tier made his next move, half-way around the world to the struggling Central Coast, an interesting choice for Burnley.
At first he appeared to be one of Dyche's favourite sons, rocketing through the system to star in some of Burnley's biggest clashes. His match against Chelsea in particular, now three long years ago, had commentators raving at the young Aussies calm effect on an otherwise rambunctious Claret midfield.
The loan deal would have been tough to take, not that the gravel-toned Dyche is one to talk back to, and early in the season it appeared the Australian wasn't entirely convinced. While O'Neill insisted he "wanted a change", it seemed he wasn't having to work hard enough, either to maintain his position in an injury-hit squad, or to influence his struggling teammates as one of the most prodigious youngsters in the competition.
But now, as his tenure draws to a close, he appears to be slowly maturing into a more comfortable role. And with a return to the unforgiving world of the Premier League on the horizon, O'Neill has a keen eye on his personal development.
While the midfielder wasn't originally keen on Mike Mulvey's decision to push him back into central defence due to the club's plethora of injuries, after excelling in a varied role he's beginning to see the benefits.
"Centre-half is a new position for me and another learning curve, but it's seeing the game from a different angle," he explained.
"They're all new challenges and good steps. You can see how much it benefitted me, I now know how much defenders need their central midfielders, to cover, to show for the ball.
"I've been doing well back in midfield though," he's quick to add.
Whether this newfound poise bodes him well in what promises to be an exciting off-season remains to be seen. His parent club currently sit 15th in the Premier League, part of an increasingly inescapable relegation battle that virtually extends into the top-half of the table.
Relegation would be an unthinkable regression after Dyche's side finished sixth last season, but as O'Neill has witnessed firsthand, football can be a cruel mistress.
And while the "young kid" who has quickly become a man at the Mariners would never admit it, just as Central Coast's plight has offered personal rewards, Burnley's misfortune could also pay dividends for the youngster. If the Clarets were relegated, there's every chance Australia would have a 20-year-old starter in the Championship next season.
What O'Neill will admit is, at the very least, his A-League experience will hold him in good stead no matter what people back in the old country think.
"The A-League standard is actually really good," he said.
"You hear a lot of criticism from overseas about the league, but it's very competitive and you hear about a lot of players that have come here over the past season, very good players.
"I've really enjoyed it."
Facing his next challenge far closer to home, a series of plucky performances and, most notably, a few points on the board for the Mariners have staved off the unwanted record of the worst historical A-League season.
With one boot in the antiquated Lancashire countryside, O'Neill just wants to leave his brief A-League tenure on a high.
"I'm a bit sore at the moment, it was a very intense game but we get a point and we look to next weekend," he said.
"There's still a lot of games to go and we can pick up a lot of points...," he pauses for a moment, "just to win games would be nice. As a footballer you never want to be bottom.
"We played really well in some games and haven't found that way to win yet, but it's starting to come. It's coming along."
"I think we've played really well. It would just be really nice to cap off the season by winning games."
Oz's next Premier League star admits the A-League cops 'a lot of criticism' overseas
https://www.ftbl.com.au/news/ozs-ne...cops-a-lot-of-criticism-overseas-519574/page0
By Lucas Radbourne Mar 6 2019 7:50AM
He's never played for Australia at any level and plies his trade for the worst club in the country, but there's something special about Aiden O'Neill.
While critics come and go, if Burnley wanted Aiden O'Neill to tackle the tough yards of professional football, they couldn't have picked a better side than Central Coast Mariners.
O'Neill, who played three Premier League matches for Burnley before successful loan spells at League One clubs Oldham Athletic and Fleetwood Town, has now played over 1,500 minutes across 19 appearances and scored four goals - including a couple of belters - for the struggling A-League side.
He leads the Mariners in minutes played, over-doubles his next nearest teammate in ball possession and, somewhat unbelievably for a makeshift centreback, is equal first in goals scored.
The 20-year-old Burnley loanee now faces another six matches in the yellow and navy before his loan deal expires and the Brisbane-born midfielder most likely returns to the English Premier League.
But what has been a tumultuous Gosford summer for the rest of his squad has been a breath of fresh air for O'Neill, who has excelled as arguably the Central Coast's most consistent performer this season.
Despite - or perhaps due to - enduring the worst run in the club's history, he's the first to admit that it's been a career-changing experience.
"Coming here has been a massive learning experience for me," O'Neill reflected.
"When you're a young kid, and I'm only 20-years-old, you just want to play games, play football and get experience."
It's a home-grown education that O'Neill nearly never had. The former Nudgee Junior College prodigy grew up playing for Brisbane Athletic but shot off to England at just fourteen, not for a football contract, but for his parents' work.
His Gosford seachange has also proven a departure from the relative off-field stability of Burnley, whose iconoclastic gaffer Sean Dyche is a perennial over-achiever and emerging club legend.
At the Mariners, O'Neill's dealt with pervasive rumours of a fractured dressing room, bust-ups, player desertions, fans that vary between mocking and irate and a coach who looks older by the day.
It's a long way from the English football system, which spawned the cool, calm and collected 18-year-old that debuted against Liverpool in 2016, just seven months after signing his first professional contract.
Technically adept and boasting a strong ability to read the game, the imprint of English youth coaches are clearly evident in the Australian's effortless style. Should his career continue along the same path, the whole of Australia will likely benefit in turn.
"It's every kid's dream to play in the Premier League and I've done that," O'Neill said.
"But now I want to cement myself. There's been a little bit of contact from Burnley since I've been here, but you've got to go there and show that you've improved and that you can come in and make a difference."
Despite skin so fair the Irish tried to claim him, a calm demeanour and a cushy footballing development (built upon purpose-built backyard pitches and private academy tuition), there is some Brisbane bite in O'Neill.
The hardy, heavily-tattooed midfielder isn't afraid to stick a leg in - he also leads Central Coast in yellow cards, accumulating the equal-second most in the A-League.
While fellow Queenslanders may proudly claim it's the sort of tact burgeoned in a Nudgee playground, O'Neill credits it to his previous League One loan clubs. The Australian spent last season escaping a relegation battle with Oldham Athletic before moving to Fleetwood Town.
"You've got to grow up quickly," O'Neill told Fairfax in November. "That's the way it goes in football."
"Dyche told me: 'You're going to have to battle. It's not going to be easy, you're going to get smashed. The football may not be pretty but you're going to learn to be a man and play under pressure - play for people's livelihoods, mortgages.'
"The fans, they don't hold back over there at all. It's not like the crowds here - they are very, very loud. I've copped it pretty bad a couple of times but you've just got to learn to ignore it.
"Smile and wave, my dad always says."
Regular game-time and generally strong performances in England's third tier made his next move, half-way around the world to the struggling Central Coast, an interesting choice for Burnley.
At first he appeared to be one of Dyche's favourite sons, rocketing through the system to star in some of Burnley's biggest clashes. His match against Chelsea in particular, now three long years ago, had commentators raving at the young Aussies calm effect on an otherwise rambunctious Claret midfield.
The loan deal would have been tough to take, not that the gravel-toned Dyche is one to talk back to, and early in the season it appeared the Australian wasn't entirely convinced. While O'Neill insisted he "wanted a change", it seemed he wasn't having to work hard enough, either to maintain his position in an injury-hit squad, or to influence his struggling teammates as one of the most prodigious youngsters in the competition.
But now, as his tenure draws to a close, he appears to be slowly maturing into a more comfortable role. And with a return to the unforgiving world of the Premier League on the horizon, O'Neill has a keen eye on his personal development.
While the midfielder wasn't originally keen on Mike Mulvey's decision to push him back into central defence due to the club's plethora of injuries, after excelling in a varied role he's beginning to see the benefits.
"Centre-half is a new position for me and another learning curve, but it's seeing the game from a different angle," he explained.
"They're all new challenges and good steps. You can see how much it benefitted me, I now know how much defenders need their central midfielders, to cover, to show for the ball.
"I've been doing well back in midfield though," he's quick to add.
Whether this newfound poise bodes him well in what promises to be an exciting off-season remains to be seen. His parent club currently sit 15th in the Premier League, part of an increasingly inescapable relegation battle that virtually extends into the top-half of the table.
Relegation would be an unthinkable regression after Dyche's side finished sixth last season, but as O'Neill has witnessed firsthand, football can be a cruel mistress.
And while the "young kid" who has quickly become a man at the Mariners would never admit it, just as Central Coast's plight has offered personal rewards, Burnley's misfortune could also pay dividends for the youngster. If the Clarets were relegated, there's every chance Australia would have a 20-year-old starter in the Championship next season.
What O'Neill will admit is, at the very least, his A-League experience will hold him in good stead no matter what people back in the old country think.
"The A-League standard is actually really good," he said.
"You hear a lot of criticism from overseas about the league, but it's very competitive and you hear about a lot of players that have come here over the past season, very good players.
"I've really enjoyed it."
Facing his next challenge far closer to home, a series of plucky performances and, most notably, a few points on the board for the Mariners have staved off the unwanted record of the worst historical A-League season.
With one boot in the antiquated Lancashire countryside, O'Neill just wants to leave his brief A-League tenure on a high.
"I'm a bit sore at the moment, it was a very intense game but we get a point and we look to next weekend," he said.
"There's still a lot of games to go and we can pick up a lot of points...," he pauses for a moment, "just to win games would be nice. As a footballer you never want to be bottom.
"We played really well in some games and haven't found that way to win yet, but it's starting to come. It's coming along."
"I think we've played really well. It would just be really nice to cap off the season by winning games."
Well first paragraph is laughably wrong.
He’s represented Australia at every youth age. And Graham Arnold has an eye on him.
sydmariner
Well-Known Member
Also he doesn’t play for the worst club in the country,if he did then he’d be at Newcastle.
priorpeter
Well-Known Member
One game off for the indirect red card, plus an additional game off now for breaching code of conduct, plus suspended sentence - so 2 games off now is how I understand it
https://www.foxsports.com.au/footba...e/news-story/50d19d6c1c1c9555b5ef7c1559129727
Correct
1 game for the red card (2 x yellow)
+ 1 game for being naughty = 2
And one extra game suspended for being naughty as well as tougher penalties if naughty again.
Suspension for his verbal attack is 1 game + 1 game suspended.
sydmariner
Well-Known Member
Matt Simon receives two game suspension
The Central Coast Mariners can today advise that Matt Simon will serve a two-game (2) suspension (v Wellington & v Newcastle) due to a breach of the Football Federation Australia (FFA) National Code of Conduct (the Code) and as a result of the indirect red card he received in Hyundai A-League Round 20.
FFA has determined that Central Coast Mariners player, Matt Simon, has breached the FFA National Code of Conduct by actions he engaged in immediately after receiving an indirect red card in or around the 95thminute of the Hyundai A-League Round 20 Match between Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane Roar FC on 22 February 2019 (Match).
Simon was asked to make a submission to FFA in response to the allegation, which he has done.
The Central Coast Mariners would like to take this opportunity to thank Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) for their support during this process.
After consideration of the submissions made by Simon and Central Coast Mariners, for breaching clauses 2.1 and 6.1(a) of the Code FFA determined to sanction Simon with a one (1) match suspension and an additional one (1) match sanction, which is suspended until the conclusion of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 Season. In determining the sanction, FFA considered sanctions applied in comparable incidents in the Hyundai A-League.
In addition, FFA has informed Simon that any further breach of the Code could result in more severe sanctions being applied.
Speaking following the determination, FFA Head of Leagues, Greg O’Rourke, said that abuse of Match Officials is not acceptable and will now be subject to match sanctions, rather than fines, to deter players disrespecting match officials in the future.
“FFA acknowledges Matt Simon’s public statement of contrition and also his letter of apology to the referee,” said O’Rourke. “We agree with Matt that this sort of behaviour falls below the standards he set for himself and that, as captain, he set for his team-mates,” concluded O’Rourke.
Accordingly, Simon will be ineligible for Central Coast Mariners next two (2) Hyundai A-League matches against Wellington Phoenix on 9 March 2019 and Newcastle Jets on 16 March 2019 due to the suspension he has incurred as a result of the indirect red card and the subsequent breach of the Code of Conduct.
Simon has seven (7) business days to appeal FFA’s determination, should he wish to do so.
The club will make no further comment on this matter.
@sydmariner I was replying regarding ONeill
Wombat
Well-Known Member
New club sponsor Xanax. With the tag line....."We helped Mariners fans survive the Charlesworth era"
Josho Howe
Well-Known Member
Should ask Panadol to be a sponsor coz l need 2 after watching us coz my brain hurts after screaming at them for 90 minutes.
marinermick
Well-Known Member
Club email:
"After consideration of the submissions made by Simon and Central Coast Mariners, for breaching clauses 2.1 and 6.1(a) of the Code FFA determined to sanction Simon with a one (1) match suspension and an additional one (1) match sanction, which is suspended until the conclusion of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 Season."
pjennings
Well-Known Member
Well - he won't be coming here. Two year deal
https://www.a-league.com.au/news/signing-news-chapman-becomes-western-uniteds-third-recruit
Antlion
Well-Known Member
Thank christ. I've had my fill of scummers. NO MORE. FULL STOP.
pjennings
Well-Known Member
I loved young Wee-Mac when he was here the first time but the more you look at a rebuild his re-signing for 2 years, not only on decent money, but as a visa player was a huge mistake. The club really needs to be helping him find a club for next season. I'm thinking a transfer to Balzan FC would be beneficial for both clubs. 
Wombat
Well-Known Member
I loved young Wee-Mac when he was here the first time but the more you look at a rebuild his re-signing for 2 years, not only on decent money, but as a visa player was a huge mistake. The club really needs to be helping him find a club for next season. I'm thinking a transfer to Balzan FC would be beneficial for both clubs.
He may be playing as the 10 this Sat.
Capt will be happy Nisbet looks like he might start.
Good news Tommy was playing today.
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