OT: Association Football

[84 Baby]

We are pretty ordinary and don't deserve to be grouped among those primo sides that will play in Russia.

Seriously we should be winning these games comfortably.

Well if we don't make it'll mean one of those primo sides is Syria, Panama or Honduras

 

[Avenger]

Anyway I heard from a reliable source that the A League starts tonight. Just here to wish my confused Serbian mate @Suitman an enjoyable season even though you will get nowhere near Sydney FC who of all teams have recruited a Croat and lost two Serbs.

#back2back

 

[Suitman]

Anyway I heard from a reliable source that the A League starts tonight. Just here to wish my confused Serbian mate @Suitman an enjoyable season even though you will get nowhere near Sydney FC who of all players have recruited a Croat and lost two Serbs.

#back2back

Now see, this is what I call GOOD trolling. Not that shit that Phantom Bart dishes up.
Mate, I'm really looking forward to the season.......sort of. I'll get to the "sort of" later.

No doubt your mob are favourites with the punters, and deserve to be. You've recruited well to cover for the loss of Ninkovic and Ibini. That Polish dude looks the goods. Difficult to go back to back but if anyone can, I reckon it's you lot who represent the East. You'll miss Vukovic big time though.

Our mob have recruited well too. 3 Spaniards, Bonaveccia, Risdon. Now all we have to do is recruit a new Gaffer. Geez, wasn't that a shock? I wish Popa well. He deserves our respect regardless of the timing of his decision.

I think this will be a closer season than last. The bottom teams have strengthened their squads. Newcastle have Ernie Merrick on board. Okon has strengthened the Mariners squad. So have Perth.
Not sure about Adelaide, and my guess is that the Phoenix will take the spoon. Roar could be a disappointment with an aging squad. City? Who cares about the plastics.

The "sort of" comment above, is that the one thing I'm NOT looking forward to this season is another season stuck at f**king Olympic Park. Both Spotless and ANZ are deplorable venues for football.
Bring on the new WSS!!!

 

[Avenger]

Dimitrijević has gone not Ninković.

 

[Avenger]

Now see, this is what I call GOOD trolling. Not that shit that Phantom Bart dishes up.
Mate, I'm really looking forward to the season.......sort of. I'll get to the "sort of" later.

No doubt your mob are favourites with the punters, and deserve to be. You've recruited well to cover for the loss of Ninkovic and Ibini. That Polish dude looks the goods. Difficult to go back to back but if anyone can, I reckon it's you lot who represent the East. You'll miss Vukovic big time though.

Our mob have recruited well too. 3 Spaniards, Bonaveccia, Risdon. Now all we have to do is recruit a new Gaffer. Geez, wasn't that a shock? I wish Popa well. He deserves our respect regardless of the timing of his decision.

I think this will be a closer season than last. The bottom teams have strengthened their squads. Newcastle have Ernie Merrick on board. Okon has strengthened the Mariners squad. So have Perth.
Not sure about Adelaide, and my guess is that the Phoenix will take the spoon. Roar could be a disappointment with an aging squad. City? Who cares about the plastics.

The "sort of" comment above, is that the one thing I'm NOT looking forward to this season is another season stuck at f**king Olympic Park. Both Spotless and ANZ are deplorable venues for football.
Bring on the new WSS!!!

We have to play at f**king Leichhart next season.

 

[Avenger]

What I love about the A League is that in a short space of time they have more intense derbies than the NRL. Besides Us v Dogs and maybe Roosters v Dragons the NRL have nothing on Sydney FC v Wanderers, Sydney FC v Victory and the Melbourne derby.

I already have tickets to our first derby. My wife of all people reminded me. It’s just one of the best events and leadup to anything I have seen. The only thing that came close is Eels v Dogs preliminary final in 2009.

The sleeping giant has awoken in Australia.

 

[Suitman]

Dimitrijević has gone not Ninković.

Woops. Sorry. I actually thought I'd got that wrong. Thanks for the correction.

 

[Suitman]

We have to play at f**king Leichhart next season.

Not yet you don't.
That was a fairly vague article to fill print space. No official quotes or announcements from anyone. And it was written by Bossi, a known ESFC lover.
Has the govt announced yet that Allianz will get preference and start before ANZ? Nope. It was a shit article as I said.
And yes, ESFC will probably play at Leichhardt and Kogarah during the time that Allianz is eventually renovated.......whenever that may be.
In saying that, I'd rather have Leichhardt as a home ground then Spotless or ANZ. Much better atmosphere and game day experience, although it's crap to get to. Still.......I'd always make the effort.
The problem ESFC have with playing at Leichhardt is catering to and keeping their corporate sector happy. Leichhardt is shit for the corporates.

 

[Suitman]

What I love about the A League is that in a short space of time they have more intense derbies than the NRL. Besides Us v Dogs and maybe Roosters v Dragons the NRL have nothing on Sydney FC v Wanderers, Sydney FC v Victory and the Melbourne derby.

I already have tickets to our first derby. My wife of all people reminded me. It’s just one of the best events and leadup to anything I have seen. The only thing that came close is Eels v Dogs preliminary final in 2009.

The sleeping giant has awoken in Australia.

I couldn't agree more.
I also have my tickets.
Every single Allianz A-League derby is a guaranteed sellout.
There's nothing like it at NRL level.
You're correct in saying the 2009 Bulldogs semi comes close.

Who would have thought this just 5 years ago??

 

[Suitman]

Any team that qualifies for the world cup deserves to.
The commentators were saying last night that the Socceroos will have played 22 games if they do. That's almost a complete A-League season.
It's not a free ride into the World Cup, no matter where a team is ranked.
If we go by Gronks theory, just have no qualifiers and stick the top 32 ranked teams into the world cup.
Yeh, that works well.

 

[Gronk]

Any team that qualifies for the world cup deserves to.
The commentators were saying last night that the Socceroos will have played 22 games if they do. That's almost a complete A-League season.
It's not a free ride into the World Cup, no matter where a team is ranked.
If we go by Gronks theory, just have no qualifiers and stick the top 32 ranked teams into the world cup.
Yeh, that works well.

My theory was that it you struggle against Thailand and Syria, sorry no you should not play a part of the WC. I mean its a privilege. A reward for the elite.

Yep good move to be in Asia rather than Pacifica ¿ but OMG we are rubbish of late.

Im not ditching Straya Suity or going the full Ram on the team, just saying that they are Eels 1990s bad right now.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Our mob have recruited well too. 3 Spaniards, Bonaveccia, Risdon.

Recruited very well. I was so impressed with the foreigners I didn't even realise until last night you'd signed Risdon.

Effen Cees definitely have a weaker squad this year. Melbourne Vagtory look stronger.

 

[84 Baby]

Who would have thought this just 5 years ago??

I think Bart predicted it

 

[84 Baby]

We are going fairly shite at the mo. I’d say since the first Thai game we have looked completely lost. That said the Argies are looking about the same atm. Plus Dutch aren’t going to make it. If we get past Syria then we could even be squaring off with Merica. So we aren’t David Caruso in the underperforming stakes

 

[Poupou Escobar]

We are pretty ordinary and don't deserve to be grouped among those primo sides that will play in Russia.

Seriously we should be winning these games comfortably.

If we make it we better hope we face some other minnows or we won't be scoring any goals the World Cup.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Any team that qualifies for the world cup deserves to.
The commentators were saying last night that the Socceroos will have played 22 games if they do. That's almost a complete A-League season.
It's not a free ride into the World Cup, no matter where a team is ranked.
If we go by Gronks theory, just have no qualifiers and stick the top 32 ranked teams into the world cup.
Yeh, that works well.

I'd say the 32nd ranked team wouldn't be noticeably more competitive than the team ranked 50 or 60. There would be dozens of teams ranked around that level and most of them will miss out on the final 32.

So I agree if we make it there we deserved it. But in reality, of the 32 teams in the finals plenty of them will just be cannon fodder.

But how much fun would the World Cup be if they only picked the top eight (or four) teams?

 

[strider]

Its been downhill since they got rid of the top 5

 

[Gary Gutful]

Good on the A-League. Hopefully the NRL is paying attention and prepared to learn a few things.

 

[Twizzle]

looking at our current form, if we get there we aint gonna bother anyone, out in straight sets

 

[Eelementary]

I think it was Pou that made a comment I agree with completely; he said that we have not had a "selfish" player since the Harry Kewell days, and so every player (for fear of being labelled a ball hog, or not a team player) forces a pass, even when it is not on, and we usually turn over cheap ball.

Massimo Luongo and Tom Rogic are "ball hogs", but we really lack a genuine 10 with close control of the football, to dribble us into opportunities.

We just lack skill at the moment imo.