Having spent some time in South Africa, and watched a bit of the PSL, I'd say it's a weak league so wouldn't get carried away with Brockie banging in the goals thats all.
As a bloke I'd say he's a good team guy, and yes with a dearth of options likely to be in the squad as a backup striker to Wood & Smeltz (if available). Also if he can't score some goals, against the Island nations then in reality he never will at international level.
That's interesting where would you rate the league say in terms of European leagues ? I.e better than English league one or ? Unrelated but do you think we will ever see more white South Africans like Carnell, Fish e.t.c ever again represent Bafana based on your experiences in the country ?
These goals is no real advertising for him to play for the All Whites or any chance to come back to the A-League. He may get some good dollars and scores a few goals, but I think this not helping him developing as a footballer. How professional is there training over there? That looked all very slow to me.
probably need to pick players based on opposition. the island nations are bullish in defence. im not a brockie fan but his relentlessness on attack cannot be questioned. The island nations would be a similar level and allow brockies donkey touch to go unpunished. Obviously not a starter but would have in the squad.
yung thug
3 weeks in SA (mostly Cape Town), makes me far from a local football expert! However some observations –
I’d say PSL about English League One level maybe
Football is almost totally a ‘black’ game in South Africa. The teams predominantly play in township areas, that whites are not so keen on visiting! 99% of the fans at PSL games seemed like blacks to me, and about 90% of the players. Football fans that are whites, coloured (mixed race), Indians etc tend to have far more interest in the EPL, than local football. Helps that SA time zone is virtually same as Europe, so much more friendly for watching European leagues live
Local game is wracked with internal political disputes, corruption etc
Two Soweto sides – Kaizier Chiefs & Orland Pirates dominate. Staying in Cape Town, the best local side Ajax CT, struggled for crowds and most blacks I met supported either of the Soweto sides. Many of the blacks in the Cape have migrated in from other parts of the country last 20 odd years
I’d say the parents of any promising white kids, would be very keen to get their son signed overseas as soon as possible. Who knows these same parents, may even use it as primary reason to migrate to likes of UK, Oz, NZ etc, ie better career/football opportunities for their kids. You’d be better to ask the parents of Storm Roux, Deklan Wynne, Ryan De Vries etc for confirmation on that!
So don’t see many white kids coming directly through from SA, in the future and signing for big clubs overseas. But again far from an expert on SA football.
Be interesting to know how the wives/partners of Brockie & Boxall are copping with living in SA. Crime (often very violent crime) is a massive issue and places huge restrictions on what you do, where you go etc etc.
An interesting story from last year was that SA football hero Benni McCarthy, was back visiting Jo’burg from Scotland where he lives. He was in his local barbers, and 2 hoods came in and robbed him of his bling at gun point! If a local hero like McCarthy can be robbed – so can anyone!
One thing that is definitely true about SA sport in general (esp cricket & rugby) is that race is a massive issue. There is huge pressure on sports administrators to pick a certain number of black players (quotas). Less of a problem in football, being primarily a black game, but I remember a full page newspaper article on why this particular black cricket player (who had a strong season for local side Cape Cobras) wasn’t now in the Proteas. Gist of it all was black players weren’t given enough opportunities etc etc. Race is still a massive issue in SA from politics to business to sport.
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And yet Cernak can't get a start.
Couldn't get a start then. From the start they were disappointed with him. Although according to Google he was a winger and not a mid fielder for super sport.
Of well, if he's released there's a couple more a league clubs to play for before he's got the full collection.
If people are looking to Brockie as a possible starter for the AW's then we are in a really bad way.
If people are looking to Brockie as a possible starter for the AW's then we are in a really bad way.
No one said he should be a starter, but he would make my squad considering we only have four strikers (him, Wood, Smeltz and Watson) playing regularly at a pro level
Rosario Central, the All Whites, Waitakere United and the mighty Phoenix! speaker of engrish
If people are looking to Brockie as a possible starter for the AW's then we are in a really bad way.
No one said he should be a starter, but he would make my squad considering we only have four strikers (him, Wood, Smeltz and Watson) playing regularly at a pro level
No goals but assisted the second goal during a man of the match performance to see SuperSport United progress into the Cup Final.
3 weeks in SA (mostly Cape Town), makes me far from a local football expert! However some observations –
I’d say PSL about English League One level maybe
Football is almost totally a ‘black’ game in South Africa. The teams predominantly play in township areas, that whites are not so keen on visiting! 99% of the fans at PSL games seemed like blacks to me, and about 90% of the players. Football fans that are whites, coloured (mixed race), Indians etc tend to have far more interest in the EPL, than local football. Helps that SA time zone is virtually same as Europe, so much more friendly for watching European leagues live
Local game is wracked with internal political disputes, corruption etc
Two Soweto sides – Kaizier Chiefs & Orland Pirates dominate. Staying in Cape Town, the best local side Ajax CT, struggled for crowds and most blacks I met supported either of the Soweto sides. Many of the blacks in the Cape have migrated in from other parts of the country last 20 odd years
I’d say the parents of any promising white kids, would be very keen to get their son signed overseas as soon as possible. Who knows these same parents, may even use it as primary reason to migrate to likes of UK, Oz, NZ etc, ie better career/football opportunities for their kids. You’d be better to ask the parents of Storm Roux, Deklan Wynne, Ryan De Vries etc for confirmation on that!
So don’t see many white kids coming directly through from SA, in the future and signing for big clubs overseas. But again far from an expert on SA football.
Be interesting to know how the wives/partners of Brockie & Boxall are copping with living in SA. Crime (often very violent crime) is a massive issue and places huge restrictions on what you do, where you go etc etc.
An interesting story from last year was that SA football hero Benni McCarthy, was back visiting Jo’burg from Scotland where he lives. He was in his local barbers, and 2 hoods came in and robbed him of his bling at gun point! If a local hero like McCarthy can be robbed – so can anyone!
One thing that is definitely true about SA sport in general (esp cricket & rugby) is that race is a massive issue. There is huge pressure on sports administrators to pick a certain number of black players (quotas). Less of a problem in football, being primarily a black game, but I remember a full page newspaper article on why this particular black cricket player (who had a strong season for local side Cape Cobras) wasn’t now in the Proteas. Gist of it all was black players weren’t given enough opportunities etc etc. Race is still a massive issue in SA from politics to business to sport.
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I lived in South Africa until recently and still follow the game there on a big scale. I'd agree with some of what you've said but certainly not all of it.
A matter of opinion of course but I'd say the PSL is more like the top half of the English Championship in the main. Definitely better quality than English League One. Not as physical but technically far superior.
To say football is almost totally black is not correct. Football is, and always has been, popular with whites, coloureds and Indians in South Africa too. Some teams play in township areas because the better stadia in many cities are used by rugby teams. It is correct that most whites and Indians won't visit township areas - I have done so for games on a few occasions but I wouldn't generally advise it. Clubs like Ajax Cape Town, Mamelodi Sundowns, University of Pretoria, BidVest Wits, Chippa United etc all play in mainstream city locations where populations mix quite happily. I used to spend a lot of time at Ajax Cape Town and also Vasco da Gama and whites were a large percentage of the crowd. As were coloureds. In Durban I'd sometimes watch AmaZulu who played in the city centre at Moses Mahbida Stadium. You'd also get a lot of white and Indian (Durban has a large Indian population) fans there too.
As for players, some of South Africa's best players have been white, going way back. In recent years there has been Mark Fish, Eric Tinkler, Hans Vonk, Neil Tovey, Matthew Booth and, today, there are players like Marc Van Heerden, Darren Keet, Keegan Ritchie, Dean Furman, Michael Morton, Daniel Cardoso etc. There are also a number of imported white players such as Jeremy Brockie, of course, and James Keene, Anssi Jaakola, Kris Bright etc. One of the top prospects in SA at the moment is a young white defender at Kaizer Chiefs called Lorenzo Gordinho (of Portuguese heritage).
For sure, race is still an issue in SA sport. I'll agree with that. Cricket and rugby are basically being destroyed because the best players no longer get picked. It's why some whites go abroad to play for other countries. It's ironic that football never had quotas. The problem with race in SA is that it's always seen as "one way". It's always been a massive game for whites (the old white league used to get crowds of 20,000 easily) but is becoming more popular once again among the young white players. Time will tell but it's not all bad news as many people see it. Banyana Banyana (the women's national side) played against Zimbabwe yesterday and there were three white girls in the starting XI.
Freelance Football Writer
Paul SG - your knowledge of game in Suid Afrika would be far far greater than mine! I only spent 3 weeks there after all. The PSL can't be complete rubbish otherwise Hudson wouldn't have recalled Boxall from there.
Comparing leagues is fraught with danger - though I do struggle with concept of Brockie being a star at a club, of upper Championship quality!!
Kris Bright hasn't played for Bidvest (2nd in PSL) since September last year. Was injured, not sure if still is, or just not good enough. I imagine he will be adding Bidvest to his impressively long list of former clubs soon -
http://au.soccerway.com/players/kris-bright/72217/
I still see Tyler Boyd, as being a more unlucky non-selection than Brockie. Far my upside with Boyd, if Hudson is picking the odd 'promising/project' player.
Absolutely Coochiee. I totally agree on comparing leagues - and "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" as they say. :) I would say the technical side is as good Championship upper level but physically not so much. Players I have spoken to (admittedly only a couple) who have played in both make that comparison.
As for Kris Bright, he is still injured at present. I think it'll be next season before we see him back.
Brockie is wanted by Mamelodi Sundowns and they are a very moneyed and professional. Had some top players from top leagues over the years. Fair play to him.
Freelance Football Writer
Cheers PSG. What of Harry Edge? Still at Uni of Pretoria?
Injured? Like Bright hasn't played for a long time.
Cheers PSG. What of Harry Edge? Still at Uni of Pretoria?
Injured? Like Bright hasn't played for a long time.
In all honesty, Coochiee, I'm not too sure what's happened to Harry Edge. I know he's still at AmaTuks and was a regular in the reserves side this season. But he seems to have dropped right out of contention for the senior side. I'll try to find out more but it looks as though, barring a miracle, he'll be playing NFD (National First Division) football next season.
Freelance Football Writer
3 weeks in SA (mostly Cape Town), makes me far from a local football expert! However some observations –
I’d say PSL about English League One level maybe
Football is almost totally a ‘black’ game in South Africa. The teams predominantly play in township areas, that whites are not so keen on visiting! 99% of the fans at PSL games seemed like blacks to me, and about 90% of the players. Football fans that are whites, coloured (mixed race), Indians etc tend to have far more interest in the EPL, than local football. Helps that SA time zone is virtually same as Europe, so much more friendly for watching European leagues live
Local game is wracked with internal political disputes, corruption etc
Two Soweto sides – Kaizier Chiefs & Orland Pirates dominate. Staying in Cape Town, the best local side Ajax CT, struggled for crowds and most blacks I met supported either of the Soweto sides. Many of the blacks in the Cape have migrated in from other parts of the country last 20 odd years
I’d say the parents of any promising white kids, would be very keen to get their son signed overseas as soon as possible. Who knows these same parents, may even use it as primary reason to migrate to likes of UK, Oz, NZ etc, ie better career/football opportunities for their kids. You’d be better to ask the parents of Storm Roux, Deklan Wynne, Ryan De Vries etc for confirmation on that!
So don’t see many white kids coming directly through from SA, in the future and signing for big clubs overseas. But again far from an expert on SA football.
Be interesting to know how the wives/partners of Brockie & Boxall are copping with living in SA. Crime (often very violent crime) is a massive issue and places huge restrictions on what you do, where you go etc etc.
An interesting story from last year was that SA football hero Benni McCarthy, was back visiting Jo’burg from Scotland where he lives. He was in his local barbers, and 2 hoods came in and robbed him of his bling at gun point! If a local hero like McCarthy can be robbed – so can anyone!
One thing that is definitely true about SA sport in general (esp cricket & rugby) is that race is a massive issue. There is huge pressure on sports administrators to pick a certain number of black players (quotas). Less of a problem in football, being primarily a black game, but I remember a full page newspaper article on why this particular black cricket player (who had a strong season for local side Cape Cobras) wasn’t now in the Proteas. Gist of it all was black players weren’t given enough opportunities etc etc. Race is still a massive issue in SA from politics to business to sport.
.
I lived in South Africa until recently and still follow the game there on a big scale. I'd agree with some of what you've said but certainly not all of it.
A matter of opinion of course but I'd say the PSL is more like the top half of the English Championship in the main. Definitely better quality than English League One. Not as physical but technically far superior.
To say football is almost totally black is not correct. Football is, and always has been, popular with whites, coloureds and Indians in South Africa too. Some teams play in township areas because the better stadia in many cities are used by rugby teams. It is correct that most whites and Indians won't visit township areas - I have done so for games on a few occasions but I wouldn't generally advise it. Clubs like Ajax Cape Town, Mamelodi Sundowns, University of Pretoria, BidVest Wits, Chippa United etc all play in mainstream city locations where populations mix quite happily. I used to spend a lot of time at Ajax Cape Town and also Vasco da Gama and whites were a large percentage of the crowd. As were coloureds. In Durban I'd sometimes watch AmaZulu who played in the city centre at Moses Mahbida Stadium. You'd also get a lot of white and Indian (Durban has a large Indian population) fans there too.
As for players, some of South Africa's best players have been white, going way back. In recent years there has been Mark Fish, Eric Tinkler, Hans Vonk, Neil Tovey, Matthew Booth and, today, there are players like Marc Van Heerden, Darren Keet, Keegan Ritchie, Dean Furman, Michael Morton, Daniel Cardoso etc. There are also a number of imported white players such as Jeremy Brockie, of course, and James Keene, Anssi Jaakola, Kris Bright etc. One of the top prospects in SA at the moment is a young white defender at Kaizer Chiefs called Lorenzo Gordinho (of Portuguese heritage).
For sure, race is still an issue in SA sport. I'll agree with that. Cricket and rugby are basically being destroyed because the best players no longer get picked. It's why some whites go abroad to play for other countries. It's ironic that football never had quotas. The problem with race in SA is that it's always seen as "one way". It's always been a massive game for whites (the old white league used to get crowds of 20,000 easily) but is becoming more popular once again among the young white players. Time will tell but it's not all bad news as many people see it. Banyana Banyana (the women's national side) played against Zimbabwe yesterday and there were three white girls in the starting XI.
Surely you cannot be serious - the top half of the championship is filled with European internationals! For sure English football lacks a certain technical aspect but the quality of the players is really very strong, when was the last superstar that came out of the PSL into European football? Clearly that is not a correct comparison otherwise you would have loads of players being picked up from there
Normo's coming home
Freelance Football Writer
Yeah, I can see Boxall bagging one in from right-back, he's got a good boot on him.
...Oh wait, Brockie? Hahaha!
I have video, but can't figure out this stupid attach video function
Angrier but more cuddly than a Honey Badger
And Brocks won the Nedbank Cup player of the tournament award (no idea how it's selected).
Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.
Commentator "The celebration still needs work"
Goal.com rated Brockie as the player of the season :
I really like fallon a lot but if Brockies form keeps up and fallon gets the nod for the Confed Cup im going to rage. Brockie could be a really good bench option looking forward with the Thomas-Rojas-Wood-Barba front 4.
I disagree, Brockie hasn't performed well at all recently for the AW, based on what I saw, if it as a straight pick between the 2, i'd take Fallon
Goal.com rated Brockie as the player of the season :
I really like fallon a lot but if Brockies form keeps up and fallon gets the nod for the Confed Cup im going to rage. Brockie could be a really good bench option looking forward with the Thomas-Rojas-Wood-Barba front 4.
Goal.com rated Brockie as the player of the season :
I really like fallon a lot but if Brockies form keeps up and fallon gets the nod for the Confed Cup im going to rage. Brockie could be a really good bench option looking forward with the Thomas-Rojas-Wood-Barba front 4.
In terms of International football Fallon is in career best form, whereas I bet everyone on here groaned when Brokie took the field. I don't really understand the issue that he has with international football, and it must just be a confidence thing, but he should be smashing them in against the Island teams.
Brockie has the yips when he puts on the AW's jersey. I don't think that'll ever change. Scott McDonald had the same issue for Australia.
a.haak
Goal.com rated Brockie as the player of the season :
I really like fallon a lot but if Brockies form keeps up and fallon gets the nod for the Confed Cup im going to rage. Brockie could be a really good bench option looking forward with the Thomas-Rojas-Wood-Barba front 4.
In terms of International football Fallon is in career best form, whereas I bet everyone on here groaned when Brokie took the field. I don't really understand the issue that he has with international football, and it must just be a confidence thing, but he should be smashing them in against the Island teams.
I thought when Brockie came on we had a much more cohesive attack. He was killing the ball and laying it off straight away, and playing incisive attacking passes.
We have a lot of attacking weapons available for the AWs, but we don't have an attacking style really. I look at the late career form of someone like Defoe and think surely Brockie has enough class to overcome the yips. The coach would have to find a way to use him though. Perhaps in a way that took the pressure off.
Our attack played like we didn't play together that much. We were good when we had players at the 'Nix. Perhaps the SuperSport Brockie and Boxall combo has something going for it?
Anyway a slew of creative attacking talent and Wood aside not so many goal threats at the moment.
I seriously hope Fallon was just there to do a job for the OFC Cup. He's now a part time player in the 6th tier of the U.K. I admire and thank him for coming back into the fold recently but there is no place for him in the team 18 months away from WC intercontinental qualifier. He did as well, maybe better, than expected but we all had pretty low expectations. He was never quick but now is plain slow and if Hudson is true to his word we will be playing a quicker, possession based game. If he comes back it might just be for a qualifier in the islands if someone is injured and Hudson plays hoofball again.
On Jeremy, I still think he would go ok in a front three for the AWs. He's not great with his back to goal but a pretty handy crosser and finisher. It was pretty hard for anyone to look good recently. I wouldn't base my opinion on his form on that alone.
SSU Reject Downs' Multimillion Rand Brockie Offer https://t.co/wrAJOCn1qM via @Soccer_Laduma
— Jason Pine (@pineyzb) July 7, 2016