General A-League discussion

The reason stated is to make scouting easier. Doesn't seem too hard for a professional outfit to cover all the state leagues. Being the last placed team I'm sure Perth isn't arguing for promotion / relegation.

So the FFA made a loss last year, have dropping crowds, dropping TV audience, a massive fight with their own stakeholders and are close to sacking senior staff due to incompetence so what they should do is add another national competition with all that expense, smaller crowds and limited revenue options.

Boy's a business mastermind.  Fully expect him to replace de Bohun with that sort of situational awareness.

What they are having a fight with the police, media, stadiums, or local governments?

Oh wait, you think that fans are stake holders?

PFA saying there are 5 teams with money owing & could face points deductions

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2015/12/16/pfa-ramp-pressure-5-league-clubs-over-unpaid-players

But don't worry, the Nix are the problem and once they are kicked out it will all be fixed #Metrics

http://m.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/football/a-le...

There's so many loopholes in the salary cap it's ridiculous. Unlimited relocation costs? What's to stop a club signing a guy for 3 seasons on 80k a year, but giving him 3 million in relocation costs?

They have worded it badly, its not 'unlimited' as in you can pay tons to one player to move here. The values are set in the CBA and each player you sign is eligible to have their relocation costs covered, there is no limits on how many people you can sign & pay for them to relocate.

Ah, that makes more sense. Or else Perth would have just paid that instead we all the fashion show money

Consistant

3. An incident involving Alberto Aguilar (Western Sydney Wanderers) which arose in or around the 93rd minute of Western Sydney Wanderers’ match against Melbourne Victory on Saturday, 6 February 2016. The MRP has the authority to consider the incident as Alberto Aguilar was issued with a direct red card. The MRP determined that Alberto Aguilar committed the offence ofAssault on a Player (e.g. violent conduct when not challenging for the ball) against Besart Berisha (Melbourne Victory). The MRP proposed a sanction of the Mandatory Match suspension plus one (1) additional Hyundai A-League match, being the minimum sanction for the offence.

Read more at http://www.a-league.com.au/article/outcome-of-independent-match-review-panel---round-18/1gi6fpsav5drp1wlr8xg34qm9i#pHZYXFZAMH7te6gj.99

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/football/a-league/teams/western-sydney/fans-caught-lighting-flares-at-aleague-games-face-two-years-in-prison/news-story/ad3679659c6d1caef0c36da644c55020

That won't stop the plebs at Pirtek.

FFA Chairman Steven Lowy and CEO David Gallop to announce the new @FFA Banning Procedure at 4.30pm AEDT #SBSALEAGUE pic.twitter.com/W3HFv8Gqe5

— SBS - The World Game (@TheWorldGame) February 15, 2016

I wonder if they'll use a stick

I responded with a typical all heading and no substance response. No doubt I will find myself on a banned list as a result.

36 year-old has-been Tim Cahill, recently sacked by his Chinese club for being too useless, is still deluded into thinking he's one of the best players in the world: "I'm too good for the A-League; why won't Aussie clubs pay me the sort of money Ronaldo makes?; I'd rather play in the corrupt, very average Chinese league than in my own country where they might realise I'm a has-been... "

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c...

Burning bridges with football in his own country much?

Sounds like the guy took something illegal before he opened up and destroyed any credibility he might have had anywhere in the world. Now to be known as a loser instead of going out as a winner. I'd go so far as to suggest any career he may have desired with Fox or other media has also been ruined too.

Where did he say that he was too good for the A League?

http://leopoldmethod.com.au/the-restlessness-of-the-aspirationals/

Interesting article about the politics behind the NPL and calls for promotion and relegation for the A League.

Personally though, I always find the calls for promotion and relegation bizarre. I mean, I get why it would be great in theory but it's just so impractical I can't see how you could realistically be calling for it now. Only a few A League franchises are profitable, and the Jest have been without an owner for what, a year? And a 10 team comp is too small anyway as it is - grow the A League itself before even talking about promotion and relegation.

And people who compare it with the J League are just delusional. Japan has 120 million people in the same land area as NZ, with the best transport infrastructure in the world. Australia has 25 million people in pretty much the same land area as the USA sans Alaska. And that's before factoring in the trans-Tasman trips. There's just absolutely no plausible way a 2 tier A League would be sustainable at any point in the near future... But still this debate seems to constantly go on in Australia.I guess that's because of the politics of it - the old NSL clubs not buying into the franchise idea. It's a rare occasion where the FFA leadership are actually right. 

Not to mention the fact that it's a franchise and that owners are already loosing millions on their teams, they would not be happy if all value is lost due to relegation. I'd be surprised if any of the franchise agreements include promotion and relegation in the contract, most owners would tell them to get farked.

De Bohun has quit

NZ Football might be interested!

Back on referees (as per the mention of Ben Williams in the title) we have a Japanese referee on exchange for today's match.
Hopefully this one works knows how to referee.

He certainly allowed a fair bit of push and shove, consistently.

He also wanted perfection about where throw ins were taken from.

Pretty good job I reckon

I thought he was very good overall. Let the 50/50's go but called the bad fouls correctly.

I guess he wasn't brainwashed to hate us.

No, I thought the consistency was good. Bring all the Japanese here.

Yeh- I thought he allowed there to be blameless contact when there was a genuine competition for the ball. If someone bounces off someone often the ref tosses a coin and blows up. I thought that was the most notable thing- as well of the consistency of the application of his rulings. 

No giving in to petulance or being weak and looking for the foul- so encouraging competition for the ball. Also he wasn't quick to give yellow cards early. 

It was a different approach. I wonder how A-league refs would go in Asia. The neutral umps argument happened in cricket. 

Joel Grifiths has an interesting column on referees.

Should someone who once assaulted a referee be permitted a platform on this issue?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-15/fornaroli-future-up-to-melbourne-city-not-ffa/7329816?section=sport

he's about 10 years too young to be considered for such a thing *eye roll* 

Would the FFA help us to keep Siggy in the A League?

Hyundai A-League referee Strebre Delovski retires - https://t.co/MTJllKKXLb #ALFinals pic.twitter.com/rFdX5X5QKW

— Hyundai A-League (@ALeague) April 20, 2016

That's one useless Cod down, a few more to go.

A joint A-League and J-League marquee fund? 

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/jleague-and-aleague-look-at-joint-marquee-fund-20160424-godpdj.html

Could be a good move, thought this was well said: "The global ambitions of the English Premier League are no secret, while the Bundesliga (Germany) and La Liga (Spain) are starting to follow suit. There needs to be a counter-balance, and clearly the J-League believes only a pan-Asian approach can manage the damaging effects of this football colonialism and protect the integrity of domestic competitions."

Though don't agree with "the Asian Football Confederation to recognise the grand final (or championship final) winners as champions in both countries, rather than first-past-the-post." FPP is a better indicator as to who the best team is.

Looks like the J-league is about 8 weeks in- so what is the proposed time frame there? The player would play two back to back seasons? Or would miss the start of J-league or finals of the A-league?

Good news anyway, here's hoping! 

Nakanishi -san added he would be keen to get the financial weight of NZF involved and some movement on the structure of the Confedera....na just kidding.

Dolan-Warren Awards tonight, this are my tips for who gets the silverware

Fair Play: Roar

Golden Boot: Fornaroli

Goal Keeper: Birighitti

Young Player: Maclaren

Referee: Green

Coach: Amor

Goal: That rabona goal City scored

Julie Dolan: One of the City girls, no idea which one tho.

Johnny Warren: Mooy

A little off topic, but does anyone know why finals games are counted for the golden boot? ("Fornaroli taking out the A-League prize with his incredible 25-goal haul from just 29 games"). I would have thought to make it fair only the regular season would count, especially since the finals series hasn't finished yet.

http://www.a-league.com.au/article/wholl-win-at-th...

It only counts the regular season i'm pretty sure.

Castro won the Johnny Warren, bit of an upset.