In a recent interview sydney striker and ex leeds striker michael
bridges stated that the a league was on par with the english
championship. What standard do you think the a league is at?
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he's spent the last two season at HULL in the championship , so he
should know
but he was in and out of the HULL CITY side, so maybe the A-league is bit below that
(many city fans felt he should have been a regular)
perhaps low-mid champs/high league 1
whatever it is, I'm just lovin it!!!!
but he was in and out of the HULL CITY side, so maybe the A-league is bit below that
(many city fans felt he should have been a regular)
perhaps low-mid champs/high league 1
whatever it is, I'm just lovin it!!!!
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he's spent the last two season at HULL in the championship , so he
should know
but he was in and out of the HULL CITY side, so maybe the A-league is bit below that
(many city fans felt he should have been a regular)
perhaps low-mid champs/high league 1
whatever it is, I'm just lovin it!!!!
but he was in and out of the HULL CITY side, so maybe the A-league is bit below that
(many city fans felt he should have been a regular)
perhaps low-mid champs/high league 1
whatever it is, I'm just lovin it!!!!
agreed
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Upper league one.
The A-leagues best players are fringe players at Championship clubs (Bridges, Carney)
The A-leagues best players are fringe players at Championship clubs (Bridges, Carney)
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carney scored a ripper for the cheataroos and leijer did move to
fulham wat league is mulligan in again i believe its league 1 but
if the a leagues up to that standard why shouldnt he come
backpedersen2007-11-18 23:39:45
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In a recent interview sydney striker and ex leeds striker michael
bridges stated that the a league was on par with the english
championship. What standard do you think the a league is at?
In the interview I saw, Stickman said the A-League was
somewhere between the A-League and League One. I'd say that's
an accurate assesment based on what I've seen of both.
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Yep between Championship and League 1 seems a fair assessment at
the moment. Not bad considering we've only been around for less
than 3 years.
a.haak
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Bridges is right. He has recent experience with Hull City. My team
Colchester United play in the Championship too. There is no doubt
that they are equivalent. League 1 has far to many kick and chase
teams and relies on physical size and strength more than skill.
Phoenix are more like a Plymouth Argyle or Burnley than a Southend or Brighton.
Tony Lockhead reminds me of a number of Championship defenders who have sufficient physical strength to survive but also a range of skills and ability to play to a team plan. Tony would slot easily into that level.
The Premiership is a whole planet higher standard (as the struggle of promoted clubs shows) and we have noi premiership quality players right now.
Phoenix are more like a Plymouth Argyle or Burnley than a Southend or Brighton.
Tony Lockhead reminds me of a number of Championship defenders who have sufficient physical strength to survive but also a range of skills and ability to play to a team plan. Tony would slot easily into that level.
The Premiership is a whole planet higher standard (as the struggle of promoted clubs shows) and we have noi premiership quality players right now.
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Tony Lockhead reminds me of a number of Championship defenders who
have sufficient physical strength to survive but also a range of
skills and ability to play to a team plan. Tony would slot easily
into that level.
Like a player who has played in the MLS???
"Ive just re-visited this and once again realised that C-Diddy is a genius - a drunk, Newcastle bred disgrace - but a genius." - Hard News, 11:39am 4th June 2009
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It varies from one 10 minute spell to another. At times we
play championship standard football, likewise at times we play
conference level football. I personally think on
average we're lower league one - higher league 2 and as we've
competed for spells against everyone in the league, I'd say the
A-League rates the same.
Let's not confuse what we'd like to see with what we're
getting. It's still heaps better than the Sunday pub league
stuff we were watching 3 years ago.
danielsleftball2007-11-19 10:32:31
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Agree with Bridges and I reckon most A-league clubs would do OK in
the Championship. I feel that in general English football is
overrated, and League 1 is absolutely dreadful to watch. Saw a bit
of it last year and was so amazed at how rubbish it really was that
I was tempted to walk down to the benches and offer my playing
services for a couple of weeks.
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It varies from one 10 minute spell to
another.�
This is very true though. There are times when I've felt I was watching 6-year olds play (for example, the mighty goalmouth scrambles in the second Newcastle game) and at times the flow of play is so smooth that I find myself praising the Lord for this gift.
DISCLAIMER: I am not religious, so don't expect to see me in a church any time soon. el grapadura2007-11-19 11:01:18
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Having watched what is now called the Championship for many years.
I lived about ten minutes walk from Selhurst Park and have watched
both Palace and, at one time, Wimbledon at this level. That
said I have to agree with Michael Bridges.
The A League is a good standard. 
...and it's here in Wellington..
Profile pic. Should you be interested. Lakhsen, on the right, lost touch with him.
Mohammed, on the left, I'm still in touch with. He's now living in Agadez, Niger. More focused on his animals now as tourism has dried up. Is active with a co-op promoting local goods, leather work and bijouterie, into Europe.
20/5/20
Mohammed, on the left, I'm still in touch with. He's now living in Agadez, Niger. More focused on his animals now as tourism has dried up. Is active with a co-op promoting local goods, leather work and bijouterie, into Europe.
20/5/20
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I lived in Guildford for a couple of years and got along to a few
conference games at nearby Woking (who incidentally earned a draw
with Kidderminster though a late strike by Graham Sole's lesser
known lad Guiseppe).
For me the A League is of a higher standard than the
conference.
Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.
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As with any sport it�s about consistency, I don�t think this league consistently offers the level of football that would be needed to last 46 games in league one, let alone the Championship. Don�t get me wrong, we�ve seen some really high quality moments, I would even go as far as to say that a couple of the Moss saves and the Elrich goal were of Premiership standard. But there are saves, shots, touches and goals of premiership standard happening in the lower leagues of English football every Saturday, the fact that the teams are not producing that quality for 90 minutes every week is the reason they are lower league teams.
Take out the really good bits and the school boy errors (as both are the exception not the norm) and I think you�re left with 80-85 minutes of football a week to judge, and on those 80-85 minutes I think we�re a League 2/League 1 side at best, which for a brand new club is some achievement.
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The best indication is Bridges himself... Since his injury
problems robbed him of his pace and a degree of his stamina, he's
struggled badly at Prem and Championship level, but was an absolute
star in his season at Carlisle (League Two) - back at Hull he
struggled to make an impact, over here he's been a class act.
That puts the A-League somewhere around the top end of League One,
bottom end of the Championship.
As has already been said, for a three year old league without
huge financial backing, it's still a pretty good standard of
football to be delivering - and it will get better.
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Having watched hundreds of games at Championship level I can only
agree with Mr Bridge.
The sooner Sky start screening proper English football and not
"prenmiership pap", Kiwis can see for themselves.
Skaman2007-11-19 15:27:26
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carney scored a ripper for the cheataroos and leijer did move to
fulham wat league is mulligan in again i believe its league 1 but
if the a leagues up to that standard why shouldnt he come
back
Yes, but hes still a fringe player. Leijer moved to Fulham - who effectively bought the Championship team, he dont get a game. Mulligan is at Grimsby - close to the bottom of League 2.
League 2 is very much kick and chase - a few teams can play it on the deck and do - but they are disrupted by your thugs (Morecambe for example).
League 1 has talent - upper league one, like at forest - Commons (scot international), Agogo (Ghana I think?) Tyson, Wilson ect..
A-league has talent, yet it has sh*te depth. Players like Christie, no offence intended, would struggle in League Two nevermind the Championship. However, players like Milligan can cut it in the Championship. Plus, theirs only 8 teams and 21 games.
Very much a League One standard. If anyone thinks its even close to upper championship they need shooting.
Wolfben2007-11-19 23:44:24
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Carney has been starting for the last few games for Sheff U, holding his own and doing pretty good.
Leijer should ave gone to a championship team, would ave more chance of getting a game..Or should ave stayed in the A-league for awhile longer.
A-league is not near consistent enough yet to be on par with Championship football but maybe in a few years it might.
Nestling2007-11-19 18:33:49
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I think this'll probably do it for this thread:
If this a Championship standard league with Championship
standard players, why are those Championship standard players not
playing in the championship and earning a lot more money than they
do now, a chance to play in the Premiership and earn silly money
and be recognised as playing in one of most competetive
leagues in the world?
Please don't say the weather......
I understand that some of them have in the past played in the
UK and had a good career over there, but they are in the
minority.
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Work permits.
Most of the players in the A League wouldn't get one.
Not that I'm disagreeing with you about the standard, but
there's a lot more to it than that.
Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.
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Work permits.
Most of the players in the A League wouldn't get one.
Not that I'm disagreeing with you about the standard, but
there's a lot more to it than that.
Work permits really aren't a problem like they used to
be. There are so many overseas players playing in the English
leagues (from outside of the eu).
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England has very clear rules about getting a work permit, and it
certainly is still a problem for Kiwi players wanting to play over
there.
smithy2462007-11-20 09:16:06
Generally footballers are unable to qualify for a Highly
Skilled Migrant visa and cannot be sponsored because they lack
suitable qualifications. There is an allowance for players
who are international level footballers, however. To qualify
under that section you must have played a certain
percentage (I think it's 75%) of your home country's international
matches in the last 12 months AND they have to be ranked inside the
FIFA top 75.
The majority of Africans and Asians qualify under that
rule. Kiwis obviously don't.
Otherwise you have to have British passport-holding or
passport-qualifying parents or grandparents, qualify for a passport
in another EU country that has more relaxed visa regulations
(the reason a number of Kwiis are playing in the Scandanavian
leagues), or you have to pull of a 'Ryan Nelsen.'
Blackburn had to make an expensive appeal for an exception to
be made to allow Nelsen to stay after his 2 year working holiday
visa expired. He was exceptionally lucky and the club would
have blown tens of thousands of pounds on the Court appearance,
which they aint going to do lightly.
Note that subsequently the UK have changed the rules on
working holiday visas and you cannot now use them to undertake
sporting employment.
So yes, work permits are still a major issue for aspiring Kiwi
players.
Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.
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You learn something new every day, even so wouldn't most players go
and get 2 years English footy? It was much easier to get into
NZ 
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Nup. You cannot play professional sport any more if you are
on a working holiday visa.
AND working holiday visas now give you entry for two years but
only a one year right to work.
So unless you can get a work permit of some other kind, you
are poked.
Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.
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Work permits.
Most of the players in the A League wouldn't get one.
Not that I'm disagreeing with you about the standard, but
there's a lot more to it than that.
But many of the players in the A-League could get them, and
have (until recently) had them, yet end up back here...
Elrich, Allsop, Thompson, Tiatto, etc. None of them could get
a contract worth having, so they came back here where although
there's not great money, they could get a better deal.
A huge number of A-League players have at least one
grand-parent who still qualifies for a EU passport, they could
still be playing in Europe on that basis... But aren't.
It's all about quality... And quality will come in time
as the system developes to bring the talented kids through, and as
more franchises enter the league, providing more places for
these kids to earn a decent living. 3 years in, the league is
looking good. Give it 10 and we'll be up to Championship
standards.
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