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Australian Football Stuff - not worthy of a thread

Rowdy

Well-Known Member
Thought I'd create a thread for all 'Stuff' on Australian Football in general, 'tid-bits', rumours and everything in between.
 

Rowdy

Well-Known Member
Aurelio got the sack.
Could former Mariner & brother Tony be following in his footsteps ??? being at the helm of The Joey's after shocking defeat at the Asean Football Federation Under-16 Championship.
joeys_4.jpg

1st game 1-1 draw to unfancied Myanmar
2nd game a 3-0 loss toVietnam.

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2016/07/12/joeys-lose-vietnam-u-16-campaign-goes-bad-worse
 

Forum Phoenix

Well-Known Member
They're not good communicators or inspiring. Why they keep thinking Vidmar's are a good match for junior football is beyond me. Well... it should be.
 

Rowdy

Well-Known Member
Whatever it is, the 'Yoof' just aren't cutting it at the International level.

Losing to or getting spanked by Asian minnows is a major cause for concern with the coaching. Especially in that it's been over 10 years since the Football revolution in this country.

The kids are obviously good enough to be picked by clubs overseas but it seems coming together and playing as a team & to a particular plan/tactics are the obvious problems.
 
Last edited:

dibo

Well-Known Member
The 'minnows' are undergoing their own revolutions.

There's always been a rich vein of athleticism and technical ability in east asian football, but the tactical maturity has sometimes been missing.

If a team is able to work us out to the point that they can sit and soak and then utilise their speed and technique to tear us a new one on the counter then they're obviously learning.
 

Rowdy

Well-Known Member
FFA appoints Greg O’Rourke as new Head of Hyundai A-League:
new-head-of-the-hyundai-a-league-greg-orourke_sky7cb7m58pa1otr8rne6qu7x.jpg


Football Federation Australia (FFA) has today announced the appointment of Greg O’Rourke as the new Head of Hyundai A-League.

O’Rourke has been a senior executive in the global FMCG and branded consumer products industries for 20 years. He has extensive corporate experience in finance, operations, logistics, strategic planning and people leadership. O’Rourke joins FFA from multinational snacks foods and beverages company PepsiCo after five years as Operations Director for PepsiCo Australia and New Zealand and as a member of PepsiCo’s executive leadership team. PepsiCo produces and markets leading brands Pepsi, Gatorade, Smith’s and Doritos. FFA CEO David Gallop said O’Rourke’s strong commercial, financial and strategic acumen in global, brand-driven industries made him the ideal appointment from the strong field of international and domestic candidates. “Greg has the right skills and experience to drive the commercial performance of the Hyundai A-League and its 10 member clubs,” said Gallop.

new-head-of-the-hyundai-a-league-greg-orourke_1vvljz9b04ooazkd1oiu0rpyf.jpg

“He also has decades of football administrative knowledge from service to the game at state and local level, including a successful tenure as chairman of Football NSW. “Greg’s business acumen aligns with the FFA’s 2016-19 Strategic Plan and the sharp focus on commercial performance in the strategy. “We’re delighted to have secured a proven performer in the one of the most competitive brand and consumer driven global industries around. He’s the right fit for the A-League and I’m delighted to welcome Greg to FFA’s executive team.” O’Rourke brings insights from a lifetime of football participation. He’s a former Chairman of Football NSW and a former President of Sutherland Shire Football Association, Australia’s largest suburban sports body. Greg is a current active player for Barden Ridge Football Club and also coaches an all-age women’s team at the club. He’s also a past president of Barden Ridge.
it-is-just-three-months-until-the-201617-hyundai-a-league-season-kicks-off_6why3anxdvtc1ue57sqwfm8pz.jpg

“In many ways I’ve been working in football for years, but today I’m thrilled that the game will be my daily professional focus as well as a continuing personal passion,” said O’Rourke. “The challenge is to lift the commercial performance of the A-League and its clubs with a strong emphasis on collaboration. “The Hyundai A-League is the shop window of Australian football, but the Westfield W-League, Westfield FFA Cup and the AFC Asian Champions League are crucial in the overall landscape. "I know David Gallop and his team and I know they are a highly professional and experienced administration that I'm excited to work with." Greg O’Rourke will officially commence as Head of the Hyundai A-League in late August.
 

dibo

Well-Known Member
I've met him a number of times - good guy, did really good stuff as Chairman at FNSW. FNSW is poorer for his absence at the Board table, but I think he's got the right blend of experience in business and football to do well at the A-League.

What makes me happy is the talk about alignment. It was his favourite word at FNSW and he'd talk about how associations, clubs and the state body should be working together in the same direction rather than pulling their own ways. This lack of alignment is most obvious at HAL level, when we've got HAL clubs and the league mroe generally almost disregarding the national body, let alone member federations, local bodies and local clubs.

Part of this is that the clubs are focused on survival as priorities 1, 2 and 3, with alignment and "playing nice" being somewhere down the list. GOR recognises this when he talks about solvency being critical. Get it right and the alignment stuff comes together and the whole thing booms.

Don't be all that surprised if there's a Pepsico sponsorship pop up somewhere too...
 

FFC Mariner

Well-Known Member
While I don't think it is the role of the national body to run competitions, he is a good hire.

A football person in football. Great news.

Will make the creation of a Sutherland based club a lot easier. Gorman at the sharks and him as head of HAL.

Clever move
 

dibo

Well-Known Member
I'm honestly not sure he's that keen on a Sutherland side. A Sutherland side really needed Cahill to tie it together, and I think that ship has sailed (to Port Phillip Bay, as it were).

The core logic seemed strained to me as well. If a Sutherland/South Coast side makes sense because there are 30k participants there, then on that basis there ought to be one in Nepean/Blacktown, another in Southern Districts/Bankstown/Macarthur, another in Manly/Northern Suburbs, whilst Sydney FC would be redefined as an Eastern Suburbs/Canterbury/St George and Wanderers get redefined as Granville/Gladesville Hornsby...

I'm actually perfectly OK with there being 6 clubs in Sydney as a logical endpoint, but surely that's a ways off. Bits at a time, and I don't think Sutherland is the next bit to bite into - I'd be going to Southern Districts/Bankstown/Macarthur and Manly/Northern Suburbs first.
 

Rowdy

Well-Known Member
Tony Vidmar's Joey's have redeemed him & themselves at the ASEAN Football Federation U16s Championships with a 7-Nil demolition of the Phillipines in a game that they had to win if they were to stand any chance of making the semi's.

The win puts them into the all important 'top 2' of their group by way of goal difference, with games against Singapore & Malaysia to come.
 

midfielder

Well-Known Member
Appears and lets hope an excellent choice... and I could not agree more with his belief the way forward is via the park team to the district association thu to A-League teams twas what the Northern Spirit developed in their early years as a model and it works very well.
 

Rowdy

Well-Known Member
Australia Under-16 have moved through to the ASEAN Football Federation Championship semi-finals after securing a comprehensive 7-1 win over Malaysia Under-16 in their final group stage match

The Joeys finished second in Group A on 10 points from their five matches, and will face Group B winners Thailand in the semi-finals on Thursday night (AEST).

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/arti...-u16-semi-finals-and-make-it-20-goals-3-games
 

Rowdy

Well-Known Member
Joeys into AFF U16 final after shootout win over Thailand:
cn3glalvmaagocz.jpg


The Joeys were on the brink of elimination, trailing 3-2 in the first minute of injury-time, before captain John Roberts's 91st minute goal forced the semi-final straight to a shootout.

Louis D'Arrigo opened the scoring for Australia Under-16 in the 28th minute before Thailand Under-16 evened the ledger in the third minute of first-half injury-time.

Thailand Under-16 went ahead 2-1 in the 47th minute, before Roberts headed home a powerful equaliser off a swinging D'Arrigo corner.

But the Joeys again found themselves having to fight back - after turning the ball over to the Thailand Under-16, who capitalised on the mistake and went ahead with 28 minutes to play.

Facing an early exit it was Roberts, after bagging a hat-trick in their last-up win, who proved the hero.
Screenshot_2016-07-22-09-17-46-1_zps4gdedrts.png

Tony Vidmar's side then held their nerve the better of the two sides in a dramatic shootout, with Bryce Bafford firing home the winning penalty to spark wild celebrations.
Screenshot_2016-07-22-09-17-46-2_zpsweump4iu.png

The Joeys will face Vietnam Under-16, who they lost 3-0 to during the group stage, in Saturday night's (AEST) final.
 

Rowdy

Well-Known Member
Perth to play Iraq behind closed doors:
nibstadium_2.jpg

Perth Glory will play a behind closed doors friendly match against the Iraq national team as part of their pre-season preparations on August 25.

The announcement was made at a traditional gift sharing prior to the visit of the Iraq national team.
Filopoulos described the match as an “honour and a privilege” and the perfect way to continue the side's preparations with a predominantly new squad.
“It’s going to play a key role for us in our preparations having built a new squad for next season, a relatively new squad with a lot of new players and we are looking forward to it," Filopoulos said.
Filopoulos explained the only way the game could be sanctioned was if it was held behind closed doors.
“To attract the calibre of a World Cup qualifier to Perth, there’s a lot of commercial arrangements in place between the WA government and FFA and the Asian Football Confederation so protection of those commercial arrangements, they don’t want to take away from the main game the week after, which is the Socceroos versus Iraq," he said.
 

Rowdy

Well-Known Member
The FFA could of 'thrown a bone' to one of thd east coast A-League teams, preferably the smallest club in the league ...... US !

and arranged this 'friendly' between Iraq and CCM at Blue Tongue in front of a healthy crowd, with many Sydney based Iraqi's making the trip up here to provide a substantial windfall to be split between the FFA & CCM.

I remember the Olyroo's qualifier against Iraq was epic at BTS, the Iraqi's were there in droves that night.

Wasted opportunity with such a short flight from Sydney and the Socceroos game over a week later, more than enough time to recovrr/acclimatise to WA.
 

Manny_ccm

Well-Known Member
Ben Williams has announced his retirement.
http://www.a-league.com.au/article/...nounces-retirement/1supwfq3lhyhp146zr3o0m5svu

Experienced A-League referee announces retirement


Friday, 22 July 2016 -
Staff writer
Australia’s most experienced Hyundai A-League referee Ben Williams has announced his retirement.
Williams will referee his final match in Australia on Tuesday night when he takes control of the International Champions Cup (ICC) match between Juventus FC and Tottenham Hotspur F.C. at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He will remain available for international appointments until December.

Williams will end his top level career having controlled 161 Hyundai A-League matches and 24 NSL matches. He also had the honour of refereeing the 2015 Westfield FFA Cup Final as well as international matches through the AFC and FIFA panels.

“After 22 years on the national panels and 12 years as a FIFA referee it feels like the right time to hang up the whistle,” Williams said. “I’m looking forward to spending time with my increased family and giving back to them for all the love and support they afforded me throughout my career.”


ben-williams_1ndu0gfcpnqw81wte4h1n8likk.jpg



FFA CEO David Gallop paid tribute to Williams, who was named as one of three fulltime professional referees, alongside Chris Beath and Jarred Gillett, in September 2015.

“I’d like to congratulate Ben Williams on his career and his role in the evolution of referees in the Hyundai A-League,” Gallop said. “Ben spent more than a decade officiating in the A-League and various international matches and tournaments, juggling his role with work and family duties.

“He was an important part of the transition into full time professional referees and we wish him well with his future endeavours and family life.”

Having experienced the launch of fulltime professional refereeing Williams believes the future is positive for Australian match officials.

“I've been lucky to be a part of the transition into the professional era of the Hyundai A-League and now into fulltime professional refereeing,” Williams said. “I look forward to the continued success of the fulltime refereeing program and believe Australian referees now have a real career pathway available to them.”


ben-williams_m6p65vyxuvjl1oqfskw940gcc.jpg



Football Federation Australia (FFA) will make an announcement on Williams’ replacement on the three-person Professional Referees Panel in the near future.

Williams retires as one of Australia’s most highly respected international referees. The 39-year-old regards the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where he refereed three matches including the Round of 16 match between Greece and Costs Rica, as the highlight of his career.

In addition to numerous FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and AFC Champions League matches, his impressive resume includes refereeing matches at the:

  • 2010 Asian Games
  • 2011 AFC Asian Cup
  • 2012 AFC Champions League Final
  • 2012 London Olympic Games
  • 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup
  • 2014 FIFA World Cup
  • 2014 FIFA Club World Cup
  • 2015 AFC Asian Cup
 

Manny_ccm

Well-Known Member
Referee’s retirement met with widespread celebration
http://www.news.com.au/sport/sports...n/news-story/6608f6fb4ba2918289dda25e247f7b92
JULY 22, 201612:28PM
d1d725b0ab2dce16cb0ebbf21f2149c2

One of Ben Williams most controversial moments.

jai-bednall.png

Jai Bednallnews.com.au@jaibednall
9a6f3ec26b5a9dbcfd184f6d1e301f75

IMAGINE spending more than two decades at the very top of your field, and then when you retire, witnessing widespread celebration you were finally quitting.

That’s life as a football referee and the reality veteran Australian whistleblower Ben Williams faced today after announcing Tuesday night’s International Champions Cup match between Juventus and Tottenham at the MCG would be his last match in Australia.

“After 22 years on the national panels and 12 years as a FIFA referee it feels like the right time to hang up the whistle,” Williams said. “I’m looking forward to spending time with my increased family and giving back to them for all the love and support they afforded me throughout my career.”

It’s some resume, but do you think it meant anything to A-League followers on Twitter? Of course not.

Australian betting company sportsbet.com.au — who are always attempting to find the lighter side of moments like this — were particularly savage.

One of their tweets — which included a gif of fans applauding the news — even prompted former ASADA boss Richard Ings to respond: “Why are people so unkind?”

But the betting gurus weren’t the only ones taking shots. This is how Twitter reacted.

Cn7bw-vUMAAmGDB.jpg
Follow
Sportsbet.com.au
✔@sportsbetcomau

A-League fans react to the news that referee Ben Williams has announced his retirement...
10:23 AM - 22 Jul 2016
proxy.jpg


Follow
Sportsbet.com.au
✔@sportsbetcomau

Live scenes from around the A-League as they hear the news Ben Williams has retired...
11:43 AM - 22 Jul 2016
Follow
David Schulze @davschulze

Is Ben Williams guide dog also retiring or will he be given to one of the other refs #mvfc
10:45 AM - 22 Jul 2016
View image on Twitter
Cn7dpZVUIAAdALW.jpg:small


Follow
MelbourneVictory.net @melbvictorynet

Victory players react to the news of the retirement of Ben Williams.
10:31 AM - 22 Jul 2016

Cn7bM7AUIAAhmKX.jpg


Follow
The Football Sack @TheFootballSack

Official! Ben Williams announces retirement
10:20 AM - 22 Jul 2016
Follow
Zenith SEM @Zenith_SEM

lots of @ALeague fans rejoice as @FFA announces Ben Williams retirement ... stocks plummet for manufacturers of red and yellow cards
10:33 AM - 22 Jul 2016
Follow
stells @_EstelleAmaliaa

Favourite Ben Williams moment
1f44d-1f3fd.png

10:49 AM - 22 Jul 2016
At least Williams was given the proper send-off by FFA CEO David Gallop. “I’d like to congratulate Ben Williams on his career and his role in the evolution of referees in the Hyundai A-League,” Gallop said. “Ben spent more than a decade officiating in the A-League and various international matches and tournaments, juggling his role with work and family duties.

“He was an important part of the transition into full time professional referees and we wish him well with his future endeavours and family life.”


And for all those who felt otherwise, there was this from Western Sydney Wanderers digital media manager Christian Layland:

Follow
Christian Layland @Layles89

For those of the opinion they can do better than Ben Williams, Hre's the link to referee courses:http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/misc/become-a-referee/1ukcjewgx1pvp13xngkj8fefb2 …

10:44 AM - 22 Jul 2016
Go on, sign up.
 

Forum Phoenix

Well-Known Member
Most of the new inexperienced refs have been doing way better than the more established ones i think. Good news. Cruel or otherwise.
 

Wombat

Well-Known Member
3 worst Refs in the history of Australian Football.

1. Mark Shields
2. Ben Williams
3. Matthew Breeze.

The scary thing is FFA rated them.....or maybe they were the most responsive to the occasional. Brown paper bag?
 

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