The Round Ball Analyst

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220720092011-11-29T21:29:13.034+11:00The Round Ball AnalystDissecting all things Australian (and international) football, with a particular angle to what's happening where it really counts, on the field and in the manager's mindThe Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.comBlogger3061100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-74129909191367022632009-08-04T22:20:00.002+10:002009-08-04T22:56:40.357+10:00Half-Time Heroes has arrived

ADDICTED to the round ball? Read through the daily press, various blogs, forums and still can't get enough football?Well, now there's a new monthly fix, Half-Time Heroes, an online fanzine combining a bit of serious analysis with a bundle of laughs.The bumper first edition is out, a couple of days ahead of the new season, and can be found at the following link;http://issuu.com/nearpost/docs/

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-33880026126067975832009-07-31T21:13:00.003+10:002009-07-31T21:24:28.693+10:00Bluetongue’s carpet is back?

A POSTSCRIPT to the piece I wrote on The Roar a couple of weeks ago about the importance of quality A-League surfaces, it was great to hear these comments from Lawrie McKinna after training at Bluetongue today;“The field (at Bluetongue) is back to its best, back to where it used to be. They’ve worked hard to get it back up, and it was fantastic today. Just training here is a big lift for the boys

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-23059064293693422002009-07-30T21:25:00.008+10:002009-07-31T00:21:38.627+10:00Half-Time Heroes; New Australian football fanzine out in six days

WITH only a week till the start of the new season, two fresh clubs to cast an eye over, a stack of returning Roos, a European at the helm in Sydney, God looking down from up north, Bleiberg and Palmer cranking up the rhetoric, ABC Grandstand finally on board (if only in Melbourne, for now), the Socceroos qualified for South Africa, the World Cup less than a year away, a World Cup bid book to

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-76032140545958971122009-07-27T21:39:00.010+10:002009-07-27T22:41:07.734+10:00Fantasy Time

Long time TRBA readers will know I've long been a fan of fantasy football, and with only a week or so till the start of A-League season five, it's time to get the thinking cap on and join the TRBA A-League Fantasy League via the Foxsports website.Will some of the youngsters who broke-through last season continue to shine, or will a new set of kids come through and capture the imagination?Will

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-69002848619336417412009-07-14T22:01:00.002+10:002009-07-14T22:10:19.395+10:00What type of kids should we be producing/nurturing/encouraging?

OF course, a team can't completely be made up of little fellas that are great on the ball, but we need to start encouraging the kids that can make a real difference in the front third, kids like Dimi Petratos. Check out more in my latest Roar post.

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-11099436363615558642009-06-21T17:44:00.001+10:002009-06-21T17:47:04.956+10:00An assessment of Carle against Japan

ARGUABLY the most intriguing part of the Socceroos selection last Wednesday was to see how Nick Carle would go with a rare start.I thought he started pretty well, touching the ball numerous times in the opening 10 minutes. Australia were on top and it was only natural he would find the ball, even if his use of it wasn’t always of the usual crisp standard.But then Japan started pressing high and

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-84008043129249277792009-06-18T21:12:00.005+10:002009-06-18T21:43:20.842+10:00TRBA Roar's On

A BIG thanks to the TRBA regulars who have touched base over the past couple of weeks to enquire about why I haven't been writing about all the big football games and news doing the rounds over the past month and half, where we've been witness to such wonderful things as Barcelona's UCL success, the Socceroos WC qualification and the vibrant launch of our compelling World Cup bid.Thanks for your

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-89803530654350192252009-05-12T06:51:00.006+10:002009-05-12T07:59:17.204+10:00Mark Viduka...

"Patched-up, put out, played well, the fulcrum of much of Newcastle's play".THE great Martin Tyler on Viduka being replaced in the 88th minute of this morning's crucial 3-1 win by Newcastle over Middlesbrough, which could just be enough to keep Shearer's men up, and consign Brad Jones' Boro and Richard Garcia's Hull to the drop. No goals for the big man, but a crucial assist for the Martins goal

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-43716818530724614382009-05-06T08:12:00.002+10:002009-05-06T08:18:18.407+10:00Can Barca burst the blue banks at the Bridge?

Join the debate in my first article on www.theroar.com.au, or add your two bobs worth in relation to the other semi, where Arsenal were never in it, both physically and, more importantly, mentally.

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-17675841833890302922009-04-30T06:21:00.004+10:002009-04-30T17:51:52.098+10:00UCL semis first leg wrap

The yellow brick wall; Chelsea came to the Nou Camp, set the stall out in a very defensive 4-5-1, with twin screeners in Obi Mikel and Essien, and five out and out midfielders. The idea was undoubtedly to stifle all the space across Barcelona's attacking third and get in the face of both Henry and Messi, and it worked an absolute treat, with Ivanovic and Bosingwa excellent in the main. Only

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-19303794988014193382009-04-27T21:53:00.003+10:002009-04-28T06:58:28.358+10:00Bang on Bozza

PROPHETIC work from the former Socceroos gloveman, this time from the comfort of the analyst's chair in Fox's Pyrmont studios. Speaking during Saturday night's EPL coverage, and before the Man U v Spurs game, the subject invariably switched to Sir Alex Ferguson's sideline rant in the FA Cup semi final loss to Everton, when the United manager went ballistic when his team wasn't awarded a

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-58568614115226886212009-04-23T21:27:00.005+10:002009-04-23T22:37:09.473+10:00Nice work Glory

SOME good signs on the field last season through the likes of Dadi, Rukavystya, Pellegrino, Srhoj and Trinidad, and further signs here that Perth appear headed in the right direction with the release of its new logo. Nice work indeed.Still trying to work out though what happened with the vetting of the Fury's logo. Still on the subject of A-League aesthetics, the awesome strips worn by Newcastle

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-38231960167326945612009-04-22T11:57:00.001+10:002009-04-22T12:07:15.119+10:00A great morning of football, especially for the champions

YOU could hardly watch a more thrilling morning of football action and be left thinking that it only improved the lot of the defending champions. Liverpool's 4 all draw with Arsenal was one of the best games you are likely to see. It was a must win for Liverpool and a sideshow to the main event (the Champions League) for Arsenal, safely in the top four after an wonderful run of late.

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-25568844104732350842009-04-09T06:38:00.002+10:002009-04-09T06:49:39.033+10:00No FA Cup, no UCL...

...NOW there's a sole focus, the EPL, and I'm loving that.BTW, congratulations to Guus Hiddink for having the balls to leave out the scrapper Jon Obi Mikel in favour of a far more offensive central midfield trio of Essien (outstanding), Lampard and Ballack.It wouldn't have happened under Mourinho.It allowed Chelsea to control the game, kept them on the offensive, made for an eye-catching game,

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-29679664179448564112009-04-02T18:00:00.001+11:002009-04-02T18:00:53.608+11:00It’s Viduka in a one, or Kennedy and McDonald in a two

THE most intriguing part of Pim Verbeek's selection last night was to discover exactly what he would do with our much talked-about front third. All week the speculators had been doing their best to talk the manager into a more offensive formation, much to his growing frustration, one sensed. Given the personnel, or, more to the point, the lack of personnel at his disposal, I was

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-39988231119743914922009-03-03T21:15:00.011+11:002009-03-03T22:59:23.797+11:00Al-Mutwa the Marvel is back

Asian Cup qualifier preview, md2, Socceroos v KuwaitWHILE Thursday's second Asian Cup qualifier in the capital provides another opportunity to gauge the form of the local based Roos, my gut feel on this one is that the Kuwaitis won't be a push-over.Indeed, this is a real danger game for the Socceroos, who are coming up against a side that has been preparing for the past couple of weeks in New

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-69990192005704435202009-03-02T21:57:00.005+11:002009-03-02T22:24:10.289+11:00The Sir Alex of Oz football

GIVEN that I've been harping on for the past few years about Kevin Muscat being the Sir Alex Ferguson of Australian football (depending on your view an antagonist, stand-over man, intimidator, inspiration, leader, trend-setter, winner, smart-arse, untouchable, or, quite simply, the bloke who sets the league's agenda), it's great to see that argument gaining some currency at last, evident here,

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-25290956684473032342009-02-28T18:15:00.052+11:002009-02-28T21:42:46.694+11:00Melbourne Victory vs Adelaide United LIVE – Running analysis of the GF

MATCH WRAP: It was far from a classic game, spolit in part by some of the officiating, but it is hard to argue that Melbourne, after the season they've had, didn't deserve their success. Adelaide were excellent tonight and really took it to MV, winning many of the indivdual battles and proving they are a collection. But again they finished as bridesmaids. This time there was no choke, and while

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-46554779503916022692009-02-26T13:50:00.005+11:002009-02-26T22:16:01.870+11:00Coming up on TRBA - the Grand Final LIVE

Running Analysis of the big one from 6.30pm EDTCAN'T get a ticket to the game, got no access to pay, radio doesn't do it for you and getting very little from the blow-by-blow commentary out there that barely scratch the surface, then be sure to tune into TRBA before and throughout the grand final for in-depth running analysis. Like Fox, TRBA's coverage kicks-off an hour before the game, at 6.30pm

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-50663144740312580202009-02-24T18:54:00.001+11:002009-02-24T18:59:46.078+11:00Just the tonic

YOU'D be pretty wrapped if you were Ernie Merrick and, on the eve of the gf, heard the national team boss refer to your two main strikers as being 'hopeless' against Indonesia, right?

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-86830017255140294332009-02-23T22:24:00.004+11:002009-02-23T22:46:11.971+11:00Playing pragmatic isn’t always a closed shop

NO DOUBT the context of youth and disappointment needs to be factored into an assessment of these words from gun Roar youngster Michael Zullo, but they also emphasise the festering attitude that has been doing the rounds of late; that you can only gain a result by playing positive, go-forward football, all the time.Let’s get one thing straight for starters. It wasn’t for the whole second half

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-27895579736092118432009-02-22T20:45:00.003+11:002009-02-22T21:46:55.081+11:00Irresistible Raul

AS Barcelona was slipping up at home to cross-town rivals Espanyol, Real Madrid continued its wonderful recent run under Juande Ramos (the bloke who was pushed out of London because he apparently can’t coach, only for the “messiah” Harry Redknapp to keep the Spurs within touching distance of relegation). This time it was an outrageous first half performance against Real Betis, which saw Madrid 6-

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-32134072203038048992009-02-22T20:32:00.005+11:002009-02-22T21:54:26.894+11:00For Sir Alex...

THIS short piece is for Sir Alex, regular TRBA reader, who has been proding from his post in Athens for some youtube clips. It's a little late and it's been edited (by 6 passes), but the TRBA goal of the season I wrote about here, is here (the second Perth goal). Fat chance of me writing about the EPL standings at the moment Sir Alex.

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-34188113775795405182009-02-21T21:16:00.009+11:002009-02-22T11:43:20.869+11:00After the rocket it was back to foundations

Preliminary final wrap, AU 1 - QR 0AFTER all the drama of the last week, the big questions leading into this crucial game were around how Adelaide would respond, both mentally and strategically.The team we saw over the past fortnight, smashed by Melbourne, looked like it simply didn't want to be there. Unhappy.At the final whistle last week it looked for all a Melbourne-Roar grand final. Vidmar's

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-32993656674685167602009-02-17T21:09:00.011+11:002009-02-17T22:02:06.943+11:00Vidmar's brinkmanship?

AFTER all the riveting drama of the past few days, thought it was great to see the subject front up for a couple of interviews on SBS's Extra Time and Fox's Fox Sports FC this evening.Not dismissing the notion that his outburst may have been pre-conceived, essentially Vidmar said things have been cleared up and that the major issue appeared to be the lack of clarity from the senior club

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-75443040164390478122009-02-15T13:27:00.005+11:002009-02-15T13:54:18.772+11:00Viddy's outburst - reading between the lines

ALL this;one of the best and most experienced defenders in Australian football - Angelo Costanzo - suddenly becoming surplus to requirements half-way through the club's most successful season, one built on a solid defence, which Costanzo was very much a part of,arguably the best holding midfielder of the first seven rounds of the season - Jonas Salley -suddenly lost without a trace,an aging club

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-68565314317694008632009-02-12T00:21:00.001+11:002009-02-12T00:24:55.236+11:00Pim’s accumulators making their point

World cup qualifier wrap, Japan 0 – Socceroos 0THE stall set, a job done, tonight's was another mechanical and methodical performance from a team that has warmed to Pim's process of accumulating points and qualifying. Far from pretty, but effective, Pim Verbeek is proving himself the master of the clean sheet and the nil-all draw.For a football nation like ours, young and desperate not to have to

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-64618651411252557902009-02-10T20:36:00.003+11:002009-02-10T21:23:19.532+11:00Pim’s puzzler – the strategy for Japan

World cup qualifier preview, Japan v SocceroosA FEW little selection puzzlers for Pim ahead of tomorrow night’s crucial world cup qualifier, and as usual, how the manager shuffles the deck will decide how much the Socceroos come away with.Give the short preparation, with the whole squad only together for a day or so, anything more that a point would be an almighty achievement, especially in light

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-33637189914328290702009-02-05T21:55:00.008+11:002009-02-06T22:41:18.309+11:00TRBA's A-League gongs, season 4

IT's been a frantic few days in the football world, here and aboard, with players and coaches, big and small, coming and going, but a few moments to reflect on the major gongs from the A-League's night of nights on Monday, where TRBA was on hand at The Ivy.Johnny Warren medal; the evenness of the teams and the evenness of the playing standard meant this year was perhaps the hardest to pick the

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-25087112149874229262009-01-30T10:31:00.007+11:002009-01-30T12:52:05.364+11:00Pass marks, even minus the sparks

Asian Cup qualifier wrap, Indonesia 0 - Socceroos 0WEDNESDAY night's scrappy draw in Jakarta was hardly the most pleasing on the eye, but as far as an exercise in getting a job done, a means towards an end, it was satisfactory, and perhaps a touch better than that.Ultimately the objective is a spot in Qatar 2011, and for Pim Verbeek and the powers that be, in the midst of a far more important

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-66052534747456624732009-01-27T21:32:00.012+11:002009-01-28T23:01:44.405+11:00An all A-League 11 for Indonesia

JUST 24 hours out from the first all A-League Socceroos 11 in some time and there's quite a bit of fun to be had in trying to predict Pim's starting side from the 20 assembled in Jakarta.But first a quick reflection on the original 21 named. The biggest surprises for me were undoubtedly the omission Travis Dodd and Adrian Pellegrino, which suggests to me that Verbeek wants to play with a pretty

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-34359487364087838862009-01-26T22:07:00.003+11:002009-01-26T22:28:55.614+11:00A-League season 4 review, Newcastle Jets

It starts at the topLIKE Sydney FC after season one, the seeds of this seasons demise for Newcastle were sown shortly after their v3 victory, with a succession of key personnel departing, most notably Musialik, Durante and Bridge. Like Sydney in season two, their replacements just weren’t up to the task, and in truth, the clamour to ‘jump ship’ throughout the season underlined what must be some

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-20479510865295904672008-12-22T21:49:00.004+11:002008-12-22T22:20:01.368+11:00Pim’s 34, or more

A look ahead to an all A-League squadWITH the Asian Cup qualifiers fast approaching (the first game in Jakarta is just over a month away, on January 28) and Pim Verbeek at this stage indicating he will be using a team largely comprised of A-League players, it’s time to run the rule over those local players that should be at the forefront of his thoughts.Word over the past fortnight has been that

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-32323017028631581182008-12-15T21:31:00.006+11:002008-12-15T23:15:31.422+11:00Guess who? Yes Sir, hero Endo

ANOTHER of those sublime team goals that we've grown accustomed to seeing from the Yasuhito Endo-inspired Gamba Osaka in last night's CWC quarter-final win over Adelaide in Nagoya.It came midway through the first half, and as in this wonderful passage against Melbourne earlier this year, it started at the back and was illuminated by the gifted touches of Gamba's smooth number 7, who set the tempo

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-88927054185775721532008-11-29T23:20:00.004+11:002008-11-29T23:44:14.410+11:00Gloryous

Total Football; superb 15 pass goal involving every Perth outfield player, surely goal of the seasonEARLIER today I wrote about what at the time must surely have been a candidate for goal of the season, a magnificent spin, carry, fake and guide from Shane Smeltz in Wellington last night. It was a beautiful piece of individual brilliance.Well, move over Smeltz, enter Nikita Rukavytsya, who tonight

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-8264776770837631592008-11-29T16:32:00.005+11:002008-11-29T18:41:46.928+11:00From woeful to wonderful, the two sides of Sydney

A-League round 13 analysis, SFC 1 v QR 1Tony TannousSydney Football StadiumFOR just over an hour of last night’s clash at a wet SFS, it looked like Sydney’s season was spiralling out of control in a hurry, from worrying, to bad, to alarming poor.Nothing was working. The diamond midfield formation, which saw Mitchell Prentice plonked out of position on the right (much as Stuart Musialik had been

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-4144599934768084782008-11-25T08:37:00.003+11:002008-11-25T08:44:39.121+11:00No, I don't mean Manny

ONE day, as I'm surveying the latest 'outcome of the FFA match review panel' press release, I wonder if I'll stumble across the name Muscat?

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-24761313049376864532008-11-21T22:48:00.004+11:002008-11-21T23:32:01.320+11:00Ringo and the Ring-ins run rings around the Roos

World Cup qualifier match-day 4, Bahrain 0 v Socceroos 1MOST of the attention in the post-match dissection of yesterday morning’s 1-0 win in Manama has been on how bad and lucky the Socceroos were.It is all true of course.The Socceroos were clearly not at the races. No doubt about it, this wasn’t a performance they’ll want to remember in a hurry.A neat eight pass build up in the opening minute

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-5865096990249202702008-11-16T07:36:00.003+11:002008-11-16T09:09:12.876+11:00Tactical Analysis - Vidmar didn't go far enough

A-League round 11, CCM 3 v AU 0IT was a no-brainer really. Not that I'm a betting man, or had any idea what the respective sides were paying, but if you were to ever have a bet on an A-League game, last night's was it.As I'd noted in my most recent post and a reader noted via a comment this morning, Adelaide have had one hell of a taxing run of late, something like 13 games in just over two

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-31352928913949384452008-11-14T20:38:00.011+11:002008-11-14T23:00:04.695+11:00A Red campaign, built on muscle and defence...now for the finesse!

Wrapping up Adelaide's ACL campaignADELAIDE United may well have suffered a 5-0 aggregate hiding at the hands of a wonderful Gamba Osaka side in the ACL final, but I reckon everyone involved should take a bow for brilliant and surprising campaign.Admittedly, there is much to learn for Adelaide and Australian football, and Gamba had already demonstrated over two games against Melbourne (despite

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-44980780267818903392008-11-11T20:56:00.004+11:002008-11-11T23:00:02.095+11:00Model Mass

AS refreshing, honest and humble an interview as you are likely to see was aired on Foxsports over the weekend.If featured in the pre-match show of the Queensland Roar vs Melbourne Victory game, and in an era where players are "pumped" completely out of proportion by their player agents and hangers-on, listening to Massimo Murdocca candidly admit he was far from the finished product, that he

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-73520660332988415402008-11-04T21:08:00.001+11:002008-11-04T21:13:10.772+11:00Tactical Analysis; Mariners miraculous comebacks mask defensive set-up

THERE were a lot of positive things written and said in the aftermath of yet another thrilling Sydney-Central Coast goal-fest, and rightly so. Saturday night's game was gripping and dramatic, full of quality, character and all the things we love about the beautiful game.Not for the first time it featured a remarkable comeback from three goals down from the visiting Mariners.We only had to cast

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-48093575930316364062008-10-21T20:18:00.010+11:002008-10-21T22:42:58.206+11:00Cahill and Co., and all the Reds

IT was almost a week ago, I know, but life's been hectic, and given that I've promised a couple of TRBA regulars a wrap of the Roos performance in Brissy, here it is, with a bit more on the Reds of Adelaide and Liverpool.Socceroos v Qatar analysis; In answer to a question on how important Tim Cahill was for the Socceroos, Pim Verbeek told the press on the eve of the game last Wednesday that

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-17431919191477262132008-10-14T22:44:00.006+11:002008-10-15T12:48:51.692+11:00A crucial three points

Socceroos v Qatar md 3 previewWITH non-Fifa date away games to follow in Bahrain and Japan, it's crucial the Socceroos build on the wonderful matchday 2 result in Tashkent with the three points tomorrow night.Pim has certainly been on the front foot this week, with positive rhetoric and a seemingly positive shape set to throw everything at a Qatari side still adjusting to their new manager.Other

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-32454895131090893512008-10-09T20:30:00.004+11:002008-10-09T21:19:48.957+11:00What price the AFC living in Australia?

LOOKS like Mohamad Bin Hammam is shifting AFC headquarters from Malaysia. With Ben Buckley hanging out with the AFC president in London this week, what are the odds on an Australia city becoming headquarters?Chatting to a few of the Asian delegates at the FIFA Congress in Sydney a few months ago, I didn't sense much of the antagonism that was reported around the time Frank Lowy took us into the

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-28736543829818107612008-10-07T20:37:00.010+11:002008-10-08T07:53:02.119+11:00A-League Report Card - Part 2

Season 4 review after round 7 - 'Standards on the up'WHILE the attention for now turns to tomorrow night's mouth-watering Adelaide/Kuruvchi ACL semi and next Wednesday's qualifier against the Bruno Metsu lead Qataris, it's time, already a third of the way in, to take stock and reflect on the A-League season so far.While crowds, as I hinted in my season preview, are down, I'm glad to say the

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-12865940440322143612008-09-30T21:18:00.007+10:002008-09-30T23:04:25.841+10:00The A-League List

PIM picks his squad for the Qatar matchday 3 qualifier tomorrow (11am Eastern), and based on his previous work and the fact there is an international break in the calendar, it is likely to be a big one.That's the Verbeek way, allowing him to not only expose many players to his methodology, but allowing for meaningful training-ground scrimmage.As such, expect to see a few A-Leaguers. The boys on '

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-74479578374885835892008-09-11T22:27:00.004+10:002008-09-11T23:02:06.546+10:00‘Never in Panic’ - Silky start from the smart Socceroos

Final phase World Cup Qualifier, md2, Uzbekistan 0 v Socceroos 1TALK about a controlled, composed Socceroos performance.This was just about as good a start to the final phase of qualifiers as any Socceroos follower could have hoped for.Away from home, in fresh, yet ancient territory, against a team that hadn’t lost a qualifier at home for 18 months, already chasing the likes of Japan and Qatar,

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-65226140807107476942008-09-01T20:09:00.012+10:002008-09-01T22:44:36.458+10:00The good, the bad and the odd fix - Part 1

A-League season IV so farONE-SEVENTH of the way into what is shaping as a much-improved season and, while it's too early to draw any major conclusions, here's a quick snapshot of the good and bad from every A-League team, and an area or two that could do with some tinkering given there's a break in the calendar next week.Wellington Phoenix, 1 ptThe good; not much, to be completely honest. The

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-52335849121342960712008-08-22T23:56:00.005+10:002008-08-23T00:31:35.274+10:00The benchmark?

A-League season IV, round 2 match analysis, PG 3 v NJ 3MORE of the same please. After a fairly uninspiring entree last week, let’s hope the main course continues to be as appetising as the fair dished up in Perth tonight.This offered everything we want from the A-League; thrilling entertainment, quality imports, quality set-pieces, passion, brain over brawn, flowing attack, an emphasis on forward

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-32408399111620112272008-08-12T23:24:00.003+10:002008-08-14T22:41:49.909+10:00v4 A-League preview

SEEMS like a life-time since the v3 grand-final, and now that another depressing international tournament looks like ending early for a Graham Arnold led side, the focus shifts to the start of A-League v4. Most things have been tracking beautifully for the first three seasons of the league, but with the economy biting hard and other codes struggling to attract and keep crowds, we mustn’t get

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-17986439393798810982008-08-09T09:31:00.003+10:002008-08-09T09:48:08.964+10:00Out-passed and out-classed, but the Olyroos survive

Beijing Games opener analysis, Olyroos 1 v Serbia 1GIVEN the context of an average performance, Thursday night’s 1-1 result with Serbia was just about as good as it could have been for the Olyroos, and at least keeps them alive.What the game demonstrated above all else was the significant gap in technical “on-the-ball” ability between the two sets of players.Graham Arnold touched upon this in the

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-82083264523669891242008-08-06T20:10:00.005+10:002008-08-06T21:14:08.750+10:00Early days, but a solid base

Pre-Season Cup final analysis, WP 0 v MV 0 (MV 8-7 on pens)OVERALL, on a pretty bumpy pitch, which tested the first touch and distribution, tonight's pre-season cup final, won by the Victory after a marathon 18 penalties, wasn't the greatest spectacle, but there were some solid signs for both sides as they build towards the season proper. Let's start with the hosts;Wellington PhoenixJon McKain

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-10337549478072165972008-08-03T15:02:00.005+10:002008-08-03T15:37:25.736+10:00Olyroo expectations lessen by the game, and word

HAVING suffered three warm-up losses on the spin to China, Japan and South Korea, at least the talk of an Olyroos medal at the Beijing Games, which kick-off with Thursday’s opener against Serbia, has stopped.In truth, having drawn one of the toughest groups and in a tournament featuring players of the ilk of Riquelme, Messi, Aguero, Mascherano, Kalou, Diego, Pato, Ronaldinho, Kompany, Emanuelson,

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-52156993522945548882008-07-27T20:07:00.012+10:002008-07-27T23:24:23.896+10:00King Bosnich back in the black, learning the lessons of life

Tony Tannous @ Bluetongue Stadium FIFTEEN years ago, at the first leg of the world cup qualifier against Argentina at the SFS, all eyes were on one man, Diego Armando Maradona. He had been drafted back by a desperate Albiceleste after a terrible qualifying campaign had seen their USA '94 hopes come down to a two leg play-off against the Socceroos.Standing between the might of Argentina and

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-68438234877771602342008-07-15T22:03:00.004+10:002008-07-15T23:05:23.438+10:00No Endo, just Eto'o?

AFTER his recent exploits in the ACL and at last year's Asian Cup, a little guttered there'll be no Yasuhito Endo at the Olympic Games.But for those of you who have been following the exploits of Uzbekistan's Kuruvchi in the ACL due to the quality of the likes of Djeparov and Kapadze, the news that they've been linked with Samuel Eto'o sure will have grabbed your attention. If it comes off, and

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-61018851502885676462008-07-14T20:31:00.000+10:002008-07-14T21:39:17.184+10:00Those Eight Mad Minutes in the Fritz Walter...

WHO will ever forget those Eight Mad Minutes in the Fritz Walter? Inside the stadium it was mayhem as thousands of Aussies, this nutter among them, went ballistic, jumping all over anyone in sight. At one point I remember picking up Matthew Johns - aka Reg Regan - who was seated a couple of rows behind, and lofting him above the shoulders. It was nuts.Those eight mad minutes touched everyone, and

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-85042500469851295962008-07-12T22:42:00.005+10:002008-07-13T09:36:35.625+10:00Arnold pins his faith in Milligan and a 4-2-3-1

Pre-Olympics friendly, Olyroos 3 v New Zealand 2Tony Tannous @ North Sydney OvalBURNS and Djite’s omissions flogged to death, it’s time to move on, so it was refreshing to turn up for this afternoon’s pre-Beijing friendly and finally have some football to sink the teeth into.Beyond that, it was also a great opportunity to gain some insight into Graham Arnold’s thinking ahead of the games, and

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-4774416734247116732008-07-04T23:34:00.004+10:002008-07-04T23:50:24.375+10:00The heat’s on ahead of the Games

A look at Arnold’s Beijing 18APPARENTLY Djite and Burns can’t handle the heat. Now it’s firmly on Graham Arnold.Their omission, and that of James Holland, are undoubtedly the most contentious of Arnold’s Beijing selections, but there are numerous others.Before delving into them, a quick reflection on the Djite/Burns saga, which has got everyone talking.For starters, I find it hard to totally

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-10684593522555384822008-06-27T22:32:00.004+10:002008-06-28T00:10:03.440+10:00Some tough early stuff on the road to SA

A look at the phase 4 drawIT could have been better and it could have been worse. That was Pim Verbeek's fair assessment of tonight's draw.It's a tough one, especially early, but wasn't that exactly what our move into Asia almost 1000 days ago (yes, already two and a half years ago) was meant to be like?When you looked at the possibilities beforehand and the potential that we could have been

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-65861028264863449212008-06-21T13:30:00.006+10:002008-06-21T15:15:24.684+10:00Wishlist for tomorrow

Socceroos vs China, md6 previewA PLACE in the next phase guaranteed, it's time to let the hair down tomorrow. Ok, there's no Nicky Carle, but there's plenty to sink the teeth into, so here's my little wishlist;1. Seeing Stuey Musialik make his debut; long time readers of this blog know how much of a fan I am of this kid and how I've been tracking his progress very closely since the inception of

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-91865644786073941942008-06-19T20:29:00.004+10:002008-06-19T21:56:36.450+10:00More Euros analysis on 442

....and a little more on the RoosHow good where the Russians this morning!They were brilliant, and you can read more in my latest Euro 2008 Blog over at FourFourTwo.Reckon the Ruskis are very much a chance of springing an upset against the Dutch on Sunday morning. At the very least, it should be a wonderful open spectacle, in keeping with the beautiful mood of this tournamentHere are my thoughts

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-10030331047841778092008-06-11T21:39:00.003+10:002008-06-11T23:01:04.993+10:00TRBA Euro 2008 Blog on FourFourTwo

....and a spot on the ongoing Socceroos wc qualifiersJUST in case you were wondering where my analysis of the Socceroos 1-0 loss to Iraq in Dubai on md4, my apologies, I've been getting up early mornings, frantically jockeying between the IQ and the HDD recorder, watching Euro 2008.I did watch the Roos match, choosing that live over the Euros opener, but just haven't found the time to punch out

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-28105267622876958942008-06-09T09:56:00.004+10:002008-06-09T10:32:31.663+10:00Euro 2008 Preview - Part 2

THE preview of groups A and B is here. With the group of death kicking off tomorrow morning our time, here’s the rest;GROUP CItalyAssets; depth of the squad in all the thirds, tactical adaptability (they can sit back and soak, press and take the initiative and adapt to any tempo that’s required) and mental strength. Cannavaro may be out, but they still have the experience of Buffon and Zambrotta

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-48046948175440657142008-06-07T13:05:00.002+10:002008-06-07T13:27:42.964+10:00Euro 2008 Preview - Part 1

WHILE the Socceroos qualifying campaign continues to grab most of the attention down-under, most of Europe is about to embark on a month-long fiesta of football. Don’t know if anyone else has noticed it, but England’s absence has meant a distinct lack of English press and analysis on the Euros and an email yesterday from and EPL obsessed mate of mine confirmed where most of the English press has

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-31893356085211337222008-06-04T21:29:00.006+10:002008-06-04T22:48:53.275+10:00Euro 2004 - Recounting one Hellas of a tourni

Famous last words; "...hard to see the greeks going all the way"LONG before I even knew what a blog was, I still had opinions about our beloved game, and especially during a major championships, when you'd usually find my glued to the screen, day and night, notepad and pen in hand, the kettle and alarm never far away, just watching and analysing, getting a bit of sleep in between games, and doing

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-78821006789755088662008-06-01T20:52:00.001+10:002008-06-01T23:13:23.848+10:00Job done, but much improvement needed

2010 World Cup qualifier, Socceroos 1 v Iraq 0A GREAT result more than it was a great performance, a job done rather than a job well done.This was a great contest and a wonderful game, but history won’t remember it as one of the Socceroos’ most fluid recent performances as the Iraqis did more to lose the game then Pim Verbeek’s men did to win it. We were lucky.But for some wastefulness in front

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-48865162618420927042008-05-31T23:46:00.002+10:002008-06-01T00:09:00.483+10:00A look at the Old Lady, and their New Man, but for how long?

GOTTA admit to knowing very little about Juve’s Raffaele Palladino before last night.This Juventus side was missing so many stars, and not having seen them in Europe for a couple of years, it was hard to know exactly what to expect from Claudio Raineri’s men, despite the impressive third placed finish in their first season back in the top flight.But I gotta say, it was a mightily impressive

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-25743508999103522202008-05-24T08:58:00.037+10:002008-05-24T12:13:11.019+10:00Kingston's Town not enough but it leaves Pim plenty to ponder

International friendly wrap, Socceroos 1 v Ghana 0 and Matildas 2 v Canada 1Tony Tannous @ the SFSFOR 90 odd minutes last night, the SFS was Laryea Kingston's playground, but in a reminder of just how fickle, unpredictable and unjust this game can often be, the team that controlled it in the main ended up with nothing.In a game that failed to scale any great heights, it was The Black Stars'

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-88349277421176013432008-05-22T21:47:00.008+10:002008-05-22T23:53:58.877+10:00Opportunity knocks - Socceroos vs Ghana preview

VERY excited about the prospect of seeing the latest Socceroos 11 take on The Black Stars of Ghana tomorrow night at the SFS and seeing who, if any of the team, can step up to the plate.Pim Verbeek has already been on the record as saying the result isn't so important, that this game is more about the performances, and he's right of course. But that won't disguise the fact he wants a result, as

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-82487645796842588062008-05-17T14:18:00.004+10:002008-05-17T14:46:53.507+10:00Nick Carle – to fit in or fit around?

THE recent influential appearance of Nick Carle in the first leg of the Championship play-off away to Crystal Palace, which I wrote about while holidaying last weekend, has incited the usual fierce debate about just where he sits in the Socceroos pecking order.Jesse Fink, subsequently writing a piece on The World Game, continues to push Carle’s case for the national team and has even had the

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-31157875568079929612008-05-16T23:20:00.010+10:002008-05-17T00:55:16.523+10:00Justice for the team that came to play

Uefa Cup Final wrap, Zenit St Petersburg 2 v Glasgow Rangers 0JUST as a follow-up to my earlier piece today, critiquing the lack of team goals in Fox Sports's selection of the 20 outstanding goals of season 2007/08, another classic recent example came in yesterday's Uefa Cup final with the last kick of the game.It was an absolute peach, with Zenit's impressive playmaker Andrei Arshavin involved

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-66558696974941783532008-05-16T15:11:00.006+10:002008-05-16T17:14:18.419+10:00Yet another 40 yard bomb...

NOT sure if you managed to catch Fox Sports's take on the top 20 goals of the current season last night on Total Football, but, for me, there was very much a same, same feel about the selection, with 17 of the 20 the result of individual bombs from outside the box.The other three were the result of individual pieces of brilliance inside the box (a Cristiano Ronaldo reverse-flick with the instep,

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-91886054059957864032008-05-13T11:29:00.001+10:002008-05-13T11:33:56.438+10:00Box-seat Kangaroos

WHILE the Coca-Cola Championship play-offs are not normally high on my list of football priorities, this season’s battles between fourth (Bristol City) and fifth (Crystal Palace) and third (Hull City) and sixth (Watford) provided a special incentive to tune-in, the chance to see how Aussies Nick Carle (Bristol) and Richard Garcia (Hull) are coping in the English second flight, and more

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-34734359536872049352008-05-07T14:04:00.011+10:002008-05-07T15:46:01.895+10:00Oh the memories...

CAST your mind back 10 years to France '98 and you will remember one of the endearing features of the tournament was the picturesque Stadia, including the old but impressive Parc Lescure (now Stade Chaban-Delmas) in Bordeaux.Watching the highlights of the Coupe de France semi final between Amiens and Paris St Germain on Europsorts a little earlier, I stumbled across another little beauty, the

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-66329650252297060112008-05-04T22:06:00.010+10:002008-05-04T22:56:46.886+10:00A move befitting the Nou-Kemp

WHILE I watch a fair bit of NRL when I'm not tuned into the round ball, it's not every day I feel compelled to write about the egg-ball code, but a moment of sheer instinctive brilliance last night, born from the round-ball, certainly got me to my feet. It was a WOW moment for sure. It came as I was flicking between Man United's predictable hammering of the Hammers on Fox and the Channel 9

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-1401798270869886192008-04-24T22:07:00.011+10:002008-04-25T00:07:55.180+10:00The two and a half minute Lesson

WHATEVER you do over this Anzac Day long weekend, even after a spot of two-up, make sure you get your hands on copy of the Melbourne Victory's 2-0 loss away to Gamba Osaka last night.If you haven't taped it or don't have a mate who's got a copy, be sure to catch or record a replay on Fox. For those of you who missed this morning's replay, there's one at 3.30am on Friday (by the time you read this

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-34823452735985946242008-04-20T22:21:00.007+10:002008-04-20T23:19:34.386+10:00The Favourites

A FOOTNOTE to yesterday's piece about Australia's crowded football calender, the news has just filtered through from Beijing that the Olyroos have been drawn to take on the tournament favourites and defending champions the Albiceleste in Group A, along with first timers Ivory Coast and Serbia. The group is based in Shanghai, while the Olyroos draw looks like this;August 7 v Serbia (Shanghai), 7pm

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-7865837122672960002008-04-19T23:43:00.002+10:002008-04-19T23:51:42.921+10:00Off-season’s off the radar as the round-ball rolls in

For now, Australia feels like the centre of the football worldGROWING up as a football fan in this country even a few years ago, every May would approach with both the anticipation and enthusiasm of a kid on Christmas Eve and the wary knowledge the fun wasn’t gonna last forever.The excitement came from the fact we were about the bare witness to what SBS soon dubbed the Mad Month of May, a

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-82838017410324581692008-04-09T21:33:00.013+10:002008-04-10T00:17:39.172+10:00Everything Bare the defending

Champions League reviews, Liverpool 4 v Arsenal 2 (5-3 on agg.) and Melbourne Victory 3 v Gamba Osaka 4FROM Liverpool to Melbourne, Anfield to Docklands, from Europe's premier club competition to Asia's replica, rarely has there been a more enthralling and entertaining day of football.Starting at 4.45am eastern and ending just short of 9.30pm, deep into stoppage time, there were goals galore,

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-33885205452598598842008-03-29T21:43:00.009+11:002008-03-29T23:17:10.691+11:00The South American Spanner

Group 1, Asian world cup qualifiers matchday 2 review, Qatar 2 v Iraq 0JUST when we thought that the Socceroos group was a battle in three between Iraq, China and Australia came a spanner in the works in the form of a comprehensive Qatari home win over the Asian champions early on Thursday morning our time.Muppets on the road on matchday one in Melbourne, this was a completely different Qatari

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-60750172328021889312008-03-26T20:20:00.013+11:002008-03-26T22:32:26.775+11:00After the pain comes the point

2010 world cup qualifier, matchday 2, China 0 v Australia 0IF AUSTRALIA'S move into the Asian confederation 51 months ago promised high pressure, competitive and crucial games, often, then that's exactly what our first world cup qualifier on the road, in Asia, delivered.Make no mistake, this evening's scoreless draw in Kunming was a fantastic result for the Socceroos, especially after all the

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-36363507288343033082008-03-23T22:45:00.003+11:002008-03-24T00:01:00.491+11:00Heavy work as Singapore flood

Socceroos (0) v Singapore (0) friendly review and China wcq previewIF last night’s friendly against Singapore was all about seeing who of the young or fringe players could step up to pressure of international level and press their claims for honours later on, as I argued at the bottom of yesterday’s piece, then unfortunately the heavy conditions didn’t really allow Pim Verbeek an accurate gauge

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-8103104414097444792008-03-22T08:50:00.003+11:002008-03-22T09:44:46.749+11:00Thai-riffic yet again

ACL matchday 2 review, Chonburi FC 3 v Melbourne Victory 1EIGHT months ago, at the Asian Cup, we got a chance to marvel at the magic dished up by the Thai national team, who despite not making it through Australia’s group, were as eye-catching as anything at the tournament.A combination or great technique, wonderful energy and clear joy for the game, the likes of Suree Sukha, Kiatprawut Saiweo

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-90539358274861227712008-03-13T22:23:00.006+11:002008-03-14T01:05:55.113+11:00The Aussie round ball goes from strength to strength

APOLOGIES first for the lack of a recent post, life has been hectic since the A-League came to a dramatic climax almost three weeks ago, and even a week in Hong Kong for work (it was an Asia-Pacific regional workshop, my own version of an AFC think-tank) meant no escape from the round ball. Indeed, the subject was high on the agenda, with conversations invariably diverting to the many various

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-66252473077983372802008-02-25T20:04:00.006+11:002008-02-25T22:19:21.585+11:00Van Egmond's Victory

A-League v3 grand final review, NJ 1 v CCM 0IF any further evidence was needed of the importance of the manager to the success of a football team, then it was there in bucket-loads at yesterday's v3 F3 derby grand final.While Gary van Egmond had a load of luck 93 minutes and 20 seconds in, just 10 seconds before Mark Shield's final whistle was due (three minutes of stoppages plus the 30 seconds

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-34729648692026323332008-02-17T20:52:00.009+11:002008-02-17T23:00:22.170+11:00Jets soar as the v3 finals continue to roar

A-League v3 preliminarly final, NJ 3 v QR 2CAN the A-League v3 finals get any better?Another night on the East coast and another extra-time thriller, this time the Newcastle Jets finishing on the right end of 3-2 scoreline in front of their own fans, finally beating the Roar at home and shaking off the disappointment not only of last week, but last season's exit at the same stage.Last week they

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-64512181065391151002008-02-11T14:10:00.000+11:002008-02-11T16:51:12.423+11:00Mariners muscle-up in a night "better than sex"

Major semi final 2nd leg, CCM 3 v NJ 0 after extra time (3-2 on aggregate)Tony Tannous @ Bluetongue StadiumBRUTE force met the subtle craftsman at the Bluetongue last night and it was the Central Coast Mariners who came out on top, powering into the grand final in an edge-of-the-seat thriller, played out in front of one of the most electric and divided A-League crowds yet. Demonstrating their

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-16586422489588646012008-02-08T23:16:00.000+11:002008-02-09T00:47:51.632+11:00Sydney's defensive Shield cracks

Minor semi final second leg, QR 2 v SFC 0 (2-0 on aggregate)OVER the next couple of days, much is likely to be made by Australia's largest city of the refereeing performance of Queenslander Mark Shield in tonight's second leg of the minor semi.But in truth, Sydney FC can have few complaints, and the credit should instead go to Frank Farina and his men, who deservedly go through to a preliminary

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-78401281356674868112008-02-06T21:40:00.000+11:002008-02-06T23:39:02.486+11:00Heading in the right direction

2010 World Cup qualifier, Socceroos 3 v Qatar 0EARLY days, but happy days.As far as a world cup campaign launch goes, this this was just about as good as it gets; three nil, three points and three cheers.After the disappointment of the Socceroos showing at the Asian Cup, Australia, collectively, can breath a little easier. So our team can play!Tellingly, the damage was done early. Pim Verbeek

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-25929994906621348652008-02-05T21:27:00.000+11:002008-02-05T22:30:30.718+11:00Some more Pim observations

IN reducing the squad to 21 players, Pim Verbeek has done a few things; kept his players on their toes; kept the opposition and media guessing (remember the naive days when Farina announced his starting 11 a day or two out from every game, thus giving his opponent valuable time to devise a game-plan?); and giving himself the option of further assessing how the travelling contingent pull up in the

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-62960594483161875102008-02-04T21:17:00.000+11:002008-02-04T21:48:48.112+11:00Finally, a real WC campaign to sink the teeth into

2010 World Cup qualifiers; Australia vs Qatar and beyondSO Wednesday night it begins, the start of our first ever world cup qualification campaign through Asia.Fair to say it hasn’t exactly been the smoothest of build-ups.Our first Asian cup last year was a disaster for all concerned; the FFA, the ‘caretaker’ manager and the players. Then, shortly after deciding to go with a ‘big-name’ foreigner,

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-86701429297990354172008-02-02T13:13:00.000+11:002008-02-02T13:43:10.438+11:00v3 season wrap - Wellington Phoenix

TODAY’S post is the first in a series of v3 season wraps, and I start from the bottom, by looking at the competition’s newcomers, the Wellington Phoenix.Season summaryOVERALL, a decent season and an improvement on their predecessor, the NZ Knights. Yes, the ‘Nix ultimately finished bottom, in the same position as the Knights did in both their seasons, but a closer look at the table and results

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-55531419297651445572008-01-30T19:39:00.000+11:002008-01-30T19:45:38.687+11:00Mariners rue bad luck and the lack of an away goal

Major semi final, first leg, NJ 2 v CCM 0OVERALL I thought the Jets were very fortunate to come away from this one with a two goal advantage. The Mariners pounded them early with a physical and direct style and really unsettled the Jets rearguard, which was forced to retreat deep into its own box (too deep I thought).But for a brilliant goal-line clearance from Jade North to deny a Sash Petrovski

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-64931313013480534532008-01-26T23:03:00.000+11:002008-01-27T00:26:23.586+11:00Tactical Analysis - Farina springs a surprise, but it's advantage FC

Minor Semi Final first leg, SFC 0 v QR 0HITHERTO Frank Farina has been reluctant to play his two midfield dynamos, the M&Ms, Matt McKay and Massimo Murdocca, alongside each other, deep in the centre of midfield.It was something his predecessor Miron Bleiberg did often, with some success.But Farina has generally split the two with a deeper holding central midfielder, either Danny Tiatto, Stuart

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-90591037518468699512008-01-24T23:39:00.000+11:002008-01-24T23:57:17.136+11:00A-League team of the season, v3

CHOOSING version 3’s team of the regular season, I’ve got to say, wasn’t as easy as the past two seasons. While Pim Verbeek’s comments yesterday that it’s better to be training in Germany than playing in this league were a little unflattering and far from diplomatic, the truth is, and it’s been widely circulated, that the on-field standards haven’t been as strong as expected this season. Things

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-29245605909178752982008-01-20T21:45:00.000+11:002008-01-20T23:47:51.183+11:00Mariners the maids no more

A-League final round analysisFITTINGLY, the team that has been on top of the competition for all but the penultimate round of the season, have finished it as premiers, the first team through to the 2009 Asian Champions League.Often the bridesmaid, the Central Coast Mariners will finally walk down the aisle in white and be greeted at the other end by an ACL campaign that is sure to excite the

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-14076675136358104942008-01-14T22:43:00.000+11:002008-01-15T00:06:51.299+11:00In Holland, age is irrelevant

SO PIM has played his latest card, assimilating the Socceroos and Olyroos into one squad for the second of his weekly camps in western Sydney;John Aloisi (Central Coast Mariners)Clint Bolton (Sydney FC)Mark Bridge(Newcastle Jets)Alex Brosque (Sydney FC)Simon Colosimo (Perth Glory)Steve Corica (Sydney FC)Ante Covic (Newcastle Jets)Jamie Coyne (Perth Glory)Bruce Djite (Adelaide United)Travis Dodd (

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-59727569627370202772008-01-03T00:06:00.000+11:002008-01-03T13:15:33.458+11:00A fresh start for the technicians of our world

A LITTLE more insight yesterday afternoon into Pim Verbeek’s thoughts ahead of our first 2010 world cup qualifier in just over a month.In selecting a 22 man all A-League training squad for a two day meet-and-greet in western Sydney, starting on Monday, Verbeek provided some insight into the type of player he likes, and the good news is he has littered his squad with the cream of the A-League’s

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22072009.post-59657286035236547792007-12-26T23:08:00.000+11:002007-12-27T13:40:13.054+11:00Dinho's gone fishing and Barca's gone missing

WHILE a certain classic was capturing our imagination last weekend, there was a far bigger derby hogging the headlines around the the world, the Super Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid on Monday morning our time.It was far from a classic clasico, La Liga front-runners Real coming away from the Nou Camp with a clinical 1-0 victory courtesy of a smashing first half volley from Julio

The Round Ball Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048574898132957421noreply@blogger.com5