Tag: football

Let’s Flick Click Bait in Aussie Sport.

So the Wallabies got their arse kicked by Eddie Jones the Socceroos are in the 16 but to be honest we need a miracle to progress yet no one is asking if not only the international codes but all 4 majors are in good hands for the codes future NOT the medias

If you stop and look at all our football codes the first thing you will find we are following the yank franchise system with the media conglomerates taking the cream and the codes getting the crumbs.

That’s not rocket science because on every single board the media has its representation at the highest level. It has its employees mainly ex legends in their own mind commentary positions all on the payroll looking after their interests and when a Coach or Board member endangers their access the attacks begin.

To be quite honest The AFL and NRL are dead in the water as they are just a travelling circus of coach rotation, official rotation and a massive click bait income advertising stream for Murdock and it won’t change as management base is kept narrow and under control. The NRL handed over the peoples game years ago to the corporates and the AFL is a lone entity with a good fan base but no international standing so easily controlled.. The circuses and the tents are all in place and the people are just accessories to the TV rights.

Now moving to the international codes and this is where the game gets dirty.

Outside international organisations like FIFA and World Rugby are a thereat to the power brokers and any interference is like challenging the mafia. CEOs , coaches managers all will be incur the wrath of the Old Boy network and the following names are some who dared to change the structures or shift access away from the nepotistic inbred culture.

People, professionals with vision railroaded out of the sport because they dared to restrict insider access to international dressing sheds, selection processes IE RaeLine Castle Rugby CEO, (Pictured) railroaded by media, Robbie Deans designated as a traitor, Ange Postacoglis far to smart for the board , media harassment, Ewan McKenzie dared to discipline the medias super stars, railroaded, Eddie Jones branded traitor, Holger Osijek just give up on the unprofessional attitude towards international protocols. And Pim Verbeek (Deceased) because we don’t play like the Dutch., each and every one went on to exceed in their professional lives in far higher levels after leaving but not good enough for our media or Board Rooms who preside and presided over falling world standard positions.

They hold their jobs, and anyone who threatens, the dogs are realised.

So, no good just bitching about it, what’s the solution???

My vision is based on the fans being the major shareholders in the businesses. Board appointees under National Oversight with grass root involvement. Coaching positions called internationally, appointed by internationally qualified panels not necessarily involved with domestic contacts. The system of Franchise ownerships must be dismantled and promotion and relegation structures installed with a ownership ratio of 60/40 Australian to start with with minimal of 55% after bedding in.

This cannot happen within a World Cup window so we have to be prepared to bypass a Cup give it a 8 year span to totally restructure.

The Media will be on invitation only with NO representation in any form on management roles and other platforms ,ie Streaming , invited to bid for rights nationally and internationally opening us up to real time dimensions.

Our Aleague must have regulations in regard local talent and cease it from being a exit lounge for aged players, same with Rugby Pacifica taking on the NZ county model.

Let’s call it, we might not be going backwards much but the rest of the world is booming forward and we are well off the wave.

Bite the bullet now, and start the 8 year cycle, explain it to the masses, get them in as shareholders, educate the importance of International competition and benchmarks and our kids worlds will be widened, our knowledge base expanded and don’t allow self interest dominate our passions.

Our Sporting Tide is Out.

Sporting Junkie, yep that’s me. A football tragic since 11 years old but have followers all the other codes and sports especially when they put on the green and gold,

The fact I have been involved in the world game and watched for my own benefit how nations prepare and perform in World Cups I struggle with how we Australians at times get it so wrong.

Most nations have a automatic review at the end of each Cup and after a celebration or commiserations the management’s and players hand in their shirts, and the process for the next 4 years commence within a month. (The top tier commence before the cup and appointments are within that month as the process is expected.).

We sacked two coaches in football women’s and men’s and installed one stand in and one new coach months out, and in the rugby reviewed a coach appointed him, knowing full well it was going to fail as the world knew when we went to the toilet.

Our Football and Rugby administrators need to hand in their shirts as well full stop.

We need to look at our international codes with a world perspectives.and ask ourselves how are we going to be competitive, and how do other Nations maintain their standards.

In my mind our parochialism in management is toxicand infects the backbone of the codes. We should encourage and welcome overseas appointments of the highest standards and learn the trade from a different prospective. Our culture will have to change over time and in the past it’s got just too hard not only for the players but the media and they have driven them out, especially when the media loose the dressing room key.

Again I’m seeing calls for a Aussie coach for the wallabies hours after being belted and loosing world rankings. Media attacking the kiwi Rayleighne Castle for asking hard questions when she knew when she was outvoted retaining Cheika we were not up to standard..

I’m tired of listening to the commentary from “The older we get the Better we were” brigade on out TV’s and outlets and in fairness I’m seeing Academies emerging but those institutions must have the worlds best practices and personal leading the way or we will always be also rans or a wanna bee nation on the world stage.

It’s All about the $$$ in the Falou case.

I’ve watched, listened, and tried to digest this Falou shenanigans go backward and forwards with little or no retreat from whatever side you choose to hang your allegiance.

Not carrying any religious allegiance other than to the human race I choose to look at the facts from the start and ask the questions, however hard they may be.

Firstly, does a person have the right to follow his or hers own beliefs? Answer Yes.

Does a person have the right to impose those beliefs on any other person ? Answer No.

Religion is a choice a individual makes, nothing more as is the choice to not follow a religious tribe, so judging a person by his or hers decision or point of view is dependant of what tribe you follow or don’t is a bias exercise regardless.

Who’s right and who’s wrong is the story of mankind, but religions do not have a mortgage on being human and believing in the rights and wrongs of hurting each other be with words or actions.

Falou hurt people with words, that’s wrong, full stop. I can’t stand outside a place of worship in the public domain and accuse people of wrong doing because of their belief or sexuality I would get arrested for persecution among other things.

The fact he was warned and then breached that warning cannot be covered up by justifying lack of free speech.. He knew exactly what the repercussions would be so he pressed the boundary and then he played the sympathy vote.

It cannot go unsaid that some still will not accept the Yes Vote in the referendum, and that’s their choice, but I cannot see why a millionaire should be publicly funded by a tax free charity with public funds when I thought a non for profit organisation role was to help the less fortunate. Those donations will also be a tax rebate, so is this entire exercise all about money right from the start?

Sporting Costs disqualify Struggle Street.

At a kid in the 60’s in a war service /housing camp area kids had to make their own entertainment but when the word got around the local Football Club ( Wog Ball as it was known then ) were looking for players a few of us fronted up with absolutely nothing and the rest is history.

After reading the costs involved in the QT report I wonder who will look after those kids from real struggle street who’s parents are the living poor. The odds are those kids will be the problems of the future and never given a chance.

We all know sport is better than any lecture to teach the real lessons of life. Respect, humility, integrity and it goes on and it’s not always parents that can be trusted to impart those standards, so are we as a society prepared to accept those who are priced out in childhood will become tomorrow’s problem generations?

Sport and it’s infrastructure particularly in the lower demographic should be critical, and maybe across the board should be regarded as essential service or we can to play the risk management game and hope the pluses outweigh the minuses?

I appreciate all the government grants to existing and emerging organisations but looking at the data in the qt report sport should never be for the have and the have nots, it is the best classroom in the world regardless of how rich or poor your country is and that applies to parents as well.

Referees Blamed for Government Incompetence.

Dannielle Fords “Cutting Umpires Slack” article (See Below) should be read and digested by not only the arm chair warriors but the men behind the microphones and front the cameras and the scribes who present themselves as keepers of all knowledge on sport.

Anyone who has refereed sport experiences critical analysis for decisions that occur within tenths of a second and now we see the media gaggle question the Video Assist because it exposes infringements too well or or takes too long.

The VAR systems is accepted as the normal in European sport and unfortunately we Australians are yet to embrace it as this nations downgraded NBN speeds delays swift decision.

For instance in Bundesliga the centre in Cologne can monitor up to 5 matches at one once and have a decision expectation via 19-21 cameras on each ground within 26 seconds unless a on field intervention is required., Australia one per ground at snail mail speed., so when the squarkers in suits whinge they should be asking the question why do we in Australia are incapable of delivering the technology accepted as the norm overseas.

This is a classic example of when near enough is not good enough and our politicians felt our 55th place in the world in internet speed was acceptable for them I assure them running 55th when our sporting standards is effected just doesn’t cut it with the masses.

SBS Performed where Optus Failed.

The greatest show on earth has concluded and what a learning curve it was for the ones who underestimated the following in Australia.

Optus crashing on day one was not surprising as it assumed it had the capacity to serve all the other eastern seaboard codes so why not Football?

Little did they realise those who follow the other codes national allegiance emerges whenever the World Game takes to the stage., and miscalculated that well known fact, a fact often scoffed at but now well proven.

One can only congratulate the performance of our SBS for its outstanding coverage, commentary and presentation of the event showing we have the professional knowledge and expertise to deliver a world class product with the minimum amount of fuss, in the true Australian way.

Four years from now none of us know where will we be, but one thing is for sure is the Wold Cup will capture the hearts and minds of that billion or more who love and watch the beautiful game.

Culture Change a Must for Aussie Football Future.

Blame is Important and strategic.

As another 4 year football campaign concludes the media will disembowel, regurgitate, agonise, then allocate blame accordingly to suit the football structure they see what Football should be in Australia.

Nothing new, the same process, and the same outcome will result if we qualify in 2022.

Yep the Australian Football guru’s have all the answers and anyone dares to change their vision will be dispatched, replaced or ostracised as Un Australian, ignorant of Australian culture.

My opinion from here on in might just get me 🛑red carded 🛑 but I’ve been around long enough to see this charades played out all resulting in Australian Football being the looser and I’m tied of it.

Why is it we see our football culture requiring we do things our way?

The simple fact is the biggest problem with Australian Football is their are too many Australians having too much say in how how the football culture develops.

We are a infantile nation in real football terms and even though we made to top table in the world we are merely nuisance value in the picture we want to become a player.

Our record with coaches says we cannot adjust or do not have the talent yet to elevate us past battler class and looking at the level of our professionals only Moyes is playing in what can be called world class premier leagues, while the rest making a living in clubs under the world super powers.

World Cup winners have players in the top echelon playing weekly at club level day in day out. Beyond the average Australians comprehension. It’s not NRL or AFL as Optus found out it’s massive game in Australia that has been underestimated for decades with supporters that might support Aussie eastern seaboard codes but their heart and culture will always be with world game.

The appointment of Arnold highlights the crucial fact we look continually look inward because we don’t have the football intellect to accept that countries no where near as wealthy as Australia have cultures that we cannot comprehend or compete.

We wonder why international coaches think twice about putting their reputation on the line when they are often surrounded by well meaning parochialism not prepared to look at a 5 or 10 year year plan beyond the World Cup timelines.

Postacogolas had that vision but that vision did not suit the boys clubs self appointed specialist journalists that feel they have all answers. They’ll blame coaches, they’ll blame referees, the Video but the simple fact is we are just not good enough …. Yet..

Until we accept that fact Nationally then Internationally we will not make any major steps to securing a top 8 performance. And doing the Australian thing is total bullshit.

We need spend on Youth Development at a level far above out A League level. We need to have Full Transitional Management Teams employed from selected countries at our Sporting Academy that will develop a style and professional culture that is competitive yet identifiable with Australia as Germany is identifiable with clinical, fastidious application to precise performance.

Our benchmarks are below that and until we choose to raise them we are just in the world pool of wanna bee’s

Tough decisions, not cheap, not easy but as I look around I see Women’s Football making the right noises, international players On local rosters, and the young will feed off that and it will become the normal while our men’s ALeague is becoming a exit lounge for the past icons.

No reflections intended on our 2018 squad, we did our best, I could not ask more as a Australian Football fan from coach or squad, that’s football.

But I don’t and will not accept is Blame lays on the pitch. Blame is fully on the FFA management team and for the sake of the game heads should roll at that level first and foremost.

Emotion Overrides Player Welfare.

The weight of winning on possible the worlds biggest stage outside the Olympic Games and the World Cup , those of us who watched the UEFA Final witnessed a series of incidents where a professional sportsman just had a bad night and a night that will be career defining in not only in his profession but within his ability to ever reach the mental capacity to regain enough confidence to even set foot back in his goal ever again..

For those who have or had any involvement in Football know the codes expectations, and rewards at the highest level and although it’s a team game each and every person from the kit washer to the goal scorer has a role to play if the club is to be successful., and the fans play a vital part in keeping that dream of success.

Sadly though on the final whistle the keeper was left alone by his teammates and club staff and only when the opposition Real Madrid’s staff attended him did the Liverpool’s staff finally arrive.

In a world where every players health and well-being is paramount this was a lesson of how emotions can override responsibility, that lesson that should ring around every single dressing shed and boardroom in the world at every level the game is played..

The glory of winning as a team is great but last for a short time, but the mark of a great team and club is how it looses together without recriminations.

Football Is Not a Political Weapon.

Julie Bishops Dialek type of attire when announcing Wold Cup 2018 could be used as a political weapon got my attention.

Right in the middle of the outrage of sport being the pinnacle of Australian culture and the priceless values our organisations and personnel representing our nation she says Australia could withdraw if her government felt it was politically beneficial to show support to USA and England.

As a foreign minister I would have thought her knowledge would tell her England would never relinquish a World Cup opportunity and as the USA failed to qualify it sees political advantage in destroying a event that will give the world a chance to make up our own minds about about Russia and its people. Obviously it’s beyond her comprehension that this game goes beyond her bubble and millions of Australians and billions around the world young and old wait 4 years for this event and the fate of the game in Australia factors on our performance as some funding is allocated according to our results.

So Julie I would be pretty confident if the Turnbull government or any other political movement choose to use the Wold Cup a a political weapon we the sporting public will respond accordingly at the ballot box and will quickly learn what own goal is all about.

Time for The Soccerroos to hand in their Flop Dolls.

The World Cup in Russia is high on my agenda for 2018, however I am not liking what I am seeing in Australian football at present.The power struggle in the board rooms I believe impacted on Ange Postacoglious decision to leave the national job, which in turn will effect our preparations regardless who is appointed for the campaign in Russia. 

Secondarily I believe it’s now time our Soccerroos to create a Australian style of football that will make the other nations think twice when we run on the park.

Looking at the Aleague we are playing exactly like the European flop dolls and the commentary endorsing yellow cards for petty little knocks is not creating good roll models for our new talent. 

We screamed when Italy flopped and sent us home yet we are now doing exactly the same thing week in week out in the Aleague. We would do well to take a leaf from the Matilda’s book on “Manning Up” when we challenge in attack and defence. 

This idea of being so precious can remain with other codes as with true professionals 3 matches on 11 days is common place and fitness levels are expected to cope.

The positive perspective is all data on the Australian squad will be questionable with the new coach appointment and a change in style is a advantage but the spy’s will be at work once the appointment is confirmed. 

And thirdly to be totally realistic we will struggle if we play the same cards so our new coach must have a shock factor as did Hiddink and create the culture that brings a fear factor to the Soccerroos with skill, determination and passive aggression, not the bozo type but the type that lets the opposition know they are in for a match for 90 minutes. Mental strength and physical strength that will force the opposition to question their own abilities. 

I see some of that in some players in our Aleague today, a trait that was common in past years before we got soft but in really it boils down to the referees booking players for simulation and realising football is a contact sport. 

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