Daily Australian News Thread

[anfield]

The gulf has changed things, but that may only be a short term thing like China was. The money isn?t in China the same way it was 15 years ago. Their economy is in much worse shape. Japan and the MLS are competitors, but they were also there 10 years.

Some of the foreigners at the moment are very good, but they don?t have the same crowd pulling power that those 3 did back in the day. Just a quick look at transfermarket shows players like De Gea, Mata, Lingard (I?m a Man U fan :shrug: ), Sakho, Douglas Costa, Chicharito, Carlos Vela are all free agents. I know it wouldn?t be easy, but it?s the only short term solution to crowd numbers I can see. I don?t know what else the APL can do except charge Townsend with malicious mismanagement, but that ain?t happening.

Some interesting points, I agree we need someone next level to add interest. Please no ex Man United players, apart from being a Liverpool fan the club is a shadow off the one of the one in Ferguson's time. The players coming out of United aren't of the calibre required apart from Mata. I think he would be a good signing, he is quality.

I really think Germain is top quality and his talent is underestimated. It's a shame he is at Macarthur, he needed to be at one of the big clubs.

Channel 9 and channel 7 are also giving the A League no airtime on the news. They haven't done it for years. It's funny how channel 7 jumped on the Matildas bandwagon during the World cup, but aren't interested in football at any other time.

The Big Bash is major competition. But that league is facing similar challenges to tge A League. The leagues in UAE and South Africa have blown the league the big Bash out of the water and are taking all the better players.

[Jim]

This is something I have been thinking about - what happened to the thrill of the matchday - the passion and spontaneity are missing at the moment. And alot of the whole experience has become sanitised, especially the TV coverage.

As for matchday, you can see what they are trying to do, but instead of supplementing the good things (especially active support), they appear to be trying to create a "sports entertainment" package. The whole experience is "sanitised". The active group trying valiantly are never mentioned at the ground, we get kickoff countdowns and choreographed chanting which I abhor. Remember the "stand up in the 87th minute if you love the Jets"? And the daft idea that never eventuated of playing chants and music during goal kicks as they were "quiet periods".

I get it that we are in changing times, and sport is now business, but alot of the emotion is gone - add in overbearing security, mid strength alcohol and bloody VAR/refereeing which has noticeably killed off celebrating a goal (not all APL fault of course). This is happening overseas as well but the football "culture" is much stronger there, and there is sensible balance.

30 deg + is enough for no shows now. Slows the play, gives cancer to the crowd. A fat kent, 80% of newy & myself included, cant enjoy the footy now.
Add the VAR with the easily influenced spineless refs kills it more.
VAR can keep studying the footage until they find an incident which helps their favoured result.
Wonder how Paramount figures look?

[belchardo]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-...ason/103396332

It always annoys me when I agree with Arnold.

[Jetmaster]

VAR can of worms opened.....let the appeals begin.....

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/...nk-match-repla

[belchardo]

Unbelievable. Let's not bother with playing the game anymore - just broadcast a single courtroom with two teams of lawyers wearing the team strips arguing about a hypothetical goal.

[belchardo]

VAR can of worms opened.....let the appeals begin.....

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/...nk-match-repla

mind you, let's go back to 2018 grand final and get that one replayed.

[Bremsstrahlung]

mind you, let's go back to 2018 grand final and get that one replayed.

Maybe we can keep that one up our sleeve until we get a squad capable of beating Victory….

[belchardo]

Maybe we can keep that one up our sleeve until we get a squad capable of beating Victory….

Geez mate, none of us are young enough for that.

[belchardo]

https://www.theguardian.com/football...der-ifab-plans

I'm all for cracking down on dissent and professional fouls, but this is some dumb thinking. Just advance the free-kick 5-10m everytime the whinge or do a professional foul!

[Jetmaster]

Most people have picked up on the theory that teams will just waste time and park the bus until the 10 mins is up. All of these changes complicate things.

[Thomas477]

FIFA and IFAB will do anything but address the problem.

There are already rules to deal with dissent and “professional” fouls. Refs just need to start enforcing the laws stricter.

[Jetmaster]

Would be much easier to have a 3 metre excusion zone around the ref, straight red for any cynical foul, instant yellow for blatant time wasting, fixed.

[My2BobsWorth]

The brains trust haven't introduced a single rule that makes the game better, keep it simple, black and white. Instead of a blue card, just make a yellow card include 10 mins in the bin, but not 2 yellows equal a red

[plague]

Can't wait till they bring in a beige card for fouls that are worse than a yellow but not quite a blue. Maybe 5 mins in the bin and a lecture from a registered counsellor.

Worse thing football ever did was encourage Americans to get involved.

Stupid people.
Stupid country.

Locally they have put a massive focus on punishing any dissent from players and coaches this year. Can't wait to see all the nervous 1st year's throwing cheese to the first cranky dad coach who mouths off on the sideline.

Legit NNSW want the kids throwing reds for even the slightest inference that their integrity has been challenged.

So many lads in the local thread gonna be wearing their keyboards out having a sook every Monday morning.

Keen for all of it.

[Jetmaster]

Last 30 years (11 law changes plus tweaks to handball etc)

Previous 30 years (two changes, the card system and slight change to offside).

All since 1992 coincide with rise of TV coverage, online betting, 1994 WC and EPL. I don't know the rules anymore and the changes are accelerating.

[Bremsstrahlung]

FIFA and IFAB will do anything but address the problem.

There are already rules to deal with dissent and “professional” fouls. Refs just need to start enforcing the laws stricter.

Came to say this.
Enforce the rules that already exist. Yellows for dissent. Yellows for time wasting.

I get the dissent thing. We seem to be one of the only sports that there’s zero respect for officials.
It amazes me the respect in which NRL and Rugby and AFL address their officials (questionable off field respect though). But this ain’t the way to fix it. Stick with yellows.

I fear they are changing things too much. Trying to artificially manufacture something.
I could see the need/push for VAR - there’s so much $$$$$ in the sport these days. Stakeholders can’t have millions/billions of dollars decided by an individuals opinion. I still think there’s potential for it to work.

Meanwhile, in the a league, we still haven’t figured out how handy a goal line camera would be…
But sure, fill the ref’s pockets with another card.

[FTBLNEW]

Can't wait till they bring in a beige card for fouls that are worse than a yellow but not quite a blue. Maybe 5 mins in the bin and a lecture from a registered counsellor.

Worse thing football ever did was encourage Americans to get involved.

Stupid people.
Stupid country.

Locally they have put a massive focus on punishing any dissent from players and coaches this year. Can't wait to see all the nervous 1st year's throwing cheese to the first cranky dad coach who mouths off on the sideline.

Legit NNSW want the kids throwing reds for even the slightest inference that their integrity has been challenged.

So many lads in the local thread gonna be wearing their keyboards out having a sook every Monday morning.

Keen for all of it.

They already do it in Sydney in the youth league, it's no big deal, don't swear and abuse the ref and you won't get sent off, also there isn't any time wasting, just like getting a red the other team wants to play that advantage so you bet the game does not just stop dead.

Won't hurt them to learn some proper communication skills instead of "I'll bash ya brah".

If parents, spectators and players stopped kicking the crap out of referees (literally sometimes) and they actually punish players that are shown to behave badly on TV (Like putting their hands around another players neck), and it filtered down it wouldn't be accepted, then the younger ref's would actually know what's appropriate to enforce instead of often guessing and being pressured by the sideline to make decisions.

If we stopped coaches thinking its ok to abuse young people under 18 and actually had them removed from the game, wouldn't the world just be a better place.

The only way for it to change is to start at the top level of the game, if you are being paid $$$$ to play football then the expectation is that your behaviour should align with that responsibility. If you can't manage to do that, maybe go work a trade or something where no ones really looking at you.

[Bremsstrahlung]

I realise Plague is being hyperbolic with some aspects, but I don’t agree that referees should be totally exempt from criticism or questioning. That exacerbates the problem. But it is how you go about having that discussion. If you slam the ball down, get up swearing at the referee - dissent.


I would prefer to see a model, where the captain is allowed to engage with the referee to discuss decisions or game matters respectfully. Captains should be mature enough to have a civilised discussion.


Good referees are able to have those conversations, and are able to admit that they could be wrong, but made their decision based on what they saw and how they interpreted the situation. I’ve had many of those conversations over the years from both sides. “From my viewpoint, it looked like a foul, maybe you had a different angle and opinion on it, but I can only call what myself and my assistant see.” Is usually enough to diffuse a situation and all that should be required of the referee. Acknowledge the query, explain your decision if engaged respectfully and in my experience, both parties can move on. Agree to disagree.

Of course, we can go with the “referees shouldn’t have to explain their decision” path that many assessors and instructors taught years ago, but in my experience, it just creates a more hostile environment. Any obviously, not every situation needs an explanation.

It should be part of a coaches training for various licenses to do a basic referees course and to be educated as to how their behaviour can affect younger players they are coaching and also their interactions with referees. Nothing is more infuriating than a coach that doesn’t know the rules. I had coaches blowing up after their player hit the post with a penalty and followed up to convert, and I disallowed it because it never touched another player.


Obviously a big part of this is passion. We love this game. We are passionate and that’s one of the best things about football. It doesn’t help when we see Klopp and co going crazy at officials on game day, or players crowding the refereee (this seems to have improved a little). You see your superstars do it, you replicate them, just like they do with skills and styles.

[Thomas477]

I realise Plague is being hyperbolic with some aspects, but I don?t agree that referees should be totally exempt from criticism or questioning. That exacerbates the problem. But it is how you go about having that discussion. If you slam the ball down, get up swearing at the referee - dissent.


I would prefer to see a model, where the captain is allowed to engage with the referee to discuss decisions or game matters respectfully. Captains should be mature enough to have a civilised discussion.


Good referees are able to have those conversations, and are able to admit that they could be wrong, but made their decision based on what they saw and how they interpreted the situation. I?ve had many of those conversations over the years from both sides. ?From my viewpoint, it looked like a foul, maybe you had a different angle and opinion on it, but I can only call what myself and my assistant see.? Is usually enough to diffuse a situation and all that should be required of the referee. Acknowledge the query, explain your decision if engaged respectfully and in my experience, both parties can move on. Agree to disagree.

Of course, we can go with the ?referees shouldn?t have to explain their decision? path that many assessors and instructors taught years ago, but in my experience, it just creates a more hostile environment. Any obviously, not every situation needs an explanation.

It should be part of a coaches training for various licenses to do a basic referees course and to be educated as to how their behaviour can affect younger players they are coaching and also their interactions with referees. Nothing is more infuriating than a coach that doesn?t know the rules. I had coaches blowing up after their player hit the post with a penalty and followed up to convert, and I disallowed it because it never touched another player.


Obviously a big part of this is passion. We love this game. We are passionate and that?s one of the best things about football. It doesn?t help when we see Klopp and co going crazy at officials on game day, or players crowding the refereee (this seems to have improved a little). You see your superstars do it, you replicate them, just like they do with skills and styles.

The last paragraph is exactly the point I was aiming at. The way players carry on at international level and all professional leagues is embarrassing. But ours is a game that?s played from young kids up. The simplest way is don?t question the referee at all. What are you actually going to achieve? Nothing, and players don?t know how to do so. The constant abuse and dissent is the main reason a lot of refs give it up. It?s why I did. But fifa will do anything but tell their refs to enforce the laws as written. Someone questions a referees decision? That?s dissent. Players crowding referees after decisions? Caution each of those ****ers. After a few players are sent off, they?ll get the hint. The other thing is why are players immune from criticism for trying to deceive refs and “buy” fouls?

I?ve had everything from parents coming onto the field to abuse me after I gave a throw in in a dead rubber last match of the season, to sending a 14yo off for constant dissent, to being abused as a clubbie. The whole sport needs to learn to shut the **** up and learn to behave. Passion isn?t an excuse to behave poorly, and that starts at the top.

[My2BobsWorth]

It's not just a soccer problem Thomas, I've seen abusive fathers dragged from netball courts by other fathers and told to fuk off. It's a society problem and an ad campaign by the Gov to shame the dickheads may help