Daily Australian News Thread 2014

[Pico]

Jet Connor Chapman feels tug of Heart

By JAMES GARDINER
May 8, 2014, 5 a.m.

THE shake-up at the Newcastle Jets has begun with promising defender Connor Chapman in talks to join A-League rivals the Melbourne Heart.

Chapman has a year to run on his contract in Newcastle after signing an extension in December but sources indicate that the Jets are willing to release the 19-year-old centre back.

The former Joeys captain was a favourite of previous coach Gary van Egmond but has not been sighted in the top team since round six.

Fairfax Media understands the deal would include an onsell clause in which the Jets would receive a portion, believed to be 20 per cent, of a transfer fee if he moved to a bigger club.

Negotiations began before the appointment of Phil Stubbins but the new coach is understood to have been briefed on the situation.

The Jets are rumoured to be close to signing Sydney FC defender Matt Jurman.

Jets chief executive Robbie Middleby said it was club policy not to comment on player recruitment.

Chapman’s manager,Richie Hinton, declined to comment.

The Heart released defenders Patrick Gerhardt, Sam Mitchinson, David Vrankovic and Jeremy Walker last week, leaving former Socceroo Patrick Kisnorbo and Dutchman Robbie Wielaert as the remaining central defenders.

The Jets do not have an abundance of depth at the back. Dutch international Kew Jaliens and Taylor Regan are contracted, but Josh Mitchell, who started in the final nine games, is yet to re-sign.

Highly rated youth team centre backs Nick Cowburn and Tom Whiteside have attended national team age camps in the past year.

Stubbins, meanwhile, flew to Thailand to finalise his departure from previous club Ayutthaya before travelling to the United Kingdom and is expected back in late May.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/22...-heart/?cs=303

Basically confirms that the whole shambles with management signing players instead of coaches continues. I really am starting to hope that Tinks goes under as quick as possible. This nonsense of releasing Chapman only to sign Jurman on a three year deal, speaks volumes of the complete ineptitude of HSG & the jets management.

[Pico]

Clayton Zane: What I could have done better

By JAMES GARDINER
May 8, 2014, 7:03 a.m.

CLAYTON Zane’s 12-week term in charge of the Jets has strengthened his ambition to be a headcoach, but the former Socceroo admits he has a lot to learn.

Thrown in at the deep end after the dismissal of Gary van Egmond in January, Zane guided the Jets to five wins, five losses and two draws to just miss a place in the A-League finals.

The caretaker role was his first senior appointment, apart from a season at the helm of theJetsW-League side.

He was interviewed for the full-time gig, but was overlooked for Phil Stubbins,whom he will now assist.

‘‘For me the biggest thing I take out of it is knowing that I am capable of one day exploring the option of putting my hat back in the ring,’’ he said.

‘‘You need the experience to know that you are capable of doing it. Knowing people can believe in you.

‘‘It all happened so quick. Now I have had time to go away and reflect, think about what I did OK and what I could have done better.

‘‘It is not like they have brought in another young coach who doesn’t have experience.

‘‘Phil has been on their radar for sometime. They spoke very highly of him when he missed out on the job to Gary in 2011.’’

Zane met with Stubbins on Monday and again yesterday to start planning for next season, where the Jets will be aiming to end a four season finals drought.

‘‘He seems a very good communicator.He is very calm, a deep thinker, but I can see an intense side as well. Once he steps over the white line he will really drive the group on.’’

Zane said Stubbins had come through the Australian Institute of Sport ‘‘like Gary’’.

‘‘Coaches that come out of theAIS have a really clear direction of where they want to go.

‘‘Phil will be the same, he will have his own ideas, which will be different to Gary.

‘‘I need to be around someone different. I had a couple of good years under Gary and Deansy.’’

Zane said it would be good to hear a fresh voice.

‘‘I have never done the assistant role,’’ Zane said.

‘‘I bypassed a huge part of it. ‘‘There are a lot of details to look after.You are almost mopping up anything the first team coach misses – taking care of the little details and making sure nothing is missed.

‘‘I’m really looking forward to having a crack at that.’’

Both Stubbins and Zane are headed to the United Kingdom in the next week.

Zane, whose father-in-law is vice president at Chelsea FC, will mix business with pleasure.

‘‘The trip is mainly to visit family,’’ said Zane, whose wife gave birth to their second child two months ago .

‘‘I’m going to the FACup final and an England match, and will also catch up with some people I had made contact with depending on which way the role went.

‘‘Phil is heading over as well and has some players and contacts he is meeting.

‘‘The plan is to get together at some point.’’

Meanwhile, tickets for the Asian Cup, in which Hunter Stadium will host four games including a semifinal, went on sale to the football family yesterday.

Venue packs, which offer big discounts to fans watching all matches in one host city, are now available.

Individual tickets start from $5 for kids and $15 for adults and go on sale to the football family on May 27 and to the public on June 2.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/22...-better/?cs=12

It's interesting who would have the greater OS contacts, Stubbins or Zane, one things for sure though I doubt the club has any contacts of their own, other then listening to snake oil agents.

[Pico]

Melbourne derby to open season 10, while A-League will break for the 2015 Asian Cup in January

Matt Windley
Herald Sun
May 07, 2014 10:00PM


THE Manchester City revolution at Melbourne Heart will start with a bang when the club clashes with cross-town rival Melbourne Victory in Round 1 next season.

The Herald Sun can also *reveal the A-League is almost certain to go into recess during January’s Asian Cup, to be played in Australia.

It is due in part to the 16-*nation tournament that the most-anticipated Melbourne derby in A-League history will be played at Etihad Stadium on the opening weekend of season 10.

Heart - which is expected to be rebranded Melbourne City, in the coming months - and Victory have met in Round 1 in the past two *seasons.

Played in front of a crowd of before 45,202 at Docklands, last October’s game, in particular, was criticised as dour affair and questions were raised about why the first meeting between the clubs was not delayed a few weeks in order to allow the teams to shake off early-season rust.

But it is Victory’s turn to host two of the three derbies next season and if it wants to play those games at the larger capacity Etihad Stadium — rather than AAMI Park — it must get one out of the way immediately.

The club is again expected to play about five home games at Etihad Stadium and most, if not all, of those must be played early in the season because of the stadium’s Big Bash cricket and AFL commitments.

Football Federation Australia is also understood to be in favour of scheduling as many blockbusters matches as possible in the opening rounds of the season so as to maximise attendances and TV ratings.

Like last season, the 2014-15 campaign is expected to kick off straight after the AFL and NRL grand finals.

In the latest draft of the *fixture, not due to be released until mid-year, the season’s first game is to be played on Friday, October 10.

FFA had been entertaining the idea of considering playing A-League games during the Asian Cup, which will be played in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle from January 9-31.

A-League boss Damien De Bohun had floated the prospect of games being staged elsewhere throughoutin Asia, as well as in Australian markets where Asian Cup games will not be held.

To fit the 27-round season plus finals into the October-May window used last season, it is expected that clubs will play several midweek games. December is likely to be the busiest period.

Good to see they have decided to break for the Asian Cup, But I'm not sure on this midweek stuff, failed in the past why would we not just shift the start of the season back one month to September. The other codes will be in their finals so its not like their will be a huge amount of games on & pitches couldn't be any worse then they are in April.

[plague]

why would we not just shift the start of the season back one month to September. The other codes will be in their finals so its not like their will be a huge amount of games on & pitches couldn't be any worse then they are in April.

I think you'll find that NRL and AFL still have SFS, ETIHAD, Olympic, Hunter, Suncorp and AAMI stadium tentatively booked all September in order to make sure all outcomes of their finals are manageable.
Double-Eff-Aye won't be able to lock in any games this far out to release their draw.
Only options are midweek games or run the comp later into May.

[Premy]

I think midweek games are brilliant, I also feel this is a massive opportunity for FFA.
Lets face it looking to the future midweek games are going to be more and more common, with the FFA Cup and AFC games being midweek the FFA needs to change the culture on midweek games. I would suggest cheap entry or even free entry to midweek games and the FFA need to throw a lot of money into advertising these fixtures. Wouldn't hurt to have a derby or 2 in the midweek fixtures to create interest too.

[q-money]

midweek derby would be a disaster for both clubs here, interest is waning enough as it is

leave it to melbourne/sydney markets i reckon

[Thomas477]

Basically confirms that the whole shambles with management signing players instead of coaches continues. I really am starting to hope that Tinks goes under as quick as possible. This nonsense of releasing Chapman only to sign Jurman on a three year deal, speaks volumes of the complete ineptitude of HSG & the jets management.

Nah, it's all Palmer and Tinkler's fault!!! Our management just sits in their offices all day and play football management.

Bring back Con and John T, at least they gave a shit.

[Premy]

leave it to melbourne/sydney markets i reckon

Agree, the metro markets would be the best option for midweek games.

It maybe inevitable that we have to host at least one midweek fixture just not sure who would be best to host for that game. I just think FFA need to be clever with the midweek fixtures with who and where.

Successful midweek Fixtures would be
-Melbourne Derby
-Sydney Derby
-Adelaide V Victory @ Ammi park
-CCM V SFC @ North Sydney oval
-Wellington @ Auckland

[hausmann]

I think the A-League should always take a recess in January. I would like at least part of the summer to be free of football so I can just go on holidays or the beach or something.

Imagine an apertura clausura system where the team at the top of the league prior to Christmas gets some kind of reward, like a seeded spot in the finals. it would make the teams try harder at the start of the season instead of waiting until the final 5 rounds to start playing their best football.

This may be the only chance to push for it because I doubt the FFA are innovative enough to consider it.

[Grimario]

I think the A-League should always take a recess in January. I would like at least part of the summer to be free of football so I can just go on holidays or the beach or something.

Imagine an apertura clausura system where the team at the top of the league prior to Christmas gets some kind of reward, like a seeded spot in the finals. it would make the teams try harder at the start of the season instead of waiting until the final 5 rounds to start playing their best football.

This may be the only chance to push for it because I doubt the FFA are innovative enough to consider it.

So, kind of like the Dutch 2nd div that has its season broken up into stages. Winner of first half goes into promotion playoffs regardless of overall or second half finish.

[plague]

I would like at least part of the summer to be free of football so I can just go on holidays or the beach or something.

Errrrrrrr, you know you are allowed to do that stuff anyway.

[hausmann]

So, kind of like the Dutch 2nd div that has its season broken up into stages. Winner of first half goes into promotion playoffs regardless of overall or second half finish.

Yeah maybe. Or maybe they only get seeded if they actually make the finals. I haven't considered it too much, other than giving the players an incentive to play well before the break. Just don't want to think about the stinkin jets when I'm on holidays or miss too many games in my season ticket. It seems like January being framed as the balmy time for 20/20 cricket, not real sport, just entertainment. I say, give them January, because hot weather isn't conducive to good football.

Speaking of season tickets, I'm pretty sure that they said that Hunter Stadium would be unavailable prior to the Asian Cup. I wonder what that means for Jets games. Hopefully it will all be sorted before we are asked to renew our season tickets.

[hausmann]

Errrrrrrr, you know you are allowed to do that stuff anyway.

Yeah, I'm allowed to, but I always miss at least a couple of games in that time period so it doesn't help with the value of a season ticket.

Generally, culture is meant to fit in with the flow of life, not be opposed to it. Football of all sorts seems to want to encroach on all available leisure time, scheduling matches for public holidays etc. There is little sensitivity shown for the surrounding culture. That is part of the reason why it struggles to break into the mainstream while hit and giggle 20/20 is well patronised. People struggle with enthusiasm in summer and just want their entertainment given to them on a platter.

Football has been put into a summer schedule to avoid competing with Rugby League and AFL directly. It is not a natural fit. Football players perform better in colder weather. The Jets ALWAYS play shit after Christmas. I haven't seen a season where they haven't. Just give the players a couple of weeks off with their families and a couple of weeks to build their fitness back up and then get back into it.

For all these reasons I think it is at least worth investigating.

[Rocky]

Unsure if anyones noticed, GA to the smurfs is now official. We pass on him then within a week he's taken by Sydney FC of all teams? Fvck this is a dodgy show.

[plague]

Unsure if anyones noticed, GA to the smurfs is now official. We pass on him then within a week he's taken by Sydney FC of all teams? Fvck this is a dodgy show.

I don't think we 'passed' on him.
I'd say his camp came back with the amount SFC was offering in the hope we matched it, we poo'ed our pants then tried to save face.

[Grimario]

Unsure if anyones noticed, GA to the smurfs is now official. We pass on him then within a week he's taken by Sydney FC of all teams? Fvck this is a dodgy show.

Speculated at 750k with us, reported as 1.8m with SFC. Even before their official amount was announced, it was reported that the SFC offer was MORE than what we were offering and what NZ was offering combined.

[Pico]

I don't think we 'passed' on him.
I'd say his camp came back with the amount SFC was offering in the hope we matched it, we poo'ed our pants then tried to save face.

By most likely appointing our third choice option in stubbins, had Lee Clark's club been relegated I think we would have tried to go for him but with them avoiding relegation it would not surprise me if we had to go for the backup plan.

[joel31]

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/...r-Victory-deal
Now Finkler is out of the question

[Thomas477]

KUTGW Middleby.

[Blackmac79]

This season is going to be shit.