Daily Australian News 2012

[Hamma12]

Unfazed Heskey ready to rumble

FORMER England international Emile Heskey expects to be a marked man when he lines up for the Newcastle Jets – it has been happening all his career.

Heskey is on course to make his much anticipated debut against Adelaide United at Hunter Stadium on Sunday.
The A-League is renowned for its physicality. A hustle and bustle league, featuring big strong defenders.
The striker was one of the star attractions alongside Alessandro Del Piero (Sydney FC) and Shinji Ono (Western Sydney) on hand to help launch the 2012-13 A-League season at Parramatta Stadium yesterday.
Fellow big names Robbie Fowler, Juninho and Harry Kewell all took time to adjust to the robust nature of the A-League.
But Heskey said dealing with defenders trying to assert their authority was nothing new for him.
"I have managed to get through that throughout my career," he said.
"I don't see why I can't do that now."
Heskey made his debut for Leicester City at age 17 and went on to play more than 500 games in the Premier League for the Foxes, Liverpool, Birmingham, Wigan and Aston Villa.
The 34-year-old, who has 64 caps for England and played at two World Cups, is renowned more as a provider than a scorer of goals.
He is yet to discuss his role with Jets coach Gary van Egmond but doubted if that would change.
"That's the way I've grown up playing," he said.
"I've managed to win cups and managed to go to two World Cups, two European championships doing that same thing, so why change now?
"Everyone wants to be a goal scorer but not everyone can be. Everyone thinks they're a goal scorer as well.
"I'll carry on doing that, being a provider.
"Obviously we will sit down and talk about that.
"We have some good young players, plenty of legs around me - it's good."
Heskey, who was joined at the launch by strike partner Ryan Griffiths and coach Gary van Egmond, rushed back to Newcastle for training yesterday afternoon.
It was his third session since arriving on Friday, which included 30 minutes in an intraclub hit-out on Saturday.
"I felt OK," he said.
"Obviously looking at the fitness of the other players, I am a little bit behind.
"It won't take long to get back up to speed."
The striker is still getting used to his teammates and working on combinations but the initial impressions have been good.
"I didn't know much about the actual team players going into the training, but most of them have impressed me," he said.
When asked what he knew about Sunday's opponents, the Reds, he replied: "Nothing," quickly adding, "I know the manager will put on a video soon, that is what I am used to anyway, watching videos of opponents."

[q-money]

status quo
george harrison

[parksey]

grimes

[belchardo]

Football Federation Australia and ABC Radio have announced a partnership which will give the Hyundai A-League 2012/13 Season a significant national radio presence.

Under the new agreement, ABC Radio will cover matches across its many platforms, including ABC Local Radio, ABC Grandstand Digital Radio, the ABC Radio App and online simulcast with the FFA digital platforms.

The partnership will also see greater sharing of content and regular appearances of players and coaches on ABC Radio Grandstand’s football focused programs, including Francis Leach’s Top of the League and the A-League Lounge hosted by Ned Hall and Steve Pearce.

FFA Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications Kyle Patterson has hailed ABC Radio’s commitment to carry Hyundai A-League broadcasts to more fans on more platforms this season

“Over the seven years of the Hyundai A-League, ABC Radio has brought the game alive with great commentary in broadcasts all over Australia,” Patterson said.

“Covering Australian sport is in the DNA of the national broadcaster and it’s natural that football has a strong presence.

“We now have a formal partnership that will bring a nationally co-ordinated approach and open the way to digital simulcasts on ABC and FFA platforms. This is will allow more fans to be part of the exciting A-League season coming up.”

ABC Radio Grandstand Sport Manager Craig Norenbergs is excited to see ABC Radio continue to build its national football footprint.

ABC Grandstand Manager Craig Norenbergs is excited to build closer ties with the A-League and grow ABC Radio’s national football footprint.

“While ABC Radio have been committed to the A-League since day one, the new partnership will, for the first, give listeners great games of football on the radio each week,” Norenbergs said.

“This weekend is a great example with all five games broadcast live somewhere in Australia, kicking off with coverage of the Melbourne derby on Friday night - which will be broadcast nationally on Grandstand digital radio and on the ABC Radio app.”

The agreement will see all Hyundai A-League Clubs covered during the course of the season.

Football Federation Australia and ABC will release weekly schedules throughout the season detailing which matches will be broadcast for each Hyundai A-League Round.

All five matches in this weekend’s opening round will be broadcast by ABC and will be streamed via the Hyundai A-League match centre at www.a-league.com.au.

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/...-ALeague/49574

great news. although i suspect most of this will be on digital stations, as cricket will likely get first preference.

digital is fine when i'm home, but sucks when i'm travelling.

still, great news.

[Thomas477]

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/...-ALeague/49574

great news. although i suspect most of this will be on digital stations, as cricket will likely get first preference.

digital is fine when i'm home, but sucks when i'm travelling.

still, great news.

It is great news but this is someone that should have been happening since the start. But we'll done FFA.

[furns]

ABC Local radio means that hopefully (like NRL and AFL) we can just tune into whatever ABC station is around and still catch the games. Great news for the MDR especially as it gives us live football to listen to on the way home.

[belchardo]

cricket will be the killer though, especially big bash, which basically plays at the same time as our summer matches.

and then we clash with AFL/league during the latter stages of our season.

[furns]

It will still be available on digital platforms, via the HAL app/website, and ABC apps through iOS and Android

[MFKS]

I am not really concerned about the effects other codes may have on our sport. Have a look at what we have done recently.

Announced Gallop on the day NRL announced their TV Deal
Stolen ALF and NRL finals coverage with the ADP Heskey Ono Signings.

You could be forgiven for thinking these things are coincidence but is it possible the FFA and HAL Clubs have organised the timing of these events to have maximum impact for us?? IF ADP Heskey and co had of signed in June/July sure it would have got column inches but signing them when we did has taken exposure from our rivals. Thumbs up for that

It is looking to me that we are starting to take significant shots at our rivals. We aren't necessarily playing or choosing to play second fiddle to our sporting rivals. The gloves are off and we appear to be standing up for ourselves and looking to claim our share of coverage. Long may it continue the front foot approach putting our code in the news at the expense of our rival sports

[Pico]

Stars have aligned, so let the good times roll

Sebastian Hassett

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football...#ixzz28Mnvwcvd



Jets' new star ... Emile Heskey. Photo: Simone De Peak

IN TRUTH, last A-League season was meant to be the most eagerly awaited of all. Harry Kewell had landed at Melbourne Victory, Brett Emerton had signed with Sydney FC and domestic football hadn't seemed this alive since, well, ever.

Twelve months on and that hype seems a little misplaced. If only we'd known what was coming, perhaps we'd have kept the lid on a little tighter.

At the same time, Alessandro Del Piero was at Juventus, Emile Heskey was at Aston Villa and Shinji Ono was at Shimizu S-Pulse. To be fair, it's hard to imagine they thought they knew what was coming, either.

But football is a fluid landscape, one ever-changing, and changing in some places quicker than others. Yet for all the troubles over its short history, the A-League has managed to keep going and - almost from nowhere - develop some serious momentum.
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For a league that threatened to be sucked into a hole of indifference a few years ago, evolution has been swift. No, marquee players will not sustain the A-League forever but they have provided a shot of something the game has craved but never possessed: credibility.

In a single month, the A-League has gone from being a secondary thought to being a major discussion in pubs, clubs, restaurants and bars around the country. Even the doubters don't mock any more. Instead, they ponder. Is Del Piero really capable at 37? Is it true Ono has dodgy knees? Will Heskey score enough goals?

All are legitimate questions. But it's better for them to be asked than ignored. Finally - and perhaps for the first time - attention has focused on what's happening on the field, not off it. A crucial but subtle transition being made.

It shows that a sports-mad country is willing to take a chance on football. Give Australia serious talent - Del Piero, Heskey and Ono qualify - and they'll have a look. Football hasn't fed this beast nearly enough, either through a lack of imagination or bargain-basement policies.

Mistakes of judgment were made and penny-pinching became a byword for boring. Yet when you're still in your infancy and trying to win over the market, flirting with the stale is disastrous. This is entertainment after all, and the A-League is competing not just against AFL, rugby league and cricket but the English Premier League and the Champions League, too.

This season, the A-League will be beamed into more homes than ever before, both here and around the globe. Sydney FC matches will be screened live in Italy.

We already know such short-term fixes are exactly that but this should not be cause for concern. These marquees should serve as a vision of what we can do with home-grown players should we collectively commit to proper development programs and a legitimate pursuit of excellence.

Tactically, the A-League has never looked better - yet all of the league's coaches are locals, or at least began their coaching career in Australia and have lived here for over a decade.

One of those mentors, Ange Postecoglou has left a potential dynasty at Brisbane in the hope of creating another at Melbourne Victory. It is a massive story, yet even that narrative has struggled for traction in recent months - because somehow the league produced bigger, better and bolder tales.

What can Graham Arnold conjure at Central Coast after successive disappointments? Same for Perth, too. Can they find the energy to bounce back? Can Brisbane make it a hat-trick? Was John Kosmina's face-saving at Adelaide only temporary? Is John Aloisi as capable in the dugout as he was from the penalty spot?

We've even got a new club to dissect, too. Western Sydney are a work in progress; only announced on April 4 this year, they will officially spring to life at 7.45pm tomorrow. How will they go first up? Or will Wanderers fans still be talking at kick-off about Del Piero's debut in Wellington?

The Melbourne derby comes tonight. Sydney's turn is in round three. Before that, however, is the round two match between the Sky Blues and Newcastle at Allianz Stadium, Il Pinturicchio's first Australian start. Will records be broken when the fans pack the stands?

Talk about a salivating set of discussion points. Mercifully, the questions are starting to surround players and coaches, not owners and directors. The answers? Well, you'll just have to watch.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football...#ixzz28MnC4odU

The goodwill leading into this season is huge, the media seems to have a lot more interest.

[Pico]

Newcastle Jets coach Gary van Egmond is back and all the wiser after a stint at the AIS
Tom Smithies
The Daily Telegraph
October 05, 2012 12:00AM


Newcastle Jets coach Gary Van Egmond has plenty to prove in 2012/2013. Picture: Sam

A TITLE-WINNING coach wouldn't normally have a lot to prove, but there's a unique set of circumstances about Gary van Egmond on the brink of another season.

At 47, van Egmond is the fourth-youngest coach in the league, but already there has been the title win at the Jets in 2008, the acrimonious exit, the 18 months running the AIS program and then the return to Newcastle and a major subsequent clear-out of personnel.

Add to that the sudden, eve-of-season need to find a fast-track integration of Emile Heskey, and even the coach himself can see that there are really interesting questions to answer.

In his favour is the fact that the self-awareness extends to why he is well placed to answer those questions.

"I've changed dramatically in the years we're talking about," said van Egmond. "I won the league in my first stint here but as a comparison between me then and now it's chalk and cheese, completely different.

"I was lucky to go the AIS and work with Jan Versleijen to do things that most coaches don't have time for - the physical side, football conditioning, how different systems work tactically.

"We studied different teams, what works and why, and I did my pro-licence recently. Over the past two or three years I've got a better confidence about what I'm trying to do and how to explain it in ways that are appropriate for the players."



Newcastle's big signing for the 2012/2013 season - Emile Heskey. Picture: Getty Images Source: The Daily Telegraph

Van Egmond knew he would stand or fall by his choice of players, the accent on youth and mobility, after such a wholesale revamp of the squad, and he knew even before the signing of Heskey that "finals is the minimum aim".

"But there's a long-term project about the club on and off the field, and we've chosen the younger players carefully," he said.

"If we can keep this squad together for two or three years, we'll really reap some benefits."

He's not the only one to think so. Michael Bridges was once a golden child himself, in the English Premier League, so when he says "this is the best set of young kids I've seen come through a system" it's worth noting.

Season preview: Robbie Slater casts his eye over every club in the A-League

"They're a breath of fresh air," added the Jets striker.

"Gary was able to know who the best kids were thanks to his time at the AIS and it shows."

Not, it should also be noted, that he'll give them an inch on the training ground. "I've always been fit as a fiddle but I'm in as good a shape as I ever have been," he said, with evidence for the claim.

"When I came back from England for pre-season I went straight into the (endurance-measuring) Cooper Test, and this 34-year-old beat all the young boys.

"I've shed 5kg, and the whole pre-season has been ball work. We know our game plan, we'll stick together, we won't get bullied off the park."

We'll surprise people, you know. It's exciting."

A combo of Heskey / Bridges looks promising with Taggart pushing both.

[GazFish35]

The goodwill leading into this season is huge, the media seems to have a lot more interest.

NewsLimited are protecting their investment in paytv, and Fairfax simply need content.... That and their pissed that NewsLimited are now being afforded politeness from the FFA.... Politeness that they don't really deserve.

[Disinterested Bystander]

NewsLimited are protecting their investment in paytv, and Fairfax simply need content.... That and their pissed that NewsLimited are now being afforded politeness from the FFA.... Politeness that they don't really deserve.

Gotta love soccer fans - whinge when the sport gets ignored, then when the media finally starts giving the sport the attention it 'deserves' whinge because the media outlets don't deserve the access/info that they're using?!?!

[MFKS]

I wouldn't class that as Soccer fans whinging. The News Limited journalism is a ****ing disgrace across the board and that isn't in reference to how they have/do cover our sport. Journalism with an agenda shoved down peoples throats. Daily Terrograph ain't worth being used as Toilet paper

[Pico]

Its a bit narrow minded to look at News limited as being only the daily terror. People might not like it but the fact is without news support we wouldn't be where we are today. That $120m tv deal was the backbone of ensuring the HAL had time to bed in and it was a leap of faith to go to full live coverage for every game, when ultimately the initial value was only in the socceroo's.

The fact people need to understand is news want something that will sell paper's and create interest because ultimately that makes them money, as they have restructured they appear to be focusing more on their paytv, but the fact remains that they still share all their resources across their newspaper divisions and foxsports.

It also can't be ignored that they actually have something that is attracting interest and selling newspapers in Ono, ADP & Heskey. If I was a content company I'd much rather cover those three then North, Milligan & Thompson.

[GazFish35]

Gotta love soccer fans - whinge when the sport gets ignored, then when the media finally starts giving the sport the attention it 'deserves' whinge because the media outlets don't deserve the access/info that they're using?!?!

Where's the whinge?

[Disinterested Bystander]

Where's the whinge?

News Limited don't 'deserve' politeness? Sounds whingey in a petulant 'you said mean things about us in the past' kind of way to me

[GazFish35]

It was meant in the way that some Fairfax journos have reacted, in that they have been working hard to cover the league fairly for 7 seasons, then with a change of focus from NewsLimited hierarchy some journos who wouldn't know a 6 yrd box from a centre circle are being given access ahead of them. Some might read it a whinge, others a plea for a little respect to those already in the game.

I'm not whining about the extra coverage at all, have a look at some of my earlier posts, I'm enjoying the extra coverage. I'm just surprised at the sudden turn around from the telegraph, and am cynical as to the reasons why.

If its simply about money and protecting their investment then it only really serves to show that NewsLimited as we all know have very little journalistic integrity and all the rags they produce are cover to cover editorial. That's not what I want from a news source. I like to be told how it is, not how the board of a profit driven machine want me to think it is.

[Grunta]

Any story about football is good for the game. Check Alan Jones stats on Tuesday morning after his "died of shame comments. (Lost some sponsors but in this capatalist world new sponsors will come knocking on his door in a couple of months/weeks etc). Look at the other big story "Dog bites man"

[q-money]

doesn't news limited own fox which owns the rights to the a-league and pays the money anyway? wtf are u blokes smoking get with the program