The Australian Under 16 team has once again failed in their efforts to gain qualification to the FIFA World Cup Under 17 competition. The Joey's were knocked out of the AFC Under 16 Championship last night in the quarter finals after a late goal to the United Arab Emirates saw them lose 3 – 2.

It's disappointing to once again see our youngest national team fail to make it out of the continental tournament and onto the world stage. Click to continue reading...

For Melbourne, Hernandez is again available for selection. It will be interesting to see if Hernandez comes straight back into the team, which will probably be the case, and if so, who will be the unlucky midfielder that will be dropped from the team that destroyed Perth. Bredner and Pondeljak are likely candidates for [. Click to continue reading...

The head of the English FA, David Triesman, has warned that at least one major EPL club may fail (The Australian 9/10/8 page 14). Football is a massive business and is tied into the global economy. Football's growth and deviation from its long term norm as a capital negative business has reflected two decades of carbon priming and China's realisation that capitalism and totalitarianism can co-exist. Click to continue reading...

The Australian striker is 32, has been injured since May at least and with his latest injury scare he's looking at sitting out for the rest of the season. The last thing Newcastle need at this point is an old, overweight, over-the-hill striker collecting a paycheck while sitting at home in Australia. Click to continue reading...

The FFA's head of refereeing, Mario Van der Ende, another Dutchman, has recommended that a European ref is brought in for key A-League matches. The FFA is considering the idea. It is a direct response to the retirement of Asia's top ref Mark Shield. Shield's last game is in his home town of Brisbane, Roar v Adelaide next Friday. Click to continue reading...

Predicted formation and line-up: We will probably see the usual 4-2-3-1. Wilkshire and Chipperfield will be the full-backs. The main question is whether Moore will come in for Coyne. Coyne hasn't been first-choice for his club which will count against him. Meanwhile, Moore has been playing regularly and has been in good form for the [. Click to continue reading...

Result: 3-0 Attendance: 16,998 (Record attendance for Adelaide United. Congratulations!) Crowded House: Watching on TV, the atmosphere at the packed out ground looked amazing. For the 90 minutes, the drums thundered and the fan sang. It was electric. The other codes can only dream of international nights like this. Click to continue reading...

Whoooooooooo.

Tonight we can say Adelaide could be the best team in Asia. They beat a team worth maybe 6 times as much, full of well capped internationals. In the second half Adelaide was too good.

They still have to not concede in the away leg. But the A-League has come of age. Click to continue reading...

Pim's comments on Nicky Carle playing better in the A-League because he got better passing service are interesting in the context of players better off on the bench in Continental Europe than the A-League. Actually, I think he now likes the A-League better than he did. He has more faith in more players. Click to continue reading...

Tomorrow marks the biggest night in the short history of the Adelaide United Football Club when they meet FC Bunyodkor at home in the AFC Champions League semi final. With not only a place in the final of the Champions League on the line but potentially a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup up for grabs as well, a good performance at home is mandatory. Click to continue reading...

The International Court for Arbitration in Sport, according to the Courier Mail (1/10/8 page 94), has ruled that the Iraqi Football Association 'was one day late paying an appeal fee to football's governing body FIFA... It banned Emerson' (who he played for Brazil's u20s before playing for Qatar), 'but cleared Qatar of any wrongdoing. Click to continue reading...

When you watch a lot of games at different levels of expertise your perceptions of a sport changes. People play football for different reasons. The older you get, the more it is about recapturing or even rectifying your youth. Righting real or imagined wrongs or taking otherwise missed opportunities. Click to continue reading...

Result: 3-3 Attendance: 9024 Man of the Match: This was very hard to pick since a lot of players had an up-and-down game. Captain reliable Travis Dodd was consistently dangerous throughout the night, running very direct at defenders which caused the Mariners all sorts of problems. He capped his game with a penalty. Click to continue reading...

Thomas Rooney - Freelance Sports Journalist After winning promotion to the Premier League last season, the majority of football odds were condemning Hull City for relegation even before the new campaign got underway. However, after six games they find themselves in 6th position after recording a famous victory over Arsenal last weekend. Click to continue reading...

This game left Cristiano and Matt Simon both at the top of the A-League goal count on 5. But it is Simon who is the real find and should be in the Socceroos. Every time he gets the ball he looks like he can create opportunities for his team. As stated before, his physique hints at what may be possible for football in Australia if more young people with an AFL body-type could be tempted into the sport. Click to continue reading...

Like him or loath him, there is no doubt that Miron Bleiberg is a personality and I welcome his return to the A-League, if nothing than just for entertainment value. To be honest, we don't have many personalities when it comes to the managers. Hopefully Bleiberg can spice things up a bit. He reminds me [. Click to continue reading...

It's pretty hard to disagree with any of the A-League players selected by Pim as form was evidently the determining factor in selection. Shannon Cole continues his meteoric rise in Australian football and his ability to hit the ball with both feet is something few other players in the squad have. In him and [. Click to continue reading...

As the Senate gets ready to vote on a new bill to stave off economic disaster, and Sarah prepares (feverishly) to debate, and George Will joins the ranks of those who see her as unqualified to serve ... and some (unfortunately) find themselves feeling sorry for the lipsticked pitbull ... my thoughts turn (feverishly) to [. Click to continue reading...

Football Australia kindly sent me the Socceroo squad before it was announced. Unfortunately, I didn't get to read it till I got home, after it was announced.

So I could see Moore was in. For a while I have thought that 'Moore for the Socceroos' was all about contract negotiation - which is currently under way for him. Click to continue reading...

So Frank Farina didn't want Pim Verbeek to select Craig Moore unless he is going to start him against Qatar. News Flash Frank....You are not the National Manager anymore !

The good news is that Verbeek has ignored the request and selected a squad that is best for him not the players or A-league club. Click to continue reading...

News yesterday that 32-year-old Mark Viduka will fly out to Australia in an attempt to fix the Achilles problem he's been suffering from most of this year. Mark Viduka - hopes to get fit in Australia Mark has been continually injured in his time at Newcastle United, and has started only 21 games with 7 substitute [. Click to continue reading...

In my previous match reports, I have been very critical of Jedinak. I argued that I didn't think he had much of a future in the national team. I've only recently started to watch him week to week  (and yes, paying for Foxtel is a pain and a drain) and now I understand why [...] Click to continue reading...

Can't help but let out a little cheer for the National Youth League which kicked off on the weekend. Australia has been missing this development stage now for a few years and it is fantastic to once again see a national comp for future Socceroos and A-League players.

Of course this first year is going to be pretty low key and I am not sure what the crowds are going to be like but the point is that we will now have year round competition for our up and coming youth. Click to continue reading...

Yesterday's team selection against York underlined Boro's lack of depth at the back. With Luke Oliver missing after picking up a knock against Grays, Graham Westley opted to play Michael Bostwick alongside Ronnie Henry in defence. Instead of moving Albrighton to centre half and bringing in Anaclet, Westley unsettled both the midfield and defence and paid [. Click to continue reading...

Player of the Week Adrian Caceres has become a real live-wire in the centre of the Mariners attack. With a goal and an assist (although there was shocking marking and positioning by Perth defenders for both goals), he provided a real classy edge in a dominant Mariners performance. When I did the preview for the [. Click to continue reading...

In my previous match reports, I have been very critical of Jedinak. I argued that I didn't think he had much of a future in the national team. I've only recently started to watch him week to week  (and yes, paying for Foxtel is a pain and a drain) and now I understand why [...] Click to continue reading...

Last weekend's string of unpredictable results in the English Premier League has been mirrored in Australia proving the A-League remains as competitive as ever.

While Hull City were shocking Arsenal and Wigan upsetting big spending Manchester City, closer to home joint league leaders Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory both lost matches they were widely anticipated to win. Click to continue reading...

This is strange. I heard he was half Indonesian. If he is half Brazilian it would explain why some insist on callng him Serginho. Anyway, maybe his left foot is Dutch, his head Brazilian and his right foot Indonesian. Click to continue reading...

The Roar's next home game is 17 Oct against Adelaide. This is 2 days after the Socceroos play Qatar at Lang Park (if that game goes ahead - International court decision due just before it). A day or two later Adelaide have to go to Uzbekistan for the Asian Champions semi.

Adelaide want the date changed. Click to continue reading...

Why can't the Roar play like this at home?

And, the A-League evens up again.

If the Roar had strikers who can score they should have got 7. At the other end Reddy only made one save. The Roar were almost completely dominant except for the final kick.I counted at least 5 serious fouls that were play on and they were all in the first half when no cards were given. Click to continue reading...

Every journo in the country wants Craig Moore back in the Socceroos.

Every player says we need Moore. We don't, and I don't want him nor his thuggish style.

Craig Moore has played and achieved great things for Rangers and the Socceroos. But he came back to Australia younger than many. Click to continue reading...

Don't worry I'll be writting more on this one. Domination pays off for Roar. But only after the subs come on. Mini and Zu score, or mini-max and mini-mini. Told you Tahj had the goods. When does he get to start?

Anyone want to make a comment about the quality of the refing? Hernandez perhaps? Click to continue reading...

Newcastle dropped their marquee Zora for this match (all the way out). Then lost Adam and Joel Griffiths to hamstring injuries, Joel's looks bad. I don't see why Joel isn't the lone striker. Anyway it is academic as he looks like he'll be out for 4 or so weeks. Disappointing foreign purchase Hakansson was the last subbed - coach looked cheezed. Click to continue reading...

After thoroughly enjoying the AFC Champions league match between Adelaide and Kashima on Wednesday it got me thinking, where is my "FoxSports Football" channel.

Late last year a lot of rumours were circulating that FoxSports was set to launch a dedicated Football channel. The channel was rumoured to have a much more expanded coverage of Football across the globe including :

1.

Click to continue reading...

Here. Could be a big attraction. Click to continue reading...