Pim's slap in the face for the A-League

[Wedgie]

"If you train for three weeks with Nuremberg or with Karlsruhe, I have to be very honest, I still think that's better than playing A-League games," Verbeek said.

"I saw the important (A-League) games last weekend and you can see players under pressure that they didn't bring the same performance that I have seen before, so they are still not very consistent at the moment.

[Dogwatcher]

Point being?

[Dirko]

I read that on 4-4-2 and though about posting a link and snipet.

Nothing really out of the ordinary with that.

German Bundesliga compared to A-League is chalk and cheese.

I love my A-League and think it's a good comp, but no where, as good as the halcyon days
of the NSL.
When Pim came out he was critical of the A-League, and good on him for standing up and having the
balls to say so instead of being a yes man.

I'd rather have the Euro players come and win a game, when it's World Cup qualification up for grabs.

As I type this and glance up at my Aloisi signed photo montage & shirt, he'd be the only walk in starter
from the A-League.....

[Wedgie]

He's basically said he wont play A-League players even in easy qualifiers, ie Qatar as they're not up to standard.

Bit different from the 90s when quite a few NSL players could make the Soceroos strongest side, A-League players can't even make the 2nd or 3rd strongest side now. Shame for someone like John Aloisi, would have been a walkup if playing in a decent league.

[Dirko]

Wedgie, Aloisi will play, even if from the bench.
IMO I'd have McDonald who has had a great year for Celtic up front with Kennedy as his height
would trouble the Qatari's.
He's named a 38 (?) man squad, basically half overseas/half from here.
He has said the O/S players are available, which includes Kewell, Cahill, Bresciano, Neill & Culina.
No Viduka

[Dirko]

My side for the qualifier (4-4-2 formation)

Kennedy,McDonald

Bresciano, Kewell, Cahill, Culina

Beauchamp, Neill, Grella, Emerton

Schwarzer

Bench from; Aloisi, Carle, Twaite, Carney, Covic

[JK]

He's basically said he wont play A-League players even in easy qualifiers, ie Qatar as they're not up to standard.

Bit different from the 90s when quite a few NSL players could make the Soceroos strongest side, A-League players can't even make the 2nd or 3rd strongest side now. Shame for someone like John Aloisi, would have been a walkup if playing in a decent league.

Big difference is the better players here in the NSL days couldn't get much of a gig overseas (not all obviously) ... I would have thought there would be more, and also better quality, Aussie players abroad now.

[Dogwatcher]

I agree CP.
It's no surprise the standard is different to the NSL days.
How many Aussies were OS at the time? Not many.
Pim is correct.
While the standard isn't the same (how could it be?), the passion isn't any less for MOST football supporters in this country.

[Wedgie]

He's basically said he wont play A-League players even in easy qualifiers, ie Qatar as they're not up to standard.

Bit different from the 90s when quite a few NSL players could make the Soceroos strongest side, A-League players can't even make the 2nd or 3rd strongest side now. Shame for someone like John Aloisi, would have been a walkup if playing in a decent league.

Big difference is the better players here in the NSL days couldn't get much of a gig overseas (not all obviously) ... I would have thought there would be more, and also better quality, Aussie players abroad now.

Dunno about quality, but yes quantity. Ironic that we had better players sticking in Australia playing in a semi-professional comp when we now have a professional comp with all decent players going OS.
Not only that but look at the players that we recruited from OS to play in the NSL like Dixie Deans who played for Scotland and Milan Ivanivic who came from Red Star (I think?). Most of the OS players we recruit to play here are only here for a month and most of them are hacks or 40 year olds.

[Wedgie]

How many Aussies were OS at the time? Not many.

Disagreed, there were dozens and dozens, if not hundreds.

Laziridis, Veart, Mori, the Vidmars, Aloisi, Viduka, Moore, Schwarzer, Boznic, Cahill, Kewell, Milicic, Zelic and Kalic spring to mind immediately, in fact one of the reasons the A-League was created was to "help clubs retain more of Australia's better players and prevent youngsters leaving for European contracts."

Think you're off the mark by a long way there DW.

[Dirko]

How many Aussies were OS at the time? Not many.

Disagreed, there were dozens and dozens, if not hundreds.

Laziridis, Veart, Mori, the Vidmars, Aloisi, Viduka, Moore, Schwarzer, Boznic, Cahill, Kewell, Milicic, Zelic and Kalic spring to mind immediately, in fact one of the reasons the A-League was created was to "help clubs retain more of Australia's better players and prevent youngsters leaving for European contracts."

Think you're off the mark by a long way there DW.

Funny all those blokes Laza, Veart, Aloisi x 2, Viduka , Bozza, Cahill et al all left from 1990 - to late 90's. Of all those Mori probably had the shortest and least unsuccessful overseas stint.

The A-League will never stop the exodus of players as the $$$ is way too great to chase in Europe. The A-League would have to put up coin the same as say the Eredivisie or Bundesliga, to even try and convince blokes to stop going over....Never gonna happen...

Actually the Aloisi's & Vidmars were really the catalysts for Australian players to try the luck in Europe and get as much coin as possible and why not....

The A-League has got a few good players back. Hardly call Juninho or Yorke hacks. Romario yes...

[Wedgie]

Funny all those blokes Laza, Veart, Aloisi x 2, Viduka , Bozza, Cahill et al all left from 1990 - to late 90's. Of all those Mori probably had the shortest and least unsuccessful overseas stint.

Its not funny at all, they're just the players most in my mind as that's when I was most passionate about the NSL.

[JK]

Milan Ivanivic who came from Red Star (I think?).

Yep, Red Star Belgrade ... Don't get me wrong, I appreciated (and still do) the quality of the NSL days, and there's some players from the era that would still be among the best today (Id still rate Robbie Zabica ahead of any A-League keeper)

[Wedgie]

Milan Ivanivic who came from Red Star (I think?).

Yep, Red Star Belgrade ... Don't get me wrong, I appreciated (and still do) the quality of the NSL days, and there's some players from the era that would still be among the best today (Id still rate Robbie Zabica ahead of any A-League keeper)

Peter Marshall was my fav Adelaide City goalkeeper but Robbie Zabica was close behind.

[Dogwatcher]

How many Aussies were OS at the time? Not many.

Disagreed, there were dozens and dozens, if not hundreds.

Laziridis, Veart, Mori, the Vidmars, Aloisi, Viduka, Moore, Schwarzer, Boznic, Cahill, Kewell, Milicic, Zelic and Kalic spring to mind immediately, in fact one of the reasons the A-League was created was to "help clubs retain more of Australia's better players and prevent youngsters leaving for European contracts."

Think you're off the mark by a long way there DW.

Those blokes were in the vanguard of Australians making it in Europe. It was at that time people started paying attention to Australia as a recruiting area. Name others prior to then who were in Europe...

The reason we were able to recruit high quality players to Australia is because the fact that so many players were staying home - it made the competition strong....

[Wedgie]

Name others prior to then who were in Europe...

Craig Johnston, Chalrie Yankos, Graham Jennings, Frank Farina, Paul Wade, Robbie Slater
How far do you want me to go back?
Joe Marston played in a FA Cup Final in 1954 but I think that was a bit before the time of the NSL.
David Mitchell who started his career with Adelaide City in 1981 played for clubs in England, Scotland, The Netherlands, Germany, Turkey, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Crikey, even John Kosmina got a game for Arsenal.

Mind you, even if the guys I rattled off the top of my head previously were the vanguard (which they weren't) wasn't my point that many were playing OS as opposed to your point that said not many did?

Crikey, its like discussing football with a Crows supporter who thought football started in 1991.
You must be an Adelaide United fan Im assuming DW?

[Strawb]

I agree with Pim's view to a degree but what he doesn't say is we are in a rebuilding stage and rebuilding a league. in the last few years of the NSL it was shite. All you need to look is to play against the 5th best team from South America who did we beat New Zealand all the time.

[Dirko]

Funny all those blokes Laza, Veart, Aloisi x 2, Viduka , Bozza, Cahill et al all left from 1990 - to late 90's. Of all those Mori probably had the shortest and least unsuccessful overseas stint.

Its not funny at all, they're just the players most in my mind as that's when I was most passionate about the NSL.

Lost in translation. Wasn't being "funny" more to the point in saying that there was a mass exodus of talent from Australia from 1990 onward then probably any other time in this country's football history....

That was the era in which Football jumped another level in regard to payment, conditions etc.

[Dogwatcher]

Again I agree with you SJABC - synchronicity.

Congratulations on knowing Joe Martson Wedgie. Our lone soldier during his time there.

Johnston paved the way, others followed, it was a trickle until it became a flood in the 90s when Viduka et al crossed over.

[Dirko]

Again I agree with you SJABC - synchronicity.

Congratulations on knowing Joe Martson Wedgie. Our lone soldier during his time there.

Johnston paved the way, others followed, it was a trickle until it became a flood in the 90s when Viduka et al crossed over.

Incredibly Johnston never played for the Socceroos ! Represented the Poms at underage, and made the squad in 88 but didn't get a shirt...