World Football Columns
A-League
The Oz Files: Have The Phoenix Already Risen From The Ashes Of The Serepisos Regime?
The Phoenix take minimalism to a new level. Continue reading
The Oz Files: Will 2011-12 Be A Perfect Ten For The A-League?
While you were sleeping, the A-League kicked off in Oz. Continue reading
The Oz Files: The Matildas & A-League Close Season News
It’s a long winter in Oz, with the A-League delayed a month until October but Tom Pollock notes that there has still been plenty of footy news coming out of Australia. Continue reading
The Oz Files: Lucky Brisbane Clinch A-League Title
For the second time in the playoffs, the A_League’s dominant side, Brisbane Roar, were faced with the daunting task of fighting back from a 2-0 deficit to Central Coast Mariners in order to salvage their season and become champions. Continue reading
The Oz Files: A-League Grand Final Preview
The Brisbane Roar must overcome one final obstacle to culminate the most dominant season in A-League history and be crowned Grand Final Champions. In their last meeting against that obstacle, however, Central Coast Mariners struck early and dominated the first half of their Preliminary Final second leg before the Roar found their way back. This time, the Mariners are determined to finish the job. Continue reading
The Weekend Catch: WFC’s Choice Fixtures For 5-6 March, 2011
WFC’s picks of the best weekend football on the planet. Twenty-one matches, fifteen competitions, eight writers. Pick and choose or down them all in one sitting, you greedy piglet! Continue reading
The Oz Files: The A-League Finals
The first matches of the A-League playoffs have been played and, as expected, Brisbane have continued their unbeaten run, topping their rivals to host the Grand Final, Central Coast in the away leg of their tie. Meanwhile, two of the four lower seeds have been sent packing. To see who and catch some match highlights, read on… Continue reading
The Weekend Catch: WFC’s Football Fixture List For 19-20 February, 2011
This week’s tallies: twenty matches in fifteen competitions chosen by ten writers. Hop on for the ride! Chelsea v Everton (Saturday) — It has just occurred to me that Chelsea is a lot like Toy Story. Seriously. Roman Abramovich is Andy, although he doesn’t have to wait for Christmas or his birthday for his parents … Continue reading
The Oz Files: A-League Finalists Decided, Jets Crash, Phoenix Soar
With the conclusion of the regular season this weekend, the line up for the first week of the finals has been decided and boy, are football fans in for a treat. This season has been the best in the A-League’s short history with a new pace-setter, in the Brisbane Roar, playing an attractive brand of … Continue reading
The Oz Files: The King Is Dead, Long Live The King — Sydney Fall, Brisbane Roar
This week saw the Brisbane Roar officially crowned the premiers of the 2010/11 A-League season. Adelaide’s shock loss to the Wellington Phoenix and the Central Coast Mariners draw with Melbourne Heart means the title of best team during the regular season goes to the impressive Roar for the first time. The dominant Brisbane outfit joins … Continue reading
The Weekend Catch For 29-30 January, 2011
For those of you who follow the Weekend Catch, you’ll notice that we’ve rearranged the furniture a bit. Instead of sorting by author and yanking you this way and that, we’ve placed all matches from the same competition together. Hopefully, you’ll find it a bit easier to enjoy the tour of big weekend matches we … Continue reading
The Oz Files: A Record-Breaking Week In Australia
Australian football has seen all sorts of new records set in a memorable week. The Socceroos have progressed to the Asian Cup semi-finals for the first time after eliminating Iraq in the 118th minute. Back in the A-League, Adelaide United recorded the highest score in the league’s history, along with its largest margin of victory, demolishing … Continue reading
Weekend Catch: 15-16 January, 2011 — Spurs and Liverpool Out For Revenge
After a hectic fortnight of Premier League fixtures, it’s a relief to get back to the more pastoral pace of global football. This Week’s Catch features matches from all over Europe and Australia, as well as the UK, with the best being brought to you by some familiar faces and some new ones, as well. … Continue reading
Hyundai A-League: The Unique Football League
For Australian sport, 2005 was a landmark year. The new Hyundai A-League was launched, promising to ignite Australian interest in football, a game which traditionally played second fiddle to the likes of Aussie Rules, cricket and both forms of rugby. It replaced the old National Soccer League (NSL) which had fallen from grace thanks to the loss … Continue reading
Have Melbourne Victory Permanently Ceded Their A-League Throne To Brisbane Roar?
Melbourne Victory, for so long, have been the power club of Australian football. The 2006-7 and 2008-9 champion have been the most consistent club since the inception of the A-League, in 2005. Memories of a disappointing first season when Victory were the worst Australian club in the league were quickly erased in the second season. … Continue reading
Catch Them If You Can — 3-5 Sept. 2010
Between oddly scheduled Euro qualifiers and a holiday Monday in America, it’s a really long weekend of footy. Continue reading
All this fuss about Nik Mrdja?!?
Who’s Nik Mrdja? Good question. He’s the player at the centre of the A-Leagues latest and most exciting scandal. Name calling, corruption charges, possible fines, moral panic, outrage, we have it all but before trying o explain who Nik Mrdja is, let’s take a step back and look at the context. Continue reading
What is wrong with Ange Postecoglu?
A league review news round 22 Continue reading
Sydney FC : Back to their Best
Having supported this club since they came in to existence I think it’s fair to say that I’m a little bit biased. Put simply, I’d come to loathe them. Continue reading
GFC: Global Fury Crisis
“Time to get a little bit serious. I need to have a talk with you about money. It’s not good.” Continue reading
Becoming More than Just a League
Robbie Fowler seems to be getting up a full head of goal-scoring steam and Shane Smeltz is continuing to smash them in like he was getting paid for it, which he is, not to mention having a pretty good chance of super sharp shooting New Zealand all the way to the world cup finals if … Continue reading
Seven Talking Points In the Build Up To Round Four
After three rounds of actions, some truly fabulous goals and a fair smattering of dross as the sun came out , I’m raising a few questions below, and answering them. Continue reading
A-League Season 5: Now Including God
The fifth season of the A-League looks set to be the best yet with new teams, exciting players and a sense of anticipation that there might even be some quality football on show. Continue reading
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