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For the past three or four years, most of the world has been suffering through what is being called either a depression, recession or economic downturn, depending upon who you ask.  However you phrase it, the main point is that nearly everyone is hurting for money.

In football, at the club level, there are one or two clubs, Arsenal and Manchester City come to mind, who are not feeling the pinch.  As for countries, Brazil is doing well and Germany just found an extra €55 million in their piggy bank.  Every little bit helps.

At the other end of the scale, the footballing nation most affected by the harsh economic climate is neither Italy nor Greece, despite their mutually high levels of debt and, in the case of the former, the fact that the situation has politicians coming to blows.  Nor is it Turkey, who are mired in a match-fixing scandal which threatened the 2011-12 Super Lig campaign, and indeed delayed its start for over a month.  Instead, it’s the home of the world’s greatest active player which has been confounded by winds of financial fortune.

The Primera Division de Argentina, a league in which Lionel Messi has never played, having been shipped off to Catalonia at a very tender age, is in a state of complete upheaval.  Sure, the familiar Azul y Oro of Boca Juniors is at the top of the table, but their closest rival is no longer thirty-three time champion River Plate.  Rather, the new contender for the Primera A Apertura is the club who won automatic promotion as a result of winning the Primera B title.  After twelve — or roughly two-thirds — of the nineteen round Apertura season completed, Atletico Rafaela is comfortably ensconced in second place, two points ahead of Racing Club and the club which relegated River in a two-legged playoff, Belgrano de Córdoba.

With that much of the campaign in the books, Rafaela’s success has to be considered more than an anomaly.   Even better, the upstarts have a golden opportunity to slash Boca’s six-point lead in half when they invade La Bombonera this evening.

It’s not just one side either.  In 2010-11, four out of four possible promotion candidates made it through to the highest level.  Joining Atletico and Belgrano in experiencing success in the Argentine top flight is Unión de Santa Fé, holding down the final place in the top half of the table.  Only San Martin de San Juan is struggling, the club’s meager point per match average anchoring them to the bottom place in the relegation table.

The flip side of the coin, of course, is that 2010-11 saw more than one top club go down.  Along with River, well known clubs Huracán and Gimnasia de la Plata suffered the drop.  The revolution looks likely to continue, as well, with Tigre, Olimpo and All Boys in the danger zone and San Lorenzo and Racing on the bubble.  Worse, the bottom four in the Apertura standings is an unlikely quartet including Argentinos Juniors, Newell’s Old Boys, Banfield and the defending Apertura champion, Estudiantes de Plata.

The chaos has surprised many, given that the relegation system, with established Primera Division teams demoted based upon their performance over the previous three years, is designed to protect the big clubs.  In hindsight, it makes sense, however.

Even moreso than Italy, where the chairman of the defending Serie A champion and the President of the country are one and the same, football is tied into Argentina’s national identity.  Clubs have long enjoyed the protection and patronage of those in power, leading to careless spending and huge debt which can no longer be ignored.  Thus, even the largest clubs have become eager sellers on the international transfer market.  In the spring of 2011, it was announced that Argentina had overtaken the far more populous Brazil as the world’s largest exporter of professional footballers.  Naturally, such an exodus of talent from the big boys levels the playing field; in Argentina’s case, to the point where the gap in talent between the first and second divisions is extremely marginal.

Boca has found the cash to keep Juan Roman Riquelme from returning to Europe or Brazil, and, with their icon healthy, are the exception to the new rule.  But, until the rest of the Argentine football establishment gets their house in order, the AFA landscape will continue to resemble something from a sci-fi B movie; a quagmire filled with pitfalls and traps where no club can gain a sure foothold.

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The 2010-11 Bundesliga season saw Borussia Dortmund unexpectedly crowned champions of Germany. The ease with which they achieved this surprised both fans and pundits alike. The impending 2011-12 season begins on Friday, and perpetual title-challengers Bayern Munich will be desperate to wrench ‘their’crown back from Dortmund, after a disappointing third place finish. Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke are intent on troubling both Bayern and Dortmund, too.

Beyond Bayern and Schalke, Wolfsburg, and Werder Bremen are also eager to improve on their poor performances last season, with their fans expecting them to compete for one of the — thanks to the Bundesliga overtaking Serie A in 2010 —  four UEFA Champions League places. Meanwhile, a clump of other clubs will simply be seeking to avoid a relegation dogfight and claw their way towards mid-table safety.

Transfer activity during the off-season has been, in general, typically modest. Bayern Munich, unsurprisingly, have spent the most of any German club, with, at the writing,  €47 million invested in new signings. Dortmund and others have also strengthened their squads, but there has not been the flurry of frenetic transfers that has occurred in other European leagues.

Title Contenders

Borussia Dortmund

• Last season:   First
• Expectations:   Nothing less than a title defence
• Star players:  Mario Götze, Lucas Barrios
• Key recruits: Ilkay Gundogan, Ivan Perisic

Last season, largely due to the central-defensive pairing of Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic, Dortmund almost broke Bayern’s record for the least goals conceded in a season. The fact that their defensive lineup remains intact stands them in good stead for a serious attempt to defend their title. The loss of influential playmaker Nuri Sahin to Real Madrid was a blow to BVB, but the club has made some wise signings without breaking the bank.

Ilkay Gundogan, who performed well for Nurnberg last season, should fill the void left by Sahin’s departure by playing a box-to-box midfield role for Dortmund. Croatian midfielder Ivan Perisic, who won Player of the Year in Belgium with Club Brugge, last season, is aerially strong and will play a more explicitly attacking role.

Dortmund will benefit from more depth this season.  Talented youngster Moritz Leitner has returned from his loan spell at FC Augsburg, twenty-two year old left-back Chris Löwe was recruited from Chemnitzer FC, and other quality squad players remain, including Australian goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak, Egyptian striker Mohamed Zidan, and reliable Brazilian defender Felipe Santana.

Apart from Sahin, the heart of Jurgen Klopp’s title-winning team is intact and has looked impressive in pre-season. Young stars Mario Götze and Shinji Kagawa can both score goals and create them in attacking midfield, while wing-backs Marcel Schmelzer and Lukasz Piszczek continue to storm down the flanks during Dortmund’s dangerous counter-attacks. Youngster Sven Bender and captain Sebastian Kehl will be deployed to protect Borussia’s defensive line.

One of Klopp’s challenges will be his team’s poor finishing. Robert Lewandowski, twenty-two, has time on his side in terms of development, but is not the most clinical of strikers. Paraguayan forward Lucas Barrios is more effective but could also improve his ruthlessness in front of goal, that is, when he recovers from a torn thigh muscle that has Klopp enraged, with regard to what he believes is incompetent diagnosis and treatment from the Paraguayan Copa America squad’s medical staff.  The other difficulty Dortmund faces is the new challenge of playing in both the Bundesliga and Champions League.

Die Schwatzgelben are quite capable of defending their title, but Bayern are likely to make that task very tough indeed.

Bayern Munich

• Last season:  Third
• Expectations:  To resume their rightful place at the pinnacle of the Bundesliga.
• Star players:  Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Bastian Schweinsteiger
• Key recruit:  Manuel Neuer

Bayern fans experienced a tough ride last season.  The team struggled to find consistency, and regular defensive errors contributed to all too frequently frustrating results.  Supporters of the Rekordmeister expect nothing less than annual success, and will be absolutely determined to see Bayern reclaim the Bundesliga title from Borussia Dortmund. History is on their side — sort of — it’s been fifteen years since a team other than Bayern won two consecutive German titles, but that team was Dortmund.

Bayern continue to possess the most star-studded lineup in Germany, with internationally renowned players such as Robben, Ribery, Phillip Lahm, and Schweinsteiger forming the backbone of the squad. This has not stopped the club from splashing the cash – they are responsible for one-third of the Bundesliga’s total transfer fees so far in the off-season. Despite the protests of Bayern’s ultras, Manuel Neuer’s arrival at the club will probably turn out to be the Bundesliga signing of the season. Neuer is one of the best goalkeepers in the world – if not the best – and should go some way towards solving Bayern’s problem with messy laundry.  If Germany’s number one can repeat the stellar performances he showed for Schalke, especially in the Champions League semifinal home leg against Manchester United, as well as marshal his wayward defence, Bayern should be highly successful, given the firepower (including Mario Gomez and Thomas Müller) at their disposal.

The club has also recruited Japanese forward Takashi Usami on loan from J-League powerhouse Gamba Osaka, to provide quality cover for either Ribery or Robben on the wings. Brazilian full-back Rafinha and German international centre-back Jerome Boateng have also joined, helping to plug some of the holes in Bayern’s defence.

If Bayern’s injury-prone stars can stay fit, they will probably be considered the team to beat in the Bundesliga for 2011-12.

Best Of The Rest

Bayer Leverkusen

• Last season finished:  Second
• Expectations:  European qualification
• Star player:  Michael Ballack
• Key recruit:  André Schürrle

Arturo Vidal has been one of the Bundesliga’s best performers in recent years, and his transfer to Juventus from Leverkusen will seriously limit the club’s ability to challenge for the title. Ex-Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia has also retired, after three years of solid service for the club. The remaining team will struggle to compete with Bayern and Dortmund.

Leverkusen continues to boast a reasonably strong midfield. Michael Ballack, at thirty-four, is still capable of putting in some classy performances, if he can manage to stay fit.  Skipper (for the moment) Simon Rolfes, Lars Bender, and Renato Augusto complete a decent-looking presence in the middle of the park. Sidney Sam, highly talented and able to play on the wings or as a striker, is capable of moments of brilliance, but like many of Leverkusen’s players, leaves much to be desired in terms of consistency.

So far, the club has been unable to find a like-for-like replacement for Vidal. However, the arrival of André ‘Don’t Call Me’Schürrle from Mainz will give fans some hope. Just twenty, Schürrle is one of German football’s numerous bright talents, and was one of the best players in the Bundesliga last season, scoring fifteen goals and racking up five assists.  Defender Bastian Oczipka has returned from his loan spell at St Pauli, and will help to shore up a mediocre-looking defence.

Without Vidal, Leverkusen will find it hard to stay in the race for the title. They will need Ballack and Schürrle to shine, and new manager Robin Dutt, replacing Bayern bound Jupp Heynckes, must coax  more consistency from his squad, if they are to qualify for Europe.

VfL Wolfsburg

• Last season:  Fifteenth
• Expectations:  European qualification
• Star player:  Srdjan Lakic
• Key recruits:  Srdjan Lakic, Christian Trasch

The ‘Wolves’were one of several teams to fail dismally in meeting expectations last season. Considered an above average team, they were not able to build on their championship win in 2008-09 and ended the season in a relegation scrap. Instability at the top has not helped.  Felix Magath, who led them to victory three years ago, departed to join Schalke, was replaced by Steve McClaren, and then returned again to save Wolfsburg from the drop zone when the Englishman proved out of his depth.

A defining problem for club, at the moment, is the war between free-spirited playmaker Diego and strict disciplinarian Magath, two important individuals at Wolfsburg who simply cannot find common ground. Magath may refuse outright to let Diego play, or – more likely – will sell him to another club. Either way, it is a problem the club must resolve quickly.

Wolfsburg have picked up two important recruits. Croatian striker Srdjan Lakic has joined from Kaiserslautern, on a Bosman, hopefully bringing his success at Kaiserslautern (thirty-five goals in eighty appearances) to his new club. As well, Wolfsburg have paid €9 million to purchase midfielder Christian Trasch from Stuttgart. Trasch recently acquired his first international cap with Germany.  Although, as a more defensive-minded player, he cannot replace Diego, he will add strength to the midfield. Hasan Salihamidzic has also joined, bringing a measure of experience to the side.

Much will depend on how the Diego drama plays out, but Wolfsburg should improve on their fifteenth place finish, and may grab a European spot, too.

Schalke 04

• Last season:  Fourteenth
• Expectations:  European qualification
• Star player:  Raul
• Key recruit:  Lewis Holtby

Schalke fans will still be seething, having seen their arch-rivals, BvB, claim the title last season.  Even worse, the Gelsenkirchen club finished a lowly fourteenth - completely off the pace for European qualification, let alone the title. After replacing controversial coach Felix Magath, Ralf Rangnick will be expected to guide Schalke back to continental competition, of any kind.

Manuel Neuer’s move to rivals Bayern Munich has to be the key change at the club, this season.  Losing a world class keeper when looking to get back into the upper reaches of the table is problematic, to put it mildly.  Neuer’s stunning performances between the sticks was often the only thing keeping Schalke in games that would otherwise have been lost causes for them. His supreme judgment, aerial confidence, and lightning-fast reflexes will be tough to replace. Ralf Fahrmann, who spent three years at Eintracht Frankfurt after moving from Schalke, has returned to Gelsenkirchen, and will face the unenviable task of replacing Neuer in goals. However, he performed admirably in the Super Cup against Dortmund, helping the team win the Cup after penalties.

Despite last season’s woes, the Royal Blues still have talent to call upon. New captain Benedikt Howedes will marshal the defence alongside Christian Metzelder, Japanese wing-back Atsuto Uchida, and teenager Kyriakos Papadopoulos. Julian Draxler is one of Germany’s many bright young stars, and just how far his talent develops this season will be interesting to monitor. And, of course, there is the legendary Raul, who has continued to perform for his new club, particularly in their highly impressive run to the semifinals of the Champions League.

Schalke’s activity in the transfer market has been limited. Apart from Fahrmann, the only notable signing has been the €3 million transfer of Christian Fuchs, who impressed at full-back for Mainz last season.

Schalke’s run in the Champions League shows how much potential the team has. They won’t be playing in Europe, this season, but are certainly capable of qualifying for the next edition.

Werder Bremen

• Last season:  Thirteenth
• Expectation: European qualification
• Star player:  Marko Marin
• Key recruit:  Mehmet Ekici

Bremen have had a tough time lately, to say the least. Poor performances, poor defending, and financial issues, despite the sale of Mesut Özil to wealthy Real Madrid, have plagued the club. Regular injury problems, particularly to their defence, also created difficulties last season.

Torsten Frings has moved on to Canada, of all places, and the club will need to replace his leadership. The midfield is bolstered by the signing of Mehmet Ekici, who impressed on loan at Nurnberg, from Bayern. Marko Marin and Marko Arnautovic will need to perform to their full potential if the team is to be successful. Striker Claudio Pizarro is capable of racking up goals, but will need to avoid injury in order to do so.

Werder Bremen should be able to compete for European qualification, but injuries and financial issues may act as potential barriers to their goal.

Maintaining The Status Quo

Hoffenheim

• Last season:  Eleventh
• Expectations:   Not really
• Star player: Gylfi Sigurdsson
• Key recruit: Holger Stanislawski

Although Hoffenheim have not made any big-name signings on the pitch, their most important acquisition has been the arrival of coach Holger Stanislawski. A Hamburg native, who won the loyalty of St Pauli fans after playing for and coaching them to Bundesliga promotion, Stanislawski’s ability as a manager will encourage Hoffenheim’s hopes for a return to the top half of the table. Key players will be Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, defender Andreas Beck, striker Vedad Ibisevic, and, frantically learning to tweet en zie Deutsche, ex-Liverpool winger/striker Ryan Babel.

As much as they’ll hope for more, Hoffenheim should finish around the mid-table mark.

VfB Stuttgart

• Last season:  Twelfth
• Expectation:  To nip at the heels of the European qualifiers
• Star player: Martin Harnik
• Key recruit: Tamas Hajnal

Bundesliga winners in 2006-07, Stuttgart have failed to challenge for the title since. The loss of influential midfielder Christian Trasch promises further mediocrity. However, the club has a number of decent forwards, such as Cacau, Harnik, Pavel Pogrebnyak and Julian Schieber, who returns from a loan spell at Nurnberg. One or two, at least, will need to step up for Stuttgart, if the club is going to develop an attack which will give the better clubs reason for pause. Another player to look out for is attacking midfielder Tamas Hajnal, who did well in his short time on loan from Dortmund. He has since been signed permanently.

Fans will be expecting at least a return to the top half of the table, but another mid-table finish is quite likely.

Borussia Mönchengladbach

• Last season:  Sixteenth
• Expectation:  Anything but another relegation scrap!
• Star player:  Marco Reus
• Key recruit:  Matthias Zimmerman

After a miraculous survival, pulling themselves from the brink of relegation at the end of last season, M’Gladbach will aim to improve considerably. There is no reason they can’t.  After all, they possess one of the rising starlets of German football, forward Marco Reus; have recruited Matthias Zimmerman, who was solid in defence for Karlsruher SC in the second division, last season; and they have another youngster, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, between the sticks, who put in some dazzling performances near the end of last season. Other interesting recruits include pacey Australian winger Matthew Leckie, from A-League club Adelaide United, and Japanese forward Yuki Otsu from J-League pace-setters Kashiwa Reysol.

Mönchengladbach might be willing to sell their souls to avoid another nail biting relegation battle, like the one they just survived, but with promising youngsters and some decent recruits, they should vastly improve on last season and achieve a mid-table finish.

Hamburg SV

• Last season:  Eighth
• Expectation: To lay a solid foundation for the future
• Star player: Mladen Petric
• Key recruit: Michael Mancienne

Hamburg underwent a summer exodus, with veteran players such as Ruud van Nistelrooy, Piotr Trochowski, and Ze Roberto departing. They have recruited versatile Englishman Michael Mancienne, midfielder Gokhan Tore, and promising young left-back Jeffrey Bruma – all three signed from Chelsea.  No surprise there, with the club having brought in former Blues executive Frank Arnesen as Technical Director. Arnesen’s first concern will be providing the solid defence for which the fans, upset with last season’s fifty goals conceded, have been clamouring. Up front, Mladen Petric will be expected to score a significant portion of Hamburg’s goals, and Eljero Elia, if he isn’t sold to Juventus, will also be a threat.

HSV can push for European qualification, but are just as likely to float around mid-table. However, with so many youngsters in the squad, they should be well set for the future.

Hannover 96

• Last season:  Fourth
• Expectation: To stay in Europe
• Star player: Didier Ya Konan
• Key recruit: Christian Pander

Hannover exceeded all expectations except their own, last season, and while a repeat performance is unlikely, someone might want to tell the fans and club that. A key component of last season’s success was the confidence and marksmanship of Hannover’s forwards, Ivory Coast international Didier Ya Konan and Norwegian attacker Mohammed Abdellaoue. Their relative consistency can be attributed to the leadership of coach Mirko Slomka and American captain Steve Cherundolo, at right back. All remain at the club, and Cherundolo will be complemented on the opposite flank by Christian Pander, from Schalke.

Playing in the Europa League will test Hannover’s depth, but if they can maintain the counter-attacking success of their forwards, another successful campaign is not out of the question.

FC Cologne

• Last season:  Tenth
• Expectation: To make more out of the presence of the Germany number ten
• Star player: Lukas Podolski
• Key recruit: Sascha Riether

Like last season, Cologne will be depending again on their strike force of Lukas Podolski and Milivoje Novakovic to score goals. The duo was the most efficient strike pairing in the Bundesliga, last season.  However, Podolski has been stripped of the captaincy by new coach Stäle Solbakken, with the armband given to defender Pedro Geromel, in a move likely to anger fans, but perhaps representative of the need to improve at the back. Cologne’s recruitment has been modest, but Sascha Riether looks to be a handy and flexible signing.

For all that, FC Cologne will probably finish mid-table again.

Relegation Scrap

The remaining Bundesliga teams are likely to be facing a battle to avoid the drop.

Mainz, under Thomas Tuchel, were an early surprise last season, holding on to win a Europa League spot, but have lost their best talent (André Schürrle and Lewis Holtby) since and will almost surely struggle without them.

Kaiserslautern also impressed last season, finishing seventh, but the loss of Srdjan Lakic to Wolfsburg will be heavily felt, since he scored one-third of the club’s goals. While Christian Tiffert remains one of the best midfielders in the league, it’s hard to see where the goals will be coming from without Lakic.

Freiburg were heavily dependent on Senegalese marksman Papiss Cisse, and having scored twenty-two goals, the overwhelming interest in him from large clubs is only likely to increase.  Even if he stays, there is not enough quality around him for Freiburg not to be facing the drop. Augsburg, Nurnberg, and Hertha Berlin are also short of game-changing players, and will probably finish somewhere near the bottom of the table, or relegation, by season’s end.

After a topsy-turvy 2011-12, the  Bundesliga will probably see a return to the more traditional standings to which German fans are used. Bayern are seen by many as favourites to win the title, with a new and improved defence to complement their star-studded attack. Dortmund will try to stop them, and have the necessary depth and talent to do it. Teams such as Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg, Stuttgart and Schalke will surely improve on their abysmal 2010/11 season.

But at the end of the day, this is the Bundesliga. For all the rigid sensibility of the league, it is its unpredictability which makes it so compelling. While we may try to draw some general points about what may happen, ultimately – as clichéd as it might sound – anything is possible.

Zenit enjoying UEFA cup success

Many people, including myself, think the standard of football displayed by the Russian national team and the Russian leagues is greatly improving. The rich oligarchs and development of skilled Russian players over recent years has seen the standard of the post-soviet Russian league rise to international contention, as displayed with the UEFA cup victories of both CSKA Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg. But has football really gripped the nation of Russia in the aftermath of the communist regime? A recent study by dedicated Russian website Championat.ru has discovered some alarming and slightly strange statistics.

In terms of international football, Russia have not been a major force since the days of the USSR and the managerial reign of the methodical Ukrainian Valeriy Lobanovskyi, but the 2004 European Championships gave Russian football a lifeline. The stellar performances of messrs Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko allowed Russia to reinstate themselves as a serious footballing nation.  However, the bittersweet elixir of reasonable success only enhanced the problem.

The 2010 World Cup final was the worst cup final since the downfall of the Soviet Union. That, according to the Russian people anyway. Only 28 million people were persuaded to tune in to the world’s most prestigious football match. For a country with a staggeringly large populace, over 139 million, that statistic really does speak volumes.

It is easy to state that the viewing figures for the 2010 World Cup were remarkably low because the Russians themselves narrowly missed out on a World Cup place due to that 1-0 defeat to the Slovenians in Maribor. The fact is, however, that the Russian’s have not only been shunning football on the international stage, they have also been ignoring football domestically.  The record low  number of viewers for a Russian Premier League match screened on national TV was broken this month. The fateful match between Lokomotiv Moscow and Alania attracted a measly audience of 1.5 million viewers, the lowest for fifty years.

The decline cannot be explained in a mere blog post, it is more likely to warrant a 10,000 word university dissertation piece, but it seems that the majority of Russian people are simply not interested in football.

It is perhaps not surprising given that Russia is such a large country, boasting a total area of 17 million square km. The majority of players  in the Russian national team are of western European stock.  People of ethnic minorities, living in the less comfortable outer reaches of Vladivostock and Rubtsovsk, may simply have much more vital and important things to worry about than the beautiful game.  Yet, somehow the standard of football in Russia and the Russian Premier League is increasing in spite of the apparent lack of interest from the wider Russian community.

The A-League, Version 5.0, is now in its last week of season proper. Out of the 27 games in the regular season 26 have been played and this is how things stand.

 If you’re not familiar with this league this is all a precursor to the finals series and the top six teams get to compete for the major premier crown. Although this means that whoever finishes 6 out of 10 can, in theory go on to win the season’s ultimate honours and entry in to the lucrative Asian Champions League it’s not clear sailing. Coming top is preferable, since it guarantees the other Asian Champions League spot and coming top two gives you a second bite of the cherry.

Put simply the top six teams play off thusly. 1^st plays 2^nd and the winner proceeds to the final. 3^rd plays 6^th and 4^th plays 5^th. The winner out of 3^rd and 6^th and 4^th and 5^th then play off for the chance to play the loser of 1^st and 2^nd. The winner of this game then challenges the winner of the first 1^st v 2^nd  for the major crown. Simple.
Whilst the order of 3^rd-6^th is still to be decided Gold Coast United have secured third no matter what whilst two points separate the top two, Melbourne Victory leading Sydney FC who they visit on Sunday. 26 rounds down and the title comes down to the biggest rivals in the league, a one-off that’s sure to be a classic on a Sydney Football Stadium pitch struggling to recover from the thousands of stamping feet that marched across it last weekend for the military tattoo, a tattoo which exiled the team across the city to Parramatta for its spectacular 3-2 win over the Perth Glory.

What happens below that is much of a muchness, with an Adelaide Utd win and a North Queensland Fury loss the only way to stop the South Australians getting the wooden spoon, but without relegation this isn’t such an issue beyond pride. Which brings us to Nik Mrdja.

The 31 year old striker has played 43 A-league came, scoring 13 goals for the Central Coast Mariners, a rather unremarkable career capped by one 11 minute substitute appearance for Australia against Argentine in 2007. Then he was playing for Graham Arnold and following the Mariners 7^th place finish it’s Graham Arnold who’ll be his manager at the Central Coast next season, Lawrie McKinna stepping in to a management role having helped bring the former Socceroos manager to Gosford. What’s unusual about Mrdja, who’s played for the Mariners this season and will do next season, is that for the remainder of this season, he’s playing for the Melbourne Victory.

Taking advantage of a loop hole that allows temporary outside of the transfer window for emergency replacements the Central Coast released Mrdja from his contract, got him to sign a new contract for next season and then Victory signed him to play for the finals series and beyond, including the Champions League, should Melbourne qualify.

The backlash has been sharp. Gold Coast Utd asked to be allowed to sign Robbie Fowler for the remainder of the season, more in jest than anything presumably, and Branko Culina of the Newcastle jets wondered aloud to the press:

“It’s not outside the rules in what they are doing but it’s not in the spirit of the game that we’d like to see. I don’t see how Nik Mrdja can go out there and kiss the badge if he scores tomorrow when he’s only just got there. Then he goes to the ACL, then back to the Mariners. How do the Central Coast supporters take that on board?”

All good questions. The FFA have agreed to review the rule to prevent this happening, the crux being that by releasing Mrdja the Mariners have made him a free agent. Not that Mrdja minds. Having been part of an underperforming team he now has the chance to clinch two titles by month’s end. And even if they do close the loophole he doesn’t seem concerned about the possibility of a ‘Nik Mrdja rule’.

”That’s always a positive, too – my name is always going to be there as the guy who done it.” He said.

True enough, even if it does leave a bit of a bad taste in some mouths given that he’s come in under the special circumstances injury replacement rule, as a replacement for midfielder Billy Celeski. FFA boss Archie Fraser has agreed to have a look at the rule come the end of the season, but until then there’s nothing to stop him playing against Sydney on Sunday.

I’ll be there, supporting Sydney and hoping that Mrdja plays (with his scoring record I doubt the Sydney back line are concerned) so that I can write all about it next week. Cue ‘Nik of Time’ puns, cue ‘This Game was Mrdja’ puns, cue “Victory for the Victory” or “Defeat for Victory” or “Melbourne Nik Victory” or… You get the idea.

NOTE

It doesn’t fit in here but Gold Coast owner Clive Palmer has been rattling the bars again, accusing the FFA of conspiracy and generally letting it all hang out like he does. Great stuff – read more here

Who ultimately backed the manager they’d appointed to replace Frank Farina following his DUI disgrace. With the sparkling talents of chubby Scot and ex-ranger Charlie Miller twinkling over to Gold Coast United Ange is unrepentant and, obviously, is asking for time.

 ”We’ve made decisions we’ve felt are right. Some people will judge us today on those decisions. That’s their prerogative . Most people will judge us in 12 months time as to whether we’re right or wrong.”

 So long term growth for short term loss it is, even if the signing of Belgium defender Pieter Collen does something to ease the blow, the fact that the ex-international has come from the Belgian second division side SK Beveren means his statement that “I hope to do it better than him – I know he’s a big name and expectations are high,” regards filling Moore’s shoes is firmly planted in the aspirational you would think.

 And that’s not all, for even FFA chief executive Ben Buckley has got in on the action, telling Brisbane to sort out their own backyard, get fans back in to the stadium or risk being turfed out to a smaller venue more fitting for their average fan base.

 This is not helped by excursions on the pitch either, with the Roar losing to Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand, newly arrive strike Eugene Dadi scoring twice for the home side, the first of which a spectacular overhead kick with his back to goal that sailed in to the net, despite not having the cleanest of contacts. The second, a classic poachers finish from six yards was a timely reminder too of the need for a bit of clinical finishing up front, where Paul Ifill, for all his endeavour, has often looked like he’s had it all to do himself, a stretch too far.

 This win took Wellington up to fifth and in to finals contention but given that the top six of  ten are finals places this season, that’s not saying much. Brisbane, to put this in context, are seventh, just one point off sixth (and a finals berth) and indeed every club except rock-bottom Adelaide are within one win of making it there with 8 rounds to go.

 For Brisbane though, next up is Newcastle Jets, a game Postecoglu believes they must win to keep their hopes alive, but that’s no guarantee. The Jets have won five of their last sixth, their only loss following the long slog to Perth, and got the result of the round last weekend. Having gone down to ten men against Champions Melbourne Victory they pushed on, eventually securing a fantastic 3-2 win, hitting the Victory on the counter. Mark Bridges (yes, that one) led the line brilliantly alone, scoring the second the get their noses in front just before half time and keeping them in the games. When Labinot Haliti spun round in the area, caught the ball on the volley and steered it expertly across the keeper and in to the side netting, you certainly felt that it was Newcastle’s day, holding on to stay comfortably fourth.

 All of which gave Sydney FC the chance to extend their lead at the top to six points by beating Perth Glory in Perth. Except Sydney did not, although a respectable nil-nil was enough to give them four points and a game in hand over Melbourne. Next up for Sydney is Gold Coast, the battle of the glamour clubs, made the more interesting by the fact that Gold Coast play Newcastle on Wednesday night, and would be able to leap frog  Sydney and take top spot should they win both fixtures, a tough ask but not impossible for the impressive Queensland outfit. Sydney defender and world cup hopeful Simon Colosimo came out warning danger ahead of the tie.

 ”It really is a danger game. They have the deadliest finisher in the league in Shane Smeltz, but that’s because the service is usually very good from their midfield.”

 Smeltz has already racked up 19 goals this season, more than any player has scored in the a-league in a complete season, and saved the day for Gold Coast, scoring at the death to gain a point for his side. Adelaide, continuing their poor run to just two wins in the past eleven games (otherwise known as half the season) deserved more from the game but are not sitting at the bottom of the table for nothing. Gold Coast coach Miron Blieberg was whimsical about the two points dropped saying 

 ”[Adelaide’s] desperation of such a proud club not to finish last was stronger than our desperation as a young club to take advantage and climb into the top two.”

 A very poetic way of saying they wanted it more.

Sure it started well. Pierre Litbarski had them working well and with the touch of Dwight Yorke class in the middle it was a romp to the inaugural title. It was fun. But how things changed. The Terry Butcher years, John Kosmina, Branko Culina, all promising so much.

But the problem… oh the problem. Players were scouted. They were seen performing well for other A-league teams, teams with a work ethic and organisation. They were purchased. They were shoved on  the pitch and they were left to get on with it. Excellent cogs in well run machines were being dumped in a bucket and asked to tell the time. It didn’t work, it couldn’t work. Until now.

Because  Vítězslav Lavička has come in and turned them in to a team, a team moreover that it more than the sum of its parts, that has a game plan, that uses it’s player to their abilities and, most of all, a team that does not feature John Aloisi. The A-league’s highest paid player gets left on the bench to stew, given a late cameo when the games stretched, a simple and effective indictment of his ability to play as part of this team.

Instead Alex Brosque and Mark Bridge have formed a devastating partnership up front. Brosque is slighter, but he is faster, and Bridge, no slouch, has that extra burst of pace aligned with his more muscular and powerful build.  Given an extended run up front this season they’ve produced some dazzling performances. True, Brosque should score a few more goals, and likewise Bridge should set more up but on current form they’re the most lethal double act going, and both these players having been bought from other A-league franchises, poorly used and both in danger of seeing their natural talents squandered.

A good example was against Wellington Phoenix last weekend. The Phoenix had, in their previous game, thrashed the stuffing out of Gold Coast Utd 6-0 and have, since, comfortably beaten the Newcastle Jets2-0 but in Sydney they were never in the game. First the Sydney front two combined with a neat one-two to set Bridge free and plant a powerful shot just inside the far post with venom. Next up Brosque just refused to give up the ball in the opposition area before finding some space to fizz a favoured left foot shot low at goal which the keeper could only parry before Steve Corica tapped it away and, saving the best for last, Brosque ran half the length of the pitch before delivering the ball in low for Bridge to sweep in to the net. Game over.

There was a scare when Wellington won a dubious penalty but justice was served when it was ordered retaken for encroachment and Clint Bolton got down easily to scoop up the second attempt. Sydney are back. Enjoyable to watch, enthusiastic, looking like they’re enjoying their football and even space in the team for fan favourite and foundation player Terry McFlynn of whom it was announced this week that he’d signed a contract extension keeping his at the club till the end of the 2012/13 season.

Sydney sit atop the table, 1 clear of Melbourne Victory and 5 of Gold Coast, who they face next at Skilled Park. A win will keep them top but also send out quite a message, since it would mark victory over every opponent they’ve thus far faced, and should they follow it up the following week against Perth Glory it will mean a win against every other team in the league. That may be no great achievement, and there’s  sure to be losses to come, but knowing that on your day your team can beat anyone has got to be good for the confidence and with an ethic, a tactic and a well balanced team, that top spot is theirs to lose.

Having moved to Australia just in time to get a season pass to the inaugural season I was treated to a deep lying Dwight Yorke dictating the play for Sydney as they romped to the title under world-cup winner Pierre Littbarski’s management, as the rest of the league struggled to find marquee players of note or a tactical system as rigidly enforced.

With the loss of Yorke, who returned to Sunderland, there were the odd interlopers, Juninho and Romario to name two, but the league was struggling under the fact that in such a small competition it seemed like pretty much any one could lose to anyone on their day and it was hard to imagine any huge talents coming in to the game. Mark Bosnich coming out of retirement to stand between the sticks for the Mariner was notable, but mainly for the schadenfraude prospects.

Partly this is because the salary cap system controls club finances and introduces an upper limit on the skills importable, and partly because the standard, throughout, was simply not that high. This season that’s changed. Things have, without a doubt, got better and it’s looking like now, anyone could beat anyone else and, increasingly, through beautiful goals.

The New Zealand Knights in their time were lamentably bad but Wellington Phoenix most certainly give a good account of themselves and New Zealand. The two new teams have invigorated the league by introducing more competition for the top places, more quality plays in the league and a playing schedule that’s less repetitive.

Admittedly, there’s been a few coups like Fowler and Jason Culina bringing their skills to the league, but more that that, the general level has improved considerably. Last year we saw a youth league and a woman’s league playing concurrent to the A-league with players from the former now breaking through to the first teams.

This means that within two seasons we’ve gone from a situation of players being sourced either from regional clubs (a big leap up) or from overseas to the nurturing of in house talent which can, of course, be custom trained to the necessities of the A-league, which remains a physical league.

So yes, the crowds are down a bit, but once the oval ball seasons are out of the way I’d expect that to change. More to the point, the A-league is beginning to make it in to the public consciousness as the media pick up on it and start running with it further and further up the news agenda. Last weekend’s clash between the Fury and Sydney was widely billed as Aloisi vs God and God, of course, won in the end, but the fact that an A-League match could produce such a headline, or such hyperbole, is a sign of how far it’s come.

Next season will see two new teams with one, based in Western Sydney, touted as being the jewel in the A-league crown even though the complicated bidding process saw a Lucas Neill backed bid fall apart following the murderer of a notorious business man. With no name, players or backroom staff yet in place, the new conglomerate creating this franchise will none-the-less be well placed to bring in some good names to what is one of Australia’s football heartlands if this season, and this league, continue to improve at this pace.