A-League thread

[mightytiges]

In the NSL - Perth Glory used to get 17000 to home games, now they get 4000 to games in the A League... anyone wanna analyse this situation?

Both the Eagles and Freo were crap at the time which helped when the Glory were getting those crowds. They were also new to the comp and a superior professionally run club to the rest of the NSL clubs. They finished top 2 every year while in the NSL. Since the A-league has been going they have been a bottom 2 side. Just a sporting fact of life that people want to be associated with winners.

[mightytiges]

The Melbourne Victory gravy train will soon be over. Melbourne will have a new club. Its down to 2 bids people, Melbourne Hearts which is a Sidwell,MacManus,Greek Businessmen bid - Unofficial SMFC bid, and Southern Cross FC which is the official SMFC bid. Either way Victory are rooted, The South will rise again, and when you all start getting your pants pulled down at Telstra Dome you will have finally understood the might, the power and the glory that is the greatest soccer club in Australian history, South Melbourne.

Ramps, Melbourne Heart has won the second Melbourne licence. Mostly likely at the moment they won't keep the Heart name. The club will be called Melbourne Utd or a name to completely differentiate itself from Melbourne Victory like Victoria something. They are hoping for an average crowd of 8,000 lol in their first year. There may also be a new stadium season ticket which will give the chardy theatregoers the option of watching both clubs at home games to help attract with attendance numbers.

Considering what Southern Cross put forward in the bid, I think it was a poor decision, nevertheless an ex South Melbourne President is one of the top 3 shareholders in Hearts so thats ok from our end, Personally I cant see them getting a crowd, South supporters wont support Hearts as it stands.

I know that my sporting concerns at the national level will revolve around Richmond. I think Hearts will be stuffed, the bogans who live where the Hearts want to be based dont have enough financial clout to make it profitable- but thats not my concern, Im not putting any dough in ... so who cares.

If the FFA thought Southern Cross had too close a connection with South Melbourne that could have been enough to swing them towards Melbourne Heart. The FFA are heavily against any ethnic based club being in the A-league.

The other licence I think goes to NSW. Either Western Sydney or Woollogong. So that makes it 4 NSW teams in a 12 team comp.

The bloke from the Tassie A-league bid reckons the second Melbourne team bid has the front running for the next licence. The second Sydney team bid is weak IHO. He believes the FFA will eventually end up with 14 teams to chase the tv-rights dollars.

[one-eyed]

BREAKING NEWS: Kevin Muscat, Grant Brebner, Craig Moore gambled on matches
Grantley Bernard
December 19, 2008 03:15pm

MELBOURNE'S Victory soccer team has been rocked by revelations of player gambling including bets on a Melbourne game.

Victory midfielder Grant Brebner has been fined $3000 and suspended for two matches and for betting on a Melbourne match.

An additional two-game ban and $2000 fine was suspended, 

The Scottish-born playmaker bet against Victory in its away game to Chonburi FC in the Asian Champions League. He did not play in that match.

Victory captain Kevin Muscat and former Socceroo captain Craig Moore were also fined for betting on A-League matches.

Muscat and Moore - now with the Queensland Roar - were fined $5000 - also with $2000 suspended - for betting on matches which did not involve their teams.

The bets on the A-League and Champions League games were laid with online agency Betfair during this month and last.

Betfair's integrity team notified Football Federation Australia of the bets, prompting an investigation that led to the sanctions announced by FFA boss Ben Buckley in Sydney today.

Brebner bet a total of $640 on two matches, including the Victory's Asian Champions League clash against Thai side Chonburi in March, a match which Melbourne lost 3-1.

Of the bets for that match, Brebner collected $540 for picking the correct goal margin and won $4.21 by selecting a draw or Chonburi win.

Brebner was not in the squad for the match and and did not travel to Thailand.

Muscat placed and lost $100 on a match not involving Melbourne while Moore bet a total of $600, winning a total of $72 on two matches not involving the Roar.

FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said the suspensions and fines should be seen as a warning to players about betting in the future.

"These fines and the playing suspensions should serve notice to all players that any form of betting by players on football matches has no place in football and will not be tolerated," Buckley said.

Buckley said all the players and clubs involved had accepted the sanctions imposed and would not appeal.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24823519-661,00.html

[Ramps]

Well Well Well, what can I say, another disgraceful episode in the history of the Melbourne Victory. In 50 years of club football South Melbourne never had players betting like this. Just a tragic state of affairs.

Bring back South. Bring Back Integrity. Bring back the might, the power and the glory that is South Melbourne!

[Fishfinger]

Didn't South Melbourne have a getaway driver in an armed robbery?

Integrity. 

[mightytiges]

Didn't South Melbourne have a getaway driver in an armed robbery?

Integrity. 

Ah yes good old Con Boutsianis  .

-----------------------------
A footballer chosen for the Australian squad taking part in this month's World Cup qualifying tournament has been fined A$20,000 for his part in a 1998 armed robbery.

The judge told Con Boutsianis that no conviction would be recorded if he behaved for two years. Boutsianis, 29, pleaded guilty in the Victorian County Court to one charge of theft relating to a robbery at the central Melbourne offices of the Shark Fin Chinese restaurant in May 1998. He had earlier admitted to the court his role as the getaway driver in the robbery described as an insurance fraud.

Boutsianis was last week named in the 20-man Australian squad for the Oceania qualifying leg for the World Cup at Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, from April 7-16. It was the striker's first international call-up. Days after the armed robbery and while on bail, he scored for South Melbourne in their grand final victory over Carlton. He moved to Perth Glory when his involvement in the robbery become public knowledge and then went on loan to English club Bolton Wanderers as they pressed for promotion to the Premier League last season. But the publicity followed him and he rejoined South Melbourne.

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/archive_news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=17032&sid=&con_type=1&archive_d_str=20010403

[Fishfinger]

Just winding you up, Ramps. 
I couldn't give a toss about soccer.

ps. Carlton were doubly spewing.
Lost the GF and didn't get a gig in the heist. 

[Ramps]

Betting against your own team, that has to be one of the biggest no nos in sport, if a player did that at a club Id supported Id want them out of the joint. As for the Boutsianis incident, he got the arse from South anyway ... great goal though he scored against Carlton in the GF that year lol.

[mightytiges]

Great comeback from 2 goals down by the Victory last night Ramps  .

Victory   3
Sydney  2

[Ramps]

Great comeback from 2 goals down by the Victory last night Ramps  .

Victory   3
Sydney  2

Just shows what a garbage competition it is lol. losing from being 2 up...just a fiasco imho

[mightytiges]

Great comeback from 2 goals down by the Victory last night Ramps  .

Victory   3
Sydney  2

Just shows what a garbage competition it is lol. losing from being 2 up...just a fiasco imho

The Champions League must be an even more garbage comp because Liverpool came from 0-3 at half-time to beat AC Milan in the 2005 final  .

Ramps if that was South last night you'd been running down Bourke St afterwards in nothing but the Greek flag chanting Hellas Hellas .

[one-eyed]

Melbourne is now on top of the A-league ladder after last night's win.

Victory         2        Allsopp  '55, Vargas '67
Queensland  1        Moore '74

[F0551L]

ground looked in shocking condition best to keep sports venues for sports events

[mightytiges]

ground looked in shocking condition best to keep sports venues for sports events

Especially just a day and a half after a rave party. Collo only cares about raking in the $$$. It's still a good win though. Archie should/could've had another bag of 5 with all the chances he had.

[the_boy_jake]

Been some cracking A-League goals of late. Anyone who thinks this standard is lower than the old NSL needs to be put in a nursing home to talk about the good old days.