LEWDUB RETWEETS VOLUME 3

This week we go to the video. In a LewDub Retweets first, we feature all the important tweets and comments in East Asian Soccer over the last seven days, on video!

Look out for @SeongnamFC2014's controversial comments about Japanese Soccer teams including: Urawa Reds, Kashima Antlers and Gamba Osaka. Check the video to hear his gripe.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@seankyaroru (the account of Sean Carroll) was at Kashima Stadium for the Antlers vs FC Seoul Asian Champions League clash. In previous ACL home matches Kashima couldn't manage 8000 fans onsite. The home team needed a win to secure qualification for the knockout stage of the competition. On the video you'll find out how many Antlers fans rocked up.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@JSoccerMagazine spoke about the same match on Tuesday night. His summary took a more holistic stance, focusing on what the result meant for some of the other teams in Group H. Watch the video to hear a dodgy English accent, and find out who won through to the ACL Knockout Stage.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@Franjic5 (the account of Ivan Franjic) sent his best wishes to his old teammates at Brisbane Roar. Last week they met Adelaide United in the A-League Elimination Final. Did Ivan's mates win? The video knows.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@cantonfcnews reviewed the action from Shanghai last Friday night when Timmy Cahill's Shanghai Shenhua took on Guangzhou Evergrande. See, hear and read what happened - on the video.

LEWDUB RETWEETS - VOL. 2

First up in volume two, Lew Dub is looking to get the painful stuff out of the way. Last week in volume one I mentioned Seongnam FC Unofficial's account. I said that the account had mistakenly tweeted that Seongnam were safely through to the knockout phase of the ACL, but it was me who was mistaken. Craic Dealer an avid
Seongnam fan gave me the run down
on how things operate if there are three
teams tied in an ACL Group. This
situation is quite likely to arise in
Group F of the ACL where Seongnam are safe on ten and
Gamba Osaka and Buriram are on seven. Craic Dealer also exposed me to the cat obsessed account of @fresh_bizzy. Interesting if you've got some spare time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Second in the top five retweetables list came from Perth Glory's Rostyn Griffiths. The midfielder gave voice to something I fully support. After an investigation led by eastern state journos exposed Perth's salary cap infringements, the West Aussie club has been relegated from third to seventh, and out of the A-League Finals series. You can only speculate as to why Perth were targeted, but just like Rostyn I would love to see the books opened at a couple of big city clubs in Australia's eastern states.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shane Smeltz one of the A-League's greatest contributors got his just desserts during the week, and he showed some class on social media. The Kiwi was named in the A-League's Team of the Decade alongside the likes of Archie Thompson and Besart Berisha in the forward line. Though often starting as a substitute at Sydney FC this year Smeltz (85) trails Archie Thompson (88), by three goals in the A-League's all time leading scorer list.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somebody else got there just desserts this week, but it was a sour dish when served. Australian soccer journo Scott McIntyre made a number of disgusting tweets that targeted dead Australian and New Zealand soldiers, those without university educations, those with white skin, anyone who drinks, anyone who gambles, and anyone who has an ounce of patriotism. The tweets (five in total) came on ANZAC Day, the day when Australians stop to pay respect to those that paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy now. 

As a result, McIntyre was deservedly sacked from his post at the publicly funded SBS network.  

As Scott's tweets are too offensive to display here, I've posted the response from Hungarian immigrant Les Murray. Murray a famed soccer presenter on SBS was (along with the large majority of Australia) also disgusted by the comments of his former co-worker.

Unsurprisingly Scott found a legion of like minded followers on Twitter, including a number from struggling media outlet Fairfax, who argued freedom of speech had been brought into question. But Scott's sacking is a simple case of breaking the rules of your employment contract. 

The saddest thing about the whole affair is that McIntyre doesn't have it within himself to admit his mistake. He's told lies about those that are dead and can't defend themselves. Classless. 

Just say sorry.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, from the account of Andre a regular tweeter on Japanese soccer, came this retweetable delight. Andre noted tonight's big Chinese Super League clash between Tim Cahill's Shanghai Shenhua and behemoths Guangzhou Evergrande. I agree it's a huge fixture but the fact it's coming from Andre speaks to the rise of Chinese soccer. 

BRISBANE TRAVELS TO ADELAIDE IN A-LEAGUE FINALS

Luke Brattan up in arms for Brisbane Roar.

This Friday Brisbane Roar travels to Adelaide to take on the much vaunted, 'Gombau led' Reds. The Queensland team has managed to sneak into the finals courtesy of Perth Glory's inglorious demotion, and despite finishing sixth in the regular season, pose the biggest threat to Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC. 

Brisbane started A-League season 2014/15 in dreadful form. After seven matches the Roar had amassed a whole four points. Somehow, the club turned things around, and from February 2nd went five matches undefeated. Once their Asian Champions League commitments arrived Brisbane's new found domestic consistency took a blow, but nevertheless they're in the finals, and the roster available has enough class to do some damage. 

Their recent win against Beijing Guoan was something we didn't think possible. Heading to China with only the burning embers of their ACL campaign flickering, Brisbane defeated a Beijing outfit that hadn't tasted defeat in 21 matches. It was ugly, and un-Brisbane like, but sometimes you just have to forget the aesthetics and get the money. 

Serbian striker Andrija Kaluderovic got the goal in the 40th minute, and from that time on it was batten down the hatches and get gritty with it. Brisbane dug-in in defiance of the 35,000 plus fans, and it's that kind of character that should see them come away with a win against a similar opponent this Friday.

Adelaide, the favourites in many quarters are the pin up boys of the league. All season long their flowing football has caught the eye, and manager Josep Gombau believes his team are better prepared than last year when they fell at the first hurdle (CCM) in the finals. They'll have the services of Spaniard Isaias who was in doubt earlier this week.

Unfortunately the Reds will go into the match minus front man Bruce Djite. The man whose team mates say is underrated is out with a groin strain and Adelaide really don't have anyone who can provide the same physicality.

Additionally, Brisbane dealt Adelaide a psychological blow just three weeks ago when they beat them 3-2 at Hindmarsh Stadium. The Roar led 3-0 after 54 minutes before the home team picked up a 71st minute goal and another in the 95th.

Another factor against Adelaide is the venue change for the do or die fixture. The match has been switched to Adelaide Oval in a bid to maximise ticket sales. The Reds manager revealed his disappointment at the decision during a press conference, "The decision is not what we want but we need to respect it. We need to play and we need to win."

If you like a bet Brisbane are just too hard to ignore. One betting agency has them at $4 to win in the regulation 90 minutes. With the aforementioned factors taken into account, those odd are just too good to pass up. 

JETS SET TO BLOW THE MARINERS OUT OF THE WATER

Captain Kew, boss Stubbins and Flores

The Jets have been the most disappointing A-League club over the last seven seasons. Since winning the A-League Champions title in 2007/08 the Jets have made the finals once (09/10) and finished 7th three times. In a ten team competition there is no consolation in finishing mid-table. Even worse, the club has had to witness derby rival Central Coast Mariners win a title in 2012/13 and watch as they dominate the derby fixture. 

This year the Jets are being touted as wooden spoon favourites. And it's no wonder, with new manager Phil Stubbins greeted by the departures of topscorer and A-League Golden Boot, Adam Taggart along with Josh Brillante, junior Socceroo Connor Chapman, James Brown, Emile Heskey, Craig Goodwin and captain Ruben Zadkovich.. But in Newcastle's favour is the signing of striker Jeronimo Neumann, Ecuadorian Edson Montano and former Mariner Marcos Flores.

The off season recruitment has been about finding goals. Last season the Jets scoring summary reads as: 34 goals in 27 matches. On closer investigation the statistics scream goal drought. Of the 34 goals, five came in a promising victory over Wellington, and 16 were provided by Adam Taggart. Thus, Neumann and Flores are vital signings, and favourite son Joel Griffiths should not be forgotten either. 

This week in the lead up to the derby Marcos Flores lit the flame by calling out the Mariners organisation. The midfielder was disappointed in the treatment dished out to him after his full knee reconstruction in the 2013/14 season. The 28 year old said, ". . . when you get hurt in that way you feel that you are going to get support and they didn’t (support me). After three years in this country I packed my suitcase thinking that I wasn’t going to come back."

Flores and that infectious attitude

But the Argentine is back, and he's just the antidote for a disjointed Newcastle attack. Despite the numerous Young Socceroos that Gary van Egmond had recruited to the club, the Jets appeared to be a team of individuals in 2013/14. If injury free Flores will provide the link between defence and attack, and his infectious enthusiasm should bind the team.

As for the derby, the odds are stacked against the Jets. They've won once in 16 visits to Central Coast and the Mariners haven't been beaten in the last five clashes with Newcastle. Add to that the fact the Jets crashed out of the FFA Cup in the first round, and you wonder about the intelligence of the above headline. But Newcastle are a club ready to blast off. There is just far too much class in the team for them to continue under performing. At $4.00 punters would be mad not to take the odds in the derby.

WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS - ASIA'S NEWEST MARQUEE CLUB

Guangzhou's manager giving the Egyptian ref some lip.

Western Sydney Wanderers have shocked the continent. Wests downed current Asian champs Guangzhou Evergrande overnight, in a match that had all the hallmarks of a classic. There was cut and thrust on the field, pure passion in the stands, and temper tantrums on the sidelines, as Marcello Lippi lost his rag in the latter stages.

After dominating the first half with their classy midfield, boasting Elkeson and Diamanti, the Chinese outfit was steamrolled in the second half. Guangzhou finished the match with a dominant 56 percent possession statistic, but the visitors produced less shots on goal than the red and black. For all their class and lack of 'fiscal restraint', Guangzhou just couldn't break down the out of season Wanderers. Not even tattooed right back Zhang, Linpeng could get beyond the well marshalled and willing defence. 

In the 60th minute the Wanderers shocked everyone, (except those that live in another reality) when they went ahead. The goal came via an innocuous looking cross that appeared manageable for your average weekend warrior, but Tom Juric's faint deflection was enough to steer the ball beyond the keeper's grasp. It's possible the keeper's vision was obstructed by his teammate Kim, Young-Gwon, who was tracking Juric. 

From that point on the temperature just continued to rise. Finally it all boiled over when Zhang, Linpeng was fouled by Iacopo La Rocca. La Rocca had jostled with Zhang until the referee blew his whistle, but in a sign of the frustration the champions were feeling, Zhang lashed out (with his back to La Rocca) and hit his opponent flush on the face with a backhander. Without hesitation Egyptian ref Mohamed Hassan flashed his red card at the right-back, kicking off a kerfuffle that didn't want to end. 

Already down to ten, things got worse for Guangzhou two minutes later. Wanderers' new signing Vitor Saba milked a foul after substitute Liu retaliated to an errant elbow from the wiry midfielder. A fraction of a second later as Saba hit the deck, Gao, Lin arrived on the scene. The striker tried to pull up - caught by surprise at Saba's theatrics - and did well to merely graze the Brazilian as he propped on his left leg. But once again referee Hassan saw red.

Saba writhes in 'pain' while Gao Lin sees red.

And so it was that mayhem ensued. Within the blink of an eye, Guangzhou's esteemed Italian manager was invading the pitch to give little Hassan some lip. It may have been deserved but Lippi can expect to be banished to the stands for the second leg. Along with a manager in the stands, Guangzhou will be without their 'go-to' striker Gao, Lin and defender Zhang, Linpeng. 

Next week sees the return leg, and it's a promoters dream. Australia's team from the football heartland, taking on the continental heavyweights, in their backyard. Vitally Wanderers go to China not having conceded an away goal, and carrying a 1-0 lead. 

MELBOURNE'S NEW TRADITION A WINNER

Melbourne Heart officially re-badged as Melbourne City

Melbourne Heart have officially re-badged themselves as Melbourne City FC, with a brand new emblem and a brand new home kit to boot. The name had been public knowledge for some time as the City Football Group (owners of Manchester City and New York City) had bought the club in January this year but the new home kit and logo haven't been met with total support. On the upside the club did make the re-badging announcement in conjunction with news of David Villa's signing.

While some fans have greeted the new kit with lukewarm enthusiasm due to the ownership's discarding of Melbourne Heart/City's red and white history, the red and white stripes are still in circulation as the club's away kit. The new emblem, possibly the ownership's cleverest coup sports a close replication of the city of Melbourne's flag, encircled by a sky blue ring. Importantly the city of Melbourne flag includes a red and white cross of St George. The red and white aspect of the new emblem no doubt pleasing some fans.

The Melbourne City emblem. Looks like soccer.

While it is only for a ten week guest player stint the signing of David Villa is massive. The news is not only good for Melbourne City fans but the A-League in general. With the soccer world heading into a World Cup it's a beautiful thing to have one of Spain's mainstays announcing his plans to grace the A-League. Villa is expected to play his part for Melbourne City between October and December before heading off to New York City for the MLS.

David Villa signs with Melbourne City FC

If there is a loser in all of this, it's Melbourne Victory. The club whose fans set the platform in the early years of the A-League is now set to be usurped by their city rivals. Regularly referring to the themselves as the biggest club in the competition, it's likely they'll no longer be the biggest club in their own state. Melbourne City whom when known as Melbourne Heart I labelled as lacking identity, have now got an identity. City is  the child of wealthy and respected parents with a core group of passionate fans that is set to grow with more marquee signings, and that ever so important ingredient - success. Good luck City!

HARRY'S HOPES FOR BRAZIL GET A BOOST

Harry Kewell - Melbourne Heart 2013/14

He's Australia's most celebrated soccer player, and though many wouldn't have believed it in 2001 it looks as though Harry Kewell will play in three World Cups. With Robbie Kruse's heart breaking ACL tear virtually ruling the 25 year old out of Brazil, Kewell's stocks took a boost. Now back from his own injury woes, there is a groundswell of support for the talisman. But he needs to convince one more man; Ange Postecoglou.

After failing to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, it seemed Harry Kewell would suffer the fate of so many great Aussie soccer players. The World Cup looked the impossible dream after Uruguay gave the Socceroos another taste of, 'so close yet so far'. However, Australia went on to reach the 2006 World Cup and 2010 World Cup with Harry Kewell playing a role on both occasions. Harry's late goal against Croatia sent Australia through to the knockout stage in Germany but his experience in South Africa was nightmarish. Brought down in the box against Ghana and ignored, he was later red carded for handball. Good and bad, Harry has seen it all, and the wealth of knowledge at his disposal can only benefit the youth around him.

Harry's chances of travelling to Brazil looked slim just over a month ago, when he had yet to complete 90 minutes for Melbourne Heart. But gradually Kewell has built up match fitness, and it's no coincidence that Melbourne Heart's on-field fortunes have taken a turn for the better since the return of Harry. Coinciding with Kewell's lift in form and game time was the devastating news of Robbie Kruse's ACL injury. The 25 year old attacker will need to perform a miracle to be ready by May 13th, when the preliminary 30 man squad is announced. The standard recovery time for ACL injuries is a minimum of six months before the individual can return to high impact activity that soccer involves, and Socceroos manager Ange Postecoglou is a staunch advocate of players with game time under their belt. This fact virtually rules Kruse out.

So it all comes down to Postecoglou. Is there some lingering discontent between Kewell and Postecoglou after Harry's departure from Melbourne Victory in 2012? Will the manager dig in stubbornly against the tide of momentum being built by Kewell's form, and advocates such as Slater and Harper? The two were heard in pre and post match discussions on Friday night (31st January), building the case for Harry, and with Australia's slated friendly with Ecuador set for March 5th, we will soon know if there are any skeletons in the closet.

MARINERS FOREVER MIRED IN MEDIOCRITY

Central Coast Mariners are currently 4th on the A-League ladder, with a host of teams within striking distance. The defending champions have long been punching above their weight, but it seems this season that the regular holes that appear in their campaign vessel, just can't be plugged. Will they ever have a steady ship?

Losing promising young players has been a fact of life for the Gosford based club, and it's something that the hierarchy are happy to celebrate. Former manager Graham Arnold recently echoed those sentiments in an interview with Robbie Slater. On Tom Rogic leaving Arnold said, "It was the philosophy of the club, and we needed it for the club to survive at the time." Further evidence of the philosophy can be found in the following departure list: Michael Beauchamp (left for Europe 06-07), Mile Jedinak (left for Europe 2009), Mustafa Amini (left for Europe 2012), Matt Ryan (left for Europe 2013). Add to that the club stalwarts who took Asian paydays: Alex Wilkinson (Korea), Matt Simon (Korea), and Michael McGlinchey (Japan). While the club likes to inform us that they will never stand in the way of a youngster jetting off to further his career, they forget to realise the fans are suffering.

The Mariners have stunned us with two premierships and one championship from the eight A-League seasons so far. They've appeared in four of the end of season championship matches and an amazing six times in the finals series. But a look at attendance averages is very disheartening for A-League officialdom. Over the eight and a half seasons of the A-League the Mariners have averaged a lowly 9,422 (excluding finals), despite their continuing success. With no other professional sports outfit representing the Central Coast area in a national competition, it's unfathomable. But Graham Arnold was proud of the club's attendances, ". . . there's a population up here of 250,000 and if you can average 10,000 a game you are doing great." Herein lies the problem; if the Mariners are hamstrung by a small population base to call on for fans, what will happen in the future? The A-League's salary cap will grow gradually larger, and the Mariners crowds won't. They will never attract out of town fans (in their current guise) as they continue to let go of stars and are reluctant to purchase a marquee player (Aloisi's short tenure is excluded). Basing your club on the West Ham model is futile. What have all the transfer fees done for them?

This season the Mariners are dead ducks, with the retirement of centre-back Patrick Zwaanswijk compounded by manager Arnold's mid-season disappearance with conditioner Andrew Clarke and midfielder Michael McGlinchey in tow. Throw in the season ending injury of Marcos Flores and it's groundhog's day for Mariners fans. A future of mediocrity seems the only destiny for the Central Coast Mariners and their foray into the Tom Rogic 'loan chase' will most definitely come up fruitless. Perhaps the only hope for the Gosford club is owner Mike Charlesworth, with his plans to boost the local economy and make the Mariners 'Centre of Excellence' the home of the Socceroos. Good luck Mike.

MELBOURNE JUST DOESN'T HAVE THE HEART FOR TWO TEAMS

Melbourne Heart have sacked manager John Aloisi after a miserable run of sixteen matches without a league win. But the former Socceroo stalwart's sacking masks a bigger problem at the Heart. Not many people actually care about them.

Heart were founded and immediately planted into the A-League for the 2010/11 season. Since then we've witnessed 10 Melbourne derbies and it cannot be denied that there is a genuine buzz about the fixture. Unfortunately, the rest of the time Melbourne pays virtually no attention to the red and white team. Looking at average attendances for the three 'full seasons' Melbourne Heart have existed, most would say, "that's not so bad." In 2010/11 Heart averaged 8312, in 2011/12 they rose to 9082, while in 2012/13 attendances dropped to 8560. It's a solid base to build from, but closer investigation of these statistics reveals a major concern for Melbourne's second A-League team.

It's Melbourne's 'contrived' derby which continues to prop up Heart's end of season attendance stats. The Heart's rate of patronage plunges markedly when the derby match is removed from their attendance records. Averages for 2010/11 without the derby were 5825. In other years the impact has been similar (check graph).

MELB. HEART ATTENDANCE AVERAGES - COMPARISON GRAPH

The problem apart from Heart's limited on-field success is their lack of identity. As I sit here in my Sydney office I ponder, "Why would someone support Melbourne Heart?" Reason 1: an individual prefers red over blue. Reason 2: an individual is an anti soccer fan who fears Melbourne Victory's rising iconicism.

While I too prefer red over blue (a graphic arts teacher once told me it symbolises passion), it's not the kind of reason that inspires long term loyalty, or requests for life memberships. Yes, Melbourne Heart have a solid base and if on-field success arrives numbers may swell, but FFA (Australian football's organising body) have long talked about Geelong as a location for an A-League club. What would happen to Heart's flimsily founded supporter base if Geelong did arrive?

Most Victorians scoff at 'AFL mad' Geelong being awarded an A-League license, but even if it's unlikely the Melbourne situation must be resolved. Unlike Sydney's derby that works on a good old fashioned geographical separation, which divides the so called 'working class' from the 'silvertails', Melbourne's derby is about nothing, and when the blue team aren't in town no one cares.

Despite all those in the south harping on about Melbourne being Australia's 'sports capital', or even the world's sports capital, the Melbourne Heart provides little evidence. The solution is to move Melbourne Heart out of the city centre.
    

JETS ON TRAJECTORY OF LAST YEAR'S WANDERERS

Call me crazy, call me mad, even insane. Maybe my heart is getting the better of me, but there seems to be some similarities in the flight path of this season's Jets and last season's Wanderers. After five rounds of the 2013/2014 A-League season, the Newcastle Jets lie seventh on six points; one win and three draws.

Last season the Western Sydney Wanderers spent the first three rounds kicking soccer balls in all directions but goal-ward. They hit pay-dirt in round four when Mark Bridge was able to slot one into the back of the net, and give the Wanderers their first ever A-League win. Prior to that match Bridge spoke to Omnisport, and was predictably probed on the 270 minute goal drought: "Defensively we've been very solid, structurally we've been very good and we've been very competitive in every game." While sounding like the cliche response Bridge was right about Wests solid defence - it would prove to be the foundation of their critically acclaimed season. After five rounds last year the Wanderers had conceded just three goals, and found themselves on seven competition points.

This season the Jets struggled through three matches and the 'goal drought' tag was being bandied about. Then came the round four local derby with Central Coast Mariners. Winless, but with two draws behind them, and two clean sheets, the Jets went into the game underdogs with a quite confidence. Amazingly, Newcastle found themselves the owners of a 2-nil lead with more than 60 minutes played. Graham Arnold's Mariners would storm back as the Jets got stage fright. A penalty in the 63rd minute and a 'tap in' from a rebound in the 79th minute meant the Jets could only manage a draw. Prior to that match Jets assistant coach Craig Deans said, ". . . the small margins are not going in our favour, but we are still going to stay positive. At the same time, to have what looks to be quite a solid defencive structure at the moment is something that's pleasing and something we can build on." And so the Jets would pick up their first win in round five against Adelaide United at Adelaide.

Newcastle conceded 45 goals in their 27 matches last season. They look on the road to a much better season defensively, largely due to the recruitment of Dutch centre-back Kew Jaliens. Just as Tony Popovic created the monster that is now Western Sydney Wanderers by building a rock solid defence, the Jets maligned manager Gary Van Egmond appears to have applied the same template this year. Further upside for the Jets comes in the form of Emile Heskey's return from injury - sure to provide more space for former Socceroo Nathan Burns. All signs point to a very productive season for the Jets.  

SYDNEY DERBY SOLD OUT

This Saturday's A League 'Sydney Derby' has sold out. Sydney FC's Sydney Football Stadium, (Allianz Stadium) will be packed to its 45,500 capacity, hosting the visiting Western Sydney Wanderers. The League's biggest derby appears to be unaffected by the expected absence of marquee man Alessandro Del Piero.

Sydney FC kicked off their season with a convincing win over the misfiring Newcastle Jets (whom I tipped). The Italian was instrumental in that victory with the first goal and a typically special play making performance. Unfortunately for Sydney FC Del fell injured last weekend against Brisbane Roar, when one of his visits to the turf proved serious. Sydney went on to receive a 4-nil drubbing from Brisbane who were admittedly dominant before Del's demise.

Just two games into the A League season and Western Sydney Wanderers have proven they remain hard to beat, but they're scoring habits also have a whiff of familiarity. After recruiting recently capped Socceroo Tom Juric and Brendan Santalab to the club to shore up attacking options Wests are yet to set the world on fire. Juric was used as a substitute in the opening round against Central Coast Mariners and tied the match with his volleyed tap in. However, he was unable to repeat the dose at home to Wellington. This has Wests heading into the derby undefeated but also winless.

Stoking the fires of the derby was Western Sydney's Jerome Polenz. The German import spoke on the likely absence of Alessandro Del Piero, "I think it will be better if Del Piero plays because my opinion is he's not running a lot, so there would be more holes for us to go through . . . Of course he's an outstanding player, but he's also not working defensively so I think it would be better if he plays." Meanwhile, Sydney FC youngster Joel Chianese was probed on the loss to Brisbane and the significance of Del Piero. Chianese said, "Whether he's in the team or not, we need to play our best and the way the coach wants us to play - not how we played on Saturday. We'll be better this week definitely."

Chianese's comments need to be backed up by his teammates this weekend, or things could once again turn ugly for the 'Sky Blues'. Farina's men looked lost last week, and Sydney can't afford a repeat performance of the uninspired sit back-athon. This could well play into the hands of Western Sydney Wanderers, whose success last season was owed to their ability to counter attack. Along with that, Tony Popovic is now clear of Socceroos managerial speculation (Postecoglou confirmed as Socceroos manager).

Whatever eventuates we can rest assured their will be a magical atmosphere at the Sydney Football Stadium, marking another step in soccer's incremental rise into Australian sporting relevance.

WANDERERS ONE YEAR ON: WHAT NEXT?

Mark Bridge, Tarek Elrich (foreground) Wanderers unveil

On April 4th, 2012 Ben Buckley fronted a Football Federation Australia press conference with the news that a second Sydney team would be coming to the A-League. Soon after a number of fan forums were held across western Sydney, in a bid to engage with a possible fan base. Pivotal to the club's on-field success was the May 12, 2012 appointment of manager Tony Popovic. By June 25th, 2012 it was official: The Western Sydney Wanderers had been born. 

Western Sydney Wanderers went on to achieve a record breaking season, which included winning the Premiers Plate and qualifying for the 2014 Asian Champions League. So successful is the club that current owners 'the FFA', have stated that potential buyers are going to have to bid around A$15 million for ownership. FFA CEO David Gallop said, "It wouldn't be overstating it to say they're the sporting club with the most potential in the whole country . . ."

Club sponsors for the inaugural season wouldn't have anticipated the massive exposure the club gained. Considering Wests had failed after three matches to score a goal in professional competition, club backers could easily have feared the worst, but gradually results came. Local boy and manager Tony Popovic remained stoic in the face of the storm, something which characterised his playing career. "There are no favourites here, no set individuals guaranteed a place, but we're one unit with a goal to keep improving," Popovic said after a 1-1 draw away to Perth Glory in round 13. Popovic's playing career took him to Japan's Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 1997 and onto Crystal Palace in 2001. For this reason it was no surprise that 'Poppa' was able to snare Japanese ace Shinji Ono amongst a host of other foreign signings. A cult favourite was unheralded Ethiopian Youssouf Hersi who was spotted in the Dutch Eredivisie. 

The club's timeline is a miraculous story of success and needs to be seen to be believed:

April 4th, 2012: New Sydney club announced. 
April 19th, 2012: East Asian Soccer covers the story and predicts WSW to become, "the club in Australian soccer." 
June 25th, 2012: Club name and colours officially announced.
July 26th, 2012: Major sponsor NRMA Insurance announced.
September 21st, 2012: Former Socceroos team-mate of Popovic, Michael Beauchamp named club captain. 
September 28th, 2012: Shinji Ono signs as marquee player.
October 6th, 2012: First competition match against Central Coast Mariners ends 0-0 in front of 10458 fans.
October 20th, 2012: First Sydney derby with Sydney FC winning 1-nil at Parramatta Stadium.
October 27th 2012: First win comes against reigning champions Brisbane Roar, in Brisbane.
December 15th, 2012: Wanderers defeat Sydney FC 2-nil in Sydney derby at Sydney Football Stadium in front of 26176 fans.
March 2nd, 2013: Ascent to top of table is completed with victory over Central Coast at Gosford.
March 29th, 2013: Win Premiers Plate in front of massive travelling contingent at Newcastle.
April 21st, 2013: Grand Final appearance brings a taste of defeat via A-League's famed chokers Central Coast Mariners. 

What next for a club that achieved so much in its inaugural season? With Popovic's perfectionist attitude you can bet the title of Champions is uppermost on the club's list of targets. There is also the small matter of the Asian Champions League, which will place the club, the western Sydney region, and sponsors in the spotlight of Asia. The prospect of a clash between Ono's former J-League club Urawa Reds, and Western Sydney Wanderers is mouth watering. Will the club meddle with the eye catching red and black playing strip that has broken merchandise sales records across all sporting codes in Australia? Can the club better it's first season membership numbers (just over 7000) and increase crowd averages? Already the club has signed A-League journey man Dean Heffernan. The defender will look to feature from the first clash which comes on Saturday, October 12th, at Gosford.

Wests with the 2012/13 Premiers Plate

"This is a sponsored post but my opinions are my own."

GUANGZHOU POWER PAST MARINERS

Sometimes you walk away from a soccer ground wondering why you bothered to give up your hard earned dollars. The Asian Champions League Round of 16 match between Central Coast Mariners and Guangzhou Evergrande, was NOT one of those occasions.

The Chinese giants appeared to have underestimated their Australian opponents when the Mariners went ahead in the 7th minute. It was youngster Mitchell Duke whose lunging effort was redirected to give the Mariners a shock lead. It had the 4000 odd travelling Guangzhou fans gasping for oxygen. This wasn't the plan. But the team from Gosford continued their marauding raids down the flanks, particularly the left with Josh Rose contributing the most.



The inevitable momentum swing occurred in the 27th minute when Paraguayan international Barrios levelled the scores. The goal resulted after a breakaway, with midfielder Conca feeding the ball to the irrepressible Muriqui on the left. The Brazilian looked to send to the ball into the box, but the resulting scramble saw the ball land at the feet of Barrios. He buried a bouncing volley into Matt Ryan's net. The game had changed and Zac Anderson's bullying of Barrios off the ball was nullified.

The second half was dominated by Guangzhou as the cavalry charged. International striker Gao Lin had the crowd on their feet with a bicycle kick attempt on goal. Ryan tipped it over, much to the disappointment of the Guangzhou fans. They were rabid! The 'red tide' would keep rising though. Right fullback Zhang Linpeng was the Chinese version of the 'Duracell rabbit'. He was up and down the right wing all match and his shimmy on the edge of the box to round Mariners defender Josh Rose was worth the entry fee. Soon we were adding Muriqui's back-heeled shot to the highlights reel, as it glanced off the upright in the 71st minute.

It appeared the Mariners had decided the only way to muffle the Guangzhou attack was to play a high line and cramp the midfield. A risky tactic which eventually saw Muriqui punish the home team. A high ball was lofted into the centre of the field, and Barrios's poor first touch presented the ball in the path of Muriqui. The Brazilian took one touch and then unleashed. It was 2-1 in the 76th minute, and a mountain for the Mariners to climb. Nevertheless, the Mariners fans would see some more goal mouth action with the Guangzhou keeper forced to make an almost unsighted save late in regulation time.

The 2-1 first leg sees Guangzhou in a powerful position heading back to China. Next week's second leg will be played at Tianhe Stadium, and the Mariners can expect a sea of red to greet them. Guangzhou regularly attract crowds of 40,000, but the their are no guarantees in soccer, and while the Mariners were beaten at home, they certainly acquitted themselves well. Working in the Mariners favour is Guangzhou's cut and thrust style. They will definitely get some opportunities to score in China, but their execution will need to be spot on.

Barrios hits the deck at Gosford

Asia's largest travelling supporter group: Guangzhou 

MARINERS IN TEST AGAINST ASIA'S FINEST

Daniel McBreen hits the winner in the 2012/13 A League Final

On Wednesday 15th May the Central Coast Mariners will face the stiffest test of their so far unfruitful ACL lives. The little team from Gosford who were recently crowned champions for 2012/13, are up against China's Guangzhou Evergrande. Guangzhou have marched out of the ACL's group of death with one loss and some impressive victories.

The Mariners have got mileage out of using the underdog tag over the years, despite making it to four A League Grand Finals. This blog has been on the case of the Mariners for the continued 'little battler-ism' being employed by club management, and playing staff over the years, however, this time they are free to play the underdog card. It's okay.

Boasting a star studded and rather 'well remunerated' line-up, Evergrande slipped up once against Japan's biggest soccer club Urawa Reds, while scoring two draws against Korea's ACL top guns Jeonbuk Hyundai. Nicknamed the Tigers, Guangzhou has become the big money club of Asia since the Evergrande Real Estate Group provided their assistance. The stars include 29 year old Dario Conca of Argentina who is said to be on US$10.4 million a year. Aussie midfielder Rostyn Griffiths formerly of Central Coast Mariners has touted Conca as the danger-man. Everything goes through him . . . he floats around the pitch playing as the attacking midfielder and he is very dangerous from set pieces. Griffiths is a voice of authority on the Chinese Super League being a regular at local rivals Guangzhou R&F. Also posing a threat to the Mariners hopes are the likes of Paraguayan Lucas Barrios brought to the club last year on a record transfer fee of 8.5 million Euro (equal to roughly US$11mil). Meanwhile the struggling former Borussia Dortmund striker can only manage to earn US$8.7mil a season. There is no salary cap in 

China. By far my favourite for the Tigers though is Muriqui who has put in some stunning performances in the ACL. He'll be positioned on the wing or as a forward in a 4-4-2 formation. Rounding things off is superstar manager Marcello Lippi.

With a paltry US$2.5mil budget the Mariners have defied logic with their consistency in the A-League. A major problem for Central Coast has been player retention. Midway through the 2011/12 A League season the club were hamstrung by the losses of prodigal son Matt Simon and defensive midfielder Rostyn Griffiths. This season they've seen brilliant youngster Tom Rogic exit to Celtic in Scotland. Also rumoured to be on their way out are keeper Matt Ryan (Premier League interest), defender Trent Sainsbury, striker Bernie Ibini-Isei and the retiring Patrick Zwaanswijk. Incredibly it's team unity which has been the dominant theme of the Mariners narrative.For the Mariners to have a chance in Wednesday night's first leg they will have to all play at their best. Thirty-six year old striker Daniel McBreen has had his best ever professional season, scoring 19 goals. It's possible McBreen's physical style could upset the Guangzhou defence but getting the ball to the man will be a herculean task. Guangzhou are expected to dominate the midfield but the job of breaking down that dominance lay at the feet of English import Nick Montgomery and local club stalwart John Hutchinson.

Good luck to Graham Arnold and his Central Coast Mariners. In this match they stand as Australia's sole representative remaining in the Champions League. It was heartening to see 7623 Mariners fans show up for the recent ACL clash with Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol. Lets hope we see more than 10000 this Wednesday. Finally, although I'm not a betting man, please bet responsibly on Guangzhou Evergrande, and for your own financial health ignore the underdog.

Wests Wandering Into Asia

Ono, Polenz and youngster Appiah-Kubi celebrate

Western Sydney Wanderers the A League's newest club, booked their ticket into the 2014 Asian Champions League, after opening up a five point gap over their nearest rival. With just three matches remaining in the regular season it seems the Wanderers are going to complete a fairy tale.

Defeating Wellington Phoenix 2-1 via two penalties the Wanderers weren't at their best yesterday, yet still came away with the spoils. Also in their favour is the form of Central Coast Mariners who have sunk from the top of the table. Sadly the Mariners choking at this stage of the season is an almost annual occurrence and with two losses in a row manager Graham Arnold is scratching his head, "Senior players ... if you have got goal-scorers out there, the goal-scorers should be the ones that want to take it." The former interim Socceroos manager was frustrated at senior players not wanting to take responsibility for penalty taking after the Mariners loss to Western Sydney Wanderers. Perhaps more concerning for the Mariners is Arnold's perceiving of mental fatigue amongst his players, "With mental fatigue comes decision making and they are doing things they don't normally do. Turning over possession, taking extra time on the ball."

With their fate in their own hands, it's hard to see anything stopping the Wanderers from taking home the Premiers Plate (A - League Premiership). It's almost unimaginable to envisage Wests being defeated anytime this season. There is such a momentum behind the team and at the same time their nearest rivals are imploding. Manager Tony Popovic was typically cautious after yesterday's win, "There is still some work to be done, and this group knows that." Popovic and the Wests are not celebrating yet, but I can't wait to see the best of Asia playing at Parramatta Stadium in 2014.

ACL KICK OFF - MARINERS SET TO STRIKE

Marcello Lippi - Guangzhou Evergrande

Today the Asian Champions League kicks off. The most mouth watering of clashes is undoubtedly Urawa Reds v Guangzhou Evergrande starting at 11pm (Sydney time) tonight. Also on the schedule for Matchday 1 is Muangthong United v Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

As all fans of Asian soccer would know Evergrande from the Chinese Super League are the nascent force in the region. Last year the Chinese giants entered the ACL for the first time under super star manager Marcello Lippi. Evergrande made it to the quarter finals in 2012, while in the CSL they swept all before them again. Lippi spoke of his excitement about the Urawa Reds assignment, "We are ready for the match and hopefully we can show our spirit and style in the game." The Italian also alluded to some injury concerns which arose over the off season, "During winter training unfortunately I only had half of the team available. Zhao Xuri and Feng Xiaoting came back with injuries and they were unable to take part in training." Evergrande will still take some beating with their wealthy stock of imports that include Dario Conca from Argentina and Paraguayan Lucas Barrios.

Meanwhile the Urawa Reds are also coming into the match with high aspirations. The team looked favourites to take out the J League title at times last year but faded disappointingly. Reds manager Mihailo Petrovic said, " I am aware of the possibilities of losing to such a strong opponent; however, we won't lose in terms of fighting spirit. I also hope we can cause them a lot of trouble." Petrovic's men made a habit of scoring goals with speedy transition play last year, and on an away trip early in the season, you can expect them to fall back on that style. It's more than a suitable situation for the Reds as they'll face a hostile Chinese crowd but no pressure to make the play. While Petrovic speaks conservatively about Urawa's chances, you can bet the Japanese will fancy themselves with possibly the most dazzling midfield in Asia. If you only watch one ACL game this Matchday, make it this one.

Muangthong and Jeonbuk ahead of tonight's ACL clash

In Thailand Muangthong will host established Asian powerhouse Jeonbuk. The green team from Korea have a great record in continental competition but Muangthong will hardly be awestruck. The Thai outfit claimed the local league by a 14 point margin and the atmosphere will be electric as the Thai's love to pit themselves against their more acclaimed Asian neighbours. Muangthong come into the match after a recent loss to rivals Buriram in the Thai King's Trophy match (2012 league winner v 2012 cup winner). With names like Guangzhou and Urawa in the group both Jeonbuk and Muangthong will not underestimate the importance of taking maximum points tonight.

From an Australian viewpoint it was disappointing to see Brisbane Roar crash out to Buriram in the recent play-off match. However, the Thai's will definitely add more in terms of crowd involvement. With only one representative in the tournament Australians could quite easily lose interest but the Central Coast Mariners should make an impact this year. The Mariners are drawn in a favourable group which includes Guizhou Renhe, Kashiwa Reysol and first round opponent Suwon Bluewings. While Suwon have acquired the services of North Korean ace Jong Tae Se and Aussie Eddy Bosnar, the Mariners are now old hands at the continental game and manager Graham Arnold has used his contacts in Japan to attain comprehensive scouting reviews. Speaking of his connection with Shimizu S Pulse manager Afshin Ghotbi Arnold said, "I contacted him, and as well as the DVD he was good enough to give me a written report on their players." Ghotbi's team played Suwon in a pre-season trial. Ghotbi is set to be sourced for information on J League outfit Kashiwa Reysol also. For the Mariners the ACL is the only frontier which they've failed to make strides in, but if the weekend's 6-2 drubbing of Melbourne Victory is anything to go by, they're set to stamp their names into the minds of Asian soccer fans.

Del Piero Hits Four as Sydney Begin to Click

Del Piero celebrates another goal against Wellington

Alessandro Del Piero has blitzed the Wellington Phoenix, and in the process dragged Sydney FC into the A League top six temporarily. The Italian maestro was unstoppable as he inspired his teammates via a first half treble which had Wellington Phoenix resigned to defeat before half time.

Sydney FC are now back into end of season reckoning with today's remarkable victory. Coinciding with today's win was the Sydney FC debut of Australian international Joel Griffiths, who has spent the past three seasons in China with Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua. For the record the final score was 7-1, a scoreline which condemned Wellington to the bottom of the A League table. The win was also Sydney FC's biggest ever win.

For Del Piero the goals came in the 20th, 23rd, 39th and 70th minutes. The best of the goals came in the 39th minute when midfielder Jason Culina found Del Piero with a pin point switch of play which gave the Italian enough space to bamboozle Wellington's Leo Bertos, and smash home a ripper. Wellington keeper Paston was left flailing as the strike punched the corner of the goal to his left.

The win sounds a warning to Sydney's opponents and even Del Piero was buying into the new found momentum in a post match interview. Asked whether he thought today's win was the turning point for the season he replied, "I hope . . . I hope" before adding that last week's match was even more significant when against Melbourne Heart they turned around a 1-nil deficit with 5 minutes remaining.

Although trailing competition leaders Central Coast Mariners by 14 points with 10 matches left to play Sydney can still take away the A League's major prize as the season ends with a final series. Unlike most professional soccer leagues around the world the A League uses a final six format which virtually turns the final weeks of the season into a knockout competition.

GAMBA'S SEASON OF WOE RECEIVES A FINAL BLOW

Gamba Osaka have hit rock bottom. After a season of torment in the J League which saw them relegated to Japan's 2nd tier for the first time, Gamba bombed out in the Emperor's Cup final to Kashiwa Reysol. It truly was a case of Gamba's J League form coming back to haunt them. After a recent undefeated run to gain entry into the Emperor's Cup final gave fans a glimmer of hope, today was the hammer blow which sent the marquee club crashing into J2 with a thud.

Ironically some Gamba fans are glad that the team didn't win the Emperor's Cup, as it would see them committed to an Asian Champions League campaign while playing for promotion in a league which involves more than 40 matches. Now it's Kashiwa who will contest the ACL in 2013 just as they did in 2012. Kashiwa put on a decent showing in 2012 making it to the knockout stage only to meet eventual winner Ulsan Hyundai first up. The win today came about via a Hirofumi Watanabe header. The centre back got himself on the end of a Jorge Wagner corner and made Gamba pay for not taking their own chances. Truly a season of despair for Gamba Osaka.

ONO RECEIVES OVATION AFTER STUNNING DOUBLE FOR WANDERERS

Shinji Ono has put on a masterclass as he took his A League club Western Sydney Wanderers into third place on the ladder. The Japanese import continues to improve as he settles into A League life. Ono Put Wests ahead on the brink of halftime with an amazing juggling volley which will find its way onto every A League highlights reel ever released.

Melbourne levelled the scores in the 72nd minute and looked set to steal the points as momentum had swung their way. Wanderers were looking tired and it was somewhat against the run of play that Ono's second goal came about. On this occasion Ono took advantage of some time given to him by the Melbourne defence, providing a neat turn as a defender strode past him expecting him to lay the ball off. But Ono turned toward goal, and sent a shot into the keeper's left corner. Brilliant!

Ono would leave the field in the 84th minute to a standing ovation, as his team held on for a forth win in their last five matches.

ONO BRIDGE ON FIRE AS ADELAIDE BURNS

WESTS PUT SIX PAST ADELAIDE

Last night the Western Sydney Wanderers woke the A League to their potential. Inspired by a vociferous home crowd, the like that hasn't been heard in the A League before, Wests gave Adelaide a six goal soccer lesson.

From the outset Wests were hungrier and gave very little time to Adelaide to settle on the ball, and it was the western Sydney outfit who looked like they should be sitting second on the ladder. Enigmatic (actually a compliment) striker Mark Bridge opened the scoring after winger Hersi lobbed a ball into the box and the striker's run was untracked. It was 27 minutes later and on the stroke of half time that Bridge made it 2-nil with a goal for his 'best of' collection. Bridge took the ball on the left just outside the box, before turning defender Iain Fyfe inside out and then ramming it home off his left. Before the referee had time to call an end to the 1st half the locals had one more present for the fans. It was Kresinger and Ono combining with some heading and volleying to turn on a pretty little piece that fans will talk about for years to come. 3-nil halftime.

Most teams who go to half time with a 3-nil buffer will take their foot off the pedal in the second half, it's one of those unfortunate customs of professional soccer. But this game was different. Wests came out with the same gusto of the first half and set about 'flogging the dead horse' that was Adelaide. It was Japanese star Shinji Ono who made Adelaide pay for Galekovic's rare hiccup. A misdirected goal kick landed at the feet of an open Youssouf Hersi who headed straight to Ono, the midfielder won a race for the ball and waltzed into the box to smash a goal across the flailing Galekovic making it 4-nil (52 mins). Six minutes later Ono was provider for Bridge in what was a beautifully taken shot giving the Adelaide glove-man no hope. Low and hard into the keeper's left corner. Adelaide would go on to pick up a consolation before Joey Gibbs made it 6-1 to answer the crowds calls for a sixth goal.

Wanderers celebrate one of six goals against Adelaide

Western Sydney Wanderers are shocking the Australian soccer public with their early success, currently sitting third on the ladder. However, the success off the field is no surprise to this blogger. Being at the ground to watch the Wests v Newcastle Jets a number of weeks ago I was blown away when I witnessed the 'red and black block' (supporter group name) arrive at the ground as one, from the various waterholes in Parramatta. They appeared as the populas of Western Sydney does, a 'mongrel dog'. They're mixed blood, they're hybrid they are Western Sydney.

Next week Wests head to Perth another team on the rise. Perth beat defending champions Brisbane Roar last night and last week recorded an impressive 3-0 victory over Emile Heskey and the Jets

NEWS BURST

Sendai in training 

SENDAI AND REDS IN VITAL J LEAGUE CLASH

Urawa Reds today face the neutral's favourite Vegalta Sendai in a bid to stay in the title race. With six matches to play (including today), the Reds cannot afford to let competition leaders Hiroshima get any further than the current six points clear.

Travelling to Vegalta's Yurtec Stadium should suit the Reds as they've made a habit of scoring on the counter this season. The locals though, have got leaders Hiroshima within grasp and they too won't be wanting to see any further distance between them and the top. Vegalta as already mentioned on this blog are the team who have scaled Fuji in order to be where they are. The Sendai region was at the centre of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster and many saw there performance last year (4th in J League) as 'flash in the pan' stuff. But they're back this year and in the race for the title.

This week competition leaders Hiroshima are at home to the enigmatic Kashiwa Reysol. They should get the money there but you never know with Leandro Domingues playing for the Sun Kings. Domingues has a record for shooting on suspicion and it's proved pretty successful for the Brazilian who was topscorer in last season's J League when Kashiwa took out the title.

A LEAGUE'S SYDNEY DERBY

Australia's A League is now into the third round of the season and this week sees the first of the seven year old professional league's Sydney derbies. Highly anticipated the match sees the clash of marquee players Shinji Ono of Western Sydney Wanderers, and Alessandro Del Pierro of Sydney FC.

Ono was quick to mention his eagerness to face Del Piero upon arrival in Sydney and tonight his team which represents the blue collar, working class population of the country's biggest city are set to make life tough for the 'latte set'.

Sydney has a long history of competition between east and west in the competitive sports market that is Sydney. The most famous being the former Western Suburbs Magpies and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles of Rugby League. Known as the 'fibros' and the 'silvertails' respectively, legend has it that the Magpies coach Roy Masters used to have his troops slapping and punching each other in the change rooms prior to kick off.
It's doubtful that will occur tonight with Wests coach Tony Popovic not known for any pugilist background.

With a sell out crowd in attendance (21500) the FFA couldn't have wished for a better start to the season as far as attendances go and hopefully Wests can slot the first official goal of their A League lives. Over their first two matches the red and black's best chances have fallen to Labinot Haliti and Mark Bridge. For the betting man, (and I'm not a betting man) look at the odds of the Wests win $3.40 at Sportingbet. While Wests have looked blunt in attack, the Sydney FC defence has been questionable and this week sees more irregular members in the central defence area. Pascal Bosschaart returns from long term injury to likely partner the nervous Mclenahan for the 'sky blues'.