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Soccer

A League

Jets Double Whammy - Van Egmond & Jeffers Sign

Wednesday 19th October 2011 7:45pm

Newcastle Jets will tomorrow announce the appointment of 2008 A-League championship-winning coach Gary Van Egmond as the replacement for the recently-sacked Branko Culina. And former England international, Francis Jeffers, who played nine games for the Jets last season, has again signed with the club.

Van Egmond left the Jets a few seasons ago in controversial fashion, earning the ire of then Jets owner, Con Constantine, to take up a role at the AIS. Former coach Culina was sensationally given his marching orders prior to the first game of the season, in a decision seen by many to be related to the Jets’ off-season signing of his son Jason.

Former EPL star Jeffers performed well in his appearances for the Jets last season , where he was a crowd favourite. Whilst he only scored once at the Jets, he set up plenty of goals for teammates, earning the plaudits of club officials and fans alike. Disappointingly for Jets fans at the time, he and the club couldn’t agree terms just when it seemed on the cards. However, in a reversal of fortunes, Jeffers is now back at the club in a boost for the team which won its first game and lost its second game of the season under caretaker coach Craig Deans. The former Everton and Arsenal striker had recently been playing for Scottish Premier League club Motherwell, until his release by the club in June.

The 30-year-old scored a consolation goal for England against Australia in 2003, where the Socceroos scored a famous 3-1 victory.

At international under-21 level, Jeffers holds the joint goal-scoring record for England, along with Alan Shearer, where he found the net 13 times in 16 appearances.

Football

AFL

Celebrations at the Cattery?

Monday 3rd October 2011 10:50am

Apart from Magpie fans, it seems that all other footy supporters were happy with the Cats taking out their third premiership in five years. But why is that?

It comes down to the fact that Geelong really do “play the game as it should be played”. They play hard but fair, are not arrogant, and the club is now just so professional in everything it does.

On the other hand, whilst Collingwood also play tough, there is the perception that they are a bit too slick – whether it be in its marketing, its “Arizona-training “ methods, or even the way its players are too pampered – all made possible by the club’s strong financial position. Not to mention the way they have handled the coaching succession plan. In the financial stakes, the Pies seem to have been given a number of free kicks along the way by the AFL. Generous match programming continues to help its cause , but the most surprising thing we read this week was the $1million “top-up” funding they received from the AFL whilst other clubs such as the Crows and Hawthorn received respective donuts.

But back to the Geelong Cats. They looked dead and almost buried halfway through the second term when they trailed by 3 goals , had James Podsiadly coming off injured, and facing a Collingwood team with all the momentum going the 2010 premiers’ way. But somehow, they got a few goals back before halftime and hung in there. Collingwood’s failure to bury the Cats in that second term was where the game ultimately was decided.

To Geelong, we say congratulations –truly worthy winners. As for Collingwood, bad luck, but the nation’s collective level of happiness has just increased. Not that we necessarily agree with those gloating and saying “sucked in Collingwood”.

AFL

Magpie Loss – Good for Buckley?

Monday 3rd October 2011 10:20am

With the succession plan orchestrated by Eddie a few years ago, Nathan Buckley takes over the head coaching role at the Pies. Just one question though.

Is Collingwood’s loss a good result for Buckley? Some would suggest that had Collingwood won and therefore going back-to-back, the pressure on Nathe to deliver next season would be unbearable. After all, the supporter base could have been excused for thinking “if it aint broke , don’t fix it”.

But now that they have lost the 2011 GF, it’s a case of “Mick’s run his race, bring on Bucks”. Especially after Malthouse waited too long to move Ben Reid off the damaging Tom Hawkins in the last term.

NRL

Sea Eagles Gallop to Victory

Monday 3rd October 2011 9:55am

Manly wins the NRL premiership. Glenn Stewart wins the medal for Best-On-Ground. And David Gallop looks uncomfortable on the podium as he gives out his congrats.

A great season for the Seagles, but what a polarising team they have become. Since the Brett Stewart incident a few years back, the Rebecca Wilsons of this world and her ilk have sunk the boot into the club for continuing its sulking over Stewart’s perceived treatment by David Gallop.

And then, just over four weeks ago, we saw the “battle of Brookvale” where Gallop’s two “favourite” clubs, Melbourne Storm and Manly went more than just head-to-head in the final minor round game. How ironic to see one of the key players in that final minor round game, Glenn Stewart, getting B.O.G. and being congratulated by the NRL chief.

Are we alone in having mixed thoughts? On the one hand, Australians hate it when a team is unfairly victimised as has been the case, according to Manly. “Giving it to Gallop” has an appeal to our dark side, especially when we treat the NRL as a surrogate for a Government and Manly as the poor taxpayer getting shafted by “Big Brother”.

But on the other hand, taking out all the emotion, Gallop has a knack for usually making the right decisions on most issues. And Manly should just be happy with another great title win, and stop whingeing.

As for the real Government and the poor shafted taxpayer who watches billions of dollars wasted, well that’s another issue.


Now that the season has ended, we hold our breath waiting for a new round of scandals, whether it being urinating outside (or even inside) a pub, hangers-on or gold-diggers making various accusations, or players getting into brawls on their end-of-season trips.

Who will stuff up this time? Not a question of if, but when.

NATIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE NOSTALGIA – Edition 2

Saturday 16th April 2011 3:15pm

Read our second edition of NSL Nostalgia, a series of memories of the “old” NSL, as everyone likes to put it nowadays.

This week, we look at season – 1991/92 Read more >>>

Edition 1 - 1977 Read more >>>

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