MELBOURNE DERBY EDITION

December 2012

Volume 1 Issue 1 $3

Socceroos Looking to the future

Beckham Down Under?

Gallop Taking the FFA to

the next level

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their contributions to this Magazine:

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In 2010 a group of football fans had a meeting. Out of that meeting came a vision, for a fan powered football media group and eventually the launch of a football magazine. So despite having no money and no business experience “The Beautiful Game” (TBG) was born. Today TBG has a reach of over 20,000 people with over 5,000 subscriptions to our online channels and with the publication of this magazine TBG has finally arrived in the format it was intended for. Thank you for supporting our cause with the purchase of this magazine and we hope that we can continue to provide you with our unique viewpoint of the world of football.

Thank you, From all of us at TBG

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Beckham Down Under? Young Socceroos Melbourne Derby Preview Australia’s Football Future Football Abroad: EPL Title Race

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This A-League season got off to a flyer.

With the signings of Alessandro Del Piero and Emile Heskey

it seemed like the league was capable of producing miracles.

So when word got around on Twitter that David Beckham was in talks with A-League clubs, fans dared to dream.

In that one crazy weekend Beckham-mania truly hit Australia, and the world by storm.

As the rumour grew the story became more and more real, leading sports bulletins in Australia and the UK were

reporting.

A-League clubs began frantically putting deals on the table which went onto include: a beach house; a helicopter and the entire relocation of a club’s training facilities.

It appears as though the more the fans got excited by the

prospect of Beckham, the more likely a deal would be agreed upon.

However like all highs, there was a catastrophic crash. As the story developed news of offers from France, England,

the Middle East and China became apparent, and with 8 figure deals on offer the A-League seems like an unlikely

option for Becks. So what now for (arguably) football’s biggest name?

Becks has stated he is looking for one last challenge and

must accommodate his family. Australia would not only provide a safe, welcoming

environment for Becks to settle in but allow him to replicate his impact on the US football scene (plus here, he won’t have to call it soccer!)

David Beckham is the man with it all, money is not an issue

and thankfully for the A-League at this stage in his career David Beckham will be looking to the future and his lasting legacy in football.

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With the final qualification games for the 2014

World Cup nearly upon us, Australia sits in a

well balanced place in their group, 3rd, with

three home games remaining and one away trip

to Japan.

Many will cry out for an inclusion of our youth

with many of the 2006 World Cup cohort still

firmly entrenched into our squads with the likes

of Lucas Neill, Mark Schwarzer, Mark Bresciano,

Tim Cahill and even Harry Kewell if he finds a

club all but guaranteed spots with Holger

Osieck’s conservative mentality to our youth

allowing these players to still warrant selection.

Mark Schwarzer who will be 41 come the start

of the 2014 WC would most likely be his last for

Australia, with Mitch Langerak at Borussia Dort-

mund and Central Coast’s Mat Ryan both touted

as future keepers for Australia.

The problematic left back position has caused

headaches for Australia with many players like

Matt McKay and David Carney all being selected

for it in previous years still has not been solved

the problem however players such as Aziz Be-

hich and Jason Davidson who made his debut

against Scotland can all fill this void.

Australia’s captain and centre back Lucas Neill

will be 36 come the World Cup and will be most

likely to be partnered with either Sasa

Ogenovski or Matthew Spiranovic who could be

replaced after the World Cup by former Heart

defender Curtis Good who signed a 6 year deal

with Newcastle United in England and is cur-

rently on loan to Bradford City.

The emergence of youngsters Tom Rogic and

Aaron Mooy into Australia’s young attacking

prospects could line up alongside the likes of

Nikita Rukavytsya, Tommy Oar, Robbie Kruse

and Brett Holman who already provide a com-

petent enough attacking unit.

As much as everyone would like another

“golden generation” of players, it is unlikely that

we will see this again for some generations to

come, however, our current batch of young

players is more than capable of doing the job

for our national team for many years to come.

TBG.

With the end of what many regard to be the Socceroos “Golden Generation” the future of the Socceroos seems in doubt. But what really are the team’s prospects for the future?

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Victory have consolidated and shown title aspi-

rations of late, but need to keep pace with Adelaide and Central Coast, or risk falling back

into the pack. To do this they need their stars firing, and

week by week they will find it easier to perform as they adapt more naturally into Ange’s sys-tem of pass and move.

The system relies heavily on the rotation of

players, the interchanging of positions and this can be difficult to adapt to.

As has been shown recently, time is what is needed.

When Finkler is at his distributive best, all channels are available to exploit, and when Flo-

res is on form the link between the midfield and the pace forward line becomes strong.

Against the Heart though, expect the 4-3-3 line up to be adopted; with Rojas and Thompson

operating down the wings. Melbourne Heart are rising from the foot of the

table and are finally showing what they are ca-pable of.

Inconsistency and injuries to key players have all played their part in a season that so far has

not lived up to expectations, but is far from gone.

With key players now returning from injury, Heart can now dominate the midfield as they

want to, which will aid them in keeping hold of the ball for longer.

One of Heart’s major problems of late has been taking the game to the opposition.

They prefer to sit and hit on the counter, which

is fine for a mid-lower table side but Heart have the squad to challenge for the title, and

on their day can beat anyone, and so must learn to retain possession if they want to finish higher in the league.

Their main strength is their pressing, as dis-played against the Victory previously and Bris-

bane, and this will be utilized once more to-night. Expect a 4-3-3 and more aggressive

closing of space higher up the pitch, to undo Victory’s passing game.

KEY PLAYERS

Marco Rojas: The “Kiwi Messi” has been in in-spired form this season, and looked yards bet-ter than his opposition.

His cutting runs from the back post and his

mazy dribbling will be key to breaking down and finding space in-behind the Heart.

Josip Tadic: The skilful Croatian has already displayed impressive technique and class, and once more will be relied on to lead the Heart

attack.

His incisive passing will be needed to fully util-ize Heart’s impressive counter attack, whilst he will need to work hard to hold the ball up once

it is turned over high up the park.

TIP 3-2 to the Heart as they should perform once

more in the Derby atmosphere and their

counter attack and press will be important in

stopping Victory play.

TBG.

The metaphorical lines are drawn, families are divided, suburbs are revolting and the stomach is

churning ahead of the game. Yep, it’s the Melbourne Derby. As they always do, this Derby has come at an extremely important time for both clubs.

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Heart Start Goal Victory Start Goal

1. Bolton 1. Velaphi

2. Marrone 2. Foschini

4. Colosimo 3. Traore

5. Fred (C) 4. Franjic

6. Gerhardt 5. Milligan

8. Thompson 6. Broxham

9. Macallister 7. Finkler

10. Tadic 8. Bru

11. Garcia 9. Flores

13. Germano 10. Thompson

14. Mabrahtu 11. Rojas

15. Williams 13. Ferreira

16. Behich 14. Celeski

17. Hoffman 15. Gallagher

18. Vrankovic 16. Markelis

19. Garuccio 17. Jeggo

20. Redmayne 19. Cernak

21. Gray 20. Thomas

22. Kalmar 21. Dilevski

23. Dugandzic 22. Davis

24. Mitchinson 23. Leijer (C)

25. Walker 26. Nabbout

31. Grella 30. Geria

39. Coe

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Australian football has always been a reflection of the nation’s rich multicultural society.

Football is more than a game, but a way of life that give meaning to people, al-lows them to congregate and share their passion in a way that cannot be repli-

cated by other sports.

Football is the people’s game and like the people it has often suffered uneasy times.

With the appointment of David Gallop as head of the FFA comes a new era for football in this nation across the board.

From the grassroots to the Socceroos, Australian football will never be the same

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The Broadcast deal

The new broadcast deal coincides perfectly with Gallop’s appointment and the restructure of Aus-

tralia’s state leagues, providing the perfect financial platform for the FFA to execute its planned initiatives.

There was a time where the A-League came second to the world cup bid, this broadcast deal en-sures the A-League will never again lurk in the shadows with national radio broadcasting via SBS, all games live on FoxSports an a much anticipated free-to-air television component.

Friday nights will open each A-League round with a live game in SBS allowing all Australians to

see A-League action for themselves for the first time on TV. The new Broadcast deal will not only deliver increased media exposure of the A-League but will

pump $160 million into the game, covering the A-League clubs’ salary caps and providing enough money for the FFA to significantly invest in Grassroots football.

The Australian Premier League

Over the next few years Australia’s state league will receive a significant restructure with the re-placement of the traditional top-tiers for Australian Premier League (APL) Conferences.

The APL will see each state have a state-wide league requiring clubs to meet minimum financial and structural standards.

The APL will also provide an opportunity for clubs to prove their worth as possible A-League ex-pansions.

North Queensland Fury have reformed in Queensland’s APL and there has been talk to introduce a community owned Gold Coast club.

Next year will see the Victorian Premier League play out its last season before it is replaced by an APL competition.

VPL clubs will need to reapply for entry into the tournament.

FFA Cup

The success of Victoria’s state-wide knock-out cup prove how well a national knock-out competi-tion could be received however despite plans for the tournament’s launch in 2012 failed A-League clubs and poor finances deem the highly anticipated cup unviable.

The FFA has since announced it is prioritising consolidation over expansion over the next few sea-

sons.

The Future

There is no doubt the A-League need to be financially viable for football in Australia to grow but it

is just as important for the FFA to organise the sport at a grassroots level. Now more than ever the board of directors at the FFA must listen to the people and address the

challenges that put the game at risk. Junior club prices, corruption at local level, representative teams and most importantly consis-

tency throughout all state federations are priorities.

David Gallop has stated numerous times he has a willingness to listen. Hopefully the FFA practice what they preach and actually do.

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This year’s season of the English top flight has been as unpredictable and exciting as ever, al-

though that burning question still remains, who will win it?

MANCHESTER UNITED currently sits at the

summit of the table, but don’t let their position fool you.

Their season has been another display of the brilliant, if direct, attacking nature of the 20

time champions. With Rooney consistently brilliant, Javier

Hernandez the clichéd super sub and Danny Welbeck a transformed star, the combination is

already monstrous, plus add in RVP and his inevitable 20 goals this season and it’s no wonder they are yards ahead of any other team

in goals for.

Their potential hindrance however lies in their defence, without the influential Vidic and Ferdinand not getting any younger, that once

perfect partnership is long gone.

Their back four has been changed vastly stopping any cohesion and togetherness that might otherwise have existed, especially consid-

ering Fergie is not sure who is his No.1, mean-ing that calming influence from the back is non-existent.

Couple this with a midfield lacking in mobility

and Anderson and cleverly yet to realize their potential, a second place finish would normally seem apt, but with their rivals seemingly self

destructing around them, they seem to have it in their grasp, although it is a long season…..

MANCHESTER CITY is within reach of their

neighbours and with the squad depth and

quality they posses it is hard to bet against

them.

Although their problem does not lie with their

players, it lies with their manager.

Constant tinkering and a reluctance, whether

through ignorance or vanity, to stick with a

consistent eleven is Mancini’s detriment.

Last year, their title winning year, Kompany and

Lescot were the envy of the league; their

partnership was nothing short of excellent yet

this year Nastasic has been rotated through

breaking that rock at the back, leading to incon-

sistent displays.

The changing of roles for Yaya Toure is another

reason they aren’t excelling as they should,

gone is his free, roaming role where on his day

he is the best in the premier league, as he is

now a holding midfielder, with City unable to

utilize his best talents.

This then leads to the forwards who are not

playing with the consistency they were last

year. If Mancini can formulate his best team,

and motivate his players to perform, there is no

question they can reclaim the title, but as it

stands, second place looks likely.

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CHELSEA after enduring a week to forget by

sacking club legend Di Matteo, being eliminated from the CL and appointing Stamford Bridge

enemy number 1 Rafa Benitez, have steadied but ultimately slid from where they were at the start of the season.

Another team with an astonishing array of at-tacking players has again not fulfilled potential.

They are of course not that far off the pace and with the steadying style of Rafa Benitez at the

helm, improvement could start to be seen. Their major problem however, is their reliance

on their attacking players, in the sence that they are driven to almost over play them.

The other top clubs in the Premier League can afford to rest and rotate their squad, however

as was demonstrated in the West Brom game recently, Chelsea are unable to do so.

Marin hasn’t even featured, Romeu is now out long term, Moses is yet to show why his price

tag was so high, and Sturridge seems to have his heart set on leaving.

If this calming influence doesn’t show quickly, then expect Chelsea to slip down the ladder,

although not too far as the Hazards and Matas are too much quality.

ASRENAL are an example of the most basic

principles of sport and indeed life. If you sell

your best players, or things, consistently year

after year, you will not be successful.

Although to be fair, Wenger has assembled a

fantastic squad capable of claiming the title.

That in its essence, combined with the reluc-

tance of the manager to spend the money his

bosses rave about, is the reason why the fans

are most frustrated.

Olivier Giroud is a fantastic striker, Jack

Wilshere the best English midfielder and Oxlade

- Chamberlain the most exciting of English tal-

ents, add in Cazorla, Arteta and Vermaelen and

you have an excellent team, yet winning seems

to escape their grasp.

If the needed intensity is shown and a ruthless

streak is established, a string of results could

lead to a charge up the ladder, although it is

not impossible to say they can win the title, it is

highly unlikely.

Champions league spot should be secured.

EVERTON are a team that has always im-

pressed on such a low budget, and this year

lead by the highly influential Marrouane Fellaini

they have managed to counter the trend of

starting the season poorly.

Some beautiful football is being played out of

Goodison Park and their skilful wingers are

proving a match for any opposition.

Steven Pienaar has gone back to his best since

returning to the Toffees and Belgium recruit

Kevin Mirallas is proving an outstanding buy.

Although their main man is undisputedly

Fellaini. So much of Everton’s game is played

through the big man, especially now that he

has been pushed further forward.

Therefore Everton’s main chance of success in

climbing up the ladder, will be to hold onto their

stars, in particular Fellaini. David Moyes always

drives a hard bargain and so will settle for noth-

ing short of what he believes to be reasonable.

Everton though, have of late, had a tendency to

throw leads away, and with the inevitable drop

in form that every team experiences through-

out the season currently being experienced by

Everton, they need to start taking points of

lower teams so that they can claim enough

points to qualify for Europe, as they showed

recently against Tottenham.

Although they have started the season brightly,

Everton don't have the quality in depth of their

squad to realistically challenge for the summit.

Champions league also seems one or two sea-

sons away, so expect a Europa League qualifi-

cation.

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