Posts tagged ‘goals’
The Price Of Failure Still to be Calculated
The FIFA World Cup has come to an end and Germany were the worthy winners. There have been many memorable moments, great goals great saves and great skill. Sadly as always some not so memorable moments too in terms of decisions, fouls and player behaviour.
As the world settles back into a normal routine, Brazil is left to clean up after the party. It is now many are predicting that they will find the real damage done during the hosting of the world’s sporting event.
Already many experts as well as key figures in the International Olympic Committee are extremely concerned about their event the 2016 Olympics being host in Rio.
According to Professor Ellis Cashmore a senior lecturer in culture, media and sport at the UK’s Staffordshire University the ramifications of Brazil’s 7-1 defeat spells trouble for the Olympics.
“For Brazil hosting the World Cup has been a disaster.” He said. “I think they will rue the day they ever bid for it. The World Cup was designed as a showcase for Brazil to be joining the world’s elite as a new economic power. Instead it has opened them up to ridicule. For years they have been the custodians of the “Beautiful Game” but that reputation has ended. Now they have two years before the Olympics. There were protests going into this World Cup because people thought it was too expensive and I think the Games will now lose more public support. We will see an escalation in protests.”
IOC President Thomas Bach who met with Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff is putting on a brave face and has said he is pleased with the confidence she has shown in delivering an outstanding Games. One thing Bach is already onto is and investigation into the ticketing process to ensure that the Olympics in Brazil do not suffer the same embarrassing ticketing scandals that the World Cup did.
They say sport and politics do not mix, yet politicians often gamble on sport assisting them in the polls due to the feel good factor when a host nation performs well. Sport can undoubtedly lift the people and instil national pride, and there are many great examples of this none more so than the Sydney Olympics and South Africa hosting and winning the 1995 Rugby World cup. The trouble is if as a nation your athletes under perform the backlash can be huge. Will Brazil’s government now feel the same backlash? We will have to wait and see.
One Cup Full, The Other Half Full
At the end of this week there will be three World Cups taking place simultaneously. One event Australia has never won and in reality is not likely to win, the other two Australia has won both twice, and is in with a very real possibility of winning at least one and making the semi finals of both.
Of course we are talking about the FIFA World Cup about to commence in Brazil, and the already underway Rabobank Hockey World cup for men, and running concurrently, the Women’s World cup.
The contrast between the two events from an Australian perspective is quite remarkable. For a start let us look at the money a very mediocre bunch of Australian footballers will earn for their trip to Brazil where many are tipping them to fail to win a game let alone score a goal. Players are believed to be earning around $20,000 per game. Their Hockey counterparts will not be earning anywhere close to these figures, they will be lucky to be earning more than $2000 per game. In fact many of the defending World Champion Kookaburras side will tell you that if it was not for the Hero Hockey India League where they can earn a five figure sum in six weeks, by playing every two days and traversing the continent in a gruelling schedule, they would not be able to dedicate their time to the sport.
It is strange that Hockey does not appeal to the average Australian more, as Australian sports fans love a team that wins; the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos are two of the nations most successful sporting teams. Australians love sports where plenty of goals or points are scored, take AFL and for women Netball. In Hockey you will see around 4-5 goals per game on average. Australians love a physical battle and a dangerous edge to their sport, hockey gives that with the ball flying at speeds of around 145kmh. Take Australian defender Nick Budgeon, as a junior with Tamar Churinga in Tasmania he broke his jaw playing hockey. It is a tough sport, high on skill and bravery, where a swinging stick can be an extremely dangerous weapon.
The Socceroos took the expanding of the World Cup from 24 teams to 32 teams to qualify for their second World Cup finals , 32 years after their first appearance in 1974. The Kookaburras their hockey equivalent, have been ranked in the top four teams in the World for the past 30 years! The Hockeyroos are Australia’s most successful sporting women’s team.
In terms of World Rankings in men’s hockey Australia are ranked number one, and in women’s number four in the world. In Rugby Union Australia are ranked third in the World, while in football they are ranked 59th.
Some may argue that Football is the World game, and far more nations play the game, also that the World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, and they would be right. Cricket and Rugby Union are on a similar footing to Hockey, sports originally played by the colonial nations and with similar numbers of nations participating at the highest level today; in fact Hockey has more than cricket!
So the question should be asked why is it that the sports fan in Australia can enjoy every game of the FIFA World Cup, The Rugby Union World Cup and the Cricket World Cup, but not the Hockey World Cup?
One has to feel for Australia’s dedicated and talented hockey players, and also the fans of the sport that they are not given the same television coverage. As to why this is not the case it would be interesting to know why.
The Net Widens
FIFA President Sepp Blatter several years ago suggested that the goals be made bigger so that more goals were scored in football, but one wonders if he counted on the net widening as anti corruption forces delve deeper into the game at all levels.
Following on from the arrests in Australia a week ago El Salvador’s football federation banned fourteen national team players for life on the back of alleged match fixing games against the USA and Mexico. This follows on from last month’s suspension of 22 players for one month while investigations were carried out.
National team coach Augustin Alberto Castillo has already stated that his next national squad will be made up of mainly junior players as a result of the suspensions.
Then today closer to home the Perak FA in Malaysia has announced that they have suspended all of the players and officials from the state team with immediate effect and have advised that they have called in the Police and also the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission.
Perak were flying in Group D of the Malaysian Cup and needed just one win from their final three games to qualify for the last eight. They then lost 2-1 to Lions XII, 1-0 to Kedah and then 6-1 to Sarawak, and crashed out of the competition.
Coach Mohd Azaari Khor has welcomed the suspensions, including his own. “The defeat to Sarawak was the biggest of my career. I knew we would face a tough time, but did not expect such a heavy loss. What made it more painful was that it was our silly mistakes which gifted Sarawak the big win,” he is quoted as saying. Key defender Brazilian Rafael who was given the task of marking Bosnian striker Muamer Salibasic, who scored a hat-trick is one who has come under the spotlight. He was substituted before half time in the match.
There is no doubt more leagues around the world will be taking similar actions in the months ahead. Can they stamp this out? It will be hard. It sadly happens far more than many will want to believe and not just overseas, also not only in football.
Reflections on the Last 8 Years
Last week “Not The Footy Show’ celebrated 8 years on air in Perth. Not bad for a show everyone said would never have any appeal.
Reflecting on the past eight years and the many great guests we have had on the show as well as the various people I have shared the hosting duties with I wondered whether the sporting landscape in Perth had really changed in eight years. The answer is probably not much really, but nationally and internationally, yes.
We are still told that this is a “footy town” (AFL)and have that one particular sport rammed down our throats, even if many of us are not footy fans, or like other sports as well. Sadly many people still believe what they are told; in my experience over the past 8 years, footy is not as important to as many people as it was. The constant rule changes and the handling of misdemeanours by the sports administrators and the press have left people a little disenchanted.
After over 25 years in the media and 8 years presenting “Not the Footy Show” one thing I have noticed is how the media landscape globally has changed.
We see more and more syndicated stories appearing in the press and rarely do we see our newspaper journalists sniffing out a news story, they merely report on events that have already happened. Match reports rarely tell you what actually happened in a game, what minutes goals, tries or runs were scored, or even give you the starting line-ups. Even some cricket reports now do not put the scorecard at the end of the days play. To say this is because the internet is more instant is a cop out, it has come down to money, and costs, profit and loss rather than reporting.
One recent journalism student said he was studying journalism because he loved sport and wanted to cover it. Then surely he should have been studying sports science or something similar? The subject he is studying, journalism, should be the main focus and if he is fortunate to work in sport then he is extremely lucky, that should be his goal, not the reason for his degree. Maybe that is the problem too many journalists are just fans writing about the game, and are unable to seperate the two.
A case in point, 2006 World Cup in Germany, an Australian journalist turned up at the media centre wearing a Socceroos shirt. He was frowned upon by the world’s media, and his integrity was definitely questioned. Now to see journalists in the national team colours is far more common, and accepted. In fact frequently for key matches the presenters are actually sporting the colours of their nation. Is that right? Who am I to judge, but I do feel it shows a shift in attitudes and what is acceptable and what is not. Are these people still simply telling us the story of the game, or are they too like us fans willing one team on. When have you ever heard one of the greats in football commentary, Martin Tyler let his emotions get away from him? Is his style of commentary a thing of the past?
THere is no doubt satellite television has changed everything. If we look at the rights purchases for television and partnerships between media outlets and sporting organisations, the lines have clearly been blurred in the last ten years. Many ‘experts’ are muzzled if they opt to speak their mind and call a dreadful game for what it is. These media partnerships are seen as being more about promotion of the game, rather than honest coverage; the trouble is the average punter with so many televised games can see for themselves and know if a player or a team is playing badly, and simply gets frustrated that the commentators fail to call it as it is. As a result their credibility of the coverage starts to suffer, but not the game itself.
What are we to do though when some television and radio bigwigs state that sport is about entertainment and not honest truthful coverage? So strong are these ‘partnerships’ now that it is nothing new for one of the top executives at the sporting organisation to call his counterpart at the television station and ask them to censure a commentator. The same sadly happens in newspapers as well. It is less prevalent in radio.
One has to ask is this the right way to go? Is this not a controlled media that we in the West so frequently scoffed at when the iron curtain existed? If sport is to be like life, we should praise when it is warranted and criticise in equal measure if mistakes have been made, but we should always temper that by remembering that our stars and heroes are just human beings like us all. They too are fallible, as we all are.
Sport is entertainment, and should never be taken too seriously. However with so much money swirling around it has to be taken more seriously than it used to be as it is indeed big business. Should the truth be stifled, should honest analysis be suppressed? Is that what the fans at home want?
Times change and so do people’s needs, maybe this is what people want, but surely we should never sell such values, as honesty and integrity?
It has been an interesting 8 years, and let us hope that there will be many years to come. The show has grown in popularity and now our guest list is usually full a week out from each show, maybe that says it all.
Thank you once again to all involved over the years, John Lee, Darren Harper, Kody Blay, Dan Israel, Clint Ford, Michael Fontein and Ryan Cope. Its been a lot of fun. The next milestone is our 400th show!
Ashley Morrison
Support a Man with a Vision
Dave Clarke has scored over 100 goals for England yet very few who follow the World game would even know his name. He is the 41 year old captain of the Team GB five-a-side blind football team at the London 2012 Paralympics. This is his third Paralympic games.
When he started out in football the game was not organised at international level, so he played goal ball making the Atlanta games in 1996. As soon as football came under international rules he switched to the game and was finally selected for the Beijing games.
In an interview a few days ago he said “I’ve always worked to get my sport to a standard where it can be called elite and t be thought of that way by the public and the media. This is a fantastic coincidence that it all comes together in London.
It would be just reward for Clarke if Britain could medal at the London games, for although he may be blind he had a vision and he has pursued that vision. Should Team GB fail to medal one feels he should definitely receive an award from the Queen for his services to Blind five-a-side football. He is certainly more worthy than some of the higher profile higher paid athletes who have received such honours.
Make sure you follow the progress of the team affectionately known as ‘the Dave Clarke Five’ – after the band – as they continue to make one man’s dream come true.
Is A League Really A Grade?
The signs appear to be positive for the A League if recent statistics are the measuring stick.
The FFA announced that a cumulative total of 1,416,157 fans went through the turnstiles this season to watch games is up on the previous season-high total of 1,393,933.
This aggregate was reached by playing 30 less matches due to the demise of North Queensland Fury.
This season also saw an increase in the number of goals being scored with an average of 2.7 goals per match. The television audiences have also increased by a massive 46% from last season, which seems a huge leap if so many people are also watching games live.
The feeling amongst many is that these figures are being skewed to give the results everyone wants to hear. That football is indeed on the rise in Australia.
It is interesting to note that every year since the A League’s inception, with the exception of 2008/09 we have seen an increase in crowd figures.
Yet the average attendances have in fact gone down the past two years from 12,180 a game in 08/09 to 10,449 in 09/10 to 8,822 in 10/11. The figures for 2010/11 have yet to be announced.
This season it was sad to hear many in the crowd laugh when a figure was announced at NIB Stadium, home of Perth Glory, as regulars in the ground were convinced that there was no way the crowd figure announced was in attendance.
There is no doubt that the return of Harry Kewell and Bret Emerton had a momentary surge on crowd figures, but soon that would have dipped, as their impact became less than the FFA would have hoped. It was always foolish to base your marketing around to big names returning at the end of their careers. There is too much football on television for modern day fans to be conned.
Despite the positive vibe coming out of the FFA we are sadly skeptical as to whether these statistics are in fact reflecting the true story of the Hyundai A league.
Perth Glory for years the best supported club in the country in the NSL, had no trouble selling 35,000 tickets for a semi final in the NSL. Yet this weekend playing their first home final since the start of the Hyundai A League they only managed to pull in 12,600 fans – The Western Force rugby union side had a bigger crowd v the Queensland Reds the night before! This crowd is a disaster for football in Western Australia and for Perth Glory. If they cannot fill the stadium with finals football, why would an owner continue to plough millions of dollars into the club?
Some will say the game wasn’t marketed well. We would agree, but the finger cannot be pointed at the club on this occasion, as the marketing of the Finals is the FFA’s responsibility.
The fact that so few attended and that they could not sell out the stadium tells us that Football is going backwards in Western Australia. That may sound pessimistic and negative, but it is also the very sad truth. Quite simply fans of the game for whatever reason are opting not to support the game at the highest level in Western Australia.
Next week’s game against Wellington Phoenix may in fact witness even less fans attending with the game scheduled for 5.30pm on a Saturday, when all the State Premier League games do not finish until around 5pm. Scheduling that does not help Perth Glory in the slightest.
So why are people no longer attending games? We believe that despite the hype the standard of the Hyundai A league is in fact going backwards. There have been some exceptional displays from Perth Glory this season, as well as Brisbane Roar, but in the main the standard is slipping. Couple that with the demise of the Fury and possibly Gold Coast United – and everyone forgets the NZ Knights – we are heading back to the sad old days of the NSL. Journeyman players doing the rounds of the clubs, sprinkled with some talent before it heads overseas, and clubs coming and going every two or three years. Let us hope we are wrong.
Do you believe that the standard of football has improved?
A Man Among Equals?
They say a picture tells a thousand words, and the picture of Perth Glory legend Jamie Harnwell leaving the field at NIB Stadium for the last time in last Monday’s (7 Feb 2010) West Australian newspaper may well have done that.
In the picture, Harnwell was leaving the field with his children, tears in his eyes, sad that not only his career had come to an end, but no doubt sad to have witnessed how far the club he loved has fallen. Over his right hand shoulder were his team mates hanging back applauding him and letting him take the applause from the club’s loyal fans. Over to the left was a solitary figure, not clapping, marquee man Robbie Fowler.
Now the timing of the photograph is probably unfortunate, in that we are sure that he was applauding his team mate, but it showed two people who are undoubtedly poles apart as footballers, but also two people who are poles apart in terms of what Perth Glory means to them.
It was a very sad picture on so many levels. The last link with the past was walking out of shot. The present were a bedraggled beaten gaggle of men, and the man who was signed as an inspiration – or so we were led to believe – was keeping his distance. The picture showed that the players are far from united, as their performances have shown.
It seems crazy that the oldest player in Perth Glory’s squad Robbie Fowler, along with Steve McGarry and Tando Velaphi played the most games this season appearing 28 times in 30 games. This was not good management of an ageing player and does tend to suggest interference from above – yes there may be someone above ‘God’ or maybe it was his divine right. Quite simply were the coaches forced to play Fowler?
There is no doubt that he did not fit the team mould. Many have said that the players recruited around him were the wrong ones, yet most of those players were signed before Fowler, so again was he signed over the then Coach’s head? The fact is only Josh Risdon was signed after Robbie Fowler.
There is always the risk when you sign a former superstar that they are going to expect the same superstar treatment that they were used to. Fowler has never appeared to be in that group. However a room on his own on away trips was a requirement, and when the club turned around and said he had to pay for a room on his own he was far from happy.
Despite him not wanting special treatment he has been afforded such. Being allowed to return home to England in November when the team was going through a horror run beggared belief. Surely your key signing should have stayed with his team mates to try and dig themselves out of the hole they were in? At that time unity was crucial.
Now at the end of the season he has gone to Thailand with the owner of the club to discuss a possible contract for next season, while his team mates see out the end of the season and continue training.
Having interviewed Fowler for Fox Sports prior to the last home game against Gold Coast and having asked him directly whether he was going to be wearing Perth Glory colours next season his answer said a lot without actually answering the question. He talked about how well he gets on with the Chairman – who also happens to be the owner – and hardly mentioned the coach.
While discussing his future in Thailand, where is the coach? He is still in Perth, with the rest of the squad planning for next season.
It appears that despite being a member of the squad he is afforded special treatment, which can only ever build resentment. Most players who played this season know that his work-rate on the pitch was not a patch on theirs yet he kept his place in the starting line up. He was lauded for his vision which frequently failed to find a team mate, yet for some reason it still warranted praise; Another reason for resentment.
He had 77 ‘attempts at goal’ in the season, 32 on target (less than 50%) and only nine of those found the back of the net, three were penalties and one other was a tap in after the penalty was saved. Was this a good return on investment? The club has crowed about how signing Robbie Fowler gave them more memberships than ever before, so in financial terms he was a good investment. This however is a football club, and the question has to be was he a good investment in footballing terms; could his presence have been a contributing factor in the club’s disastrous season?
It would be unfair to lay the blame solely at the feet of Robbie Fowler, but there is no doubt that his presence has destabilised the club, and the special privileges afforded him by the Chairmen have had a negative effect on the other playing staff. Should he be rewarded with the role of player/assistant coach for season 2011/12, expect a similar outcome on the park for Perth Glory.
Remember they say a picture never lies.
Fowler to Return?
It was surprising to read on the World Game website that Perth Glory boss Tony Sage is looking to offer Marquee man Robbie Fowler another year’s contract. Despite Fowler’s seven goals in 15 starts, it is clear that his best years are well and truly behind him.
There is no room for sentiment in football, when a player’s time is up, as a business and as a team moving forward you have to accept that and bring in a replacement. This is even more appropriate in the A league where the clubs are limited by the number of players they can have in their squads.
Fowler has been a huge success from a marketing perspective, with we are told memberships to the Perth Glory at an all time high. The question is will those members who bought memberships on the back of Fowler signing be back next year? Many who know the game are unlikely to sign up again and we believe the club would being doing well to keep fifty percent.
The coaching staff has tried to accommodate an ageing star. They have tried playing him in the hole behind a front two, but he no longer has the legs to play that role as effectively as required and leaves them a man short in midfield when the ball is lost in the final third. He is no longer quick enough to play on the last man, the pace that used to get him in front of a defender is no longer there, and in such a role Branko Jelic is a better option.
There is no doubt that Fowler’s vision is still outstanding, so too is his awareness, and he still knows where the goal is, but as has been evident this season, it takes more than a couple of magical passes or touches in ninety minutes to win a game.
As stated before we have been baffled that he has played ninety minutes on so many occasions this season, and question whether this really is utilizing him in the best way.
Should the club sign him for another season, we believe it will be a mistake, despite his goals this season. However there are still a few games to go, and if he can show that he can close down defenders and restrict the opposition from playing out from the back and assist his team mates defensively a little more, while still finding the back of the net, then maybe it might be worth considering, but it would be a very brave move.
Sadly it is time to say “Thank you for the job you have done and we appreciate it, but the coach feels he wants another type of player.” Let us not forget that the coach decides the players he wants, not the owner, CEO or anyone else at the club. If administrative people start choosing and signing players then the club is doomed.
NotTheFootyShow 