General 2024/5 A League Men's thread

[Decentric]

I've put this up, because in the last few weeks, I try and watch at least highlights of every game, but can't quite keep up with all the ALM fixtures from week to week! ATM I'm barely sure which AL week I'm in?

Thanks a bunch to Someguyjc for doing his excellent weekly rounds in the AL threads, with a list of fixtures at the beginning of the round.

I have the odd general comment to make that doesn't apply to specific rounds, more the AL season as a whole.

 

[Decentric]

When Aus was knocked out of the Asian Cup by South Korea, I was despondent. The future looked really bleak in Aus. South K played us off the park, despite just managing a close 2-1 victory to knock us out.

I only had FTA TV and hadn't seen much AL. Last January I got Paramount.

Grazor alerted my attention to the Socceroo Under 23s. It really lifted my mood. There was a vast improvement in the style of play and skills of a new generation of players, who've had 10 years in the NC, being coached the same way as in France or Netherlands through the underage ranks.

In this season's AL I can't get over the number of former starting domestic players of the AL aged 26 and over, who seem to have disappeared, or are sitting on benches, as AL coaches, mainly Aussies, are preferring to select these young whiz generation of players.

I was just reading that Melb City have lost 9 experienced supposed stars to injury. Yet they are very close to being top of the AL ladder! Amazing! Vidmar has had to raid the Melb City Academy.

When Western U played Victory, Thurgate wh is only 24, Garrucio who was captain at LB, and two Japanese imports, playing CB and central striker, were the only senior players.

The other 6 outfield Western U players were aged 22 down to 17. And they beat Victory - a very good side.

There are so many good kids coming through aged 22 and under. They are doing what all the Dutch coaches in Aus, here to train Aussie coaches 16-12 years ago, and what former Socceroos were telling FFA national Coaching Conferences, how they wanted Australia to play like, that these young players are playing like now in the AL!

 

[Decentric]

Astonished that these players, most over the age of 26, have disappeared to be often bench players in the AL. Or they've left Aus for lower level leagues. Some are recent Socceroos too.

It seems coaches are playing the new whiz kids instead.

Mileusnic
Brandon O'Neill
Traore ( Bos preferred)
Caletti
George Blackwood
Bruno F ( benched by Paddy K)
Daniel De Silva ( thought he would be the best player in the AL now)
Joel King
Lachie Wales - released from West U to Perth
Max Burgess
Jack Hingert
Matt Jurman
Jeggo (has been benched)
Corey Brown ( is he injured?)
Maclaren and Cummings have gone to India
Curtis Good and another Aussie ( ?) are playing for Burinam in Thailand ( good team).
Harrison Delbridge ( where is he now?)


The few of this age who have improved since the few years when I left Fox to get Paramount. Had FTA in between and saw little AL football for a few years.
Clisby
Ugarkovic
Hamill
Garuccio
Geria
Caceres

 

[HappyGuus]

 

[melbcityguy]

That's good to read

 

[HappyGuus]

The Japanese bring such a technical upgrade to the league. All hard working and respectful people, too.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH that would be hilarious.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

The Japanese bring such a technical upgrade to the league. All hard working and respectful people, too.

And worrying at the same time though....

 

[melbcityguy]

The Japanese bring such a technical upgrade to the league. All hard working and respectful people, too.

That's really cool I love to hear/read these perspectives from the players. We don't really hear their thoughts much because of the lack of media around the game

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

That's really cool I love to hear/read these perspectives from the players. We don't really hear their thoughts much because of the lack of media around the game

You should follow them on tiktok and insta matey... that will help scratch your itch

 

[HappyGuus]

And worrying at the same time though....

Yep. How do they manage to be so technically gifted? It's gotta be trained. Are we completely overlooking intense and in-depth technique coaching in juniors? There's no reason why we shouldn't be producing similar players and in quantity.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Yep. How do they manage to be so technically gifted? It's gotta be trained. Are we completely overlooking intense and in-depth technique coaching in juniors? There's no reason why we shouldn't be producing similar players and in quantity.

Ive been crowing from the rooftops for years now that we need to be looking at Japan for both their coaching and football structural methodologies...but I'm NOT in the incumbent "milieu" so we'll just have to be content to admire how easy it is for 2nd and 3rd rate Japanese players to come here when they arent good enough for their own domestic or European football.

 

[melbcityguy]

You should follow them on tiktok and insta matey... that will help scratch your itch

I'm not on any of that I'm on here to much as it is!

 

[grazorblade]

I'm not on any of that I'm on here to much as it is!

only social media that counts

 

[Hillbilly55]

Whilst some have written off the chances of CCM, WSW and Phoenix of making the top 6, the table is still reasonably close. My suspicion is that ADL and AK are safe, but positions 3 through 6 are still vulnerable to those lower down the ladder. Having said that, Aloisi seems to have United playing a style that is positive and with a winning formula. Their point overnight helps in keeping CCM at bay.

 

[Decentric]

Thanks for posting, HG.

 

[Decentric]

That's really cool I love to hear/read these perspectives from the players. We don't really hear their thoughts much because of the lack of media around the game

So true.

 

[Decentric]

Whilst some have written off the chances of CCM, WSW and Phoenix of making the top 6, the table is still reasonably close. My suspicion is that ADL and AK are safe, but positions 3 through 6 are still vulnerable to those lower down the ladder. Having said that, Aloisi seems to have United playing a style that is positive and with a winning formula. Their point overnight helps in keeping CCM at bay.

I take my hat off to Vidmar, Aloisi and Sterj, for getting so much out of young players and having teams play quality football..

 

[Decentric]

Ive been crowing from the rooftops for years now that we need to be looking at Japan for both their coaching and football structural methodologies...but I'm NOT in the incumbent "milieu" so we'll just have to be content to admire how easy it is for 2nd and 3rd rate Japanese players to come here when they arent good enough for their own domestic or European football.

It is a good point.

I'm out of the loop now, but we were sending study groups to Japan to learn though the auspices of FFA, now Football Aus..

I'm almost in awe of how good the Japanese national senior team is ATM. They are only just behind world powerhouses.

They adopted a 50 Year Plan and have been heavily invested in following a Brazilian system.

 

[grazorblade]

@Decentric @Monoethnic Social Club I'm wanting to get a good source on japan for the podcast. In particular their double pyramid system

Even with their connected pyramid club system, they are apparently aware that there aren't nearly enough professional pathways in Japan to bring through all their talent (despite having 60 clubs). They have apparently really worked on the non-club based pathways and a large chunk of their national team players come from outside of their club academy system

even if we have a 2 tier pyramid tomorrow with p&r we probably still have a lot we can learn from their double pyramid model