Nope. Stopped going a few years back because I moved away, then I lost touch with the friends I used to go with - thinking of starting up again next A-League season, but I'm not sure I'll have the time spare.

I was in the Shed for probably half of all home games during the first years or so of the Glory franchise back in NSL days, when I was at uni, up until when d'Avray was manager.

I actually own a place a handful of blocks from Members Equity Stadium on Brisbane St, but I'm not living in it right now for tax reasons. 🙁

Will be a tough trip for Wellington. It's across 4 timezones so must be pretty close to the furthest "domestic" away trip in world football.

a month later

Saw that on the news last night. Wondered if it was the same guy. 😆

A man who wants to build another Titanic might be a good candidate to run Spurs 😆

7 months later

That T-Rex has more strapping than Diaby.

Actually the T-Rex would be the perfect mascot for the Liberal party here.

That's a quality nutter billionaire you got there. I clicked expecting to see this guy

7 months later

Australia host Iraq in Sydney tonight (7:30pm EST, 5:30pm Perth), and will qualify for the WC if they win. Coming off a morale boosting 4-0 win over Jordan in Melbourne, and Iraq have nothing to play for or be uptight about, so it might be a fairly free-scoring match.

Hope we stick it to them comfortably, their defence is apparently very weak in the air which bodes well.

Best player on the pitch is some Iraqi seventeen year old. Depressing.

Iraq surprisingly fought really hard for the match and almost scored a few times.

Well done Australia though. I placed a 15 dollar bet on them at 4/1 and they scored right after, rendering my bet ineligible. Damned

Kennedy often delivers against these weaker nations—it's like a lot of the pre-match analysis said, Iraq couldn't defend high balls for shit. Would've been embarrassing if we hadn't won with the chances we got.

Still—Australia qualifies 😃 Good, one more point of interest for me in next year's WC.

Indeed, it's great now that we've got a virtual free spot in every world cup.

Biggus wrote:

Indeed, it's great now that we've got a virtual free spot in every world cup.

At least while Asia stays shit. Once that dynamic ends we'll have to migrate back to Oceania and start tonking the Kiwis again.

I reckon someone like Scotland, Ireland or Belgium who always just miss out should move to CONCACAF to give them more chance in much the same way. 😉

Maybe England if there's a repeat of 1994. 😉

True, I actually initially said England but then changed to some who rarely qualify. Maybe we could move to Asia too, although the travel would be a bit far. 😆

England are the Arsenal of world cup football, they always start slowly limping to early draws or even defeats then they shine in the last group game by thrashing the easy beats and qualifying for the knockout round, they then usually get an easy draw before reaching their level in the quarter finals and bowing out.

Actually Arsenal are the opposite in terms of the most comparable competition aren't we? In the CL we would tend to start strongly and cruise through first 4 games securing progress, then not take the last couple seriously and end up 2nd, then face a big team and go out. Same end result but a different start.

Burnwinter wrote:
Biggus wrote:

Indeed, it's great now that we've got a virtual free spot in every world cup.

At least while Asia stays shit. Once that dynamic ends we'll have to migrate back to Oceania and start tonking the Kiwis again.

You are hardly thrashing asia though. Struggling at best.

Struggling against who?
Theres only Japan and Sth Korea the rest are rubbish.

They barely beating teams like Iraq, Oman, Jordan etc.

Meh performance in qualifiers don't mean shit, they got there easily in the end.

Clrnc wrote:

They barely beating teams like Iraq, Oman, Jordan etc.

At the moment they're winning against those sides fairly comfortably home and away when it counts. Not making mincemeat of them, but winning.

By 2018 it will be interesting to see if we have a generation coming through. Particularly defensively we look like we might be very short.

Japan will steam roller every one in Asia if they develop a decent striker.

Burnwinter wrote:
Clrnc wrote:

They barely beating teams like Iraq, Oman, Jordan etc.

At the moment they're winning against those sides fairly comfortably home and away when it counts. Not making mincemeat of them, but winning.

By 2018 it will be interesting to see if we have a generation coming through. Particularly defensively we look like we might be very short.

Don't see it as "comfortably". Everybody thought Australia will steamroll everyone in Asia but they struggled badly in Asian Cup, and all the middle eastern teams can at least give OZ a game. The new generation Aussie is having now is abit underwhelming to me. Most of their stars are too old now.

All true. However we're going to this World Cup and the next one's five years away. We're not contenders, so we've just got to look at the group and try to get out of it as usual.

Plenty of time to regroup and work out who the real new generation will be after that.

Well you'd imagine the climate in Brazil would be against teams from nth Europe.........

Yes, I guess this'd be the opposite of a cold dark night at the Britannia:

Good result for the Aussies in the U20 World Cup, and could easily have won it from the highlights reel. Positive signs. Next up El Salvador. I have no idea if they're any good.

4 months later

A League starts this weekend. Phoenix are at home to Brisbane 5pm Sunday although missing half their team with the NZ team being away so they have drafted in some youngsters on very short 3 week contracts. Not sure why this league starts during an international window when every other league takes a break!

Playing 5 a side myself on Sunday evenings at the moment so won't be able to make this game which is annoying. They are not back in Wellington until December with the next couple of home games taken around the country to Napier and Christchurch. Hopefully be able to get to more games this season. Only went to about 3 last year as they always seemed to be early Sunday evening.

Burnwinter wrote:

Palmer's given up on the FFA, he has bigger fish to fry—will be running the Commonwealth as of next July:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-11/palmer-refuses-release-muir-agreement-details/5016340

Really cringworthy that this fat stupid fuck has been elected to political power.
It just illustrates exactly what I say all along- There is a fatal flaw within the democratic system as it allows the likes of him to hold a place in parliament.
I reject the concept that the public are infallible and will always choose wisely.
My vote is useless as it will be nullified by the legions of apathetic semi literate fucktards.

I know very little about that fat fuck, as you so eloquently call him, but i do not think he would have gone that far if he is stupid. Is he an Aussie Berlusconi?

Well I don't think his private life is as perverted as Berlusconi, but he amassed his enormous wealth through political cronyism.

He's nothing like Berlusconi, really. Not similar politically or in personal style, and no media empire either.

Osieck is gone after the France thrashing—seems legit to be honest. We're going to be slaughtered at the World Cup, it's going to be far heavier going than the last two.