OUT OF MY LEAGUE

People often ask me, who I’d have in my world footy dream team. Would I get all nostalgic and combine the raging bull, Wayne Rooney with his ex Cristiano Ronaldo aka The Gelled One aka Mr CR7? Would I stick with experience down the back and give Maldini one more year? What about the midfield? Let’s face it, Zidane was always good with his head. Very difficult.

Of course, I also have to consider how to make the team marketable as I want everyone coming to see them play so that I can leave all the other codes and anything involving the Royal family bereft of any support on the weekend.

So I think laterally, maybe a bit inappropriately, but it’s my dream team and I decide I’ll include The Corrs – hot, Shakira-hot, Pippa Middleton –relevant but not royal and Posh Spice because I need some experience and media savvy in there.

Of course, it wouldn’t work and I might even be insulting the hard core fans for I haven’t really seen any of these people play the game, though Posh does spectate well and I’ve heard the drummer from The Corrs can keep. Given my line up there’s even a chance I could fast track the whole Western Sydney move as surely Super Tim would come back to play with Pippa.

As we are always told, we live in competitive times and, as were are also always told, we need to think strategically: KPIs, long term, short term, medium term goals, recognising and responding to our core business, expanding, consolidating, blah de blah de blah. Did I mention market identity?

In terms of identity,  I know that with the A League season kicking off and making a cracker start with Emo and Harry coming back and the Roar on absolute fire that “We are football”, but it’s also at this time of year that International Rules circus rolls in and I get confused about who the other code is. Are they still “Real Footy” now?

Frankly, apart from gathering a few of the game’s legends and kitting them out in the same gear, I have never understood why  you would take a dream team of Aussie Rule footballers and make them play a made up game and really think they’ll take it seriously.  

Now this is not about the players and their ability to stay competitive no matter what the code. It’s not even about Aussie Rules as a sport. Only a fool would deny the commitment of the players or the dominance and popularity of Aussie rules. It is about identity and core values and maybe even respecting your market, not to mention the green and gold guernsey.

Surely, when you create a hybrid game based on a bit of what’s yours and a bit of what’s theirs, you are ultimately devaluing the very thing that defines you? International Rules is a curious idea and I guess it does build a bit of a bridge between cultures; let’s face it when we hurt the Irish by going in hard, everyone knows we really care. Even a headlock can be about love, can’t it?

As a kid who was raised playing “soccer” and trained with my Carlton jumper, I could never understand that unique time in the year when some of my favourite footy stars took to a field with a round ball and a goal with a net. While Silvagni in goals seemed somewhat appropriate, the rest made no sense; I never really did care about the actual game and pretty much forgot about it until that murky time popped up again the following year and again and again.

Maybe it was and is all about fun and games, but do you risk your credibility as a code when you reach for a watered down common denominator so that you can affirm your own identity and keep your place in the market in the off season? What’s more, do you threaten your own marketability when things go wrong? Remember when Fevolution blew a fuse??

Let’s be real, any International Rules series is about trying to make Aussie rules something it’s not. Unlike rugby or basketball or soccer (because sometimes their people don’t like it when we use the proper name for it), Aussies rules does not have global appeal and so you just can’t represent your country in the same way. As an outsider, it reads like a desperate lunge at a green and gold strip and another take on the end of season trip.

To my mind, as long as the game played is made up and meaningless, the credibility you hope to harness from it will be dubious and there is no emotional value at all invested in the green and gold colours.

Of course, it might just be about the cash.

Should that be a core value?

Vinnie Venezuela

Can Mourinho really cook?

Don’t tell him I said this, but there are times when I think The Special One is awesome.

Anyone who can make Marco Materazzi weep like a wee baby as he did when he left the ground after Inter’s Champion’s League win in 2010 must be special. Either that or he gave Marco the phone number of Zidane’s sister.

Jose certainly taps into the psyche of his players and gets them believing they are invincible to which they whisper something like “You complete me ...” and then go out and plunder, bringing him a carcass or a cup to help celebrate. Of course, when it comes to referees, The Special One prefers to hunt alone.

Jose is also the thinking man’s manager and though pre and post game press conferences can test a friendship, his game plans and match day team tweaks are always the stuff of legend. Like it or not, the record books will show that Mourinho gets the job done. Despite coming second, Real Madrid had a super season; Ronaldo proved again to be worth every cent, Benzema finally found form and Ozil added heaps when played properly. Even ‘Lamb of God’, Kaka came back from the dead.

The biggest challenge for Mourhino is probably the smorgasbord of choice he has at his finger tips and the pressure to win while playing beautifully. He certainly knows how to get the results, but it’s not always pretty and when players like Ronaldo voice frustration at being held back, you know that not all is well in Mourinho world.

The best game I’ve seen Real play this year, maybe ever, was that first half of the Copa Del Rey final against Barcelona. Real was rampant, it defended high, was super fast, pressured Barca for every second when it lost the ball, got it back and really had the Catalans rattled. When the teams went in at half time, it felt as if we were about to witness major regime change as Barca looked like a one trick pony whereas Real had momentum, a clear plan and a quality bench to keep the good times rolling.

Perhaps the one thing they lacked that night though was oxygen because they came out a different squad and pretty much sat back, giving Barca the chance to show that it’s ok to be a one trick pony when you have one really, really cool trick. In the end, Real did do enough to win it and De Maria’s cross in extra time to the omnipresent and pumped ‘Gelled one’ aka CR7 was spectacular. In fact, I wept like Materazzi.

History, however, will show that despite the intensity of the last four El Classicos, not to mention the ill will, send offs and nasty post game accusations, Barcelona’s mesmerising brand of football got them another Primera Liga title and a spot in the Champion’s league final.

More importantly, Barca’s success celebrates the idea that identifying a style of play and having faith in the personnel to deliver should remain every club’s objective. This team is a testament of what quality, vision and time can produce. Interestingly, while the Champions League Final pits two very clear styles against one another, Sir Alex has also forged a very consistent brand of football. That game should be a cracker.

Real Madrid is like a menu with too many dishes and I just wish Mourinho would cook something truly memorable with his quality ingredients. For me, that Copa Del Rey first half was the way forward, but we never saw it again in any of the following encounters. To give Guardiola credit, he responded by playing Mourinho at his own game, sitting back and stifling the Madrid midfield and momentum. What he didn’t do is sacrifice any of the team’s signature movements.

Real Madrid has pretty much been a team known for having players who became famous playing somewhere else but it also seems to be a club that is aware that it hasn’t delivered anything legendary for a long, long time. While Mourinho will certainly go down in history, it shouldn’t be for being a self proclaimed human headline or for winning ugly. The pressure is on him to use his time in the Madrid kitchen wisely.

Let’s hope he gives us something to savour.

Vinnie Venezuela

Giving Samurais the Blues

Japan had been the undisputed powerhouse of the Asian Confederation right up until the Socceroos rattled and then rolled them in Germany at the 2006 World Cup.

The Socceroos, who would be changing Confederations after the tournament, thus signalled their intent to shake things up in the region. Unfortunately for Japan, Australia scares them and there’s something about Tim Cahill, in particular, that messes with their samurai warrior super cool, maybe it’s the mega tatt on his arm or the damage he does to the corner flag every time he scores against them, which is quite often.

Emotionally and historically, China also troubles them and one their  heroes who has retired from international football,  Shunsuke Nakumura of Celtic has never quite been the same since the team bus left without him a few years ago when they played China away. In fact, he still doesn’t order the chicken and cashews or speak with the team manager. For the record, North Korea is also a worry for them, but that’s a geo-political thing.

Japan has increasingly presented a brand of football as mesmerising and technically adept as that of a Teppanyaki chef’s prowess behind the hotplate. And like said chef, they perhaps spend far too much time stuffing around rather than making sure the diners actually get what they paid for.

While the country has furnished legends like Hideotoshi Nakata who was the first to play in Italy, Nakumura formerly of Celtic and now pretty boy Keisuke Honda who plies his trade with CSKA Moscow, Japan’s problem is that it just has not produced any strikers worth their weight in whale. Indeed, there is one school of thought that has argued that it was high time the nation directed some legitimate scientific research towards putting the ball in the back of the net instead.

At the last Asian Cup, such was the tension at the penalty shoot out in their Quarter final-revenge clash against Australia that then coach, Ivica Osim had to retreat to the dressing room as he feared his heart could not take the pressure. Fortunately for both Japan and Ivica, the country managed to slot home the winner. Japan’s pursuit of a third straight Asian Cup ended when it went down to South Korea in the semi final on penalties. It was also at that point that the nation finally understood that it did better in shoot outs when Ivica wasn’t watching.

Unfortunately for Ivica, the roller coaster ride of managing the most emotionally contained nation when you yourself have anger management issues did lead to a stroke and some time in a coma while in the top job. It then got awkward for the whole nation as it sumo wrestled with the moral dilemma of sacking him while he was coming in and out of consciousness imploring their Brazilian born player Tulio, to “go for the top corner.”  Such was the nation’s resolve however, that they did let him down gently, though to this day he still thinks he’s the gaffer.

Japan, nonetheless, is a very good, tidy unit who, as far as precision passing and precision hair sculpting go, can resemble Italy on a good day; though, unlike the latter and to its credit, does tend to run with a bit more intensity and attack the ball for the full 90. It’s perhaps no surprise then and maybe it was even their destiny that they employed Italian legend Zaccheroni to coach their national team after the 2010 World Cup. For this reason, the Blue Samurais can be a threat as they are able to exert enough pressure from midfield on any backline to get the job done.

This Asian Cup has seen them get off to a slow start, slowly gather momentum and even showing some real resolve to claw out victories. Maybe the hidden moral there is that they should eat more crab. The fact that they pumped Saudi Arabia 5 zip shows that they have come a long way, but the loss of Bundesliga boy Kagawa - who scored some crucial goals for them in this tournament - for the final will certainly be felt.  Though I’m privately hoping that they will still be knackered from the Sth Korea game, players like Endo and Honda were born ready and will no doubt keep our boys busy.

The Blue Samurais are fast and furious on any counter, but the fact that Holger has gone two prongs rather than opt to leave Super Tim going solo up front as Pim did, will give them plenty to worry about. And while the Socceroos no longer have Vinnie Grella to rattle Japan, big Sasa Ognenovski with a three day growth should more than compensate. The Socceroos have also been impressively mobile this Asian Cup and their new found ability to maraud should keep the samurai backline so busy that their tofu curdles and the whole squad turns to miso soup.

Geez, I hope we win.

Vinnie Venezuela

Sometimes you just need to go to a game to get it

Summer football on a decent day sans teeming tropical rain (Sorry Fury) or stinking heat (Sorry Glory) or a carved up pitch (Sorry Jets) is a beautiful thing. You saunter to the ground, maybe do a pre-game beer, find your spot, sit and kick back. And if you plan it really well and bring stuff, the kids might even leave you alone for large tracts of game time.

I was at the Heart v Fury game recently with the kids and loved every second of it.

As we walked past Olympic Park toward AAMI Park, I couldn’t help but think how far we, the Football loving fans of the A League, have come.

Getting our own stadium, for starters has to be a win. As I always do when I’m in the area, I remembered the first Victory v Sydney game there. The place was packed, Archie was on fire, “All Night” Dwight was on the pitch and everyone was pumped. Victory creamed Sydney and it was a great day at the office. (For the record, I also always recall the Socceroo v Scotland in 1985 when I pass Olympic Park and still can’t believe Kosmina’s header didn’t go in that night.)

The crowd at AAMI at the Heart game was ok - just under 7,000 -  nothing exciting and certainly not what was there that that day at Olympic Park, but I don’t think that matters too much, not yet anyway. The Heart fans made plenty of noise and the boys delivered some great football for them.

I don’t care who he plays for, I unashamedly love seeing John Aloisi score. There’s a bloke in the Press Box who always grumbles when someone mentions Aloisi and I always think of him whenever Johnny puts one in the net.

Being close to the action really brings home the work rate of players and all the little things they do to try and keep possession. I think the other reason I like Aloisi at the Heart is because you know he knows that he has his detractors and so are there with him as he uses his strength to turn a player or hold the ball up. You also feel his pain when that dash into the box is fruitless and then has to track back. It’s the same with Fowler and any other legendary veteran. Musky must be buggered.

Heart at their best are as exciting as the Victory and, though there has been some shifting of loyalties and crowds, it just all has to bode well for the game in the city. Ultimately, Melburnians are not only going to get great derbies, they will be guaranteed great football in a city that is so built for sport that you sniff the lineament as soon as you get off the train at Flinders street. The Victory-Newcastle game a week ago also served up compelling football and not just because Lujbo was squaring up with Musky.

As I watched the Gold Coast United game against Perth and lamented (as I always do) the lack of patronage and wished (as I always do) that they’d find a better venue to suit the crowds they do pull, I was jolted away from the gloom by another Tahj Minniecon run down the right. Then Djite looked a bit dangerous and Traore was dancing. At the other end, Fowler was combining with Sterjovski and Neville missed a gimme. In the end, it was a worthy zip - zip result. Can there be such a thing?

The best thing about AAMI Park, which the Hindmarsh crowd have revelled in for a while, is that when you get up close and personal with the football, you appreciate the quality even more. The season, the squads and some of the new faces this year (Flores, Sibon, Broich, Wehrman)  have been outstanding. Though the consistency has not always been there and teams like Wellington and Perth have fallen apart after making good starts and Sydney just refuse to fire up, the rise of the Roar, the tweaking of Adelaide United and the just the presence of Franz Straka for me make every game a treat.

Glaciers are “cool” things because you can’t tell they are moving forward. A League football is no powerhouse on the sporting landscape, but this season, more than ever you can see and really sense that the base is solid and getting better and better.

Sometimes, you just need to go to a game to get it.

Vinnie Venezuela