Goal Hero Rhys Is Looking Up

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Rhys Williams celebrated his first senior goal for Middlesbrough on the weekend but the Socceroo insists promotion is his priority rather than hitting the back of the net.

The 21-year-old Perth-born defender, who enjoyed some prolific goalscoring form for Boro in pre-season, grabbed his first official senior goal late in the first-half of Saturday's 2-2 draw at Coventry City.

Williams' maiden goal had put Middlesbrough two up at the break in that match but Boro let their lead slip with the Sky Blues equalizing in injury-time.

The result came on the back of a 5-0 home defeat from West Bromwich the fixture before, thus denting Boro's promotion ambitions.

And Williams admits he didn't take much joy from the goal after seeing his side let their lead slip.

"I'd rather take the three points than score a goal," he told BBC Tees. "It's nice to get my first goal, we should have won, we were 2-0 up and it's heartbreaking to draw."

Boro, though, are still in the race for a return to the top flight, sitting fourth in the league, and could get back to winning ways when they host Leicester City at the Riverside.

Williams added: "It's a long season, teams do get tired, we can climb back to the top and we've got the players to do it, it's just getting back in the winning mentality.

"We're looking forward but we've got to go and do a job now."

Can The Saints Get Their Own Redemption In 2010?

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Saturday’s AFL Grand Final loss is a bitter pill to swallow for the St Kilda Footy Club after such a tight contest, but as reflected by Saints skipper Nick Riewoldt in his post-match captain’s speech, it’ll be the source of great motivation to go one better in 2010.

Speaking on Sunday, beyond the immediate emotion of the defeat, Riewoldt said, ”Deep down we’ve got to learn from this. We’ve got to savour it, bottle it, and make sure we learn from the experience.

“Geelong were in exactly the same position 12 months ago, and they were good enough to come out and go one step better this year. We’re at that level. What we’ve been able to achieve this year, it proves we’re not going to go away quickly. We’re at the same level.

“We’ve got to learn from the experience and make sure we’re standing here next year in much more enjoyable circumstances.”

Indeed, that sentiment of redemption has had some volume in the last week with the Cats desperate to right their own wrongs of 2008. The Saints are now looking at next year in a similar way.

Leigh Montagna, who was one of the Saints better players on the weekend, said about 2010, “We’ll butter up again. We’ll keep improving, we’ll get fitter and stronger and better and come back and have another crack.”

There’s no doubt the Saints will be a determined group for the next 12 months and there will be no shortcuts taken under coach Ross Lyon’s guidance.

And you sense an improved St Kilda side with the likes of Lenny Hayes, Nick Dal Santo, Riewoldt and Montagna, amongst others, will be a pretty frightening prospect for opposition sides in 2010.

But as Riewoldt explained, St Kilda must learn from the experience. Sure, with a bit of luck Saturday’s result might have been different, but there’s certain things the Saints could’ve done better on the weekend and should learn from.

While St Kilda boast a brilliant defence which produced intense pressure on Saturday, going forward they were let down, as the inside 50 statistics will say.

Inaccuracy in front of goal (especially in the second quarter) was the obvious one, but late in the game when the match was there to be won, St Kilda reverted to pumping it long to Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke. Lyon has since admitted this probably wasn’t his smartest move.

But what wasn’t smart was allowing Geelong to get numbers to these contests, to outnumber and nullify St Kilda’s key assets. Harry Taylor did a great job on Riewoldt, but he had help.

Riewoldt didn’t.

Too often St Kilda’s small forwards dragged their opponent to Riewoldt, allowing Geelong a 3-on-1 marking contest, thus erasing the advantage of their prized asset.

And when, and if, the ball hit the ground, the Saints’ small forwards simply couldn’t capitalize.

On a dry day it might have been different, but perhaps Lyon wasn’t wise to his error due to a lack of experience in the conditions having played indoors at Etihad Stadium for plenty of the season.

In some respects, there were warning signs of such a weakness in the Preliminary Final when the Bulldogs pushed a Riewoldt-centric St Kilda all the way, with the Saints skipper winning his side the game with 4 crucial goals. The Cats didn’t allow such heroics on Saturday.

Indeed, looking ahead St Kilda will hope to find a few more options up forward, with a better spread of goals needed. Perhaps Lyon will look to draft a small forward, like the Hawks managed with Cyril Rioli in their premiership year.

But in saying that, the Saints didn’t do a lot wrong on the weekend, let alone 2009. And they already have a quality playing group, plus all statements and comments out of the club since the loss have hit the right chords.

After all, they only lost 3 matches in 2009 and made significant improvements during the season suggesting they are a team on the ascent.

Lyon said at the Saints’ official post-Grand Final function, “There have been a number of individuals that have gone to that next level in their football (in 2009) and we’ll need a lot of players to improve again.

He added, “We feel we’ve got a game plan that stands up anywhere in any conditions at any time and we think we can make it better.”

Indeed, emerging from the Grand Final defeat with a steely resolve to get better, shows the Saints are here for the long haul.

Saturday’s loss will serve as great motivation and you sense this side will be back bigger and better in 2010.

No Berliners In The Bundesliga?

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German capital club Hertha Berlin are in the midst of a crisis following their midweek DFB Pokal elimination by second-tier 1860 Munich and last weekend’s 4-0 home loss to newly promoted SC Freiburg which has left them bottom of the Bundesliga. So can the cash-strapped club survive?

Hertha, who are currently coached by Swiss Lucien Favre, go into Sunday’s Bundesliga clash with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim under plenty of pressure having lost 5 league matches in a row.

Indeed, Favre’s job has been called into question during the week but the Swiss boss is adamant he’ll stay.

Favre was asked if he’d quit at Hertha but he responded defiantly, "Why should I? A lot of the fans still like me."

And he is right, having taken Hertha to within a whisker of the UEFA Champions League football last season. In fact, Favre’s side were still in the running for the Bundesliga title last season until the penultimate round of fixtures and there’s no doubt that got the fans onside.

But the fall from grace has been sudden but not all Favre’s fault. Hertha have experienced major financial difficulties recently and were faced with a difficult decision in the off-season, which saw manager Dieter Hoeness axed.

The club was also unable to retain stars like Andrij Voronin, Marko Pantelic and Josip Simunic and their major arrival in the close season, Artur Wichniarek, is struggling to fire with no goals yet to his name.

Polish international Wichniarek arrived at the Olympiastadion from relegated Arminia Bielefeld in the European summer, having previously endured an ill-fated stint in the capital with Hertha.

Wichniarek spent two seasons with Hertha from 2003 to 2006 and produced just 4 goals in that stint. There is a fear he may be heading down a similar path in this stint, despite scoring plenty of goals whilst at Bielefeld.

But last weekend’s 4-0 loss to Freiburg showed Wichniarek wasn’t the root of the problem. Hertha simply lacked the creativity required to trouble Bundesliga defences.

Freiburg went two up early and from then on Hertha heads dropped and the players showed little fight.

But there is hope for Hertha, with players like Cicero, Gojko Kacar and Patrick Ebert all capable of producing the goods.

And Favre, who coached FC Zurich to a couple of titles in his native Switzerland, proved himself a shrewd manager last season and Hertha should persist with him, for a few more weeks at least.

Unfortunately for Hertha, they don’t have two crucial things. Time and money. Those at the top know their hands are tied to some degree and they’ll need to have some faith.

But sooner or later, if things don’t improve, Hertha will have to cut their losses.

If they don't, could you imagine one of Europe's biggest cities, Berlin, with 3.4 million residents, not having a top flight football team?

Well Hertha's little brothers, Union Berlin, might have a say in that as they are currently leading the way in the second tier 2.Bundesliga, so perhaps the capital will have a new club to get behind next season.

Early Shower For Roo Grella

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Vince Grella saw red for Blackburn Rovers against Aston Villa in the English Premier League while two Aussie goalkeepers also endured matches that ended unhappily.

In England overnight, it was a difficult night for Aussie keepers, with Adam Federici's error costing Reading a win, while Mark Schwarzer's Fulham lost 1-0 to Arsenal.

Reading were enjoying a 1-0 lead courtesy of Grzegorz Rasiak's 7th minute strike, before Federici got in a mix-up with Royals defender Darren O'Dea and Watford's Danny Graham stole in for the equaliser on 66 minutes.

The error had come not long after Federici made a superb fingertip save from Henri Lansbury's deflected effort, but the mix-up cost battling Reading dearly.

Federici's form at Reading this season hasn't been great, having made a mistake only a month ago with a poor handling error in a 3-1 loss to Sheffield United.

In the Premiership, Mark Schwarzer was solid in goals but overshadowed by a brilliant performance from Arsenal's young Italian Vito Mannone down the other end.

Schwarzer was beaten by a Robin van Persie effort just after the break which won the Gunners the points.

Staying in the English Premier League, Tim Cahill proved a sporadic threat for Everton as they beat struggling Portsmouth on the south coast 1-0.

Cahill glanced a first-half header over the bar, before seeing an effort in the second stanza cleared off the line. Lucas Neill was an unused substitute for the Toffees.

Blackburn's Socceroos midfielder Vince Grella was sent off for a second bookable offence as Rovers produced a late show to beat Aston Villa 2-1.

Fellow Aussie Brett Emerton was a 56th minute substitute for Rovers and produced an encouraging display which was almost capped by a goal after Lars Jacobsen's cutback, but Villa stopper Brad Friedel denied the Socceroo with a fine save.

After the game Rovers boss Sam Allardyce acknowledged Emerton's return whilst admitting Grella's red card was the right decision, saying, "I don't have any complaints about the sending-off. I do think it was 2 bookable offences."

Returning to the Championship, Rhys Williams fired his first senior Middlesbrough goal as Boro blew as two-goal half-time lead to draw 2-2 at Coventry City.

Williams scored right on half-time, after Gary O'Neil's chipped pass fell to the Australian who hit a 12-yard shot which the Coventry keeper might have done better with.

There was more good news for Aussie fans from Middlesbrough, with Brad Jones preferred back in goals and winning the Boro official website's Man of the Match.

Elsewhere in the English second tier, Nick Carle had a 20-minute cameo off the bench for Crystal Palace as they recorded a decent 1-0 win at West Bromwich.

In League One, Patrick Kisnorbo played a full game for Leeds, while Neil Kilkenny remained on the bench, as the Whites recorded a fantastic 1-0 win at MK Dons.

Gareth Edds was an unused sub for Tranmere as they drew 1-1 with Colchester, while Jamie Young was the backup stopper for Wycombe as they drew 1-1 at Swindon and keeper Michael Theoklitos remained out of the Norwich side as they drew 1-1 at Gillingham.

In League Two, Shane Cansdell-Sherriff played another full game at the back for Shrewsbury as they thumped Northampton 3-0, while defender Scott Guyett was also back for Bournemouth in a 1-0 win over Burton Albion and Daniel Leach returned to the Barnet starting eleven which lost 3-0 at Rotherham.

In the Blue Square Premier League, James Meredith put in another full shift at the back for York City as they beat Kidderminster 3-2, while Kyle Nix limped off early as Mansfield Town beat Hayes & Yeading 3-1.

Another Double For Hot Shot Santalab

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Brendon Santalab has maintained his brilliant form in China's Super League by scoring a double in Chengdu's 2-2 draw at Hangzhou on Saturday night.

The 27-year-old Australian's brace means he has scored in four consecutive Super League matches now and takes his personal tally to eight since joining the Blades in early August.

Santalab's first came after Hangzhou had taken an early lead when Brazilian forward Erivaldo tapped in from close-range.

But on 19 minutes, Chengdu were awarded a controversial penalty which Santalab stepped up to convert despite the goalkeeper getting his hand to the shot.

And only a few minutes into the second-half Santalab doubled his tally with an exquisite solo goal where he took on the Hangzhou defence before sliding a neat shot in.

But Erivaldo levelled the scores with a 66th minute header, before Chengdu went close late on to winning the game with an effort hitting the crossbar.

Chengdu, though, are now 12th and well clear of the drop zone.

Elsewhere in the CSL, Joel and Ryan Griffiths' Beijing Guoan went top of the table with a 1-0 win at Qingdao Jonoon. Guoan's closest rivals at the top, Henan Construction, face Mark Milligan's Shanghai Shenhua today.

Elsewhere in Asia, in Japan's J.League, Joshua Kennedy scored again as Nagoya Grampus thumped league leaders Kashima Antlers 4-1.

The Antlers have now lost 3 matches consecutively and got off to a poor start when Kennedy reacted quickly to a rebound to score on 7 minutes.

Igor Burzanovic added another before the break and Kashima's frustration led to Kennedy receiving some extra attention with plenty of tackles flying in on the Australian.

And it served to anger the mild-mannered Socceroo, who was involved in a controversial incident which saw Kashima's Daiki Iwamasa fall to the ground with claims Kennedy had elbowed him.

Nagoya boss Dragan Stojkovic opted to substitute the Australian at the break to ease the tension and it didn't hurt Grampus, who went onto to win resoundingly.

Elsewhere in the J.League, Eddy Bosnar wasn't in the JEF United side which lost 2-1 at home to fellow battlers Montedio Yamagata. The result is significant for United, who are in deep relegation trouble, as they are now 7 points behind 15th-placed Montedio.

Finally in Korea's K-League, Sasa Ognenovski played a full game as Seongnam Ilhwa lost 2-0 at Chunnam Dragons.

Schwarzer Ready For Action

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Socceroos shot-stopper Mark Schwarzer is back from a recent neck injury and ready to take his place in the Fulham side to face Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.

The 36-year-old custodian, who played every league game last season for Fulham, missed the Cottagers' recent matches against Everton and CSKA Sofia with the neck problem and was also absent midweek in the Carling Cup defeat to Manchester City.

But the Socceroo is certain to be back in goals for when the Cottagers play host to fellow Londoners Arsenal on Saturday evening.

Fulham defeated the Gunners 1-0 in this league fixture last season and despite a slow start to this campaign, Schwarzer is hoping for a similar result.

Schwarzer told the London Informer, "Whenever you play the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool, people write you off before the game even begins, so the expectation to do better than that is more in the dressing-room than outside in the football world.

"You can't rely on those games against the so-called big four to get points, that's for sure, but we as a team believe, especially at home, we can be competitive and get points against any side."

But Fulham were poor in the league last week beaten 2-1 by newly promoted Wolverhampton and subsequently questions have been raised about the Cottagers ability to reproduce last season's heroics.

Schwarzer added about the Wolves game, "We weren't good the first 50-60 minutes. To Wolves' credit they put us under a lot of pressure and were very effective at their own game and I think we failed to cope with it for long periods of the match.

"We've had lots of games so far this season and haven't spent a lot of time on the training pitch.

"So now we must get back to basics and work on our overall defending as a team. With Arsenal coming up we haven't got a lot of time to improve but we need to."

Can Collingwood Go One Step Further In 2010?

as seen on The Roar

Mick Malthouse managed to take his young Magpies side further than many expected in 2009. Indeed, Collingwood over-achieved this year. But in the end they lacked the quality required to go further. So you wonder, can Collingwood do any better in 2010?

The finals defeats to St Kilda and Geelong and the Round 22 loss to the Western Bulldogs confirmed the fact the Pies were fourth best in 2009. It seemed the reason for that was that they simply didn’t have the quality to go with the best.

Despite Malthouse’s matchday tactical nous (recalling a famous Mick quote) he didn’t have the cattle on the park in 2009.

The underwhelming performances of Alan Didak and Leon Davis during the finals have been well-reported and when two of a side’s quality players don’t produce the goods in the cut-throat games, it makes life difficult.

And you wonder whether or not Didak or Davis can produce their best form in the finals in the future, especially when you consider the pair are both past their mid-20s and their history suggests otherwise. It’s a worry for the Pies going ahead.

But Malthouse remains optimistic because this is a youthful team who achieved a top 4 finish. That’s some feat, especially when you consider 12 of the 22 players wearing the black-and-white stripes in Saturday night’s 73-point loss to Geelong were 22-years-old or younger.

Malthouse told the media after Saturday night’s heavy defeat, “If there are bonuses out of it, we’ve done a lot of the hard yards with a lot of young kids who should be stronger.

“I can’t remember a grand final won by too many young players… most sides will have a lot of 25-year-olds to 30 with bigger bodies… and a history of playing a long time together.

“That’s our goal. You can’t make a 20-year-old 26.”

Indeed, Malthouse’s statement suggests Collingwood fans can look forward to some bright years ahead.

But right now, the team’s immediate shortcomings need to be addressed. The Pies need to find some quality. Classy 21-year-old Scott Pendlebury was missed during the finals and he’ll no doubt improve them should they make it through to September in 2010.

And if Didak and Davis can’t deliver in September, then the potential in Travis Cloke (22), Dale Thomas (22), Dayne Beams (19) and Steele Sidebottom (18) will need to be realised and they will all need to make improvements.

But looking through Collingwood’s squad list, it seems potential superstars and match-winners may not be so easy to find. Sure, Malthouse has blooded a lot of youth, but how far can many of these youngsters take their talent?

Indeed, there’s a common perception that the Pies are a team of hard-working grafters, who combined with the footy nous of Malthouse, become a pretty difficult outfit to beat on any given day.

But the Pies have been ‘grafting’ and over-achieving for a long time under Malthouse, much to their credit. In fact, Collingwood have the made finals in the last four consecutive seasons.

But such is the AFL system, you question the wisdom of Collingwood’s efforts when this season’s finals showed they were short on quality.

Where I’m going with this is perhaps a few seasons down the bottom might have enabled them ownership of a few more quality young players via the draft. Just look at the player lists of Geelong and St Kilda, filled with high-draft picks.

But ignoring the past, Collingwood are at where they’re at under Malthouse for another two years, before Nathan Buckley takes over (which is a tad perplexing in itself).

Adding quality and fulfilling potential is one thing, but the Pies also have some problems in the ruck division.

Geelong smashed Collingwood on the weekend in the ruck, with makeshift bigman Leigh Brown found out. 1999’s number one pick draft pick Josh Fraser continues to frustrate and battle injuries, while 22-year-old Cameron Wood improved late on this season, but didn’t cut it in the finals.

And full-back Simon Prestigiacomo, who I must say did a solid job in 2009 in defence, perhaps is indicative of Collingwood’s problems. Just compare Presti to Geelong’s Matthew Scarlett and you’ll understand why.

Prestigiacomo does a great imitation of a human glove, but unfortunately he doesn’t add much more. In the modern game built on defensive rebound, I’m not convinced a premiership winning team can carry someone like that.

The youthful Pies, though, are a developing squad and you suspect they could be realistically challenging at the top in a few years.

Whether or not they can win it under Malthouse (who hasn’t won an AFL premiership for 15 years) is an intriguing question.

But for now, it’s hard to envisage enough immediate improvements to win them the premiership in 2010, but the fans have had a sneak preview of what’s coming.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo Halt Barcelona's Dominance?

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FIFA World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo scored yet again in Wednesday’s 2-0 triumph at Villarreal, signaling his Real Madrid are ready to threaten Barcelona’s firm grip on the La Liga title.

The 24-year-old Portuguese superstar has asserted himself on the Bernabeu faithful with an incredible start to life in Madrid with 7 goals in 5 matches in all competitions.

Ronaldo’s prolific form has inspired Real to a 100% start in the league, with 4 wins from 4 matches combined with an impressive +11 goal difference already.

Yet somehow Real are second in the league, behind brilliant European champions FC Barcelona who head them only on goals scored at this stage. Barcelona, too, have begun the new season in equally scintillating form.

Expectations from many pundits prior to this season was that big-spending Real Madrid would need time for their new faces to gel, but they’ve begun ominously.

And while Real hasn’t been playing brilliant free-flowing football throughout contests, Ronaldo’s individual brilliance is getting the job done.

When new superstars such as Karim Benzema and Kaka (who incidentally both each scored their first goals for the club in the last week) begin to settle into this Real Madrid side along with the likes of Xabi Alonso and Raul Albiol, then the Galacticos may be what they’re billed up to be.

Barcelona, who enjoy the services of their own list of superstars such as Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Xavi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, were seen as firm title favourites prior to the season kick-off.But Real’s brilliant early form has caused a re-think, with Ronaldo’s sensational start the clear catalyst.

It begs the question, when will Ronaldo play a game for Real Madrid and not actually score? It’s a frightening prospect for the Catalans.

But Barcelona are, of course, a wonderful side who have been playing lovely football (not just winning matches) for some time now and they retain their favouritism.

The point is, though, Ronaldo and Real’s start to the campaign has shaken the La Liga title race up to being one of Europe’s most intriguing battles this term.

Sure it’ll be a two-horse race but it’ll be a well-run battle.

The fans will watch on with not only a good title race, but with plenty of superb football on display, pitting the world's two best players (Messi and Ronaldo) against one another.

The early indications suggest, it’s got all the elements of an enthralling and thoroughly engrossing campaign.

Ruka Finds The Net For Twente

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Nikita Rukavytsya opened his senior account for FC Twente, while David Carney made his starting debut as the Enschede club thumped tiny SC Joure 8-0 in the Dutch KNVB Cup.

SC Joure play in the lowly Zondang Hoofdklasse C division and were always going to be up against it when facing Twente who finished second in the Dutch Eredivisie last season.

But Twente didn't take it easy, with Rukavytsya eager to make the most of a rare chance in the starting XI, combining well with Wellington on 5 minutes only for the Australian to see his effort thwarted.

A few minutes later though South African Bernard Parker put Twente ahead before Carney set up Iraq international Nashat Akram who made it 2-0 after barely quarter of an hour.

Rukavytsya hit the post before Dario Vujicevic made it three with Parker adding a fourth before the break.

Into the second-half, the goals kept coming with Akram scoring before Rukavytsya grabbed his first in the Twente senior team after good lead-up work from Luuk de Jong.

Wellington grabbed a late double to finish off an emphatic 8-0 triumph for Steve McClaren's side with Rukavytsya and Carney both getting through the full 90 minutes.

Twente host newly promoted VVV Venlo this Saturday in the league, with the Aussie pair doing their hopes of a run no harm on Wednesday.

Where To Now For The Western Bulldogs?

as seen on The Roar

There’s no doubt the Western Bulldogs made significant improvements as a team in 2009. Yet once again they fell short of a Grand Final berth. It begs the question, where to now for the Dogs?

After a second consecutive Preliminary Final defeat, Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade was asked about his club’s future premiership hopes, and ‘Rocket’ was fairly positive about that prospect.

Eade said, “We’ve matured from last year and I’ve no doubt we’ll get better again. I’ve no doubt this group will sting from last night like they stung from last year and there’s alot of improvement left in most of the players.”

The Dogs’ coach is right to be optimistic, as with a bit of luck on Friday evening they might still be alive in the 2009 finals right now.

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The AFL's MVP Comes Too Early

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Gary Ablett won his third consecutive Leigh Matthews Trophy last week, and while the award is becoming increasingly prestigious amongst the AFL community, isn’t the timing of the vote like announcing the Norm Smith Medal at three-quarter time in the Grand Final?

The award, which is voted entirely by AFL players, is intended to decide who is the league’s Most Valuable Player (or the MVP) for a particular season.

Due to the fact it is voted upon by the players, the honour obviously has some prestige.

The upsurge in interest in the Leigh Matthews Trophy has occurred (not only thanks to Foxtel) due to the problem the AFL has with their major individual honour, the Brownlow medal.

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Santa Grabs Himself A Double

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Brendon Santalab scored two dramatic second-half goals to inspire Chengdu Blades to a 2-1 away triumph at Guangzhou Pharmaceutical in the Chinese Super League overnight.

The former Sydney FC and North Queensland Fury man struck on 74 and 85 minutes after the hosts had taken the lead courtesy of Luis Ramirez's 64th minute penalty.

With just over a quarter of an hour to go, Chengdu were on the right side of an awful decision by the referee, awarding the Blades a penalty for handball.

And Santalab was the man to step up and put away the spotkick, coolly lobbing the ball down the middle with the keeper diving to his right.

Ten minutes later, Santalab did it again after a long throw fell kindly for the Australian who produced a brilliant volleyed finish into the corner of the net.

For Santalab, who only played his first game for Chengdu in August, his pair of goals takes him to five for the club.

The result takes Chengdu further away from relegation zone, as they move up to 12th some 7 points clear of second-last Shenzhen.

Elsewhere, Mark Milligan's Shanghai Shenhua lost 2-1 at Qingdao Jonoon and now slip to ninth, while Joel & Ryan Griffiths' Beijing Guoan lost 2-0 to Changchun Yatai on Tuesday which dents their title hopes.

UEFA Champions League Preview Groups E-H

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The UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 continues on, with Groups E, F, G and H all kicking off on Wednesday night, so here's Sports Pundit's preview of what's to come.

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UEFA Champions League Preview Groups A-D

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With Europe's elite kicking off in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday evening, it's time for Sports Pundit to take a close look at each group.

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Don't Fear Momentum

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The word ‘momentum’ is very much in vogue in the world of footy jargon. But do the events of the current AFL finals series suggest we shouldn’t read much into the term?

St Kilda and Geelong, who comfortably finished one-two on the AFL ladder this season, had their premiership credentials seriously questioned prior to the first weekend of the finals following some stuttering late season form.

Many pointed to the fact they were both flirting with form and had lost momentum.

On the other hand, the likes of the Western Bulldogs, Collingwood and Adelaide had all arrived in the finals with plenty of momentum, following excellent back-ends to their respective seasons.

Indeed, it made a compelling case to suggest the 2009 AFL finals series was a five-horse race.

Yet in the first week of the finals, the Saints and Cats showed their superiority and fended off their respective opponents to secure the much sought-after week-off, leaving the losers to take the long road to the Prelims.

Meanwhile, Adelaide, who after a slow start to their season had stormed home with some scintillating and stylish footy to finish in the lower-half of the 8, smashed out-of-place finalists Essendon by some 96 points on the first evening of the finals series.

The emphatic triumph over the Bombers made it four victories in a row for the Crows (as well as 12 in 15) and considering some of their huge winning margins in that streak, Adelaide had massive momentum and went into Saturday’s semi-final against Collingwood as favourites according to the bookies.

To me, that in itself appeared odd considering the Magpies had gone over to Adelaide only four weeks earlier and won.

And this game was now being played at Collingwood’s home ground in Melbourne, yet the bookies thought the result would reverse itself!

Nevertheless, I must admit I stewed over the decision of who to tip for some time, before reverting to my currently unblemished tactic of going with the higher ranked side.

In the end the Pies won, albeit by a narrow margin, and Adelaide’s momentum ultimately counted for nothing.

But what is momentum? Does it exist, and if so, where does it exist?

For me, momentum exists in our minds. It’s a psychological concept which provides a real confidence boost for those enjoying it.

But what does it do to the opposition team? More than anything, you could say momentum creates fear.

Yet Geelong and St Kilda both showed no signs of insecurity or fear when they asserted themselves on the Bulldogs and Collingwood respectively in their Qualifying Final victories.

So much of footy these days is played in the head and standing up to momentum is, as well, a psychological thing.

It requires a strong confidence and reassurance in what works for a side.

For the Saints getting to 20-2 and the Cats to 18-4 after 22 rounds is obviously some achievement and that would naturally have instilled that sense of confidence in what they’re doing.

But Collingwood’s victory over Adelaide on Saturday night was something different. The Crows carried on their momentum from the last few weeks into the first-half grabbing a 26-point lead at the long break, before it appeared to grind to a halt in the premiership quarter.

Mick Malthouse’s ability to get his side to capably revert to plan B enabled them to jolt Adelaide’s confidence and momentum after half-time.

And as Adelaide lost faith in their gameplan, the Pies pounced, backed by a massive, parochial crowd, much in the style of the Brisbane Lions a week earlier.

Indeed, having a raucous, local crowd behind a team is a huge boost for momentum and rightfully that’s one of the advantages of finishing higher on the ladder.

So momentum does exist, but perhaps only in our heads. Greeting momentum with no fear serves as its best defence.

But that in itself is not simple and requires a confidence and self-assurance only great teams seem to enjoy, because (revising a famous sporting cliché) class is permanent and momentum is temporary.

Are Man City The Real Deal?

as seen on Sports Pundit

Big-spending Manchester City are set to take on Arsenal in the English Premier League this Saturday, in what will reveal a lot to the viewing public, about whether or not the Sky Blues are contenders or pretenders.

City, who spent nearly £120 million in the European summer purchasing big-names such as Roque Santa Cruz, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Gareth Barry, have begun the new campaign well with a 100% record so far.

The Sky Blues are currently fourth on the table with three wins from three and they are yet to concede a goal.

But Arsenal will arrive at Eastlands as the Sky Blues biggest test so far this term. Indeed, we’ll find out a lot about City this Saturday.

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Is Carlton's Saint Judd Losing His Holiness?

as seen on The Roar

Chris Judd, the model AFL player, has been in the headlines this week for all the wrong reasons after a self-confessed ‘dumb’ act, which has subsequently spiralled out of control. The saga has dragged Judd’s reputation through the mud, so one wonders will it taint him forever or can he bounce back like a true champion?

It all began on Saturday evening when Channel 10’s cameras spotted an incident where Judd appeared to be trying to eye-gouge Brisbane’s Michael Rischitelli.

The following day, Judd casually admitted he wasn’t trying to gouge Rischitelli, but instead only attempting to find the pressure point behind his ear, which naturally landed him in trouble with the match review panel before a long and drawn-out tribunal and appeal process over the next few days.

The end result was a three-week suspension for Judd plus a public tarnishing of his reputation, which fundamentally equated to a regrettable couple of days for the previously squeaky-clean 2004 Brownlow medallist.

And now you can picture it in Round 4 of the 2010 season, when Judd makes his ‘long-awaited AFL comeback’, there will be witty newspaper headlines in the lead-up to the game combined with comedic heckles and jeers from the crowd on matchday, all directed towards the Carlton skipper.

Opposition fans will be sure to find endless hilarious ways to verbalise their thoughts towards Judd everywhere he goes, especially considering the unusual circumstances of the Carlton man’s ‘pressure point’ charge. I’m sure many of us have already heard a few office jokes on the topic this week as a precursor (Mr Miyagi anyone?).

But how long will it all last? Can Judd, who was in hot water for a similar offence in 2007, shake off this new dirty-underhand-gouger/pressure-pointer/amateur-martial-arts tag or will it follow him for the rest of his career?

After all, this is the model professional who it seemed every footy journalist used as a yardstick to compare and measure other players by. Basically, prior to all this, Judd had been the AFL’s most revered player, looked up to by almost everyone.

Now it seems Judd employs dirty tactics, which aren’t in the fairness or spirit of the game.

A sure sign of Judd’s fall from grace were the comments made by AFL legend Ron Barassi this week when he described the Blues star’s actions as ‘shocking’.

Barassi added, “It’s disappointing because this guy is a hero for many, many people, including myself. He’ll regret this day a long while.”

But backtracking for just a moment, isn’t all this just a bit of an overreaction for an offence which, while obviously not being in the spirit of the game, wasn’t overly significant (despite claims from ‘martial arts experts’ Judd could have killed Rischitelli).

Indeed, the three-match ban handed down by the match review panel was ridiculously harsh and makes little sense when you consider Judd’s remorse (albeit belated) in all of this.

But what’s done is done. The question is can Judd bounce back to win over the footy public?

It’s a difficult question to answer, but you sense Judd’s regret about this incident means he’ll never do it again.

And also, what makes Judd such a revered and likeable figure is the way he goes about his footy. Obviously this whole issue challenges that concept, but if Judd gets back to producing tough match-winning performances for the Blues and kicking some glorious goals on the run, there’s no doubt all will be forgiven, although perhaps not forgotten.

But these sorts of career glitches happen to champions in all sports worldwide (remember Tiger Woods’ surprising final-round slip-up in the PGA Championship last month). The test of a true champion is how they react to these situations.

There’s no doubt Judd is at the top of the Australian Rules game, but while we shouldn’t overreact, it’s clear his recent indiscretion has harmed his reputation.

Judd simply needs to ignore all the hype and overreaction and do what he does best (playing good, clean, contested footy). If he does so, perhaps that halo will re-appear.

No Guarantees For Brad

as seen on au.fourfourtwo.com

Australian goalkeeper Brad Jones may have returned to full fitness but he's been offered no guarantees that he'll walk straight back into the Middlesbrough side.

The 27-year-old Socceroos stopper missed the start of the new campaign due to an ankle injury he sustained in pre-season, allowing new Boro signing Danny Coyne an opportunity in goals and the veteran Welsh international has impressed.

But Jones, who was officially given the Middlesbrough number one shirt before the new season, is fit and available now, leaving Boro boss Gareth Southgate with a selection headache.

Middlesbrough goalkeeping coach and club legend Stephen Pears told the club's official website, "This week Gareth has to make a big decision."

Complicating matters though is the fact Coyne has been battling a back problem at training this week.

"It's a long week leading up to the game so we'll see how things go with his injury," Pears said.

Speaking to the Middlesbrough Gazette, Pears added, "We'll have to see what happens at the end of the week. The decision lies with the gaffer.

"But Brad is one of those players who can go straight in without a reserve game, so if he is called up, he will be ready."

But Boro are very happy with their new man Coyne with Pears concluding, "He's done very, very well since he's come in. kept four clean sheets and I've been very pleased with him."

Fourth-placed Middlesbrough will host Roy Keane's second-last Ipswich Town at the Riverside this Saturday in the English Championship.

Bulldogs Set To Be The Bridesmaids Again

as seen on The Roar

Despite a valiant performance from the Western Bulldogs in Saturday’s tight 14-point loss to Geelong at the MCG, the game highlighted a few worrying signs from the Bullies that suggest their premiership aspirations are gone.

The Bulldogs came into this September’s finals series with plenty of reason for optimism following late season victories over top 4 clubs Geelong and Collingwood.

But Saturday’s loss to the Cats left Dogs coach Rodney Eade denying claims that his side’s flag hopes were dead in the post-match media conference.

As they say a week is a long time in football, and a lot can change in a short space of time and it has for the Dogs’ premiership hopes.

Eade said after Saturday’s loss (which means they’ll face Brisbane at the MCG next Friday), “It makes it more difficult because you’ve got to play another game and you don’t get the week’s break, so obviously Geelong is in the box seat and whoever wins tomorrow (St Kilda) is going to be in the box seat – there’s no doubt about that.

“But having said that, there is a bit of character amongst the group and we’ve shown over the last three weeks what they can deliver.”

Indeed, the Bulldogs’ Round 21 and 22 wins over the Cats and the Magpies were impressive, but Eade can’t afford to gloss over their failings on Saturday by referring back to those victories.

Saturday’s loss to Geelong showed the increased stakes of finals footy and how the Dogs (who bowed out in the preliminary final last season) are short of what is required to win these important matches.

Without doubt the Dogs showed a lot on the weekend and with a bit of luck and a bit of accuracy in front of goal, they may have been singing the song at 5.30pm on Saturday afternoon.

Their inaccuracy in front of goal was one of the stories of the afternoon, but there was a reason for those failings. Pressure.

Not only was there the pressure of the occasion with a huge crowd in attendance or the pressure of what was at stake, but also their opponents Geelong applied relentless pressure, especially early.

But pressure is what finals footy is all about, as players are desperate to reach every single contest, making the game more intense.

Under that duress, the Dogs made bad decisions and errors they normally wouldn’t, with usually reliable goalkickers Shaun Higgins and Adam Cooney guilty of a few glaring misses.

But beyond their inaccuracy in front of goal, the Bulldogs also struggled to handle the pressure around the ground, as they frequently reverted to pumping the ball long into their forward line.

It’s not that going long is a bad tactic in finals, it’s just that the Bulldogs haven’t got the personnel to exploit it.

Indeed, the recurring criticism of the Dogs (that they need a power forward) rears its head again but there’s little they can do about that now.

As a result of the Dogs’ panicked bombs forward, Geelong’s backline had a birthday with Matthew Scarlett best on ground, while fellow defenders Corey Enright, Andrew Mackie and David Wojcinski all had fine afternoons.

Should the Dogs overcome the Lions this Friday, they’ll face the Saints in the preliminary final. St Kilda, of course, has this season’s stingiest defence and with players like Sam Fisher, Brendon Goddard, Sam Gilbert and Jason Gram, the Saints won’t provide any let up.

So it’s hard to find answers for the Bulldogs looking ahead and Eade’s bemused gesturing during Saturday’s match suggests he’s short of ideas too.

It seems now it comes down to the players and whether or not they can handle the pressure better in the future.

But for a side who’ve finished third after 22 rounds for the last two seasons, some of the problems of the past have re-occurred and not been resolved.

Unfortunately for the Dogs, who’ve not won a premiership since 1954, the wait may last a little longer yet.

No Complaints From Killa

as seen on au.fourfourtwo.com

Leeds United's Australian Neil Kilkenny may not have made a start for his side yet this season but he isn't complaining as the Whites have begun the new term in record-breaking style.

The Yorkshire club, who've fallen short in the League One play-offs in the last two seasons, have started off the new league campaign on track for automatic promotion with an incredible six wins from six matches (plus two League Cup wins).

Saturday's 2-0 win over Stockport, where Kilkenny made an extended appearance as a 41st minute substitute, means Leeds have recorded a club record 14 consecutive home wins.

And while the Elland Road faithful are getting excited, Kilkenny, who was a regular last season, has been left out of the side's first eleven and reduced to only a handful of substitute's appearances.

But speaking to LUTV, Kilkenny showed maturity when he said: "The lads have done well and you don't expect to go in the team when they are doing well. We're winning games and they have done well."

The Beijing Olyroo had an interrupted pre-season due to an ankle injury which he initially sustained in the playoffs late last campaign against Millwall.

Kilkenny added, "I can't speak for other players, but I've been injured and when players come in and do well and win you can't expect to come in.

"You know that if you play and you win, you will stay in the team and that's important to players. Everyone knows where they stand.

"You have to say the lads have done well and I think we will do well this season."

But considering the lengthy League One season of 46 matches, Kilkenny knows his chance in the first-team will come.

He added: "It's a long season, we have a strong squad here and hopefully we can keep winning games.

"Everyone will play a part and our aim is to get promoted this season.

"Maybe in some games we haven't been unbelievably good, but winning is all that matters because it takes us a step closer to promotion."

Who Should Make The All-Australian Team?

as seen on The Roar

Earlier this week, the AFL announced a 40-man squad from which the 2009 All-Australian team will be chosen. Typically, there were a few selections which raised eyebrows and attracted scrutiny, but essentially the main talking point is who will make the cut for the final 22?

The All-Australian selectors will officially name that team of 22 on Monday September 14.

The initial 40-man squad comprises of 12 forwards, 12 defenders and 16 midfielders/ruckmen and that list will be cut down to 22, with six players selected from each position plus an assortment of those remaining for the interchange bench.

Superstars of the 2009 season like Gary Ablett, Leigh Montagna, Dane Swan, Nick Riewoldt, Jonathon Brown and Matthew Scarlett will all inevitably get a guernsey, but it’s the fringes which always divides opinion.

Indeed, declaring which players are in the frame for selection two weeks prior to the official announcement ensures the final side will receive plenty of scrutiny.

Nevertheless, the 40-man squad is a good initiative by the AFL to acknowledge some of 2009’s best players who probably aren’t good enough for the 22.

The likes of Simon Prestigiacomo, Bernie Vince, Brad Sewell, Marc Murphy and Stephen Milne are probably a few who fall into this category.

But with the All-Australian team there are always talking points.

Already this week Herald Sun footy journalist Mike Sheahan voiced his opinion on one, when he wrote about Collingwood’s Dane Swan being curiously selected in the side as a forward.

Indeed, not picking the league’s highest disposal winner and the current Brownlow Medal second-favourite in his favoured position seems absurd, especially when you consider Swan’s Pies teammate Alan Didak was named in midfield despite enjoying a fair bit of time in the forward line.

It’s decisions like these which leave the public wondering what the All-Australian panel where drinking on selection night.

There are also some odd inclusions in the actual 40-man squad with Geelong forward Steve Johnson the strangest selection, having missed over a quarter of the regular season.

And towards the end of the season, when Johnson finally did get on the park, he had a couple of injury-affected matches with his hip complaint a clear hindrance.

So despite Johnson’s obvious brilliance when fit, it’s hard to make a case for him in 2009 ahead of excluded players like Bulldogs pair Brad Johnson and Jason Akermanis or even Sydney’s Ryan O’Keefe.

Also there were some players who had injury interrupted seasons included in the squad such as Paul Chapman, Dustin Fletcher and Collingwood’s Didak.

That’s not to say these players aren’t outstanding and haven’t been influential in 2009 but when you consider those who played full seasons yet were excluded, such as the aforementioned forward trio or West Coast’s Shannon Hurn, Sydney’s Darren Jolly, Brisbane’s Simon Black and Hawthorn’s Sam Mitchell, it becomes difficult and rather subjective.

Indeed, different viewpoints are what the All-Australian selection debate is essentially all about.
We’ve all got our own individual opinions on who is the best, so it’s a discussion which inevitably finds no satisfied conclusion amongst us all.

But there are some key rules which make selecting the team more than just picking the best 22 AFL players in 2009.

The AFL’s All-Australian selection format, which divides the players into positions is good, but there’s more strict criteria such as key forwards, small forwards, midfield ball-winners, outside players, taggers, around-the-ground ruckmen, dashing defenders and backline negators.

Selecting taggers isn’t in vogue at the moment, but small forwards such as Mark LeCras are underestimated parts of any team, while negators such as Simon Prestigiacomo and Craig Bolton have a critical role to play as well and shouldn’t be overlooked.

On that point, in selecting an All-Australian defence, I’ve always believed the best way to do so is by comparing it to the forward line.

Indeed, a backline of dashing defenders may struggle against the likes of Fevola, Riewoldt and Brown.

So the fundamental point is the All-Australian team should be balanced by the best players in certain roles, not just the best 22 players in 2009.

Nevertheless, picking the best players for those positions in any season is always subjective and we’ve all got our own opinions.

Which raises the question, what’s your 2009 All-Australian team?

Deadline Day Transfer Wrap-Up

as seen on Sports Pundit

September 1 marks the closure of the transfer window until January, thus the date typically marks a flurry of activity amongst Europe’s elite and here’s Sports Pundit’s review of the day’s action.

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Kalac Goes Greek After Milan Exit

as seen on au.fourfourtwo.com

Former Socceroo Zeljko Kalac has joined Greek Super League newboys Kavala on a two-year deal.

The 37-year-old one-time World Cup stopper was a free agent having been released by Italian giants AC Milan in the European summer.

Kavala, who were promoted from Greece's Beta Ethniki last season after finishing third in the second tier, announced on Tuesday that the Australian had joined.

Kalac is the second goalkeeper Kavala have signed this week after they secured the services of Liverpool's back-up stopper Charles Itandje on loan.

‘Spider' joins Australian-Macedonian Rob Stambolziev and Greek-Aussie Apostoli Giannou at Kavala.

Lloyd’s Hit Raises The Question Of The Send-off Rule

as seen on The Roar

While Matthew Lloyd’s reckless hit on Brad Sewell has inevitably received plenty of attention this week in the midst of the debate about ‘the bump’, the Essendon forward’s act should also initiate discussion about the need for a send-off rule in AFL footy.

With his side trailing by 22 points at the main break, the Bombers captain made the decision to try and make a statement early in the third-term.

Indeed, he made his mark by smashing Hawthorn’s key onballer Brad Sewell unconscious with a bump which few people would genuinely have enjoyed watching.

The obligatory melee emerged between the two sides, before Essendon went onto kick 11 goals to five in the second-half to claim a crucial victory which secured their spot in the finals.

And while it would be loose to claim Lloyd’s hit on Sewell was the turning point or the instigator for Essendon’s comeback, there is no doubt it made a difference. After all, Sewell (who had 11 disposals and 7 tackles up until that point) spent the rest of the match on the bench, robbing Hawthorn of one of their best players.

Nevertheless, there’s no doubt Lloyd will receive his comeuppance with a lengthy suspension from the tribunal, but the Hawks, who were fighting for a spot in the top 8, gain nothing from that.

After all it was the Hawks who were all of a sudden a man down with Sewell unavailable for the rest of the match. In the context of modern footy, where debates have raged this year about extra players on the bench, the result of this particular incident was incredibly unfair.

Put simply, Hawthorn was worse off for an opposing player’s crime. Explained like that, it seems ludicrous.

And Lloyd, who could have been playing his last game of AFL footy on Saturday with retirement a strong possibility, potentially could’ve committed the crime without punishment.

Indeed, in some ways the incident was reminiscent of the 2004 Grand Final when Brisbane’s Alistair Lynch bowed out of the game literally swinging.

Situations like these are ludicrous and one of the flaws of the AFL rules, whereby the greatest punishment a player can instantaneously concede is a free-kick or, heaven forbid, a 50-metre penalty.

Last season, the issue of a greater on-field punishment was raised after Barry Hall’s horrendous king-hit on West Coast’s Brent Staker.

Hall himself was an advocate for the idea of introducing the send-off rule, as well as Laws of the Game committee member Kevin Bartlett who claimed it was ‘long overdue’.

The arguments for such a proposal include providing a deterrent for such actions and providing some fairness for the affected side.

But the major argument against the rule is based on the increased power and responsibility it places on the umpires to make correct decisions.

Referring back to the Lloyd case though, the decision was pretty obvious as shown by umpire Matt Stevic’s decision to report the Essendon captain.

The injury sustained by Sewell was horrific and the charge afflicted by Lloyd was crude and reckless. If Stevic had the power to send Lloyd off, I dare say, he would have done so.

And staying with Saturday’s example, perhaps Lloyd being sent off would’ve avoided the ensuing melees and maybe even Campbell Brown’s public vengeance wouldn’t have reared its ugly head.

Of course, there are rough edges on this issue which would need to be clarified, for example whether a sending off would result in a short-term spell in the sin bin or if it would be a match-ending red card, but the premise for some kind of fair and meaningful on-field punishment is the major intention.

Surely, in a competition which employs equalizing off-field strategies such as the salary cap and draft picks, fairness on the actual playing field should be a priority.