12 things I would like to see in football in 2012

By Paul Frederickson

It is that time of year again when we can ponder what has happened in the football year and look forward to 2012 with twinkling eyes hoping that the new year will bring many football wishes into fruition.
With that said Game of two Halves brings you the 12 things that we want to see in the 2012 football world!

12. FFA CUP
Many competitions around the world, the FA Cup in particular, capture the imagination of the football public. The fairytale wins, monumental upsets and heroics can bring a new perspective to what are becoming predictable competitions to many parts of the world. The Football Federation of Australia (FFA) has mentioned its plans for an FFA cup. The geographical distances that handicap travel for many teams in this country would seem to be the major stumbling block. A Game of two Halves hopes that the logistics can be worked out as fans, through FFA surveys, are crying out for an Australian cup competition, a major sponsor would help!

11. MORE BALOTELLI ANTICS
On and off the field Manchester City's Mario Balotelli is a headline waiting to happen. From letting off fireworks in his apartment to nonchalantly shouldering a goal Mr Balotelli brings a smile to A Game of two Halves on an almost weekly basis. Please let Mario bring his 'unique' mindset and behaviour into 2012 with the same verve that he has embraced in his career so far.

10. SMALLER TEAMS PROGRESSING IN THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
There have been times in the UEFA Champions League where teams have caused upsets, but not too many times that those upsets have allowed the relative minnows to progress past the group stages of one of the world's premier competitions. This season's incarnation of the competition has seen one seemingly 'minnow' progress past the group stage by topping their group. Apoel Nicosia have become the first team from Cyprus to make the last 16. As ESPN reported of the achievement:

Midfielder Constantinos Charalambides was still coming to terms with the size of APOEL's achievement."This is the biggest day and the biggest moment in the history of this football club. I don't think anyone has really realised what has happened, especially as we were in such a tough group. (1)

9. INTRODUCTION OF GOAL LINE TECHNOLOGY

There have been numerous examples over the years where goal-line technology may have changed decisions and the course of games in the correct manner. A Game of two Halves would like to see the technology introduced at the top level of all competitions around the globe. The technology is there and in so many ways the game is progressive, but FIFA's reasoning behind its non-introduction are staggering in their absence. I would suggest that the decision to use the goal-line technology in a game would be at the discretion of the referees only. We have the technology, fans can see the replays already on television, use it.

8. A CLASSIC EURO CHAMPIONSHIP
Many competitions do not live up to the hype that is delivered by the increasingly expectant media and supporter bases. We want the 2012 Euros to live up to the hype. A lack of injuries and teams hitting form at the right time will go a long way towards guaranteeing this materialises. Group B alone, with the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal should create a feast of football in June.

7. MORE GREAT GOALS

There have been so many great goals from around the world. We are greedy at a Game of two Halves. We just want more, and more, and more! Soccer AM gives us a taste of what is to come with their compilation of this season's Champions League goals. (2)


6. COMPETITIONS TO GO DOWN TO THE WIRE
With the advent of new owners spending money on non-traditional powerhouses many competitions, excluding La Liga and the Scottish Premier Leagues for example, are becoming more competitive. We hope that that means more clubs will be pushing for titles in 2012 and that more champions are decided on the final day.

5. NO RACISM

Racism has always been in football but that does not mean it should stay in football. Recent events in England, the Suarez and Terry incidents, have brought the issue back into focus. It is up to every fan to play their part, organisations can have campaigns, individuals make the difference.

4. ANTI-VIOLENCE AT FOOTBALL

Crowd violence, like racism, has marred our beautiful game since its very conception. I hope that 2012 brings more strategies to curb the violence that sees football receive negative press and keep many fans away from games. We hope to see more initiatives such as the one implemented in Turkey earlier this season. As the Guardian reported: (3)

On Tuesday night, Istanbul's Sukru Saracoglu stadium was packed to the rafters with football fans keen to see their home side, Fenerbache, play Manisapor. There was just one thing missing among the crowd of 41,000 – men. After unruly behaviour by fans at a previous match, the Turkish FA ruled that there would be no fans allowed at the next two games.

Once again though, whilst organisations can implement initiatives, fans must make the individual choice to create collective harmony for our wonderful game.


3. PROFESSIONAL REFEREES AROUND THE WORLD

It is hard to fathom that in competitions that purport to be professional that some of the most important components are not professional. Take Australia's fledgling professional competition, the A-League, the referees are not full-time employees. So whilst many clubs and the organisation take strides forward the game regresses due to poor decisions that have plagued the competition in 2011.

Professional leagues need professional referees.

2. NO ONE TO BE CALLED THE NEXT 'PELE' OR 'MARADONA'.

Pele and Maradona were once in multi-generational players. The shadow that their names create over the sport almost outweighs the tremendous legacies that their skills have endowed to the sport. Yes, there is brilliant young talent emerging from all corners of the globe, a Game of two Halves just wants them to be their own players and not the 'next' player. By the way I saw this young player who reminded me of, well, never mind!

1. TRUE FIFA REFORM

Sepp out is the easiest call that we could make in this regards, but Mr Blatter is only one branch in the myriad of, seemingly corrupt and selfish FIFA officials. But it is not only the taint of alleged corruption but also the gaffes and ostensibly out of touch reality constructs from FIFA that are a worry.



True reform in 2012 would mean that each member country has one vote each, making it a truly democratic congress.


May 2012 bring you at least a slice of footballing nirvana!

REFERENCES

(1) ESPN Soccernet, "Jovanovic ecstatic after qualifying", http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/987781/apoel-boss-ivan-jovanovic-ecstatic-after-qualifying?cc=3436, November 24, 2011.

(2) SoccerAM, "Best Champions League Goals 2011", 24/12/2011.

(3) The Guardian, "What, a football match with only female spectators?", 2011. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/sep/21/football-match-only-women-spectators?newsfeed=true

Napoli vs Genoa - Highlights

Chelsea fans take note, Napoli are heading into the new year on fire with a 6-1 demolition of Genoa. Cavani struck twice, whilst Gargano and Zuniga scored belters from outside the box. Check out the highlights below.

Fulham vs Manchester United - Highlights

Manchester United ended the year in spectacular fashion destroying Fulham 5-0 away from home. The win sees United keep the two point gap at the top of the table, leaving them in second position. Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov both scored spectacular goals in the thrashing. CHECK IT OUT!

Inter Milan vs Lecce - Highlights

Inter made it four from four with a 4-1 victory over Lecce. Despite going behind early the Milan side recovered to put four past Lecce and cement their spot near the top of the Serie A going into Christmas.

Manchester City vs Stoke - Highlights

Manchester City downed Stoke 3-0 ahead of the Christmas break seeing them finish the year on top of the English Premier League. Goals from Aguero and Johnson  secured the victory!

Check out the highlights below!

Eurosport Extract - Terry to face prosecution in race row

The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the prosecution of John Terry for a racially aggravated public order offence.

The charge relates to an incident in which the Chelsea and England captain was accused of making a racist remark to QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
Terry strongly denies the allegation.
Alison Saunders, Chief Crown Prosecutor for London said: "I have today advised the Metropolitan Police Service that John Terry should be prosecuted for a racially aggravated public order offence following comments allegedly made during a Premier League football match between Queen’s Park Rangers and Chelsea on 23 October 2011.
"The decision was taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and after careful consideration of all the evidence I am satisfied there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to prosecute this case.
"Mr Terry will appear before West London Magistrates’ Court on 1 February 2012.
"He is now summonsed with a criminal offence and has the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that nothing should be reported which could prejudice his trial."
The full CPS charge to Terry read: "On 23rd October at Loftus Road Stadium you used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress which was racially aggravated in accordance with section 28 or the Crime and Disorder Act 1998."
Manager Andre Villas-Boas said before the verdict was announced that Chelsea would stand by Terry.
"The only thing I know is that I will be fully supportive of John Terry, whatever the outcome," he said. "He has my full support, he has the club's full support.
"We know exactly his human values and personality. They are never in doubt."

http://au.eurosport.com/football/premier-league/2011-2012/cps-prosecute-terry_sto3074787/story.shtml

Cagliari vs Milan - Highlights 0:2

Milan continued with their pressure on Juventus going top of the table after defeating Cagliari. If Juventus win they go back on top, but for now, Milan occupy top spot.

Check out the highlights below

Blackburn vs Bolton - Highlights

Blackburn needed a victory against Bolton to help their struggling season, but found no sympathy from Wanderers.

Check out the highlights below:

SBS The World Game, 19th December - The Perth Glory Saga

Check out the latest World Game episode in full. This week focus is turned to the issue of the furture of Perth Glory.

Football on Youtube - What is doing the rounds?

Hi all, check out some of the following football related videos which have proved popular on Youtube in recent weeks!

First we have Wayne Rooney in this game of charades:




From Hong Kong, is this thebest own goal ever?




What are Balotelli and Samir Nasri talking about?




Not something you see every day?




Let us know in the comments below, or on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/PTAFootball anything you may have come across?

The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Ugly!

By Paul Frederickson

Another week of football and some of us will be happy and I will stay football depressed! I follow Aston Villa and the Brisbane Roar by the way...

THE GOOD

The good is not a strong enough superlative to describe not only the feats but the way in which Barcelona play the game. Tomes will be written about the Barcelona 'way' for years to come.


THE BAD

In many quarters Adelaide United were seen as the favorites to win the A-League Championship and Premiership. Beaten by the bottom team, Gold Coast United, last Friday 3 nil at home was the end of Rini Coolen. Now, 12 weeks into the season they have gone back to the beginning, signing former coach John Kosmina. Restoring pride must be his first task, for the Reds have fallen so low that the only pride the supporters have seen this season was found at Adelaide Zoo.

THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY

Bah, humbug to you Mr Redknapp. No Christmas for a team that has been on Santa's good list for the past few years. No Christmas party for the high-flying spurs this year!

What do you think? What were your weekend's the Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly!

Roma 1:1 Juventus - Highlights

Juventus came back from 1-0 down to secure a draw with Roma. The draw maintains Juventus' unbeaten run to the 2011/2012 Italian Serie A.

Roma - Juventus 1:1 by FootballKing1892

Chelsea vs Manchester City - Highlights

Chelsea 2:1 Manchester City

Reaction:

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas: "Our objective was to shorten our distance to the leaders and we did exactly that. We take no extra flavour for being the first team to beat Man City. But now the title race is very much alive. A lot of teams are still competing and I think the December fixtures could be decisive. I think our players did brilliantly tonight - they reacted to circumstances, they felt the game, and we were patient in our efforts to get the goal we deserved and the win we deserved."

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini: "The game changed with the sending off and in the first half. The referee was very sure in the second half when [Daniel Sturridge] shoots and Joleon Lescott is five metres away [for the penalty], but in the first half he was also three meters away when David Silva was brought down. I hope we can do another 14 games without losing."

Chelsea match-winner Frank Lampard: "Some of the football they [Man City] played showed we needed to win to stay in the title race. Ten points is a big gap and luckily we've closed that. I had a feeling in the second half that it was going to be our night. You've got to be big enough to stand up and take them [penalties] and I was very relieved when it hit the back of the net."





C-M footyroom.com by footyroom

Players in form - Robin van Persie

We asked you in a recent question on our Facebook Page, who you thought was the most in form player from around the world.

The overhwelming result was Robin van Persie.

The Dutch superstar has indeed been in fine form of late scoring 15 goals in this Premier League campaign (from 15 matches), helping the Gunners climb up back into contention for a place in Europe. His most recent goal came against Everton, in Arsenal's 1-0 league win - a superbly taken volley, perfectly executed to celebrate Arsenal's125th anniversary.

Check it out below!

The Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly

By Paul Frederickson
Away trips are so much fun, even when your team loses. I would definitely recommend gathering your family, friends, anyone who will come and support your team on the dream weekend away. So I hope that your weekend was full of goals, friends and laughter.

THE GOOD
13 games into the Serie A season and AC Milan have clawed their way back into the championship race unlike their cross-city rivals Inter Milan. Even more satisfying is the strong competition in Serie A. Only 4 points separate Juventus from fourth placed Lazio. A traditionally strong competition is once again heading in the right direction.

THE BAD

One of England's and Europe's greatest ever teams can match anyone on their day, but seem to constantly fall short against teams that they are expected to beat. This morning Fulham compounded the fact, scoring a late winner from a fumbled shot. Kenny Dalglish must help his beloved reds find the consistency that has been sadly lacking in the last few years. Mediocrity is unacceptable to the Kop.

THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY
I think we all agree that we call our game football for a reason, so I am very curious as to what the Gold Coast's Zach Anderson was thinking when he contested a corner as if he was an AFL full-forward. He couldn't have too many complaints now could he?


So what do you think? What were your weekend's Good, Bad and the Downright Ugly?

The Good, the Bad and the Downright ugly!

By Paul Frederickson

The weekend has come and gone,and around the world close misses, brilliant goals, glorious chants, controversial moments would have echoed throughout football conversations. I hope your weekend was full of everything that football has to offer.

THE GOOD
Records are always a bi-product of success, and Australia's Brisbane Roar set an Australian sporting record over the weekend of 36 games unbeaten. Not only did they break the record, but they did so with the aplomb and style that the Brisbane sporting public has come to expect in the last two years. Perth Glory were the latest team to come up short against the reigning A-League Premiers and Champions.

THE BAD
My opinions on the refereeing standards in Australia have been discussed over the last few weeks so I will not dwell on how I continue to be disappointed with its adverse effect on many games. Instead this week's bad is the spate of injuries to key players over the last 12 months. Dario Vidosic is the latest young player to be struck down by a potential long term injury. We at Play the Advantage wish all injured players a swift and long term recovery.


THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY
Depression is still not widely spoken about in men's circles. Whilst we can often talk about the pain that our team's cause us we often have trouble expressing how we feel or seeking help for what can be a chemical problem. The loss of Gary Speed over the weekend is so tragic. What a great loss to the football community but even more importantly to his family and friends. Play the Advantage send its condolences to his friends and family on behalf of the wider footballing and sporting community.

If you or your friends are experiencing depression there are avenues to help. In Australia one of the avenues is Beyond Blue:

http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx 1300 22 46 36



What do you think? What were your weekend's The Good, The Bad and the Downright Ugly?

The Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly

By Paul Frederickson

I screamed at the radio on Saturday night as Brisbane Roar took the lead against the Newcastle Jets late in the 2nd half. The issue being, I was on air hosting a local Brisbane radio show at the time! Apologies to all who have damaged ear drums from my yelling of "GET IN"! Happy days from my part of the football world, I hope that you had a great footballing weekend as well.

THE GOOD
One unbeaten team is left in the English Premier League and that is Manchester City. They are the good of the week as they beat the valiant but ultimately outclassed Newcastle United 3-1.
Honourable mention: Brisbane Roar, who equalled the Australian professional football record of 35 games unbeaten, previously set by Easts who were in the New South Wales rugby league competition at the time.


THIS WEEK WILL BE A SAD

Rest in Peace little angel, Luca Jones. Condolences to Brad Jones and his family and friends from everyone at Play the Advantage Football.



THE UGLY

Teflon Sepp Blatter. No matter how many mistakes the head of world football makes it seems he is immovable. His latest comments in regards to racism are sadly ill-informed and what makes them even sadder, I'm not surprised that he made them. If it is not time for him to go the there will never be a time.

What do you think? What was your weekend's Good, Bad and the Downright ugly?

The good, the bad and the downright ugly!

By Paul Frederickson

Wow, a 4pm Sunday game, my team has 35 shots and draws 1 all besides a plethora of chances. But enough of my team, I hope your weekend was full of football joy.

THE GOOD
Giovanni Trapattoni's men will take a 4-0 lead into Tuesday night's play-off second leg with Estonia at home after one of the greatest wins in the country's rich footballing history. Unless the unbelievable occurs Irish eyes will be smiling in Poland and the Ukraine next year. Honourable mentions: England beat Spain 1 nil, Brisbane Roar played their 34th unbeaten game in a row after a 1 all draw against Wellington Phoenix.

THE BAD
The standard of refereeing in the A-League has been a bone of contention in recent times. The standard is not good enough and the decisions from game to game are hard to fathom at times. The FFA spend a lot of money on the teams, advertising and player development, this must be extended to the refereeing ranks. The referees are an integral part of the game, if we are not talking about them then they are doing a great job. At least they are not like the referee in the following clip, but the man can run!

THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY
Turkey are a proud footballing nation with a well respected and successful manager in Guus Hiddink. Over two legs of a Euro 2012 qualifying campaign against Croatia the supporters were quietly confident that the team would perform well. But once the whistle to the first leg was blown it all went horribly wrong. A 3 nil loss at home to Croatia is not insurmountable but has seen their qualifying campaign take a dramatic hit. A hit that the passionate Turkish fans cannot bear, and the potential sacking of Hiddink dominates Turkish footballing forums. It could get even uglier when they play the second away in Croatia.


What do you think? What were your weekend's Good, Bad and Downright Ugly?

The Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly!

By Paul Frederickson

Wow, I'm still seeing red from some of the social media comments people have made over the weekend and some of the decisions that have been made by players as well as referees! We need to start a respect campaign between fans of our wonderful code! Hope your teams did well, I had a mixed bag with mine! Welcome to this week's edition of the good, the bad and the downright ugly, with a total focus on Australia's A-League competition.

THE GOOD

As much as he can get under opposition fans and players skins you have to admire the goal-poaching talents and finishing of the A-League's all time lead scorer, Archie Thompson. Against the current champions and ladder leaders, the Brisbane Roar, Thompson was back to his best. Down to ten men early Melbourne Victory took a 2-1 lead almost single-handedly down to Archie's class and maize runs. Unfortunately for the game, Melbourne went down to nine men and as would be expected shut up shop, leaving Thompson with the barest of service from that moment on.

Hounorable mentions: Sydney FC's last minute winner in their 3-2 win after trailing 2 nil against Gold Coast United. Central Coast win their 2nd game in a row and Newcastle Jets continue to surprise the doubters. Sir Alex Ferguson and his wonderful 25 year stint as manager of Manchester United.
THE BAD
He is a walking headline and someone that the FFA and A-League should thank every week for his commentary and observations about life and football, but sometimes Miron is so blinkered he gets things very wrong. His tirade against the league, referees and his belief in football conspiracies can make Miron Bleiberg seem far less intelligent than he obviously is. Bleiberg directed most of his post game interview to his thoughts on referee Peter Green, calling him a 'homey' referee.

"You know why the 'homey' one? Because all the time they favour the home team," Bleiberg explained.

His tirade may have been better served to his own team who allowed Sydney to escape with a win after trailing 2 nil in a competition that may be the tightest in A-League history.



Honourable mentions: The referee bashing that occurred over the weekend and some of the disgraceful comments supporters launched at each other via Facebook and Twitter. Love, live for it, but in the end it is a game. Respect your fellow A-League supporters!

THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY
One of the pre-season favourites for the A-League Championship and Premiership, Adelaide United has had a start to the season that could be considered a nightmare at best. After being demolished by a rampant Brisbane Roar the week before Adelaide scrambled to a 1 all home draw against the struggling Melbourne Heart. To compound their woes, one of their young players, Antony Golec used his Twitter account to label Ben Williams the "worst referee ever", as well as directing homophobic comments towards the referee. Common sense, it would seem, is not that common. He is due to be censured by his club this week.



WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHAT WAS YOUR WEEKEND'S GOOD, BAD AND THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY?

The good, the bad, and the downright ugly!

By Paul Frederickson

Sometimes you have to declare your allegiances because trying to be impartial, can in fact, lead to you to be unfair to your own interests. Therefore I have no qualms in making my own local, and loved team, to be this week's good. I hope your own team was good to you over the weekend!

THE GOOD
Down 1 nil after 5 minutes to a clever goal from a former young star of the club and to be dominated by a potential challenger had the Brisbane faithful concerned for 21 minutes last Friday night. Within the space of 8 minutes the Brisbane Roar put four goals on the board, three of those to new Albanian recruit Bershart Berisha giving him the fastest hatrick in A-League history. By half time, 40 minutes after taking the lead, Adelaide walked into the visitor's change room as a shattered unit, the determined Adelaide United resistance worn down to the cheers of the delighted crowd of over 11,000. By full-time the Roar had their biggest win, 7-1, and extended their unbeaten streak to 32 games. People were talking about their progress, skill and dominance as a team for the whole weekend. Football was being talked about, and the talk was good, Adelaide fans excused for their lack of enthusiasm on the subject!


THE BAD
One of the giants of Dutch Football and their record speaks for itself. Feyenoord has won 14 Dutch Championships, 11 Dutch Cups a European Cup, two UEFA Cups and an Intercontinental Cup so the club and its supporters have every right to expect perennial success. The Rotterdam team would still be in shock after being humbled by mid-table team FC Groningen 6 nil on the weekend.



THE UGLY
Maybe John Terry should visit, http://farenet.org/, and brush up on what effects racism has not only on football, but the wider and global communities. Many news agencies reported stories of alleged racism by John Terry against QPR player Anton Ferdinand in a recent London derby. The effects of his alleged comments on his own team cannot be underestimated as Chelsea fell to this season's roller coaster side, Arsenal, 5-3 over the weekend. Whether you believe in Karma or not it certainly seemed to come back and slap Chelsea hard in this match because whilst Terry scored in the match it was his defensive slip that allowed Arsenal to take a late lead and complete the rout with a late 5th goal that completed Robyn Van Persie's deserved hatrick.



DON'T PARTICIPATE OR TOLERATE RACISM GUYS, VISIT http://farenet.org/, FOR SOME INFORMATION ON A EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN AGAINST RACISM!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHAT WAS YOUR GOOD, THE BAD AND THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY?

The Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly!

By Paul Frederickson

My Aston Villa team were humbled in a Midlands derby whilst my home team, Brisbane Roar, won their local Queensland derby. The football gods giveth and they taketh away! How were your football fortunes this weekend?
THE GOOD
Manchester City relegated in 1996, and on top of the Premier League in 2011. What a day for one half of Manchester who should feel anything but blue. Sir Alex and the other half of Manchester would definitely be seeing red. No one could have EVER predicted the scoreline, 6-1 to the noisy neighbours and a 5 point lead in the early days of the 2011/12 EPL season. Noel Gallagher, enjoy!


Runner up: AC Milan's 4-3 win against Lecce after trailling 3 nil!



THE BAD
A really good build up and great crowd for the A-League's pin-up match of the rivalry round between Melbourne Heart and Melbourne Victory saw no goals. Whilst a nil all draw can still be a fantastic match it means the much touted attacking stocks of the Melbourne Victory are yet to score in over 270 minutes of football.Admittedly it is early in the season but after three rounds the Victory already trail the defending champions, the Brisbane Roar, by 7 points. Victory players have even gone as far as apologising to their fans.


Runner up: The one and only Mario Balotelli who set fire to his house on the eve of the Manchester derby when he and his friends were letting off fireworks outside his apartment window!

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/premier-league/manchester-city-striker-mario-balotelli-forced-to-flee-after-setting-fire-to-own-house-with-firework/story-e6frf4a3-1226174143636

THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY
The Asian Champions League has been building momentum nicely in recent years and with a huge potential for audience growth the competition should be going from strength to strength. The semi-final of the competition between South Korea's Suwong Bluewings and Qatar's Al Sadd will be remembered for abhorrent violence and unsportsmanlike conduct for a very long time and is a black mark on a great competition.



What do you think? What were your Good, Bad and the Downright Ugly?

The good, the bad, and the downright ugly!

By Paul Frederickson

Mondayitis has kicked in for sure, that can only mean its time for this week's version of 'The good, the bad, and the downright ugly!'.

THE GOOD

30 games undefeated, a premiership and championship in the one season. The long break between seasons hasn't slowed the A-League's Brisbane Roar down at all, in fact they may be getting better!Noticeable: Manchester City's 4-1 demolition of Aston Villa has seen them ascend to the top of the English Premier League and be, arguably, the best team in Manchester.

THE BAD
17th with 4 points garnered from 6 games. They have changed managers but things seem to be going backwards for not only one of Italy's but the world's most followed teams, Inter Milan. Things just got worse over the weekend with a 2-1 loss to Catania.
Noticeable: Big signings by Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory have yet to reap rewards for either side and Suarez is fielding claims of racism from Patrice Evra.

THE UGLY
A 2 nil win would normally find a team on cloud nine but two bizarre red cards in the last ten minutes on the weekend against the Newcastle Jets found Wellington's fans and neutral observers dumbfounded. Two seemingly innocuous tackles, and two quickfire red cards has the already depleted Wellington team wondering what wrongs they must have committed in the pre-season.
What do you think? What were your weekends 'good, the bad and the downright ugly'?

The good, the bad, and the downright ugly!

By Paul Frederickson

It is that time of the week again when we look back at the weekend's, the good, the bad and the downright ugly. This week's edition has a decidedly A-League feel with the Australian football competition completing its first round over the weekend.

THE GOOD

Two of Australia's biggest cities and two of the countries biggest football clubs played an entertaining nil all draw in front of over 40,000 passionate supporters. The game had it all, Kewell headers and a missed Emerton penalty rounded off by a red card. Who says a nil all draw is boring!
Even the Victorian police saluted the crowd!


THE BAD
James Brown scored a wonder goal that deserved to be watched by more than the paltry 4000 that attended Gold Coast United's opening home fixture. The scary part is that crowd was double the amount that attended most GCU home games in the 2010/11 season. Come on Gold Coast, get behind a team that has performed brilliantly in their first two seasons!

THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY
Wayne Rooney, he as an abundance of skills, fame and money and a distinct lack of common, or any sense whatsoever. In a week where his family issues were spread across the globe Rooney should have let his football do the talking. For a large part of the Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro he did just that, until he decided to kick his opponent. Not the most malicious tackle of the weekend but one of the dumbest. The tackle has already thrown England's Euro 2012 campaign in to disarray as the red card will see Rooney miss at least two of the group games.


What do you think? What were your weekend's, good, the bad, and the downright ugly?

This weekend's the Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly!

By Paul Frederickson

Another weekend, and if your team played, there was a win, loss or draw to digest, analyse and depending on the result, celebrate.

THE GOOD
Too old, too slow, too good! Frank Lampard's hat-trick in Chelsea's 5-1 demolition of Bolton Wanderers must have at least a few critics biting their tongues. Champions are always champions.

THE BAD
This was a very tough call this week. Inter Milan's protestations against the weekend's refereeing in their 3 nil home-loss to Napoli just pips Tottenham's Clive Allen in his rant regarding the lack of a handshake from Arsenal's Arsene Wenger. Wenger's team had just lost a heated derby match against bitter rival Spurs and shook the hands of Harry Redknapp and his assistant. Allen needs to grow up a wee bit!


THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY
There is no place in the world for racism. It keeps rearing its head in so many facets of society, and football is no exception. As if losing to Tottenham is not bad enough, Arsenal fans have further disgraced their club with chants against former son, Emmanuel Adebayor. Three people died when gunmen attacked Togo's national team bus in Angola during 2010. Some of the visiting Arsenal fans chanted at Adebayor: "It should have been you." DISGRACEFUL!





Do you agree? What was your weekend's, the Good, Bad and the downright Ugly!

This week's the Good, the Bad, and the Downright Ugly!

By Paul Frederickson

The weekend always gives at least a sliver of excitement when your football team is playing. A rainbow or storm cloud can appear part way through a game or even right at the end. I hope your weekend was full of rainbows!
THE GOOD
For many years Paris Saint Germain were the darlings of French football and a serious contender in Europe. After some lean years and a strong youth policy PSG have hit back and are joint top of the French Ligue 1 after beating the fourth place Montpellier side away from home.

THE BAD
My own team, Aston Villa win the bad for this week. 1 nil up, the opposition down to ten men, you would be thinking that the drive home would be a joyful one. But, conceding a 93rd minute own goal for your fifth draw out of six games turned those claret and blue smiles upside down!
THE UGLY
This section can depend on which team you follow! Barcelona fans enjoyed football ecstasy whilst long suffering Ateltico Madrid fans would have shrugged and muttered, "That is what we get as Atletico fans!" in their 5 nil loss at the Camp Nou. Not a great night for a team who would like to be challenging the 'big two'.


WHAT DO YOU THINK? What were your weekend's Good, Bad and the downright Ugly?

The Great Debate - Salary Cap or not to Salary Cap?

By Paul Frederickson and Sean Caden

A Game of two Halves will bring you regular debates on topics that YOU can can nominate on the Play the Advantage Internet and Facebook sites. This week Paul and Sean discuss salary cap restrictions on teams in Australia's A-League competition.

PAUL’S SAY

I believe that in a perfect world a free-market economy would be the ideal platform for all sectors of society, but in reality it faces many obstacles. After all, most ‘free’ economies have trade-tariffs, quotas and restrictions placed upon countries that import to them. This is no different in the convoluted world of Australian football.

Australia is one of the only countries in the world where four professional football codes compete for the hearts, minds and money of the Australian fans and sponsors. In its latest incarnation the A-League has found this to be especially hard. After 6 seasons the A-League clubs have had multiple owners, clubs buoyed and owned by the FFA themselves and one club has been sacrificed to the football gods, the North Queensland Fury.

All these issues have occurred in spite of the league’s salary cap. Imagine the damage that may have resulted from a free-spending, free-for all. A football nirvana of untold riches is not a reality in this country and nor will it ever be. There are too many competing factors that would prevent this from happening.

There is another factor that concerns me, and we only have to look at Spain’s La Liga and Scotland’s Premier League to see what this issue is. If each team could buy whom they wanted without restriction I believe that this would result in two or three teams dominating the A-League for many years to come. In Spain and Scotland the league have become, outside the top two teams of each league, extremely anti-competitive, predictable and some would say boring. The unpredictability and competitiveness of the A-League is seen by many as its greatest strength.

I am unabashed Brisbane Roar fan and would love them to dominate the A-League for years to come. But even more so I want the league to survive and heaven help us, prosper! Survival and steady growth may not be exciting but they are considered and responsible ways for a league to behave.

Call me boring but I want the best for the game in Australia and if that means that my club has to take turns in winning the competition then I am more than prepared to follow my team win, lose and draw! After all, the losses make the wins that much sweeter comrades!

SEAN’S SAY

The last time I looked the Berlin Wall was torn down, The Soviet Union dissolved and with notable exemptions, the free market, globalised economy reigned! Not so in the world of the salary cap. In this world everyone is created equal and sits around the campfire, feeling all warm, fuzzy and SAFE! Professional sport, especially football is based on excellence and aspiration. The "what if" brigade are definitely exponents of the glass half empty theory.

"What if the clubs pay money they can't afford”?

"What if clubs fold"

"We must have sustainability"

Et-Al!!!

Would it be SO wrong to have 2 or 3 Super clubs in Australia? That is the Question! What is SO Wrong with trying to attract the UBER-RICH owners?

Lets get Rock & Roll!

Lets reach for the stars!

Lets not worry about the Doom & Gloom, what if Merchants!

The logic behind this is that we can still encourage Youth, but also lift the overall standard, which in turn will help the Socceroos and make it more attractive for players to stay in the league. The worrying and most telling argument is that we are losing "top shelf" quality players to, in this humble scribe's opinion, the "Lesser League's" of Asia.

Case in point, ex-Roar star Luke DeVere, who is now plying his not inconsiderable talents in the K-League. In Plain terms it's a short career & a player needs to maximize his earning capacity, and the offers received from K-League and the like are vastly superior to their A-League deals!

PS. We Love you Lukey!

If the Status-quo is allowed to continue the A-League could, and in all probability, will become irrelevant in world terms & become a Circus Side show! Essentially any salary cap is a restriction of trade, and if challenged would be deemed Illegal.

Keep going FFA; Chairman Mao would be SO Proud of You!

WHAT DO YOU THINK - CAP OR NOT TO CAP?

This weekend's the good, the bad, and the downright ugly!

By Paul Frederickson
The weekend has come and gone and the results have been dissected, discussed and analysed by fans, pundits and players alike. Now for my take on the week's good, the bad and the downright ugly!

THE GOOD

So many results around the world to choose from. This week we have a three-way tie. The newly promoted teams all won this weekend in the EPL. Norwich City beat Bolton 2-1 away. Swansea beat West Brom 3 nil at home and QPR beat Wolves 3 nil away. A great weekend for the newcomers and their adoring fans.

THE BAD
As tempted as I was to put Fernando Torres in the ugly section for his horrendous miss against Manchester United on the weekend he played so well for 45 minutes that it would not have been fair to him. Whilst he did score in the game it will be his miss when Chelsea trailed 3-1 that will be long remembered! He did make this week's 'bad' as a consolation prize!

THE UGLY
Now I admit, this is a week late but it had to make the ugly column! Just over a year ago Division 1 club Bournemouth FC was on the brink of extinction and were financially saved by current owner Eddie Mitchell. After a successful 2009/10 season Mitchell started selling players to stem the cash flow problems of the club. This had not gone down well with the club's fan and the anger was beginning to simmer. This reached boiling point, when, in the lead up to a home game against Chesterfield, Mitchell addressed disgruntled fans on the fan forum: “If you don’t like it go and support Southampton.” What a way to garner fan support! The comment was compounded by a 3 nil away loss to Chesterfield at home. A game in which Mitchell decided to address the disappointed fans using the ground PA system after the home team loss.

AUDIO ONLY


What do you think, what are your weekend's 'The good, the bad and the downright ugly?'

The Good, the Bad and the downright Ugly!

By Paul Frederickson

I hope you had a good weekend and that your team played well! Welcome to another addition of the Good, the Bad, and the downright Ugly!

THE GOOD
The Bayern giants are on top of the Bundesliga, a place that many believe that Bayern Munich should always belong. Their seven goal thrashing of SC Freiburg in front of 69,000 adoring fans featured four goals by Mario Gomez and a brace to Frank Ribery. A Champions League run would not surprise.

Honourable mentions to the two Manchester teams and the Melbourne Victory fans who greeted Harry Kewell's arrival to Australia at 3am on a chilly Monday morning!



THE BAD
Fedrnando Torres' quick descent down the footballing ladder as a player continues. Many people believed that Chelsea had bid unsuccessfully in the transfer window, not for a player, but for a goal for Torres! Sitting on the Chelsea bench for 75 minutes against Sunderland may be a great training session for Torres for he may gather quite a few splinters for Chelsea in this campaign. Perhaps more splinters than goals! From the video below it would seem that Torres had started his pre-Chelsea bench training for his old club Liverpool!



THE UGLY
The death of a Welsh fan due to violence is the kind of abhorrent scene that football must strive to get rid of. The culture of alcohol and violence at international games must be addressed. It cast a dark shadow on an extremely competitive and exciting European Qualifier. Thoughts go out to the fan's family and friends.



WHAT WERE YOUR GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY OF THE PAST WEEK?

Andre Villas-Boas "I Have No Problem Dropping Players." When Asked About Torres

New Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has made it clear in an interview about Fernando Torres, that he would not compromise the atmosphere of a team for one player, suggesting that he would drop Fernando Torres if he does not start scoring for Chelsea.

According to Goal.com Andre Villas-Boas is of the belief that Chelsea's number nine is full of talent, and is simply out of form. However, in the interest of the Chelsea squad, the former Porto manager will not let Torres' constant battle with his form slump affect on field results. With Didier Drogba ruled out for Chelsea's clash with Sunderland, one would think this is Torres' last chance in the starting XI to get it right, or fear having to prove himself off the bench.

When asked about the current form slump of Fernando Torres, Villas-Boas said "The talent is there and the question is regaining confidence.That comes from training and from time and finding the back of the net, so we have to persist. But it can't compromise the team. The moment it compromises the team it has to come to an end. We make choices regarding what we see. I have no problem dropping players."

Fernando Torres will most likely start against Sunderland this week. For Chelsea fans around the world, Torres has more than worn their patience, scoring just once in the league for the Blues, after his high profile transfer from Liverpool.

One for the underdogs: Crazy results in the latest round of international football

By Marcel Abboud

Celebrate for football's international minnows!

In what turned out to be a very crazy round of football (7/9/11), many of FIFA's minnows have recorded remarkable draws or even incredible wins against much more fancied opponents. Many people would have written these nations off, but they played their hearts out and triumphed (or almost triumphed) against all odds to salvage a point or to claim all three points.

Who would have known?

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification (Asain Confederation):

Lebanon 3-1 United Arab Emirates

Jordan 2-1 China

Kuwait 1-1 South Korea

2012 UEFA European Championship Qualification:

Slovakia 0-4 Armenia

Moldova 0-2 Hungary

Azerbaijan 3-2 Kazakhstan

Luxembourg 2-1 Albania

Malta 1-1 Georgia

Iceland 1-0 Cyprus

So next time you see an underdog team and they get absolutely destroyed by the opposition, don't feel sorry for them: support them!