Inhaltsverzeichnis für June 2017 in Australian FourFourTwo

1 SOME JOKES ARE UNIVERSAL Singapore Sentosa Gary Neville maintained the straightest of faces when taking a snap with Shrek at Universal Studios in Singapore – but we suspect he knew what was coming. G-Nev promptly posted the image on Instagram, without comment, and the responses came flooding in. Cue more than 150 wisecracks on Wayne Rooney (yes, we counted them), although one or two went rogue with quips regarding Sam Allardyce or Jaap Stam. Poor Jaap. 2 A REAL BAD SPELL Ethiopia Addis Ababa ‘Wenger Out’ banners have been seen as far as New Zealand and Finland, at WrestleMania, marches against Donald Trump and the South African president Jacob Zuma, at a wedding – and even held aloft by two traditionally-dressed Maasais in deepest rural Kenya. Then one was…

 I knew I’d made it as a player when I made it to Europe. It was always my dream to play in Europe and I achieved that. So, I guess I knew I’d achieved my dream. “I’m not saying Miron’s coaching was bad... but I’m not saying it was great!” I was happiest when my family came along and my two young boys, my wife, my parents, my brother and at the same time I was able to achieve success on the field. While I was at PSV, everything came together. My two sons were born, the team was winning and I was playing some good football. So, it all came together about 2006 to 2009. My hero growing up was Mark Viduka. I looked up to him from a…

 Fans are in no doubt. “He’s the best player I’ve ever seen play for Huddersfield Town,” says James Chisem, secretary of the club’s Supporters Association. In one season Aaron Frank Mooy has fired the dreams of long-suffering Terriers fans. To understand the full impact Mooy has made at the John Smith’s Stadium and across England’s second-tier these past 10 months, you need to know a little about the history of this 108-year old club. “THAT BALD AUSTRALIAN LAD IS ABSOLUTELY RUNNING THINGS... TWO OR THREE GAMES INTO THE SEASON, THIS GUY WAS ABSOLUTE CLASS.” Set in West Yorkshire in the north of England, almost halfway – geographically, anyway – between legendary Leeds United and Manchester’s giants, Huddersfield Town has never been a big player in British football. The club had…

Mark Viduka The barrel-chested centre-forward combined a hulk-like strength with incredible technique that made him unplayable on his day. Had his best years in the English Premier League with Leeds United, including four goals in the Champions League. Captained the Socceroos to the last 16 of the 2006 World Cup. Harry Kewell Viduka’s attacking partner at Leeds had a wand of a left foot and the ability to glide past opponents like they weren’t there. Picked up a Champions League winner’s medal with Liverpool (only the second Australian to win one) and was coaching Watford Under 21s in England until he exited the club in April. Tim Cahill The Socceroos’ all-time leading goal scorer (48 goals) has been a great servant to club and country, racking up more than 200…

BRISBANE STRIKERS FORMED: 1994 ENTERED NSL: 1994 LEAGUE: NPL QUEENSLAND NSL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1 HOME GROUND: PERRY PARK On a bright sunny Brisbane May day in 1997, a then record Australian football crowd of 40,446, at Suncorp Stadium witnessed Brisbane Strikers’ defining moment in their NSL history. With a team led by Frank Farina, veteran striker Rod Brown and Socceroo Kasey Wehrman, the Queenlanders beat the more fancied Sydney United 2-0 despite stars like Zeljko Kalac, Ante Milicic and Jason Culina. Strikers CEO Bruce Tinsdale says their history brings enough support to provide inter-city rivalry against Brisbane Roar... but also to compete with the NRL Broncos too. “The experience of playing in the NSL gives us a fairly good latent support,” he says. “It’s 20 years since the Strikers won that…

PARENTS ARE SIGNING BIRTH CERTIFICATES WHILE REPLAYING GOALS IN THEIR HEAD, SETTING THEIR CHILD ON A PATH TO INSPIRATION OR HUMILIATION English footballers are not sexy. That’s not to say they’re an uglier breed than their foreign counterparts, but while exotic imports impact English culture, from David Ginola hijacking TV schedules with L’Oreal commercials to Paul Pogba collaborating with Croydon-born grime artist Stormzy 20 years later, the favour isn’t returned. You can’t imagine football fanatics in Brazil naming their offspring after a jug-eared tap-in merchant such as Gary Lineker, can you? Well, actually, there are 606 Brazilians called Lineker. All were born from the 1980s onwards. Lineker is the 5,511th-most popular name in Brazil, and while that doesn’t sound like very much, it’s an Anglo-Saxon surname meaning ‘flax-grower’ being used…

▲ Everton The Merseyside outfit are helping to school youngsters who have fallen out of the main educational system. ▲ Bradford City An under-11s season ticket at Valley Parade next term costs just $8 – that’s only 33c per game. Bargain. ▲ Hoffenheim Bayern Munich’s run of 20 games without defeat was ended by the surprise package. ▼ Neil Taylor The Wales fullback’s bad tackle on Seamus Coleman in a World Cup qualifier left the Irishman with his leg broken in two places. ▼ Group selfies in the dressing room Celebrating an easy win with a photo of 20 sweaty six-packs isn’t cool. Cut it out. ▼ Salt Research has claimed consuming too much of it could make you need the toilet in the middle of the night.…

ZIDANE ‘He was one of the most complete midfielders of all time. His ability to do things at high speed and make them look so easy was unreal. I played directly against him for Australia against France at the MCG back in 2001 and couldn’t believe his ball handling on a very wet night.’ RONALDO ‘He took the game to another level in terms of his pace and striking of the ball. His goal-scoring ability and individual brilliance has helped him become one of the all-time greats. I saw from up close that he was on another level when he was breaking onto the scene with Manchester United.’ HENRY ‘I witnessed his brilliance on a few occasions both when he was at Arsenal and with the national team. He seemed…

The brand new San Diego franchise has taught us one thing – if you ask the fans to choose your club name, you may well end up with ‘Footy McFooty Face’. Hot on the heels of an internet vote calling an icebreaker ‘Boaty McBoatface’, supporters had one name in mind when SoccerCity San Diego – an ownership group with MLS aspirations – asked for new ideas. “We received 1,000 proposals, and Footy McFooty Face was in there enough to make the final pool of 50 names,” the club’s social media co-ordinator Andy Altman says to FFT. “We didn’t expect it to take off like it did.” And it eventually came top of the poll as the long list was cut down to 10 to be submitted to MLS for approval…

While Aaron Mooy has been catching the eye in Huddersfield, fellow Australian Jackson Irvine has been doing the same 80 miles down the road. At unfashionable Burton Albion, Irvine has been setting the Championship alight as an unexpected goal-scoring midfielder. In 39 appearances the former Celtic junior has banged in 10 goals, thriving as the centrepoint of Burton boss Nigel Clough’s 3-5-2 formation. Arriving from tiny Scottish side Ross County in the offseason, most in England knew little of the Melburnian. But Irvine has earned rave reviews for his athleticism and his late runs in the box that often end with important goals. He has a passing success rate of 76.1% and wins 2.4 aerial dues a game this season. Irvine is averaging 2.2 tackles, 1.5 shots and 1.2 dispossessions…

The thing about nicknames is that they are hard to shake off. That’s particularly true in football, where first impressions linger a little bit longer, and critics are a little bit harsher. Sure, some players’ nicknames are funny - FFT will never stop chuckling at ‘One Size’ Fitz Hall - and some are cool (see Roberto Baggio’s ‘Divine Ponytail’), but many are unimaginative (Giggsy, Scholesy) and a few are just cruel. It wasn’t long after David Luiz had first arrived in England – from Benfica back in January 2011 – that he was handed a new moniker. His wild hair and even wilder approach to defending saw him labelled as 'Sideshow Bob', after the penny whistle-tooting cohort to Krusty the Clown in The Simpsons. During a three-and-a-half-year spell in west…

Panos Armenakas California-born but raised in Sydney, Armenakas, 18, is a silky-skilled playmaker tipped for the top. Currently in Udinese’s first team squad, the former Sydney Olympic and Watford youth player has attracted attention from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Callum Elder Signed to Leicester and on loan to Barnsley, Elder is an athletic left-back with overlapping instincts. Played for Manly United before joining the Foxes at 16. At Barnsley, Elder plays alongside fellow Aussie Ryan Williams in English football’s second tier. Anthony Kalik Attacking midfielder Kalik last year penned a four-year deal with iconic Croatian club Hajduk Split after impressing on loan. Came through the Australian Institute of Sport before joining Central Coast Mariners at 15 as the youngest player with a senior contract. Tom Glover The Sydney-born shot…

SOUTH MELBOURNE FORMED: 1959 ENTERED NSL: 1977 NSL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 4 LEAGUE: NPL VICTORIA HOME GROUND: LAKESIDE STADIUM After winning four NSL Championships, participating in the FIFA Club World Cup and being named FIFA Oceania Confederation Club of the Century, South Melbourne are arguably the most successful team in the National League era. Since the club was formed in 1959, South Melbourne have produced 53 Socceroos including current Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou who won two titles as a player and two as a coach. Real Madrid legend Ferenc Puskas was at the helm for South’s second title in 1990/91 during his three years at the club and his time there was commemorated by the first sculpture of a footballer unveiled near the MCG in February. However, the back to back Championships…

SYDNEY OLYMPIC FORMED: 1957 ENTERED NSL: 1977 LEAGUE: NPL NSW NSL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2 HOME GROUND: BELMORE SPORTS GROUND After three defeats in the 1984, 1986 and 1989 NSL Grand Finals, Sydney Olympic ended more than 20 years of disappointment when its 2-0 victory over Marconi in 1990 gave the club its first Championship. After losing the decider the previous year against Marconi, the then record crowd of 26,353 at Parramatta Stadium saw Olympic fans unable to control their emotions and a section of the ground’s fence collapsed. While Olympic’s second Grand Final win against Perth in 2003 was also memorable, fans also proudly recall the time Liverpool legend and Reds all-time leading goal scorer Ian Rush played for the club in 1999. “I loved it,” says Rush looking back. “For…

Did you have any idea your name was an offensive term in Spanish before you moved to the country? Had it ever been an issue before? Yes, I knew what my name meant in Spanish even before I went there, but it had never been a problem for me beforehand. I don’t remember exactly when it was that I realised, but I wasn’t too bothered. It wasn’t something that I could influence – so I didn’t feel it was too important. Did you get much abuse from fans in La Liga? What did you make of it? Certainly not from my own fans, no. Getafe are a team with a wonderful set of fans and there were never any shouts from supporters that made me feel uncomfortable. Not from the…

“THEY SAID THAT IF WE’D LEFT IT ANOTHER 30-45 MINUTES, THEY WOULD HAVE CUT OFF MY LEG AS OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE DIED” CLUBS 1990-97 Bayern Munich 1997-99 Milan 1999-2000 Middlesbrough 2000-01 Liverpool 2001-04 Tottenham 2004-05 Monchengladbach COUNTRY 1993-2004 Germany The sun is beating down in Mallorca, and Christian Ziege is being asked to gesticulate at the camera as part of his FourFourTwo photoshoot. “You want me to be an actor, just like Vinnie Jones?” asks the former Germany star. Within seconds he’s launching into an imaginary team talk, jokingly veering off into a Godfather-esque Italian accent. “You’re going to do this and you’re going to do that, and if you don’t, then you’re dropped,” he mumbles. Although in The Godfather, one suspects they might have…

THE LEAD-UP It was in a play-off game against Bristol City, in the League One play-off finals. I only signed in November so I was a late signing but the team was doing quite well and they’d just got promoted from League Two the previous year. They had a winning mentality and continued in League One, staying around the top six for most of the year. They only actually secured it on the last day of the season and that gave us the opportunity to play Bristol City. By the end of the year, I wouldn’t say I’d cemented my spot, but if you’re starting in the play-off games, you’ve obviously done the work needed or shown the coaches you can provide something. THE MATCH Our home ground holds about…

STANLEY MATTHEWS Blackpool 4-3 Bolton FA Cup final, 1953 It’s hard to pity a man with an FA Cup final hat-trick but spare a thought for Stan Mortensen, who hit a treble for Blackpool only for the match to become known as the ‘Matthews Final’. His fellow Stanley was out of this world, however, inspiring a famous comeback with mazy dribbles and pinpoint crosses. FERENC PUSKAS England 3-6 Hungary Friendly, 1953 Mocked as a “little fat chap” by the England team pre-match, Puskas made them all eat their words, expertly conducting the first foreign side to ever win at Wembley. He scored twice with his devastatingly fierce strike and dribbled rings around Billy Wright, leaving an entire host country utterly shellshocked. EUSEBIO Portugal 5-3 North Korea World Cup quarter-final, 1966…

Socceroo Tom Rogic’s 2016/2017 season has had more ups and downs than the likes of Mooy and Irvine. The attacking midfielder has managed 29 games in all competitions, with a malleolar injury keeping him on the sideline for more than two months. But when fit, Rogic has also been in impressive form. His 10 goals and five assists have helped Celtic coast to another Scottish Premiership title. The arrival of Brendan Rodgers at Celtic Park to replace Ronny Deila last year has certainly been good for Rogic. The ex-Liverpool manager has described the Australian as the club’s magic man. “He’s an amazing player,” Rodgers enthused. “I think he can grow into one of the top midfield players in Europe. “You could see him grow in the Champions League. You saw…

WOLLONGONG WOLVES FORMED: 1980 ENTERED NSL: 1981 LEAGUE: NPL NSW NSL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2 HOME GROUND: WIN STADIUM Based in the picturesque Illawarra region of New South Wales, former NSL team Wollongong Wolves’ Grand Final win against Perth Glory in 2000 has gone down in Australian football folklore. Playing in front of 43,242 mostly Glory fans at Perth’s Subiaco Oval, the Wolves were 3-0 down in the first half. But a goal in the 56th minute by Socceroo legend Scott Chipperfield started an epic second half comeback. Wolves scored again 15 minutes later, then former Adelaide United midfielder Paul Reid equalised in the 89th minute and sent the game into extra-time. Wollongong goalkeeper Les Pogliacomi produced two saves in the penalty shootout to give Wolves an unforgettable Grand Final victory. Wolves…

ADELAIDE CITY FORMED: 1946 ENTERED NSL: 1977 LEAGUE: SOUTH AUSTRALIA NSL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 HOME GROUND: ADELAIDE CITY PARK Under coach Zoran Matic and great imports like former Red Star Belgrade star defender Milan Ivanovic and players like Carl Veart, Tony Vidmar and Damian Mori, Adelaide City were a factory for the Socceroos. The ill-fated qualifier against Iran in 1997 saw six Adelaide City players in green and gold. City currently hold the record for the most Socceroos appearances by their players with 142 over the past 30 years. The club’s golden era was in the late 1980s and 90s when the Zebras won the NSL Championships in 1986, 1991/92, 1993/94 and its 11 consecutive finals series still stands as a national record. Former record breaking Socceroos goalscorer Damian Mori’s 30-yard…

“My toughest opponent? My old friend Gary Neville. He was not a dirty player, but he gave me plenty of kicks!” You’re right-footed but played on the left. How did you end up in that role? I had come through as a youngster in France playing as a left-winger, so was already comfortable in that role before I moved to the Premier League. When I joined Arsenal from Marseille in 2000, Arsene Wenger told me, “You’re going to play on the left wing to replace Marc Overmars. Do you think you’re capable of playing on that side?” As I knew the position I replied, “Yes, I feel like I can replace him.” I remember fans being really confused and saying things like, “Why is Pires playing on the left when…

What is it? Kinetic speed bands are a piece of resistance training equipment that are used in football training drills – including ladder work and sprint sessions – to help players gain an additional yard of pace. How does it work? The user is forced to work against the resistance of the speed bands during movement. This activates the fast-twitch muscle fibres in the hamstrings, quads, glutes and core – prompting them to adapt and become stronger. Who uses it? The bands have proved popular with gymnasts, track athletes and footballers. Ex-Leeds and Manchester United striker Alan Smith posted a video of himself using them on Twitter recently. Why are they using it? We’d all benefit from having that extra yard of pace, wouldn’t we? Kinetic bands are an elementary…

KINESIOLOGY TAPE Gareth Bale and Mario Balotelli have both been known to like a bit of the blue stuff. The duo, plus many other footballers, have been pictured with kinesio tape stuck to various parts of their body. Created by the Japanese chiropractor Dr Kenso Kase in 1979, it promises to reduce muscular pain, while providing support for joints. Yet, the benefits of the tape may be more psychological than physical. A review by Roger Kerry, an associate professor in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham, scrutinised various studies into the tape over the last decade and found that it offered minimal performance benefits. We’ll just stick to cans of Deep Heat, thanks. 1 “Kinesio-taping a joint can lower the chance of getting an ankle sprain…