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League re-start (pseudo pre season)


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6 hours ago, jw1739 said:

Yes. I go further and suggest that the whole business of "completing the season" is in jeopardy. No-one really seems to have a grip on the local situation, and there are still mixed messages. The Victorian position changed from Friday to Sunday as the daily numbers increased. 

I really hope you all aren't falling for this crap being spurted out by the msm and government daily... Or are you? 

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EXCLUSIVE: Roadblock for A-League restart as bitter rivals forced to share budget camp

Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory will share budget accomodation in Narrabeen.Source: FOX SPORTS

The long wait to cross the border into NSW will finally end for at least two of Victoria’s three A-League clubs on Friday — but tournament organisers are facing a scheduling nightmare that poses a roadblock to next week’s planned restart.

Fox Sports understands both Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory will fly into Sydney at 10am on Friday, pending NSW government exemptions, before likely going into a mandatory quarantine for 14 days.

The rival camps will share budget accommodation and sleep in bunkbeds at a training base on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

While it poses significant challenges for schedule makers, the A-League remains hopeful the season can still resume on July 16 as originally planned if things fall their way.

Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City will be housed at the Sports Academy in Narrabeen.Source: FOX SPORTS

Both clubs will train and be housed at the Sports Academy in Narrabeen, with players likely staying in bunk beds given the facility’s rudimentary set-up.

The Sports Academy is the same venue where NRL club the Manly Sea Eagles train.

It has been a mad and often farcical scramble for Victoria’s three clubs to cross the border into NSW over the past week, with two flights into Canberra scrapped at the last moment.

After the NSW government announced it was shutting borders to Victoria from Tuesday midnight and Monday midnight for Melbourne residents, Victoria’s three clubs booked a late flight to Canberra only for low visibility in the nation’s capital to see the trip scuppered on Monday.

The following night another trip to Canberra was cancelled after the ACT government informed them they would need to quarantine for 14 days without training if they touched down in the nation’s capital.

Fox Sports has sought comment from FFA.

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1 hour ago, rayv36 said:

EXCLUSIVE: Roadblock for A-League restart as bitter rivals forced to share budget camp

Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory will share budget accomodation in Narrabeen.Source: FOX SPORTS

The long wait to cross the border into NSW will finally end for at least two of Victoria’s three A-League clubs on Friday — but tournament organisers are facing a scheduling nightmare that poses a roadblock to next week’s planned restart.

Fox Sports understands both Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory will fly into Sydney at 10am on Friday, pending NSW government exemptions, before likely going into a mandatory quarantine for 14 days.

The rival camps will share budget accommodation and sleep in bunkbeds at a training base on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

While it poses significant challenges for schedule makers, the A-League remains hopeful the season can still resume on July 16 as originally planned if things fall their way.

Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City will be housed at the Sports Academy in Narrabeen.Source: FOX SPORTS

Both clubs will train and be housed at the Sports Academy in Narrabeen, with players likely staying in bunk beds given the facility’s rudimentary set-up.

The Sports Academy is the same venue where NRL club the Manly Sea Eagles train.

It has been a mad and often farcical scramble for Victoria’s three clubs to cross the border into NSW over the past week, with two flights into Canberra scrapped at the last moment.

After the NSW government announced it was shutting borders to Victoria from Tuesday midnight and Monday midnight for Melbourne residents, Victoria’s three clubs booked a late flight to Canberra only for low visibility in the nation’s capital to see the trip scuppered on Monday.

The following night another trip to Canberra was cancelled after the ACT government informed them they would need to quarantine for 14 days without training if they touched down in the nation’s capital.

Fox Sports has sought comment from FFA.

I would piss in Lawrence Thomas his shampoo bottle and scrub the toilet with Broxhams toothbrush.

Edited by Mr MO
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Article from The Age. Exemptions have been granted but are dependent upon negative tests for each traveller. O’Rourke likely goneski. 
 

NSW grants exemption to Victorian teams as A-League chief faces uncertain future

By Dominic Bossi and Vince Rugari
July 9, 2020 — 8.08pm
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Greg O'Rourke has accepted he faces an uncertain future as the head of the A-League after overseeing the bungled attempt to bring three Victorian clubs to NSW before the closure of the state borders and rejecting a request from one club to relocate last week.

The A-League season will, however, be completed, with Football Federation Australia sources confirming to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City and Western United received official travel exemptions from the NSW government late on Thursday – enabling them to fly to Sydney once players and staff all return negative tests for COVID-19.

Greg O'Rourke's position as head of the A-League is now in jeopardy, according to club sources.

Photo: A-League.com.au

The last 27 games of the home-and-away season and the finals series will now certainly be played, although the planned fixture list is likely to be reijigged significantly.

It brings to a close an unedifying few days for the A-League, which was left embarrassed after failing to get the three clubs out of Victoria in time before the border to NSW was closed – even though the NRL, AFL, rugby union and even the V8 Supercars managed to move their teams without fuss.

FFA chief executive James Johnson stepped in to get the exemptions with the NSW state government over the line, holding direct conversations with Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Wednesday and then health minister Brad Hazzard on Thursday.
 

Johnson has purposely tried to distance himself from A-League affairs because of its mooted separation from the federation - with the competition now ostensibly run by a separate business unit within FFA, headed by O'Rourke - but he saw fit to step in once the farcical scenes at the airport emerged.

While the Melbourne-based clubs have been publicly defensive of the A-League's organisational nous in the face of truly unprecedented and ever-changing circumstances, multiple industry sources have signalled serious dissatisfaction with the way this week, in particular, has been handled.

Former Italian international Alessandro Diamanti documented the farcical scenes of this week's airport confusion on his Instagram.

Photo: Getty Images

O'Rourke now faces significant repercussions, with two last-gasp attempts to remove the Victorian clubs failing due to reasons beyond FFA's control, with fog at Canberra airport leaving one chartered jet unable to leave Melbourne.

However, O'Rourke's decision not to act until Monday morning has prompted a barrage of criticism directed at FFA, with the players' union slamming the organisation for a "lack of clarity" and "shifting commitments."


In accepting responsibility for the predicament of the three Victorian teams, admitting "the buck stops with me", O'Rourke conceded the plight could threaten his tenure as head of the competition.

"That’s fair, that’s a normal sort of reaction," O'Rourke said. "I don’t expect any other feedback and I also accept that’s exactly what might even happen, to be honest.

"If it means in the end for people to want to lose my role … that’s a possibility that is for others, but until that happens - if that happens - I’m going to be solely focused on getting that exemption, on getting the game back on the pitch, finishing the 27 games and the final series and delivering the A-League."

One source with knowledge of A-League operations described the mood inside FFA headquarters on Thursday as "close to breaking point", with club sources anticipating O'Rourke's job was now in jeopardy.

After all AFL clubs left Victoria late last week, Western United requested the A-League follow suit and relocate the three clubs to Sydney on Friday morning. O'Rourke says the A-League turned down that request after not being told of the potential for borders to be closed on Friday by government officials.

"Our information not only verbally but also in writing was that there was no talk of border closures between Victoria and NSW, the border hadn’t closed in a hundred years and we should continue to monitor the situation," O'Rourke said. "I decided to book a charter jet for Tuesday, irrespective of what was happening."

However, there was a lack of consensus among the three A-League clubs to relocate. Melbourne City opted to remain in Victoria, according to O'Rourke, on the back of their club's own advice.

With the exemption now granted, the three Victorian teams can travel to Sydney on Saturday, but will have to first undergo 14 days isolation in Sydney before playing any games. They will be able to train during that time.

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Farce. Farce. Farce.

I'm thinking City would have preferred to remain in Victoria, not because of Victoria as such but because we have our own training and administrative HQ under our full control, whereas the other two clubs do not.

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34 minutes ago, jw1739 said:

Farce. Farce. Farce.

I'm thinking City would have preferred to remain in Victoria, not because of Victoria as such but because we have our own training and administrative HQ under our full control, whereas the other two clubs do not.

Petrillo was interviewed Tuesday morning on SEN. Its worth a listen to hear how it unfolded. City had accommodation and a training and a training base organised in Canberra. All 3 Vic teams were due to fly out Tuesday morning but the FFA brought it forward to Monday evening to try to beat the border closure.

 

https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode?id=691509

 

I have a bit of sympathy for the FFA on this one. The other codes managed not to mess up but the other codes don't have 70% of staff currently stood down. It appears in the AFL and NRL that the clubs were more responsible for getting themselves out of Melbourne whereas the FFA seemed to do everything.

 

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We will need to quarantine for two weeks in NSW so our first match will be pushed back. 

Just on the whole fiasco, I reckon it mostly came down to money. AFL got all of their players out early because they can afford to do it. Hubs are very expensive and every day would cost quite a bit. Think FFA were holding off as long as possible and weren’t able to adjust in time.

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Joey Lynch Saying they will be training ourt of Valentine Sports Park FNSW HQ. Easy for info to get around the other teams regarding injuries/ niggles/player rotation and positioning. Oh Well at least they  wil be in a  position to hopefully get it together and  win silverware. Is it 5 games straight to win the title?

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On 10/07/2020 at 11:13 AM, Jacques Le Cube said:

I have a bit of sympathy for the FFA on this one. The other codes managed not to mess up but the other codes don't have 70% of staff currently stood down. It appears in the AFL and NRL that the clubs were more responsible for getting themselves out of Melbourne whereas the FFA seemed to do everything.

Having staff stood down is a lame excuse. FFA has a poor track record. Whatever the reasons, it just looks amateurish and doesn't show the league in a good light.

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FB_IMG_1594781176678.thumb.jpg.549df3f0b36c23bdc928889b1f2ff964.jpg

We play Sydney August 1st, Adelaide August 11th, Geelong United August 19th (which is also the last league fixture before the finals). 

Great that we play all three games closer to the finals (particularly if we finish top two we don't have big breaks) but sucks that we have a two more weeks before we "restart" 

 

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1 hour ago, Harrison said:

Wonder if these fixtures will even go ahead. Might have to be moved to Queensland at this rate. 

Doubt it. Doesnt seem like Gladys has any intention of locking down fully again. It'd have to get very out of control imo.

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58 minutes ago, IssySG said:

I have it on VERY good authority that in one and a half months time Melbourne City will be A League Champions

@Dylan green line when we win the league please

The league (Premiers) or the finals (Champions)?

If you are saying the league, this would surely have to imply that Sydney are set to lose some points or be disqualified? If so, please do tell...

Though I guess you are just referring to your prediction that we will be Champions.

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14 hours ago, malloy said:

The league (Premiers) or the finals (Champions)?

If you are saying the league, this would surely have to imply that Sydney are set to lose some points or be disqualified? If so, please do tell...

Though I guess you are just referring to your prediction that we will be Champions.

I meant champions correct. Got a little trigger happy on the keyboard.

I can now reveal my source: wishful thinking

Melbourne City FC Champions of Australia 2019/2020

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2 hours ago, IssySG said:

I meant champions correct. Got a little trigger happy on the keyboard.

I can now reveal my source: wishful thinking

Melbourne City FC Champions of Australia 2019/2020

I have it on even better authority that we will finish 4th.

Source: Experience. 

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He never really settled back to Melbourne City when he returned from PEC Zwolle IMO. either he didnt want to be here or had had enough of the club in the 5 or so years he was with us. Transfer market has him to Macarther Bulls as we all know so maybe a chaange in coaches and location will see him back to his best.

I have said it before and ill stick with it. He underperformed as a player for us. 

Oneill incoming so we will see how that goes. 

 

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17 hours ago, fensaddler said:

Just how much insufferable Victory arse licking are we meant to put up with in the TV coverage? They are tenth. They have been shit all season. Stop grovelling. 

Absolutely agree, both Harper and Bozza must have gone home and changed out of their shitty clothes from being up Victory's arse i had to wonder if W U were even playing there at times.

 

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22 minutes ago, fensaddler said:

Draw ideally, otherwise a 2 or 3 goal Brisbane win. 

NO! You've got it wrong. Wellington cannot enter the ACL. If we can't finish second in our own right it's best for Welly to do so. Because finishing third behind them still gives us a place in the Qualifying Tournament. If we don't finish second, or third behind Welly, then we have to win the GF to enter the ACL Qualifiers - the GF loser no longer qualifies.

Brisbane can still overtake us - we don't want them to win tonight.

Edited by jw1739
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No way, i def want Brisbane to win as it means we need one point from our last two games to lock up 2nd. Brisbane to overtake us need to win both, we need to lose both or they'd need to overturn a GD of effectively 10 if we drew one. It'd be a monumental, almost unfathomable turnaround.

Edited by bt50
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2 hours ago, bt50 said:

No way, i def want Brisbane to win as it means we need one point from our last two games to lock up 2nd. Brisbane to overtake us need to win both, we need to lose both or they'd need to overturn a GD of effectively 10 if we drew one. It'd be a monumental, almost unfathomable turnaround.

This was broadly my line of reasoning too bt. And as I write, we may be getting this very outcome. Great goal too... 

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