Nate

Did that tackle by Kah on Eddie Johnson vaguely remind anyone of a certain tackle on Zahra?

Just hit 4000 lads.

Sounds like a bruised shin then. Pretty sure you can't place any weight on any type of leg fracture. He was assisted off the field by Stefanuto. I've had three broken legs (100% true, terribly fragile when I was younger) in my time (one of which was during a football match) and i just limped to the sideline myself without thinking the possibility of a broken leg. I was out for 10 weeks. I imagine a bloke like engelaar would have a good pain threshold, and of course the adrenalin will help ease the pain so i wouldn't rule out a fracture just yet. 10 weeks would be a good result in all reality if it is a fracture (he'd miss the first month of the season), if he at least managed to walk off without a stretcher then I doubt it's one that would be more than 3+ months.

Just about the two best supported clubs in the league too, should be good!

6 months is worst-case scenario, it could be as little as 6 weeks but it all depends on the severity of the injury and which bone. Still 7 weeks to go, not all hope is lost just yet.

I'm glad Healy's not coming here, his goals:games ratio at club level in recent years has been pretty average.

That is a fine looking pitch.

Don't get all excited Nate that article was written in 2011. Nah I'm not, but he'd be exactly the kind of player we're in need of right now!

I BELIEVE in free things

Wait, we were linked with El Hamdaoui?! Daaaayum.

I actually think the template for an Australian philosophy is already here: the Mariners under Arnold are it! Here's why: I don't think we can develop a squad of players with flair like Spain or Brazil have. I don't think its in our nature to have the patience of Italy. But here's what we can do: - we can organise our teams much better. Arnold's Mariners are the best organised Australian club team I've ever watched. Without the ball, they leave very little space between their back four, middle three and front three. They also defend from the front. - When they attack, they attack as a unit. All his players are well drilled in knowing where to be, and when. - Arnold does not like players taking too much time on the ball- except for his number 10- - In relation to technical skills that he demands of his players, he keeps it simple: accurate passing, decent first touch. Its well and good to want a Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas and Messi but these players took the best aprt of twenty years for them to develop with all their resources. - they play a hard, physically-competitive attacking style and they select players with strength and speed. The reason why I reject Postecoglou's "possession is everything" philosophy at the NT level is that it requires a lot of time to get everyone on the same page, time which NT coaches do not have, and it requires careful selection of player types that simply may not be available at the NT level. As far as Popovic goes- and this may change as he gains experience- they play a more defensive style that I can't see a Joe average Supporter appreciating. I pretty much agree with everything you've just said here. Regardless of his seemingly never-ending complaints, Arnie to me is easily the most capable manager, tactician and motivator the A-League has seen. For me the most important thing for technically inferior nations such as ourselves on the international landscape, is to play to our strengths and not try to be a Spain or an Italy. We possess the right mold of players who could easily slot in to and adapt a Graham Arnold style of play which isn't always the prettiest, but is the most effective.

So they have the choice of Pasfield or Reddy... no disrespect to either, but the Mariners could have done better than that.

in other words. we were a fall back if there was no other euro offers, which he seems to have received.... Certainly sounds like it... Playing large portion of the season in the A-League > starting less than half a season's worth of games in a slightly stronger Euro league (only using the Danish league as an example), especially in a World Cup year where playing regularly is everything.

So far on the money it isn't funny. North have shown that they have no case for an a league side by averaging just 5K in two fixtures over the last 2 years. No doubt that football is much bigger in Hobart and can't wait to see the turn out for the Victory vs Wanderers friendly I'd expect close to 10K. Bellerive Oval is currently going through a $30 million upgrade and is the only option. But your right if their is ever an a-league team based out of this state it must be based solely out of one city. The divide is greater than ever. I've never been able to fully understand the whole North/South business, to me it seems petty but I'd rather get an actual Tasmanian's take on the whole situation. If Tassie isn't a viable option, then perhaps Auckland? I don't know, I'm just throwing around names.

I'd say Canberra and Wollongong should be next too, followed by a Tassie team and a Queensland one (Ipswich, Gold Coast or Townsville done properly this time). But as jw said, stadium issues and the overall long-term stability of the 10 current clubs should be a priority first.

Some murmurs on Twitter about Ipswich being in the A-League in the foreseeable future? Pretty random but oh well. http://leaveforthecup.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/go-west_22.html

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has been unsuccessfully spitting all over their computer screen for the past half an hour.

EASY TO FIX!

There's more source here than there is at Bluetongue.

He speaks well enough! He has better English than a fair lot of Australians would I imagine This bloke is going to be amazing for us though, I can't wait.

To the World Cup? Nah, they're sitting at the bottom of their group.

Brilliant! Ahahaha

Optimism is at an all-time high