Season 2024-25

[jw1739]

9 minutes ago, MHFC-FAN said:

It seems they have a better budget/squad than us that's for sure. Let's just hope for not a complete role reversal of the 2 teams achievements during the covid seasons...

Correct. But they have sold their soul to the devil. The day of reckoning must eventually come.

But having said that, what concerns us, I think, is that we floundered through last season, we have yet to add anyone to our squad of any significance, particularly in midfield and up front, and are already out of the Cup with another Heartesque performance.

Edited August 8 by jw1739

[Mr MO]

1 hour ago, jw1739 said:

Correct. But they have sold their soul to the devil. The day of reckoning must eventually come.

What devil? I wish them gone and might have struggled but they are just doing enough to survive and remain competitive.

Our ass is owned by a middle Eastern regime.

[jw1739]

1 hour ago, Mr MO said:

What devil? I wish them gone and might have struggled but they are just doing enough to survive and remain competitive.

Our ass is owned by a middle Eastern regime.

https://melbournevictory.com.au/news/melbourne-victory-announces-record-strategic-investment-from-777-partners/

I'm not saying that our CFG ownership is palatable, but the "investments" are in CFG and not directly in Melbourne City. https://www.soccerscene.com.au/silver-lake-increases-its-stake-in-city-football-group/ Even that article is now out of date. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Football_Group

[Mr MO]

How do we see Victory being promoted to the NPL? What does this say on our player development?

[Mr MO]

Any announced friendlies yet?

[jw1739]

1 hour ago, Mr MO said:

How do we see Victory being promoted to the NPL? What does this say on our player development?

I think that I am correct in saying that all the NSW A-League clubs have their top Academy team playing in the top division of the NSW NPL. Not sure about Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Prima facie this indicates that our Academy players are not at the level of at least some of the other A-League clubs, and even if they are they are not getting the experience of the reality of playing at a higher level, both skillwise and physically. This doesn't mean to say that we are not producing good players of course, but it does ask questions. Ultimately this all comes back to our administration and decisions that the club makes.

 

[Le Hack]

1 hour ago, Mr MO said:

How do we see Victory being promoted to the NPL? What does this say on our player development?

I think it's more nuanced than them good we bad. You look at Victory NPL list and the majority are aged 20 and over. eg Valadon 21, Bos 20, Duratovic 21 to name a few. These guys really should have had solid exposure to A-League by now and be selected for various under age National teams which they really haven't. Our NPL team by comparison is mainly teens, 18-19 yo a lot of who get selected for under age National teams and this disruots the NPL team when they are gobe. . Also take into consideration who is coaching. Joe Palatsidis for Victory and they have support in ex players Rod Vargas, Archie Thompson, Rob Wielaart. Our coach is Diamanti but he only took over half way through the season, and since he took over we've seen a good string of wins whereas we were sitting close to the bottom beforehand. I'm not sure they will show better players from their Academy in the long run

[Mr MO]

2 hours ago, Le Hack said:

I think it's more nuanced than them good we bad. You look at Victory NPL list and the majority are aged 20 and over. eg Valadon 21, Bos 20, Duratovic 21 to name a few. These guys really should have had solid exposure to A-League by now and be selected for various under age National teams which they really haven't. Our NPL team by comparison is mainly teens, 18-19 yo a lot of who get selected for under age National teams and this disruots the NPL team when they are gobe. . Also take into consideration who is coaching. Joe Palatsidis for Victory and they have support in ex players Rod Vargas, Archie Thompson, Rob Wielaart. Our coach is Diamanti but he only took over half way through the season, and since he took over we've seen a good string of wins whereas we were sitting close to the bottom beforehand. I'm not sure they will show better players from their Academy in the long run

From an outsider point of view; Victory manages to put together a competitive A-League squad and have their reserves play at the highest level possible. This also be our target.

[jw1739]

3 hours ago, Le Hack said:

I think it's more nuanced than them good we bad. You look at Victory NPL list and the majority are aged 20 and over. eg Valadon 21, Bos 20, Duratovic 21 to name a few. These guys really should have had solid exposure to A-League by now and be selected for various under age National teams which they really haven't. Our NPL team by comparison is mainly teens, 18-19 yo a lot of who get selected for under age National teams and this disruots the NPL team when they are gobe. . Also take into consideration who is coaching. Joe Palatsidis for Victory and they have support in ex players Rod Vargas, Archie Thompson, Rob Wielaart. Our coach is Diamanti but he only took over half way through the season, and since he took over we've seen a good string of wins whereas we were sitting close to the bottom beforehand. I'm not sure they will show better players from their Academy in the long run

It surprises me to learn that Robbie Wielaart is with MV now. Our turnover of coaching staff seems rather high?

[Mr MO]

51 minutes ago, jw1739 said:

It surprises me to learn that Robbie Wielaart is with MV now. Our turnover of coaching staff seems rather high?

When was he last sighted with us then?

Edited August 12 by Mr MO

[jw1739]

57 minutes ago, Mr MO said:

When was he last sighted with us then?

Don't know. Possibly 2021 when he was appointed MVs U-14 coach.

John Didulica is of course MV's Director of Football and is instrumental in recruiting.

[Mr MO]

1 hour ago, jw1739 said:

Don't know. Possibly 2021 when he was appointed MVs U-14 coach.

John Didulica is of course MV's Director of Football and is instrumental in recruiting.

I hate to say it but I have a feeling we just aren’t a pleasant place to work.

[HughJass]

15 hours ago, Le Hack said:

Also take into consideration who is coaching. Joe Palatsidis for Victory

No longer there

[Le Hack]

Three years ago I was at a coaching course run by a Brazilian under-age coach on behalf of the Vic Churches League. This guy who had coached in Brazil and Asia said he'd applied for a job at City and was told that he'd have to stick to the CFG syllabus of coaching and there was no flexibility beyond that. He declined to go further with the position. Now that may be sour grapes but it may also be a bit restrictive for some coaches to express their own ideas

[jw1739]

11 minutes ago, Le Hack said:

Three years ago I was at a coaching course run by a Brazilian under-age coach on behalf of the Vic Churches League. This guy who had coached in Brazil and Asia said he'd applied for a job at City and was told that he'd have to stick to the CFG syllabus of coaching and there was no flexibility beyond that. He declined to go further with the position. Now that may be sour grapes but it may also be a bit restrictive for some coaches to express their own ideas

I would say "Hit, nail, head." I suggest that inflexibilty likely permeates the whole CFG organisation.

[johnno cpfc]

5 hours ago, jw1739 said:

I would say "Hit, nail, head." I suggest that inflexibilty likely permeates the whole CFG organisation.

that seems to be the case, "youplay our way or no way"

 

[NewConvert]

It may not necessarily be the inflexibility of the coaching that is the problem. After all Pep has changed the style quite a bit since he arrived at Man City. I suspect that the real issue may be a domineering football director - play this player or else. If CFG sent someone from the UK to coach I doubt very much that Petrillo would have his way.

[jw1739]

3 hours ago, NewConvert said:

It may not necessarily be the inflexibility of the coaching that is the problem. After all Pep has changed the style quite a bit since he arrived at Man City. I suspect that the real issue may be a domineering football director - play this player or else. If CFG sent someone from the UK to coach I doubt very much that Petrillo would have his way.

I rather think it's much more "City way, or no way."

All of this sort of thing is embodied in the current debate over what a football club really is, or should be. Is it somehow an expression of your community - where you were born, or where you live, something to do with "where you belong" - or is to be the plaything of some rich person, or business, completely disconnected from your community? Even worse, is it to be just a small part of multiple ownership of football clubs, in a kind of one-upmanship contest between individuals or even political entities?

A recent article in The Guardian touched on this as below:

What are your thoughts on the multi-club model? It seems a shame that community clubs become branches of the European elite. On the other hand, you have Bordeaux going bust, where the only real option to save the club seemed to be to fall under the ownership of Liverpool’s FSG. – Declan

It’s scandalous and should never have been allowed to get this far. Why should great clubs who have a proud history and identity – in Bordeaux’s case for well over a century, in which they’ve won six French league titles – become nurseries for bigger clubs? I don’t know what Bordeaux fans think, but certainly in the UK, I think a lot of fans would rather their club went bust and started again lower down the pyramid than lose their independence and their identity. I’m a Sunderland fan and would far rather we were playing in the sixth tier as ourselves than effectively as Manchester United’s fourth team. One of the great lies about fandom is that it’s about winning; far more important is being – and representing – who you are.

 

Under the presidency of Aleksander Čeferin, Uefa has become an dysfunctional body in a million different ways – which has been allowed to happen while everybody worried about the far more egregious faults of Fifa – but its failure to act on multi-club models is probably the worst. It’s a tacit acceptance of a quasi-franchise model, which may make sense in terms of generating revenue for those at the top, but is anathema to everything European football used to be and ought to be about.

 

The question really isn’t a short-term one about whether Bordeaux need this to survive, or even really about Bordeaux, who have been catastrophically mismanaged for years – and Gérard López, who took over in 2021, really hasn’t helped. It’s more about how football has got itself into a position where so many traditional clubs are in such dire financial straits that they think being taken over by a superclub is the only solution. Football is by far the most popular game in the world; what does that say about Uefa’s regulation that, with all the money there is sloshing about the game, so many are facing ruin?

There has been a craven failure to stand up for the game’s values, an unwillingness to fight the greed of the elite. And so now we have the absurd spectacle of Uefa granting dispensation to clubs who at least partially share ownership (Leipzig and Salzburg; Manchester City and Girona; Manchester United and Nice) to compete in the same competition, a clear attack on the integrity of the competition. And that’s before you get to potential shenanigans with financial fair play or profitability and sustainability regulations. The Brazilian forward Savinho, for instance, was signed by Troyes (majority owner: City Group) in 2023 and loaned to Girona (minority owner: City Group) for a season before this summer being sold to Manchester City (majority owner: City Group). How can anybody even begin to set a fair value for that transfer, to ensure that one club is not overpaying to help out a family member or that that family member is not giving them a cheap deal that would not be available to an outsider? It’s a mess and Uefa have allowed it to develop.

[NewConvert]

9 hours ago, jw1739 said:

I rather think it's much more "City way, or no way."

All of this sort of thing is embodied in the current debate over what a football club really is, or should be. Is it somehow an expression of your community - where you were born, or where you live, something to do with "where you belong" - or is to be the plaything of some rich person, or business, completely disconnected from your community? Even worse, is it to be just a small part of multiple ownership of football clubs, in a kind of one-upmanship contest between individuals or even political entities?

A recent article in The Guardian touched on this as below:

What are your thoughts on the multi-club model? It seems a shame that community clubs become branches of the European elite. On the other hand, you have Bordeaux going bust, where the only real option to save the club seemed to be to fall under the ownership of Liverpool’s FSG. – Declan

It’s scandalous and should never have been allowed to get this far. Why should great clubs who have a proud history and identity – in Bordeaux’s case for well over a century, in which they’ve won six French league titles – become nurseries for bigger clubs? I don’t know what Bordeaux fans think, but certainly in the UK, I think a lot of fans would rather their club went bust and started again lower down the pyramid than lose their independence and their identity. I’m a Sunderland fan and would far rather we were playing in the sixth tier as ourselves than effectively as Manchester United’s fourth team. One of the great lies about fandom is that it’s about winning; far more important is being – and representing – who you are.

 

Under the presidency of Aleksander Čeferin, Uefa has become an dysfunctional body in a million different ways – which has been allowed to happen while everybody worried about the far more egregious faults of Fifa – but its failure to act on multi-club models is probably the worst. It’s a tacit acceptance of a quasi-franchise model, which may make sense in terms of generating revenue for those at the top, but is anathema to everything European football used to be and ought to be about.

 

The question really isn’t a short-term one about whether Bordeaux need this to survive, or even really about Bordeaux, who have been catastrophically mismanaged for years – and Gérard López, who took over in 2021, really hasn’t helped. It’s more about how football has got itself into a position where so many traditional clubs are in such dire financial straits that they think being taken over by a superclub is the only solution. Football is by far the most popular game in the world; what does that say about Uefa’s regulation that, with all the money there is sloshing about the game, so many are facing ruin?

There has been a craven failure to stand up for the game’s values, an unwillingness to fight the greed of the elite. And so now we have the absurd spectacle of Uefa granting dispensation to clubs who at least partially share ownership (Leipzig and Salzburg; Manchester City and Girona; Manchester United and Nice) to compete in the same competition, a clear attack on the integrity of the competition. And that’s before you get to potential shenanigans with financial fair play or profitability and sustainability regulations. The Brazilian forward Savinho, for instance, was signed by Troyes (majority owner: City Group) in 2023 and loaned to Girona (minority owner: City Group) for a season before this summer being sold to Manchester City (majority owner: City Group). How can anybody even begin to set a fair value for that transfer, to ensure that one club is not overpaying to help out a family member or that that family member is not giving them a cheap deal that would not be available to an outsider? It’s a mess and Uefa have allowed it to develop.

There are five conflated issues: tribal loyalty, pitch game integrity, game management integrity (or lack thereof), financial management/mismanagement and CFG's strictness in enforcing its rules.

Tribal loyalty I agree with purely from an anthropological perspective. But, at the same time it is this tribal loyalty that has made it such a tempting honeypot for the uber-capitalist and the sportwashing Arabs. To paraphrase: why do you steal from the fans? because that is where the money is.

Pitch game integrity, I also agree to some extent - after all Melbourne City were screwed by the Lampard rule so I can't fully agree. However, the shenanigans in Europe with the ability of players being able to be intra-sold is an issue. And I am sticking my head on the chopping block that by having the then FFA put strict financial rules around club selling players locally, the Lampard rule, etc. the Australian administration does not have the same issues.

Game management integrity is completely screwed in Europe. AFAIK only Germany has had the political courage to put a small brake on the owners. UEFA & FIFA are clear indications as to how Europeans do corruption.

Club financial management/mismanagement is a local issue. Let's not forget that the mighty Barcelona is teetering on the edge because the previous president was a complete and utter tool. An extremely wealthy tool but none the less a tool. As to why would CFG allow Troyes to go down? I have no idea as in the long term they lose the player pipeline which is what they trade in. My only thoughts is that Man City will be hit with a massive financial fine (and maybe four points) that CFG will reallocate money from the other franchise clubs to pay for it. 

The final point, and I re-iterate, I don't think that CFG are that strict in how the team plays. As an analogy, in Germany beer, by law, has to have four ingredients and yet they have a very large variety of beers. So I think that the guidelines are set by CFG but implementing those guidelines is up to the local administration.

[fensaddler]

On 13/08/2024 at 4:21 AM, HughJass said:

No longer there

And Palatsides leaving is a big loss for them. Now we have Diamanti I suspect our stock will rise as theirs falls. 

[citypool]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theroar.com.au/2024/08/20/apl-is-broke-so-how-in-the-world-will-it-sell-a-league-season-2024-25-to-the-fans/amp/

[jw1739]

1 hour ago, citypool said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theroar.com.au/2024/08/20/apl-is-broke-so-how-in-the-world-will-it-sell-a-league-season-2024-25-to-the-fans/amp/

Thanks for posting. I read the article, and the comments so far. Of those it is the last one (probably not now as more come in) that resonates with me. Basically it says that we, the rusted-on fans, are here and ready to help.

As I see it, the underlying problem is that neither APL nor, in our case, Melbourne City, want to involve us. Indeed, they seem to do their best to hold us at arm's length. Nothing could illustrate this better than the debacle that is our "FRG." 13 months have gone by. Despite all the promises we still don't know who the members are, and neither do we have a way of contacting it. For fuck's sake City this is not rocket science. Get off your arses and fix it. Many of us have been football tragics for years - maybe we do, actually have something to offer?

I happened to look at the videos of the very first Derby and the Paartalu Derby last night. Of course we won both, but AAMI Park was full, and scenes at the Yarra End of the Heart/City fans were just like you see in the EPL and other top leagues today. A-League football is but a shadow of those times now.

I downgraded both of our memberships a couple of weeks ago now, because I've lost faith in the sincerity of the club. Foundation memberships. Discounts for continuous memberships would be one of the suggestions I would make to keep fans loyal and motivated. Other suggestions over the years from many people have gone without result.

I do think we're at a crisis point. And it's not just financial. It's interest.

[citypool]

2 hours ago, jw1739 said:

Thanks for posting. I read the article, and the comments so far. Of those it is the last one (probably not now as more come in) that resonates with me. Basically it says that we, the rusted-on fans, are here and ready to help.

As I see it, the underlying problem is that neither APL nor, in our case, Melbourne City, want to involve us. Indeed, they seem to do their best to hold us at arm's length. Nothing could illustrate this better than the debacle that is our "FRG." 13 months have gone by. Despite all the promises we still don't know who the members are, and neither do we have a way of contacting it. For fuck's sake City this is not rocket science. Get off your arses and fix it. Many of us have been football tragics for years - maybe we do, actually have something to offer?

I happened to look at the videos of the very first Derby and the Paartalu Derby last night. Of course we won both, but AAMI Park was full, and scenes at the Yarra End of the Heart/City fans were just like you see in the EPL and other top leagues today. A-League football is but a shadow of those times now.

I downgraded both of our memberships a couple of weeks ago now, because I've lost faith in the sincerity of the club. Foundation memberships. Discounts for continuous memberships would be one of the suggestions I would make to keep fans loyal and motivated. Other suggestions over the years from many people have gone without result.

I do think we're at a crisis point. And it's not just financial. It's interest.

I love the idea of foundation membership and discounts for loyal members. I'll tell you what the club is lucky to have Ryan his a bloody champ if he goes the whole place could sink because he just seems to care and really makes a effort 

[jw1739]

14 minutes ago, citypool said:

I love the idea of foundation membership and discounts for loyal members. I'll tell you what the club is lucky to have Ryan his a bloody champ if he goes the whole place could sink because he just seems to care and really makes a effort 

Indeed he is. He's the only one there who communicates with us.

APL? Where's the monthly newsletter from Garcia? Quarterly from Conroy? Zero fucking communication from anyone. What do they all do 35 hours a week for 48 weeks in the year?

I get a weekly newsletter from my old non-league club in the U.K. All the latest goss, match reports,  competitions open to supporters, photos, sometimes videos - the full works. There's a new majority owner and a statement from him.

[mjake1234]

19 hours ago, jw1739 said:

I downgraded both of our memberships a couple of weeks ago now, because I've lost faith in the sincerity of the club...... suggestions over the years from many people have gone without result.

JW1739 - Congratulations for hanging in there. I was initially enthusiastic and many times offered to help the club. However I gave up and cancelled my "membership" a couple of years ago because of the lack of connection, interest and feedback from the club and, I would suggest, I'm not alone. However I have maintained interest in the club and would, like the many others, be tempted back by a change from the club toward their fan base. Should one live in hope?

[HughJass]

https://x.com/MelbourneCity/status/1826426756888195089?t=DjI8JzJ7cJA30NTW0fhsPw&s=19

Andreas Kuen? 

Black shorts? 

[MHFC-FAN]

21 minutes ago, HughJass said:

https://x.com/MelbourneCity/status/1826426756888195089?t=DjI8JzJ7cJA30NTW0fhsPw&s=19

Andreas Kuen? 

Black shorts? 

2 year deal with the option to leave after 1 season...🙃

[jw1739]

I guess I'd be feeing a lot better about the coming season if I could read that we were playing some pre-season matches.

[n i k o]

22 hours ago, MHFC-FAN said:

2 year deal with the option to leave after 1 season...🙃

I like how you said that. Leave is the operative word. Not stay. 

[MHFC-FAN]

3 hours ago, n i k o said:

I like how you said that. Leave is the operative word. Not stay. 

We've had a shocking run with visa players lately...hopefully this guy is good quality and actually stays for the contract!

[moops]

20 hours ago, jw1739 said:

I guess I'd be feeing a lot better about the coming season if I could read that we were playing some pre-season matches.

The NPL side won against Northcote 5-1, that's as much as I could tell you.

[Bannon]

https://melbournecityfc.com.au/news/202408-alm-preseason-gallery/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR01ziibyMnkTSUfLxdCEu-KNPnQYjTztRgvl3ue4EqLjNIMFe2fHrN61aA_aem_2-FRWrEQxUB430E5oQjBAA

[NewConvert]

10 hours ago, Bannon said:

https://melbournecityfc.com.au/news/202408-alm-preseason-gallery/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR01ziibyMnkTSUfLxdCEu-KNPnQYjTztRgvl3ue4EqLjNIMFe2fHrN61aA_aem_2-FRWrEQxUB430E5oQjBAA

Yay! friendlies.

[citypool]

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/matildas-socceroos-to-remain-on-network-10-for-next-five-years-20240827-p5k5n2.html

[jw1739]

5 hours ago, NewConvert said:

Yay! friendlies.

I know that there are questions about going up against AFL and NRL finals series in terms of attendances, and ground condition/availability, but even if we are not going to increase the number of League matches then surely we could have a pre-season competition, perhaps a League Cup, so that the players could get match fitness? They must be bored stiff training day after day with no end product. The League just loses any momentum that it has, and has to re-invent itself every season with potential spectators.

[Baka1]

Best batch of kits we’ve had in years

[MHFC-FAN]

1 hour ago, Baka1 said:

Best batch of kits we’ve had in years

Home kit a lot better than last seasons!

[jw1739]

Black will be very suitable for what looks like a poor season ahead.

[haz]

10 hours ago, Baka1 said:

Best batch of kits we’ve had in years

Already putting my money on Germán Ferreyra getting at least 3 red cards this season. 

[Mark77]

Melbourne City well beaten by Western United Today.

Final Score WU 2 to MC Nil.