itys issue one
DESCRIPTION
Welcome to the newest Australian Football magazine ITYS.TRANSCRIPT
issue one
Luis Suarez‘i go to extremes’
p.20
Luis Suarez‘i go to extremes’
p.20
Jan VersleijenBehind oranje eyes
p.44
Chris Herdseen But not herd p.32 Edinson Cavani
world footBall's
Best kept secret p.50
Chris Herdseen But not herd p.32 Edinson Cavani
world footBall's
Best kept secret p.50
ITYS MAGAZINE6
p.12 p.16
p.26 p.56
itys contents / issue one
Early doors pg 7 Editorial – The Quantum Leap pg
8 Johnny Told Us So pg 10 7 Things you should know about
being an A-League Team Manager pg 12 Txt Msg Interview
with Kofi Danning pg 14 Club Australia – Jeff Olver pg 16
What if Christian Vieri played for Australia? pg 18 Posh’s
Perfect XI pg 19 180degrees – Sebastian Hassett
FEaTUrEs pg 20 Luis Suarez ‘I go to extremes’ pg 26
Air Force 9 – Andy Carroll pg 32 Seen but not Herd – Chris
Herd pg 44 Through Oranje Eyes – Jan Versleijen pg 50
World Football’s Best Kept Secret – Edinson Cavani
THE ZoNE pg 38 In the Zone – Games, Bluray, Books,
Cars pg 40 The United Colours of Football
THE a-Z pg 56 The A-Z of Socceroos friendliesissue one
pg.3
the Quantum LeapCan you feel it? I speak of the seismic shift in our sport over the past six months. It’s an occurrence that has seen the fans gain just a little bit of power in the scheme of Australian football, and it’s long overdue.
For years football fans have been told not only how they’re expected to behave but more broadly who they are
by the marketing men and women at football HQ. Now the fans are gaining a voice in a conversation that has been far too one-way for far too long.
This louder voice has been championed by various forms of the Australian football media but is owed mainly to the online community of fans in our sport.
I’m 34-years-old and don’t consider myself too old. However, I can tell stories of lunchtime forays to the newsagent to pick up the late edition of the paper just to find out the overnight scores in Europe.
Today the e-community following football is probably the most significant of all the major sports in Australia. And now, significantly, you’re reading a football publication in your own space without having to do so much as leave your seat.
No doubt we’ve got much growing to do in future editions, but we’re proud of ITYS which looks at the global game through green and gold glasses.
As for our name, we thought there could be no more appropriate one. The late Johnny Warren, who we pay tribute to in this edition, uttered the phrase as not only a wish and prediction, but also a challenge to all of us.
Thus this magazine made its first point of business to forge a rich and meaningful relationship with the foundation that carries his name. You can read about our official partnership with the Johnny Warren Foundation on page 12.
Enjoy the read. ITYS will be published tri-weekly and completely complimentary to GGARMY.com subscribers.
Mark van AkenEditor-In-Chief
Don't Miss issue tWo LiVe June 1
www.twitter.com/markvanaken
eDitoriaL
ITYS MAGAZINE 7
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eDitor-in-cHieFMark van Aken
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senior contriButorKieran Pender
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Dr John Bonacci, John Iannantuono, Eli Pfefferberg
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pHotograpHy
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I TOLD yOu SO
“Throughout my life, football has come to mean so much to me. It has made me more aware, it has awakened the world citizen inside me and it has alerted me to what the sport is capable of achieving for my own wonderful country, Australia. Football has been the vehicle as well as the window for that awakening. I want the same experience of awakening and awareness for Australia. No other sport reflects life more than football. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why it is so popular around the world. People relate intimately to the ninety minutes of drama that unfolds before them in a football match, because it is so often a metaphor of their own existence. Of course, the game is aesthetically beautiful too, but this is a more subjective thing. In half the games we see, the best team doesn’t win, just as the best person doesn’t always get the top job or the most deserving person isn’t always rewarded. Soccer reflects all
those injustices and it is the way people relate to football that brings the emotion into the game. It is the sport of the people of the world. It is physically, socially and financially democratic. Football is certainly a game,
but it is also a phenomenon. Indeed, Australia still doesn’t fully understand exactly what it means for people when the national teams of Italy or Morocco or Paraguay play. It is something that Australia has not yet fully appreciated but must ultimately explore. It is football that gives the cross-cultural insight that international treaties and diplomatic ties could never achieve.”- Johnny Warren MBE, OAMFrom 'Sheilas, Wogs & Poofters' courtesy of Random House Publishing
I TOLD yOu SO
On behalf of all of us at the Johnny Warren Football Foundation (JWFF), welcome to ITYS. We are honoured and excited to be working with the Green and Gold Army, the most loyal and passionate supporters of the Aussie version of the beautiful game.
The Green and Gold Army has been an outstanding patron of the JWFF, providing donations, logistical and volunteer help throughout the past several years. This magazine is yet another bond in the growing relationship between our organisations.
Johnny Warren himself helped launch the Foundation in October 2004. Since then the JWFF has been focused on the identification, coaching and development of talented young players. While these programs will continue, the Foundation has plans to begin a community and charitable program in the near future. This program will provide coaching and football opportunities for indigenous and disadvantaged children in combination with regional communities and school attendance programs.
In addition to this work, the JWFF is a lead partner with the FFA in the National Skills Acquisition Program. Together we are developing a program that will produce Australia’s football stars of the future.
Since 2004 the JWFF has worked with and hosted many notable football personalities including Tim Cahill, Mark Viduka, Craig Foster, Pim Verbeek, Mark Bosnich, Mark Schwarzer, Craig Johnston, and cricket legend (and lost football talent), Steve Waugh AO.
In Sydney on May 25, we will host our next annual dinner with our special guests Holger Osieck, Tom Sermanni, and Johnny Warren medallist Marcos Flores. Tickets are available through the Foundation.
In addition, now you can support us by becoming a member of the Johnny Warren Football Foundation.
When you become a member you are helping the Foundation deliver its goal of achieving Johnny Warren’s dream – winning the World Cup. You will also help provide support to our community program with disadvantaged and Indigenous youth in rural and remote Australia.
For $40 you receive a year’s membership which includes:
A JWFF Supporters beanie or scarf • (your choice)$10 off a ticket at the JWFF Sydney • Gala Dinner on May 25thA quartlerly newsletter outlining • the Foundation’s work and progressDiscounts to upcoming • JWFF events.For more details on our group,
events and memberships visit jwff.com.au.
Yours in football, Lisa MiddlebrookCEOJohnny Warren Football Foundation
The legacy lives on
JWFF right behind itYS Magazine
Lisa Middlebrook
UEFA sent refereeing legend Pierluigi Collina to monitor the 2nd leg of the Barca-Madrid clash, fearing more bad-tempered behaviour.
EditoriAlEArly doors
1 John ‘van’t Schip is probably the biggest stickler in world football for PSI in balls – so every training
session you can be assured that every ball that we have out there is pumped to exactly 13.5 PSI. We reckon that he has Jedi-like powers to sense a ball that is not at that level and subsequently, he will swiftly punt the ball back if it isn’t.
2 We churn through a serious amount of laundry here at Melbourne Heart – whoever was running
our laundry last season is probably driving a Mercedes right now. Some players have come to the club with a culture of having their underwear and everything washed for them by their previous club – and unfortunately that has taken off like a house on fire at the Heart.
3 On three consecutive occasions, an hour or two before kick-off while playing away, I have had to
prise a pair of cufflinks off some locals because John ‘ van’t Skip has forgotten them again. He isn’t the the best dressed coach in the A-League by accident.
4 Without being high-maintenance, Dean Heffernan is just Dean. I am like his resident pumper. So if
he needs a compliment in the morning, I would have to say something like, ‘Dean, you have the best chest in the team’ or ‘Dean, you have the hottest girlfriend’. So Dean needs that every now and then.
5 During the moments after a loss, my role is to just keep things calm and not to get too emotional and
start throwing things against the wall or fly off the handle. I need to be the one who just carries on with the job. I like to think that a team manager in those situations is like the fourth official.
6We actually raised the bar in the A-League in regards to team sheets... when it comes to pre-
match distribution of the starting list, ours is all electronically done the night before. I like to think that although we finished eighth on the table, we would have finished first in team sheet etiquette.
7I sit down with the gaffer to prepare the pre-game team talk every week. It’s basically a PowerPoint
presentation where we unveil the starting 11, the substitutes, set pieces, and tactics for the game, I’m afforded a bit of creative license and add effects to the slides — including little on-fire footballs. The lads tell me they appreciate the little touches. itys
yoU didn't know
ABoUt BEing An A-lEAgUE tEAM MAnAgEr
sEvEn thingsBEn CoonAn • MElBoUrnE hEArt
ITYS MAGAZINE10
http://www.betstar.com.au/landingpages/soccer.htm
the txt msg interview w. Kofi Danning
ITYS: Hi Kofi, how are you? Firstly we’ll
get the serious Q out of the way: how did
you find this A-League season past?
kofI: Hey man I think this year was difficult,
obviously for myself limited game time on the
pitch made it hard for me to get in the squad
this season but I think because of this I had to
tweak my game and do the things that made me
successful when I first burst on to the scene.
ITYS: Fair enough! Well best of luck for next
season What’s the funniest thing that has ever
happened at training?
kofI: Was when I wore my shorts back to front
before a warm up haha
ITYS: Haha nice. Do you have a fav song or band
to get psyched up for a game?
kofI: Roy Jones Jnr can’t be touched and I Love
Nike they make cool kicks
ITYS: When you’re not training or playing what
do you get up to?
kofI: I like playing Xbox, watching NBA on tv &
going to the movies with some of my team mates
after training.
ITYS: Sounds like a nice life What would you
do for a living if you didn’t play football?
kofI: Play in the NBA or be a rap or music artist
ITYS: Are you a phone person or a twitter/
facebook guy?
kofI: I think I’m a facebook guy, I don’t use twitter
ITYS: And finally, tell us one thing that most
people don’t know about you?
kofI: I sing in the shower & it sounds good because
it echoes
Haha nice. So a post-football career in music?
Thanks for talking to ITYS
kofI: Perhaps! Lol no probs.
eDitorialearly Doors
Former Chelsea chairman Ken Bates has become the major shareholder in second-tier english football club leeds United.
A:
SurveyQ:
Who was the 2010-2011 HAL Player of The Year?
Kosta Barbarouses 8%
Thomas Broich 21%
Marcos Flores 21%
Robbie Kruse 18%
Patrick Zwaanswijk 4%
Other 3%
1stMAtt McKAy 27%
theru
nn
ers
up
ITYS MAGAZINE12
the txt msg interview w. Kofi Danning
www.jwff.com.auTickeTs $198 www.jwff.com.au Ph:02 8116 9746
Club Australia is about delving into Aussie football history and rummaging through the ‘pool rooms’ of some of our greats. Our inaugural step inside ‘the club’ is with legendary Socceroos keeper Jeff Olver.
IT’S ALL ABOUT SEOUL
An FFA Hall of Fame inductee, Jeff Olver patrolled the goals for the Socceroos on 37 occasions between 1985 and 1989 and enjoyed stints in domestic football with Heidelberg Alexander and Melbourne Croatia, to name but a few. Laid back
but forthright, Olver looks back on his career, and the era in which it unfolded, with pride
Long before the Socceroos were a mainstay at the World Cup finals, Olympic football was very much our holy grail. The Olyroos efforts to reach the quarter-finals in South Korea in 1988, falling to eventual gold medallists The Soviet Union, were some of the proudest in our football history. Thus Olver’s collection of Olympic-related paraphernalia takes pride of place in his collection.
GREAT PERFORMANCE
“I remember after we beat Yugoslavia one-nil in the group phase — this
was when it was still one unified country — Johnny Warren said it was one of the best performances by an Australian team he’d seen. We also beat Nigeria to progress, but we met a very strong Soviet team in the quarters. Again, we’re talking the pre-Berlin Wall coming down USSR side, and they beat Italy and Brazil on their way to gold. When Sydney 2000 came around I was lucky enough to run with the flame and participants got the chance to grab a replica which I thought was pretty special."
MASTER’S GAMES
“They had the Master’s
Games in Sydney a few
years back and it ended
up being a really good
experience. We finished
up with silver and after
we were having a few
beers in The Rocks.
We were talking about
the old days and Craig
Johnston’s name came
up. I’ve always admired
him as a footballer but
never was a fan of the
way he turned down
Australia. We were
talking away when
[Paul] Wade says, ‘hey,
doesn’t that bloke in
the corner look just
like Craig Johnston’.
Sure enough, here we
are, a bunch of former
Socceroos from his era
and he’s sitting across
from us. Wadey, being
Wadey, walks up and
asks him, ‘Is it true you
said playing football for
Australia would be like
surfing for England?’ He
said yes but went on to
tell his side of the story,
some of the others got
chatty with him, but I
don’t know. I just think
how good we could
have been with him in
our side, how it could’ve
made a difference.”
EdITORIALEARLy dOORS
The Greek government has warned that it will stop funding professional football next season unless laws are changed to halt hooliganism.
ITYS MAGAZINE14
Jeff Olver
THANKS FOR
THE MEMORIES…
NOW JOG ON
“A funny part of my
collection is a framed
letter I got from
Heidelberg. It basically
says ‘thanks for your
time but we don’t rate
you anymore’. Then
in the next line it says
they’ve put me up for
sale for $15,000, which
I always thought was a
bit funny. So I’ve kept
it as a bit of a different
kind of memory.” ITyS
The Greek government has warned that it will stop funding professional football next season unless laws are changed to halt hooliganism.
ITYS MAGAZINE 15
333
“In the last few years FFA have done a good thing with the handing out of caps. I was number 333 to play for the Socceroos, not sure if that’s supposed to be good or bad luck for anyone who’s superstitious.”
SIGNING OFF
“My career in the national team ended abruptly. Eddie Thomson said he’d give me a send-off game at Olympic Park but, at the time, I wasn’t interested. Just recently I played in a charity match before an A-League game at AAMI Park with guys like Ned Zelic, Con Boutsianis, Alan Davidson and Steve Mautone. It was a great day and I love the team photo, it’s kind of like that was my belated send-off match.
BRUSH UP
“One different piece in my collection is a painting Steve Mautone’s wife did for me. She did it from a photo and it’s a really nice and personal little momento.”
LIGHT UP OR QUIT?
“I’ve got this old ball with all the lads signatures. It’s funny because we were the Winfield Socceroos, but then they banned smoking sponsorships. So who do you think was our next sponsor? Quit! We’d gone from the Winfield Socceroos to the Quit Socceroos in the space of a year.”
STRETCHING THE LEGS
“You’ve gotta laugh when you see the current Socceroos getting their own private planes… and don’t get me wrong, it’s great, but gee it was different in our day. When we played Scotland in 1985 for a place at Mexico ’86, I remember we flew with Olympic Airways over there in Business Class, and we were thinking ‘this is pretty nice’. Sure enough, on the way back we were packed back into economy… we all had wry smile on that one.”
Christian Vierihad Chosen to play for the soCCeroos?
what if...
the office of an aeK fan club in athens was torched two days after the team’s Greek Cup final victory over atromitos.
editorialearly doors
Before the Aussies’ opening 2006 World Cup match, there is an explosive pre-match bust-up between Vieri and Viduka over who will be the sole striker in Guus Hiddink’s formation.
There would be another Socceroo who would be able to understand Vinnie Grella – taking the total to three.
We would never again have to hear all the television pundits pull out the old fact that the striker’s childhood hero was cricketing-legend Allan Border.
Eyebrows are raised as Chinotto replaces Solo as the official soft drink of the Socceroos.
Angered by his ‘defection’ to the green and gold, Italy’s FIGC demand compensation… only to grow more angered by a five cents in the dollar offer from a defunct Soccer Australia’s accountants.
Socceroo fans would be able to finally forget the time when another Vieri - brother Massimiliano - was asked to fill the void in the Australian striking ranks
In the traditional national team commercial, Vieri proves he is undoubtedly the Socceroo that can do the most Weet-bix.
Vieri’s dicky knee competes with Harry Kewell’s dodgy groin as the most prominent injuries in Australian football.
ITYS MAGAZINE16
The French FA has begun its inquiry into claims that the national coaching staff secretly agreed to restrict black and Arab players.
ediToriAleArly doors
Being an Australian football supporter involves a lot of time on airplanes… and the Hume Highway. On any good away trip the “Name Game” invariably comes up. An alliteration can be a handy tool to not only switch the direction of the game, but also save you drinking excessive amounts of lukewarm lager.
The Alliteration All-stars
Posh’s Perfect Xi
ClAudio CAniggiA, Winger. A Copa America winner, this flamboyant Argentine playmaker and goalscorer who was fast and colourful on and off the park. He was once suspended for cocaine use and — you’re not gonna believe this — is bosom buddies with Maradona.
ATTilA Abonyi, Winger. The forgotten Socceroo when pundits list
their best XIs. Migrated from Hungary aged 10 and ended up equal third on the all time list of Socceroos goalscorers. Scored in his
one and only appearance for Manchester United against — wait for it — Queensland.
Phil PArkes, goAlkeePer. A stalwart of West Ham and QPR, he won one England cap, an FA Cup, and was voted West Ham’s greatest ever goalie. The pinnacle of his career was appearing in the schoolboy
comic strip Thunderbolt and Smokey in 1982 as himself.
PAul PArker, deFender. In Bobby Robson’s England he thrived, signing for Man United where he picked up EPL and FA Cup honours. His attractive style was underlined by the fact that Graham Taylor refused to pick him. Since his retirement has disappeared from public life by becoming a Setanta Sports commentator.
luCAs leivA, MidFielder.
He won Brazilian footballer of the year in 2006… so he must be good, right? Well,
no actually. Whether he deserves the single word
name “Lucas”, a la “Pele”, is debatable at best.
diXie deAn, ForWArd. An active freemason, when he wasn’t doing secret handshakes and keeping the metric system down, Dean was banging in plenty for Everton. With a strike rate of 0.87 goals per game he is one of the most prolific scorers in history.
FrAnk FArinA, ForWArd. Born in that football hotbed Darwin, cranky Franky was one of Australia’s
finest ever football products.. if not necessarily so when it came to
coaching. He’s taken his hire-wire managing act to that other football
hotbed Papua New Guinea.
MiCk Mills, deFender. Captain of the great Ipswich side of the late 70s and early 80s, he lifted both the UEFA
and FA Cups. Now the director of a sports management company, but has almost
certainly never met the ‘St Kilda School Girl’.
Zinedine ZidAne, MidFielder. Arguably the greatest player of the modern era. Won the Champions League, Euro, the World Cup and, most significantly, the Inter toto Cup. Was awarded the title of Knight of the Legion d’Honneur in 1998, only to be promoted to Officer of the Legion after headbutting an Italian.
kevin keegAn, MidFielder. Despite a ‘pool room’ full of club silverware, Keegan played a sum total of 26 minutes in
World Cup finals matches. His perm proved more memorable than his (s)hit record, “Head Over
Heels in Love” which went to number 31 with a bullet on the charts – unfortunately the ‘bullet’
would’ve been better fired at the producer.
MArk MilligAn, deFender. Terry Butcher experimented with him during his diabolical stint at Sydney, moving him all over the
park. If he’d stayed at right back, Pim wouldn’t have had to pick
eight midfielders against Germany. Butchered!
ITYS MAGAZINE18
@SmithieTele Roy Keane is almost an anagram of Okay Ernie - #mostirrelevantlinkofall
@AndrewOrsati Jens Lehmann is the future for Arsenal! Keeping goal in a solid win away from home. #Wengerfail
@Saint Frankly Truck loads of petro-dollars can't buy #ManCity soul, spirit or substance. And that's a good thing...
@Ned Zelic It's easy,like the possession stats this morning, 30% of the time I type,70% of the time I wave my hands.
@BrendanSchwab Why is it that #FIFA goal line technology has to be perfect before being introduced when blind Freddy can correct things by accessing video?
@TheBig_Sam Big Sam has never been scared to look at some of societys biggest questions and take them on like a matador stabbing the shite out of a cow
ToP TWiTTers
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What was your first job in the media industry?I worked as the media officer for the Gippsland Falcons in their final few weeks in the NSL. It was short-lasted – the club folded soon after I joined.
Run us through a day in the life of a sports journalist.I’ll wake up a bit later than most people because we are often working quite late. That’s handy, for I’m no morning person anyway. As soon as I’m up, I’ll be working in some way or another. I’ll be scanning the headlines, checking emails and making my first calls of the day all before I’ve left for work. It can be very full-on. You’re constantly seeking out fresh information for readers and looking to bring them the biggest stories of the day. I’ll watch Sydney FC train
each week, I’ll review each A-League match in detail during the week, taking notes on each team. I’ll check the progress of Socceroos around the world and track of the younger boys. You can’t afford not to be aware. It’s a great job but the pressure to stay ahead of the game – not just on top of it – is very punishing. For the record, I’m typing this at work at 10:30pm!
Favourite interviewee?You can’t go past Ljubo Milicevic. He’s not only a great player but a genuinely interesting person. He’s had a lot of problems but he keeps fighting back. He’s honest, too. He says what he thinks. And he’s a showman. Why shouldn’t he be? In an increasingly boring and cautious media landscape, he’s a stand out.
I look forward to sharing a beer with him one day and just letting him talk.
Hardest part of the job?Breaking a big story. I don’t think people realise how incredibly difficult it is. You have to develop rock-solid trust with your contacts, have them give you something unique, and then you have to get the story over the line. It can be very challenging, especially if there’s controversial elements involved. You risk upsetting fans, coaches, players and administrators. You have sit on a lot of stories as well. That can be frustrating.
Name: Sebastian HassettJob: Football Writer, Sydney Morning HeraldTeams followed: Everton Football Club
Where We grill AusTrAliA’s
leAding FooTbAll sCribes.
GGARMY TWITTER http://twitter.com/#!/ggarmy
The French FA has begun its inquiry into claims that the national coaching staff secretly agreed to restrict black and Arab players.
ITYS MAGAZINE 19
Ka- Ching!
Ka- Ching!
ITYS MAGAZINE 21
Luis suarez‘I go to extremes’
On the first Sunday of March, Liverpool secured a spectacular 3-1 victory over traditional nemesis Manchester United. Although Dirk Kuyt grabbed all three goals, to most of the
Reds fans present there was another man that really stood out: Luis Suarez. But in the mind of the dynamic 24 year-old, it was only a glimpse of what is still yet to come.
$100-million menLiverpooL's
Hopes are high on Merseyside that Uruguayan international Luis Suarez will replicate the lethal form he showed for Ajax on world football’s biggest stage. Ditto for Newcastle wunderkind Andy Carroll. As the season comes to a close and with the jury still out on each acquisition, ITYS sat down with both to talk life in Liverpool and some great expectations.
Words by Kevin Lister i Photos by Getty imaGes
ITYS MAGAZINE22
Idolised at Ajax, it must have been a difficult decision to leave somewhere you enjoyed such success. Ajax knew I wanted to come and play here. They knew I wanted to play for such a big club. The only thing we had to do was reach an agreement. I am very grateful to the Ajax fans for how they treated me. I had a wonderful time in Ajax and I will miss them, but that's football. You have to keep changing and moving forward to get better. Who knows – maybe one day I will go back there.
But Liverpool is a very famous club. It is the most famous club in England. I watched Liverpool when I was a young boy. I watched English football all the time. Liverpool has great fans and I have seen that already. Once again, it's a dream to be able to come and play here. The reason I chose Liverpool was because this has always been a club I have equated with the Champions League. I am not suggesting that we are going to qualify this year, but the expectation is there. You can never say what will happen in football.
You are Liverpool’s first Uruguayan footballer, but you are not the first player from your country to play in the Premier League. Have you spoken to Diego Forlán since you completed your move? He struggled to make an impact at first but has since blossomed in Spain.Diego told me nothing that I haven’t seen already in my career. Playingfor the national team and playing in Holland will prepare me for the Premier League. If you take longer than a split second to think about what you are going to do then the ball is gone. I found that out very quickly in my first game against Stoke that in this country you need to think a lot quicker than normal because of the pace of the game.
There is a perception of you that you will do anything to win for your team. When
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaIZxL2Thtk
When Suarez bit out at the shoulder
of PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal
during a brief confrontation in
November 2010, he was dubbed
by Dutch daily newspaper, De
Telegraaf, as the ‘Cannibal of Ajax.’
Fined and suspended by both club
and league, it wasn’t the most
opportune way for the Uruguayan
to leave the Dutch giants.
Here we look at some of the
most similarly memorable and
infamous brain fades that have
often made our beautiful game just
that little bit uglier.
Vinnie Jones v Newcastle United, •
1987: The fastest yellow card in
the history of the game in Britain
and undoubtedly, one of the most
memorable. It took all of three
seconds for Jones to waltz up to
the Toon’s Paul Gascoigne and
apply what can best be described
as a ‘nutcracker hold.’
Eric Cantona v Crystal Palace, •
1995: A flying king-fu kick into the
stands was enough to stop the
jeers from a particular Palace fan,
grant the French playmaker an
extended break on the sidelines,
and further propel him into
football folklore.
Zinedine Zidane v Italy, 2006 •
World Cup final: You would think
that professional football players
would quickly learn to develop
thick skins, yet on the grandest
stage of all the emotions reached
a melting point for the French
maestro. When serial trash-
talker Marco Materazzi insulted
Zidane’s sister, the footballing
world watched in astonishment
as a powerful Paolo Di Canio:
The fiery Italian had a long line of
misdemeanours during his time
at numerous clubs, but none were
as shocking as his ‘fascist salute’
episodes. When in the twilight
of his career, upon his return
to childhood team, Lazio, the
striker chose the taboo sign as his
preferred celebration on numerous
occasions, consequently igniting
large-spread public denouncement
and a suspension from the league.
Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer v •
Aston Villa, 2005: Rarely does one
see brawls on the football pitch that
involve two players from the same
team, but this duly eventuated
between the two Toon midfielders.
Each player was red-carded and
subsequently banned for three
weeks, while Bowyer was even
charged by police for his conduct.
- Michael Tarquinio
Luis Lunches on feLLow footbaLLer and other tales of dispair
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcqyx2L61j4&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn_oYeugGiw
ITYS MAGAZINE24
you were sent-off for a handball against Ghana in the World Cup quarter-final, you were criticised for being unsporting. What type of player are you? Do you think it will be difficult to show those same critics there is more to your game?I hope that people do see that I am an unselfish footballer. I showed during the World Cup that I am prepared to do what it takes for the team, even to the point of sacrificing myself against Ghana. At the time I was with the rest of the squad so it was easy to close my eyes and ears to any criticism. I was part of a group focused on being successful at the World Cup and so I wasn’t worried about what people said about me. Would I do it again? It’s impossible to answer. Like many other players, I do things by intuition, by instinct. To win, I go to extremes.
What about the incident in which you bit Otman Bakkal of PSV Eindhoven and received a seven match ban? Do you think it will be a challenge to get people talking about the positive things you do on a pitch?Regarding Bakkal, I made quite a few statements at the time of the incident and I believe it is behind me now. I sincerely hope that this move to Liverpool will help me to be remembered for good things. I want to be recognised for my football skills, my ability to score goals and the work I put in for the teams I have played for. You have arrived at Liverpool on the weekend Fernando Torres moved to Chelsea. How much of a disappointment was it that you never got chance to work alongside him but, equally, how excited are you about the prospect of working with Andy Carroll? Liverpool fans are already saying that you can be this generation’s equivalent of Kevin Keegan and John Toshack?Sure, it would have been great to play alongside Fernando because we all know that he is a great footballer. But things can change quickly in this game,
sometimes overnight. Maybe it will be a good thing that I have another new player alongside me in Andy Carroll. It is a new experience for both of us and maybe we can help each other to help the team. I am aware of his style as I have seen quite a bit of him playing for Newcastle on TV back in Holland. He is a typical, tall No.9 and the type of player I combine with well historically. It is a promising partnership.
Carroll cost £35million and you also arrived for huge money. Will you be able to cope with the expectations on your shoulders? The goal against Stoke must have helped settle your nerves.Ajax made me realise that it’s important to keep a perspective on
life and football. I am aware that the fee Liverpool paid for me was big, but I’m not going to worry about that. There will be a pressure from the outside for me to succeed but every time I set foot on to a football pitch, I want to enjoy it. There is no point being here if I don’t enjoy it.
It went through my mind after the game against Stoke that the pressure has eased a little. As a striker, you do think about scoring goals but that is not going to worry me now. I hope that I can settle in here very quickly both on and off the pitch. But I have never been the type of person to let pressures off the field affect my game. As soon as I step out on the park the only thing I concentrate on is the next
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p71Irt572as
90 minutes. It has always been like that for me from an early age. It didn't matter whether I was playing for a junior team at Nacional in Uruguay, for the national team or Ajax.
What do you think Liverpool can achieve going forward for the remainder of the season? The four-game winning run in the Premier League when you arrived gave supporters optimism that reaching a place in the Champions League might not be out of the question? You will also have noticed that this has been the most unpredictable and open Premier League for many years…You can never say in football. You don’t know what is going to be
happening in the future but our expectations are that we will fight to get into one of those places. English football being how it is, with all kinds of results happening, it gives you hope that this could happen. From where we are now I can see that the team is going to grow, and improve very rapidly and give us a chance to be in the Champions League again.
There has been so much uncertainty in recent years at Anfield. The sale of the club to Fenway Sports Group following the reign of Tom Hicks and George Gillett, two managers leaving in the space of six months and a
ITYS MAGAZINE 25
English football being how it is, with all kinds of results happening, it gives you hope that this could happen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgUn4RrL9Ic
number of big names being sold. What do you think this says for Liverpool’s reputation? Did any of what had happened in the recent past cause you to think twice about leaving Amsterdam?Liverpool is always going to be known as one of the greats on a European scale. You only have to look at the trophies they've won - that image and history goes before them throughout Europe. It's always been a dream for me to come to a big club in England and play. It was my desire to come here and I am really pleased it has come to fruition.
If that is going to happen, your goals will be crucial. Are you confident that you will be able to make as big a contribution for Liverpool as you did for Ajax?I hope I can score as many goals as I did in Holland. The first target for me is to help the team, whether it's scoring goals or just helping out in general play, because what counts is the team, not individuals. (Courtesy: Hakkie-Tikkie Media)
air force nine As a ball boy at Saint James Park he was
already providing assists for Duncan Ferguson. Nowadays at Anfield Road, Andy Carroll is doing the same thing for Luis Suarez.
Words by Kevin Lister i Photos by Getty imaGes
$100-million menLiverpooL's
ITYS MAGAZINE 27
air force nine
$100-million men
Although you are settling in well at Merseyside, it must have been a big wrench to leave Newcastle. After all, isn’t it true that you already made an impact at St James’ Park at a very early age?Yes, I used to be a ball boy. I was 12 and there was one game when I threw the ball back quickly, the throw got taken and we scored. I told everyone I set it up. Duncan Ferguson scored it, but it was my assist. The Premier League didn't credit me, though!
Newcastle is my hometown. I loved it there and I loved playing for the club and the fans. But that is what I have come to Liverpool for – a new challenge and hope I can enjoy the same kind of feelings I had at St James’ Park. I want to love the fans as I did up there.
Your move to Liverpool happened pretty suddenly. Can you explain your emotions about joining a club with such an illustrious history and the reception you were given when hundreds of Liverpool fans waited to greet you outside the club’s training ground?
It was just such a great feeling. Liverpool is a massive club and it's nice to be wanted by a club like this, never mind turning up and being here with everyone around. I was a bit surprised and didn't really know what was going on at the time.
It would be understandable if there had been some difficulties though, given the expectation, the size of the fee involved and the speed with which the business between the clubs was concluded.
No, it’s not been any trouble. It's been nice, really. I've got a place in the city and I'm settling in well. A lot of my friends at Newcastle – Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton and Ryan Taylor – are Scousers and all their families and friends were always up at Newcastle, so they eventually became my mates. In many ways, it's just like being at home.
Did you think about the price tag at all? It was out of your control, admittedly, but has it given the transfer a different dimension?Yes, it was a lot of money, but it is up to me to prove that the money was well spent. I have just got to do my best every day. I’m aware of the pressure involved and I’m ready for the responsibility that comes with it.
What role did Kenny Dalglish play in bringing you to the club? He has been hugely supportive every time he has spoken about you since your transfer and it must be reassuring – not to mention flattering – to have the backing of such a respected manager?Yeah, that's really exciting. Kenny is a great man; a great manager. The first thing he told me was to just settle myself in, get fit and get ready to start playing. He is over the moon, really delighted for me. He said it's a big chance for me to go out there and
show what I can do with Liverpool and that's what I'm doing now.
The squad number you have been allotted has been worn by some of Liverpool’s greatest strikers, such as Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler and, most recently, Fernando Torres. Any extra pressure on your shoulders or is it something that you will thrive on?The No.9 is a big number and the one I wanted. To get it at Liverpool is a great feeling. I want to go out there and play the football that has brought me here. I'm bringing as much as I can to the team, I'll score goals, create chances, hold up the ball and just try my best. They have spent a lot of money on getting me here and I just want to repay them for what they have spent. I want to win trophies with this club and help push us forward.
I work hard, I'm not selfish in front of goal, and if someone is in a better position, I'm happy to pass. Everyone knows what the Newcastle No.9 shirt means, and what it means at Anfield as well, with players like Fowler and Rush. But I want it because I know I can handle it.
Now we are covering the numbers game, how did you come about getting that number nine shirt at St James’ Park? Trying to emulate Alan Shearer, after all, is no easy task.I watched Shearer as a fan. It was the shirt I wanted to wear when I was growing up, so being handed it was a great feeling. I knew the number nine shirt was empty. So, I thought I'd go in and ask for it. I'd had a couple of days off and they pulled me in and gave me it.
Liverpool fans have already been talking about you and fellow January signing Luis Suarez forging a
Andy Carroll unexpectedly entered the record books on the last day of the
January transfer window when, to cover the void left by Fernando Torres’ move to Chelsea, Liverpool made him the biggest signing in their history. The £35 million they paid Newcastle United for his services also made Carroll the eighth most expensive footballer of all time. Given he was happily settled in the Northeast of England and not looking to move, the turn of events came as a total surprise. But there are no regrets about starting an exciting new chapter in his life. Far from it.
ITYS MAGAZINE28
relationship similar to Kevin Keegan and John Toshack in the 1970s. Your aerial ability complementing his trickery and speed on the ground. How have you found working with Suarez?It's been good. In training we've been on the same team and working hard together. We've played a couple of games together now which has been promising, so I am looking forward to every opportunity to join forces upfront. Luis is fast, can get around people and has fast feet. He has also shown he can finish. As we continue to train together, he'll get to know my movements as much as I will know his. I’m positive we can score lots of goals for the club.
How did you develop your strength in the air? Was there any particular player you used to watch when you were younger, apart from Shearer, or did you just have a natural ability?I remember when I was younger, my dad would never forget to throw the ball up and make me head it before training. Every day I would drag him out with a ball as soon as he came home from work. My parents have never forced me into anything but they've given me everything I wanted and needed.
Please tell us about the day you made your debut against Manchester United. Things could hardly have worked out better with Liverpool winning 3-1, but
you were given as much of an ovation as Dirk Kuyt, who scored all three goals and Suarez, who was Man-of-the-Match. Relief must have been the overriding emotion, given you had been out for so long with a serious thigh injury?When I was running back to the bench after I had been given the signal I was going on, all the fans were shouting and screaming, so I got a little bit excited. I was over the moon to get on there and get back playing. The support was unbelievable for me. The fans have been great since I signed and even when I was warming up that day, they were
Yes, it was a lot of money, but it is up to me to prove that the money was well spent. I have just got to do my best every day. I’m aware of the pressure involved and I’m ready for the responsibility that comes with it.
ITYS MAGAZINE 29
ITYS MAGAZINE30
absolutely fantastic. It was an incredible atmosphere against United, definitely one of the best I've ever experienced. I feel I am getting towards perfect form. I am working hard on it and I am in the gym most days doing extra work.
You have made a breakthrough into the England team this season. Fabio Capello has said he sees a sunny future for you, while Stuart Pearce wants you to go to the Under-21 European Championships in Denmark this summer. Could you tell us about the goal you scored against Ghana at Wembley in March? Are you excited about the future with England or have you been worried about some of the criticism that comes with playing for the national team?It was great to get out there and get my second cap, and it was topped off with a goal. It was just a great feeling to score a goal again after a long injury. The reception I got before I even touched the ball was great and when I got on, the reaction I got from the fans sounded like I'd already scored a goal. But Liverpool is number one at the minute.
So what does the future hold for you? Liverpool appear to be on the verge of an exciting new era following the takeover by Fenway Sports Group and they will be looking to invest again in the summer. Are you confident that the club can challenge for trophies and how big is this opportunity for you personally?It's massive. Liverpool is a big club which is going places and this is a chance to show what I can do. What I did at Newcastle has got me here, and now I have to carry it on with Liverpool. I think I can help Liverpool win things.
Where do I see myself in five years' time? Hopefully playing for England and winning things at Liverpool. I've got to concentrate on Liverpool and everything else will fall into place. If on top of that I get a call from England, you will hear no complaints from me. itys
The great Kenny Dalglish has once again secured himself in Liverpool
folklore, acting as saviour by taking the reins of the Merseyside club after
the disastrously forgettable Roy Hodgson tenure. ITYS asked Liverpool’s
new wonder-pairing up front what they thought of the new gaffer and
exactly how instrumental the Scotsman was in their high-profile transfers.
“He is a person who you respect after only a few minutes of conversation.
He tried to speak to me in Spanish – ‘hola, bienvenido.’ It was only the
basics, but that really impressed me. Obviously, he is a legend at this club
and in this city. He has such a presence. But I think it’s very important to
judge people as you see them rather than just what you hear. He has lived
up to that legend in my eyes. I could see quickly that Dalglish is a manager
and a person who I can relate to and he is very determined to make the
team play with a certain image.
“He is very ambitious about the club and is confident he can lead the club
back to the top. Now I am here, I do not want to disappoint him in any way.”
“Kenny is a great man, a great manager and I'm looking forward to getting
started. The first thing he told me was to just settle myself in, get fit and
get ready to start playing. He is over the moon, really delighted for me. He
said it's a big chance for me to go out there and show what I can do with
Liverpool and that's what I'm doing now.”
coach Kenny
Suarez
Carroll
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From making his first Premier League appearance for Aston Villa, to scoring a hat-trick against the highly regarded Arsenal reserves, the last few months have been pretty memorable for young Australian Chris Herd. Add to that a new three and a half year deal to keep him at Villa Park, and his debut against Manchester City in the FA Cup, and things are looking pretty rosy for the versatile midfielder.
Words by Kieran Pender i images by getty images
Seenbut not
It’s the morning after the night before when ITYS catches up with 22-year-old Australian Chris Herd. Only hours earlier he’d made his first start for Aston Villa, an FA Cup loss to
Manchester City. While the result may not have favoured the Villans, Herd was still buzzing from the game.
ITYS MAGAZINE32
“It was brilliant, it was a great experience. I enjoyed every minute of it. I was very excited in the build-up; I just couldn’t wait to get out there. And when I did, I just did the best I could.”
Before this, Herd made his first appearance for Aston Villa coming off the bench against that other famous Mancunian side; a huge stage to make your first impression. Despite only seeing a few minutes of action as Villa drew two-all with the Red Devils, Herd was still pleased with the chance.
“My appearance against Manchester United was a bit of a surprise, because I’d been out for four or five months with a knee injury. But then I got brought into the team, and obviously to get a chance against Man United and to make my start against City was even better.”
Since the interview, Herd has made his first Premier League start in a one-nil loss to Wolverhampton, and although it ended in defeat, the Australian was one of the highlights
for Villa, playing an assured role in the back-four. The youngster can play in the midfield or at the back, and his versatility has made him an important back-up player for Aston Villa this season.
Herd also scored a hat-trick against the highly regarded Arsenal reserves, and in the same week was rewarded with a new contract.
“It was a great week for me. I’d been injured, not knowing what I was doing next season, and then I got involved and did alright for the first team, and then we got a great result for the reserves. And to score a hat-trick was a bonus. And finally it finished off with the contract!”
With so many highlights, it is unsurprising Herd is pleased with life at Villa Park, and he is confident of making more appearances before the end of the season.
“I’m happy here. And the boss is progressing a lot of the youngsters, so I think he’ll give us all a chance, and if we take our chance we’ll probably get more starts.”
“I’m happy here. and the boss Is progressIng a lot of the youngsters, so I thInk he’ll gIve us all a chance, and If we take our chance we’ll probably get more starts.”
ITYS MAGAZINE 33
Aston Villa manager Gérard Houllier does however have a highly talented midfield to call on. Gregg Evans, a journalist for the Birmingham Mail and Sunday
Mercury, believes that Herd may have a fight on his hands for a regular starting place.
“Houllier seems to be a big fan of his, although it will still be very hard
for him to break into the first-team at the moment with so many senior, experienced players in the squad. At present, Villa have got Stiliyan Petrov, Nigel Reo-Coker, Robert Pires, Fabian Delph, Jean Makoun, and Michael Bradley (loan) all vying for a central midfield starting berth.Next season may look a bit brighter for Chris though, as Pires' contract expires in the summer, while Bradley's and Petrov's futures are still unclear.
“Out of the players that have risen through the reserve/youth team, only Marc Albrighton and Ciaran Clark have established themselves in the first-team this season. Chris ranks among some of the others like
“It was a great experIence, goIng to league one and league two. playIng agaInst more experIenced players, older players, It really helped my game a lot.”
ITYS MAGAZINE34
Nathan Delfouneso, Barry Bannan, and Nathan Baker who have all started a few games but are mainly used from the bench.”
Herd however sees the competition for places as a good thing, forcing the players to fight for their spots, and providing him with many other midfielders to learn from.
“I think it’s a positive, because I’m fighting for a spot in the team. Whoever is playing well is going to get the spot.”
With such competition for places, Herd may be sent out on loan next season to progress further. This is certainly the belief of Evans, who says, “My guess is he will go on loan at some point and then he'll be ready to challenge for a first-team place.”
Herd has already spent time on loan at several clubs, a process he believes has helped him greatly.
“It was a great experience, going to League One and League Two. Playing against more experienced players, older players, it really helped my game a lot.”
Herd moved to England as a teenager, at the same time as fellow-Australian Shane Lowry (also of Aston Villa), and settled in well. While others struggle during the transition, Herd believes he has coped well and is now at home in Birmingham. Although still missing Australia, he is happy with life in England.
“Obviously you miss your friends and family and the lifestyle, but it’s the sacrifice you make to live your dream. But I’m ok now, almost 22 (at the time of the interview) and I’m over that sort of thing.”
That dream he mentions is the dream of many young footballers world-wide, and Herd is grateful that he is one of the few who has been able to fulfil it.
“Yeah this has always been my dream, to come over here and play football. For it to be happening at the moment, I’m really grateful.”
So what’s an average day in the life of Chris Herd like?
“We come in at 9am, go on the bike, do a bit in the gym, have some breakfast before training, then train. After training we have some lunch, sometimes do another session in the afternoon, or have the afternoon off and just rest and prepare for the next day’s training.”
Another thing Herd does to keep busy is watch the A-League, as do many other Australians who ply their trade overseas. He even thinks he’d like to one day finish his career back home.
“I still watch A-League, it’s on television over here, and I ask my mates how it’s going. At the end of my career I’d like to come back and play (in Australia)."
On the topic of Australia’s domestic league, there has been some debate in the Australian media over whether it is better to go overseas at a young age or stay and play in the A-League. As someone with firsthand experience, we asked Herd to weigh in.
“Obviously I chose to come over here early, but the league’s changing and it’s getting better. I think both have their benefits. Staying in Australia and playing a few seasons can benefit the player, as can coming over to Europe. I think it’s up to the individual, whether they can cope with coming over at a young age, or if they need to stay home a bit longer.”
So has he ever regretted moving away so young? Would he have preferred to stay back a bit longer?
“No, I haven’t really, to be fair. I’ve been quite happy ever since I moved over here, and I think it will stay like that as long as I’m fit and healthy.”
Herd hasn’t always been fit however, and suffered a few bad injuries over the last few years. When asked about the highs and lows of his
d.o.b 4/4/89from PERTHheIght 173cmposItIon MIDFIELD, RIGHTBACKJunIor clubs ECU JOONDALUP, BAYSWATER CITYhonours YOUNG SOCCEROOS (2009)
HeRD iS
tHe
ITYS MAGAZINE 35
professional career, the injuries are the first thing to come up.
“I haven’t really had many lows, probably the lowest has been a couple of bad knee injuries, but touch wood I’ve recovered from them, and am just trying to keep fit now. The highs would just be getting involved and where I am at the moment (with the first team) would be the biggest high.”
The 22-year-old got his first taste of national team action playing for the Young Socceroos at the 2009 Youth World Cup in Egypt. Despite not progressing past the first round, Herd still looks back happily on his time with the U20s.
“Playing with the Young Socceroos was a great experience. Obviously that was the first time I’d ever met up with them and all the lads were great, I got on well with them. We didn’t do too well, but it was a good experience and I enjoyed it.”
While in Egypt, Herd got the chance to see some of the other players who could make-up a future Socceroos squad. We asked him therefore who he thought would make a good Socceroos captain in the future.
“There were quite a few good players in that squad. People like Mitch Nicols, Aaron Mooy, James Holland, Luke DeVere, I think they’re all young players who are going to come through and do well.”
Herd was named last year in the preliminary 50-man Asian cup squad, and despite not making the final cut, was pleased to have earned a mention.
“That was good, obviously it’s a big honour for me to represent my country, and just to be acknowledged was nice.”
He was also called up to the Socceroos training squad ahead of the Germany friendly last month, and with the likes of Brett Emerton and Vince Grella starting to show their years, Herd could be making his debut sooner rather than later. When asked about the possibility of a start for the Socceroos, Herd responds unsurprisingly.
“Obviously my goal, I want to play for Australia, so I’m just going to try and do as much as I can at my club and show to the gaffer that he should select me.”
Despite being a world away from the FFA management, he is still in semi-regular contact with Australian football’s governing body, something he commends them for.
“I’ve had a few faxes and the like about training camps and the like, so yeah they’ve been quite good about that.”
So, he’s a versatile midfielder who can also play at the back. He’s young, playing in one of the best leagues in the world, and could be a lynchpin of the Socceroos midfield for years to come. But for Herd to really push on, he’ll have to break into the Villa first team and retain a place there.
Gregg Evans, who watches Villa week in week out, believes Herd has what it takes.
“From what I've seen he looks really comfortable on the ball and looks eager to get forward and be creative. After recently signing a new three-and-a-half-year deal at the club, Houllier clearly feels that Chris has a part to play. He's a bright young lad, who has done well to come over to England and succeed at a top Premier League club.”
It will be tough, but if Herd can become a regular for his club side, a national team place will surely beckon. It’s now his time to shine. itys
With Herd and Shane Lowry both
at the club, Aston Villa has a
reasonable Australian contingent.
But the two youngsters aren’t the
first antipodeans to turn out for
the Villans. Defender Tony Dorigo
was born in Melbourne and turned
out for the side over 100 times,
although sadly decided to declare
his international allegiances to
England. Villa Park, was also
once home to the enigmatic Mark
Bosnich, who was their number
one keeper for several years,
before moving onto Manchester
United. As such, Herd says he has
never felt like an outsider because
of his nationality.
“When you’re in a club
everyone’s together, everyone
gets on, has a laugh, and
nobody feels like an outsider.
I’ve definitely never felt like that,
everyone is part of the team and
we all get on.”
While he does keep in contact
with some of the other Australians
playing in Europe, Herd says
he doesn’t really spend much
time socialising with the Aussies
scattered around England.
“I was at the U20 World Cup,
and still speak to a few of those
guys, but I haven’t really been
that involved (at Young Socceroos
level). Obviously we’re here at
Villa and have a busy schedule.”
aStonauSSie
ITYS MAGAZINE36
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Jan VersleiJen Oranje EyesW hen Guus Hiddink became the Socceroos’
manager in 2005, no one could have imagined the impact he and his
compatriots would have on Australian football. Yet the Dutch revolution that has now swept through the country has fundamentally altered the approach to the game at both an elite and grass roots level. With Han Berger as technical director, now responsible for both elite performance and the implementation of a pathway from grassroots to the top, and Jan Versleijen developing the next generation of Socceroo stars, Oranje football is going to shape the future of the round ball game in Australia. ➜
Words by Mark van aken With kieran Pender | iMages by getty iMages
Behind
Based at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in the nation’s capital, Versleijen plays an important role in developing wide-eyed teenagers into players capable of competing on the world stage. ITYS recently caught up with him to discuss youth development, changes in Australian football, and living in Canberra.
Jan Versleijen joined the FFA in 2008 and was appointed Young Socceroos’ manager, tasked with leading the side at the 2009 Youth World Cup in Egypt, as well as developing the next generation of Aussie stars. We started our interview with the 55-year-old by asking him how he got involved in Australian football.
“My first contact came when I was working in Holland and we played a few games against the national and Olympic teams from Australia in the early 90’s. At that time the national team coach was (Eddie) Thompson and I knew him very well and we had good contact.
“A while later I was asked by Rob Baan, the former technical director, if I was interested in working in Australia. I asked why should I be interested, and he went onto explain the role of the AIS - at that time it was an older age group and the good thing for me is that I came half way during the season so I could see what was happening and what we could change.”
Although the Venlo-born manager has spent time coaching throughout Asia, the difference in football culture compared to his home country still intrigued Versleijen.
“Yeah it’s very different. First I think the biggest difference is that in the countries I have worked before (and this is probably the case for most of the countries around the world) – football is number one, and in Australia it’s probably not number one.
Versleijen then details the biggest challenge he first faced at the AIS, removing the idea that size and
strength are vital aspects of good footballers.
“Probably the biggest change is the way of developing players, they way you look at players, looking at them in a different way: not how tall they are or how fast they are, it’s about how technical they are, how aware they are. The whole approach towards football changed.”
By extension, the Dutchman believes that without the Oranje revolution many of the big young hopes of Australian football might not have made it.
“Absolutely, I’m sure that some players wouldn’t be there. Players like Mustafa Amini wouldn’t be in the system because he isn’t tall enough, he’s not big enough, and he’s not strong enough and then Terry Antonis would not be there. However now it’s all about football, it’s a passing game not a running game.”
Although this new breed of players
The AIS' IncluSIon AS one combIned TeAm In The nATIonAl YouTh leAgue hAS helped VerSleIjen And hIS STAff mould The nexT generATIon of AuSTrAlIAn TAlenT.
ITYS mAgAZIne 45
“It’s not just about the natIonalIty of the coach, It’s about the qualIty of the coach – It doesn’t really matter where he comes from.
ITYS mAgAZIne46
Australia's Young Socceroos have been pitted in a tough group alongside ecuador, costa rica and Spain for july's fIfA u-20 World cup in colombia.
After learning the tournament draw result, Young Socceroos head coach jan Versleijen, believes that it will be a big challenge for his team, but a challenge that they have been
preparing for since qualification. “It’s always said that there are no
easy matches at a World cup and from looking at our group this is definitely true. We played costa rica at the last World cup in egypt so we are familiar with their style of play. Spain is one of the strongest teams in europe and are famous for their youth development programs so we are
expecting them to be very tough said Versleijen after the draw recently.
“ecuador is the unknown quantity within the group so we will have to be on our game playing them in a climate that they are accustomed to. The altitude will also be a major factor at this tournament, so we will need to plan our physical and tactical preparation accordingly.”
The Young Socceroos will travel to the uSA in mid-july for a pre-tournament camp in denver, colorado before moving to their base camp in the colombian city of manizales, situated 2300m above sea-level, during the first phase of the tournament with their first match against ecuador on Sunday 31 july, and then costa rica on Wednesday 3 August before their final group match against Spain on Saturday 6 August.
VersleiJen’s YOUnG ‘rOOs FaCe TOUGH TesT
is yet to truly shine on the world stage, they’re certainly heading in the right direction. After a disappointing Youth World Cup in 2009, where they failed to progress from the first round, the Young Socceroos were runners-up in the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship, where they impressed many. With the next Youth World Cup on the horizon (this July/August), all eyes will be on Versleijen and his young charges. But the manager stresses that the result is not paramount.
“Well when we play with the national team of course we want to get results, but I only want to get results by a certain way of playing, through a philosophy that I believe is the best way to develop players because that is number one. If the philosophy is good and your development system is good and the quality of the players is getting better; then you can get results.
“But if you are only chasing results, and that has happened a lot in
Australian youth football, the result is that you are champions with this team and that team, but no players graduate to the first team. But now we’ve started to have a different look at the players and play a different system that is more difficult, however in the long term it will deliver you more results. It is not a surprise that in both tournaments in Asia we have the top scorer of the tournament, in both the under 17’s and under 19’s – that never happened before and we now have a lot of choice in the front third. This is because of the way we are playing and because of the selection process; the way of playing is not reactive, it is proactive. So people who have quality and are creative and technically good have more exposure and they get better.”
Versleijen also highlights the importance of good quality managers, but insists nationality should not be a big factor in choosing coaches.
“It’s not just about the nationality of the coach, it’s about the quality of the coach – it doesn’t really matter where
“you could brIng In the best football coach In
europe but If he only has an emphasIs on gettIng results then he Is not a
good coach for australIa."
ITYS mAgAZIne 47
Versleijen has also played a key role in the development of the national football curriculum, currently being rolled out across the country. We asked the dutchman if he could explain the benefits of the system.
“In the 4-3-3 system the positions are all connected to each other with the same distance, while if, for
example, you play 4-4-2 you have a misbalance because the two strikers upfront must cover a lot of territory and that is a big difference.
“When you use the 4-4-2 system you develop certain players in a different way and certain players actually don’t develop because
they are only there to serve the two players upfront. If you play the
4-3-3 system you force every player to find solutions and you force them to think about the position they are playing and every player must be able to control the ball and deal with team mates and opponents. And therefore it is the best system for youth development.
“once you master and learn to play in the 4-3-3 system then you can play any system. In youth football you develop players to learn awareness and find solutions
for football problems and then it doesn’t matter what system you are playing and that’s the thing about this system. And maybe it is no coincidence that, of the top four teams at the World cup, three of them play the 4-3-3 system.”
ITYS mAgAZIne48
he comes from. He should really fit into the Australian sports culture and he should know how to develop football in Australia.
“You could bring in the best football coach in Europe but if he only has an emphasis on getting results then he is not a good coach for Australia. This is the case because in Australia you must have different tasks; the coach must look to develop football in the country. This is also what you do with a club, you don’t just pick a coach, you pick someone who fits in with your way of playing and with your culture and who can add things that you don’t have.”
The Young Socceroos manager also weighs in on the debate that continues to rage in the Australian media: how good was Pim Verbeek?
“I think he got the maximum out of the situation. And after four years we almost understand what he did. That’s the thing isn’t it? At the moment everyone is in love with Holger Osieck - but hang on, let’s make a World Cup first.
“Being a national team coach in
Australia is a very difficult job because you have to get the players from all over the world, so you already have a logistics problem in terms of how you get them together. If you play in World Cup qualifiers then you have to fly for 20 hours and then after the game, you fly back. So that’s another challenge and I think Verbeek managed it very well.”
One of the reasons both Verbeek and Osieck were given the Australian job was their experience in Asia, something Versleijen believes is an important requirement.
“I think that was the main reason for my appointment because I worked in all parts of Asia. You need a good understanding of Asian football because Asian football is not the same; Japanese football is different from Korean football and Chinese football and Middle Eastern Football. There are completely different ways of playing and that is something you must understand.”
As the interview continues, conversation turns to another controversial topic in Australian football, the age of players moving overseas.
While some youngsters have flourished after the move to Europe, others have failed and returned to Australia. Arguably however, the best of the last generation of Socceroos were those who did leave early: Kewell, Viduka etc.
“I think guys like Kewell are the exception – you will always have exceptions, it doesn’t matter what they do with their career. However for all the others, the pathway now in Australia is quite good. If you start at the grassroots, you get into the skill acquisition program, and the moment you are good enough, you go into the AIS then the A-League. Personally I think this is a very good pathway.
“Players such as Tommy Oar played two years in the A-League as did James Holland, so I think for every good player if you can get a start at an A-League club, play in the league. And if you are good enough, they will pick you up to go overseas. And if you are not good enough, you can have a good career in Australia playing for 10 to 15 years. You are a professional and you can earn some good money.
TOTal FOOTball
ITYS mAgAZIne 49
“If you are excellent you can go overseas, but when I first came to Australia everyone was saying ‘I want to go overseas.’ And I thought why? At Manchester United from 2000 youth players only one will make it to the first team and when you come from another country you must be even better, so you really must be good.”
The primary reason for Versleijen’s belief that younger players can stay at home for longer is the rise of the A-League, another topic he discusses in depth.
“I have seen some differences in certain clubs – Adelaide United, Brisbane and Melbourne Heart play differently. They try to play football and play from the back. They use combinations and don’t rely solely on the long ball. They are already starting to change the way people play football and the more teams that adopt this philosophy, the more the other teams have to adapt and this will raise the standard. It will also help to get younger players into the system because it is no longer a physical game rather it is a passing game and this will help the youth development.”
Versleijen also believes that forcing clubs to play a certain number of U23 players could be beneficial for both the A-League and youth development.
“I think it would help, because it forces us to think about younger players. The best way though is to allow this to happen naturally and this has happened to a certain extent with Adelaide and Brisbane. When I first came to Australia and watched the A-League I thought Brisbane played the best football (with
their young players), but it takes a different approach to bring youth players into the first team. They are not the same as bringing in a 30 year old.
“With youth players you have to teach them the system and provide support, they will not always be consistent but in the long term they will give you more than that 30 year old person. When you play with older players they get to a stage where they begin to protect their own position and when they do this, they don’t do things for the team anymore, rather they do things for themselves.
“I heard a story from some clubs with older players and players from the national team and they said that training was of a higher standard with the under 19’s than with the seniors and I couldn’t believe this. So basically the older players can bring down the younger players to protect their own position and that’s a very bad thing – but it should be the opposite they should encourage and help the younger players.”
An important player in the development of young Australian stars is the AIS, where Versleijen currently calls home. Based in the Canberra, the Institute is not everyone’s idea of a dream location.
“At the beginning people would say where do you live? And I would say Canberra and the reaction would be ‘Oh my god!’ From everyone in Australia this is the reaction. If I had the choice, I would like to live in a house next to the sea with a nice view, however the most important thing is my working environment and that is absolutely ok at the AIS.”
And what does Versleijen think of the location’s impact on his young charges? Does being in a smaller city help them focus on football?
“Maybe yes or maybe no – I guess for the players it’s nice to see something different besides only the Institute. It is not easy when you are 15 or 16 and away from home, they have to invest a lot but they get the opportunity to develop and progress. I’m sure there are thousands of kids all over Australia who want to be in that situation. But it is still tough because you are not guaranteed to succeed. Not everyone is built for that environment, you must have more than just football qualities – you need to be able to survive in that environment.”
Finally, how long will Versleijen be around to fully implement the changes he is so passionate about?
“I don’t know, I honestly have no idea. My contract expires on the 1st of January 2012 so then I will assess my future. I am really happy, I like life in Australia and there are a lot of challenges and a lot of good things that are still coming up. If I stay in Australia, my role may be different. I could coach an A-League club, maybe continue with the national teams or maybe another country is knocking on the door, but I never plan those things. I didn’t know three years ago that I would be in Australia.”
Thanks to the Socceroos’ success at the 2006 World Cup, and the influence of the Oranje revolution, football is booming in Australia. While the A-League may still be fluctuating, it is just one of many important changes that will take Australian football to the next level. And whether he stays or not, Versleijen believes that football’s time as number one isn’t far off.
“I think it’s not a question of ‘if’ football will become number one in Australia, it’s a matter of ‘when.’ One day it will be the number one sport and you can’t stop it, you cannot stop the world game in any country.” itys
“I thInk guys lIke kewell are the exceptIon – you wIll always have exceptIons, It doesn’t matter what they do wIth theIr career.
He could be playing for Real Madrid, Milan, Inter, Juventus, or Manchester United. But the striker dubbed ‘El Matador’ by the adoring Napoli faithful has made up his mind; he’s staying put in the coastal city.
Edinson Cavani talks about why he’s not like anyone else, playing for cash as a kid, Diego’s legacy and, of course, what makes him such a deadly striker. IntervIew wIth Francesco PIerInI I PIctures by Getty ImaGes
Edinson Cavani
WORLD FOOTBALL’SBEST KEPT SECRET
ITYS MAGAZINE50
‘The best kept secret of South America’, heralded the big Italian sportspaper, La
Gazzetta dello Sport, about Edinson Cavani. And it’s hard to question such a hefty statement when one considers the Uruguayan’s statistics for this season and his place at the summit of the Serie A goal-scoring table. While most of the world’s biggest clubs are lining up to try and secure the striker’s prized signature, Cavani has already pledged his future in Naples. Madness, some would say. We asked the South American why.
You have revealed that you are staying in Napoli despite offers from big clubs all around the world. What is your motivation for doing so?Loyalty is very important to me. I’m not like a lot of other footballers that only look at their paycheck every month. When I’m playing for a club I have to be comfortable to perform my very best. In Napoli I have found serenity and have big support from everybody. I really feel appreciated here and that motivates me to play my best football and score goals for the club and the fans.
So are you saying that you don’t dream of playing for a club that’s vying for the league title and Champions League trophy every year?I want to win titles like everyone else. That’s why I’m playing football. To be the best. But I’m also very aware about what makes me a good footballer. And the people and the environment around me are crucial. At this moment I wouldn’t risk going to one of the biggest clubs in the world and being kept on the bench. I have to play every game to become a better footballer and I know that
I am guaranteed that in Napoli. If you look at our performances so far this season, there is no doubt that this team has a lot of potential and I believe we can win the Scudetto in the near future.
Please explain how exactly Napoli has managed to be one of the big players in the title race this season?It seems like the squad has the perfect mix of youth and experience. We have many players that have been here for a long time and everyone here is hungry for success. We all share the passion for Napoli and the club’s tradition has a huge effect on our team spirit. I think a lot of teams are surprised by our will to fight and run the extra mile for each other.
What about your own performances? You have already scored a bunch of goals this season, and you seem almost impossible to stop.It’s been a great season for me personally so far. As I said before, when I’m really comfortable in a team, I’m able to perform at my highest level and now, I have had a really good run. Sometimes I can’t even believe my own eyes when I look at the goal-scoring table and see my name on top. It’s been a fantastic journey with Napoli so far and I’m convinced that we will be a part of the title race for the rest of the season.
IT’S BEEn A gREAT SEASOn FOR mE PERSOnALLy SO FAR. AS I SAID BEFORE, WhEn I’m REALLy COmFORTABLE In A TEAm, I’m ABLE TO PERFORm AT my hIghEST LEvEL AnD nOW, I hAvE hAD A REALLy gOOD Run.
WORLD FOOTBALL’SBEST KEPT SECRET
ITYS MAGAZINE 51
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But are you good enough to win the league?We have the quality in the squad to win the championship. It could come this year, it’s not impossible. But even if we don’t win the league title, we will be happy as long as we qualify for Champions League next season. It would be absolutely amazing to be a part of the team that brings Napoli back into Europe’s finest club tournament.
What would participating in the Champions League mean for this club?If you look at the past, you find a club that has been through many things. For decades, it’s not been easy to be a Napoli fan. But now this club, with so many roots in Italian football, is back on top and where it is supposed to be. If we won the league title, I’m confident that every single person in the city would come out on the streets and celebrate. Napoli have experienced a lot of bad things as a city - crime, poverty - and I would love to give it’s people a chance to be happy and has something to be really proud of. The good thing about football is that it unites people and creates a lot of great feelings.
I have heard people compare you to Diego Maradona – not as a player, but as a hero in Napoli. How do you feel when you hear that?I’m honoured. Napoli’s history is very much built around the period that Maradona was here. He is one of the greatest hero’s in Italian football and in Napoli. People still talk about him and to just be compared with such a big legend is flattering. But I’m not here to be a new Maradona. I just want to help Napoli win the title or get a Champions League spot.
Isn’t it hard to keep your feet on the ground at the moment?No, I don’t find it difficult to be the same person as always. I know how quickly things can turn in football, so I have to enjoy my season, but I’m not going to get carried away with it. I still need to improve on a lot of things in my game, but I’m happy that it’s been a good run so far.
Everyone was surprised when you left Palermo for Napoli on a loan deal before this season’s start. What went wrong?I don’t know if anything went wrong. When Napoli came in with an offer, I was really proud because it’s a club that has a lot of potential. It’s back at the top again after years in the dark. So Palermo didn’t really want to let me go but I think they had to - with the financial opportunities - as well as my desire to join Napoli. I enjoyed some good years in Palermo and I learned to play Serie A football with that club, so I owe a lot to them. But now I’m here and that is where my focus is.
Diego Forlán, Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani; all three from Uruguay. What is the secret behind such a deadly strike trio?It must be something in the water in Uruguay (laughs). Of course it’s kind of a coincidence that we’re all scoring many goals at the moment and playing in the national team together. But I also think that it proves that Uruguay has become better in producing great players and especially strikers. I think it’s because we all love to score goals and as kids, we all want to be strikers. But then its only the best that turn into strikers when they grow older because you can’t have a team with eleven strikers.
What do you think made you such a great striker?When I was younger I was faster and maybe more talented than most
I’m hOnOuRED. nAPOLI’S hISTORy IS vERy muCh BuILT AROunD ThE PERIOD ThAT mARADOnA WAS hERE...PEOPLE STILL TALK ABOuT hIm AnD TO juST BE COmPARED WITh SuCh A BIg LEgEnD IS FLATTERIng. BuT I’m nOT hERE TO BE A nEW mARADOnA.
ITYS MAGAZINE 53
Few things in world football are as
spectacular as the almost mythical
scorpion kick. But save from the
perennial youtube favourites from
Rene Higuita or Zico, rarely has
the move been pulled off without
the player ending up red-faced,
in a heap, and the ball dribbling
hopelessly away.
Therefore one would think that
if a player was to score using the
famed strike to secure a historical
hattrick against an arch-rival,
there would be an unprecedented
amount of international fanfare.
Edinson Cavani did just that for
Napoli against traditional enemies
Juventus late last year. But his goal
subsequently received a different
kind of hype and may go down
as one of the most puzzling goals
every scored.
After some fluid movement in
Napoli’s attacking-third, a stinging
Marek Hamsik cross was finished
off for a goal by a seemingly
regulation diving header from the
Uruguayan striker, who had already
found the back of the net on two
earlier occasions.
But it was when the goal was
seen from a particular camera angle
that its true magic shone through.
For it seemed that Cavani, who
was running at goal, dived under
the Hamsik aerial pass and in a
split second, had to use the back
of his heels to knock the ball past a
stranded Marco Storari in goal.
Whether the result of some
quick thinking after a bundled
and mistimed dive… or a piece
of divine talent… the goal must
surely go down as one of the
most extraordinary hattrick-
finishing goals in the history of
the beautiful game.
And yet another youtube
favourite...
- Michael Tarquinio
LET’S SEE ThAT AgAIn…
ITYS MAGAZINE54
others for my age. So I always had an easier way of scoring goals. I remember that from a very young age I enjoyed the thrill of scoring goals. My dad and his friends used to promise me money if I scored two goals in a game, and that also motivated me. I think I ruined them with all the goals I scored back then (laughs).
How do you rate the two others?They’re simply amazing. Diego Forlán has been consistent in scoring over 20 goals in La Liga every season for many years now. In my mind that makes him one of the best strikers in the world. You also saw his great potential during the World Cup and he played such a vital part for us to get to the semifinals. He’s a fantastic footballer that can create and score goals, and outside the pitch, he’s a really nice guy. We all enjoy his company. Suarez is goal machine. You could give him the ball in front of goal ten times, and he would score ten goals. He hardly ever misses. Going to Liverpool could be a great step forward in his career. He has a lot of potential and deserves to be playing in the best leagues in the world.
What did it mean to the Uruguayan people that their national team was able to impress the whole world during the World Cup?I think we all felt proud. Both the players and the fans. We took the stage in front of the world and showed how far Uruguayan football has come. I don’t think anybody expected us to get so far and that made our results even more impressive. I also think we enjoyed being underdogs in every match and had that ability to surprise all our opponents. But after such a performance, you get pressure put on
your shoulders. Now people expect us to do well in the Copa de America and be an even stronger side for the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
But do you think that Uruguay will ever be good enough to win the World Cup in the future?We could do it with the current team. There were a lot of young players in the squad in South Africa. Of course it’s hard to say exactly how good we will be in three and a half years - and also, if Forlán is even playing football at that time. But we got a lot of experience being in such a big and strong tournament and I even think that we could have easily reached the World Cup final. It’s not like we didn’t stand a chance against Holland. And in a final anything can happen. So it could have been our chance in South Africa, but I’m hopeful that we will play another great tournament next time.
You have Italian origins. Has that helped you settle in Europe and Serie A?I spoke Italian before I came to Italy so that definitely helped me a lot. I knew a lot about the Italian culture and had several Italian friends, so they all helped me to get settled in Palermo. I felt at home in Italy from the first day I came here and that’s why I’m very keen on playing in this league for the rest of my life.
So you don’t have any ambitions of playing in La Liga or the Premier League?Okay, as a footballer you always want to test yourself. And obviously I could learn a lot by playing in another league like the two that you’ve mentioned. Both leagues fascinate me, but at the moment I’m enjoying my time in Napoli and Serie A. I have learned that it’s impossible to predict the future so I only look at the next challenges. That is what’s keeping me on top and at the moment, I want to stay where I am. Itys
I ThInK WE ALL FELT PROuD. BOTh ThE PLAyERS AnD ThE FAnS. WE TOOK ThE STAgE In FROnT OF ThE WORLD AnD ShOWED hOW FAR uRuguAyAn FOOTBALL hAS COmE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l9K3PQBeCc >>
an { A to Z } of
With the Germany friendly now just a warm, mushy memory, ITYS thought it time to delve into the annals of history to look at the weird, wacky and wonderful world of Socceroos friendly matches.
Words by Kieran Pender | Pictures by Getty imaGes
socceroos friendlies
a is for the Australian Soccer Federation (ASF). In 1984 the ASF organised
a World Series that saw club sides Manchester United, Rangers, Nottingham Forest, Juve and Iraklis tackle the Socceroos.
b Brazil faced the Socceroos in two friendlies in 1999, the first a two-nil win to the
South Americans and the second a two-all draw. Although it was billed as the ‘proper’ Brazil side, the absence of many big names meant free entry and bumper crowds.
cis for China. In the first series between the teams in 1923, Socceroos won
five-one, four-three, and five-nil, before going down three-one at the Sydney showgrounds.
dis for (Borussia) Dortmund. Now home to young Australian Mitch
Langerak, the Socceroos played Dortmund in Germany during a training camp to Europe prior to World Cup qualifiers.
e is for England. One of the Socceroos most famous friendly victories, their three-
one defeat of England in London, represented a huge triumph... to Australia at least.
fis for Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia and Carlos Alberto. All three
world class footballers were part of a New York Cosmos side that lost to the Socceroos in front of approximately 50,000 at the Sydney showgrounds in 1979.
G is for Gerhard Hanappi. One of Austria’s most celebrated footballers,
Hanappi travelled to Australia as part of a Rapid Vienna tour. The midfielder won the Austrian League seven times, and after football designed a stadium, which is now named after him.
His for Hadjuk Split, the first big name European club side to visit Australia. The
team visited several parts of the country in 1949, comprehensively dominating their rivals in their first few games, before the Socceroos managed to claw back a win.
The author was helped greatly by a wonderful Socceroos database on http://www.ozfootball.net/
ITYS MAGAZINE56
i is for Ireland. Several months after beating England, the Socceroos were hoping to
continue their dominance of the British Isles with a win over Ireland. But the Socceroos lost two-one in their first ever meeting with the side.
J is for Juventus. The Italian powerhouse came to Australia in 1984 for the
World Series, and brought with them the likes of Marco Tardelli and Cesare Prandelli.
K is for the Kowloon Bus Company. In 1970 the Socceroos travelled to
Vietnam to take part in the Friendship Cup against the South Vietnamese Army and the Kowloon Bus Company.
l(Kuala) Lumpur. The Socceroos took on Malaysian club side Kuala
Lumpur in 1983 in preparation for the Merlion Cup.
mis for Malmo. February 1989 saw Swedish club team Malmo visit Australia,
losing twice to a Socceroos side that included Paul Trimboli, Gary van Egmond and Graham Arnold.
n is for New Zealand, Australia’s first ever opponents in
international football. In a series of friendlies played between the sides in 1922, the Kiwis won twice and drew once. How things have changed...
o is for Oghab Tehran, an Iranian side whom the Socceroos drew nil-all with
while on their 1970 world tour.
P is for Palestine. Just before the Second World War broke out in 1939, Australian
fans were treated to a tour by the Palestine team, or so they thought. Despite being billed as a national side, later research now indicates it was in fact a touring Maccabi Tel Aviv team.
Q is for Queensland XI, a state representative side that took on the Socceroos
in an exhibition game in 1979.
r is for Roma, who played out a one-all draw against an Australian XI in 1966.
south Africa who in the early days became regular opponents of the Socceroos.
In one such series of encounters, the Springboks had to stay in Australia five weeks longer than they had planned due to a shipping strike.
tTorpedo Moscow came for a tour of Australia in 1965, playing seven games
including a two-nil victory over an Australia XI.
u is for the USA. In 1992 the Socceroos went on a short tour of the Americas that
saw them take on the USA, Argentina and Uruguay. They lost to both South American teams, but managed to scrape a one-nil win over the US.
V is for Vasco de Gama. Following the success of the World Series
tournament a year earlier, Brazilian side Vasco were invited out in 1985 along with Udinese (Italy) and Tottenham (England).
W is for World Stars. With the likes of Jürgen Klinsmann, Matthew
Le Tissier, Leonardo and Christian Vieri gracing the newly laid turf of Stadium Australia for its official opening in 1999, some fans must have been in shock.
X (Neuchâtel) Xamax, was one of three Swiss teams to play the Socceroos before
the 1974 World Cup. Australia beat Xamax, as well as Young Boys and St Gallen, in their respective home grounds, before heading to West Germany for the tournament.
y is for Yankos, Charlie Yankos. The Socceroos stalwart was a fixture of the
Socceroos in bizarre friendly games, in one year alone facing Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Glasgow Rangers, Juventus, Iraklis, Shanghai, Manchester City, PSV Eindhoven, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Z is for (Dinamo) Zagreb, who played out an entertaining three-all draw against the
Socceroos in Canberra in 1981. itys
ITYS MAGAZINE 57
Don't miss issue two the olympic issue
olyroos vs. yemen preview / melbourne '56 revisiteD / team Gb
and an unhappy homecoming / matilDas at the worlD cup /
Gerard pique Q&a and more live June 1