The Top 5 suprise performers of the A - League

Its fair to say that the best Hyundai A - League season to date has come to a conclusion. Finally the Central Coast Mariners take out the Grand Final and can no longer hold the chokers label. With their succes this season we truly hope that support for the Mariners on the coast will sky rocket, to ease some financial pain. But with success comes downfalls, and the champions look set to lose up to five first team players. Ibini, Ryan and Sainsbury look set to head to Europe, whilst Danny Mcbreen and Pedj Bojic could join rival A - League teams.

No doubt the marquee signings were the highlight of the competition but the resurrections and coming of age of some of our local players was just as exciting. So often we give negative feedback to players when things arent going so well, so here at insidetheboxFC we like to stick to the positives. We have discussed and come up with the The Top 5 suprise performers of the A - League for season 2012/2013, we know its early but bring on next season.

5. Michael Beauchamp

Much like the baulk of the Wanderers squad Michael Beauchamp's A - League career was hanging on by a thread. Not wanted by arch rivals Sydney FC Tony Popovic picked up one of the buys of the season. Not only did he form one of the best centre back pairings in the competition but he was handed the captaincy and the move seem to spur Beauchamp to a new level.

4. Daniel Mcbreen

Daniel Mcbreen was always a good player, but this year he turned into a great player. He took out the golden boot scoring 17 goals in 25 games and then the Johnny Warren medal. At 36 years of age Daniel had the best season of his career and theres no reason why it can't continue next year, whether it will be with Mariners or not we will have to wait and see.


3. Mark Bridge

Much like his captan, Mark Bridge was unwanted by Sydney FC but super coach Popa saw something in Bridge to sign him at the Wanderers for their inaugural season. In recent years Bridge looked unfit and disinterested at the sky blues, this season it was the exact opposite.

2. Nikolai Topor - Stanley

Big Nikolai Topor - Stanley was an A - League journeymen, the Wanderers is his fourth club and it seems all it took was a decent coach and culture to really get the best out of him. He was almost lost to China in the off season but thankfully he stayed in the A - League and its done wanders for his Socceroos ambitions. By far one of the best centre backs in the comp this season well done Nikolai.


1. Trent Sainsbury

The biggest suprise packet of the A - League this season was young gun Trent Sainsbury. A championship medal and a successful Asian Champions League campaign has topped of a stellar year for the kid from Perth. No doubt in our mind Sainsbury was the best centre back in the A - League this year. With reported interest from Bolton, Southampton and Club Brugge its obvious we aren't alone in our opinion.

ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY.

Luis Suarez is at it again. But this time it's not in relation to his recent goalscoring blitz, rather it's in response to the biting incident during Sunday's fixture against Chelsea FC. If you look at Suarez and his career, his tally of controversial moments outweigh his impressive goalscoring tally for both Club and Country. Make no mistake about it, Luis Suarez is a potent striker who has an impressive goalscoring ratio to prove it. But, like so many players before him (i.e. Diego Maradona), it's a simple case of "Madness makes the Magician". His career highlights include a deliberate handball on the goal line of a World Cup Quarter Final match in 2010, biting an opponent whilst playing in Holland, Racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra and now this latest incident over the weekend. What could possibly motivate someone to bite an opponent is beyond me, but one thing is certain, had he (Suarez) tried that stunt 30 years ago in the old English First Division, he would have had his head punched in, his teeth knocked out and his arse kicked.

Fortunately for Suarez, he plays in an era of professionals where even the slightest hint of affray can get you a lengthy suspension plus a hefty fine. Though this time around, the 26 year old Uruguayan seems ever remorseful for his actions, in contrast to the first biting scandal back in 2010. We are now seeing a different Luis Suarez, he seems almost shy and embarrassed for his actions, maybe it's a case of "Twice bitten, Once Shy" as opposed to the other way round. It is unclear what action will be taken by Liverpool FC or the FA, but one thing is evidently clear, the career of Luis Suarez seems to get marred more and more with controversy. And not just off field antics that wash away and are soon forgotten, they are acts of cheating, violence and Racism. Something which Football has (or at least should have) absolutely zero tolerance for. Much like his South American counterpart Diego Maradona, Suarez now risks leaving behind a legacy of brilliance mixed with madness. As Jorge Valdano (A former teammate of Diego Maradona) once said "Maradona has no peers on the pitch, but he has turned his life in to a show, and is now living a personal ordeal that should not be imitated." The same can also be said for Luis Suarez. And the more his career progresses, the more the 26 year old Uruguayan seems to echo this sentiment.

Written by Alex Stilianos.
 

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Brisbane Roar will take on Adelaide United tomorrow night in the first round of knockout fixtures for the 2012/13 A-League title. While both cities are quite a considerable distance apart in location, the two clubs share a closeness to each other like no other in the competition. Players like Sergio Van Dijk, Sasa Ognenovski and Dario Vidosic have all made the switch to United after leaving the Roar. Earlier this season it was Rado Vidosic (the father of Dario) who was coaching the beleaguered Roar side and, in poetic fashion, it was his son who sank the Brisbane Roar 1 nil with a beautiful top corner free kick. In a reversal of fortune, Adelaide are now the beleaguered team in the competition and the Roar have hit a purple patch in form. Tomorrow's fixture will prove to be a high octane and hopefully high spirited fixture at Hindmarsh stadium. With the Brisbane team having conceded only 3 goals in the last four fixtures, and finding the back of the net 5 times in the last two, I'm predicting it will be a 2 nil win to Brisbane Roar. And as for the Dario Vidosic factor, only time will tell.

Written by Alex Stilianos.

A - League Player Movement Gossip

With the latest instalment of the regular Hyundai A - league season coming to a close, the player movement rumours are flying around like wildfire. No real big surprises with the most rumoured departures coming from the Melbourne Heart and Newcastle Jets.

Newcastle Jets

- The Jets look certain to lose Brazilian Bernardo to the K - League after failing to win a regular start under Gary Van Egmond.

-Fan favourite Dom Ritter is close to agreeing with two Major League Soccer franchises.

- Scott Neville is being linked with a move back to previous club Perth Glory.

Melbourne Heart

- Patrick Gerhardt has attracted a lot of interest from several K - League sides.

- Jaime Coyne will join the growing list of Aussies to play in India's I - League next season.

- Clint Bolton will take over as goal keeping coach for the Melbourne Heart as of next season.

Brisbane Roar

- Former young gun James Meyer will move to Thailand next season, Bangkok Glass is one club that is linked with the 25 year old.

- Mitch Nichols is still keen on a move to Europe, Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC are interested but if he stays in the A - League it will most likely be with the Roar.

Perth Glory

- Utility Dean Heffernan is also close to a move to Thailand if he doesn't re-sign with the Glory.



Melbourne Victory

- Goalkeeper Nathan Coe is still attracting interest from the French Ligue 1.

A SEASON IN REVIEW

With the 2012/13 A-League Fixtures wrapped up, and the Minor Premiership going to the Western Sydney Wanderers, It’s time to look back on the season that was. First and foremost, Congratulations to the Wanderers, not many clubs can boast a Minor Premiership in their Inaugural season. Australian Billionaire Clive Palmer tried to achieve this in 2008 when he decided to invest his money in Gold Coast United, and made a lofty statement that the club were in it to win it during their first full season (2009/10), so kudos to Tony Popovic and all the boys In Western Sydney. Looking back on this season, It’s hard to name anything specifically as a standout moment during this 2012/13 A-League, as there were many. But I think one player who stole the show throughout the season was 38 Year Old Italian Alessandro Del Piero. His dazzling runs, sublime skills and clever finishing was proof that he was worth every bit of the 2 Million Dollar Annual pay cheque he gets. It also showed there’s plenty more inside the tank of this World Cup Winning Legend. 

On the other side of the spectrum there was perhaps (in some people’s eyes) the fall from grace for last year’s Grand Final outfits the Brisbane Roar and Perth Glory. With the Roar finishing the season in 5^th Spot and the Glory in 6^th, it seems like a sudden reversal of fortune since last year. Although they both make in to the Top 6 for a Finals playoff, it doesn’t seem likely we’ll be seeing these two teams in this year’s Grand Final. But the final thing about this 2012/13 A-League season, is the closeness and competitiveness in which these fixtures were played. If you look at the end of season table, not a lot separated 6^th spot from 10^th, and there were never any easy fixtures for any club. This is a great sign of how far the League has come in the last 8 years and It’s only a sign of things to come. So as Finals Football approaches, and the crowds flock in droves across the Country, one thing we can be proud of Is how far we’ve come in Australian Football. In the words of a 2007 song by Matchbox Twenty, “Let’s see how far we’ve come”, well when looking back It’s a long way and for the better. Enjoy the Finals.

Written by Alex Stilianos.