The Week Down Under: A-League Week 20

Lu-cash

Socceroos skipper Lucas Neill always comes across as a lovely fellow in interviews, but that hasn’t stopped him acquiring a reputation as a bit of a mercenary, given his tendency to jump from payday to payday at the first sign of a lucrative contract.

The latest chapter in Neill’s career will come at Sydney FC, but not after the Melbourne Heart reportedly had an agreement with him, only for him to renege on the deal. Lucas claims that isn’t the case (indeed, he says the Sydney offer represents a pay cut), the Heart claim it is, and the two will come face to face this weekend when Sydney travel to Melbourne.

Get the popcorn out.

Thought Police

Brisbane picked up a much needed 2-0 win over Wellington on the weekend, but that wasn’t enough for some of the fans, who unveiled a banner with the astonishingly creative phrase ‘Mulvey Out’ emblazoned on it. It’s the sort of thing you see all over the world, but the stadium authorities weren’t impressed, with security guards confiscating the banner amid much derision.

Without getting all 1984 up in here, it was a farcical decision and to Mike Mulvey’s credit, he defended the fans’ right to ask for him to be sacked, which was nice of him.

Closing In

The Wanderers juggernaut rolls on. Last weekend saw a trip to Melbourne to face the Victory, who had beaten WSW in Parramatta earlier this year.

Revenge was sweet, as Tony Popovic’s boys grabbed a 2-1 win which sent them up to second place, just one point behind the Mariners, who lost 2-1 to Perth.

The first three players to sign for WSW in June 2012. Courtesy of Macktheknifeau

While the A-League is decided by a knockout finals series at the end of the regular season, finishing first is still quite important. Not only do you get a novelty plate, but arguably more importantly, automatic qualification for the Asian Champions League.

In 20 weeks, the Wanderers have gone from wooden spoon favourites to title favourites. Amazing scenes.

Top, Top Reporting

Anyone who has spent any time in this country won’t be surprised to learn of the latest fuck-up by the media. There was a mention of the A-League in the midsts of the doping and betting scandal to engulf Australian sport, with reports of $40 million being spent in Asia on a game between Adelaide and Melbourne.

Except that it was 40 million Hong Kong dollars, and the media either didn’t know or couldn’t be bothered to convert it. That equates to about $5 million Australian, which by all accounts, is a perfectly normal figure.

I look forward to my paymasters making the same mistake.