Fantasy Football

Hi everyone, I’m Pat and I’m the latest inclusion into the Australian World Cup blog squad. I may be crap at playing the game (except on the Playstation, where I rule) but like all armchair critics I have plenty of opinions so there should be lots of controversial posts coming your way.

With Socceroos action taking a break till mid February, I’ll spend the next couple of months doing what sport pundits do best – speculate.

And I’ll begin by naming my A-League Socceroos squad, a hypothetical team comprising of (you guessed it) A-League players who would make up (you guessed it again) the national team if European based players didn’t exist (I did warn about the controversy…).

Taking a basic 4-4-2 formation, the best of the domestic league will look like this:

GK – Eugene Galekovic. Going by current form, he is without a doubt the finest domestic keeper. His efforts in the Red’s run into the final of the ACL was mammoth, and this was unfortunately highlighted by young Mark Birighitti’s unconvincing efforts in the final two games in Galekovic’s absence.

RB – Kevin Muscat. I hate him (I’m a Sydney fan) but he’s a good player. Leave it at that.

LB – Scott Jamieson. All I can say is “Wow.” This 20 year old is the find of the season, and combines athleticism, technical prowess and pace with the determination and maturity of a wily veteran. Up and down the flank all day with flair and vigour, he is a joy to watch on the football pitch.

CB – Sas Ognenovski. An absolute brute in defence, he’ll happily kick chunks out of you just to make a statement… and that’s just in the players’ tunnel! His no nonsense approach to defending reminds me a bit of Italian warhorse Marco Materazzi, and while his lack of pace may be exposed by quicker forwards, he won’t be beaten in the air.

CB – Jade North. Pretty much picks himself. He’s very sharp for a man his size, and is reaching that age when we should stop talking about his potential and about his actual abilities instead. He’s been a regular in the full Socceroos squads of late, so it’s a bit of a disappointment to see him sign with a K-League side for next year, I was looking forward to seeing him testing himself in Europe.

RM – Travis Dodd. Now this is very opinionated, and I must stress that I’m not an Adelaide fan and I say this purely as a student of the beautiful game… Travis Dodd is the best player in the A-League. There, I’ve said it. Now I’ll go and hide in my bomb shelter from all you Joel Griffiths and Archie fans. Pace galore, good technique, leadership, maturity, determination, etc, etc, I can really go on forever. He’s an absolute monster on the park, bopping up everywhere and anywhere he’s needed. He gets things going when the chips are down, and to boot he’s also a great ambassador for the game off the pitch.

LM – Shannon Cole. Started the season off with a bang after being plucked from obscurity by Kossie. On his day, he combines dribbling (double step-over, anyone?), flair and deadly set-pieces with the ability to use both feet, making him such a versatile player. He’s gone off the boil a little of late, but that’s because Sydney have been sucking of late.

CM – Mile Jedinak. Another “Wow” please. Technically, he’s probably the soundest players in the entire league. He’s got a great range of passing, combined with creativity. He reads the game so well, and is the standout playmaker in the league. Plus, he’ll be punching on with Shannon Cole over who takes the free kicks.

CM – Mark Milligan. To be honest, I’m not a fan. After watching him walk out on Sydney (twice!), he became public enemy number one (in my room, anyway). Then to have him sign for Newcastle was another kick in the teeth, much akin to watching Figo cross the pickets to Real. But, that being said, Millsy’s got ability and his defence will complement Jedinak’s creativity perfectly.

ST – John Aloisi. He’s here purely based on his reputation, and I wouldn’t be the first selector to have fallen into that trap. He’s costing us over $500,000 per goal this season, but APPARENTLY he’s going to come good. Fingers crossed.

ST – Archie Th…NO!! Not Archie!! I’m going out on a limb here (bit of a contradiction since Aloisi was picked on reputation) and say Nikita Rukavytsya! While he bombed out at the Olympics, he’s recently been showing the goal scoring form which convinced Graham Arnold to pick him over Burns and Djite for Beijing. He’s the quickest striker in the A-League, and if he’s up against a flat footed back four, look out!

Da Bench:

GK – Ante Covic
CB – Craig Moore
CM – Steve Corica (What?! He’s playing well!)
ST – Joel Griffiths
ST – Archie Thompson