Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2018 i Australian FourFourTwo

Australian FourFourTwo|September 2018

Straight from the stands

All good things must come to an end… and after 13 years, this is my final FourFourTwo . It’s been a helluva ride – I was news editor when FourFourTwo launched in Australia in late 2005 just as the A-League was starting out, a fledgling competition rising from the ashes of the NSL and Soccer Australia, promising a new era for the sport. TV money in that first season was non-existent, the salary cap was a fraction of what it is now, there were only eight clubs, most of them new start-ups with no history (or fans)…and no-one knew if anyone would actually turn up for the games. But the arrival of Dwight Yorke brought a new glamour to Australian football, and thousands flocked to see what…

2 min

Australian FourFourTwo|September 2018

AROUND THE WORLD IN 12 STORIES

1 NICE ARTWORK IF YOU CAN GET IT France Paris Once labelled “as valuable as the Mona Lisa” by his agent Mino Raiola, Mario Balotelli tested the theory by snapping himself sampling the Leonardo da Vinci doodle amid rumours he was leaving his club Nice. Potential buyers from around Europe swiftly got in touch to say they’d be keen to pay big money to purchase the star of the photo… and they’d chuck in a fiver to buy Balotelli as well. 2 RESTRICTED VIEW Bangladesh Dhaka It might seem strange (not to mention dangerous) to watch the World Cup with a bag over your head, but such measures were taken in Bangladesh, where folks viewed the action in the pouring rain on the streets of Dhaka. The bags were transparent,…

5 min

Australian FourFourTwo|September 2018

MY GREATEST GOAL GARY COLE

AUSTRALIA 1 MEXICO 1 26 August 1980, Olympic Park, Melbourne THE LEAD UP We were playing Mexico in back-to-back friendlies and we were coming off a 2-2 draw in Sydney. I was impressed we were playing Mexico because they were a big Central American team and back in those days we didn’t play teams like that too often. These games were in preparation for the 1982 World Cup Qualifiers and playing with the family in the crowd was nice and was a rarity. We all realised they were a bloody good Central American team. What was in our favour was a cold, wet winter’s night in Melbourne, so that probably helped. THE MATCH Olympic Park was wet so the ball was zipping around and that suited them. Sometimes we call…

“I RETIRED FROM ENGLAND AS I DIDN’T WANT TO STAND IN THE WAY OF YOUNG PLAYERS. LOOK WHAT’S HAPPENED SINCE” You know what they say: never work with children, animals or pies. But, in the latest edition of the surreal adventures of FourFourTwo , we are in the kitchen at Liverpool’s Melwood training ground, trying to figure out which of the six pies in front of us is the most appropriate to throw at James Milner. It’s a more difficult undertaking than we anticipated. Some don’t look quite right; others start to crumble between FFT’s fingers, completely unwilling to co-operate. When the former England international himself arrives, we find him a whole lot easier to work with than the pies – even allowing for the surprised look…

18 min

Australian FourFourTwo|September 2018

SIX OF THE BEST FIXTURES

Reading vs Derby Frank Lampard kicks off his managerial career in the glamorous venue of downtown Reading Leeds vs Stoke Marcelo Bielsa takes charge of Leeds and literally anything could happen Man Utd vs Leicester It’s Saturday morning in the Premier League; Leicester haven’t won at Old Trafford since 1998 Arsenal vs Man City Unai Emery has an easy start: he has to stop the team which amassed 100 points last term Real Madrid vs Atletico No CR7, but Julen Lopetegui leads Los Blancos in a Madrid derby in the UEFA Super Cup – in Tallinn Celtic vs Rangers In his first Old Firm game, new Rangers manager Steve Gerrard faces former boss Brendan Rodgers…

1 min

1 min

Australian FourFourTwo|September 2018

AT THE END OF THE DAY CHRIS GREENACRE SAY WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT VAR, BUT AT LEAST IT STOPS DEFENDERS TUGGING ON STRIKERS!

I knew I’d made it as a player in the latter stages of my career. The game can be taken away from you quickly and if you allow yourself to rest on your laurels, it could bite you on the back side. I never let myself get carried away with anything. I went about it with a day-by-day mentality and if you do that, you can actually look back and say ‘I did make it and I was fortunate enough to make a living out of football’. I was happiest when we were winning something. We had one promotion in my career at Mansfield Town. We got promoted in 2001/02 to League One . I was the top goal scorer, we finished third and won 24 games. My hero growing…

3 min

1 min

Australian FourFourTwo|September 2018

ASSAULT BIKE

What is it? It’s the secret weapon personal trainers are employing to whip Premier League footballers into shape before the start of pre-season. Unlike a normal exercise bike, this features two levers which are moved forwards and backwards using your arms, making it a brutal full-body workout in the gym. How does it work? The mechanics are simple – the harder you work, the harder the bike cranks up the resistance, meaning there’s literally no limit to how challenging it could get. Pedalling at full pelt leaves your quads burning after a session, and your arms, back, shoulders and core will all take an absolute pounding as you push through the pain barrier. Who uses it? Assault bikes are now a common piece of gym equipment for Premier League and…

1 min