Completely forgot to answer the question about Roy Hodgson and England in my last post. Thanks for posting Nick :D.

I pretty much agree with what Nick said. Roy’s been involved in management for nearly 40 years and the game itself almost 50. He’s managed in different leagues and different national teams. He’s got a wealth of knowledge and is genuinely a nice guy. However, like many a manager before him in the England job, I can’t see him leading them to win a major tournament. The problem with England is the unrealistic expectations the media put on the team.

I expect England to at least make the quarter finals. The top teams will be Spain, Germany and Holland. I can see one of those winning it.

@ Nick
Glad you’ve started watching the J-League. I’d take J-League over the Prem any day. The Japanese talent on show is very exciting. I still believe an Asian team can one day win the World Cup. It’s boring that only European and South American countries have won it so far.

@ andrew
I feel Asian football is only going to get bigger and better. In Europe and the Americas, It’s largely been in the shadow of the European and North and South American leagues. European players such as Gary Lineker and Michael Laudrup have played at Nagoya Grampus and Vissel Kobe respectively towards the end of their careers while more recently Freddie Ljungberg had a stint at Shimizu S-Pulse. Some lesser known European players and alot of South Americans (mainly Brazillians) have also plyed their trade their at some point. Although the feeling now is these countries (eg. Japan, S Korea, China) want to develop more home grown players and use less foreign players.

While in the past and currently at present, players are going to Asia at the end of their careers, (eg. Nicolas Anelka and probably Didier Drogba), this is bound to change in the future. The Asian leagues are much more competitive than the MLS in America, which is another popular destination for players to goto at the end of their careers (eg. Thierry Henry and David Beckham).

You find that the top American players mostly play in Europe. While this could be the case of players from Aus and Asian countries too, I don’t ever see the MLS getting as popular as the Asian Leagues will. Partly to do with the Asian leagues being more competitive and the fact that other sports are more popular in America.

It might not happen for awhile but I expect future players to seriously consider plying their trade during the beginning and middle of their careers in Asia. Lifestyle and language plays a part in this too and won’t be ideal for every player.

If I was a football player I’d definitely play in Asia. J-League for sure and perhaps a stint in Korea, China and Aus. :D

As for the (Hyundai) A-League, that’s what it’s known as over here when ever I hear it mentioned on TV or read about it on the net. Similiar to how the English Premier League is known as the “Barlcays Premier League”. I guess it’s easy to think of the sponsor when talking about something hehe.

If you know the right places to look on the net, you can watch any football/soccer match live for free. The quality of the streams aren’t always that great but definitely watchable. I’ve done this a few times for 3pm kick offs in the Prem.

Your right about the A-League not having much character yet. As it was only formed in 2004 it’s behind the other Asian leagues in terms of history and popularity. This will definitely change as time goes on.

Cahill is a legend. Your right about him saving Everton on many occasions. His performances and work ethic are 100% almost every match. He’s a great header of the ball too. I remember he turned around a WC qualifer against Japan back in 2009. Aus were losing 1-0 at home and then Cahill scores twice to win the match.

Schwarzer has been a great GK. I agree he should really have played for bigger clubs than Middlesbrough and Fulham. Arsenal were interested in him at one point but Mark Hughes wouldn’t allow him to leave. Harry Kewell was superb at times but injury as blighted his career. Brett Emerton was a solid midfielder at Blackburn for 8 years. Lucas Neill is a a great defender. Always puts in hard tackles and saved Blackburn and West Ham from defeat many times. Mark Viduka was quality at his peak. Did very well at Leeds. Surprised he didn’t join a bigger club after Leeds were relegated.

Aus are definitely in the best Confederation. From what you said, qualifying for previous tournaments was a shambles.

Are you a fan of Cricket too? The Aus team from the Ashes 2006/07 were incredible. Shame most of them have retired.

@ Nick
Kagawa is awesome. Definitely in the world class bracket. It looks like he will go to Man Utd, and as an Arsenal fan that is slightly disappointing as I wish he was joining us. Nonetheless, a great addition it will be to the league. I can only hope Ryo Miyaichi becomes as good if not better than Kagawa over time.

Kagawa’s arrival at Man Utd will probably spell the end of Park Ji Sung. Park has been tremendous for Utd. Very underrated and scored some crucial goals for them. His game time last season was alot less than previous seasons.

Asian players are starting to gain more attention in Europe. I can see the trend continuing. An absolute pleasure to watch them play and they come without all the drama and selfishness European and South American players cause at times.