FCB

AMFG had a few things to say in the German media: "The conditions are really great, we have a great training facility with everything you need, two places, a weight room, etc." Training impressions: "I feel no difference, the content, duration and intensity are the same today almost everywhere." Is quoted saying that he wants to stay in Down Under for at least a year. Whether he can still compete in old age and has the level for goals on the assembly line, Meier "can not yet" assess.

Braad and I shall venture to the Royal Oak Satuday midday-ish. We shall have lunch, and two drinks (the first and the last, not counting the ones in between). Then I shall find a few volunteers to first carry me to, and then drag me along the March. Once in the stadium I shall hold on to that safe standing rail thing tightly, just to make sure that the whole stadium doesn't spin out of control and takes off into space.

Smurf FC are the favorites. Arnie whipped them into shape, and they won titles on the back of that. No one can deny that. AMFG, Schwegler, Georgievski, Jurman, McGowan, Lopar won't be rattled by the occasion, neither will Duke and Yeboah. They all have seen bigger games. Sullivan has played overseas, and Baccus can help rectify the Gombau-sponsored "we-will-win-the-derby" 0-5 experience. The young ones will be fine, they've experienced the Leeds and VIC crowd. Besides, we will carry them. Let the coaching group sort out the tactics. A defeat would show that there is more work to be done. A draw would be evidence that we've closed the gap to the Smurfs. A win would change the status quo in Sydney. Whatever the outcome, the game will be something else.

That's the perception that has emerged over the years: Arnie moaning on the side line, and the likes of Brosque, Zullo, Grant moaning on the pitch. On the other end of the spectrum you have Saba red carded for hitting the ball in S3, Sotirio's goal disallowed in S4, Zullo's handball ignored in S5, Carney hitting Herd before milking a penalty in S6, Roly's goal not given in S7, and MB red carded in the process. With three of the four chief moaners missing, with the Lowys not being in charge of football any longer, and them having sold their ESFC shares, a more balanced picture might emerge.

Duke: “We have set targets for the season and that is to be top of the table.” Finally someone spilling it out.

With Zullo out with injury, Retre as a makeshift LB doesn't look that crash hot, and Georgievski will put him to the test.

Hahaha. Can't get away with anything here. AMFG is hard to contain over 90 minutes. He is the kind of player who can force a result, and yes, I am half hoping/half expecting that he'll make the difference.

It's going to be a full house, let's see if the boys can do their bit to light it up. MB didn't like the slow start against VIC, and he saw tactical errors towards the end of the game. Getting these things right and keeping the error rate low is key - give the Smurfs half a chance and they score. Six months ago we played them with Snake, Kamau, Hamill, Elrich, Llorente, Baccus (GG), Mahazi, Duke, ABJ (Bridge), Roly, Riera (Majok). We had a good game, and had Majok been more clinical towards the end... The only survivors at our end are Baccus and Duke. Add Lopar, Georgievski, Dylan Mc, Jurman Schwegler, Yeboah, AMFG, and a totally different picture emerges. At the very least we'll give the Smurfs a good game. The rest is in the hands of the football gods.

FWIW: first time that I noticed a HAL match report on the kicker www. They also had a report about all the players and coaches currently in Australia who have BL history. Looks like the league in general and WSW in particular have arrived on the radar. https://www.kicker.de/4607871/spielbericht https://www.kicker.de/759805/slideshow/zum_start_in_australien_spieler_und_trainer_mit_deutschland_erfahrung

Kicker interview with MB. The gist: "Pirmin and Alex are just the guys we needed. Both said that they did not come here for the good life, but because they want to play here and experience something new. I told Alex that we're not here for the good life, but because we want to be successful, and that's how we work here. Play a bit of football and then off to the beach, that's not how it works." Babbel had an eye on Meier a year ago, but the interest did not materialize. When he searched for a striker again before the upcoming round and read an article about the unemployed Meier, he immediately called his advisor. The next day the answer came that Meier could very well imagine such an engagement. After a phone call Babbel and Meier agreed, the financial question was also discussed quickly, and in a few days everything was sorted. The level of the A League Babbel locates between second and third division in Germany, less physical and defensive, but more offensive oriented than the Second Division. The club's infrastructure is "sensationally well-organized," Babbel says enthusiastically: his coaching team is "the best I've ever had." WSW want to compete for the title, with the semi final being the minimum goal. https://www.kicker.de/758408/artikel/babbel_freut_sich_ueber_den_coup_mit_meier

The ABJ BL stats for # of games/goals/assists 97/4/19 The same stats for our three ex-Frankfurt players AMFG 276/93/32 Schwegler 262/7/27 Nicolai Mueller 185/42/29 'Nuff said.

Hey Prydz, if you love positivity then you might give it a try yourself some time. You saw a horrible Victory Friday, while others saw a very strong WSW performance for much of the game. Kurz is under the impression that WSW "stayed very compact", and unless I am mistaken: VIC didn't create anything outstanding in the last 20, 25 minutes. So, no, I don't share your concerns. in he build up to the match MB spoke about the challenge of tuning the training intensity, and I'd say that coaching group was spot on with tactics and physical preparation, and it made the difference. VIC's late signings for midfield Basha, Dobras, Poulsen only did part time shifts, and Traore was left out altogether. With those four on the pitch for 90 minutes VIC will be a force even without Hoogland and Kruse. In contrast, our late arrivals Jurman and AMFG played for 90 minutes each, Sullivan has fully recovered from his pre season injury, and Yeboah was fit enough to be subbed on late in the game. Importantly, we had our main man in midfield on the pitch. The absence of Kamau, Elrich, Ziegler and Mueller did not matter. As far as the title talk is concerned: when Ziegler got off the plane in June, he was very clear what he wants to achieve this season. Rest assured that Schwegler, AMFG, Majewski/Mueller, Dylan Mc, Jurman, Lopar, Georgievski did not join to come second. The same applies for Duke and Yeboah. The club at large, coaching group and players - they all want to win.

Teach, We are not programmed, but have evolved, and are the only species that has the capacity for complex thinking, courtesy of the human brain. Biology/nature/DNA is the framework, nurture/culture/experience is the fit out. The capacity for self reflection does not emerge out of nothing, it needs to be nurtured. At a biological level life without procreation would indeed be meaningless, as the species would come to an end within less than 100 years. People have been grappling with the concept of meaning probably forever, and they come to different conclusion depending on the time and geographical location they are living, or have lived. In organized religions the purpose of life is getting through it, and the reward/punishment comes in the afterlife. This is a position atheists reject, and they aim to live a meaningful life before they die. In Western society, when we say "drives", we often and without realizing it refer to Freud's concept of biological drives. That concept is dead, theoretically and practically. It is more helpful to consider that was "drives" us as culturally determined defined. Also, philosophies are not universal truths, but ideas by people who are "promoted" to a universal status. In Western society we have the philosophies of Plato and Descartes in our bones. That kind of thinking has been challenged - and arguable debuncted - by the likes of Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty. The natural sciences are underpinned by certain philosophies, by ways how people think about the worlds they live in. The natural sciences are a body of knowledge that people use at a given space in time to make sense of the world. The body of knowledge is subject to ongoing change.

The window for lucrative betting has close, and it won't open again in a hurry. Beteasy has ESFC as favourites on 2.80 to win the league, WSW is now second at 4.25, ahead of Glory (6), City (7), and VIC (8). If the derby goes our way the figures will change once again.

The attacker who didn't understand the concept of training vs the defender who didn't understand the concept of football - what a contest.