First up, theres the Harry Kewell move that shocked us all a few weeks ago! At first i thought it was the most ridiculous thing in the world for Harry to do. Why the hell would a player of Harrys talent shun a move to Serie A powerhouse Roma and move to Turkey, a country not known as an immense powerhouse in the world of football even despite their great showing at the Euros

But then i started to depict this a bit more and depict the pros and cons of the move:

Cons
– Galatasary arnt exactly the biggest club in the world at the moment are they even the biggest in Turkey?.
– Hes dangerously close to his 30s and hasnt reached the talents we know he can
– He is in danger of being forgotten in world football by being in Turkey
– Other than Fenerbache, there isnt very much else, as i look down the table i struggle to know any of the teams let alone pronounce their names.
– Turkish fans are a bit nuts lol

Pros
– When he arrived at Gala, he was the Star of the show and is easily their best player
– He is pritty much guaranteed game time unlike if he joined Roma, this is especially important for a player of Kewells fragile nature who may loose his spot at any other team if he breaks too often.
– Hes still playing Champions League football and could be potentially show himself off to other suiters
– Logisically Turkey is a much better option than Italy. He will most likely be able to decide for himself which Socceroos games he wants to play instead of being told.
– Gala v Fene games would be absolute crackers to play in!

I dont know it could just be me but after weighing up both the good and the bad of this move i support Harrys decision as i know it was a well calculated one. Of course i would have like to have seen him play in Italy but i think this is much better for his carrer.

Agree/disagree with me, add more to it.

Happy to be back

First off i’d like to give a shout out to all those who showed their support for this blog, it’s very much appreciated.

For those who don’t know too much about the A-league and would like an overall summary about what’s been happening in Australian football over the past 4-5 years, id go straight to the A-league Wikipedia page, and for everything else you’ll find right here on The A-League Offside! Oh and Linda, don’t worry, we’ll be covering a bit about New Zealand and the Phoenix too, let’s hope they do a bit better than last season ey

Might as well kick this blog off with the greatest player to ever put on a Socceroos jersey… The Wizard of Oz…. Harry Kewell!

Harry, Harry Kewell was called out all over Anfield when the great one arrived! So much potential, so much promise, so much greatness however he was never able to display his full talent at Liverpool. Now after 5 long and painful years, 93 appearances and 12 goals, he’s been shown the door by Rafa Benitez and told by Pim Verbeek that hes not going to walk into the team with no game time.

Usually when the name Harry Kewell comes up in conversation, its usually followed by the word “injuries”. I like to remember the Leeds United Harry Kewell who made his Socceroo debut at 17 and received international recognition for his talents as the finest left footer in the game at the time and still believe he has the potential to re-claim that crown.

There have been various reports of him being linked to Juventus and an array of mid-table sides in the premiership including a possible reunion with Dukes at Newcastle. Personally I would like him to make the switch over to the Serie A or Bundesliga from an English game which is played at a very high tempo and is increadibly physical unlike the other two where he can have more of a chance to fully recover from his injuries in the proper way and hopefully prove his greatness to everyone. A team like Juventus, Roma, Fiorentina or Bayern would be fantastic for him as it would bring him European competition. Harry’s style would be well suited to these competitions where a left sided midfielder who makes himself into an attacker at will is loved.

I would hate for him to make the step down to a mid-table premiership side. Not that Liverpool is the essence of greatness by any means but at least they compete in the CL. He dosen’t have a lot of options at the moment but i just think that Harry’s talent should be utilized by one of those clubs who genuinely compete in Europe as well as the league. Those reports claiming he is on his way back to the A-league in a few years should be shot down as soon as they come up!

I believe him still to have a lot to offer the top clubs at 29 years old, hes not finished by any means!

The Wizard of Oz