Entries Tagged 'Friendlies' ↓

Some good man has started the Televise Melbourne Victory vs. China Match on SBS petition. I’ve just signed it and encourage you to do the same. It only takes a few seconds and there have been over 300 signatures so far. Hopefully a couple thousand signatures will provide sufficient prodding for SBS to get their act together and show the game come July 4th.

The Victory’s game against China on July 4 may be shown on free-to-air television.

Well, we hope so. Victory chairman Geoff Lord has already been in touch with SBS regarding the proposal. From the Age:

“To my knowledge, this is the first time any Australian club side has organised a game like this against a national team like China,” he said. “I think it’s an absolutely outstanding promotional opportunity from the City of Melbourne’s point of view.

“They could do a trade promotion around the game and use it to generate business and advertise Victoria. The game will be shown live throughout China, and the television audience is vast. I would like it to be shown live here too.

“We would hope to make this an annual event and build on the links we establish this year.”

Fingers crossed. If football is to grow in Australia, it’s going to require much better exposure from free-to-air TV.

It’s official: Carlos Hernandez is coming to Melbourne

The Fox (as he is known in Costa Rica) will be filling the void left by Fred’s departure. He has big shoes to fill, but it sounds like he has the feet to fill them. Ernie Merrick says he’s “a player of enormous pedigree who is still yet to reach his prime.” And hey, if Merrick says it, I’m going to believe him.

Unfortunately, Hernandez won’t be joining the Victory squad in time for next month’s fixtures against the Chinese national team (July 4) and Tianjin Teda F.C. (July 7). Tianjin Teda consistently finishes in the top half of the Chinese Super League, looking to do one better this year under the coaching of experienced Czech coach Jozef Jarabinsky: suffice it to say that they will be fierce competitors.

Fiercer still will be the Chinese national team, for whom the game against Melbourne Victory will be their final preparation for the Asian Cup. Pitted against a Chinese side trying to instill its millions of fans with steadfast belief on the eve of Asia’s premier football competition… Merrick must be licking his chops.

The China tour is going to be valuable experience for the Victory squad. Last year’s near-perfect A-League campaign was preceded by a series of friendlies against local Victorian teams, as well as the North Queensland Cup and the regular pre-season cup. It stands to reason that two games against such high calibre competitors will provide for an even more thorough testing of Melbourne’s capabilities. Not only that, but the opportunity to play in China prior to 2008’s Asian Champions League campaign offers the team a chance to prepare itself for the dynamics of international competition.

But that’s a long way off. For now, let’s make life hard for China’s finest.