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Best overseas leagues for Aussies?

Decentric said:
Now I've had a good look at the WC, I think you and Sutherland B may have a point - to an extent.
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Ofcourse we're right :)
Decentric said:
There is a definite homogeneity of style - within parameters.
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Its all the same same the parameters are small - robotic as quoted -
Decentric said:
If one of my favourite players is Daniel Arzani, it does not tend to indicate a penchant for robotic footballers.
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well he is a AL player hence the interest and lack of others who can play that style, he would stand out in the APL - lacks X factors even though many think otherwise.
Its OK from my perspective though I like to see more X factor players, less passing back/sideways/more have a go approach instead of reset after reset - you get to the opponents box area and the robot turns back pass's back deep towards his own halfway line, goes on and on.
 
Decentric said:
There isn't the money on offer in South A, and, they don't need our players - do they?
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doubt its got anything to do with "need" its looking at the shop front window I suspect thinking is there anything there worth buying/introducing for the future :)
Decentric said:
Aussies might go well in the Uruguayan league? Given how rugged the national team is.
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I think all their leagues are quite robust/aggressive mixed with great skill sets.
 
Now the WC has finished, we can make a few informed comments about prospective transfers to clubs/leagues given the World Cup performances.

* Asia - huge WC disappointment. The one constant phenomenon is that when I looked up a quite a few UEFA team lists, even from powerhouses, they often had 1 or 2 players playing in the current Saudi league. Is this league now a better destination for Aussies?
Japan has always been a good destination for Aussies in recent times.

*Africa - tended to do well at the WC. How many players from Capo Verde and DR Congo play in African domestic leagues? To the best of my knowledge, only Keanu Baccus as an Aussie, has played in the South African league.

*If one doesn't play Big Five UEFA football, it looks like Belgium, Swiss league, Netherlands and Portugal are top destinations in UEFA. ltaliano has improved playing in Austria.

*Scotland coach Steve Clarke, selected 1 national team OUTFIELD player outside the Old Firm - a CB from Hibernians. The rest came from Saudi, Italy, Croatia and England ( most of them). This might indicate the Scottish league isn't any destination of significant step up from the AL, apart from money. I note Hearts and Hibs play Euro football.

*MLS, English Championship also look the goods and a step up from the AL.
 
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Decentric said:
Now the WC has finished, we can make a few informed comments about prospective transfers to clubs/leagues given the World Cup performances.

* Asia - huge WC disappointment. The one constant phenomenon is that when I looked up a quite a few UEFA team lists, even from powerhouses, they often had 1 or 2 players playing in the current Saudi league. Is this league now a better destination for Aussies?
Japan has always been a good destination for Aussies in recent times.

*Africa - tended to do well at the WC. How many players from Capo Verde and DR Congo play in African domestic leagues? To the best of my knowledge, only Keanu Baccus as an Aussie, has played in the South African league.

*If one doesn't play Big Five UEFA football, it looks like Belgium, Swiss league, Netherlands and Portugal are top destinations in UEFA. ltaliano has improved playing in Austria.

*Scotland coach Steve Clarke, selected 1 national team payer outside the Old Firm - a CB from Hibernians. The rest came from Saudi, Italy, ,Croatia and England. This might indicate the Scottish league isn't any destination of significant step up from the AL, apart from money. I note Hearts and Hibs play Euro football.

*MLS, English Championship also look the goods and a step up from the AL.
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In theory, Portugal is a good option but can’t remember any Aussies doing well in the top flight there.
 
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Decentric said:
Now the WC has finished, we can make a few informed comments about prospective transfers to clubs/leagues given the World Cup performances.

* Asia - huge WC disappointment. The one constant phenomenon is that when I looked up a quite a few UEFA team lists, even from powerhouses, they often had 1 or 2 players playing in the current Saudi league. Is this league now a better destination for Aussies?
Japan has always been a good destination for Aussies in recent times.

*Africa - tended to do well at the WC. How many players from Capo Verde and DR Congo play in African domestic leagues? To the best of my knowledge, only Keanu Baccus as an Aussie, has played in the South African league.

*If one doesn't play Big Five UEFA football, it looks like Belgium, Swiss league, Netherlands and Portugal are top destinations in UEFA. ltaliano has improved playing in Austria.

*Scotland coach Steve Clarke, selected 1 national team payer outside the Old Firm - a CB from Hibernians. The rest came from Saudi, Italy, ,Croatia and England. This might indicate the Scottish league isn't any destination of significant step up from the AL, apart from money. I note Hearts and Hibs play Euro football.

*MLS, English Championship also look the goods and a step up from the AL.
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Informed comments hahaha!!! More like uninformed speculation from a position of limited understanding.

By the way, the Scotland squad included two players from Hearts and one from Kilmarnock, as well as the Hibs player, from non-Celtic/Rangers Scottish teams.
 
The leagues our players have always seen to have gotten opportunities immediately in after moving from Australia and then have many times used it to get a bigger move elsewhere, have been Belgium, The Netherlands and Switzerland, in that order.

Belgium..
Krncevic, moved from Cercle to Anderlecht. Golden boot.
Farina - golden boot, moved to Bari in Serie A and then Strasbourg and Lille.
Okon, golden shoe, moved to lazio.
Aurelio Vidmar - Golden boot then moved to Feyenoord.
T Vidmar - went to beershot breifly before NAC breda, then Rangers.
Aloisi - started at Antwerp then mover to Serie A.
Thompson - ended up moving to PSV via 1 season in A league.
Ryan - league winner, champions league then moved to Valencia.
Vukovic - league winner, champions league.
Bos - moved onto Feyenoord.

So so many success stories. Weve had many more players go their star, and get big moves than go and not get any game time.

Netherlands -
Arnold
Culina
Emerton
Holman
Carney
Oar
Zullo
Sainsbury
Hrustic

Switzerland
Agostino
Chipperfield
Juric
Zdrillic
Bozanic
 
Decentric said:
There isn't the money on offer in South A, and, they don't need our players - do they?

Aussies might go well in the Uruguayan league? Given how rugged the national team is.
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Uruguay and the Argies are the big money teams, average wage would be huge compared to us and comparable to some Euro leagues other than the top 5.
 
theFOOTBALLlover said:
In theory, Portugal is a good option but can’t remember any Aussies doing well in the top flight there.
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Any ideas why that is, FL?

Portugal is usually ranked similarly to Netherlands and Belgium leagues, and the Swiss league, where Aussies have had success.
 
Bunch_of_hacks said:
The leagues our players have always seen to have gotten opportunities immediately in after moving from Australia and then have many times used it to get a bigger move elsewhere, have been Belgium, The Netherlands and Switzerland, in that order.

Belgium..
Krncevic, moved from Cercle to Anderlecht. Golden boot.
Farina - golden boot, moved to Bari in Serie A and then Strasbourg and Lille.
Okon, golden shoe, moved to lazio.
Aurelio Vidmar - Golden boot then moved to Feyenoord.
T Vidmar - went to beershot breifly before NAC breda, then Rangers.
Aloisi - started at Antwerp then mover to Serie A.
Thompson - ended up moving to PSV via 1 season in A league.
Ryan - league winner, champions league then moved to Valencia.
Vukovic - league winner, champions league.
Bos - moved onto Feyenoord.

So so many success stories. Weve had many more players go their star, and get big moves than go and not get any game time.

Netherlands -
Arnold
Culina
Emerton
Holman
Carney
Oar
Zullo
Sainsbury
Hrustic

Switzerland
Agostino
Chipperfield
Juric
Zdrillic
Bozanic
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Excellent detailed list, BOH.

One can add Balard to Eredivisie too.

Liam Chipperfield is playing in Switzerland too, isn't he?

O'Neill was getting a lot of game time and was club captain in Standard Liege in Belgium before his MLS sojourn.
 
Decentric said:
There isn't the money on offer in South A, and, they don't need our players - do they?
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The money over there is ok. The market for young and also post European career players is super competitive, certainly in Argentina. But as you say, there is no shortage of local talent.

Surprisingly there have been a handful of Australians who played over there. Pretty sure John Cralwey played in Chile. Rashid Mahazi played youth football for Independiente in BA.
 
With the impending record transfer of Herrington, the potential value of the MLS for young Aussies (especially defenders) has risen in my books. While Herrington is obviously an outlier it shows that MLS has become one of those leagues that top flight clubs (esp EPL) are willing to recruit directly from (which isn't always the case with continental leagues). Likewise, they pump a heap of money into marquee attacking players so as a young defender it would be a pretty good apprenticeship without having to compete with marquee overseas players for your spot.
 
Decentric said:
Any ideas why that is, FL?

Portugal is usually ranked similarly to Netherlands and Belgium leagues, and the Swiss league, where Aussies have had success.
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Portugal can be ruthless. Could be one of many things: technical, lack of competitiveness from Aussie players, we don't rate Aussie football in general or maybe not having the right agent.
 
Punchanello said:
The money over there is ok. The market for young and also post European career players is super competitive, certainly in Argentina. But as you say, there is no shortage of local talent.

Surprisingly there have been a handful of Australians who played over there. Pretty sure John Cralwey played in Chile. Rashid Mahazi played youth football for Independiente in BA.
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Pretty sure Mahazi was also at River Plate youth along with Gavin de Niese. Chris Cristaldo was at Nacional Asuncion youth. In Uruguay, Blake Riccuito signed for Penarol but was loaned out to Canadian and played a season in the second tier there. Of course, there was Richard Porta who played many matches for Nacional and others in the top tier and was eligible to represent Socceroos (I think) but never did.

In South Africa, it was Kearyn Baccus - not Keanu - who played for Kaizer Chiefs. Keanu never played professionally in SA. Matt Sim played a handful of matches for Cape Town City in the top tier. Isaka Cernak played a few matches for Supersport also. A number of ex-AL/NSL Kiwis had much more established careers in South Africa including Jeremy Brockie, Michael Boxall and Michael Utting. As a side note, we've had Australian Michael Urukalo briefly manage Nigerian club Enyimba, a club that won the CAF Champions League in 2003 and again in 2004.
 
Decentric said:
Not much hope for Aussies playing there then.
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Average wage, yes although median wage is much less.

Brazil Serie B would be a good start, although realistic would be a Serie C team. Peru wouldn't be bad El Salvador with it's cleanup of the street shit wouldn't be a bad place either. Best balance would be Panama.

I will cop some flack for this yet some of the younger players coming through have parents with enough deniro, sheckles, moolah to subsidise their son's basic to comfortable lifestyle in South and Central America. Pay wouldn't necessarily be at the top of the agenda for them but learning the dark arts and manipulation would. Learning what jeering crowds (Colombian riots couple of days ago) can be like would also be good for the education and the mental toughness.

You would be amazed at how far 1K AUD per week will get you in Panama let alone El Salvador.
 
Marcelo Pena, who grew up in Australia and had a short stint at Bentleigh Greens, was on the books of a number of Chilean clubs, including Colo-Colo briefly. He also has been assistant manager at clubs such as Colo-Colo and Boca Juniors, albeit briefly, and Al-Ittihad.
 
YdF said:
I will cop some flack for this yet some of the younger players coming through have parents with enough deniro, sheckles, moolah to subsidise their son's basic to comfortable lifestyle in South and Central America. Pay wouldn't necessarily be at the top of the agenda for them but learning the dark arts and manipulation would. Learning what jeering crowds (Colombian riots couple of days ago) can be like would also be good for the education and the mental toughness.
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Yeah, good point. I don't want to come across boomerish but with the exception of a lucky few, kids across Latin America are hungry for it. You don't win, you don't eat as they say. They have the double motivation - firstly, football is often the pastime, passion and obsession of everyone around them and secondly, it's a way out of for you and your family.

By comparison, Aussie raised kids have it easier even from working class backgrounds. They aren't generally going to put up with some of the hard-knocks or have the hard as nails mentality it takes to succeed over there. They are doing it to succeed, not to survive.

There are exception to all of that of course but generally speaking there is a mentality difference.
 
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Just following on from the above, mentality has been a weakness for us for a while.

In the NSL glory days we produced players right here who did earn professional careers in top leagues and had long and respected careers there. They had that "model migrant" mentality and a community level passion for the game all around them. There were a whole bunch of "Skip" players of the same generations who did the same because they were determined and tough enough to compete in that environment when most of their peers were probably playing oz-ball codes. You had to be tough because you stood out and nobody was going to give you anything.

It's the first time in probably 30 years we are seeing Australian talent headed almost straight to the top tables again. I wonder what the local and international culture shift is that's allowing that to happen. It's exciting.
 
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dr. bellows said:
Marcelo Pena, who grew up in Australia and had a short stint at Bentleigh Greens, was on the books of a number of Chilean clubs, including Colo-Colo briefly. He also has been assistant manager at clubs such as Colo-Colo and Boca Juniors, albeit briefly, and Al-Ittihad.
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There were, of course, at least a couple of Argentineans in Marcelo Carrusca who played in Argentina and Mexico and Jonatan Germano who played in Argentina and Paraguay who emigrated and became Australian citizens.
 
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