Latest news with #CentralCoastMariners
News.com.au
a day ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Mat Ryan positive about chances of securing another club contract in Europe
Mat Ryan's club career is again in limbo, but the Socceroos captain isn't concerned, confident he will secure a contract in Europe next season. The 33-year-old goalkeeper's contract with French club Lens expires this month and he's 'waiting' for news about his future. Ryan only joined Lens in January from Roma, where he only made one competitive appearance in a tough six-month spell at the Italian club. The former Central Coast Mariners custodian has bounced around Europe in recent seasons, with Lens – where he made 14 appearances – having been his fifth club in four years. However, as he prepares for the Socceroos' FIFA World Cup qualifier in Perth on Thursday night against Japan, Ryan is 'feeling at ease' about his future. 'I'm just waiting,' he said. 'We're in that period now where the transfer window opened on the first of June, so I'm not too worried. 'I go out there and try my best, and everything sorts itself out at the end of the day. That's been the trend throughout my career, so I'm feeling quite at ease about that, and just focused on the job at hand with the Socceroos. 'I'm feeling good, and I'm feeling still quite young. I've just got to continue to do the job and prove that I'm a world-class goalkeeper through my performances, and the rest will take care of itself. 'I'm hungrier than I've ever been before. I want to live the best life possible, and I want to have the best career I can possibly have, and I dedicate my life to that.' Ryan was also positive about the Socceroos' chances of beating Japan for the first time in 11 matches, with Australia's most recent win over the Samurai Blue being a 2-1 victory in Melbourne in June 2009. Depending on the result of Saudi Arabia's away clash with Bahrain on Friday morning (AEST), a Socceroos win, or even draw., on Thursday night could be enough to secure 2026 World Cup qualification. Perhaps helping Australia's cause will be the decision of Japan – who have already qualified for the World Cup – to leave a host of its best players at home. 'Anything that they do doesn't impact my confidence,' Ryan said. 'I'm just focused on what we do here and focused on what we can control. 'You've got to go out there and believe that you can overcome whatever challenge is in front of you, and obviously there's a fine line without being arrogant and being complacent. 'In my eyes, we're the best in Asia. If you don't believe you're the best, then you're failing at the first hurdle.'
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘We believed all season': Inside Tottenham's euphoric Europa League victory
Montgomery is still coming to terms with the magnitude of what he has helped Spurs achieve this season. Sacked by Hibernian in May last year, after less than a month as head coach of the Scottish Premiership side, he had other opportunities to continue as a manager – but couldn't turn down the chance to work with Postecoglou, who was one of the first to send Montgomery a congratulatory message after he steered the Central Coast Mariners to an emphatic A-League grand final victory in 2023. The departure of previous assistant Chris Davies to Birmingham City opened up a spot on Postecoglou's staff for Montgomery, who was joined at Spurs by his own long-time lieutenant Sergio Raimundo. Part of Montgomery's portfolio was to look after Tottenham's set pieces, in attack and defence, in tandem with Jedinak, another ex-Mariners legend. But Postecoglou's collaborative approach with his assistants gave him broader scope in terms of adjusting the team's game model and structuring their training sessions, all of which were meticulously planned and reviewed afterwards. It was never easy, though, due to one of the worst injury crises a Premier League side has ever seen, and the incessant noise from the outside questioning everything Postecoglou and his staff were doing. 'It's been a great learning,' Montgomery said. 'It's also been an opportunity for me to grow and support Ange in what was a difficult season, but in the end, an amazing season. 'The media tried to make out that the team never changed the way it played and just never adapted, but that's completely not true. It's difficult to fully adapt when you're making five, six changes every week, we had so many injuries, you know, you've got young players that are just coming in experiencing that level for the first time ... we never abandoned our principles all season. 'We always believed that we could go on and win the Europa League. The players believed in Ange and backed him, even throughout the really difficult times and I think that's a real test of a top world-class manager.' The celebrations, though? An utter madness, and Montgomery was in the thick of it. One of many viral videos from the post-match in Bilbao caught James Maddison leading the players in a chant in his honour, to the tune of Freed From Desire: ' Monty's on fire, your defence is terrified! ' 'The boys were in full force, mate,' he laughed. 'James Maddison, he reminds me a lot of Jason Cummings – that sort of character. He's just a majestic player, a wonderful player, a football brain. Some of the stuff he does, the game he stands still when he gets on the ball, and he just sees things that other players don't see but not only that, he's just a great guy, a proper character. He was trying to get me up on the stage! 'I was always banging on him about taking corners and free kicks and getting him out there to do extra practice and stuff, and you see his stats in terms of the assists that he got through the season, considering he had a couple of injuries as well … he's actually up there in terms of the Premier League's top scorers from free kicks and assists.' Though he only moved to Australia when the Mariners signed him as a player in 2012, Montgomery has become an Australian citizen and appreciates the significance of what Postecoglou is doing for Aussie coaches and the game back home more broadly. The A-League might feel a million light years away from the Premier League, but it is never far from their field of vision. Literally. 'We always watch the A-League,' he said. 'Obviously, the timing of the A-League [in the UK], it's normally when we're having a coffee in the morning, preparing a session, going through all the sort of pre-training stuff. We've always got the A-League on in the coach's office; Ange has all the football on in his office, all the time. We're just immersed in it. 'We try to be real advocates for the A-League, because we know the quality of the players that are in there, and a lot of good young players coming through now. I'm really proud of the fact that we played a part in maybe more coaches now believing in young players and helping to develop them ... that's a great thing to see.' Like Postecoglou and the rest of Tottenham's coaching staff, Montgomery is currently in a state of limbo, waiting for news from above as to whether a managerial change will be made - as has been widely forecast in the English media. However, the Europa League win has changed the atmosphere, and with Postecoglou enjoying the clear backing of the entire dressing room – and, once again, the majority of Spurs fans - moving him on would be an enormous risk. Loading 'I came here for one year already, and it's been an amazing journey,' Montgomery said. 'I've learned plenty – it's probably hard for me to say one thing, but I learned that, yeah, I can coach in the Premier League with World Cup-winners and world-class players. 'In future, I'll definitely be looking to get back into management. That's what I spoke about with Ange in our first meeting. But for now, until we're told otherwise, I'm really looking forward to coaching in the UEFA Champions League next season and continuing to support Ange.'
The Age
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
‘We believed all season': Inside Tottenham's euphoric Europa League victory
Montgomery is still coming to terms with the magnitude of what he has helped Spurs achieve this season. Sacked by Hibernian in May last year, after less than a month as head coach of the Scottish Premiership side, he had other opportunities to continue as a manager – but couldn't turn down the chance to work with Postecoglou, who was one of the first to send Montgomery a congratulatory message after he steered the Central Coast Mariners to an emphatic A-League grand final victory in 2023. The departure of previous assistant Chris Davies to Birmingham City opened up a spot on Postecoglou's staff for Montgomery, who was joined at Spurs by his own long-time lieutenant Sergio Raimundo. Part of Montgomery's portfolio was to look after Tottenham's set pieces, in attack and defence, in tandem with Jedinak, another ex-Mariners legend. But Postecoglou's collaborative approach with his assistants gave him broader scope in terms of adjusting the team's game model and structuring their training sessions, all of which were meticulously planned and reviewed afterwards. It was never easy, though, due to one of the worst injury crises a Premier League side has ever seen, and the incessant noise from the outside questioning everything Postecoglou and his staff were doing. 'It's been a great learning,' Montgomery said. 'It's also been an opportunity for me to grow and support Ange in what was a difficult season, but in the end, an amazing season. 'The media tried to make out that the team never changed the way it played and just never adapted, but that's completely not true. It's difficult to fully adapt when you're making five, six changes every week, we had so many injuries, you know, you've got young players that are just coming in experiencing that level for the first time ... we never abandoned our principles all season. 'We always believed that we could go on and win the Europa League. The players believed in Ange and backed him, even throughout the really difficult times and I think that's a real test of a top world-class manager.' The celebrations, though? An utter madness, and Montgomery was in the thick of it. One of many viral videos from the post-match in Bilbao caught James Maddison leading the players in a chant in his honour, to the tune of Freed From Desire: ' Monty's on fire, your defence is terrified! ' 'The boys were in full force, mate,' he laughed. 'James Maddison, he reminds me a lot of Jason Cummings – that sort of character. He's just a majestic player, a wonderful player, a football brain. Some of the stuff he does, the game he stands still when he gets on the ball, and he just sees things that other players don't see but not only that, he's just a great guy, a proper character. He was trying to get me up on the stage! 'I was always banging on him about taking corners and free kicks and getting him out there to do extra practice and stuff, and you see his stats in terms of the assists that he got through the season, considering he had a couple of injuries as well … he's actually up there in terms of the Premier League's top scorers from free kicks and assists.' Though he only moved to Australia when the Mariners signed him as a player in 2012, Montgomery has become an Australian citizen and appreciates the significance of what Postecoglou is doing for Aussie coaches and the game back home more broadly. The A-League might feel a million light years away from the Premier League, but it is never far from their field of vision. Literally. 'We always watch the A-League,' he said. 'Obviously, the timing of the A-League [in the UK], it's normally when we're having a coffee in the morning, preparing a session, going through all the sort of pre-training stuff. We've always got the A-League on in the coach's office; Ange has all the football on in his office, all the time. We're just immersed in it. 'We try to be real advocates for the A-League, because we know the quality of the players that are in there, and a lot of good young players coming through now. I'm really proud of the fact that we played a part in maybe more coaches now believing in young players and helping to develop them ... that's a great thing to see.' Like Postecoglou and the rest of Tottenham's coaching staff, Montgomery is currently in a state of limbo, waiting for news from above as to whether a managerial change will be made - as has been widely forecast in the English media. However, the Europa League win has changed the atmosphere, and with Postecoglou enjoying the clear backing of the entire dressing room – and, once again, the majority of Spurs fans - moving him on would be an enormous risk. Loading 'I came here for one year already, and it's been an amazing journey,' Montgomery said. 'I've learned plenty – it's probably hard for me to say one thing, but I learned that, yeah, I can coach in the Premier League with World Cup-winners and world-class players. 'In future, I'll definitely be looking to get back into management. That's what I spoke about with Ange in our first meeting. But for now, until we're told otherwise, I'm really looking forward to coaching in the UEFA Champions League next season and continuing to support Ange.'
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Matildas coach Tom Sermanni blasts Australian women's football scene
As he prepares to hand over the reins to the Matildas, interim coach Tom Sermanni has launched a blistering attack on the Australian domestic football scene. The Central Coast Mariners won their first A-League Women's crown with a penalty shootout victory over Melbourne Victory on May 18. But the result produced very little coverage across mainstream media, with the domestic football scene in Australia struggling to keep up with the country's other major sports competitions. Sermanni, who is in his third stint as coach of the Matildas, will lead the team into Friday night's clash with Argentina in Melbourne. Joe Montemurro, who has just won the French domestic league title with Lyon, is widely expected to replace Sermanni. The interim coach took the opportunity to blast the state of Australia's domestic women's team in the build-up to the clash with Argentina at Marvel Stadium. Every current player in the Australian squad competed in the ALW at some stage of their careers, but Sermanni believes the competition has gone backwards. 'We really need to have, at A-League level, a real rethink,' he said. 'The league has been going for 17 years. When we started the league, and the coaches came from our institute programs, we had full-time coaches and more full-time staff than we have now, 17 years in. 'The A-League separated five years ago and what we have done since then is we've got home and away, which is an improvement, but we are still grossly under-invested in the women's game here. 'I don't know if there's a thought process going forward about where they want to take the league or what they want to do. 'But there's a huge amount of work that actually needs to be done.' The Matildas were riding the crest of an enormous wave during the 2023 FIFA World Cup on home soil, enjoying record TV ratings for their march to the semi-finals. But that didn't translate to increased interest and professionalism in the ALW. 'It's even more irritating when you think how we had the most successful World Cup ever two years ago, and A-League Women are in the situation that they're in now, it's just not good enough,' he added. The ALW was established back in 2008, originally known as the W-League. Once among the most important and influential women's leagues globally, it has been surpassed by competitions in Europe, the United States and beyond. Sermanni insisted the majority of the ALW's 12 teams are 'inadequately staffed'. 'At that time (it was founded), our league was the forefront of women's leagues, to be perfectly honest,' Sermanni said. 'It's still very important and coaches, staffs and players are doing exceptionally well. 'But the league itself is in need of significant improvement in its professionalism. 'There are three clubs that are suitably staffed — that's Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix. And the rest of the clubs are completely inadequately staffed. 'Players get 35-week contracts now. 'A league has just started in Canada — football-wise, we're well in advance of Canada — where the base salary is twice what our basic salary is, where there's full-time staff, full-time players. 'And we are still trying to produce players when we have a space of three months where the club has got no contact, no control, no reference point for the players, to actually keep them and know what's happening.' Sermanni will lead the Matildas for a 150th time on Friday night. The team then has another friendly with Argentina in Canberra on Monday before taking on Slovenia in Perth on June 26. Montemurro is expected to soon take over from interim manager Sermanni for the build-up to the 2026 Asian Cup in Australia.
ABC News
24-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Melbourne City goes down to Wuhan Jiangda in Asian Champions League final
Melbourne City has recorded a drama-filled defeat to Wuhan Jiangda on penalties to fall short in the inaugural Women's Asian Champions League final. With scores locked at 1-1 after a chaotic 90 minutes and extra time, City skipper Rebekah Stott had the chance to seal victory at 4-4 in the penalty shootout in front of a hostile crowd in Wuhan. But Stott fired a shot tamely straight at Wuhan goalkeeper Chen Chen. Zhao Yuxin put Wuhan in front and Chen saved Bryleeh Henry's penalty to seal a remarkable shootout victory 5-4. The defeat cost City $2 million in prize money and players had been in line to receive around $47,000 each. Instead, the players each claim about $23,000 as runners-up, with the club's prize money approximately $1.25 million. "It's gutting to lose like that," Stott said. "I think we played well. We dominated the game. We should have come away with the win, but football is like that sometimes. "It's disappointing. We're gutted." Only a few weeks ago, City had high hopes of a treble after claiming the A-League Women premiership in an unbeaten regular season. But City cost itself the chance to win the A-League Women championship after losing to Central Coast Mariners in the semifinals. On Saturday night, 17-year-old Shelby McMahon headed home a wonderful free kick from Leticia McKenna in the 76th minute to put City in front. Henry thought she had made it 2-0 in injury time but the goal was chalked off via VAR for a foul she had committed in the build-up. From the subsequent free kick, Mariana Speckmaier was penalised for a handball — after a header ricocheted into her arm — via a VAR review and Wang Shuang equalised from the spot in the 98th minute. City had two late chances to beat Wuhan in extra-time, while Stott was lucky not to be penalised for a handball in the 103rd minute. McKenna dragged a shot wide in the 116th minute and Leah Davidson was unable to meet Speckmaier's wonderful squaring ball before the match went to spot kicks. "Once it went into extra time, it got quite hectic, and not a lot of football was played," Stott said. "I think we still could have got a goal. But it wasn't meant to be." City qualified for next season's Champions League through winning the A-League Women premiership. AAP
