TERRY BUTCHER... DEAD MAN WALKING?

Well it looks like the knives are out and the backstabbing of Terry Butcher has begun. It also looks like the B-grade movie actors and furniture salesmen have done a great job of destablising Sydney FC.

It's just another setback for soccer in australia, as we keep on doing the same old things... allowing inexperienced boards to keep paying out enormous money for second rate players who have seen their used by dates. They are ok for a couple of games and then the niggling injuries that have plagued their playing careers start to surface.

Let's face it, Sydney FC were pretty ordinary last year, even though they won the the Grand final. Then they did a good thing by getting rid of the clinical Littbarski, a (seen the best of) playboy player, who isn't doing too well for Sunderland, but grinning all the way to the bank!

Enter, an experienced, hard working, adventurous coach, who has inherited Littbarski's team of big screen watchers, and has to try and bring out their potential, which means trying to get them to act like professional players, instead of trying to look like York and Carboni wannabees.

It must be difficult for Butcher who want's to build a great Australian soccer team on true and tried methods, whilst sitting on a plastic chair, on the sideline of someone else's stadium.

It must be difficult to build a team of professional players for the season's ahead, that will showcase Australian soccer, and show that we are not going to be bullied by Anthony LaPaglia, an ex-goalkeeper who couldn't make the grade here, and boardroom members who have no experience in soccer, and will continue to lose money for the clubs, as they did in days gone past, with their 'marquee' and archaic players.

It must be difficult for Terry Butcher to see so many of Australia's talented youngsters, having to take a back seat to foreign imports and soccer relics of days gone by.

It must be difficult to try and bring the best out of these boys, having only been in charge for a few games, and having to put up with all the off-field antics of boardroom prima donnas.

It must be difficult for Terry's wife and family, who have moved half way across the globe, to support her husband's endeavours to bring about some professionalism to Australian football.

It isn't difficult to have some patience, and give Terry Butcher some time to prove his vision for Sydney FC, and for sake of Australian soccer.

THIS GUY SHOULD DISAPPEAR... "Without A Trace!"

Although I am a Queensland Roar supporter, this kind of verbal garbage doesn't help Sydney FC, or Australian soccer. He should stick to what he knows best... bad acting!

THE future of Sydney FC coach Terry Butcher hangs in the balance today after the Englishman survived a shock bid to oust him from Hollywood star Anthony LaPaglia.

The multi-millionaire Without A Trace actor, who owns seven-and-a-half per cent of the club, arrived in Australia on Friday just in time to catch Sydney's latest loss against Melbourne.

Beforehand, he attended an informal meeting of several board members at the Sydney Art Gallery with chairman Edmund Capon, and directors Peter Fitzgerald, representative of the all powerful Lowy clan, part owner Peter Turnbull and new CEO George Perry among those in attendance. Top of the agenda was the performance of Butcher with the defending champions languishing in mid-table and battling to shake off a series of on and off-field setbacks.

LaPaglia had no doubts Butcher should go but failed to attract any support and admitted afterwards: "There are some things which have happened at the club which I don't support but that's normal on a board where you have divergence of viewpoints.

"There are several different personalities but that's normal in any organisation. I still have no doubt that we remain good enough to defend the title successfully, even though the loss of Dwight Yorke was a blow because he is a player who galvanised the club and brought people to matches.

"There has been some level of upheaval over the past few months but that can sometimes be a good thing, so long as we are pulling in the right direction... Continue reading and judge for yourself here.

Some folks just don't get it!