By Jesse Fink
November 14th 2008 @ 3:25am
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When being tenacious is not enough
Well, nothing much I need to add that already hasn’t been written about Adelaide’s thumping over two legs at the hands of Gamba Osaka in the Asian Champions League final. As I wrote a week ago even before a ball had been kicked in anger, “We have much, much more to learn from Japanese football.”
Chris Paraskevas, a young Australian football writer, has penned an interesting piece about it for the football website Goal.com.
One observation in particular interested me, apropos of Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley’s press release issued after the game, “Buckley seems to have taken nothing from Adelaide’s run, which – if treated correctly – could signify one of the most important moments of the history of the domestic came: when Australia, as a football nation, realised its conspicuous fallibility… it is time to acknowledge the fact that Australian football – and not Adelaide United – was exposed across 180 minutes.”
Since writing my book 15 Days in June: When Australia Became a Football Nation I’ve had a few arguments with people who have read the book about the validity of the title.
Is Australia a football nation after all?
I thought we were at the time, I still think we are, just not a very realised one.
Chris says in his story that Adelaide “deserve credit for their application and tenacity” for their Asian Champions League run; but application and tenacity are qualities Australian football has had in spades since the 1960s, if not earlier.
We could do with less application and tenacity and more invention and skill, in my opinion. The stuff I was writing about a fortnight ago. Until such time as we can match the Japanese in technique, we will go on falling short when it matters most.
All the same, the FFA was right to heap praise on Adelaide in the wake of their achievement in reaching the final (”Adelaide United is the pride of football in Australia”,et al) but, like Chris says, they need to take some lessons from it, and starting making changes now; especially in light of the fact that FFA chairman Frank Lowy is assiduously trying to position Australia as Asia’s football superpower in his concerted bid to snaffle the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
In the circumstances of a terrible beating we’ve been handed a great opportunity to grow.
This week was notable for another hard luck story, that of Socceroos defender and Queensland Roar captain Craig Moore.
After being diagnosed with testicular cancer, the tough-as-nails 32-year-old withdrew from the Australia squad to face Bahrain next week and underwent an operation in a Brisbane hospital to remove a tumour in his left testicle.
My family has had some personal experience of this horrible disease; my uncle Peter Crimmins, the Hawthorn rover, captain and club legend of the 1960s and 1970s, died from testicular cancer in 1976, aged just 28.
Despite having searing pain in his groin, Peter played on with the help of pain-killing injections for almost an entire season in 1974 before being diagnosed with the disease and having chemotherapy. By then it was too late to save his life, but it was a mark of Peter’s courage that he went on playing for a time in 1975 after his cancer treatment. He was shattered when he was left out of John Kennedy’s grand final side that year.
Times have changed.
Early detection is vital and clubs are much more cognisant of their responsibilities to their players’ physical and mental wellbeing.
Not a lot of things in life are more important football, but living itself is one of them.
All Australian football fans wish Moorey and his young family a speedy recovery.
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To answer your question, Paul Okon is their coach. He is relatively young...
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Slippery Jim said | November 14th 2008 @ 7:34am | Report comment
This is, of course, not the first time Adelaide have been memorably spanked in a final. As such, this result should not be overanalysed or taken as indicative of the entire spectrum of Australian football.
There are several factors that are worth considering first;
one, the budget Adelaide had to work with,
two, the squad size and makeup,
three, the experience of the coach, and
four, the fact that three Japanese clubs did not make the final and Adelaide did, at their expense, at their second attempt in the event, shows that just getting to the final was an incredible achievement for Adelaide Utd.
md said | November 14th 2008 @ 8:19am | Report comment
I’m going to cross a number of themes here:
Jesse: You are right, but possibly overly pessimistic about the progress of the A-league. If you track the league’s progress against the J-League and the MLS (probably the two most appropriate comparisions), we are comfortably ahead of both of those leagues, in terms of where they were in their 4th year. The fact that after 3 seasons, we have an ACL finalist who beat the J-League premiership favourites and the petro-backed uzi’s to get there is amazing. Any new league anywhere would take that; the Japs certainly would have.
In terms of style - a brazillo/north asian style is never going to cut it in Australia. A sublime bit of skill to beat a player or deliver the killer pass is great, but stepovers and flicks on ones own side of the half-way line are hopelessly twee, and the desire to fall over the moment someone bumps the telly is dishonest.
On the other hand, the Germans have been to just as many world cup finals as the Brazillians, playing as fast, muscular, direct and uncompromising (dare I say tenacious) a brand of football as anyone. Which is not to say they are not skillful - they do the one-touch stuff sublimely - but its a question of whether you would prefer to a step-over followed by a back-flick followed by a rabona or to just deliver the flo-pass to someone who is fast and strong enough to deal with it at pace and cross it back in. I think Australia is much more inclined to the latter style than the former.
Within the confines of what they have available to them, Adelaide (or any of the other top 5 Australian teams) are not lacking in invention or skill -we saw that in the previous ACL games. Gamba had an effective plan to shut down Adelaide’s strengths, though and to the extent that Vidmar had a plan B, it probably needed greater depth and less tired legs to work out.
In terms of the use of overseas coaching and managerial talent, a lot of prominent people (no names needed here) ran long and hard against overseas A-league coaches in V.2 and V.3. Many of them are now pushing for more overseas A-league coaches. Presumably different ones though - the “right” ones of course: preferably not British, unless of course they are the good type of British which is OK, or German which is mostly OK unless they like corderoy suits, and Dutchmen - please form an orderly queue over here - your pumpkin awaits you.
To use a cliche (and this is a sporting blog afterall): be careful what you wish for.
Cheers
md
Kersi Meher-Homji said | November 14th 2008 @ 8:31am | Report comment
This is not a comment but a ‘Hi there’ note. Remember me, Jesse, when you edited Inside Sport and I wrote for you? I still do. Hope you are well. Best wishes,
Kersi
dasilva said | November 14th 2008 @ 9:17am | Report comment
The fact that Adelaide made the final is an amazing achievement of an underdog playing and beating opponents who are more superior in skills and ability. It was a great effort of playing intelligent football and playing with heart and tenacity.
However I’m sick of being the underdog. I’m wishing a day in the future we should be able to go in to Asia as favorites. To be equal to or above the class of the opposition. If we lose then it would be a huge shock and that it must be because the opposition had played with grit and determination and bravery like Adelaide had played throughout the ACL.
md
Germans have reach a hiatus and haven’t won the world cup since 1990. They are now reexamining that and wondering why they don’t have as many world class skillful players in the same ilk as Michael Ballack. They look at their neighbours Holland jealously that a much smaller population are producing wonderful, flair and skillful technician players and they are not and are now investigating their youth development so they can learn from them and incorporate them. Germany are not going to rest on the laurels and be happy with a mere 3 World Cups and they have identified a weakness in their football and their players they are producing so they can add another 3.
No one saying that we have to incorporate everything about other football cultures and that if we take one things from brazil, asia then we must take everything (including the diving etc). If Germany have admitted that the players are not was skillful as they should be and are being left behind by other countries and should incorporate and learn from success of other cultures then we would be foolish to not follow suit.
Pippinu said | November 14th 2008 @ 9:29am | Report comment
Good comments by both SJ and md.
I am familiar with young Chris’ football writing, but I disagree with him on one point.
While most of the teams AU played against were technically superior, I think it is completely incorrect to describe them as tactically superior.
Look back to the opening game away to Pohang, where AU returned with an unlikely 0-2 away win. Vidmar and AU outsmarted Pohang that day, as they did against Kashima and Kuruvchi.
So fair’s fair, let us be very clear that despite a little bit of luck, AU made the final by playing a disciplined game plan and displaying some tactical nous against opponents who were technically superior to them (and played decent football along the way). In the end, they met their match on both counts (technique and tactics), and in any event, AU were dead on their feet. The ultimate embarrassing scoreline has as much to do with not being used to playing so many games in close succession as anything else.
Also, I’m just not sure of Chris’ conclusion that the FFA has to do something about raising standards. Our very best players are overseas, and Japan’s best players mostly play in the J-League (all with Gamba it would seem!).
Is that going to change in a hurry? If Australia produces more world class players, will that necessarily impact on the quality of the A-League? Maybe, but surely only on the margins.
Nevertheless, we know that last year, Urawa were never able to defeat SFC on their way to claiming the ACL. This year, Melbourne was missing both Arch and Carlos when it lost 4:3 at home, after leading twice during the game. I don’t think it’s panic stations quite yet.
Pippinu said | November 14th 2008 @ 9:34am | Report comment
I was a kid at school when Hawthorn dominated the local comp in the mid 70s and recall many a frightening hiding at their hands on a wet, wind swept Western Oval.
I recall Peter Crimmins very well. I remember the front page photos of him in hospital only too clearly, it was an absolute shock - the sort of thing that a kid could barely comprehend. He was universally acclaimed and respected at the time, and is still remembered in a positive light by all football followers more than three decades on.
Let’s hope that Craig Moore can get back to full health soon.
vicentin said | November 14th 2008 @ 9:39am | Report comment
I hope someone will hold my place in the queue while I write this …
md, on your argument pitting a more direct German style Vs rabonnas, stepovers etc, a few points - In all properly functioning football teams a balance is required - guys with sublime skills and invention, a poacher who doesn’t necessarily have all the skills but knows where to be, some piano carriers (DMs) etc etc. I’m personally obsessed with junior skills development but not because every player needs to do rabonnas and stepovers at every opportunity, but because learning all these skils (some say trick but I think this is wrong) shows that you have a relationship with the ball far beyond what we saw any locally developed Adelaide players possess. I know I’ve argued with you in the past as to whether local players can or should play like South Americans and frankly I see plenty of kids who’ve got the skill and the street smarts when they’re encouraged to play in this way - but this is probably another matter.
I know you’re a Spurs fan so it is with reluctance that I use the current Arsenal side as an example but I will. Most of their play is very one-touch with lots of team movement (oh yeah, like Osaka) but sometimes when a player finds themselves in a temporary dead-end some invention will come into play rather than them speculatively chipping the ball into a empty space (what Adelaide constantly did). Space is at a premium in the modern game and having additional skills will buy you that space and tiime. Bottom line is you don’t have to use your stepover or whatever in general play all the time but it is nice to have extra weapons at your disposal.
General consensus is that the local coaching licences are poor at best, but this is all most of our current coaches have completed. To be honest I reckon there are plenty of better local coaches out there - I cannot believe that Kossie et al are really the best we have, but I don’t see how they are going to get a look-in the A-League anytime soon. I really don’t want to see the same faces continually. As I’ve posted elsewhere on this site I think there must some decent managers in the Netherlands as an example (they all speak good English for one) way more qualified and experienced than anyone here and who could give the local comp a boost. As long as it is written into their contracts that they will formally share their knowledge with local coaches etc I would think it would be a win.
All the best to Craig Moore. I’m certainly of an age where I should myself checked-up more often. Support Movember.
and md, I’m pleased Spurs are winning again - I was listening to The Guardian Football Weekly podcast this morning and apparently the secret is Ketchup! There you go, you can buy success in a bottle.
Towser said | November 14th 2008 @ 9:55am | Report comment
Regarding the FFA & raising standards & I take my hat off to AU for this:-
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/football/a-league/reds-heed-gambas-blueprint-for-glory/2008/11/13/1226318839909.html
The clubs here have to take some responsibility for the quality of their own players. Gamba did you see the result.
Regarding Australia being a football nation,having been brought up in one,the answer is categorically No.
Having followed the game closely for the 40 years I’ve lived here I’ll let you know Jesse when it is.
Towser said | November 14th 2008 @ 10:07am | Report comment
AU showing a bit more initiiative to improve themselves.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24649654-5000940,00.html
dasilva said | November 14th 2008 @ 10:12am | Report comment
Like the first article that Towser has posted. I have been saying for a while that the financial disparity between J league and A-league doesn’t cause the J league to buy success. It just caused them to use the financial advantage in youth development to build success. A-league club are reliant on FFA and state bodies and local clubs for youth development and don’t have the finance to play a more proactive role in youth development
Millster said | November 14th 2008 @ 10:19am | Report comment
Vincentin - just sharing a quote from a rabid old Spurs fan, a great friend who lives in Wellington NZ.
“Bless that cockney bastard Harry. He’s got the boys back onto good old eels and mash, and off that paella shite.”
Gold
dasilva said | November 14th 2008 @ 11:33am | Report comment
Pip
Yes we did play intelligent football and that we tactically done well to beat Kashima and Pohang. The way we restrict Kashima to one clear cut chance in the entire match was certainly pleasing.and was a one big step forward in Australian Football (although I was far less enamoured about Adelaide players going straight to the corner flag against Pohang when there was still 10 minutes + stoppage time left in the match). We certainly played the best we can with the talent in disposal and were deservedly finalist. Hopefully this will be a stepping stone for improvement rather then a freakish event.
I’m just hoping one day an Australian team will outclass the opponent in the same way Gamba outclass Adelaide in the future rather then just playing the type of football that technically inferior sides play to overcome the technical gap.
Saying that. I have high hopes for this current Melbourne Victory side and believe they can do well in the ACL 2010 and learn from the failures in this year ACL. I believe you guys have the best chance progressing in this competition and also playing a different style of football to Adelaide. I hope you guy qualify along with Adelaide Utd for ACL 2010 so we can beat you in the final.
Millster said | November 14th 2008 @ 11:39am | Report comment
Hey Das… leave some room in there for poor old Sydney FC…
dasilva said | November 14th 2008 @ 11:56am | Report comment
Millster
When you send the kossie back into the asylum then I wouldn’t mind a Sydney representative.
Pip
About MV missing some players against Gamba.
This is Mike Tuckerman (excellent blog by the way) description that Gamba wasn’t full strength either which was often overlooked
“A cursory glance through the Gamba team-sheet for the match at the Telstra Dome reveals that the Osakans were missing defender Akira Kaji and striker Ryuji Bando. Kaji has won over 60 caps for Japan. Bando has seven, but would surely have more had he not been struck down by a series of injuries over the past couple of seasons.
Their replacements were Hideo Hashimoto - an experienced player, but nominally a midfielder, and ex-Oita Trinita striker Masato Yamazaki. In over 250 league appearances in Japanese football, Ryuji Bando has scored more than 80 goals. Yamazaki has made about 80 league appearances. He’s scored just three times. Full strength line-up? Not quite. “
Pippinu said | November 14th 2008 @ 12:26pm | Report comment
dasilva
I’m familiar with Kaji, less so with Bando - did they play either of the two legs recently? (I actually can’t remember one way or the other)
Koala Bear said | November 14th 2008 @ 1:14pm | Report comment
After watching TWG back a few weeks ago; in the studio’s of SBS, Craig Foster and David Basheer stood up from the lounge and gave AU FC a resounding applause (did anyone else see that.. Das) … I stood and clapped Adelaide FC as well in my lounge in unison with the lads… What an achievement.. Now let’s not start tearing apart this historic achievement of what had happened over the two legged final, as an indication of the standard of the HAL in regard to the J-League. It is still heading up the graph; slowly but surely ..
I shall not go too deeply into the reasons why AU faulted, in the last two hurdles. But, it seemed to me they simply ran out of legs and crucial players being suspended .. No real excuse admittedly, but to say the A-League is not nearly long enough and the squads are not large enough.. However, it’s finally coming together, with youth teams an increase in salary cap.. To add we have some exciting new young coaches on the cusp of the horizon, with a wealth of European and international football experience entering the mix .. Okon; Zelic, Poppa; GVE; and no doubt Craig Moore if he retires from playing. Although I am sure he will, indeed make a full recovery, to go on for another 2 seasons.. I certainly hope so..
I don’t know about anyone else but I am starting to wonder about the Dutch System after watching an interview on TWG with Zelic’s views .. I am not saying that the Dutch style does not have its place, however, as he pointed out, I think what he was trying to say that in Australia we do not only have Dutch type players but an array of different sorts with distinctive inherited styles. So it made sense to me in what he said apart from grass roots programs that, here in Australia we need to work with what we have and nurture the all the styles to play to our strengths.. A bit of Carle a bit of Cahill a piece of Bresh and Grella and a bit of Kennedy .. We can’t leave out players with a South American flair just because they don’t fit a dutch style of player.. For those who did not see the Zelic interview you can see it on the TWG internet site…
~~~~~~~~~
KB
Millster said | November 14th 2008 @ 1:33pm | Report comment
Cool news that I’ve just noticed on TWG! Former MV player of note FRED is gracing the A-League once more in a guest stint with the Phoenix, on loan from MLS side DC United. Its for 3 or 4 games, of which one is against his former club. Will be good to see him around again and great for the Kiwis to have snared such an exciting player for a while.
dasilva said | November 14th 2008 @ 1:33pm | Report comment
Pip
Kaji played in both legs vs Adelaide
Bando went off the bench for second legs.
After more research it turns out that Bando was a regular starter at the beginning of the season but now is a bench player due to poor form as well as the success of Lucas.
KB
Yep that was a great moment when Foz and David gave a standing ovation to Adelaide. Although the theme really change now in the recent shootout where Fozz went in a 10 minute criticism of the A-league.
Both Gamba and Adelaide have really tough schedules in combining travelling long difference in the ACL and playing in their respective leagues (both were equally as tough and I don’t think Adelaide can say they were overly hard done by that). However the difference was that Gamba had depth and extended playing roster and that made them able to handle the tough schedule better then Adelaide. Good thing that FFA are now allowing squad in the ACL to have a greater squad size. When the rest of Asia are allowed 30 sides and Australians clubs only 23 (adelaide 21) it’s a bit unfair.
In the end we not playing down Adelaide achievement as it was a great one. I’m just hoping that this is the beginning of something great for Australian football and not a once off. For that to happen we have to be honest about this defeat and learn from it.
Cheers for supporting Adelaide
Pippinu said | November 14th 2008 @ 1:37pm | Report comment
Millster
that’s not cool - it’s a f@rk’n disgrace!! The biggest turncoat in all history…
Pippinu said | November 14th 2008 @ 1:38pm | Report comment
We made him everything he is!!
Millster said | November 14th 2008 @ 1:46pm | Report comment
Das - but are FFA allowing an increase to the salary cap to accomodate those extra players?
I would think an “ACL allowance” was required so that participating clubs would be given the ability to move. My gut feel would be to allow up to 3 extra players with an allowance of $150K for each of these extra players.
Interesting case is if a club has a squad of less than the max 23. Do they get an allowance for, say, moving from 21 to 23 in an ACL year? Or should they deal with that under existing salary cap provisions?
dasilva said | November 14th 2008 @ 2:01pm | Report comment
Millster
There is no details about the ACL allowance yet. Just some musing from Ben Buckley that they are working on something to help Australian sides to compete next year
“That’s something we have to look at because the combination of extensive travel schedules, the A-League competition being on at the same time, clearly it puts a strain on the depth of squads,” Buckley said.
“As we look at the regulations for next year, that’s something we’ll certainly consider.”
That’s the only statement so far. No details.
I’m not too sure about the details of using less than 23 players but Adelaide had 23 in the A-league squad and so filled out the maximum quota. However the only had 21 for the ACL squad as Jonas Salley and Alemao were considered foreign players and ACL only allowed 3 foreign players to participate (Cristiano, Diego and Cassio). FFA assured Adelaide that when Salley became an Australian citizen that he would be elegible to be considered a local player but change in rules from FIFA means that salley have to live here for another 2 years to be considered a local player despite being citizen of Australia (it’s the Qatar rule change). So they were only allowed to use 21 out of the 23 squad in the ACL.
dasilva said | November 14th 2008 @ 2:08pm | Report comment
KB
Good point about the dutch system
When Rob Baan was coaching the olyroos and was asked about how is he getting players to adapt to the dutch system and their style of play.
He responded that he doesn’t get player to play to the system but create a system to suit the players. He seems to be one of the more progressive dutch coaches. Unfortunately he left all too soon with the job half done (both as olyroos manager as well as technical director)
Koala Bear said | November 14th 2008 @ 2:29pm | Report comment
Das,
precisely and endorsed by Zelic, work with your strengths that you have; and what a great loss Rob Baan will be. I would have liked Rob to have been in charged of the Socceroos .. I think he understands that the Dutch System good as it maybe; but you need to applied it with flexibility..
last post for the time being some urgent business to see to…
~~~~~~~~
KB
jimbo said | November 15th 2008 @ 9:29am | Report comment
Shame to hear about Moore and his cancer.
I’m sure he has the courage and determination to beat this opponent and he wil come back better than ever.
Pimbo will probably replace him with Coyne, I don’t think Milligan or North will get their chance in this game.
Pippinu said | November 15th 2008 @ 11:49am | Report comment
I think Milligan is injured anyway.