What looms largest when you look back at the A-League season: Melbourne’s second title, Adelaide’s extra curricular activities, a betting scandal, or Lazarus like comebacks?
The reality is the ongoing concerns over crowd figures and the player drain did somewhat overshadow the football.
It was as if the FFA and A-League supporters, who were labelled as over protective for their efforts, had to constantly justify the competition to the wider public.
But what was missed in this debate was the product on the pitch.
While the quality unquestionably still has a way to go if we are to become a benchmark league in the Asian region, there was no doubting the excitement, spectacle, competition and closeness of the season.
The theories for why the crowds dipped across the county are many and varied. Indeed, there can be no definitive reason why it was so, and those issues have already been discussed in depth.
However, these are teething problems expected from a league still in the early stages of childhood.
But there were positives and season four could well be remembered as the time when several young Australians emerged to the forefront of the domestic game, some of whom are already leaving the nest for the greener pastures of Europe.
While the likes of John Aloisi and Edmundo Zura stole headlines, there was Scott Jamieson, Tahj Minniecon, Shannon Cole and Nikita Rukavytsya, shinning brightly and becoming integral members of their respective franchises.
Then there are those who will feature prominently next season, having shown glimpses of their enormous potential: Kofi Danning, Brendan Gan, Thomas Oar and Michael Marrone.
With teams needing to replenish their squads following the Asian exodus, there will be further opportunities for talented youngsters in the State leagues to work their way into the top flight.
In the end, Melbourne were deserving champions, the benchmark in every way.
What is clear is Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United are pulling away from the rest of the franchises.
Sydney FC showed potential in the early running, but their season fell in a heap of controversy and they quickly became the basket case of the competition.
Newcastle fell heavily from champions to also rans, not surprising given how their squad was pillaged. But they will bounce back. They are, along with Gold Coast, the best performers in attracting quality players to the club for next season.
But for mine the most positive signs emerged from Perth and Wellington.
Under David Mitchell, Perth Glory showed signs of improvement as the season progressed and, encouragingly, as the performance improved, so too did the crowds.
With Eugene Dadi returning next season, a return to the NSL glory days doesn’t sound too far-fetched.
Also a special mention to the Wellington Phoenix who made significant progress on and off the field despite the AFC bombshell that threatened their very existence,.
Full marks to Terry Serepisos and his team.
For the first time, the New Zealand based franchise didn’t claim the wooden spoon.
They must, however, fill the huge hole left by the departure of Johnny Warren Medallist Shane Smeltz if they want to carry on this momentum.
With the Version 4 of the A-League consigned to the history books, so too does the first era of the competition.
Next season, a new era dawns: two new teams with the first phase of expansion coming into effect.
It is badly needed.
With only eight teams in the competition, teams were meeting far too frequently, matches therefore being harder to promote.
Encouragingly, both new franchises have the potential to draw crowds across the country.
Let’s hope we won’t have to worry about crowd figures next season.
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Towser said | March 3rd 2009 @ 10:11am | Report comment
Version 4 will be remembered for me at least ,for the same thing that the previous 2 seasons did, the failure of SFC as a football club(cant count the first season because of the newness of everything A-League).
Its failure this season cost the Roar & other clubs big dollars at their home gate let alone at the SFS for itself.
We can prattle on about everything & everyone else in the A-League, but unless Australias biggest Football market by a country mile gets its act together,the A-League will remain a bit player in the Asian & the World football scene.
The A-League cant be carried for ever on the back of the Socceroos as far as TV deals go. One day it will have to stand on its own two feet.
That day will never happen if the top 4 teams are NQ,NUJ,CCM,GCU or even the other capital cities on a consistent basis.
Every league has to have a succesful team it can hate. Sydney fits the bill in Australia for everybody else.
Michael C said | March 3rd 2009 @ 10:57am | Report comment
(this is the view of a non-soccer person, not to bait, not to be overly negative, but, this is the view I come out of the season with )
Version 4,
as distinct to Version 2 which had the great attendance bubble of MVFC moving games to Telstra Dome, and a TD avg of 32K, and an overall increase incrowds across the HAL due purely to this,
and Version 3 that saw most of the increase in crowds coming from a decent return on Wellington as compared to the previous deadend incarnation in Auckland,
Version 4 saw not a levelling off – but a return to V1-V2 crowd levels. A heap of sub 10K crowds. The reasons applenty. Honeymoon over? 8 teams is a tired format.
So – - V4 – - the ‘sluggish’ back in the real world season. A consolidation season. That’s not a bad thing. The MLS and J-League suggest to all that in bigger and in the Japanese case a less cluttered sports (footy) market that a period of consolidation would be required.
V4 made the headlines, sometimes for the wrong reason – - for me, as a non soccer person – my primary rememberance at this point is some fellow called Trinidad carrying on like a goose, another couple of fellows with gambling issues – - and oh shouldn’t they have known better but got off with a slap on the wrist. Beyond that, SFC were ordinary – - so that’s good. MVFC won again, so that’s good.
V4 also saw pretty large re-fixturing to facilitate Ade Utd in the ACL. Mid week games and the like. It certainly puts the HAL in it’s place. This I say from the perspective of the NRL example of how the SoO month really impacts AGAINST the NRL regular season. Suddenly, the HAL was a inconveniance for Ade Utd. So, all the more well done to them for making the top 4 and making the Grand Final. I reckon not enough credit has gone there – - oh, well, I guess Vidmar got coach of the year.
And that leads to the other outstanding memory of the season………’pissant’.
And what will V5 hold, with an expansion of the league in teams and games?
Pippinu said | March 3rd 2009 @ 11:09am | Report comment
As much as I hope MV continue on its merry way, I think it’s incorrect to say that MV and AU are pulling away from the rest of the compeition.
MV have the crowds, good management, a long list and good cash flows – but no one could say that they dominated on the field this season (and a return to the pack is only a $1 mill transfer fee away).
And let’s be honest, in the end, AU only just snuck into the grand final, and are likely to have to go through another rebuilding phase.
If anyone shows signs currently of pulling away from the pack, it’s not these two – indeed, it’s not even one of the present 8 teams.
I leave it to others to decide who best fits that bill.
Pippinu said | March 3rd 2009 @ 11:11am | Report comment
The young guns mentioned in this article are certainly worth a mention, as are a couple from this year’s wooden spooner, namely: Jesic and Katarovsky – the latter, in particular, must be the most talented 17 year only currently playing in Australia – by a country mile.
Towser said | March 3rd 2009 @ 11:26am | Report comment
“But what was missed in this debate was the product on the pitch’
My observation of the product on the pitch, was particularly from the Roar perspective rubbish for the first half ,captivating for the second half of the season. My general impression was that this appplied to all matches.
Does this then go back to Pims ‘Internsity of training point”? So that because the training here is less intense than Europe(laid back almost according to Craig Moore-see below) it takes halfway through the season due to matchplay, to see the intensity you get in European matches from the start?
http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/aussies-abroad/moore-europe-a-meat-market-175057/
Simmo said | March 3rd 2009 @ 11:44am | Report comment
I don’t say this often but…
I agree with Michael C. That’s more or less my impression of season 4 as well.
I will add to “8 teams is a tired format” though. In case anyone’s fogotten it’s worth having in the front of our minds the rather profound notion that Adelaide and Melbourne played each other 6 times this season.
6 times.
3 regular season games. Twice in the finals and then again in the GF.
If they weren’t rivals that would be boring as all hell. The same thing happened last year when CCM and Newcastle played each other 6 times. We were lucky their rivalry only grew with each game.
But this would be worse than stale if non-rival teams squared off 6 times in 6 months.
Simmo said | March 3rd 2009 @ 11:49am | Report comment
Towser
I’m not sure about the training. Pim could be right.
But what I am sure about is that the best football is played toward the end of the season. The first month or so of each season has been criticised for the poor standard of footy on display. It takes most teams in most leagues time to gel and for players to get up to full match fitness. Even longer for the A-League with such a long off-season.
By the time teams have got themselves sorted out we’re already too close to the end of the season.
I think a move to a longer season (27 games) will have a positive impact on the quality of football.
Michael C said | March 3rd 2009 @ 12:04pm | Report comment
Simmo -
interesting, the 2 examples of 6 match ups thru the year in V3 and V4.
The reality of ‘rivalries’ is normally born from playing each other in important games.
Some important games are a fraction manufactured – such as the AFL Anzac day clash that puts Essendon and Collingwood on show ever year. (don’t get me wrong, I quite like it, and if 2 other clubs perhaps only Rich and Carl could ensure an 80K-90K crowd each year – - then good luck to them).
Finals matches invariably ARE important. That’s the benefit of finals missed by some anti-finals folk. A final and more so a GF IS an important game.
Ade Utd now MUST be a team (and supporter group) DRIVEN by loss. Often LOSS is what aggravates supporters/players MORE so than the victories. Example, many Essendon folk will happily talk about the premierships, but, when you ask them about ’90 GF loss, or the prelims of ’96 or ’99 – - that’s when you find a spot that is deeper hurt than is the delight of the premierships. It often does not balance. (Redb????)
Sorry about the AFL examples – but, I know those.
At any rate – - MVFC fans might have a different view of their rivalry with Ade Utd. Perhaps disdain. Ade Utd surely have a super drive to gain revenge. Twice over.
However, the 2 legged finals in the first round, is perhaps overkill. But, then, you could have a 2 legged GF too.
Or — go down the basketball path – - in Melbourne we’re about to have a best of 5 GF series with the local derby of the Tigers vs the Dragons. Should actually be a ripper – and a nice lead into the AFL season on the back of the HAL Gf and the up coming F1 GP. Ah, what a time in ‘winner’ central – - Melbourne (okay, Storm came 2nd, but, that’s respectable out of 16 teams)……hmmm, actually, it’d be nice for the Vics to actually WIN one of the cricket finals too. But, at least every VIc team is making just about any and every Grand Final available.
btw – 27 rounds still means 3 match ups, just more of them.
Have we found out whether the fixture will definitely be 27 wks? and if so, an expanded calender or a more intensive one (i.e. mid week fixtures?).
3 match ups still leaves it unbalanced – i.e. 2 H and 1 A or vice versa. Do you reckon when they get to 12 teams, they’ll play a nice and neat 22 week season? With a top 5? (be just like the old VFL!!!)
thinker said | March 3rd 2009 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
Season 4 is known as “the pissant season”
what the seasons will be known as until 12/12/2012
Season 5 ” the Russian Revolution” 09/10
Season 6 “the (Un)civil wart” 10/11
Season 7 “Wellington booted’ 11/12
Season 8 “Capital Punisment” 12/13
Luke W said | March 3rd 2009 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
Small crowds won’t be a concern for long. The addition of two new teams (with two fantastic marquee players) coupled with the growing euphoria of the 2010 World Cup will see crowd figures reach new highs.
For mine, this season will be remembered for the kids. The introduction of the NYL meant that clubs could give their youngsters exposure to better facilities, training and more professional matches. Given Australia will always be a “selling” league (where the best players move to Europe/Asia to further their career or pay packet, we need a steady production line of good young players, and so far so good.