A-League clubs doing their bit for Asian football

Columnist

By Mike Tuckerman, 20 Mar 2009 Mike Tuckerman is a Roar Expert

Tagged:: A-League, Asian Champions League, football, Newcastle Jets, World Football

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Depictions in some quarters painted Newcastle Jets as naïve after they were beaten by Beijing Guoan in their AFC Champions League opener last week. Indeed, coach Gary van Egmond admitted in the wake of that defeat that his team had been fooled by some of the play-acting on show from the Chinese side.

However, it was a different story on Tuesday night, as the Jets overcame Korean outfit Ulsan Hyundai to put their Champions League campaign back on track.

New signing Sash Petrovski scored both goals in the 2-0 win, and he could be a real coup for a Jets side that continues to haemorrhage big-name players – with goalkeeper Ante Čović the latest to depart after inking a deal with Swedish club IF Elfsborg.

Yet Ulsan’s decision to send a second-string squad to Newcastle has caused considerable consternation.

My friend and Asian football expert Scott McIntyre has written a scathing piece over at The World Game website, suggesting that grounds exist for the AFC to punish Ulsan for bringing the Champions League into disrepute.

But as far as the Champions League is concerned – it’s a bit of a case damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Last weekend FC Seoul coach Şenol Günes rested a host of first-team regulars from his side to face K-League newcomers Gangwon FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium, with the Turkish tactician mindful of his team’s upcoming Champions League blockbuster against Gamba Osaka.

FC Seoul went down 2-1 to Gangwon in a thriller.

To rub salt into the wound, the club from the South Korean capital were thumped 4-2 by Gamba at the same venue just three days later – suggesting that Günes’ decision to rest key players for his team’s K-League match was of a waste of time.

But with South Korea’s Champions League combatants all struggling for victories on the domestic front, is it any wonder that Ulsan might choose to send a second-string squad given the amount of games they currently face?

Playing midweek fixtures in Australia either side of league games in South Korea is no easy task in anyone’s books.

Let’s not forget that the K-League kicked off as far back as 1983, and in the past Korean clubs could treat continental football as a meaningless distraction without anyone in the Asian football hierarchy giving two hoots.

Old habits die hard in this part of the world.

If the AFC want Asian clubs to prioritise the Champions League, then I hope they deliver a strongly-worded condemnation of Ulsan’s decision to send such a blatantly under-strength squad to Newcastle.

But the AFC might also consider the impact of asking sides to criss-cross the continent in a schedule that sees Korean and Japanese sides forced to play four games within fourteen days.

Meanwhile Australian clubs are afforded the luxury – if you can call it that – of kicking off their Champions League quest during the A-League off-season.

At any rate, Newcastle United deserve plaudits for their professional display in beating Ulsan, while the Central Coast Mariners should also be applauded for playing their part in a gripping contest with Chinese side Tianjin Teda.

Admittedly, the Mariners’ defending was awful at times – but so too was Tianjin Teda’s – and Lawrie McKinna’s team did well to hold on to a 2-2 draw on foreign soil.

It was a game that showcased the best of Asian football.

Played in front of more than 27,000 fans who provided a colourful backdrop at TEDA Football Stadium, both sides were evenly matched and prepared to duke it out in an old-fashioned slugfest.

The style of football on display might not have been the best advertisement for the A-League, but at least the Mariners are treating the Champions League with the respect that it deserves.

That’s more than can be said for some.

With heavyweight opponents in the form of Japanese clubs Nagoya Grampus and Kawasaki Frontale looming, no one can accuse A-League clubs of not doing their bit for Asian football.

Follow Mike on twitter @Mike_Tuckerman

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The Crowd Says (11) | Page 1 of Comments

jaymz said | March 20th 2009 @ 2:16am | Report comment

I dont understand why clubs would think like this, particularly clubs from bigger leagues in asia. I mean in europe its the same, and smaller teams still even manage to do it (zenit st petersberg for example). Its part of football, the AFC should send a message and come down hard on Ulsan.

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StiflersMom said | March 20th 2009 @ 7:37am | Report comment

2nd string team? I thought each team had to nominate the players in their respective squads for the first round before the start of the competition, that being the case, whilst they may not be automatic first 11 each week they were nominated in the squad. In my books they did nothing wrong.

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Pippinu said | March 20th 2009 @ 8:35am | Report comment

Good point SM – every club nominates up to 30 players – and they’r entitled to play any one of those 30 players in any combination the manager deems fit.

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dasilva said | March 20th 2009 @ 9:20am | Report comment

coach can theoretically play what ever side he wants but what does it say about the coach or korean football that they believe Asian Champions League to be such a low priority.

However I’m not a fan of clubs having rights to play what ever side they want. It may be in the rules (although as Scott Mcintyre write there are rules that could be used to punish Ulsan) but its breaking the spirit of the game. The AFC made attempts to be the premier club competition in Asia and Ulsan embarrass them by treating it with disrespect.If it was half of the team was rested perhaps you can say they are trying to balance the domestic and continental front but when it’s whole XI change then it’s just a big finger to AFC saying I don’t care.

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dasilva said | March 20th 2009 @ 9:23am | Report comment

I’m wondering

When the ACL campaigns overlap with the final series next year and Melbourne and Adelaide are in the top 6. What’s going to happen there?

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Pippinu said | March 20th 2009 @ 9:42am | Report comment

Das

I know in FM, whenever there is an overlap with the finals series and the pan-pacs – they always postpone the finals series!!

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Mackey said | March 20th 2009 @ 12:06pm | Report comment

Fm saves the day once again, <3

Michael I’m interested to get your opinion on what would have happened if an A-League team was to take it’s Youth-League team over to a game in Korea or China? I am of the opinion the press and public would label the Australian clubs as being arrogant and disrespectful, which is exaclty what I think of Ulsan. If they were playing my team (go Qld) in the AFC and bought out a CONSIDERABLY weaker side than their first team I would be outraged, so I can see where Scott’s piece is coming from.

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Mike Tuckerman said | March 20th 2009 @ 12:21pm | Report comment

Mackey – the Ulsan case is a really strange one. My personal viewpoint is that I think they may have travelled to Newcastle thinking that they could actually trouble the Jets with the starting eleven they put out. There’s no real reason for them to be so dismissive of the Champions League. Even after two straight defeats, they’re still not mathematically out of contention – and as others have pointed out, they stand to earn decent money by picking up wins and draws in the group stage.

Certainly as a fan, I would be unhappy to shell out good money to watch the equivalent of a reserve team go around.

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Sam said | March 20th 2009 @ 5:44pm | Report comment

At the end of the day Newcastle won the match. This might be important in getting them a top two place and getting some prize money out of the tournament. What Australian clubs need to look at is revenue streams to be able to somehow compete and keep some of their player. The players in the squad would also get invaluable experience in making it to the next round of the ACL such as Adelaide did.

I think we should look at our own patch, and not worry what other teams do. What the Koreans / Japanese have over us in technique, we more than make up for in competitive spirit. Well done Newcastle.

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SteveFC said | March 21st 2009 @ 1:04pm | Report comment

Results speak louder than anything. If someone wants to send out their reserves/kids against my team then I’ll happily take the easy victory and then move on. No doubt the fans will be frustrated, but what if that easy win helps us progress further and make more money? And what if we use that money to invest in youth development to help produce the next batch of great players? Or what if we plonk it in front of a genuinely world-class player who otherwise wouldn’t have given the A-League a second glance? If teams from other nations want to take the ACL lightly, I say let them. We’re more than happy to capitalize.

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