By Adrian Musolino
June 29th 2009 @ 6:09am
Related coverage
A-League needs big spenders and bigger stars
Australian soccer club team Adelaide United FC coach Aurelio Vidmar, left, and midfielder Travis Dodd smile after a press conference AP Photo/Koji Sasahara
As was demonstrated so vividly last season, Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar isn’t afraid to voice an opinion. His latest target is the big spending ways of some A-League clubs, a stark contrast to what he has at his disposal.
“Most A-League clubs are trying to find their feet still after four years and some of the money being thrown out there to players is ludicrous in my opinion,” Vidmar was quoted as saying on the ABC.
Obviously made in response to the big spending ways of Gold Coast United and their reported $100,000 a match offer to Henrik Larsson, Vidmar’s comments are clearly the result of his frustration with his lot.
“We’ve tried to make some big plays for some big players, Aussie boys who are playing overseas and Aussies who are playing in the A-League currently, and it is just not enough money for them.
“We think it is fair value for the players that we’ve offered those contracts to and they have decided to go elsewhere,” he continued.
Adelaide remains in the hands of the FFA, cash strapped, on the look out for new investors and hardly making an impact in the off-season with few significant signings.
But the A-League needs the likes of Clive Palmer and other big spenders in order to bring in the star names that will benefit the league, on and off the field.
The proof is in the pudding and the quality of the marquee players for the forthcoming A-League season is mouth-watering.
Returning Socceroos Jason Culina and Mile Sterjovski will play a crucial role in lifting their franchises to the top of the league while Robbie Fowler, should his body stay intact in the humidity of Townsville, will help increase crowds across the country.
This is what the A-League needs, star names with an X-factor.
It’s what the league has lacked since Dwight Yorke left us and other high profile marquee players arrived and failed to deliver.
Should Pim Verbeek have a change of heart regarding Socceroos playing in the A-League, and the likes of Culina and Sterjovski play a starring role in South Africa, just imagine the knock on effect of having them playing in the A-League.
For the general public, there will be a visible link between the Socceroos and the A-League and this is what the domestic game desperately needs, to ride the coattails of our national team.
Attracting such players wouldn’t be possible without the freedom of the marquee rule and guest stint dispensation as peanuts won’t tempt Socceroos playing in Europe to come back home.
It’s only right too that clubs should be given the chance to profit from their hard work, for securing the backing, having the solid foundations and making traction as solid business models.
Adelaide’s problems are self inflicted, the result of the behind the scenes bickering.
The pressure is on A-League franchises to ensure they have their house in order, so they aren’t in a position where they are falling behind their rivals by not being able to compete in the marketplace.
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Brett McKay said | June 29th 2009 @ 8:34am | Report comment
Adrian, I’m not sure Vidmar can blame anyone but himself – how many A-L players were thinking about Adelaide as a new home and then got scared off when the coach publically aired grievences about internal politics in “this piss-ant town”??
Add to that the fact the AU’s main backer has had to offload the licence due to a tighter financial situation, and of course two new teams, and all of a sudden Adelaide has probably dropped down the list of players eyeing a move. I think it’s just called ‘market forces’..
Tom said | June 29th 2009 @ 8:46am | Report comment
Fair enough that players like Larsson can bring fans to the A-league, but I doubt that paying one player several hundred thousand dollars for a guest stint (if the rumours were true) is the most cost-effective way of generating sustainable support for the A-league. So I think Vidmar has a point.
But Brett also makes a good point.
GeneralAshnak said | June 29th 2009 @ 8:54am | Report comment
Nice selective reporting of Viddie’s comments. I think you may find that Vidmar is 1. fustrated about missing out on a few players and 2. fustrated that the price of some players has been over inflated in the current HAL. I agree that we do not want to see HAL clubs spending more money than they can afford too and sending their backers broke. AUFC would have turned a handy profit last season, if not for the fact it lost 60% of it’s prize money. So even though it made it to the CWC and the final of the ACL they actually spent more money than they made. Now that is not the result of ‘behind the scenes bickering’ but the result of poor planing by the FFA.
As for the “pissant’ comment, I think you will find very very few AUFC supporters who did not agree with Viddie. I take no offence at being a supporter of the pissants. Good luck to any opposing fans who think that it is going to rile us up.
Bianco sold out of AUFC because of the way his primary business was performing, he also reduce his sponsorship of the Power – yet that seems to be a non event to everyone who thinks that bagging his contribution to the HAL and AUFC is a great idea.
Slippery Jim said | June 29th 2009 @ 9:21am | Report comment
For any manager to whinge about other clubs spending too much on players in a domestic league with such a miniscule budget and tight salary cap is frankly ridiculous at best.
If he wants to undervalue players by not offering adequate funds to attract them that’s his problem, not the rest of the A-League’s. Finances aside, I can just imagine how ineffective Vidmar is in trying to lure players to a club representing a city that he himself was so bursting with self-loathing that he called it a ‘Pissant Town’ live on television (an act he should probably have been sacked for). He doesn’t exactly embody local pride.
Towser said | June 29th 2009 @ 9:25am | Report comment
I watch 2 sports in particular Football & to a lesser extent boxing,mainly because the coverage in this country is pathetic.
Why because out of those 2 sports I’m looking for something I couldn’t do as well,something that seperates the top professionals from me,something I admire. Boxing provides the man vs man ,nowhere to hide confrontation,as well as skill to avoid & deliver punches,Football provides a ball control passing,crossing dribbling skills that I dreamed of as a lad. Never had that ability. So when I watch any professional football, I expect to see something out of the ordinary ,a peice of dribbling skill,a turn on a sixpence, a perfectly timed through pass,the accurate corner,bending free kick etc etc,the loping across field pass delivered to a players foot,several one two’s cutting up the defence resulting in a goal etc etc,we all have our favourites. So do I get this in the A-League & whom do I get it from. To answer the first question-occassionally. Whom do I get it from, a few of the Aussie youngsters,but mainly from overseas players. The bottom line is that the bulk of Aussie players fail to deliver “that bit extra”. Thats why theres a technical revolution going on in coaching. So in the main the overseas players have delivered this for me. As a Roar fan even a lard arsed Charlie MIller with a hernia provided more moments of creativity than the Roar had shown me before. Occassionally Robbie Kruse in the season before last did the same. In defence of course Craig Moores(Overseas by default player) impressed by the hardness,timing of his tackles & calm distribution thereafter. When Van Dijk hit his scoring straps Roar fans had faith in his ability to score. Cant remember that at The Roar before. Dwight Yorke & Miura at Sydney were a delight at times. A level of professional football understanding above & beyond the average A-league player.
We constantly whinge here on the Roar about the Euro-Snobs,but they are the ones we first & foremost have to persuade to attend A-League matches. Because the reality is they have a point. But give them potentially a player who delivers “that bit extra” & they see it performed on the park consistently & you will get some at matches.
Personally as a fan I dont care what Aurelio(great bloke as he is)says & I dont care who forks out the money. If Larsson is a guest player I’ll hop in the car down the motorway to have a look. Also maybe the French Tw*t who sat next to me at the Roar at one match (whinging about pub football ,)before their goal scoring 4 season drought was broken will be there.
Pippinu said | June 29th 2009 @ 9:32am | Report comment
Towser
that’s no way to talk about Millster!!
True Tah said | June 29th 2009 @ 9:46am | Report comment
Towser
what do you think about Robbie Fowler playing for the Fury?
I just got back from the UK, and asked a few of the locals what they thought of him, as he used to play for Blackburn, and informed them he was playing in Australia. They said he was good in his prime, but that prime was quite some time ago, and that a few kilos have been added to the frame of the man who was once called God around Merseyside way.
Im sure the Townsville heat will melt those kilos off Fowlers physique over time.
Pippinu said | June 29th 2009 @ 9:47am | Report comment
Back to the substance of this article.
We all know that sooner or later the current resctrictions of the salary cap will be loosened, might be a little, might be a lot, but it is going to happen.
It’s already clear to me that with or without a salary cap, some clubs would be spending about the same as they do now – they simply can’t affort to spend any more – and won’t be able to for a very long time, if ever.
At least two clubs, maybe three, certainly no more than four (out of ten clubs) could afford to spend up to 50% more than what they spend now.
For a club like Melbourne, that’s the difference between having Arch, Carlos and Fred in the same starting XI, and not having them.
In other words, even a 50% increase in your wages (from current levels), is going to give you only a marginal improvement across the board.
So any thought that we can buy in quality is a bit misguided – we can’t – it’s as simple as that.
But what we can do is seek out young talent – both clubs now under the control of the FFA have done it with success, the Jets played some terrific youngsters, even in a shocking year, as did SFC.
All this brings me back to the blog I put up a few weeks ago about basing our restrictions around over age players rather than the salary cap. Let’s become a nursery. Let’s make it our primary goal. Let’s have the very best 16 to 21 years olds playing in the A-League before they try their luck overseas.
It’s a legitimate objective, it’s doable and the economics of it stack up. Clubs will never go broke developing youth and selling them on – but they will go broke outbidding each other in bringing into the country mediocre players (the good ones are not affordable, it’s as simple as that).
Towser said | June 29th 2009 @ 10:10am | Report comment
True Tah
I’ll let you know when he actually gets on the park. So far missing in action.
But lets presume he eventually straps on his boots. Unlike Lardarse Charlie Miller who can create & score goals Robbie is an out & out goal scorer. So he needs good delivery from his teammates to do so no matter how fit. Can Fury do that. So far the signs arent great having lost 4 preseason matches on the trot with unfavourable reports. Time will tell on this score.
However that leaves a proviso to my previous post.
The Marquee/Guest business is a 2 way street. He will perform(provided fully fit) if surrounded by players who can read & anticipate his ‘Higher professional football moves”. Ie his runs into space to receive the ball,a turn,a goal etc.
I have every confidence that The Gold Coast with the calibre of players recruited will be able to work well with Larsson as Dwight Yorke & Miura worked together for SFC in the first season of the A-League.
The jury is out on Fury for me in this regard with Fowler.
Ryan Steele said | June 29th 2009 @ 11:30am | Report comment
Adelaide will no doubt be expected to come into the upcoming season as underdogs to three or four other clubs (being Gold Coast, Sydney FC, the Victory, and possibly Perth), merely due to the lack of “big name signings,” but their pre-season has shown a lot of promise, and with a still-incomplete squad, they could keep going from strength to strength. They still have a few remaining spaces (though they are only likely to fill one or two), and a few of the players being trialled at the moment look like they could bring a lot of quality to the park (namely In-Sup Shin and Aron Wilford).
I don’t agree with the notion that a lack of name signings equates to lackluster (or non-significant) signings. It’s easier for a team to gel, when they’re equally-skilled, or more able to develop their talents further. Other players on the park are less likely to work as well with a higher-skilled player, if they can’t understand the movements. It’s more about finding the right mixture of players to compliment and build upon what’s already there.
Gold Coast have moved in leaps and bounds, obviously, with signings and squad development, over the last year, and I applaud them for what they’ve achieved in that time. They will be a great focal point for both national and global attention (as will the Fury, for having Robbie Fowler), and it’s what the league needs. I’m yet to be able to take them seriously, though, and it will take some time for me to respect them as a club (not that it really matters to them, of course).
A Gold Coast-based club, cashed-up, and using a home kit similar to that of Brazil, really does seem like nothing more than a novelty.
I agree that what they’re doing is excessive, in terms of throwing money around like nobody’s business (more so than what we saw with Sydney in the first year), but at this stage, I believe it’s beneficial to the league, and will be a great learning experience/centrepiece of entertainment for everyone involved.
I would really like to see Henrik Larsson playing in our league, and the best of luck to the club in their attempt at getting his signature.
Tom said | June 29th 2009 @ 1:15pm | Report comment
I agree with Ryan. I think Adelaide’s team looks very strong this season. Apart from Ognenovski, who’ve they really lost?
whiskeymac said | June 29th 2009 @ 1:27pm | Report comment
some excellent posts on this blog.
on the issue of money – is Adelaide likely to get a (signon) payment if Djite moves to Hajduk Split? i know some player contracts allow for old clubs to benefit from future player movements… might be a way for HAL clubs to continue to realise some money from their “investments”?
Towser said | June 29th 2009 @ 1:59pm | Report comment
Shin In Sup has been signed by AU on 2 year contract. Also forgot they have these imports:-
“He will join fellow imports; Brazilian trio Cassio, Alemao and Cristiano plus fellow new Reds signing, English born Ghanaian international Lloyd Owusu.”
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,25706220-5000940,00.html
Adelaide will be up there again. As long as its not at the Roars expense again. Van Dijk scored a hat trick over the weekend in a trial agains BPL side Brisbane Wolves & Charlie Miller had half a game on his comeback trail. Mitch Nicholls is also looking good & Kruse. Murdocca has broke his leg in training,but we can cover that.
Ben of Phnom Penh said | June 29th 2009 @ 2:23pm | Report comment
Adelaide are looking solid this year, particularly with Mullen emerging as a decent defender. The main concern will be leadership in the back four which will fall primarily to Fyfe. The rest of the squad is looking very good, particularly on the left. I think as per usual Adelaide won’t have anything dramatic in the artillery yet will continue to get results as they play together as a team. I’m hoping some of the young kids have a good season and provide the depth to the squad that will be sorely required for the ACL campaign.
Marlon said | June 29th 2009 @ 3:43pm | Report comment
But Adelaide have hardly added much to the team that last year couldn’t get on top of Melbourne. With a rejuvenated Sydney, stable Melbourne, Gold Coast looking good, Brisbane with their exciting young prospects and even Perth getting their act together, I think Adelaide could be in for a fight in that tight pack.
GeneralAshnak said | June 29th 2009 @ 3:55pm | Report comment
I agree that this year is shaping up to be a bun fight, there are lots of good signs across the whole competition – many strong signings or stable growth. I think that this will be another close year, no one is going to run away at the top of the table – predict that after 10 rounds that the gap in points from 1st to last is no more than 7 points.
macattack said | June 29th 2009 @ 5:12pm | Report comment
Aurelio is a moaner full stop, he must be difficult for the management to work with. He cried poor last year and is poor again with these comments. Toughen the heck up. If you have spent your money unwisely, tough mate.
I like to see the big names come in, they add spice to the whole competition. The marquee status gives a team a chance to have someone special, and someone for all kids to see locally and to aspire to. They are only one of a team though, and the teams with overall strength will go well this year, as suspensions and injuries take their toll.
Love all the speculation, but bring on the season, it’s been a long off season
Ryan Steele said | June 29th 2009 @ 7:28pm | Report comment
“But Adelaide have hardly added much to the team that last year couldn’t get on top of Melbourne.”
Bit harsh, and not to be offensive, but a little uneducated, too. A huge amount of the team has been changed, and added to, meaning the starting XI and formation will no doubt look different to last year’s Adelaide United.
The one thing that worries me about this year’s signings, though, is that although the media should be happy that Adelaide United are focusing on developing their squad, and have even bought an Asian player that hasn’t even proven himself in a professional league (straight from Kunkuk University, in Korea) – an idea that many pro-Asian media have been trying to promote – there will be a lot of criticism over the lack of big-name signings, causing United’s off-season to be overshadowed by the likes of Gold Coast, North Queensland, and Perth.
“Worry” is probably not the best word, really. It’s something that frustrates me about “the media.”
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t, really.
Ben of Phnom Penh said | June 29th 2009 @ 7:51pm | Report comment
Too true, Ryan Steele. Throughout the rather successful history of the club the best performers for Adelaide have hardly constituted “big name signings” (Djite, Burns, Qu, Fernando, Cristiano, Reid, Jamieson, Cassio, Oganovski, Dodd etc). I’m sure that with it’s signing of an AFC player and it’s continued development of youth the club will continue to be successful. It won’t be easy however it never was. Personally I’m pretty happy with the signings to date.
jimbo said | June 29th 2009 @ 11:35pm | Report comment
The A-League really needs bigger crowds, more exposure, larger sponsorship deals and a bigger TV rights deal, so it can attract the big spenders to buy the big stars.
Adrian Musolino said | June 30th 2009 @ 12:42am | Report comment
Thanks for the comments folks.
Just to clarify something, I don’t think I am being overcritical of United. They may not have made “an impact in the off-season with few significant signings”, but they have still done well to bolster their squad with smart signings, especially given the financial situation which was the result of the instability,financial issues of the owner etc.
GeneralAshnak said | June 30th 2009 @ 8:16am | Report comment
Adrian, I don’t think you are being harsh on AUFC, but maybe the comments you have chosen from Viddie give that impression. He was clearly fustrated by AUFC’s inability to attract that ‘big name’ to the club, it may be affecting the clubs efforts to attract new owners. I personally found Bianco’s insistence that new owners/investors be from South Australia very fustrating, especially given South Australia’s lack of high net worth individuals.
On another note, for all the song and dance around GCU’s signings I think that PG have had the best recruitment drive.
Ben of Phnom Penh said | June 30th 2009 @ 9:02am | Report comment
Adrian, we realise that you are not being overcritical of United as they haven’t indeed made any big name signings and the fact remains that known names will put a certain number of bums on seats that otherwise would not be there. The issue is more around how smart clubs have been with their marquees. It is good to see some younger marquees in the A-League, and some World Cup stars to boot as to date the marquees have been generally underwhelming.
Towser said | June 30th 2009 @ 9:35am | Report comment
Ben of Phnom Penh
One of the biggest disappoitments of the A-League has been poor take up of the marquee player. The marquee player is the credibility needed to pull in those Euro fans who watch the EPL on Fox. Many are savvy football fans & expect to see quality footballers on the park. If each club had an overseas marquee,a Socceroo marquee & a youth marquee the attraction of the A-League to the “educated” fan would be greater. It hasnt happened in general. What disappoints me is that many football fans whinge about the worth of such a player. Lets build up the squad,train up the youth,lets have uniform mediocrity.
The fact is that we will never “train up” a player such as Larsson & see him in the A-League. This guy is the finished article after years of plying his trade at the highest level of football. Sure hes slower older but hes still quality. What we will see & only ever will see from players stepping up from the youth league is a potential Larsson. Because after no more than 2 years of A-League football, off he goes overseas & if we get things right to a big club not one in the Romanian truck drivers League. OK some clubs dont have the money & it seems that in the first 4 years of the A-League that is understandable,but then in comes big Clive whos got the dough & people still whinge about bringing in Larsson. Dont get it ,dont fans want to see quality footballers. If you have the money make the most of the system ,if you havent you cant. Black & white to me. After all football operates that way anywhere around the world. A salary cap wont change the fact that some clubs will always be bigger than others & in our system any club with the dough to finance a marquee player should be lauded.
If they dont have such finance ,theres nothing to stop them being street smart in their football recruiting & getting decent exciting players from the right places or the right age within the salary cap(Hernandez,Miller etc). Something CCM failed to do prior to the ACL & it would seem Lawries clone at NQF is making the same mistake despite Fowler. Its all about balance & working with what you’ve got. Clubs shouldnt be frowned upon for making the most of the system.
The Answer said | June 30th 2009 @ 4:02pm | Report comment
Surely the first time Mile Sterjovski has been referred to as mouth-watering.