Football flexes its new found confidence
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By Pippinu, 29 Oct 2009 Pippinu is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- A-League, AFL, Andrew Demetriou, FFA, football, Football World Cup, Frank Lowy, Mike Cockerill, NRL, Rugby League
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Melbourne Victory's Matthew Foschini in action against Newcastle Jets' Ljubo Milicevic during round 5 of the A-League Season, played at the Ethihad stadium in Melbourne, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. The Jets drew against Victory 1-1 after full time. AAP Image/Joe Castro
As we all await to see whether the FFA is capable of putting together a bid to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022 that is at least half credible, we remain with the uncertainty as to whether the largest sporting competitions in the land will need to shut down for up to eight weeks.
What has taken me aback the last few days are a couple of articles that have attacked the major football codes in this country with unrestrained venom, when in truth, there appears to be no good reason to do so.
Firstly, Mike Cockerill, of Fox Sport and the SMH wrote an article that accused the major football codes of causing an uproar at the news of a possible eight week shut down, and even labeled them as saboteurs.
But had there truly been any sort of reaction that warranted this sort of attack?
A few league CEOs had expressed concern at the possibility of an eight week shut down, and to be honest, you would expect no less of a CEO under those circumstances.
The AFL boss, Andrew Demetriou gave no comment except that he was awaiting further details from the FFA.
Not a word has been forthcoming form the rugby fraternity of any description.
So it remains a mystery as to why Cockerill would choose to label the other codes as saboteurs, especially when the FFA is doing a good enough job on that front on its lonesome by completely underestimating the technical requirements of hosting the World Cup.
Then yesterday, I came across this online article in The World Game by Phillip Micallef.
If we can charitably describe Cockerill’s article as premature, we can label Micallef’s as absolutely venomous.
He opens with this statement: “rugby league’s feral mentality was at its height of hysteria …”
Micallef goes on to use offensive terms such as: insular, chest beating frenzy, boofhead, narrow minded, fools and head in the sand.
If that wasn’t enough insulting language for one day, he closes with: “… rugby league could stage half a dozen tin pot World Cups of its own.”
Quite vicious, even if it is slightly unoriginal.
But two questions that come immediately to mind:
1. What on Earth has the NRL, and league supporters generally, done to deserve this sort of treatment?
2. Is it smart of someone who is interested in promoting football?
The answer to the first question is “nothing.”
The answer to the second question is, “probably not.” But it’s even more complicated than that.
League is a huge sport in NSW and Queensland, two markets where one could argue the A-League is underperforming.
SFC has never got back to the healthy crowds it attracted in its first season (which ultimately bore a championship).
The Roar’s attendance figures have gone from bad to worse over the course of the last few years, while their near neighbours, GCU, have become an absolute laughing stock of Australian sport (while at the opposite end of the spectrum, league clubs the Broncos and the Titans rule this part of Queensland).
So why would a pro-football journalist be so keen to denigrate league?
Part of the answer is to be found in the new confidence Frank Lowy has brought to all football lovers across the country. They have been uplifted by an influential figure, a talisman, who is intelligent and has plenty of business acumen and foresight.
This has been compounded by the current close relationship with FIFA, in the lead up to the deadline for putting a bid in to host the World Cup.
This has enraptured and emboldened football fans who for the most part are imagining that FIFA will walk into the country and crush the AFL and NRL forever on their behalf, or at the very least, take over Parliament, and pass legislation that winds them down as corporate entities.
Football fans across the country have a new sense of confidence, of being able to stand up to the school yard bully – with the help of their older brother from the secondary school across the road who happens to be momentarily passing by.
But older brothers are notoriously unreliable, and generally don’t really give a damn about their kid brother, especially when other adventures await, where there are more important people to impress, who offer far more cachet.
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Billo said | October 29th 2009 @ 2:49am | Report comment
I don’t know who Phillip Micallef is, but clearly he is a boofhead of the first order. Can someone please persuade him not to write articles in support of the World Cup? Maybe he is an NRL man in disguise.
Pippinu said | October 29th 2009 @ 7:24am | Report comment
Billo
interestingly, that old expression comes to mind: with friends likd Palmer and Micallef, who needs enemies?!
It has to be said, that the majority of the readers of TWG love that sort of writing, love that show of confidence.
A handful appreciate that it is 100% counter-productive.
Griffo said | October 29th 2009 @ 2:37pm | Report comment
Pip, from what I have read, more people took offence at Micallef’s article just for the shear fact that it was utter crap, un-called for revenge and just plain lazy journalism than did support it. I wonder how many who did support it actually denigrate Rebecca Wilson’s pap.
I think there is a lot of…hmm…competition under the surface as to which sport should or will be No. 1 in the country, as if Australians ever put up with being told to follow just one sport when all are good. Maybe football won’t always be played when AFL and NRL are in recess, but encouraging those fans to pick up another sport while they are waiting wouldn’t hurt.
tifosi said | October 29th 2009 @ 4:41am | Report comment
Pip, after years of takinh sh*t from the anti-football media and the like, it doesnt surprise me that the usual suspects are having a go at them today.
Problem is, this confidence is starting to fade rapidly. Rather chasing pie in the sky, how about the FFA concentrate on sorting out the A-league. Week in week out sport is what matters.
Pippinu said | October 29th 2009 @ 7:39am | Report comment
tifosi
It’s true that football has copped plenty of shit over the decades – although in fairness, much of it was generated from within its own ranks.
But in an article like Cockerill’s we have the double whammy of playing the victim card on one hand (those big bad other codes won’t let us play!!) and insulting them and their supporters at the same time.
Micallef’s was just one big insult – as much to him and TWG as to League – but most importantly – it was not warranted by anyone’s behaviour – that’s the strangest thing of all.
In hindsight, it may have been better for Gallop to follow the exact same lead as Demetriou and O’Neill – but he was only quoted as responsding with two shortish sentences describing the obvious difficulty – it was nothing more than that.
aljay said | October 29th 2009 @ 11:05am | Report comment
Definitely seems to be a case of soccer writers thinking “we’ve taken crap for years, now we’re at a semi-competitive level with the other codes, its time to fire back”. I’ve read this on a number of occasions. Given that soccer will always rely on spectators with a vested interest in their AFL/NRL team, this will be a very unproductive pursuit.
I for one have an interest in both, but will quickly dismiss the A-League should soccer people demand I choose one or the other.
Freud of Football said | October 29th 2009 @ 5:58am | Report comment
Has anyone else noticed the deteriorating quality of TWG? The last week or two being my case in point.
First they get Culina to write some rubbish in which he tries to defend the undefendable – GCUFC. That SBS allowed that rubbish to be published – just look at the audacious title: ‘It’s about time we got some respect’ – on their website, well they should be ashamed.
Then Fink totally kisses his arse in his blog just so as his disagreement doesn’t look hostile (he’s obviously burnt a lot of bridges) and then of course Micallef’s rubbish in which he must have needed a thesaurus to find new insults to use. I mightn’t like NRL or its supporters a great deal but even I wouldn’t write something as vitriolic and unnecessary as that.
Foster barely bothers writing anything on there and when he does its a letter of congratulations, which might I add the people he’s congratulating are extremely unlikely to read or give a rats arse about if they did.
Murray seems to do it as part of his contract, not out of love like he used to and can’t help but talk about immigrants and foreigners and Johnny Warren every chance he gets.
Tuckerman’s recent piece on the Bundesliga shows one thing; he knows nothing about German football but feels compelled to write about it for Australian’s as nobody else there does either.
Corran keeps getting the short end of the stick as his material gets published after others have already been put online and Fink, well if you follow his writing in general you’ll likely have the same impression as I have, he’s running out of ideas.
I don’t mean the incessant harping about Carle but look at how much of his work he dedicated to Neill finding a new club, as if there weren’t more important things to write about (Mutu’s 16 Million Pound fine, Chelsea transfer embargo, Aus WC bid, god anything!). Or how about two blogs published on the same day, on the same topic (more-or-less) just on different sites:
1) http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/10/16/morettis-truculence-jeopardises-australias-standing-in-asia/
2) http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/blogs/halftimeorange/forget-moretti–kewell-and-cahill-need-to-be-reined-in-too-246301
If I’m honest, I much prefer the stuff written by the Users on The Roar, at least some of the people on here have their finger on the pulse and while Pip’s piece here is simply his thoughts on Chuq’s piece combined into an article it’s every bit as good as the stuff coming out at TWG at the moment and way better than anything I’ve read of Micallef’s.
Robbos said | October 29th 2009 @ 6:24am | Report comment
Just because someone constructs a sentence well & writes in an entertaining way, does not make the contents of his writings being on the finger of the pulse.
This article is written by an AFL person who fears the Football WC coming to Australia. If Australia has as little chance as he states, why spend so much of your time being up in arms about the WC having stop the AFL from playing for a few weeks.Why vent your anger.
For years, football has copped it from the media, & we get told we are too precious. Now we get the odd article come out about some of the other codes in a negative way (long may it happen) & the AFL cohorts gets into such a tiffy. As least the RL people are used to criticism as the media here gives it to them. But the AFL has autonomy down there in Melbourne & don’t handle criticism much. I heard their radio station SEN was told by the AFL to drop all segments including calling the game of football.
FEAR in their officials & fear in their fans. If the A-League, football & the Socceroos were so insignificant in this country, so why so they especially the AFL cohorts on this blog spending so much time on Football related matters or even writing articles on them in their negative way.
HOW PRECIOUS is this article, poor little insignificant football writers daring to have a go at our century old sports.
Radio SEN said | October 29th 2009 @ 4:10pm | Report comment
The AFL telling SEN to stop broadcasting soccer? How bout that.
In fact, the AFL does own a portion of SEN – so why shouldn’t they have a say in what is broadcast on their money?
Don’t see Manchester United TV broadcasting too much AFL, NFL or whatever – and why should they?
AndyRoo said | October 29th 2009 @ 4:14pm | Report comment
So everyone thinks that’s fine?
Pippinu said | October 29th 2009 @ 4:34pm | Report comment
Personally, I didn’t know that the AFL had a stake in SEN, and I used to enjoy the A-League segments very much, but there is a certain business logic there that you aren’t going to give your rivals a free plug.
AndyRoo said | October 29th 2009 @ 4:45pm | Report comment
Business logic I suppose, ethically bankrupt in my eyes though (cash for comment pretty much). Can’t believe the AFL would be so bothered by Football to do something like this, gives credence (along with the email from the court trial) to the people I once thought of as nutters that say the AFL/7 buried Football.
And yet a few football writers getting a bit excited garners a backlash.
Oikees brainwashing claims seem true!!
Pippinu said | October 29th 2009 @ 4:54pm | Report comment
Each of the CEOs of each comp, makes decisions that are in the interests of their own comp – so that I can understand.
This is also why you don’t find Bucks insulting AFL supporters and you don’t find Demetriou insulting soccer fans – it’s not good business sense.
But you do find journos like Micallef insulting fans of other sports – he has no business imperative – but you can bet that when Bucks reads what he’s written, he shakes his head in disbelief – it’s simply not helpful in any way, shape or form.
AndyRoo said | October 29th 2009 @ 5:05pm | Report comment
“it’s simply not helpful in any way, shape or form”
I agree with that. When it comes down to it the people that like some sort of Football code even if it’s the wrong one are far more similar to ourselves than those crazy nutters that don’t like sport.
At least I enjoy Foz’s writing normally, can’t remember any decent Micallef pieces. I much prefer his brother Sean.
What the AFL has done with SEN does strike me as a very anti competitive measure though and taking advantage of a near monopoly. Can’t really imagine anyone brave enough to stand up to the AFL in Melbourne though. Their the Victorian equivelent of Gunns in Tasmania.
Pippinu said | October 29th 2009 @ 5:11pm | Report comment
To counter that, local ABC has started calling Victory games (they never used to), so maybe it’s not such a big deal.
But the pre- and post-game shows on SEN were brilliant – always entertaning – especially after a win!!
The best show ever was the time we came back from 2-0 down to beat Sydney 3-2 – - a great evening all round.
Michael C said | October 30th 2009 @ 5:39am | Report comment
re radio SEN, people can choose to believe what they want to – below runs through a bit of info and links that illustrate that SEN was dead in the water, twice, and only getting AFL broadcast rights has saved it – - – the AFL was offered share options but has no management/board role and it’s a 3 year deal. Believe what you want…..it’s pretty obvious that without the AFL, they don’t survive. Sports 927 is the nags station, that’s their bread and butter. SEN couldn’t afford bread with just the soccer and storm.
the AFL was provided share options that if exercised would provide roughly a 5% stake in the station.
Main thing is, the station was launched in 2004,
was going broke in 2005,
and again in 2006.
To that point, they were calling soccer and storm…..
they had to get the AFL and they managed to raise $1.5 mill plus the share options to provide a $2.5 million package to the AFL.
Since then, they have been calling MVFC – although if there’s a conflict, the AFL wins and MVFC is streamed. The big loser is local soccer – they used to call Green Gully vs Heidelberg type games……but, that was hardly sustainable, and the Storm are the other big loser – - – and that’s because those conflict directly with the AFL season.
This offers a nice overview from mid 2008
The share option deal is covered here.. It was Ben Buckley covering it off at the time,
Buckley stated:
“We are not involved in management, we are not involved in the board. We have no other formal association other than as a licensor of our rights. Our relationship with SEN won’t be any different than it will be with 3AW or Triple M or the ABC.”
Quick described the share option offer as a “straight commercial arrangement”.
“We will be maintaining total independence,” he said. “The AFL will have no influence over our coverage and to be honest, they don’t want to either.”
Southern Cross group general manager Graham Mott expressed confidence that SEN would not get favourable treatment as a result of the stock option offer.
“I don’t think the AFL operates that way,” he said. “It wouldn’t be smart on their behalf because it is only a three-year agreement. We will be back at the table in another two years.”
Pacific Star last night announced that it had paid $1.5million for its share of the rights and that 10 million share options would be issued to the AFL each year for the next three. The options will be offered at 6.2c per share. The stock closed at 8c on Wednesday when trading was postponed ahead of the announcement.
Pippinu said | October 29th 2009 @ 7:51am | Report comment
Robbos
I think there was a small compliment in there somewhere, so I will take it and thank you, heaven knows my low levels of self-esteem and confidence needs all the positive feedback it can muster.
But I agree with you that I do not my finger on the pulse, I’m just another mug punter.
This is simply my honest reaction to both Cockerill and Micallef’s articles – the latter, in particular, appeared extreme and completely unwarranted (noting that he was attacking League, not AFL, so this particular article is not really a defence of the AFL at all).
Robbos said | October 29th 2009 @ 8:06am | Report comment
I do not see any honest reaction to any negative articles from Richard Hinds or Greg Braum, nor on Dennie Commetti’s negative comments online. But fine keep your focus on the odd negative article on your game, but turn a blind eye on the numerous negative articles on football. Like I said Precious. As MC said it’s called Blind faith. This works for those who are less learned.
Michael C said | October 29th 2009 @ 8:36am | Report comment
Yup,….”Blind Faith”……one album only…….we alright.
main thing is, the moral high ground is a little bit crowded in this country. No one is holier than thou. No one’s excrement don’t stink.
Sadly though…..there’s way, way too much ‘opinion’ dressed up as journalism. And half that opinion seems designed to anger, and be inserted as links in blogs!!!!!
Robbos said | October 29th 2009 @ 9:31am | Report comment
never a truer word said MC.
AndyRoo said | October 29th 2009 @ 9:24am | Report comment
Thanks Robbos, you saved me making a post.
Exactly my thoughts.
Pippinu said | October 29th 2009 @ 8:36am | Report comment
Robbos
I do not believe that any of Hinds, Baum and Commetti wrote with the vindictiveness of Micallef in particular.
Commetti made a statement of fact: there is no way in the world the AFL would close down for 8 weeks – people shouldn’t even contemplate it as a possibility.
Baum’s piece was on the general Australian sporting psyche of favouring those who battle on under adversity rather than those who too commonly feign injury, which is supported by the general Australian community, i.e. it was about sporting culture.
Hinds was probably the most strongly worded of all three – but his point is well made: the FFA is using Government money and Government support in competing against the AFL by shutting them from assets that AFL money has built – as an economic, political and legal argument – it’s actually a very strong one.
Robbos said | October 29th 2009 @ 8:43am | Report comment
The FFA has Government support because it has national teams, which represents this country, you will find most national teams gets aide from the government. The goverment supports the WC bid just like they supported the Olympic bid. This is not just about the sport, this is a major sporting event.
But like I said you read these articles from Commetti, Hinds & Baum with blind faith and all based on the fact that AFL has no int’l flavour that there is only one culture & no national team or no huge int’l event
Griffo said | October 29th 2009 @ 2:57pm | Report comment
Freud, yeah some of it is a bit up and down these days. Perhaps the editors are getting more traffic because of it so down goes the standards. Vitor Sobral and Scott McIntyre are still good value, as is Tim Vickery (wish he would write more than once a month). Am still a fan of the Fozz, especially when he concentrates on youth development, but thought he took a dive when he suggested Verbeek should be sacked before the world cup if he didn’t say ‘attack’ more than twice in one sentance before an FFA lynch mob. That started a mainstream media frenzy that has finally died down a bit.
Fink-e, well, I think that is just the way he rolls…
Freud of Football said | October 29th 2009 @ 11:50pm | Report comment
http://www.theworldgame.com.au/blogs/mike-tuckerman/a-league-can-learn-from-bundesliga-245906
Here that was the one I meant from Tuckerman, utter nonsense, he’s comparing apples with oranges just because he knows a little bit about oranges.
Pippinu said | October 30th 2009 @ 12:01am | Report comment
Freud
it wasn’t that bad an article was it?
Freud of Football said | October 30th 2009 @ 12:18am | Report comment
Pip, yes.
The Bundesliga is the main league for the main sport in Germany, people here aren’t interested in foreign leagues (in England there are a lot of SPL fans for example) and people follow teams from birth more-or-less.
Bayern is the only club that has a genuine following across the country as most people support local teams. In Sydney there is support for various other teams not to mention other leagues, in Stuttgart you might find the occasional KSC fan but other than that, its all VFB and a few Kickers fans and it’s the same across the country.
Football is the number one sport in Germany by a long way and its nothing like that in Aus. At an administrative level the games appeal to totally different demographics, in Aus it is a minority sport, in Germany if a company wants to advertise something they go and get someone from the national football team.
In Aus the daily telegraph runs an article about the discrepancy in crowd figures between the official number and those counted in photos – in Germany half of Bild is dedicated to football and all serious newspapers dedicate serious column space to the sport.
It’s a completely different model, the finances are different, professionally there are far more teams that play at a good level, clubs don’t just have a football team but generally have basketball, volleyball, athletics etc. all in one.
“German clubs have been around for decades, fans can travel short distances on a high-speed rail network to stand on well-regulated terraces” – Exactly, they can’t do that in Aus and never will be able to, so why the hell would you compare the two?
If an Adelaide fan wants to see United play away in Brisbane he probably has to take a day off of work with travel arrangements etc. In Germany you go to and from an away game on the other side of the country on the same day.
Just because Mike Tuckerman writes something doesn’t make it the truth. Don’t you ever question the rubbish that these people feed you?
Knives Out said | October 30th 2009 @ 12:26am | Report comment
(in England there are a lot of SPL fans for example)
Absolute dross.
dasilva said | October 30th 2009 @ 12:31am | Report comment
I didn’t think it was a shocking article. It’s not really harmful in any way.
Just a completely pointless article that gives us no real insights and add no use to the Australian game. Hell even Mike hinted this with “even if there are plenty of reasons why comparing the Australian league to the Bundesliga isn’t especially useful.”
Really you can just summarise the major point in the article
We should charge people less money to see the A-league as the bundesliga doesn’t charge fans excessive amount of money. Also we need clubs to connect more with the fans.
Well we didn’t need to compare the A-league to the Bundesliga to state that obvious that we need cheaper tickets and that we shouldn’t get the fans offside to the club (eg Gold Coast).
However I am a fan of Mike. This is just one of his weaker articles.
Freud of Football said | October 30th 2009 @ 12:36am | Report comment
As usual KO you come to a football thread with nothing useful to contribute.
http://cdn.optmd.com/V2/41865/160979/index.html?g=Af////8=&r=www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question99085.html
In 2001, 800,000 people that were born in Scotland lived in England. Of course they wouldn’t follow the SPL – particularly the old firm games which are about religion which you don’t leave behind when you move across the border do you KO? – would they though according to your reasoning.
AndyRoo said | October 30th 2009 @ 9:23am | Report comment
I think it was a fine article because I agree with his conclusion.
A league tickets are expensive. Pretty much the Fury are the only team that have incredibly cheap tickets.
It’s not an economic argument because I think in most of these modern stadiums and considering Pay TV cheap tickets don’t make sense. But politically it’s very important for the A league to get big crowds even if to do so requires operating a somewhat false economy.
And I never support “free” tickets like the AFL does in new markets because it gets people accustomed to freebies and why pay for something you used to get for free.
But get big crowds and you get better press in Australia, simple as that. Say the A league team out drew the Broncos, even if Broncos fans paid 3 times as much to see their team and 400k were watching on FTA the Brisbane Roar would get massive momentum from that.
I think the AFL has benefited from this a lot with the Swans, people always talk about how much support the Swans have and that is largely because they get bums on seats. The amount of people watching on TV is poor. The Swans and Lions all get massive amounts of rest compare to the A league even though they are going up against the NRL.
Obviously at some teams the pricing isn’t as elastic to demand as it is in QLD. But I felt ticket prices was the main reason for the huge drop off in support for the Roar this year. The 19k first round crowd was disappointing and from their it has nose dived.
They now have a $15 bay and from here on in I think the crowds will build.
Chris said | October 29th 2009 @ 6:44am | Report comment
Fact 1: The average AFL/NRL/Rugby fan is more than willing to support the Socceroos/a soccer team as a second team.
Fact 2: The average AFL/NRL/Rugby fan is not willing to give up their games for soccer. Soccer will be at best a second sport.
Why the hell then would soccer people attack AFL/NRL/Union? It just entrenches the us v. them, Aussies v. ethnics mentality that has been the bane of Australian Soccer for years. They aren’t winning any new soccer fans out of it!
Luke W said | October 29th 2009 @ 7:21am | Report comment
Fact 1: Anyone can make up a fact.
Fact 2: See fact 1.
Freud of Football said | October 29th 2009 @ 7:30am | Report comment
I’d like to see some sources for Chris’s facts too.
Pippinu said | October 29th 2009 @ 7:53am | Report comment
Well, I’m not sure that we are going to find to much to back up Chris’ “facts”, although, intuitively, they make some sense to me.
I”d be happy to offer views on why that is if people are willing to have a sensible discussion about it.
Luke W said | October 29th 2009 @ 8:42am | Report comment
I made the jump from league to football a few years ago. Haven’t looked back. Best decision I ever made.
Jeff Baxter said | October 29th 2009 @ 9:40am | Report comment
I went the other way – so the world is in balance. Phew!
Luke W said | October 29th 2009 @ 10:55am | Report comment
Well, we both proved the “facts” wrong!
Tom said | October 29th 2009 @ 8:38am | Report comment
As an AFL fan and soccer fan in equal measures, and with plenty of mates who follow both to different degrees, I don’t think its at all a ‘fact’ that AFL and NRL fans wouldn’t accept an adjustment to their season so Australia could host the world cup.
Robbos said | October 29th 2009 @ 8:51am | Report comment
At last an AFL fan with reason, something to aspire to Pip. Considering you claim to be a football fan too.
BigAl said | October 29th 2009 @ 11:23am | Report comment
I feel that an accommodation could be made, but plenty money would have to change hands, and not just to cover lost earnings but also goodwill !
Any commercial enterprise worth its salt would expect nothing less.
The only questions is . . . where does this money come from ?
Pippinu said | October 29th 2009 @ 12:43pm | Report comment
BigAl
when it comes down to basic commercial law – of course that’s right – I can only guess that it forms part of the Government’s largesse being splashed around.
I’ve done a very rough back of the envelop calc that the AFL would probably seek compensation of around $500 million if it had to suspend activities for two whole months.
But I doubt it would end there – on top of that, they’d hope to receive a little bit of a “legacy” themselves (especially if the government is flashing the cash).
So a few pet projects woudl no doubt be thrown into the bargain.
Chuq said | October 29th 2009 @ 8:44am | Report comment
What’s this – an AFL/NRL supporter upset by a couple of articles from other codes’ supporters that denigrate them? Soccer has been putting up with this constantly for the last 30 years!
Robbos said | October 29th 2009 @ 8:49am | Report comment
I know Chuq, abit Precious don’t you think.
eh said | October 29th 2009 @ 8:51am | Report comment
what’s a code war again?
RangerDick said | October 29th 2009 @ 8:55am | Report comment
He is entitled to write his piece becasue news limited have had NRL journos bashing football for years. I hope he writes many more venomous articles to catch up with 20 years from the daily tele. Keep it up Micallef.
whiskeymac said | October 29th 2009 @ 9:00am | Report comment
i like pretty much all the sport on offer by the big 4 – it’s generally a good standard and competitive, and, as such, don’t buy too much into the pissing competitions that erupt weekly on the Roar about whose game isprettiest, manlier, richer, more aussie, more global etc, but in saying that the TWG article was a bit over the top. So even if the treatment in the past of football has been undoubtedly poor (but is actually improving i think) IMO virulent attacks on NRL and it’s supporters seems purile at best, especially considering that the whole WC issue is uncertain. I dont think NRl etc wld stand in the way of Oz getting the WC, but to fire off about something that hasnt even happened now is very premature and antagonistic.
Luke W said | October 29th 2009 @ 9:08am | Report comment
Did anyone see the Daily Telegraph’s article today regarding Sydney FC’s crowd against the Brisbane Roar last weekend? They claim that the FFA/Sydney FC added 2000 people to the official total of 8000 odd. How did the Daily Telegraph come to this conclusion? They counted how many people were in the stadium from photographs!
I hope now that NRL/AFL fans can see what football supporters are forced to put up with from the mainstream media. The Telegraph has taken a match with a one-off low crowd (due to torrential rain before the match), ignoring the fact Sydney FC’s crowds have been increasing match by match this season back to solid averages, just to push this stupid agenda. Then they claim the figure was fudged, again ignorant to the fact that in the rain, many people would be stading undercover!
Luke W said | October 29th 2009 @ 9:18am | Report comment
Continuing with that theme, the Telegraph also ran a story a few days earlier about the 12k crowd in London to see the Australia vs New Zealand rugby league 4 Nations clash. Despite only 12k people turning out to see the best two sides in the world, the Telegraph spun it with the crowd “detonating” in the opening minutes with a “cacophony of sound”. I’m not doubting the atmosphere on the ground, but it’s two completely different approaches towards two matches that had lower than expected crowds.
And you wonder why guys like Cockerill and Micallef have the occasional outburts.
AndyRoo said | October 29th 2009 @ 9:27am | Report comment
They once did this to Souths or Penrith Rugby League team too.
San Jorge said | October 29th 2009 @ 9:37am | Report comment
Luke, its not just A-League that they’ve done this to. They ran a similar story about a Souths or Roosters game a while back, keep your panties on mate. Don’t even start on media coverage
True Tah said | October 29th 2009 @ 9:43am | Report comment
Luke W
I wouldnt place too much faith in the Telecrap, and rugby league clubs have been putting up with this for quite some time.
Robbos said | October 29th 2009 @ 9:52am | Report comment
For every 1 shocking story on RL in the Daily Terror there are 10 good stories about RL & it’s players.
With Soccah, they only print the bad stuff.
Michael C said | October 29th 2009 @ 9:56am | Report comment
“the fact Sydney FC’s crowds have been increasing match by match this season ”
SFC crowds this year,
14.9K
11.7K
17K at the SCG
10.4K
13.9K
8.4K
pretty well on par with V4 avg of 12.4K. The whole point of an average figure is that you get the odd day of bad weather.
Still a fair way from V1 16.7K and V3 16.4K.
Still though – pretty ordinary for the flagship team in the home of soccer in this country.
at any rate…..I’ve gotta point out…..last weekend we attended a lunch time out door wedding in the Yarra Valley in glorious low 20′s and perfectly still……ah, paradise. (btw – initial type…..’weeding’…..hmm, not quite).
Robbo said | October 29th 2009 @ 1:38pm | Report comment
“17K at the SCG” – Actually 16.6K at the SFS. Sydney have never player at the SCG that I am aware of.
That said – you are right – their crowds are very poor for a city of 4.5 million. Especially when soccer is meant to be taking over this country. 8K is less than one in every 550 people!
The Link said | October 29th 2009 @ 1:50pm | Report comment
There was a plan to have the Fury game at the SCG – why didn’t that go ahead?
There’s a good tradition of Soccer at the SCG. Sydney FC should play a game there from time to time.
I noticed they have a game at Parra Stadium in February.
Robbo said | October 29th 2009 @ 1:53pm | Report comment
The SCG is a horrible place to watch Union, League or Soccer. That said I love the ground so much that they should definitely take more games there – if only for the tradition. I would love to see the Roosters, Waratahs, Souths and Sydney FC all take a game or two there each year.
Michael C said | October 30th 2009 @ 5:22am | Report comment
my mistake,
although, in fairness – the A-League website still lists the SCG as the venue for the completed match in the “Match Summary” section……although in the fixture and ‘report’ it is listed as SFS.
I’m sure they’ll bring it into line….eventually.
keeper11 said | October 29th 2009 @ 9:11am | Report comment
Chuq ..couldn’t agree more.
sensitive souls these footy diehards of the traditional sports…
giving sh#t to ‘tha sockah’ was up there on australias sporting media’s favourite pastime…
( see todays Telerag ..upto its usual putrid self…
)now a couple of openly pro-football articles and its ‘boohooo’
Geez…denigrating someone else to make yourself feel better …
AFL/NRL types and their media mates have lived in this bubble of superiority for so long…
the ‘black’ fella of australian sport is finally speaking up and seems they just don’t like it…….
Pippinu said | October 29th 2009 @ 10:24am | Report comment
This article was about precisely that – football’s new found sense of its own importance – did people read something else into it?
Luke W said | October 29th 2009 @ 10:57am | Report comment
Don’t plead innocent. The whole article has an undercurrent that the new found sense of confidence is not justified, written knowing full well the code war that would start (this is The Roar, afterall).
Freud of Football said | October 29th 2009 @ 5:36pm | Report comment
No Luke, the whole article was a summary of Pip’s comments as posted on Chuq’s piece .
Very well done Pip, I’m sure you knew this would generate some interest seeing as it’s just an extension of the aforementioned article spun into your own opinions.
Pippinu said | October 29th 2009 @ 6:28pm | Report comment
Luke
You use the word “undercurrent” as if I’m hiding something when my conclusion is quite clear.
Soccer fans have taken great strength from the involvement of Lowy, we can all agree on that – it was he who started up the NSL back in 1977 – Australia’s first national club comp of any discription.
He pretty much got the Socceroos over the line in 2005 – we all accept that – he deserves all the accolades and it is proper that soccer fans draw great inspiration from him.
Then you have this WC bid, and the temporary strong, close links we have with FIFA (which may be strengthened with a successful bid, or might vanish as quickly as they arose).
This has given some even more strength, more courage, more motivation – to say incredibly stupid things.
That is definitely a false confidence.
The very people that soccer needs to hook the big one requires the goodwill of some big hitters in Australia – people that Micallef is insulting unnecessarily.
There is a false confidence, and a false optimism that FIFA will simply walk in and steamroll everyone – some soccer fans are truly hoping for this – as if FIFA has the power to storm Parliament or something.
There’s a new found courage to viciously attack supporters of other codes, that their time has finally come, that they may now seek their own retribution for decades of neglect.
It’s this latter courage that is not based on solid foundations – what’s more – it’s such poor timing and completely unwarranted (displays of invincibility).
Afterall, even in this day of instant communications, Geneva is still a long, long way away.