Related coverage
Melbourne Victory fans celebrate with the team. AAP Image/Andrew Brownbill
“This is what the A-League can be like,” implored Fox Sports’ Simon Hill during last night’s coverage of Melbourne Victory’s victory over Gold Coast United; stressing the quality on offer in some parts of the A-League.
It was a tremendous spectacle at Etihad Stadium with a rampant Melbourne Victory dismantling the under-strengthened Gold Coast United 4-0; a spectacle made even more impressive by the atmosphere created thanks to the retractable seating.
How apt the game lived up to the hype created by the pre-match build-up surrounding the new seating arrangements considering a group of visiting international journalists were in attendance as guests of the FFA; examining what Australia has to offer as part of its World Cup bid.
The contrast between the woeful Central Coast – Perth clash played Friday night and the high tempo end-to-end football witnessed at Etihad was stark, both in the quality of football on offer and particularly the atmosphere from the stands, saying much about the huge variance in the spectacle of the A-League at present.
But you can usually rely on the Victory to provide a spectacle, whether they are thrashing teams at Etihad or receiving a thrashing.
Davidde Corran argued here on The Roar that the A-League’s lack of a great club and the tightness of the competition has created a stale league.
He makes some strong points, however, I would counter by suggesting the Melbourne Victory is the powerhouse club of the A-League.
Yes, their form this season has been inconsistent, in keeping with the trend across the league, thanks to some defensive frailties. But Melbourne are still capable of breathtaking performances the like of which other teams in the A-League can only dream of replicating, particularly when the likes of Archie Thompson, Carlos Hernandez and the ever-improving Nicky Ward are in form.
We know all to well the attributes of the Victory’s makeup that differentiates them from the rest – the stability in the running of the club, the on-field success, the star in Thompson, the leader in Muscat and the quality in Hernandez. But what truly differentiates the Victory is the atmosphere produced by its fans, as evidenced Saturday night.
Simon Hill’s suggestion of bottling that atmosphere and distributing it around the league was spot on. The league as a whole would be so much healthier. It is no coincidence that matches at Etihad tend to provide a better spectacle, when the pitch is decent.
Melbourne’s home crowd average is clearly the best in the competition – almost double that of the next best club last season – and their passion and expectations of success – see the criticism of coach Ernie Merrick by some of the fans despite the club’s successes – shows a club with a football culture akin to a European team.
They may not be a powerhouse club in the European mould of consistently increasing crowd figures wherever they go, but that is not a realistic expectation for an A-League club with the league’s inconsistencies in crowds, not to mention a club lacking an international star such as Robbie Fowler or Dwight Yorke.
Whatever your definition of a powerhouse club, it is certain that the Melbourne Victory are a football club in the truest sense of the term.
They are pulling away from the competition off the field, and potentially on the field should they maintain the form they showed against the Gold Coast.
Next season the Melbourne Heart (or whatever they’ll be called) and the new rectangular stadium being built in the Olympic Park precinct are thrown into the Victorian football equation, giving the Victory a local derby and a new home.
While neither the Victory nor Heart have finalized their stadium arrangements for next season, it has been suggested the Victory will play a handful of its blockbuster fixtures at Etihad with the rest played at the new stadium.
The retractable seating has added an extra dimension to matches at Etihad, particularly in the Gold Coast clash and to a lesser extent the Socceroos’ Asian Cup qualifier against Oman.
The choice of stadiums – one that will produce the intimate atmosphere of a rectangular stadium and the other being the colossus of Etihad with its retractable feature – means both Melbourne clubs can recreate the atmosphere the Victory produced against the Gold Coast, to the benefit of the A-League as a whole.
Enjoy sports? Enjoy a bargain? All Sports Online has your favourite sporting brands at up to 70% off. Online only, premium quality sporting goods and merchandise at discounted prices. Get a deal now.
Do you have what it takes to become a sports writer? Write for the roar
Football articles
- Phoenix need more than flash in the pan crowds (133)
- ‘New football’ fans may help save the game in Australia (124)
- Does Tasmania have a case for A-League inclusion? (119)
- What happened in Port Said was not a football riot (118)
- Is the ACL the FFA’s Achilles heel? (70)
- Magilton struggling to make a mark (68)
- A-League needs to entertain more consistently (61)
- Why Manchester United are never really beaten (0)
- Die Löwen a chance for a Bundesliga rise? (0)
- Hey, Victory! Give them kids a go (0)
- The problem with Melbourne Victory’s ‘hole’ season (25)
- Time for a Sydney FC clean out (23)
- Perth Glory vs Gold Coast United: A-League live scores, blog (94)
- Is Lampard or Gerrard the more valuable midfielder? (16)
Pippinu said | November 29th 2009 @ 7:02am | Report comment
Very entertaining game (especially if you’re a Victory supporter), the sheer speed with which the Victory moved the ball was an all-time high for the A-League – and it included stacks of intricate inter-plays – it was another level again to what we are used to seeing locally.
Ernie cops a fair bit from friend and foe alike – but what many don’t appreciate is his high risk-high reward game plan – he encourages his charges to win games, to score goals – and yes – we occasionally get caught out big time.
Another part of the high risk aspect is his unorthodox game plan and game tactics – he employs very fluid formations that are constantly changing from back three to back four and vice versa, and with one or other wing back moving in centrally then moving back again – we get the extra bodies in midfield to win back possession, but we are sometimes exposed to quick counter attacks on the far wing (what we’d call in aussie rules the “fat side”).
The mobility of Arch means that its not unusal to catch him behind Carlos one second, and then latching onto a through ball from deep a second later – very very tough for defenders to keep track of such movement – and Kruse was similar last night, and that’s how the first goal (and his first Victory goal) was engineered last night, when he unexpectedly drifted into the hole rather than Carlos or Arch – it’s this kind of movement that GCU struggled to cope with.
But when it comes together – to be honest, even SFC’s best games do not touch us (and it’s quite stark the difference in rave reviews Lavicka gets compared to Ernie – but that’s just the usual anti-British bias the people express).
tifosi said | November 29th 2009 @ 7:43am | Report comment
This is what the A-League can be like,” implored Fox Sports’ Simon Hill during last night’s coverage of Melbourne Victory’s victory over Gold Coast United; stressing the quality on offer in some parts of the A-League.
Yeah if every team came from melbourne it could be like that.
Asian Football? said | November 30th 2009 @ 4:23pm | Report comment
I guess you’re referring to the AFL then. Most of the Football teams in the AFL are from Melbourne (& surrounds).
Wonder if there’s a link here?
Vicentin said | November 29th 2009 @ 8:05am | Report comment
It was a great game and great performance from the VIctory and yes Pippu possibly the best football I’ve seen to date in the A-League – except for our first half against you guys a few months ago. Lovely combinations between Kruse, Hernandez, Ward and Thompson throughout the game. Archie was on fire yesterday- the only problem was that next week he’ll probably look completely shite again …you know it’s true. Definitely been a step up in the quality of play overall this year despite the occasional shocking matches like the CCM v Perth game mentioned, but even these teams have really turned it on at times this season including CCMs great game against Melbourne… Just want to make sure you don’t forget some of these results!
Pippinu said | November 29th 2009 @ 11:28am | Report comment
What results!! (already erased)
That CCM v Perth game was a shocker.
And as a TV product – the deafening silence of the crowd and the quality of the game feed on each other (which was the exact opposite last night).
It’s a chicken and egg thing. Quality then crowds? Crowds then quality? One thing is for sure – as a TV product – both need to be there to look attractive – if Culina is on fire in front of 2,000 fans – it ain’t gonna look good on TV regardless of how good the play is.
Realfootball said | November 29th 2009 @ 8:40am | Report comment
What a Jekyll and Hyde team Melbourne are. One minute you get the game against Central Coast, then you get a performance like last night. I would struggle to think of a more exhilarating, polished brand of football played in the A League’s short history. Just a pleasure to watch.
Next week I’m at Skilled Park to watch GCU versus the Mariners. Sigh.
clayton said | November 29th 2009 @ 10:17am | Report comment
Loved what I saw last night. Loved what I heard too. Melbourne is showing what is possible for the A-league. Loved seeing the retractable seating in the stands.
Did the Melbourne club do something right or was it just that culturally Melbourne is the place where this support would happen? (Thats not rhetorical, thats actually a question).
Its a bit unfair saying that the other clubs can`t reach the same highs. Gold Coast have had their highs as well as their lows. Welly has put on some shows. Not everyone is gonna appreciate them, but CCM have put on some of the best performances of this season. I love the “Melbourne way” of playing, but it isn`t the only way to play.
Pippinu said | November 29th 2009 @ 10:25am | Report comment
Clayton
I’ve written this a few times before, and it’s not a popular view, but given that half othe Victory’s membership are AFL members, I have always thought that the Victory is helped by being in a strong AFL city, not hindered, and that the Victory management (led by someone with AFL connections) did the right thing by marketing itself to all Melburnians, including AFL supporters.
Many AFL people enjoy having something to watch in the off-season, and you don’t need a large percentage to actually get some big numbers to games.
Dogs Of War said | November 29th 2009 @ 10:29am | Report comment
It’s a cultural thing I believe. Not to mention that the A-League in Melbourne has tried to woo supporters of AFL across, while I don’t think that is necessarily the case in other locations, especially the Northern States. As well the Northern States don’t have membership cultures, which I know a few NRL clubs are now trying to change, and A-League clubs up here should probably try to do deals with their local NRL club where a discount is offered for being a member of both clubs. Sydney FC could end up big winners as they are able to do deals with most NRL clubs in Sydney, as well as AFL clubs in Sydney.
Large crowds can make even the most dour match, a bit more exciting just due to the atmosphere.
oikee said | November 29th 2009 @ 6:12pm | Report comment
Suncorp memberships have now got offered 38 games, Broncos, Roar, And qld reds, so for a set amount you see all 3 codes and also finals, plus extras, like socceroo games origin, wallaby matches. Good value for any fan. Could be the future. Good idea for league and soccer(football) to link up memberships. If this grows, every game should be close to full.
mahony said | November 30th 2009 @ 9:45am | Report comment
No – never. Socceroos are the national mens football team and should stand alone IMO.
NUFCMVFC said | November 29th 2009 @ 3:00pm | Report comment
I would say it is partly a cultural thing, Melbourne is quite multicultural, but without the kind of boundaries Sydney has between West and East of the Sydney. There is a little bit, but it isn’t so physical in terms of tollways plus the CBD is in the centre and economically accessible via Train system and also car of course. This helps in ensuring a good mix at games which have a good football cultural knowledge, obviously what has allowed the atmosphere to evolve from one end is that you have the South End where the British oriented fans went and the North where the South American/continental fans. This has issues as there is a bit of infighting at times. But from having two active ends, at the old OP they were then able to bring in the side stands in football equivalent of a “mexican wave” that you perhaps can’t get at other clubs with only 1 home end.
Another very important issue though is that MVFC started out at Olympic Park, which is a Stadium with old fashioned terracing. importantly no allocated seating which gave rise to a natural and organic fan culture and allowed to thrive, despite there being lots of problems regarding Drums and Flags and so forth. If Melbourne had played at Docklands from the outset, the culture and atmosphere would not be what it is today. The 4 stand chanting started out at OP too in season 2, so it is OP that has been conducive to this, and it is the new OP that will be more conducive to atmosphere than even a rectangular Etihad.
Interestingly, the Cove struggled after season 1 when allocated seating was introduced fro season 2 onwards, they are in a rectangular stadium but basically allocated seating is bad for active support because it doesen’t allow for dynamism but also people with allocated seats buy into active areas and whinge about flags etc, happens all the time at National Team games but these people tend to dilute the atmosphere and they can’t be moved out, whereas with GA you cant tell them to go somewhere else and chanters shuffle into an area and non chanters to the side, these people tend to just stand there “because they have a ticket there”. Sydney possibly could have kind of had two ends, but the SCC got moved.
Same can be said of the Roar, they used to have healthy crowds but below par active support in the so called “best football stadium” in the country, because of stadium management/security, clubs who don’t really care because they consider active fans a threat to family fans (which obviously isn’t true because the wing fans were getting into it last night now weren;t they) but also the FFA’s policy with HEM. A good example is NQ Fury, originally on the basis of their “secuirity advisors” they were going to set a HEM alloocated seating system in the side stand in expensive seats. Thankfully the Fury CEO seemed to have a bit of a brain and was willing to listen and the current system where the active fans can be seperate from and control who comes in a bit (no non actives) has seen a fairly decent active support spring up at the Fury with F-Troop despite being the smaller of the 3 QLD clubs.
CCM is a ‘family’ club quite deliberately, Marinators really seem to have shrunk this year? Have moved location, a shame because I can imagine it would be more enjoyable with a bit of atmosphere, is certainly much better when in Finals games it was full, especially against BJFC when the Jets fans would bring some atmosphere
AUFC fans have what to many supporters seems like the best stadium because of proximity of ends to the goal, but there has been some instability I guess at times
Perth do nicely IMO, despite being cultured Perth simply isn’t as big as Melbourne
GC Utd, crowds are too small, but there stadium is built for active support and has great acoustics.
Jets, were quite decent, have shrunk with crowds overall…
Either way, it is good to have, firstly because it ensures that club and FFA officials see the real benefits of encouraging the facilitation of rather than obstructing active support first hand, but also it kind of shows what is possible in the local context and so hopefully inspires other clubs active fans to “lift”
As far as on the field goes, some great football. Gold Coast were in the mix but I think injuries forced them to subs and change of shape etc. SFC are looking quite stable, and generally I think we can expect Melbourne, Gold Coast and Sydney to be up near the top of thereabouts
As a Melbourne fan, I personally prefer the term “Powerhouse” club which is generally what you would have to say it is at this point in time, as we don’t really care for “Glamour” tag as it is not Melburnian culture, that can quite happily go to Gold Coast or SFC (even if they are wanting to move away from “bling” perhaps?)
mahony said | November 29th 2009 @ 11:27am | Report comment
At the end of the day, Ernie signed this squad, Ernie coached them and Ernie (along with Kevin) set the ‘tone’ for the sort of football that keeps people comming back. Well done Ernie, I know the team has patches of bad play and even bad games, but the fans understand the culture of the team, its football intentions and stay supportive KNOWING that great performances are never far off. That is how a football club succeeds!
Pippinu said | November 29th 2009 @ 11:30am | Report comment
mahony
well put – but I tell you what – we have plenty of colleagues waiting to sink the boot into Ernie – I’m not talking about opposition supporters – I’m talking about our own supporters!! (and yes, even I have been tested at times – it’s very, very hard to cop a 0-4 loss at home)
Midfielder said | November 29th 2009 @ 11:36am | Report comment
When you come to Bluetounge for the annual ..flogging of the Tards….. I will smile all the more…
I have said all along we have a midfield to die for… we still need to solve our scoring problems… but I trust we will solve that …
Pip you coming up to Gods Garden to see the Tards flogging …
KB said | November 29th 2009 @ 11:43am | Report comment
I didn’t think the GCU were too far off the pace, we were in the game, look good at times, held them for 30 mins, then the critical injury to Steve Fitzsimmons, then Porter… along with the inexperience of the youngsters was too much to over come … Don’t give MV too much credit, they faced a decimated GCU squad… SFC will fair much better against them and even CCM will do the business against them… a tough, uncompromising, very fit side, will run over them next week at Blue Tongue; if they show the same form as they did against the Fury the previous week…
~~~~~~
KB
Pippinu said | November 29th 2009 @ 12:00pm | Report comment
Yeh – Rees and Panta are really the sorts of players that are going to make a difference.
KB said | November 29th 2009 @ 1:43pm | Report comment
You left out Den Brink, Traore and Minniecon; did they play last night ?
Midfielder said | November 29th 2009 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
KB
Watch weeMac & Travis next week and you will see what I am talking about… better take the yellow pills to the match.
KB said | November 29th 2009 @ 1:48pm | Report comment
save the yellow pills for pippi boy and the bandages blood bags on the side line for the MV… I’m sure after your midfield are finished with them they are going to need all of the medical support they can get … here’s hoping
zizou said | November 29th 2009 @ 11:59am | Report comment
It will be interesting to see if the stadium management choose again to bring in the retractable seating, especially since the next home game is against Sydney. It would truly make for a great atmosphere and last night was a pointer to what we can expect at the new rectangular stadium.
The North/East/South/West End chants brought back memories of our last ever A-League game at Olympic Park where we clinched the Premiership. Can we have that every home game please?
Pippinu said | November 29th 2009 @ 1:11pm | Report comment
Hey zizou
first time I’ve ever noticed you here!!
Did you have a blast last night??
I think I can work out what your next blog will be about!
zizou said | November 29th 2009 @ 3:45pm | Report comment
Pippinu,
Have been the reading the articles over here for a while now, especially Tony’s. Certainly did have a blast last night, have spent most of this season standing in South End and enjoyed being really close to the action.
danny said | November 29th 2009 @ 1:24pm | Report comment
zizou (fft zizou, i’m guessing?),
the club have said that for scheduling and cost purposes, this was the only time for the season that the seats would be in. read: they only did it because the ffa covered the cost to impress the travelling journos. but geez, what a game for the journos to see! not saying it’s any better than a generic game in england or japan, for instance. but relative to other a-league games they could have seen, they got lucky.
i was loving on the north-east-south-west chanting too, unfortunately wasn’t there for the game against the knights so have been hanging out for it to happen again. very happy.
here’s hoping that docklands management use the retractable seating when we play our ‘blockbusters’ in coming years. i can see myself struggling returning to the oval pitch once i’m comfy on swan st.
zizou said | November 29th 2009 @ 3:47pm | Report comment
danny,
that would be correct – I am zizou from fft.
danny said | November 29th 2009 @ 4:28pm | Report comment
yay, i was right!
minor inconsequential achievements ftw.
Towser said | November 29th 2009 @ 12:33pm | Report comment
Pippinu
For me its a no brainer its quality then crowds. The other way round crowds then quality is doomed for failure,unless you deliver the quality . I know this from the Roar. We had the crowds in season 3. An example of “swingers” attending that season (as one Brisbane sports journalist calls them)was a vast increase in Suncorp members attending. I know because they sat immediately behind me.
These swingers can come from several categories out of curiosity initially. Could be Euro-watchers, general sports fans, other sports fans,young singles with disposable income looking for some form of entertainment to spend spare cash on. These are the ones I recognise from conversations.Could be others.
Expectation/delivery key words in retaining punters in the entertainment industry. That delivery for A-League clubs comes from quality of football on the pitch or winning- both facets should be at home to get them back.In general Roar delivered neither at Suncorp. So Season 4 we see the decline running into season 5. Add to that ridiculous price increases,you see the result.
Personally I dont see it as a problem just a glitch in starting a league from scratch.
Victory & the Roar were a clean slate in season 1 as were the rest. MV have delivered to their fans judging by the football on display last night a reflection in reality of overall deliverance over the 5 seasons. The Roar have yet to deliver to the Brisbane public.
Jeb said | November 29th 2009 @ 3:22pm | Report comment
Towser,
You got it spot on with the Roar – they haven’t ever won much or played good football at home. Where I disagree with you is that you don’t think the lack of crowds are a problem. I like your optimism but I think its more than a glitch as a large part of the football community gave the roar more than a fair chance over a number of years and were rarely rewarded. It’ll take something extraordinary for them to come back.