Comments on: Time to get the lingo of the A-League right

By: Faker

Faker — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:36:54 +0000

Might want to get the roar house in order first before you take on any one else ???

http://www.theroar.com.au/2010/02/09/is-valentines-day-clash-the-biggest-a-league-game-ever/

Peruse the various A-League forums in cyberspace, and many fans are claiming that this Sunday’s minor premiership showdown between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory is the most important match in the A-League’s five-year history.

By: Jay

Jay — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:36:12 +0000

33 rounds.. good grief!

By: MV Dave

MV Dave — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:14:23 +0000

Next season will have 30 matches for each team (33 rounds with each team having 3 byes) plus the finals series. The team that wins the GF could therefore play up to 34 games (and the following year with a 12 team HAL up to 37 games which is a full Euro season). Finals are part of the Aussie sporting psyche and need to stay IMO.

By: VIS

VIS — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:05:35 +0000

Cockerill at it again:

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/sky-blues-ready-to-raid-palace-for-carle-20100209-npud.html

anyone got his email address?!

By: Andyy__5

Andyy__5 — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:43:43 +0000

I Agree. in fact, i think the a league should have 5-10 more home and away games, instead of a finals series.
sure the finals series in an australian tradition, but just having the league table, and whoever finishes on top wins is a more Footballing tradition. FFA still have a lot of work to do.

By: Australian Football

Australian Football — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:32:19 +0000

Chop-Chop-Mariners will drown with their style of hoof, run, and foul football before SFC go down. SFC are poised to move into the ACL—then the Sydney fans and media will jump on board.. Will we ever see Chop-Chop-Mariners in the ACL again—not likely.

~~~~~~~
AF

By: Dogz R Barkn

Dogz R Barkn — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:22:57 +0000

I would secretly hope that the Rovers operate more like MV than the Bling (in just about every single respect).

By: AndyRoo

AndyRoo — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:09:48 +0000

Typical Sydney though signing another teams best player rather than bringing new talent into the league.

Have to give grudging respect to MV for how they recruit.

By: Ghost

Ghost — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:03:04 +0000

By the way I totally agree about the issue of marketing and the FFA. It is nothing short of woeful. They aren’t even doing the ‘no-brainers’.

By: Ghost

Ghost — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:01:57 +0000

On a positive note for Sydney… player rumours growing for 2010/11

Corica to retire and be replaced by Nicky Carle as number 10 and marquee

Sergio Van Dijk to join (I’d get rid of Bridge not Aloisi to accomodate him – as long as Aloisi would stay as a non-marquee)

If these moves happen thats great for our team.

By: The Bear

The Bear — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:31:26 +0000

hmm, get it right!!! lol

By: albe

albe — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:07:13 +0000

this is true in some sports. but not in football. Our sport doesn’t need to ‘adapt’ to anything. In fact this is part of the problem, watering down what is a successful formula to mimic other sports. Turns off actual football fans, the exact people the league needs to target more.

By: Marcel

Marcel — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:05:44 +0000

Definitely odd that the Premiers are the first to qualify for the Champions league.

By: Midfielder

Midfielder — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:19:43 +0000

I feel sorry for the people who brought SFC… This is how I feel and my guess is many others feel the same and why SFC will remain a strong club but will never be the club it could have been..

To explain … all Australia’s major media companies have their Head Office in Sydney … all were watching SFC … and SFC kinda carried the flag for the A-League in Hal 1 it worked… then some strange management decisions were made followed by a number of mistakes in management and coaching and the flag ship started to weaken … then it just got worst… and it started a death dive … Obi Wan sold his interests and thankfully a new and football savvy team took over and to their great credit they have turned things around and the club is out of its death dive and has steady growth written all over it…

But it will never again be given the chance by the Sydney media or the Sydney public … BUT the Rovers will and they are IMO the single most important team in the A-League… they will operate in one of Australia’s football heart lands in Western Sydney… Home to eight former NSL clubs , five associations and close to 100, 000 registered winter players… with pockets of WS were football is first with daylight second…

RL claims WS but deep down they know if football can unite the various tribes behind one team then they will be without doubt Australia’s biggest club team, from every point, crowds, sponsors, players, etc…

The huge challenge that the Rovers have is uniting the tribes … but they have football talent to burn on their board supported by those same football people having excellent management experience…

On the final series I think it is a no brainier that the final series will be replaced by a FA cup style competition… reason in the foreseeable future Football will be unable to take RL& AFL on head to head on the weekend.. the time the final series is played will be needed to support the additional teams coming in … the FA cup will be played mid week and thus not in direst competition with the NRL & AFL…

By: DaMan3000

DaMan3000 — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:33:13 +0000

This was me until this season when I decided it’s the best chance of watching good football I can get. Actually it was probably SFC vs David Beckham that got me across the line.

By: VIS

VIS — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:30:54 +0000

No, its a case of us telling you and the public/media that don’t know or care that the FFA call the Grand Final winner the Champions, and the ‘first past the post’ the Premiers.

By: Marshall

Marshall — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:54:22 +0000

I have the same problem – friends aren’t willing to pay $25 plus for a ticket to what they have the preconceived notion of being inferior football.

By: Savvas Tzionis

Savvas Tzionis — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:53:28 +0000

This is hilariously ironic.

The NSL, for all its bad points, ACCEPTED that in Australia the title will be dediced by a Grand Final.

Yet, here we have a bunch of online A-league supporters telling Australians how to run their National Competition.

And I thought the Euro-snobs were not interested in the A-League!!

By: Dogz R Barkn

Dogz R Barkn — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:31:00 +0000

Yes – this announcement didn’t get a lot of publicity at the time – but it does make one wonder as to how much the FFA are on top of things that they need an extension on what is a pretty tiny tournament in comparison to the WC.

By: AndyRoo

AndyRoo — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:26:11 +0000

They also got an extension on their Asian Cup bid, looking at the requirements it seems a much easier tournament to organise (more flexible dates and only 5 stadiums needed) yet obviously they don’t have the man power.

By: Dogz R Barkn

Dogz R Barkn — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:20:42 +0000

I would agree that for some short term cost, there is a massive long term gain for Australia winning the WC bid.

So yes, in the short term, the current A-League season is neither here or there in that context.

On the question of Premiership and Championship, in short, there is zero excuse for a pro-soccer writer like Cockerhill to mess up the terminology.

It has been called the Premiership and the Premier’s Plate since day one of the league – full stop – no excuses – just get it right!!

By: VIS

VIS — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:55:39 +0000

Horray!
you read my post a few weeks ago.
Its bugged me for a while, but i guess article like this ca only help in educating what the correct terms are; even if some people think they are conflicting/ambiguous etc.

Hope its a cracker this Sunday with good weather so the Sydney people come along and get some vitamin D. The media has been lacking for this, once again prob due to the lack of weight given to finishing first in the AFL and NRL codes.

PS. News out today re why Bonita left “was an apparent power struggle with FFA’s Europe-based bid consultant Peter Hargitay.”

By: Towser

Towser — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:50:26 +0000

Whilst I agree in the pursuit to hold the WC,the A-League has been neglected,there is a bigger picture here.
I wouldnt condemn Ben Buckley yet.
The momentum provided by a succesful WC bid will be substantial for football.
If the FFA are smart they can then start to promote the A-League on the back of holding a future World Cup.
So short term pain(for the A-League) for long term gain.
However on the flipside if we dont get the World Cup, A-League fans can justifiably say they have a right to be miffed.
Because the time/money/energy spent on the bid could have been channelled into the A-League.
A gamble in my opinion,but one that if it comes off will be worth it.
If not, personally I’m still not worried at this point, the A-League is in limbo anyway unless more money can be injected into it.
Which wont happen probably until the new TV deal in 2013.

By: Realfootball

Realfootball — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:40:35 +0000

In my view the WC bid has been disastrous. The FFA have the left the A League in a vacuum. It borders on negligence.

The falling crowds are in no small part due to FFA. How can you grow a code in the most competitive football marketplace in the world, literally, if you don’t promote it.

Ben Buckley, you are failing the local game.

By: World Cup bid

World Cup bid — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:27:04 +0000

Its hardly like the World Cup bid is thoroughly organised either. As it stands the FFA have to have agreements in place with other stakeholders in only 3 weeks – and yet we’ve heard barely anything on the World Cup bid front since last year!

The FFA have gone missing.

By: ryangoesforgold

ryangoesforgold — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:23:03 +0000

Adrian

The sporting cultural differences are marked between Europe and Australia, especially on this peculiarity, and maybe that is something that needs to be accepted. The attitude of your article and that of some of the respondents is that there is a need to educate Australian sports fans as to the meaning of a premiership.

Premiership and champion are words almost interchangeable in the Australian sporting landscape; a league has finals or it doesn’t and regardless, for the title you must finish on top. The point being that the A-League is one competition. The A-League finals are not a new competition and as such once you win the Grand Final you have won the premiership. Throughout the finals the top ranked season is often called the minor premier as a mark of respect and to denote the favourite, nothing more.

The hope of us all is that the A-League does penetrate the Australian sporting psyche and to help in this endeavour I’d suggest a good approach for us would be to stop the semantics and disigenuous comments, and adapt the Eurocentric view to something that is of this sporting landscape.

By: Simmo

Simmo — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:04:06 +0000

the FFA has taken its eye off the ball. They’re fixated on the WC bid at the moment and are barely aware that things are going poorly in the HAL.

By: Smokygrayson

Smokygrayson — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:01:49 +0000

What is wrong with Sydney FC’s crowds? A great turn-out could have been expected last weekend in Parramatta Stadium, yet a city of over 5 million could only raise a few thousand more than Central Coast’s dead rubber against Newcastle last night. Why?

Many pundits are exclaiming loudly about the Sydney – Melbourne game this weekend, and hopefully it will be a cracker, but to expect a huge crowd from Sydney is misguided, based on past experience this year.

Where does the buck stop? With the club, who would have limited income to spend on marketing (due in part to poor crowds), or with FFA, who with their substantial revenue raising from junior football registrations across the country, would seem to have deeper pockets?

Why do we only see TV ads for A-League on Foxtel? If you have Fox and see their ads, you’re probably watching an A-League game anyway.

Answers FFA?

By: Brad

Brad — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:18:31 +0000

Went with a few friends to perth game on Sunday at Parramatta. They could not believe the price. $25 cheapest price for adult to sit at end of ground behind play. They won’t be back again for sydney fc or rovers.

By: Towser

Towser — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:08:03 +0000

Adrian

Premiers & Champions,not rocket science.
The big one is Premiers=automatic ACL spot= possible WCC spot.
Youd think journalists print & electronic could respect that by acknowledging the correct terminology.
Even experienced football journalists like Ray Gatt & Mike Cockerill did it yesterday.
Small point it may seem to some ,but in terms of the game creating its own traditions in Australia a necessary one.
Perhaps every time they get it wrong(journalists )we should get them a spot on the Old Goodies baked bean ad skit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydXtCpYimN8

“Get it right”