Gold Coast United: from the sublime to the ridiculous
Columnist By Adrian Musolino, 24 Feb 2010 Adrian Musolino is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- A-League, Clive Palmer, football, Gold Coast FC, Gold Coast United, Jason Culina, Miron Bleiberg, North Queensland Fury, Paul Okon, Shane Smeltz
142 Have your say
Police direct Gold Coast United fans after they stormed a closed off area of stadium in protest of a crowd cap at Skilled Park during the round 13 A-League match between the Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury , Saturday, October 31, 2009. Gold Coast United owner Clive Palmer made the decision this week to limit the Skilled Park crowd to 5,000 people to save on stadium fees. AAP Image/Dave Hunt.
At the end of their first season as an A-League club, we cannot say with any great certainty that Gold Coast United is a sustainable franchise. It was a tumultuous debut season of off-field debacles that blighted on-field achievement, culminating in penalty shootout heartache and another deplorable crowd figure.
On the park, Gold Coast were exactly what the A-League needed; another powerhouse club who could excite with star names, tear apart the opposition on their day yet were as unpredictable as the league itself.
The squad they built from scratch was certainly impressive. In terms of talent and ability of individual players, only the Melbourne Victory shaded the Gold Coast.
Jason Culina was an inspiration on his return to Australia, marshalling his troops, trying to lift them to his level and producing some sublime moments of his own.
His extraordinary vision and ability to cut through the opposition with his pinpoint passing, combined with Shane Smeltz’s early season goal scoring form, made you think, even for just a moment, that Gold Coast could threaten to go through the season undefeated.
Had it not been for injury-depletion at critical stages of the season, such as when an injury-ravished United were thrashed 4-0 away to Melbourne Victory in November, Gold Coast could well have stolen the Premiers Plate.
Jess Vanstratten, for example, only hit top form in the culminating rounds of the season, having missed much of the early season through injury.
Miron Bleiberg deserves much praise for the team’s performance in its debut season.
But it was the brash talk of an undefeated season and other bold claims that seemed to delude the club on the brink of their debut.
When they defeated EPL side Fulham in a pre-season friendly in front of over 10,000 fans at Skilled Park, you sensed an overwhelming arrogance sweep over the club.
Not only would they sweep to the title undefeated, bringing a glamour to the competition that it had not seen, they would also crowd out the Gold Coast market before the AFL moved. Owner Clive Palmer even baited the AFL with his suggestion that Gold Coast FC, set to debut in 2011, would be unable to sustain a crowd and predicting they would last three years.
As the season began, and despite the initial high-scoring victories, crowds plunged to the point where in late October, Palmer implemented the crowd cap of 5,000 people to limit the loss on stadium fees.
That match against North Queensland, which saw 2,616 turn up (it could have been so much worse), saw the club hit rock bottom.
The club publicly acknowledged they didn’t work hard enough within the local community, and the debacle over ticket prices only compounded the issue. For all the brashness and bravado that characterised their launch as a club, they failed miserably at the very basics of building a football club.
Yes, there were some factors out of their hands that impacted crowds; namely the fact the code doesn’t have the strongest footprint in the region and transport (especially public) isn’t easy to negotiate on the Coast, but there was no connection with the population and that was its fatal flaw.
With all the controversy and bravado surrounding Palmer, the team was viewed as his rather than belonging to the Gold Coast itself.
That lack of a connection and lack of concerted work in the local community saw the crowd drop from the over 10,000 to see Fulham to the 4,109 for the elimination final.
Despite a population base over three-times the size of Townsville’s, Gold Coast United was still behind the North Queensland Fury, with the core supporters, namely The Beach supporter group, making up a significant portion of the crowd each week.
With the defeat in the final, even their successful debut season (when you consider how challenging it is for an expansion franchise to join an established league) will be viewed as a failure such were the ridiculously high expectations made by them so publicly.
It poses the question: Is the franchise sustainable?
As long as Clive Palmer remains committed to the club, his riches will help overcome the deficiencies caused by the small crowds.
But, at heart, he is a businessman, and he’ll be guided by the bottom-line. It was, let’s not forget, fiscal concerns that convinced Palmer to implement the crowd cap.
The future of the club is in his hands, and we can only hope he and his team have seen the mistakes of their first season and start rectifying them in season two. They must understand that creating and running a football club is more involved than just business.
If the club cannot expand its core supporter base beyond the 5,000 mark next season, then serious questions must be asked about the franchise’s sustainability, and even then it will still depend on Palmer’s future.
They also need stability, and the news that Paul Okon has been axed from the coaching staff is a worrying sign that the club may be reacting in panic to their failed finals campaign.
While the AFL franchise starting 2011 won’t be in direct competition with the A-League club, they will compete in the relatively small Gold Coast community for the same corporate dollars and supporters’ dollars and loyalties.
They, incidentally, launched the countdown to their debut in 2011 in the heart of Surfers Paradise yesterday with a rallying cry for the locals to get behind the club and help them reach the 10,000 members mark.
It’s such a campaign that United should have been undertaking this time last year.
As they watch the A-League finals from the sidelines, we can reflect on their season by saying there are more questions than answers surrounding the future of Gold Coast United.
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February 24th 2010 @ 9:03am
Towser said | February 24th 2010 @ 9:03am | Report comment
How was Wollongong ever overlooked by the FFA? There were at one stage talk of a bid from there backed by the guy who owned WIN.
A hotbed of football & produced many Socceroos. Chippers.Wilkshire.Sterjovski in recent times for starters come to mind.
February 24th 2010 @ 9:07am
Brian said | February 24th 2010 @ 9:07am | Report comment
It does look pretty gloomy but there is some good news. Palmer had a very good year off the field. He’s now one of Australia’s richest 3 men and running GCU not a big burden on his budget. Long-term hopefully they can connect with the community, meanwhile as long as Clive’s happy long may the club live.
The AFL will do better but they’ll pump in many more millions into GC and even then the Titans will remain the biggest franchise for some time yet.
February 24th 2010 @ 10:10am
Hammer said | February 24th 2010 @ 10:10am | Report comment
The contrast with GC and the what the guys in Wellington are doing couldn’t be further apart if they tried …
the FFA have some big calls coming up – the Pheonix are the only club yet to be offered a 10 year extension – yet they’re building a supporter base and team to match the big boys of the league … the FFA walked away with the total gate receipts of last Sunday’s game and are set to reap the proceeds of what is expected to be a crowd in excess of 30,000 for the forthcoming Jets game …. numbers like that will make it near impossible not to offer them an extension
February 24th 2010 @ 10:16am
AndyRoo said | February 24th 2010 @ 10:16am | Report comment
If it was completely within the FFA’s control they would be given their 10 year license yonks ago.
February 24th 2010 @ 10:24am
Dogz R Barkn said | February 24th 2010 @ 10:24am | Report comment
Geez – it is a tough predicament for the FFA – clearly the Nix are far too good a proposition for them not to have the certainty they deserve – but we know the sort of pressure the ACF is putting on us – we all know we’re in the right under the strict letter of FIFA’s rules – but – it would be a brave man to predict how this will pan out – especially if, for argument’s sake, Lowy was not involved in the game anymore.
February 24th 2010 @ 10:33am
Australian Football said | February 24th 2010 @ 10:33am | Report comment
As an expat Sydney born person, I have lived on the Gold Coast for the past 16 years and left Sydney before the Football revolution––thinking it would never happen and so resigned myself to an easy lifestyle, of sun, surf and fishing, for entertainment.
In those early parts of my 16 years living on the Gold Coast, I saw one Football Grand Final up in Brisbane Queensland, at Lang Park: Brisbane Strikers v Sydney (Croatia) United with a youthful 16 yr old Jason Culina, taking the field with his father Branko in charge.
Then it was over for another 10yrs or so for me, until the Qld Roar played Melb Vic in the Ver 1 HAL, however, travelling up to Brisbane, 90klms away from where I live was too taxing and thought I could do better things with my time, than the long boring drive up to Brisbane, 90klms away.
Enter Clive Palmer, and GCU FC; I have not looked back since, and my local Australian Football interests have rekindled into life again, watching this team perform live on the park has given me and my family much enjoyment––where there has not been any professional football before, only at very junior levels.
Suddenly the Gold Coast Football community, have been given a professional club––courtesy of Clive Palmer’s late involvement for what ever reason ––who cares––it’s here and the kids are lapping it up, albeit in small numbers at present, but, for those who travel to Skilled Park will witness their enormous enthusiasm who create an amassing atmosphere, more then any other code’s audience.
I just received this email in my inbox late yesterday.
“BRING THE KIDS TO MEET THEIR HEROS
This Friday afternoon, Palm Beach Soccer Club are proud to welcome the Gold Coast United team to train with our very own Sharks players. Come down to the Club from 4:30 to watch them train, meet the players and score autographs and giveaways! Afterwards, bring the family in for dinner … or win it, in our meat and seafood raffle!
See you then!”
http://www.palmbeachsoccerclub.com.au
And for those who are desperately wanting to see the Gold Coast United FC die here on the ROAR blog; we are here to stay, and will be knocking on the door for the Premier’s Plate next season and I’ll be there.
~~~~~~
AF
February 24th 2010 @ 10:50am
AndyRoo said | February 24th 2010 @ 10:50am | Report comment
Good work by GCU, what will the Socceroos be doing for the area while they are in town. Hopefully pim doesn’t keeped them locked in the cupboard and they are allowed to do local press.
Would love too see Luke Wilkshire on the back page of the GC Bulletin
February 24th 2010 @ 11:33am
Al said | February 24th 2010 @ 11:33am | Report comment
I don’t want to see GCU die at all, I would love to see a packed Skiled Park play host to GCU games, however, barely 4,000 people to a final out of an area of half a million indicates that there is hardly any interest in the club. It is easy to blame Palmer, but if there was interest they would have come from the start, the fact is that there wasn’t much interest from day one.
Compare with Wellington which has a population of just under 390,000 and they managed to pack in 25,000 last weekend. World Cup qualification euphoria or not, the Wellington public proved that there is interest for their team, the Gold Coast public have not. How much time do we need to give these new GCU supporters to show their faces?
February 24th 2010 @ 12:33pm
Midfielder said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:33pm | Report comment
seems to little to late … the Fold are on the nose … I do hope Fat Tony has the ability to hand over the4 marketing to someone…
February 24th 2010 @ 5:38pm
Australian Football said | February 24th 2010 @ 5:38pm | Report comment
“Too little too late?” Midfielder are you talking about your pub style football club. Your team is sinking faster then the Titanic and Mr. Dull McKinna has seen it in his nightmare—-the Mariners are sinking at the rate of knots and the BS football excellence project is only a dream of yours. You have had the worst season of your long 5 year history and when the Sydney West Rovers FC start up it will all crumble before your eyes. The best thing you could do is buy a membership with the Jets. At least they play decent football—-not pub football, hoof run and foul. Poor Arnie another disaster in waiting.
February 25th 2010 @ 2:30am
Tortion said | February 25th 2010 @ 2:30am | Report comment
I struggle to see how a club that barely gets 5000 in such a big stadium can create a better atmosphere better than a any other codes. I’d argue that some of the Sydney schoolboy rugby matches would win against GCU on both crowd numbers and atmosphere.
It kind of punctures the football revolution idea as well.
If you were talking about MV (when playing sydney or Adelaide) or most AFL sides Id agree with you. I wish the HAL success but I prefer my football supporters as being down to earth and realistic. It is much more palatable and refreshing than this sort of stuff.
February 25th 2010 @ 8:21am
Australian Football said | February 25th 2010 @ 8:21am | Report comment
Tortion,
you struggle to see because you have not been to see the GCU supporters (the Beach end) do their stuff—-go next season and sit near by at the beach end and you will see what I mean. I’ve attended a Titans v Rabbitohs, and a Nth Melb v Collingwood matches at Skilled Park and Carrara respectively with more numbers with half the atmosphere that the beach kids generate—-go and see for yourself; it’s a wonderful footballing experience.
February 24th 2010 @ 11:03am
Rellum said | February 24th 2010 @ 11:03am | Report comment
Swimming/Surfing is the biggest sport on the Coast, other water sports second, league a distant third. A lot of people in the southern states seem to struggle with the notion that a town in Australia doesn’t have a football code as its number one sport.
I wonder what the titans think about all this talk of United getting in before the AFL team.
February 24th 2010 @ 11:06am
Red Cap said | February 24th 2010 @ 11:06am | Report comment
Yeah.
You often see crowds of 20,000 plus on the Gold Coast for swimming races.
LOL.
Heard of the difference between spectating and participating?
Rugby league is the major spectator sport on the Gold Coast. Full stop.
February 24th 2010 @ 11:44am
Realfootball said | February 24th 2010 @ 11:44am | Report comment
Agree – I think the AFL franchise will struggle against the Titans. That is going to be the real armwrestle on the Coast – Gold Coast United isn’t where the contest is.
If GCU can’t pull more than 4000 to its first final, I really can’t see how the club will survive. Yes its their first season, but 4000?? That is at best wholesale disinterest. And I was there, and I don’t believe that there were 4000 people there. I have been to every home game this season and I would be very, very surprised if there had been much more than 3000 people there.
There is no positive spin on that finals attendance. No other club in the A-League would have posted anything near such a low.
February 24th 2010 @ 12:12pm
Rellum said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:12pm | Report comment
My point was a bit beyond you, sorry. People want to go to the beach in summer and will choose that over a football match. As for professional sport, ever heard of Mick Fanning, quick silver pro?
The Titans are a great success. United and the new AFL team will have to have patience to get consistently good crowds.
February 24th 2010 @ 11:07am
Dogz R Barkn said | February 24th 2010 @ 11:07am | Report comment
I wonder what the titans think about all this talk of United getting in before the AFL team.
i’d say their having a good laugh and enjoying the show from the sidelines! (fairly satisfied with their lot and happy to see them at each other’s throats)
February 24th 2010 @ 11:50am
Australian Football said | February 24th 2010 @ 11:50am | Report comment
Dogz,
I can’t recall anything that Clive Palmer had said or he made any negative comments about the Titans. He has gone on record saying he came from a Rugby League background. When did he say anything that was negative untowards the Titans? His criticism has been all about the $60m spent on the pending white elephant currently being built at Carrara from Queensland tax payer’s funds. GC17 has stated that the block buster games will be played at the Gabba when its in full swing.
~~~~~
AF
February 25th 2010 @ 4:25pm
JamesP said | February 25th 2010 @ 4:25pm | Report comment
White Elephant? No, that would be Skilled Park in the summer time.
February 25th 2010 @ 6:49pm
Australian Football said | February 25th 2010 @ 6:49pm | Report comment
James,
am I suppose to laugh now? OK ha, ha,
~~~~~~~
AF
February 24th 2010 @ 2:06pm
Al said | February 24th 2010 @ 2:06pm | Report comment
Surfing is not a sport.
February 24th 2010 @ 11:09am
Ben of Phnom Penh said | February 24th 2010 @ 11:09am | Report comment
This season is ow finished for Gold Coast and they have the opportunity now to reinvent themselves. It is only the first year so there still remains the capacity to change the approach and be seen to have a greater community focus, The Gold Coast needs to be seen as a club in order to survive in the long term, as a team it will continue to fail to garner support at this early stage in its development.
Kudos to The Beach by the way who have continued to turn up in what must have been a very frustrating first season.
February 24th 2010 @ 11:29am
AndrewM said | February 24th 2010 @ 11:29am | Report comment
GCU will be fine.. It is their first season for christ sakes. Yes Clive probably needs to settle down, and he hopefully will, but you have to run the game at a loss for the first few seasons, that means taking off the cap of the crowd.
Hopefully ticket prices can come down but I am sure this is not the FFA’s doint it’s the QLD governments tax for building two nice stadiums.
The real key is that the team must remain intact as much as possible, play the same attractive style of football, and get out there and connect with the community.. If they can do this over the next 5 years or so then I really think they can turn the corner.
The crowds will come, just give it time.
February 24th 2010 @ 11:46am
Towser said | February 24th 2010 @ 11:46am | Report comment
Historically, during the time I’ve lived in SEQ , there is a history of Gold Coast sporting clubs folding.
So I ask this question”how much of a factor is a winning team, in the long term sustainability of a Gold Coast club, from whatever the sport”
To me thats a great unknown, because so far most clubs have lasted 5 minutes & won sweet FA.
February 24th 2010 @ 12:03pm
Australian Football said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
AndrewM,
I totally agree with you—give it 5 years like the other teams have had. New Zealand have had 5 years—-GCU have just finished their first season. Crowds have not been spectacular—big deal—the backer is paying all the players wages and they are not complaining; they know what ever happens their pay checks are secured, and in the end the crowds will be entertained with decent football.
February 24th 2010 @ 12:15pm
Towser said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:15pm | Report comment
And the reality is AF that for people like yourself & the beach ,thats all that counts.
.
February 24th 2010 @ 12:27pm
Australian Football said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:27pm | Report comment
With respect Towser—what does that statement of yours mean.. ? Are you suggesting we on the GC are a selfish lot.. At the expense of the Brisbane Roar?
Now we know where RealFootball is off to next year.
February 24th 2010 @ 12:19pm
Michael C said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:19pm | Report comment
in that 5 yrs Auckland morphed to become Wellington,
what’ll be needed for Gold Coast??
The Byron Doobies??
February 24th 2010 @ 12:35pm
Australian Football said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
and what of the GC17 will they be the Nth Melb reserve team the season after in Ballarat?
February 24th 2010 @ 1:03pm
Al said | February 24th 2010 @ 1:03pm | Report comment
GC17, almost as big of a joke as GWS.
February 24th 2010 @ 1:48pm
Michael C said | February 24th 2010 @ 1:48pm | Report comment
fair go guys – leave the snide x-code stuff out of it.
Al, my comment is fine given as per what Sam said just below.
February 24th 2010 @ 3:58pm
Corey said | February 24th 2010 @ 3:58pm | Report comment
I honestly believe that both Clive Palmer and Demetriou have enough money to keep the teams going in GC, they won’t have the crowds but they are probably in for the long haul. Thats why Clive’s comments were stupid, AFL puts a team in a place where it shouldn’t but just persists with a lot of cash.
February 26th 2010 @ 7:29am
Redb said | February 26th 2010 @ 7:29am | Report comment
Not sure why the AFL should not put a team in the Gold Coast. Until North stuffed up their PR, AFl games on the coast were drawing 10-11K no problem. Quite a strong grass roots league in that part of the world.
it is easily as big as any presence the NRL has in Perth.
February 24th 2010 @ 1:21pm
Sam said | February 24th 2010 @ 1:21pm | Report comment
Ummm, the Auckland A-League team was a disaster; Kings then Knights both never managed to draw decent crowds, Wellington is a completely different team, in a different city, with a different owner. Not saying that GCU will fail, but it is certainly possible.
February 24th 2010 @ 3:11pm
Griffo said | February 24th 2010 @ 3:11pm | Report comment
Unfortunately for a club, building supporters is a marathon, but making a profit is a sprint.
It is also unfortunate that Palmer, with an out-going personality type, had Bleiberg as a media mentor. Even though Palmer is sinking his own hard earned into the club, saying whatever was on his mind every five minutes to the media did have an effect on the club, both reputation, the fans, and the players. It is going to take some time to rub off.
In light of the poor crowds, I almost forgot about the Fulham crowd figure. But I do seem to remember pre-season interviews with some of the players at community events, so was those events enough? Did it die off over the season?
$50 for a ticket is a bit much, then to cap crowds, legal battles (almost), and the constant grab for media attention.
It seems to me that Palmer could do well to step back a bit from being the face of the club next year. Let Culina do the talking a bit more. Bleiberg isn’t so bad when he isn’t wound up. It was a shame that Okon is no longer there, he would have been a good image for the club to the public.
GCU have a lot of work to do, and it is going to be a marathon for the next few years to see the results, but I think they will be OK if they bring in the same quality of players, engage the grassroots and community, and get a good football philosophy for the long term.
Who knows, they might start making Palmer some money.
February 24th 2010 @ 11:51am
James said | February 24th 2010 @ 11:51am | Report comment
Biggest concern, IMO, is the simple fact that they had a great team of players, were winning, and still crowds sucked. Imagine if they had an Adelaide United type season?
February 24th 2010 @ 11:59am
Brett McKay said | February 24th 2010 @ 11:59am | Report comment
A quick question, what was GCU’s biggest A-League crowd for the year?? Did they get near the Fulham crowd again??
February 24th 2010 @ 12:05pm
Al said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:05pm | Report comment
They got 10,024 for their match against Brisbane on December 26. On the tellie it looked as if at least 50% of the crowd were Brisbane supporters. They got 10,336 for the Fulham friendly.
February 24th 2010 @ 12:07pm
Michael C said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:07pm | Report comment
I’ve got there biggest being the Round 21 blockbuster v Bris Roar with 10,024.
Season:
Rnd 2 : 7526 v NthQLD
Rnd 5 : 6406 v SFC
Rnd 8 : 5063 v MVFC
Rnd 9 : 4209 v WPx
Rnd 11 : 4509 v PG
Rnd 13 : 2616 v NQLD
Rnd 14 : 5364 v SFC
Rnd 17 : 4117 v CCM
Rnd 19 : 4853 v NJs
Rnd 20 : 4310 v PG
Rnd 21 : 10024 v BRr – - Boxing Day match
Rnd 22 : 4505 v AUtd
Rnd 25 : 7249 v MVFC
Rnd 26 : 4202 v WPx
Total 74,953
Avg 5353.8
February 24th 2010 @ 12:16pm
Australian Football said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:16pm | Report comment
Not bad overall. What was the Nix’s first years attendance figures—seems you have such a liking for the HAL MC could you plublish them for me? lol
~~~~~~
AF
February 24th 2010 @ 1:45pm
Michael C said | February 24th 2010 @ 1:45pm | Report comment
Nix were good, Auckland were crap.
Auckland
V1 : total : 39,886 : avg : 3988 for 10 games
V2 : total : 33,956 : avg : 3087 for 11 games
Wellington
V3 : total : 116,833 : avg : 11,683 for 10 games
V4 : total : 79,122 : avg : 7193 for 11 games
V5 : total : 116,218 : avg : 8939 for 13 games
actually – there’s been a bit of a buzz around the ‘Nix, when, in reality, other than the final – this year, with 3 extra games – they’ve managed to recapture the season aggregate of 2 years ago…….sure, avg att is up on last year, but, still 2600+ down on V3.
Give ‘em 5 years.
February 24th 2010 @ 2:59pm
MV Dave said | February 24th 2010 @ 2:59pm | Report comment
“actually – there’s been a bit of a buzz around the ‘Nix” Err bit of an understatement me thinks…last heard approaching 20,000 tickets have already been sold for the WP v NJs game and there is still 10 days to go. Predictions of a 34,500 sell out by the end of this week!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/3369079/Rush-for-Phoenix-tickets
February 24th 2010 @ 3:24pm
Michael C said | February 24th 2010 @ 3:24pm | Report comment
Good ‘eh!
that windy Wellington is the shining beacon of the A-League…….
Not all to seriously – - I note the comment about the club doesn’t get any money with the proceeds controlled by the FFA.
Hmmmm, dangerous ground isn’t it to run the risk of an Anti-Australian backlash!!!
February 24th 2010 @ 7:19pm
Sam said | February 24th 2010 @ 7:19pm | Report comment
There is a massive buzz. More than anyone could have predicted. It’s great actually, not parochial or inflammatory, just positive and optimistic. Its a good thing for sport in NZ.
February 24th 2010 @ 7:13pm
Sam said | February 24th 2010 @ 7:13pm | Report comment
In the context of a city that is more known for rugby and rugby league the Phoenix have done very well. Between their finals match and the Galaxy match a few years ago I would say they are doing better than expected. To fault their performance on or off the field is to lose sight of the state soccer in the region before their conception. All ups to them, they have done very well.
February 24th 2010 @ 12:13pm
Brett McKay said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:13pm | Report comment
thanks guys, I thought that was the case, just wasn’t sure….
Let’s just hope they’re starting at the bottom and will work up from here..
February 24th 2010 @ 12:01pm
Realfootball said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:01pm | Report comment
Personally, even as a GCU member, I was immensely relieved that GCU didn’t progress further in the finals, because their abysmal attendances would have continued to attract attention and damage the A-League. No doubt I will be berated for this by some GCU supporters, but it was in the interests of the game that Newcastle progressed to a final in Wellington, not Wellington to a final at Gold Coast. No doubt Ben Buckley and Archie Fraser were also relieved to see Rees woeful penalty atttempt scatter the roosting pigeons. Another 4000 at Skilled Park would have given the anti football lobby yet more wonderful denigratory opportunities.
With hindsight, the establishment of GCU can be seen a serious strategic error. The club has done nothing more than pull supporters from the ailing Roar, thereby contributing to destabilising the A-League in south east QLD. The publicity GCU has generated has been overwhelmingly negative. Persistent accusations and inferences of FFA “corruption” would be laughable if they weren’t so damaging in the wider media sphere.
Can the situation be salvaged? I hope so, but I am not optimistic. The best hope lies in a resurgent Brisbane Roar, not in a marginal Gold Coast United. I personally will not renew my membership while Miron Bleiberg is coaching Gold Coast. Craig Moore was quite right in describing him as a clown. His tactical and man management limitations were laid out before me at every home game. He is simply not good enough, and his entertainment value has become simply irritating. Okon’s release was the final straw for this former member.
February 24th 2010 @ 12:08pm
AndyRoo said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
Personally, even as a GCU member, I was immensely relieved that GCU didn’t progress further in the finals
Says it all really and I understand why.
The club is just unloveable, even Manly in the NRL had some fans before they started playing the bad guy. Gold Coast became the bad guy way too early.
February 24th 2010 @ 12:32pm
Towser said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:32pm | Report comment
Both the Roar & GCU have flopped at the turnstiles this season.
But there is one massive difference & it needs pointing out.
For Roar its season 5. During that time at home they have not delivered(13 wins 18 losses 12 draws if I remember).
I’ve attended all but 2 of those home games. The empty feeling still lingers.
During that time they obtained an average of 17,000 in season 3. People were prepared to give them a go,didnt get value for money,turned their back the last 2 seasons.
This contrasts sharply to GCU. A respectable third the 1st season. Some quality football from players such as Culina ,Smeltz.Porter. In other words they delivered. But nobody gave them a go from the start. Why theres a million reasons above. But the reality is they didnt.
So I guarantee that if push comes to shove & the FFA have to support a club ,its the one that showed potential. in SEQ initially.
Shame for GCU fans, but the 3rd biggest city market in Australia is too important for it too fail long term if it comes to the crunch.
February 24th 2010 @ 12:47pm
Australian Football said | February 24th 2010 @ 12:47pm | Report comment
The Chop-Chop-Mongrels have been the worst on and off the field for a team that has had five seasons under their belt you would have expected more. But Pub football is their go I suppose with dull McKinna’s hoof run and foul football.