The A-League needs a Sydney FC win
Columnist By Mike Tuckerman, 16 Mar 2010 Mike Tuckerman is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- A-League, football, Karol Kisel, Mark Bridge, Sydney FC
Melbourne Victory's Kevin Muscat is tackled by John Aloisi of Sydney FC during their A-League major semi final leg1, played at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010. Melbourne beat Sydney 2-1. (AAP Image/Joe Castro)
I can see it now: Karol Kisel finds Mark Bridge in midfield, and the Sydney striker jinks past his marker. Bridge looks up and sees Alex Brosque in space to his left, and lays off an inch-perfect pass that bobbles horribly on the Etihad Stadium surface as the chance is lost.
It’s been an up-and-down kind of a season, so perhaps it’s apt that the bounce of the ball could play a deciding factor in this week’s A-League Grand Final.
The news that the Etihad Stadium pitch is to be re-laid ahead of the big showdown between Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC won’t have instilled fans with any renewed sense of confidence.
At best, the re-laid surface will provide a better TV backdrop than the embarrassing “car park” that has hindered Victory throughout the season – which at times has looked more like St. Kilda beach than a football pitch.
But the new turf won’t have any time to mesh together, so expect a spongy playing surface for the A-League’s showpiece event.
Football Federation Australia may have more on their minds than just the state of the pitch, as they look to put a difficult campaign behind them with a memorable final game.
As much as Victory have been an ornament to the league, FFA officials could be forgiven for cheering on the Sky Blues – not least because the 13,196 fans that turned out to watch the Preliminary Final in Sydney proved just what a fickle market the harbour city is.
Sydney loves a winner, and the city hasn’t had one in the A-League ever since Pierre Littbarski unleashed his fashion crimes on an unsuspecting Australian public.
I’ve got a lot of time for Victory supporters – in my opinion they’re some of the most knowledgeable fans in the country – but having already seen Kevin Muscat lift the A-League’s “toilet seat” twice, I hope it’s the Sky Blues fans celebrating well into Saturday night.
For one thing it might help encourage a few more fans through the gates of the Sydney Football Stadium next season, with Victory having already established itself as the biggest crowd drawer in the league.
A win would also vindicate Sydney FC’s decision to lure Vitezslav Lavicka over from Czech football, with the talented coach largely responsible for instilling the system that saw the Sky Blues crowned premiers despite a succession of injuries this season.
Club stalwart Steve Corica may have been forced to retire following his season-ending hamstring injury, but Sydney FC have shrugged off his loss on the back of some wonderful finals football from Brosque, Bridge and co. – not to mention a helping hand from Chris Payne.
Whoever wins will deservedly claim the mantle as A-League champions, with these two sides undoubtedly the most consistent teams in the country this season.
But I can’t help but feel that a Sydney FC win would prove more beneficial in the long run, as the A-League struggles to reassert itself in one of Australia’s toughest sporting markets.
Let’s just hope that the bounce of the ball doesn’t ruin the dreams of either side – although anything seems possible in what has been one of the most topsy-turvy seasons to date.
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- A-League, football, Karol Kisel, Mark Bridge, Sydney FC
March 16th 2010 @ 11:18am
keeper11 said | March 16th 2010 @ 11:18am | Report comment
How can anyone seriously quote what Rebecca wilson from that putrid Tele has to say…??
can anyone doubt that she , her editor rothfield and and there excerable NRL mouthpiece news-limited tabloid rag is openly hostile to sydney fc..?
(as for their overall negative attitude to football ..for another forum…
relentless negative articles and a pre-game buildup for major matches that involves:
shoving them 10 pages from the back…( as the ever Les noted…)
Luckily the public still responded with a good 24thou crowd for the majoe semi..
( ironically..higher than than the teles front page overhyped st george -parra match… )
Wilson…an authority on sydney fc….pleeease…
March 16th 2010 @ 11:31am
jimbo said | March 16th 2010 @ 11:31am | Report comment
nobody does keeper11 – seriously
the A-League doesn’t need anything from anyone. The best team will win.
SFC deserved bigger crowds for all their games this season and both Melb teams will draw very good crowds next season with the new stadium [whatever they call it?]
SFC and FFA need to do a better job marketing the game and engaging with the sporting public in Sydney – look at the job the AFL and NRL do to promote their game
March 16th 2010 @ 11:34am
AndyRoo said | March 16th 2010 @ 11:34am | Report comment
How can anyone seriously quote what Rebecca Wilson from that putrid Tele has to say…??
I said it was hard
I don’t read the Telegraph though, only if someone links a specific artilce so I only really hear from her when she is on Offsiders and she is by and large a muppet. But I felt their was a strain in truth in what she said, especially if you ever read the Rovers Forum which is full of Sydney Siders that love football but don’t love SFC.
March 16th 2010 @ 7:30pm
matty1974 said | March 16th 2010 @ 7:30pm | Report comment
Whilst hoping for a Sydney win, i don’t think it will lead to mass surge in support for the club next year. Some of the things that Sydney and the A league need are:
1. More genuine derbies, Sydney Rovers and Melbourne Heart will provide this. I think in the future Sydney Rovers will become the “Manchester United” of the A league in that they will have mass appeal and be successful, but be despised by the ‘blue’ half of the city and it is the differentiation from the ‘other’ team that will help Sydney FC grow.
2. Mainstream media to have a stake in the A league. I am hoping that channel 7 will get the AFL, Channel 9 gets Rugby League and Channel 10 gets football (although i acknowledge this is unlikely to happen). In the lead up to the preliminary final, there was almost a complete media blackout of the game. This year more than ever it appears to me that media that have a stake in a sport will engage in ‘code wars’ to protect their investment and unless one of the main FTA channels obtains the rights, the A league will struggle to grow beyond the current levels.
March 16th 2010 @ 8:01pm
Ben of Phnom Penh said | March 16th 2010 @ 8:01pm | Report comment
I don’t know if the FFA needs Sydney to win, however in order to maintain variety in the competition I think most neutrals will be leaning slightly more towards Sydney in their bid to lift the toilet seat.
March 16th 2010 @ 9:11pm
Spezza said | March 16th 2010 @ 9:11pm | Report comment
THE A-LEAGUE WILL BE NOTHING WITHOUT TEAMS LIKE OLYMPIC, MARCONI, SYDNEY UNITED, SOUTH MELBOUNRE
no matter how much you try and pump it and fix results and do this and that free tickets for the hundreds of thousands
You need these clubs otherwise their is no spice wake up guys smell the cofee no one cares about sydney city!!!
Apart from the succesfull perth glory the only other team from the NSL
March 16th 2010 @ 10:12pm
punter said | March 16th 2010 @ 10:12pm | Report comment
Do you need a Bex?
March 16th 2010 @ 9:19pm
Davstar said | March 16th 2010 @ 9:19pm | Report comment
As a melbourne fan i would disagree as a football fan i would agree.
But dispite Victory will win
March 16th 2010 @ 11:19pm
John said | March 16th 2010 @ 11:19pm | Report comment
the A-League needs Sydney FC to win because it will vindicate the decision the club made to hire a good overseas manager like Viteslav Lavicka.
Sydney used to be the ugliest A-League team to watch but the manager has turned the team around & as the season went on Sydney became very enjoyable to watch despite often having major players out with injuries.
If other clubs look to Sydney’s example it will raise the standard of the entire league.
Also a Sydney win will vindicate the decisions the club made to stop its infighting and bickering.
As for Sydney FC’s crowds yes a win will help but the main problem in my opinion is that they are playing in the wrong location. Over the past 50 years Sydney’s geographical centre has moved to the west and now in 2010 the Sydney Football Stadium is in a poor location for where most Sydneysiders live, even rugby league crowds are often disappointing at the SFS. Sydney FC should consider moving to Homebush as it would be more reflective of where Sydney fans live and yet its not so far west that its impeding Rovers future territory.
March 17th 2010 @ 8:48am
AndyRoo said | March 17th 2010 @ 8:48am | Report comment
John
I think it’s a win on the coaching side already. I remember the whining that went on about the introduction of license standards at the start of the season.
To my knowledge their are only two coaches with pro level licenses (or the uefa version) and that’s Merrick and Lavicka.
I don’t think the nationality is as important as the desire to be professional and improve yourself as a coach. Having a pro license is a pretty good indicator of that
March 17th 2010 @ 9:02am
Art Sapphire said | March 17th 2010 @ 9:02am | Report comment
Mike – the title for your piece is wrong. It should read “Sydney football media needs a Sydney FC win”
If you need tissues on Saturday night, Andy Harper is a pretty reliable source
March 17th 2010 @ 10:11am
Mike Tuckerman said | March 17th 2010 @ 10:11am | Report comment
Haha, fair call, Mr Sapphire!
I’m just glad to have generated a discussion.
March 17th 2010 @ 11:58am
Art Sapphire said | March 17th 2010 @ 11:58am | Report comment
No worries, Mike…are you coming down to Melbourne watch the game?? Or will you be watching it on the box??
March 17th 2010 @ 12:19pm
Mike Tuckerman said | March 17th 2010 @ 12:19pm | Report comment
I’ll be watching this one on the box, although I would have come down if it was in Sydney.
March 17th 2010 @ 12:34pm
Ben of Phnom Penh said | March 17th 2010 @ 12:34pm | Report comment
We are getting the game live on Australia Network (who used to show all the games a couple of years ago, now nothing). The Gym Bar will be open and serving beer for all Australian football fans if you’re in Cambodia and wondering where to catch the game.
March 17th 2010 @ 12:50pm
Art Sapphire said | March 17th 2010 @ 12:50pm | Report comment
Ben – have you emailed Australia Network or the FFA to find out why they stopped showing A-League games this season.
I remember a mate of mine (Victory supporter) who was in Singapore complained to the network after they cut the broadcast short on Grand Final day last year when they did not show the trophy presentation.
March 17th 2010 @ 1:07pm
Ben of Phnom Penh said | March 17th 2010 @ 1:07pm | Report comment
I did email them a couple of times just before the start of the season and even at that late date they were unsure as to whether it was going to be shown or not. I don’t know the rationale however assume it was just too expensive. We get NRL and AFL though.
As for Grand Final day last year I was in The Gym Bar with some Melbourne Victory members. Being South Australian I wasn’t too upset with the trophy presentation being cut.
March 17th 2010 @ 1:17pm
Millster said | March 17th 2010 @ 1:17pm | Report comment
I’m flying down from Paris, leaving tomorrow… and for no other reason than the game. GO SYDNEY…
March 17th 2010 @ 1:28pm
Art Sapphire said | March 17th 2010 @ 1:28pm | Report comment
That’s a long way to come Millster to watch your team get defeated.
Lavicka can use you a motivational tool when you are down 2-0 at half time.
“This man, Millster, turns up all the way from Paris. But you guys, don’t even turn up for the first half!!”
March 17th 2010 @ 2:08pm
Millster said | March 17th 2010 @ 2:08pm | Report comment
Its ok Art. I’ll be disappointed if that happens but seeing your scawny dirty river, your old grey town, your crap beer, your dodgy weather, your egg-ball fetish and your average women will remind me why my Aussie home will always be the harbour city…
(Actually I’m joking but 3 days out for the game its about time for the sledging to start don’t you think??)
March 17th 2010 @ 2:56pm
Art Sapphire said | March 17th 2010 @ 2:56pm | Report comment
Millster, most of the beer from the big brewer in Melbourne is crap. So you are right on that score.
I’m a bit partial to James Squire. When it comes to satisfying your tastebuds. Parochialism goes out the window
I”ll be downing a few pints of this good Sydney beer before and after the game, regardless of the result.
March 17th 2010 @ 3:09pm
Millster said | March 17th 2010 @ 3:09pm | Report comment
Just do it while wearing Sky Blue… I know you want to come over to the strength….
March 17th 2010 @ 2:14pm
Dogz R Barkn said | March 17th 2010 @ 2:14pm | Report comment
That’s quite funny (especially if you say it with an East European accent).
March 17th 2010 @ 2:30pm
Punter said | March 17th 2010 @ 2:30pm | Report comment
‘He’s just a fat Costa Rician, fat Costa Rician, he’s just fact Costa Rician’.