Harry Kewell is not easily replaced
Roar Guru By apaway, 6 Jul 2012 apaway is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- A-League, football, Harry Kewell, marcos flores, Melbourne Victory
Are Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton boosting A-League TV figures? (AAP Image/Joe Castro)
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It’s certainly refreshing to see the return of Marcos Flores to the A-League. The former Adelaide United star was signed by Melbourne Victory this week to fill the gap left by the unexpected departure of Harry Kewell.
If Flores can reproduce the form which saw him named Johnny Warren medallist in 2010-11, he will prove to be a worthy replacement for Kewell on the pitch.
However, nothing short of the second coming at AAMI Park (and I don’t mean Josh Kennedy) will give the Victory and the league in general the kind of publicity it got prior to the start of the 2011-12 season.
Ask any kid over 10 to name a Socceroo and chances are you’ll get Kewell’s name. Ask a peripheral fan, or a parent of a kid running around in a weekend match who they know in the A-League and they’ll give you Kewell. Make no mistake – his signing last season was the biggest talking point in the league’s relatively short history.
This is the dichotomy the A-League must sometimes come to terms with. Marcos Flores is brilliant and is the kind of player that will keep fans on the edge of their seats.
The trick is getting them into those seats in the first place and that was the trick Kewell’s name alone was able to achieve. The fact he was able to back it up on the pitch in what was a largely disappointing season for the Victory certainly helped keep the interest alive long after it became apparent the club would struggle to make the play-offs.
Kewell was the ultimate marquee player.
This is not to suggest that Kewell’s departure is gloom and doom for the Victory or the league in general. If Ange Postecoglou can get the Victory to produce the kind of football that had even those south of the Queensland border cheering for the Brisbane Roar, the crowds will flock to AAMI.
In fact, Ange might just be the best value marquee in the A-League in the upcoming season, without even crossing the white line.
Football in Australia needs a big season from its biggest club, with or without the most recognisable name in the A-League’s history.
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The Crowd Says (7) | Page 1 of Comments
Have Your Say
- Explore:
- A-League, football, Harry Kewell, marcos flores, Melbourne Victory
July 6th 2012 @ 8:44am
MV Dave said | July 6th 2012 @ 8:44am | Report comment
Yes l think Kewell, with a proper pre season this time would have been much improved…
However l am looking forward to seeing Mr Flores in the Blue and White of Victoreee. What a start to season 8 for MV…a derby, away to Roar in Ange’s return, then home to AU!!
Bring it on…
July 6th 2012 @ 8:53am
nordster said | July 6th 2012 @ 8:53am | Report comment
My nephew actually asked to come and see kewell when they played at bluetongue, didnt even realise the kid had a kewell roos top. His dad is rugby league thru and thru.
Said it all for me, guy will be still paying his way in a decade. Great signing….
July 6th 2012 @ 9:15am
Fussball ist unser leben said | July 6th 2012 @ 9:15am | Report comment
As an AUS football fan, I lived my dream last year sitting in the stands watching H playing every fortnight.
When I first saw Harry playing 15 years ago, my heart skipped a beat. His touch, his technique, his dribbling, his volleyed goals, his bullet-strikes from outside the box. He was an Aussie playing in the biggest football league in the world & he didn’t looked like he owned the place.
Never did I think I’d ever get to see him playing so regularly in my home stadium.
There’s a cliché: “You don’t know what you have until its gone” and AUS football fans – particularly, the nasty ones, who criticized him mercilessly – will realise just how big a void H’s absence creates – both on & off the field.
But, the memories of H playing in the MVFC shirt will stay with me forever & I can proudly say: “I saw Australia’s greatest ever footballer playing 14 times for my club in my home stadium.”
July 9th 2012 @ 1:58pm
Nelson said | July 9th 2012 @ 1:58pm | Report comment
We saw all too little of H’s superb touch, but I’m glad the circus has left town and we can concentrate on building a football team again.
July 6th 2012 @ 12:11pm
CM said | July 6th 2012 @ 12:11pm | Report comment
As a Victory fan, aside from the first couple of games I don’t think we saw a remarkable increase in attendance at home games last season. Once the inital Harry novelty wore off, and we settled into a pattern of mediocre football and poor results, the bandwagoners jumped off.
Victory drew fantastic crowds in season 2 when we were playing great football. Hopefully we’ll see a return to the top of the table this season and the viewing public will return in numbers based on quality rather than starpower.
And, while I’m certainly a Harry fan and was excited to see him join the Victory, I’m actually more excited about this coming season than I was about the last. There’s a good feeling around the club that I didn’t have last year. Bring on October 5!
July 6th 2012 @ 4:10pm
Steve said | July 6th 2012 @ 4:10pm | Report comment
He filled the stadium first few weeks, everybody saw how horrible we played and promptly didn’t return. Not to mention his presence would have angered other players who might not have agreed he should receive such preferential treatment all of the time. Great player but I think the club as a whole will be better off without him.
July 16th 2012 @ 5:48pm
k77sujith said | July 16th 2012 @ 5:48pm | Report comment
Bring in Ronaldinho! It’d be good for the A-league and the club as well. Yes, his career’s taken a nosedive but he’s a brand in his own right. The only hitch might be agreeing to his wages, but worth a try. Thanks.