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The 2014-15 A-League season will be a disappointment. But don’t get me wrong, there are still a lot of positive signs for the next A-League season.
Firstly, Manchester City purchasing Heart is the greatest thing to happen since the A-League’s formation.
There is no denying that the red-and-white half of Melbourne needed a kick in the backside, even if the sale results in a change of both name and colour. Not to mention a couple thousand fans who just happen to have been busy for the past four years – coincidence, I think not.
We have a new A-League scoring machine in Adam Taggart, and although I’d love to see him in Brazil it seems unlikely with the strong form of Mathew Leckie, Ben Halloran and Tim Cahill of late.
Josh Kennedy is also unlikely to be omitted of Ange Postecoglou’s final squad due to his stature. Nonetheless, Taggart is one for the future.
Another positive is found in Western Sydney, who defied the odds and beat the Bad Boys of Hiroshima. From those of us that watched the games, we will say that they were less intimidating than their hilarious mixture of the name Bad Boys and the colour purple would suggest. Seriously though, why purple? Not a hint or anything Glory fans.
Probably the biggest win this year would have to be the 52,000 sold-out, Suncorp Stadium decider. What an atmosphere it was. For me it was proof that the A-League has a future in Australian sport.
The following paragraph is not sarcastic. I repeat – not-sarcastic. For good measure, not at all sarcastic.
We don’t have to worry about Shinji Ono’s midfield prowess anymore, hooray! And who would have wanted to see the fiery Besart Berisha fronting a dominant Roar who are playing beautiful football – nobody is your answer.
Let’s be frank, we simply aren’t interested in seeing any more of Youssouf Hersi tearing down the Western Sydney wing with Jerome Polenz in support. Not to mention Adama Traore in the Victory full back position. Now, the finale. The thing that I think will slap smiles on the faces of Sydney FC fans: Del-Piero’s fame, free kicks and flamboyancy – gone.
Okay, maybe it was sarcastic.
On a more serious note, the RBB, who could have been a world force in noise, passion and pyro, could very well disintegrate. I know this sounds ridiculous, but those who are ‘Forever Red and Black’ must understand that their strongest players – bar Matthew Spiranovic, Mark Bridge and a few others have left for greener pastures.
Surely the success of the past cannot be repeated without yet another Poppa masterstroke?
Many would argue Western Sydney’s fans and success have brought this league into the spotlight, and I wouldn’t disagree. So why can the FFA not reform the salary cap so they can hold on to their best players, thus standing a fighting chance in the final eight of the Asian Champions League?
This, of course, would also apply to the other A-League clubs. The aforementioned names of Ono, Hersi and Polenz all played starring roles in the Round of 16 home-leg victory against Sanfrecce, and will be sorely missed by fans. There is certainly hard work to be done in the Wanderers camp in this transfer-window.
The best players of our league are being poached, all because our clubs are being limited in their spending. Having a league in which the best players are annually – or biannually – shipped off to bigger competitions is utterly unsustainable. With the limit on wages and marquees, these players simply cannot all be replaced, especially not Del-Piero – who put bums on seats at the Allianz stadium, and had non-Sydney residents like myself glued to the television.
The A-League simply doesn’t have a player of Del Piero’s stature anymore, and there is nobody of the same stature who is likely replace him. The names of Diego Forlan, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka have all been rumoured.
Forlan and Lampard seem the most realistic of the four – bearing in mind both seem unlikely. I highly doubt Drogba would come to Australia, and the idea of Anelka in the A-League is utterly offensive – both because I’m a West Brom fan and because I’m not a racist. I literally dare Sydney FC to purchase Anelka, and I have no problem with Heart making a mockery of themselves.
If we want our league to be taken seriously, both abroad and at home, clubs need to keep their best players. Despite the investment from Man City and the roar of the RBB there are still a lot of Australians who don’t care about the A-League.
Our code is still known as a minnow in Australia, big names are needed to fill the void.
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