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Tim Cahill is exactly what the A-League needs

15th August, 2016
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Is TC our greatest ever athlete? (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
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15th August, 2016
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Tim Cahill is exactly the player the A-League needs, even if his reasons for joining Melbourne City aren’t entirely altruistic.

You could hardly accuse Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop of under-selling Cahill’s signing.

Pressed with the task of talking up a 36-year-old veteran who first left this country as an unheralded teen, Gallop settled for labelling Cahill’s imminent arrival the “biggest player signing in the league’s history”.

Perhaps Gallop was just being enthusiastic – it’s not like FFA did enough to market Alessandro Del Piero anyway – and in signing a current Socceroo, officials can finally appeal to that mass of middle Australia whose kids play the game but who otherwise have no connection to the A-League.

Critics have pounced on the purported $7 million Cahill will supposedly earn over two years as proof of poor value – particularly if FFA are heavily subsidising the deal.

But the devil is in the detail, with Dom Bossi suggesting in the Sydney Morning Herald that FFA will chip in up to $750,000 to help bring Cahill down under.

The rest of the tab will presumably be picked up by the City Football Group, and if Cahill’s signing helps turn Melbourne City into a genuine force, who are we to complain?

Let’s not forget FFA are routinely criticised for failing to market the A-League.

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We can’t have it both ways – if FFA are to promote the A-League ahead of a vital new TV deal, then signing someone like Cahill is to be applauded, even if the player himself picks up a handsome pay packet for his troubles.

While Cahill boasts genuine cut-through in a crowded marketplace, it was hardly the only story doing the rounds last week.

Central Coast Mariners’ sacking of coach Tony Walmsley was as predictable as it was pointless if owner Mike Charlesworth continues to pull the strings like a kid who has just taken Football Manager out of the box for the first time.

Charlesworth has already warned would-be applicants that the Mariners won’t be spending the entirety of the salary cap, but the real problem is that the Englishman appears to possess next-to-no knowledge of the local football landscape.

This is the same bloke who last year said he’d never heard of Mark Rudan – maybe check the NSW Premier League table, Mike – and who originally told Walmsley he didn’t care about results so long as his team was entertaining.

Yet it’s not as if Charlesworth’s crackpot scheming is FFA’s only concern. Just ask Brisbane Roar fans.

I was at Ballymore last Wednesday night and anyone who thinks it could be used as an A-League venue has got rocks in their head.

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However, as disappointing as John Aloisi’s team was on the pitch, of far greater concern is the growing impasse between the current Roar coach and prospective buyer Daniel Cobb.

If Cobb is genuine about taking over at the Roar, then some serious questions must be asked of why he has thus far failed to stump up the necessary cash.

Right now, the situation in the River City is bordering on high farce and surely the last thing the Roar can afford to do if it wants to keep fans onside is lose the well-liked Aloisi and his backroom staff.

Perhaps if Cobb fails to land a gig in Brisbane he can join Optus.

The good news for Optus on the back of their first weekend broadcasting the English Premier League is that a handful of fans posted glowing reviews on social media.

The bad news is that several thousand other reviews contained the most scathing criticism imaginable.

One wonders what the Premier League makes of all this, but suffice to say Optus’ opening weekend was an unmitigated disaster.

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On a more positive note, congratulations and commiserations are due in equal measure to the Matildas following their Olympics campaign.

Losing on penalties is never easy – particularly the manner in which Australia lost to host nation Brazil – but a quarter-final appearance is nothing to sniff at.

Well done to coach Alen Stajcic and his team – you’ve done the nation proud.

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