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Enough of the cross code rivalry, how some hard core inter-club rivalry. Matching A-League clubs up against each other is an exercise fraught with danger and the terms of reference are key to the conclusion upon which you arrive.
For too long people have used such measuring sticks as on-field success, attendance numbers, youth development and academies, financial stability and development of the playing pool in readiness for bigger challenges on the world stage.
Personally, I find these somewhat limiting and restrictive in terms of getting to the heart of the issues when it comes to the best performing club in the A-League.
Far more reliable barometers can be used to arrive at a conclusion. The first, most important and certainly the most obvious of these is a good place to start.
1. Kit
Team colours and appearance say a lot about identity and ‘looking good’ is one of the most accurate measurements we can make in terms of how successful a club is.
Adelaide United take a traditional red approach that is essentially imitation, as is the Wanderers strip as they channel the North Sydney Bears, the Newcastle jets resemble wandering minstrels from Elizabethan times and Melbourne City are disqualified for trying to steal someone else’s colours.
The yellows of Wellington and Central Coast are far too ‘bananas in pyjamas’ and the purple of Perth and dark blue of Victory reflect their inner evils. Brisbane Roar wear orange, enough said.
Undoubtedly sitting atop the tree is the pure, clean and crisp sky blue of Sydney FC. Now there is a bunch of young men who look good. The colour reflects the purity of the city and the hearts of those who wear the strip.
2. Friendliness of the manager
We certainly have had some firebrands over the years. Guillermo Amor being the most recent case in point. Most of our managers are completely inappropriate in terms of their gesticulations and attitudes on the sideline.
Kevin Muscat, John Aloisi and Kenny Lowe could all take a strong lesson from Sydney FC manager Graham Arnold who maintains poise and class throughout matches and press conferences. Word on the street is that he never swears and is often in deep spiritual meditation during play.
A class example of someone refusing to say anything if he doesn’t have anything nice to say.
3. Behaviour of fans
The fans are everything in sport, not money as some people foolishly point out. Running the rule over the A-League clubs identifies some strengths and weaknesses.
Certain clubs are somewhat non entities in terms of behaviour, as fans can’t misbehave if they aren’t actually at the ground. Wellington has suffered from this for some time, as have the Jets and Melbourne City at different times over the years.
Crazy behaviour such as the removal of shirts with ten minutes remaining, the aggressive tension and atmosphere promoted by the inflatable sauce bottles at Central Coast Stadium and the violent hooliganism present at Perth and Brisbane home matches are all examples of supporters letting themselves and the whole league down.
Alternatively, the RBB has stepped up this year and shown us what quality barracking really looks like. Cross town rival Sydney FC do, however, set the standard.
The kind hearted nature of their songs, friendly approach to opposition supporters, as the Victory experienced on Friday night and their generally warm reception of all interstate teams are all reflective of an inclusive, open minded City completely devoid of an elitist attitude.
4. Access to ground and game day experience
The ease of access to a stadium is also a key component in assessing the value of a club’s contribution to our local league.
While a few clubs claim to have convenient arrangements where fans can walk from local train stations or park their cars in secure parking for as little as $20, most are actually arduous experiences. My trips to Newcastle and Central Coast this year were nightmarish.
On each occasion, I parked my car approximately ten minutes walk from the stadium, and had to cross two sets of traffic lights, in the sun mind you, before arriving at the ground.
I was then asked by stadium officials to line up to purchase tickets which took at least five minutes. From car door to seat with drink in hand would have taken around twenty minutes.
Appalling.
Thank heavens Sydney FC set the standard. A short stroll to my local bus stop is followed by a fifty minute bus trip into the city in heavy Friday night peak hour traffic.
After alighting, another short walk takes place, then a convenient and crowded bus transfers me to the ground where another short walk leads me to the gates.
It is a pleasure from start to finish and taking around one hour and 45 minutes gives ample time to talk to friends about the upcoming game and build up expectation.
Coming home is even more of a treat, as drunken fools add to the colour and atmosphere. While some might think the time is over the top considering the 20-kilometre distance, Sydney FC make it fun.
5. Play style
The fifth and final criteria in measuring which club is doing things the best is to observe the game style they adopt; the purity of their football and the spirit in which they play.
All teams have players with raw skill, some hot-heads and others who fill the work-horse role.
Despite some wonderfully talented players like Diego Castro from Perth, Marco Rojas and James Troisi from the Victory, both teams play negatively and cynically, essentially, cheating.
The Mariners, Phoenix, Roar and City are even worse and they wonder why there is mayhem in the crowd at most home matches. ‘Thugs’ like Jamie McLaren, Besart Berisha, Bruno Fornaroli and Rory O’Donovan leave a bad taste in the mouth post game.
Western Sydney struggle to score and play ugly, as do Adelaide with dirty players like Isaias and Newcastle are prone to restrict young Andrew Nabbout and limit his influence on the game.
Once again it is Sydney who set the bar. Wonderfully clean defenders such as Rhyan Grant rarely miss-time a challenge, Sebastian Ryall is of the same ilk, and despite his injury this year, will come back and show his raw talent and creativity which marks him as one of the most gifted players in the world.
Sydney never sit back and soak up pressure, they always attack and move the ball beautifully, often stringing multiple passes together in long drawn out build ups.
Sometimes they remind me a little of the great Roar teams under Ange Postecoglou.
When you throw all of these results into a spreadsheet and allocate points out of ten for each category, you come to the following conclusion.
Sydney 50 points
Adelaide 26
Melbourne City 25
Wellington 24
Newcastle 23
Central Coast 22
Brisbane 20
Perth 19
Melbourne Victory 11
Western Sydney 4
So there it, a completely impartial and fair assessment of all ten A-League clubs using vital criteria which tell us all we need to know about their performance.
Apologies if your team is a little lower than expected yet my completely impartial viewpoint places me in a rare position, that is, being able to assess teams without an agenda or bias that most commentators fail to possess.