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Kristian Sarkies (left) and Billy Celeski in action during Hyundai A-League replay match between Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United at Telstra Dome, Melbourne, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. AAP Image/Raoul Wegat
As much as anyone I want to see Jason Culina and his fellow “Returning Roos” in the A-League, scrapping it out with home-brand players in what promises to be our most interesting domestic football season yet.
Their profiles are good for the game, good for exposure, good for advertisers, good for fans.
My issue, however, is that some time ago I came around to Pim Verbeek’s way of thinking: that it was in our nation’s World Cup interests to have as many national-team players as possible contracted with European clubs.
Now the Socceroos coach has done a complete U-turn – the A-League supposedly will do – yet hitherto I haven’t seen any compelling evidence for why.
Have you?
Have things really changed that much since Verbeek declared the Australian league was inferior to a Bundesliga training session?
Most of the coaches are the same or at least the same sort of quality. Australian clubs couldn’t get to the quarter-final stage of the Asian Champions League in this year’s competition. The salary cap, as I argued a couple of weeks ago, is still inadequate to compete with rival leagues in Asia and good local players are still taking the first opportunity to leave no matter who comes knocking.
Is the football more free flowing, European? Or is it the same, hoof-it-up-the-guts, hack-the bastard-down brand we’ve all come to know and loathe?
I’m not entirely sure what it is, but I’m hopeful if not certain we’ll see some better football in 2009/10.
Perth Glory showed glimpses of how good they can be late last season. Gold Coast has demonstrated it has a bit of flair. Sydney FC look like they have shed the straightjacket John Kosmina put on them. Branko Culina, a man who dresses like Miami Vice never went off air, will make an imprint on Newcastle and has already flagged his intentions by giving Kaz Patafta license to thrill. Melbourne and Brisbane can be exciting in spurts.
The others – Central Coast, Adelaide, North Queensland and Wellington – will likely underwhelm.
Perhaps, though, the A-League really has hit its straps with all these players coming back and Robbie Fowler playing for the Fisters. Perhaps Verbeek, who is rarely wrong, is right to have confidence in it.
Perhaps the Socceroos won’t be affected by having so many of its squad playing back home.
They are all topics that can be debated till the cows can home. The only thing that is damn near irrefutable is that the A-League is here to stay. In five seasons it’s established itself as a sporting competition that more and more Australians are starting to watch, follow, and, most importantly, care about.
I’ve been feeling the A-League’s absence in my life these past few months far more than the EPL or ACL and even missing the commentary team from Fox Sports, which is saying something. And if this scribe can get nostalgic about Ang Postecoglou, it has to be half alright.
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