Sydney FC'S Mark Rudan (centre) competes for the ball with Saso Ognenovski (left) and Reinaldo da Costa of the Queensland Roar during their A-League clash at Aussie Stadium, Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2006. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. AAP Image/Jenny Evans
Sydney FC, the glamour club of the A-League, have long flattered to deceive during their term in the A-League.
They are a team that has never fully tapped in to the potential fan base of the greater Sydney area, partly due to their failure to convince many of the fickle Sydneysiders into believing that this really was the glamour club that they were boasting to be.
Especially after the departure of Dwight Yorke one game into Season 2.
While not a constant crisis club in the mould of the Newcastle Jets, they still have had their fair share of problems.
Namely, what seems a constant boardroom overhaul every season as well as the constant shipping in and out of players and coaches (both good and bad signings have come and gone in the blink of an eye, such as Juninho and Patrick).
This hasn’t really given fans the chance to connect with the players at the club. Only Corica, Bolton and McFlynn remain from Season 1.
Lack of identity and instability have marred Sydney’s efforts to become the premier football team in the country, or even in the state for that matter – in my opinion Central Coast Mariners appear to be much more warmly received and well thought of than Sydney.
For one, while Sydney have always claimed to be the glamour club, even adopting the atrocious Bling FC nickname in Season 1, their performances on the field have rarely backed up that claim since the heady days of that Grand Final win way back in Season 1.
Since the departure of Littbarski, Sydney’s coaches have been Butcher and Kosmina (briefly interrupted by the fleeting appearance of the far more promising Branko Culina).
These are coaches who have preferred grit over glamour.
That may have been acceptable if the results went FC’s way however since their inaugural squad won the league they havent won the title again and, in all reality haven’t even looked that likely to trump the likes of the Victory and Adelaide.
Last season, under the disastrous reign of John Kosmina, the team even failed to reach the finals which just isnt good enough for a team from Sydney.
Needless to say, fans voted with their feet with a steady drop in crowds until the average last season was only around 12,000.
Sydney fans are notoriously fickle and are not going to watch a team win while playing poorly or even heaven forbid lose while playing awfully, so the SFS was looking increasingly deserted last year.
However, an air of change has surrounded Sydney FC this year. They have a new boardroom (again), a new coach (again), and new players (again). Except this time they have gone about things a different way.
They signed a UEFA accredited coach in Vitezslav Lavicka who has signed players via his scouting network in Europe instead of signing on the basis of hearsay or tapes, and has begun to mould an efficient team ethos built on solid tactics and a strong midfield.
Things have started rather low-key this season with Lavicka preferring to downplay his teams chances, coupled with some inconsistent results with a few promising signs. However last week against North Queensland things seemed to click.
Although the Fury were a poor opponent (with some awful defending) there’s no denying the fact that Sydney looked better than they have all season.
Their passing was crisp, players moved into space and did their jobs very well and looked good doing it. The amount of succesful backheels and nutmegs performed by the players was astounding, mainly due to the fact it showed the player’s confidence.
The defence was all class. Colosimo and Keller were monoliths in defense and looked for good ball playing defenders, while Byun and Shannon Cole were dangerous going forward and solid in defense (minus Byun’s scary early header back to Bolton which could have cost Sydney a goal).
All in all there was not one poor player on the field for Sydney.
One player that particularly stood out for me was Karol Kisel after an inconsistent start to his Sydney career he was placed out on the wing for this game and was outstanding, he was virtually unplayable.
The Fury players couldn’t handle him, he showed his class with fantastic dribbling and passing ability and he formed a deadly combination with Shannon Cole on the right side of midfield.
This week Sydney play Wellington in Palmerston in what should prove a tougher test than the hapless Fury.
The question is can Sydney continue on this positive form into the match against the Phoenix?
And through the rest of the season?
Can the get rid of the instability that has plagued them since season 1 and actually keep the coach and the boardroom for a few years?
If they can maintain an air of stability, this team of talented players can go on and be a real viable threat for the next few seasons and I for one remain hopeful they will.
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