Amid the glowing media attention surrounding Ange Postecoglou’s sparkling Brisbane Roar outfit, there has been much debate as to whether his squad is the greatest football team in the history of the youthful A-League.
With the Roar set to meet Victory at AAMI Park tonight, Melbourne Victory’s sensation Archie Thompson has questioned whether his previous Championship winning sides could be compared to the in-form Brisbane Roar outfit.
Victory will be attempting to replicate their performance from earlier in the season at the same venue, where the Melbourne side convincingly brushed aside the Roar 3-0.
That loss has been the solitary defeat handed down to the top of the table Brisbane side, and since that day the Roar have gone on a tremendous record breaking 14 game unbeaten streak.
Archie is well known as an honest, outgoing character and will never shy away from his true opinion on football matters. When quizzed about whether his Championship winning sides were better than the current Brisbane outfit, he concluded to the theory that winning silverware is a true reflection of an exceptional team.
“They haven’t actually won anything yet. We’ve won two championships and two premierships, so until they actually win something, you can’t say they’re at a Melbourne Victory level.
But the football they’re playing, they’re definitely the best team out there”, Thompson said.
It’s an interesting point Thompson concludes to.
Yes, this Brisbane Roar side has played some outstanding, fluid, structurally well organised, attack minded and an exciting brand of football this season. Thus far, the Roar has raised the bar this season from a technical point and continue to show their consistency on a weekly basis.
Although, as Thompson has pointed out, can we conclude that this Brisbane outfit is on par or even better than the successful Victory sides gone by? Only time can answer this predicament.
The current Roar side has a strong familiarity with the Victory success of 2006/07 and 2008/09. Brisbane’s ability to win or even claim results from fixtures where they haven’t necessarily played well nor had decisions go their way, is a true indication of a club built for success.
They’ve done it against the Newcastle Jets recently with a late Solorzano equaliser and also against the Melbourne Heart with an impressive come from behind victory at AAMI Park.
This trait was so well emphasised from a Victory perspective. We only need to reminisce about that inspirational performance against the Central Coast Mariners at Etihad stadium (Telstra Dome previously) on November 3, 2006. The Melbourne outfit trailed the Mariners 3-2 at the half-time interval and were down to nine-men with red cards issued to inspirational captain Kevin Muscat and defensive compatriot Rodrigo Vargas.
Victory defying the odds came out after the interval and courageously fought their way back into the contest, accordingly scoring an equaliser from workhorse Danny Allsopp in the 86th minute. The game subsequently ended in a remarkable 3-3 draw and sent the crowd into raptures, as if they had won the contest.
This was a true illustration of what characteristics, charisma and mental strength is needed to have that Championship winning mentality throughout a football club.
Presently, Victory is languishing in unchartered waters, in 6th position. Although one must profess as to whether this outfit still has the potential threat of previous seasons.
The club has recently welcomed back favourite son Archie Thompson, who is without doubt the most dangerous and influential player at the club. In addition, tonight we will see the appearance of the highly rated wing-back Matthew Kemp. He will be making his first appearance for the senior squad since undergoing a knee reconstruction 10 months ago.
While the club is stuck in mid-table mediocrity, Thompson still believes the Victory is capable of exhibiting 90 minutes of up-tempo football and can be a threat to any team on the park.
“If we can play consistently for 90 minutes, I don’t see any team competing with us. Once (clubs) see Melbourne playing well and scoring goals, they’re going to get nervous.
Against Brisbane, if we have a good performance and get a win, I’m sure it’s going to spook everyone”, Thompson said.
The marquee man does raise a valid point. Amid the return of key influential players, a club which is built around a winning mentality and still 13 games remaining before the finals series it is hard to question the philosophy Thompson’s mentality. A top two finish is surely out of reach, however if the Victory can somehow emulate the form of seasons gone by, then anything is possible.
Amid all the talk throughout the week, Victory will be determined to showcase why they are still a formidable force in Australian football. As the slogan of their recent marketing campaign depicts “built for Victory”, the club will want to stay true to their brand promise and exhibit their winning mentality back towards their fans.
Can the Roar showcase why they are the premier football club this season and knock them off their high perch? We are in for a stimulating football fixture this evening; pride will be on the line.
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