For A-League to prosper, it needs flagship clubs

Kiaora. I am not in the position to comment on the above postings but one thing I can say without fear of contradiction is that the Wellington Phoenix FC have their ARDENT SUPPORTERS i.e. The YELLOW FEVER. It is publicly well documented from the various media organisations that the NIX's AWAY FORM LEAVE A LOT TO BE DESIRED, and the boys' are the first to admit it and are their own critics on their dismal away form. The club at the present time is under a 'financial black cloud' and I am hoping that the owner Terry Serepisos will be able to keep the club from being put into administration...Ali Syed the owner of Racing Santander I have heard is a "Shadowy Figure" is proported to be the one who is wanting "to help Terry out". After the 18th April, 2011 we shall see If he did help Terry out...or the NIX maybe resigned to the HISTORY BOOKS...There's always SPONSORSHIP I GUESS. THE Melbourne Victory have signed Marco Rojas...He does possess talent and an AMBITIOUS DADDY/AGENT AS WELL...But thats another story..All I will say is this THE VICTORY ARE WELCOME TO BOTH OIF THEM ;)

Where did I say 4.8k supporters are loyal ... you said that! Loyalty means you stick with the club. It may not mean you attend every game. 15 years ago, I was spending more time outside Australia than within Australia, so I would have been a Member but would rarely have attended - so what? Does that mean I'm disloyal? No, it simply meant that my lifestyle would not have permitted live football every week-end. Disloyalty, to me, includes acts of petulance (e.g. boycotting games) when you don't get your own way. I agree that the lack of Gen Admin season tickets is a major concern and I have absolutely no doubt that will be changed next season for MVFC. Anyway, why are you so concerned about MVFC? I couldn't give a stuff about Heart's precarious predicament which sees it with no fans, a poor playing list and a coach, who doesn't have the support of some Board members. Why not spend a bit more time contemplating your own dysfunctional club that no one in Melbourne is remotely interested in following?

So you're saying MVFC have only 4,800 LOYAL fans?? Because that's how many rocked up to the ACL game at Etihad against Jeju! Where were the 18k members? MVFC does NOT have 18k LOYAL members so don't talk crap Fussball, they may have 10k-12k at the most, the other 6k members probably just renew their memberships for the sake of it or attend the few big matches per season (like the Heart/Sydney derbies). Let me give you some FACTs on AAMI Park crowds: Round 3 Vs NQ Fury: 13,318 (SUN) Round 6 Vs Brisbane: 13,749 (SUN) Round 7 Vs Wellington: 11,513 (WED) Round 16 Vs Mariners: 9,674 (THU) <-- Under 10k Round 18 Vs Brisbane: 11,886 (FRI) Round 20 Vs Perth: 12,164 (SAT) Round 28 Vs Gold Coast: 8,287 (SUN) <-- Under 9k Round 29 Vs Newcastle: 11,296 (WED) ===== Average 11,485===== I excluded the only two big rounds played at AAMI Park because they were played in different circumstance. They were: Round 2 Vs Perth: 20,358 (SAT) <-- First game of the season Round 21 Vs Jets: 16,358 (MON) <-- Ljubo was playing and was a do-or-die match played on a public holiday I only included AAMI Park because as we know they don't have General Admission and don't get many band-wagoners rocking up! So for MVFCs standards, precedence and record, yes they are a club in crisis, especially when the immediate future doesn't look too rosy! So if you're saying, "The LOYAL fans have never left … that’s the very definition of LOYAL!! 18k members last season tells us the club is extremely well supported..." then you are wrong because at least 6k of those loyal members HAVE LEFT or just aren't rocking up to the games, which according to your definition, are not LOYAL!!! ;-)

I understand that the FIRB uses its powers sparingly, indeed the Federal Government is quite encouraging of foreign investment. But the main point I'm trying to make is that terms "foreign" or "foreigner", especially when used in certain business contexts, are not dirty words, or slights - they have a real legal/economic meaning. Not just in Australia, but in many countries, both capitalist and central command societies. For instance, you can't just waltz in and takeover a US company if you aren't a US citizen, and let's not even think about doing something similar in Nth Korea or Cuba. It's incorrect on your part to assume that only Australians have a concern for "foreigners", in fact, in statute, most countries on Earth would differentiate between citizens and foreigners for a variety of legal/commercial reasons.

I just knew you would bring up the FIRB! Having worked in an associated area - albeit, some years ago - I can tell you that it is extremely rare for the Treasurer to ever intervene under s18 of the Foreign Acquisitions & Takeovers Act to prevent a proposed acquisition or investment. A thorough due diligence can be hard work and, yes, it's more difficult and expensive if the person/entity is based overseas, but ... ... "time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted"!

Well, even the Commonwealth Government has a Foreign Investment Review Board. As for Buckley's situation, clearly, it is much easier to conduct your due dilligence if the individual concerned is located down the road: face to face meetings, a visit of the registered office, an inspection of audited financial statements, board papers, whatever it is that you need to look at to conduct your due diligence, including face to face meetings with referees who may be known to you. But if you are going through a middle man and dealing with someone you know absolute nothing about, well, once again, check what happened to Serepisos (and others, I might add).

What's due diligence and establishing "bona fides" got to do with a person's nationality or citizenship? In the 21st century, I just don't see how "being a foreigner" ever needs to even be mentioned when undertaking any commercial transaction. As a businessman, before committing to any commercial relationship, I will always undertake a rigorous due diligence and I honestly don't care whether the other party is an Australian or a foreigner.

You show a remarkable lack of awareness for someone claiming to be more intelligent than the average punter. Go ask Serepisos if he should have undertaken the sort of due dilegence Buckley is currently undertaking. If you have read the despatches carefully, you will note that Buckley wants to deal directly with those interested and establish their bona fides. It's not a case of being scared of foreigners as it is of distancing oneself from middlemen and assorted carpetbaggers, foreign or otherwise. The AFL doesn't allow private "investment", foreign or otherwise, but they do welcome hundreds of millions of dollars of annual sponsorship, primarily from foreign multinationals - it's business.

ooh yeah, MLF ... let's all be scared of those "foreigners" who want to invest in Australia! 'Strayia should only be for 'Strayians, right? I hear that Pauline wants to return to politics - looks like she's got at least one vote.

No Fulham isw closer

Nothing homo erotic about that at all

Even as a Brisbane Roar fan I still consider Melbourne Victory to be the "Manchester United" of the A-League.

juventus and milan have both been caught cheating. This alone disqualifies them from been call most sucessful clubs in italy. in this century the most succesful club in italy is inter. juventus are not adored by italians. they are not even the most popular team in turin.

Not a bad write up especially that bloke from Canada

Yeah, I noticed the large number of old shirts too and thought the same thing. A good sign! Can't wait for game 1 season 7.

For the first 5 years of the A-League, everyone has been going on about how well Melbourne Victory are run on and off the field. The problem is that financially they haven't done anything magical to rake in extra millions. They've been averaging 25,000 people a gate something that other clubs in the A-League have been nowhere near. By getting an extra 10,000-15,000 fans a game in comparison to other teams they have been able to raise millions more per season. The financial success of the club has been riding on the back of the fans and now that they have increasingly been offending the fans, both the FFA and the club, the fans are now turning their back on the game. Enough is enough. Unless things change drastically (when does that ever happen?), MV will turn into like that of Perth Glory, 6000 a week, losing millions per year. Have a few poms shouting but nothing like the active support of old. The potential of Melbourne Victory was enormous, but it's been blown away and taken for granted by those running the game. We don't need 50 riot police every week to remove fans for singing too loud.

Excellent... Fuss.