Slater vs Foster a good show for Australian football

SBS Chief Football analyst Craig Foster was labelled a racist yesterday, in an astonishing Twitter tirade from Fox Sports pundit, former Socceroo, and ex-Blackburn Rovers player Robbie Slater.

Slater’s ire was raised by the former Crystal Palace and Socceroo midfielder’s article in the Fairfax press on Wednesday morning.

Foster, an advocate of Spanish and South American styles of football, questions the Victory’s decision to hire Northern Irishman Jim Magilton.

Foster has for a long time expressed the opinion that the English style of coaching that has dominated Australian footballing’s landscape is outdated and should be abandoned for the A-League to move forward.

In his article he points out that neither Magilton’s credentials as coach at Queens Park Rangers and Ipswich Town in the English Championship, nor as an assistant to Irish Premier League and Europa League side Shamrock Rovers, had sufficient quality or success to benefit the Australian game.

His contention is best summated in this excerpt. “It hearks [sic] to both the historical reliance on Britons who built and quickly populated the coach education ranks in Australia and the beginnings of the A-League, when the immediate reaction of clubs was to import at a feverish rate from the mother country.”

Slater did not respond in a measured or considered manner. He called him a racist, a hypocrite, and hinted at a past indiscretion by Foster,over the course of several tweets which Slater has refused to withdraw from his Twitter page.

“Ok here goes. I am sick of the continual attacks and in my opinion racist comments from @Craig_Foster on British people his article in […] [t]odays sun herald [sic] in my opinion is a racist column and it is beyond me how he continually gets away with these vile articles.”

Alluding to Foster’s history in the English Championship, Slater quipped: “Mind the British then did you? Good money you earned and you enjoyed it all with the help of an Englishman Terry Venables. The best [y]ou ever had didn’t you once say ? a man who saw more in you than anyone else did . What is this pedestal you have put yourself on. It is not the one the late and great Johnny Warren stood on he would be ashamed of you ! And who are you to preach with your dark secret.”

Slater went on to give details of the alleged secret: “Never to be selected again after a disgraceful incident following a World Cup qualifier in Tahiti . Maybe the true legend who got you out of that Tahitian jail should of left you there ! @Craig_Foster hang your head in shame[…]”

The rest of the diatribe can still be viewed on Slater’s Twitter page.

Foster only briefly rebuked Slater by basically saying all discussion of coaching in Australia is good, and that he would expand on this issue on the World Game on SBS on Monday night. We wait for that in anticipation.

So what to make of these events?

Well, first to deal with Slater. This is not the first time he has made an outlandish call. Prior to the 2010 World Cup he was involved in an on air argument with Harry Kewell. Slater believed he was a sideshow and disrupting the Australian side, and claimed that certain teammates disliked him.

On that occasion and in his abuse of Foster, Slater has gone about his business in the wrong manner. It is all well and good to have your own opinion on that of Foster’s. As Foster states, all discussion is good discussion. However to do it in such a manner is despicable, especially bringing in a personal issue like the Tahitian incident.

More so the article is not a racist one. Such a label is inflammatory and unnecessary upon reading Foster’s piece. It is okay to disagree with his opinion but Slater should’ve used more considered and intelligent rebuttal rather than accusations of racism. It is lowest common denominator stuff.

What interests me more so about Slater leaping to Magilton’s defence is the fact they have a prior relationship. A tweet from Slater on the 7th of January reveals that “Jim Magilton was my best mate at Southampton. Yes I do have some mates. Great guy and was a great player.”

Surely given the fact they are “best mates” Slater could’ve defended Magilton by giving examples or reasons pointing to his coaching and footballing quality. Furthermore Slater spent the majority of his career in England and therefore should’ve used this intimate knowledge and experience to demonstrate his disapproval of Foster’s article.

Now to Foster. He is an ambitious and outspoken supporter of the Australian game. This is often forgot and overlooked when he gives his opinion. He may seem snobbish, harsh and abrasive yet all he strives for is excellence in football here.

It is true he has never coached but he highly knowledgable when it comes to this part of football. He is familiar with much literature and information about Spanish and South American football, in particular the history and make up of Guardiola’s Barcelona.

He understands the trends in world footballing tactics and knows that British and German style football, focusing on physicality in the latter and unimaginative ball movement in the former, should have no place in our game. He correctly believes that people with such philosophies should not take part in football here, especially in junior development.

He has witnessed the damage it has done in the past.

He has used Magilton’s appointment as a trigger to expound this strong view. In my opinion he has done so wrongly.

Magilton should be given time to show his worth. He may lack the South American influence but he does at least preach a short passing game. Foster should’ve waited to write this article. To do it after one week in charge was wrong.

Hopefully, he isnt right and Magilton proves him wrong. The important thing, though, is it’s not just Slater and Magilton who are hoping Foster is wrong. Foster himself would be hoping the same.