A lot can happen in a month. Having returned from a trip to the UK and Europe, I find that Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United sacked their coaches, Brisbane and Sydney threatened a royal rumble in the players tunnel, and Craig Foster and Robbie Slater butted heads about the appointment of Jim Magilton.
Of course, I couldn’t have gone to England without immersing myself in some football and to that end I managed to take in a few games, none of which were EPL matches. One game stood out for me, for a variety of reasons. As a life-long Sheffield Wednesday fan (and for a brief time, triallist and player), I was keen to see the famous old club in action.
My chance came on Boxing Day when the Owls were away to Walsall, a small club with a tenuous Australian link (at least one former Socceroos has played there).
The Banks Stadium is an 11,500 capacity ground, small, compact, with the touchline a mere metre from the advertising hoardings. There were more Wednesday fans in the ground than Saddlers supporters, and the post Xmas atmosphere was boisterous. But the football was awful.
It pains me to say so, given my allegiances but this was a dreadful game, yet from what I saw in my time in England, typical of the English lower leagues (and I’m being generous there). At no point in the game did the notion of passing and possession enter the collective mindset of the players. It was, to quote the loud fan I stood next to, a case of “get f***ing ball in box!” (said with a thick, broad Yorkshire accent).
It was fast, physical football with the main battle being between Walsall’s central defenders and livewire Owls striker Ryan Lowe. At no time did either midfield manage to wrest control of the aerial battle; the main function of the eight players occupying the centre was to make tackles and get the ball to wide players for crosses into the box.
It occurred to me watching this match that young Australian players looking to make a name for themselves overseas might want to think twice before heading to the battlegrounds of the English leagues. No doubt they would get a swift education into the toughness and mental attitude required to survive in professional football. But I doubt they would get much of a chance to improve their skills or technique as players.
The quality of football in the A-League far outstrips League One and a lot of the Championship. There is no current A-League club that would not have dispatched either Walsall or Wednesday on this day, and bear in mind that Wednesday were in second place heading into the game.
The English style was never more evident than in the final minutes of the game. With the Owls 1-0 up, they received a free kick just inside their own half. Three players congregated around the ball and the opportunity to play the ball short, keep possession and switch the play to the opposite flank was evident even to the army of fans chanting about their upcoming promotion.
Walsall retreated into their own third, despite the scoreline, anticipating the long ball. They were not mistaken. Wednesday defender Reda Johnson, a Benin international, knocked a long ball down the touchline, the Owls lost the battle for possession, and 30 seconds later Walsall scored with one of their first shots of the game.
Worse was to come for the Owls, when the Saddlers netted a winner in the fourth minute of injury time. It seemed that the phrase “they can’t score without the ball” had not been uttered on the Owls bench.
This is not intended to play into the debate between the comments of Foster and Slater over the appointment of British coaches.
Matthew Hall’s wonderful book “The Away Game” chronicled the lives of quite a few Aussies who were hardly household names, living out their football adventures in lower league football in the UK. You couldn’t put a value on the experience of living the life of a pro footballer, no doubt about that.
However, the evolution of the A-League and the collective coaching knowledge of the likes of Ange Postecoglou, Graeme Arnold, Garry Van Egmond et al is now providing young talented Australians with an education that they will not receive in the school of hard knocks that constitutes the English lower leagues.
apaway
Roar Guru
Hi Johnno The players you mentioned would all fall into my first category. Note that Kewell decided to come back to the A-League rather than settle for a lower level Premier League side, let alone a Championship team. However, that's a bit off-track, as my article was more about young players who see ANY overseas club as a ticket to success and improvement.
RIP_Enke
Guest
Kewel was playing for a premier side and one renown for youth development. Same goes for Bosnich, Dukes and Culina and Mark Swarcher, who all started in Europe with good clubs, well above championship level. Not sure about the rest.
Johnno
Guest
Depends on the player, some do well while others go backwards for multiple reasons. It worked for Harry Kewell and Craig Johnston, while some players going overseas at young age go backwards eg Kaz Patafa. So depends on the player and all the multiple reasons. What's also interesting is some players struggle when go young, then go back older and better eg Mark Bosnich. Mark Swarcher, Ned Zelic, Mark Viduka , Jason culina, Paul Okon , went later on and became good players
Bondy
Guest
Sheffield Wednesday a grand old girl . The stadia situation 11,500 i think Blackpool holds 17,000 and all our codes are out at the S.F.S that seats 44,000 . I couldnt agree more with our young players not going over Nicky Carle ring a bell he turned into a wrestler over there and somewhat destoryed his flare there . Have you noticed those freakish goals from the Championship uno half volley from 38 yrds out top corner the player can never repeat that performance again in his life fluke, i hope they enjoy it . Nice read mate .
apaway
Roar Guru
Hi Trent Appreciate your points, and as Rusty said, I'm certainly not writing off English lower league football. I'm not basing all my opinions on the one game as I did see more but was left with the impression that a young Aussie player will not necessarily become a better player if they end up at this level. It may have been the case 20 years ago when there was no full time professional set-up (not a knock on the NSL but it was essentialy part-time). There are two reasons for an Australian footballer to leave these shores. The first is to become a better player in an elite league and to play with the world's best, be it the EPL, the Bundaslega, La Liga etc. The other reason is to become football's version of a backpacker - living the life with a pair of football boots, seeing the world, playing a game you love and getting paid for it. I wouldn't knock either reason, it's just that the advent of the A-League has given players at that level a third choice.
trent
Guest
I should add that I'm not knocking the A-League - I love it and have been a regular at Victory games since season 1.
trent
Guest
@Rusty I'm not sure that A-League teams are mid-to-top table Championship level. I watch the odd Championship game and the highlights package each week, and the tempo and passing seems to be a notch higher than what I've seen here. Of course, it's difficult to compare as we play in summer heat and this affects the speed of the game. I also saw a Belgian game on that trip, and I thought the standard was lower than the Championship, so it's a surprisingly decent league. I also think the number of games played each year has an influence on the general standard of the two leagues (at least 48 games in England, only 27 here). In that respect, it would be better for a young player to cut their teeth in England instead of here. 6 months off the pitch each year is not ideal. Anyway, I think the above a good article and I also appreciate your reply. I just beg to differ with the opinions. I forgot to add that Shrewsbury had an Aussie playing for them that day - Shane Cansdell-Sherriff. He's still with them and in fact scored on the weekend. A classic Aussie lower-league warrior.
Rusty
Guest
@trent. I take something totally different out of this article. I don't see that he is writing off English low league football per say, but merely pointing out that many Australian's don't appreciate the football being played in their own backyard. I have never seen a live English game but from what i watch on TV the general populous are seriously selling themselves short on what they get to enjoy in Australia. While the style of football is different i firmly believe that the A-league is on par with the Mid to Top of the English Championship. Sure there are bad games in the A-League but if we want to compare to English football then the A-League has a very strong case that it is of a good quality. Keep in mind the British style of play and that of Australia is different (at least what we try to play).
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
Very well written piece, apaway. I have little knowledge of League One and it is interesting to hear this perspective. I guess part of me agrees, that indeed as a development league it leaves much to be desired. Indeed I remember watching Forest in League One and then watching Kashima in action in the J-League straight after (the former being a replay) and the difference in class was startling to say the least. However it is also a league which suits the level to which some players will attain as footballers as not all professional players are going to be able to cut it in the better leagues. I guess as a development league you are better off staying in Australia. Yet as a chance to live overseas and have an adventure for less gifted players it provides wondrous opportunity.
trent
Guest
I saw my first ever English football match exactly a year ago - a top of the table clash between Shrewsbury and Chesterfield in League 2, ending nil all. I had a different impression of English lower league after watching this game. The quality of players across the park was more consistent than the A-League but lacked the real quality players we see here such as Hernandez, Broich, Flores, etc (I assume this has to do with marquee players and salaray cap constraints). Both teams that day played good possession/passing football and it was surprisingly quick - although that probably had to do with the FREEZING temperatures on the day. God I'll never complain of being cold again. A few days later I was at Nottingham Forest's ground to watch them take on Bristol City, 1-nil to the home team. Now THAT was a turgid affair. I wouldn't write off English football on the basis of watching one third tier match. Would you expect to see high quality football in the third divisions of the German/Spanish/Italian leagues?