Perth Glory will be dreaming of bygone days as they fly to Brisbane to face the Roar in next week’s A-League grand final.
The poster boys of the final NSL years prevailed in a tense penalty shootout at Bluetongue Stadium.
They compounded the recent misery of the Central Coast Mariners, who will be sick to the core at being denied the opportunity to win a coveted first title, and to gain revenge on their northern arch-nemesis after the extraordinary finish to last year’s grand final.
However, it seemed there were a few factors that would on the surface denigrate both the preliminary final and the grand final. One factor came from the host broadcaster, another from the losing coach.
Foxtel deserve rubbishing for their appalling decision to cut away from the broadcast of the Mariners-Glory game as it was about to go to penalties in order to catch the start of the Essendon-Gold Coast AFL game.
For those who were able, the climax to the A-League was available on Viewer’s Choice. However, if you didn’t have that option, or like me, you were recording the match due to another commitment in order to settle down and watch it later in the evening (strenuously avoiding radios or sports updates), it was a slap in the face.
Instead of the penalties, I got the first 10 minutes of the Bombers-Suns game, a nothing contest in comparison to what was happening at Bluetongue.
That’s not meant to start another endless war of words between football and AFL fans, but one was the first ten minutes of a Round 3 match which surely could have been joined in progress, while the other was the climax to the second most important game of the A-League season, balanced on a knife-edge.
The other factor came from a naturally shattered Mariners coach Graeme Arnold. In the post-match press conference, Arnold inadvertantly dropped a hint at where he may be taking his whiteboard and coaching charts next season when he said, “Maybe I should just go to a big club. The small clubs never get the decisions.”
This was in response to Perth Glory’s goal from Shane Smeltz that looked to be offside. Suddenly the decision was all about Arnie.
While not criticising his players this time, the tone was eerily reminiscent of his meltdown at the 2007 Asian Cup when he was Socceroos coach.
There was more to come, when Arnold almost declared the Mariners champions by default, acknowledging that grand finals were the “Australian way” but that where a club finished after 27 rounds was the true test of a champion, and that play-off games were just “cup ties.”
Arnold went on to say that he regards the Mariners next game in the Asian Champions League to be far more important than next week’s grand final, and that qualifying the Mariners for the last 16 of the ACL was higher on his agenda than winning the domestic competition.
It must be tremendously difficult fronting the media in circumstances like that in which Arnold found himself last night. But he should have stopped at the line “the Australian way.”
He may have a lot of sympathisers in regard to how Australian football crowns its champion. He has won a lot of admirers with the way he has turned the Mariners into a league force, punching way above their weight.
But he should not have diminished the importance of the league’s showpiece game, no matter how justifiably bitter he felt.
The host broadcaster had already done enough damage by treating the preliminary final like an a scheduling annoyance.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Maybe for some of the followers on Foxtel from over east, but that Wellington-Perth game made a number of true believers because of the atmosphere and drama. Why a couple days after that one of the local radio presenters for one of the big commercial stations said on air that that game had made an instant convert out of her and that she had never experienced anything like it before in her life. We do not need to fit a purist's idea of what "real football" should be to provide a great spectacle.
Titus
Guest
109 000 according to talking footy, which is over 50% up on the ratings for last years PF and this one was at 5.30 and in the middle of the NRL/AFL season, and on the back of all the doom and gloom. Good result IMO.
Roon
Guest
This, in yesterday's inbox: FFA receives welcome boost as Fox extends A-League media deal for three seasons. By David Gold Monday, 16 April 2012 Fox Soccer has renewed its media rights deal with Australia's Hyundai A-League for three seasons, a boost to the embattled Football Federation Australia (FFA). In the last week one A-League team, Gold Coast United, have gone out of existence, while another, Newcastle Jets, have said they are giving back their licence and do not intend to compete in the coming season. Though the FFA has also in recent days announced that it will set up a new team in Sydney, as well as insisting the Newcastle Jets were not able to simply hand back their licence, the proposition of a nine team league next season was a blow to their position when renegotiating television rights. Therefore, the news that Fox has extended the agreement, which was brokered by World Sport Group, is a timely boost. The television rights include 31 matches on Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus, as well as a highlights package. "We are very excited to renew the Hyundai A-League for three more seasons," said Joshua Glassel, vice-president of programming and acquisitions for Fox Soccer. "Fox Soccer viewers are fans of the global game, and this renewal ensures continued coverage of one of the sport's fastest developing leagues and talent pools." http://www.insideworldfootball.biz/worldfootball/oceana/10671-ffa-receives-welcome-boost-as-fox-extends-a-league-media-deal-for-three-seasons
clayts
Guest
Agree. Pretty sure last year he wasn't saying, 'yeah we don't care about the GF. Roar are already the champions. Congrats to them.' Shoe is on the other foot and now he changes his tune..
Realfootball
Guest
Agree. Arnold has increasingly shown that his old spots are still there. And they aren't good spots. I'm not at all sure he is the right move for Sydney.
Realfootball
Guest
Look at the attendances and media coverage. Even Perth's last game at 13k was well below what the club would have hoped for. Good grief, in the NSL days, Glory pulled bigger crowds to regular season games. Now if that was Sydney or Victory instead of Pheonix, it would have been a different story. The Glory/Pheonix game, in football terms, was poor quality. It had a good scoreline, but that was it. I stand by my argument. We need Sydney and Melbourne Victory in the mix.
cliffclavin
Guest
better than watching a top loader!!
fatboi
Guest
i am also still waiting for Arnold to explain to the aussie public his pathetic tactics during the Olyroos Beijing Olympics. i remember instead of coming home to face the music, he disappeared off the face of the earth for months after the games. agree, with the disgraceful behaviour of Arnold to act as spy and source for good mate Slater's wild accusations. to cheer me up, i just go to youtube and find the video of Bresciano coming off in world cup match and giving Arnie the king of snubs!!
Lucan
Not just AC2007. Many of us who lvied through the Soccer Aust/FFA revolution were flabbergasted when Arnie SOMEHOW survived the great cull. Graham Arnold must have incriminating photos of high profile Aust football execs. Nothing else makes sense. * and don't forget the hatchett job he and his mate Slater did on Chipperfield and Kewell after WC2010.
Kareem
Guest
Nathan of Perth ...deal! league champions, without a capital ;) And Axel...I'm not calling us champions. I am calling us league champions...as in champions of the league, as in the team that won the league. No reference to the 'championship' (finals). If I just said 'champions' then fine...but league champions isn't difficult to interpret!
Ballymore
Guest
Congrats Apaway for calling out both GA & Foxtel. Both deserve it. Usually their coverage is excellent but not this time. I've been waiting for someone to make the 2007 Asian Cup reference. Complaints about the 'heat' in their loss to PG triggered terrible memories of July 2007 for myself, the Iraqi debacle in particular.
Ballymore
Guest
I enjoy how AP takes personal responsibility for losses. In the midweek loss to the WP he said he picked the wrong team and during the 5 game streak and took responsibility for not altering their style of play. It is an honourable way to behave.
sittingbison
Guest
nup, they will think Glory are the Champions and Roar bottled it %)
Nathan of Perth
Guest
You mean this has been an AWESOME final series. Perth and Wellington getting some deserved time in the sun, unexpected results, high-tempo games, some late winners, some penalty kicks, all good.
John B
Guest
Try watching the flair of Andrezinho and the creativity of Miller through your front end loader.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
You can call yourself league champions, but you can't capitalise it :D
The Cattery
Roar Guru
All sports face this from time to time, it's a case of: you can't choose your family, in other words, come the end of the year, you end up with whoever is there: sometime the glam teams are near the bottom and the working class plodders are near the top, and you just have to grin and bear it.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Harsh, but fair.
Stevo
Guest
Poor Bombers - lean year coming up :)
Redb
Roar Guru
The ratings are still an average over the whole broadcast. The Ess v GC game turned out to be fairly competitive I'm not surprised it rated OK.