Mike Tuckerman made the case yesterday as to “Why the A-League needs Del Piero”. I for one thought his arguments were a little light and somewhat unconvincing.
Don’t get me wrong. I am an avid A-League fan and I would be happy for Del Piero to come to Sydney FC. Lord knows, they need all the help they can get. But does the A-League need players like this to survive or prosper? I don’t think so.
There is a tendency for Australian football fans to become a little starstruck whenever a hero figure is mentioned – Yorke, Juninho, Fowler, Culina, Kewell and Emerton, to name a few of the bigger ones. We salivate at the prospect of their arrival and each one is touted as a potential saviour, not just of the club they will play for, but of the entire league.
Writers like Mike tell us that “the A-League could really use a timely boost”, ignoring that each year we have our own homemade highlights. Surely the arrival of West Sydney Wanderers next year is a bigger boost to the A-League than the possible arrival of one player, for perhaps one season.
In the past we’ve seen the rise and fall of Gold Coast United and the North Queensland Fury, the inane behaviour of Palmer and Tinkler, the arrival of the Melbourne Heart and the massive local Melbourne derby crowds, the undefeated run of the Brisbane Roar, the return of Graham Arnold to become an A-League coach, and many other events.
Each of these have added a multitude of column inches to the football press, generating awareness for the sport and hardening the resolve of the hardcore fans to continue supporting the A-League come-what-may. And they are our stories. They are not wishes and wants and hopes that sweep over us for a fleeting moment, that some individual, however great, or however past his prime, may grace our shores momentarily and pull on his boots.
The football aficionados will know and love (or hate) Del Piero for all he has done over 19 years of service with Juventus. Euro snobs and marginal football fans may even attend a few games to see him play if he comes to town.
Those who are undecided or uncommitted to the A-League will say it’s just another example of what’s wrong with the sport – clutching at retirees to boost a low quality league, and chasing ex-greats in an effort to shore up attendance and stir up interest.
I’m not against the marquee idea. I just don’t think that spouting the virtues of one man is the way forward. We don’t need saviours to “re-ignite mainstream interest”, to be one club’s “biggest coup” while providing a “timely boost” for the new season.
Anyone who believes those words is effectively saying that if the signing doesn’t eventuate, we will face a deep loss in mainstream interest. Of course, that argument is foolish.
You only have to read the various clubs’ fan forums (pre-Del Piero) to know how highly anticipated this season is. We want to know if Brisbane can three-peat, if the Mariners can finally break through, whether Ange will turn the Victory into a champion side and whether the Jets can crack 11,000 members. There is much to discuss and look forward to in season 2012-13.
If we have to rely on marquee players to boost attendance and mainstream awareness, I’d prefer to see a real program put together. For example, the FFA could contract 10 marquee players on a million dollars each, and use a random draw to assign one to each club.
The gathering of 10 marquee players would generate interest, the draw could be televised, and every club would have a “name” player. But those sorts of ideas have their own failings and are for another conversation.
Right now, I say the A-League doesn’t need a Del Piero. It might be nice, but it’s not needed.
What the A-League needs is a massive (trouble free) crowd for the Western Sydney versus Sydney FC local derby – a match to replicate the Victory versus Heart derbies.
It needs stories of new local talent found, club successes and club failures. And no disrespect to Del Piero, but in five weeks we will have plenty of local stories to keep us talking.
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party
Guest
Err yes he does,your post on another topic implied that A-League fans would know how many Indigenous players were in the league because they would look like Liam Jurrah in appearance,making them easy to identify,did you not?If not than what the hell were you trying to say i only ask because you dissapeared from the conversation after that ridiculous statement.
Camshaft
Guest
So what are you saying then? Are you saying that he doesn't look like an indigenous Australian?
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party
Guest
I know exactly who he is.
Kasey
Guest
Bondy, not only that, but just as I'm about to school him regarding facts and freebie tickets for GWS, the reply buttons conveniently disappear from that thread in the AFL tab (FML!) ...geez a football fan could get paranoid if he just stayed around here and forgot to interact with real people and real sports fans not just "I'm a true sports fan as long as that sport is AFL...types" that inhabit this particular website. I've taken worse insults from people twice as good as crankshaft. water off a ducks back innit?;)
Damiano
Guest
Rellum, it appears you have made the assumption that grass roots is the only strategy to develop interest in the game. A combination of different approaches is usually more effective. Besides, a short term boost can help the long term plan achieve some traction.
Damiano
Guest
Calm down Soundfire, just because some people aren't impressed doesn't mean they speak for everyone in Australia.
Damiano
Guest
Agreed, most sensible post. Better than Tuckerman's article or this one.
Australian Rules
Guest
Fuss, The ONLY reason you are dancing on the grave of a much-loved footballer, is because he played a sport you dont happen to like. Pathetic, needlessly nasty comments - even by your standards. And spare us the "he wasn't a law-abiding citizen" spiel...what crap.
Australian Rules
Guest
Fussball re Millane We all understand you loathe Australian Footy, but mocking a much-loved player who died in tragic circumstances shows your true "class". Good one troll
Bondy.
Guest
Kasey. Its charming behaviour isnt it ,when he cant win an argument he tells you to go back to where you came from,this from the bloke who's going to conquer the world with afl.
Camshaft
Guest
You have obviously got no idea who Liam Jurrah is.
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party
Guest
Thats up there with your "when you look at Liam Jurrah,you can't tell me he's Aboriginal?" comment Camshaft.
falcore
Guest
Interesting indeed. Been following a little of this and like all good controversies, for every expert and argument coming down on one side there is a similarly credentialed expert and counter-argument on the other. To clarify: - NFL the entity is not american football - the sport exists outside of the NFL, believe it or not, and american football culture is enormous. - The case/s are about how the NFL operates and has been operating as a business. - The 3377 former players named on the collective suit includes retirees who whilst not affected to date, are concerned about the possibility of future health issues, which is fair enough, but hard to rule on legally. "3,300 former NFL players, who are seeking relief for alleged concussion-related injuries sustained during their playing careers" makes a good headline, but the case is more complicated than that. Subtext to this is retired players through NFLPA have been jockeying for a larger pie slice since .. well, since they retired. Extreme cynics are labelling it a PR bargaining move to force Goodell's hand a touch. The more positive commentators believe the issue will ultimately be mediated and settled. - The origin of the "NFL's goin down in 10 - 15 yo!" sentiments is a hypothetical puff piece written by 2 economists supposing CTE may be caused not just by concussion but a minor head knock, in turn leading to CTE-related suicides in high-school level athletes - a bit of a leap, to say the least: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7559458/cte-concussion-crisis-economic-look-end-football Personally hope the end result is a safer game with better-prepared athletes and long-lived happier retired players. The cynic in me wouldn't mind seeing the NFL get stung a little, financially... Interestingly the IRB trialling a concussion bin which many see as a direct result of the NFL issues. Sorry, carried away. On topic, have SFC officially got their man yet?
Kasey
Guest
It annoys when when guys like fussball use terms like “tactical mastery”, Here's a revolutionary thought...read it and ignore it, just move on. like changing the channel when a TV show comes on that you don't like. Humans have freedom of choice, about time you started using your noggin for more than just trolling football fans. Every post of yours here just reinforces the notion that the game you truly love must be so boring to discuss that you spend your hours here.
Camshaft
Guest
All you are really saying there is that Juninho is a better player than your average A League joe. It annoys when when guys like fussball use terms like "tactical mastery", when I know that he wouldn't have a clue. I like your first paragraph analogy. Maybe they could make a reality tv series out if it. Start with homeless guys under a freeway overpass, then move on to MV supporters.
TC
Guest
Bondy This is one of the biggest Australian sports stories of the year, and if it comes off, there are big ramifications for the sport of soccer in this country. But there's a diversity of opinion of whether SFC's reported $2 million per season will be well spent - and there are good arguments both ways. We want to hear those arguments. We want that diversity of opinion in full view. Let's get it out there. We can discuss it in a civil and cordial manner. That's certainly what I am about. I'm on record as having agreed with the OP.
TC
Guest
I can see why Sion are chasing Del Piero, they just got done 3-0 by St Gallen (currently the top team), and I think they were playing home too. Sion still in 3rd place. TC
Bondy.
Guest
Cattery@ Camshaft "same thing" Nobody can deny the fact here that you are a massive afl fan,though you choose to degrade the sport of football here. Phil Coates the article writer is also a massive afl fan ,what we he think of your behaviour here though ?. Your here trying to destroy any form of joy sports bring to anyone,your not necassarily a good aussie rules ambassador are you.
Kasey
Guest
Discussing football tactics with a troll like you would be like an eminent Brain surgeon giving a lecture on craniotomy techniques to a bunch of random homeless guys under a free way overpass. There is just no possible way to dumb things down for a closed mind like yours. A slegehammer big enough has not yet been invented that can open a mind unwilling to learn or closed to the possiblity of being corrected on a falsehood held to be true. Expecting a swift analysis of why Juninho is better than say Terry McFlynn isn't as simple as comparing the Stats sheet of a Datsun Sunny to a Fararri. How does one conclusively and definitively measure vision? The ability of one player to better anticipate where his/her teammates are going to be with regards to the opposition disposition before he/she lays on a defence splitting pass that leads to a goal? Sure you could look at that players assists tallycompared to anothers, but winning a penalty also counts as an assist and its not really in the same category of creativity, its often just being in the right place at the right time as a defender makes a tired mistake. Or it could be recognizing that your opponent is deficient on his left hand side and darting that way in the box with the ball while he crudely lunges with that side of his body. The subtleties of football are lost on those who don’t bother to even try to understand them.
Camshaft
Guest
I knew you wouldn't have an answer for me. Nothing funnier than when Australian soccer fans start talking about tactics, as if they know what is going on out there.