The pubs and clubs on Caxton Street were packed with orange-clad fans all turned attentively towards television screens broadcasting a Sydney FC game.
Everyone wanted to see Alessandro Del Piero in action.
But after the Jets had spoiled Sydney’s party and Emile Heskey reminded Sky Blues fans that Del Piero wasn’t the only marquee in town, the focus in Brisbane soon turned towards Ange Postecoglou’s return to Suncorp Stadium as Melbourne Victory coach.
What a return it was.
After an acrimonious build-up which saw Postecoglou label as “disrespectful” comments made about his tenure at the Roar, all eyes were on the battle between the master coach and his apprentice.
It’s safe to say Rado Vidosic won that battle hands down.
It took the Roar all of five minutes to assert their authority when Erik Paartalu drilled home into the bottom corner, only for his effort to be correctly ruled out by an offside flag against Besart Berisha.
If it was a warning, Victory failed to heed it. It’s never a good idea to leave Thomas Broich unmarked in the box and the German maestro proved as much by hooking home the opener after 20 minutes.
Paartalu nodded home barely 90 seconds later and some gaping cracks in the Postecoglou facade began to appear.
Goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas was all at sea as he flapped at routine corner, but whether it was the right decision to let Ante Covic move on to Western Sydney Wanderers is a moot point.
The question now is whether Thomas is a genuinely better option in goal than the more experienced Tando Velaphi.
Likewise there will be questions asked about how the Victory defence could be caught square by a route one punt forward from Roar goalkeeper Michael Theo.
Mitch Nichols might have timed his run to perfection but what will have alarmed is the fact not one defender tracked Berisha as the Victory defence made a complete meal of playing the offside trap.
To then concede two more goals, to say nothing of the chances either ruled out or missed by Berisha and Ben Halloran respectively, suggests Postecoglou has plenty of work to do to mould a coherent defence.
It will undoubtedly take time for Postecoglou to make his mark on Victory.
His first two games in charge of Brisbane yielded a 2-1 defeat to Sydney FC and a 1-1 home draw with the Newcastle Jets.
But expectations are considerably higher in Melbourne than they were when Postecoglou took over at the Roar and should Victory lose to Adelaide United next Friday, the gaze of a sports-mad Melbourne media may shift uncomfortably towards the man in charge.
He will expect to meet the challenge but questions will be asked whether the likes of Danny Allsopp, Guilherme Finkler and Jonathan Bru are the right type of players to make the difference.
Time will tell, but Victory fans will hope it does so sooner rather than later.
Sydney FC coach Ian Crook could soon find himself in much the same position having now overseen two defeats from two games played.
Suddenly next week’s derby has assumed greater significance than perhaps many first thought and one player for whom it could be particularly significant is Terry McFlynn.
The long-serving Sky Blues skipper was substituted after 57 minutes against the Jets and all eyes will be on whether he takes his place in midfield against the Wanderers.
Should Paul Reid take his place it could mark the beginning of the end of an era in Sydney, with one of the hardest working – and most maligned – players in the A-League forced to step aside at the club he currently captains.
Chino
Guest
Association Football has always been the second football code in the southern states since the beginning of time (or the 1880s). Rugby Union and Rugby League have always been much smaller than Association Football in these states and the gap appears to be widening. In my home state of South Australia we have a total of 11 Rugby Union Clubs and there are 8 Rugby League clubs. Further 5 sports clubs play American Football and 8 clubs play Gaelic Football which compare to 30 clubs in the just the State Federation competition alone or to the over 80 clubs in the SAAFL.
gumpy
Guest
And yet Breezy queries why on Earth an AFL club would defect to real football...(?) Oh let's see: by winning the A-League title/minor premiership/national cup comp(once it's introduced) they would qualify for the Asian Champions League...shock horror, legitimately playing against legitimate clubs from other countries in legitimate competition to qualify for the World Club Championship...where they could end up playing a titan club of world football in Real Madrid/Man U/Barca etc... Which, frankly, would be worth more than 99999999999999999+ AFL premierships, to say the absolute least. THAT IS WHY
nachos supreme
Guest
Is that right? Hopefully it doesn't become the lumpy sand pit of seasons past. I thought the SFS looked better than it has for quite a while on the weekend (as it bloody well should,best I don't start on the state of the paddock really)
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@ Redb As I mentioned, my methodology has been used to analyse markets that are far more complex than the sports TV broadcast market in Australia.
Redb
Roar Guru
Fussball, your model and intepretations are flawed. I guess that being pointed out is a cause for concern so you choose the attack the poster mode :) Seems intelligent discussion on intrepretating TV ratings for sport is beyond you.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@Redb I have regular disagreements with many football fans on this forum - about the quality of our National Team, the quality of our National Coach, the Technical Development of football in Australia, etc. etc. These discussions are robust & heated BUT ... I know that the people on the other side of the discussion are: a) intelligent b) football literate c) passionate about the Game Alas, you are "none of the above" and, perhaps I'm a snob, but I have no time for ignorant people, who don't attempt to educate themselves by listening, reading & learning from those, who have better knowledge. They say "ignorance is bliss", so I wish you a blissful life.
Redb
Roar Guru
Fussball, Then I suggest you stick to what you know. Which aint much. If you can't handle an opposing view then online forums are obviously not hot for you.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Redb You're a bore & a troll. And, like every bore I've had the misfortune to meet in life you're ignorant, too. Now bore off. We've got a wonderful football competition to look forward to. Why don't you just enjoy whatever you enjoy. Why do people like you come to a discussion, when you can add ZERO to our intellectual database of ideas? Online trolling is being heavily discussed in the news & it seems that trolls are people with significant underlying psychological & physical problems including: ignorance, inadequacy, immaturity and impotence.
Redb
Roar Guru
You just backed me up. :)
Redb
Roar Guru
Well if you're a professional you would remove yourself due to conflict of interest. Your such a zealous fan of the game your conclusions would inevitably be overly ambitious and indulgent. Using the World Cup viewing numbers as a model for a start is a nonsense as it is the Socceroos/World Cup event and we know that is far more popular than the A League.
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party
Guest
LFC,Liverpool Football Club.Theres no such thing as Liverpool soccer club.
Bondy.
Guest
And it keeps getting worse for ch nein, (http://www.smh.com.au/business/future-at-stake-for-nines-proud-but-crumbling-dynasty-20121015-27mzc.html).
pete4
Guest
Breezy - nope we don't have 22 round competitions everywhere around this world playing each other only once and doctoring the remainder of the draw for crowds and claim this is somehow "fair". Not sure why you would be claiming other football competition crowds are poor when they would play 2 or 3 times as many games than that every season. Your hardly comparing apples with apples mate
Bondy.
Guest
I've just sifted through my email tray,me thinks Breezy sounds a little to familiar for mine, meow. Only one has so much passion for his sport.
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football
Guest
No Middy, don't tell him to go! I've been busy all day and just caught up on this thread. This is too much fun. Stay Breezy....Come back!
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football
Guest
Attendances for AFL in Melbourne are massive, no doubt. I've always found this staggering because it's such an ordinary product. I've found this puzzling ever since I touched down in Australia many summers ago (Yes, I'm one those undesirable ethnics who threaten your Strayan culture by not following your silly little game).
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football
Guest
It's gonna be a loooong off-season for you Breezy. Only 6 more months of crying into your soup and trolling,ha,ha!!
Midfielder
Guest
Just on Liverpool ... and our new mate ADP ... towards the end is ADP... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T00x5sRbZrc
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football
Guest
"If this occurs, and MVFC concede 2 goals every game, it means, unless MVFC can score 3 or more every game, we’re not going to win. It’s a harsh reality that pains me greatly – as a normally optimistic MVFC fan." .........thanks for that Fuss. ;-) ....lol
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Which makes it even more staggering that the game of ARF - allegedly the greatest game in the world that everyone who watches allegedly falls in love with - has never spread beyond the TAS, WA, SA, VIC, NT & ACT. Why do you think that this allegedly superior sport, that is allegedly so wonderful to watch - that is allegedly older than Adam, himself ... is only watched by an insignificant portion of 1 country on earth? It's one of life's enduring mysteries. Simply unfair. Now, on to weighty matters ... who do you think will make the Top 8 next year. It's a question that needs to be asked every day for the next 6 months.