Wanderers get revenge against Sydney FC

ADP can only work with what he has around him. How many times do you see somebody take the wrong option, over hit a crappy pass to him when he has 2 and 3 defenders all over him? More often than not he manages to hang onto the pill, find some space and when he looks up is there a runner or even a free man within 20 metres of him? There are so many times you see him create space look up, nobody there. Pivot, beat a man, look down a channel...no one there. I don't know what's wrong with these idiots, ffs you play with a guy of his calibre, just run into space, he'll find you.

Ian....can I ask you, honestly, how many a-league games did you catch this weekend?

Deebhoy, It comes from people like Fuss, Kasey and so on feeding off each other - agreeing that the persecution is both important and real is one of the things that identifies you as "us" and not as "them". Fussball is an obvious example - if you like any other sport, let alone any other football, then you clearly arent entitled to like the one he likes, or have anything useful to add ... check any of his rants in this column, for example. Persecution complexes like that help keep small, tight-knit groups both small and tight knit.

Ian Perhaps we we could copy the VFL way of doing things, but then we wouldn't have one of the the outstanding success stories of Australian team sport in 2012...the Western Sydney Wanderers - put together in 4 months(rather than 2 years at a fraction of the cost and using players that could play the sport) and Saturday night they rocked Sydney and the country of football fans with their chutzpah at knocking off the incumbent team of 7 years head start not to mention the passion of their fans. Next on the VFL inspired to-do list..how to get the QLD govt to build us a nice sized stadium for which we'll put forward barely 10% of the construction costs and then get full operating rights. you really are a first class Muppet aren't you? On the football tab you're as useful as a screen door on a Submarine.

You dont. Its impossible, I mean, and its not like theres been bad things happen from fires in sports stadiums before.

Fussball, Calm down and watch some Garrincha. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYKP4aAknT0 Yes, its true that the league pays AFL sides a dividend. You'll also note that theres processes in place when clubs get into trouble. This might be a good idea for FFA to copy, as opposed to the fairly slapdash way the A-League has done it in the past, which gets things like, say, a temporarily solvent Nathan Tinkler as the owner of a club. Look at what other people have done right and copy it ! Who would have thought thats a plan ?

Kasey, And you can either give in to those feelings of victimisation, or you can realise that right now, the A-League is the number three professional sporting league in Australia ... and start acting like it. Yes, being a whiny little victim is easy. Yes, complaining about the media is fun. But it isnt helpful.

@Ian Whitchurch You know the big thing that irks me about AFL trolls on the Football forum ... you add ZERO to the discussion. You have ZERO financial & emotional investment in the A-league, and you have the gall to proffer unsolicited advice? 50% of AFL clubs receive audits that say they are financially insolvent without external assistance. Why don't you put your mind to saving those clubs and saving your sport of AFL, which is likely fade into obscurity & insignificance - as will all sports that have no cross-border appeal, in an age of globalised sports consumer markets.

Of course I expected it from a notorious pot stirrer as you Mr.W. What I didn't expect was this well-reasoned piece from serial Sockah troll Richard Hinds. I found myself nodding along many times whilst reading this. There is an equation often used by Australian soccer fans to illustrate the victimisation they feel: Eleven arrests during a one-dayer at the SCG equals a quiet night out; eleven arrests at an A-League game equals a bloody riot. The raw numbers might not reveal the nature of the offences, the discomfort caused to fellow spectators or the capacity to incite wider violence. Yet, after another weekend when the alleged misbehaviour of soccer fans attracted the often selective media spotlight, you must have some sympathy for the FFA. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/why-flares-are-not-merely-an-issue-for-fashion-police-20121217-2biyg.html#ixzz2FJBCT4XF

Kasey, Yes, you are paranoid. And you know the big thing ... this paranoia is one of the things that is holding the code back. When you, Fussball or the other whining paranoids complain, you're taking the attention away from the success the A-League is having. Worry about the things that matter - how to save the Newcastle Jets when Hunter Sports Group goes insolvent, how to make sure that all the clubs in the league are viable, how to balance the strength of the national team with the strength of the A-League clubs and so on. In short, stop being a pack of whiny losers who complain they lost because of the media, and start acting like winners.

Towser.-You obviously have not read my offering on the fact that perhaps the FFA should be having a long hard look at getting a class marquee for the "poorer" franchises in the league.I have no argument with that at all. What you have to watch when you look at "past" marquee players is that many of them were actually "guest" players brought to Oz for a 6 to 8 week period to play perhaps 3 or 4 home games. I can think of 2 I was involved with,Latchford (Everton& England),Sunderland (Arsenal & England), & I can think of a few others who did the same thing,George (England& Arsenal).Johnstone (Liverpool). Now with W Henderson & George Best it would be kind to say both were in the twilight of their careers & performed accordingly. I saw Willie & George playing at their best around 1963 -68 & by the time they came here it was around 1980.some 12-14 years later.George's "problems " were well recorded elsewhere but Willie arrived here from Hong Kong with extremely painful bunions on hs feet that were ultimately to finish his career. You are right, The local scenario has changed dramatically,bigger wages,full time employment, a more professional look to the competition the list goes on. So my take is not different. ADP HAS PROVED A MARQUEE CAN PAY HIS WAY SO WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT??????? jb

Mid - a derby does very little to help lift a team's crowd average. This has been explained many times before so I won't go into it again.Suffice to say both CCM & Adelaide have this season drawn crowds of 15,686 (v Sydney& ADP) &14,115, (v Victory) so it does prove there are fans there that could be lured to their other home games. In the same argument Perth have drawn 14,085 to their opening game of the season,(v Roar), Wellington 10,907 to their opening game (v Sydney) so again a figure in excess of 10,000 is not way out of reach for these clubs. Heart ,as you said "have issues" for their best crowd this year with no derby is just over 10,000 on opening day but that has fallen quite drastically to around 5,860 per game.over the remaining 4 home games,this despite playing quite well on the field. What to do remains the question.? Yours jb

Kasey - Can't get the gist of your offering to me concerning Wanderers replacing GCU.I actually pointed out that that move had resulted in the HAL crowd attendance rising by 36,542. A factual figure ,no argument from me. I think what may have misled you was the question I posed about how many people were brought to other "home" games by ADP's presence. In another 3 games,Roar,CCM, & Wellington I could put that figure at an extra 20,000. See where I am coming from now?. jb

Ian, Fuss: they need look no further than the USA. All NFL teams have in place a system whereby if you cannot make a game, you inform the front office. they will re-sell your seat and credit your season ticket account with a small %. By letting the team know you cant make the game, the team wins and the fan wins. the team gets a bigger crowd leading to more food and drink sales. the fan wins because when re-newals come around, those little %'s add up and can be used as credit towards the cost of re-newing the season ticket. Honestly its not that hard I'm pretty sure a fair number of Premiership football teams have a similar system in place. I'm very surprised the bigger VFL teams that once held large waiting lists like Adelaide & West Coast haven't gotten around to implementing it. If there's one thing yanks do very well and stereotypically Australians are lazier at, its customer relations/service.

Fuss, i like that idea of members selling back their seats. the club will end up with more cash through either the selling back and/or the second fan buying food and drink at the game, and if there is a suitable arrangement with the member selling it back so they get a return or discount. logistics will need working on but could be fruitful.

@jb re:inclusion of WSW over GCU. If the fans now attending WSW games did not attend HAL games before this season, then whatever WSW bring to the table is obviously growth for the league and therefore a major positive of this season. Of course we cannot know the number of turncoats who used to be sky blue but had their heads turned by the Wanderers. Anecdotal evidence suggests this number isn't overly large. The signing of ADP probably reduced the predicted turncoat flood to a trickle. Anyone who went to no HAL games in the past but decided to attend the event game of Sydney derby II is yet another bonus....That was exactly the type of atmosphere you want interested and curious about football types to experience for their first time:)

The day after this years NRL Final (Bulldogs vs Stork) I 100% clearly remember on 2UE Radio sports headline. "Police has applauded the great behaviour of Rugby League fans as ONLY 31 persons were ejected from the ground" !!!!!!!!!!! This is the double standard media we are up against. At 5pm news this Saturday (day of derby), 2UE news sports headlines mentioned Golf, cricket, and "that's all in sport for the day". ?!?!?!?!?!

JB CCM – 9,553. – Adel.- 9,707, Vict.- 22,693, WSW – 10,506. Glory – 9,112, Jets – 14,059, Well. – 8117, Heart. – 6872, Roar – 15,683, & Syd. – 21,833.. On this only Heart & Nux have issues Mariners, AU PG all within touching distance .... massive thread over on YF re the owners plans on crowds... http://forums.yellowfever.co.nz/categories/wellington-phoenix-discussion/topics/phoenix-ownership-the-travellling-circus-thread/page/192 starts around page 192 just keep reading ... As for Heart many threads on this ... if they have the funds they will make it... if they are short on funds they will struggle... Just on the Mariners we still have a derby match against the Jets at home ... to play WSW another derby at home .. and the new years eve match [normally a crowd puller] fireworks after the match at Gosford... PG stadium issues... AU ... not sure but has in the past been a good supporter of the game ...

I remember Channel 7 many moons ago at WIN Stadium in Wollongong ... anyway the Nothern Spirit were playing the W Wolves... it was a bad night rain, wind etc and maybe 3, 000 folk at the match.... At the away end a huge fat man in a NS shirt who was off his face walks onto a hill at one ends and heads towards the top... he slipped and fell and then slid almost to the fence ... the crowd sang the Fat B song ... this bloke turned out to be a pommie starts giving it to the W Woles golie and backs... looked liked he was going to get over the fence so a lady police woman came out and told him not to get over the fence I assume and started away ...[remember it was pelting down] ... the fat guy starts running [Ok staggering as fast as his wobbly legs would carry him] after the police lady ... she stopped and he threw a pinch at her... this was very foolish on his part... police came from everywhere and he was made aware not to throw punches at police ladies... The following day on Ch 7 and in the Telie.... Football riot in the Gong .. racial over tones blamed.. thuggish behaviour .... next Monday at work I said I was at the game ... where you scared bet you won't go back again... I love the media...

Agree with you Johnno. That atmosphere was priceless and one of the best yet.