I love reading articles about hypothetical situations that for obvious reasons are unlikely to happen. A debate that I have often had is about how A-League clubs would fare in the Premier League.
It is true that Melbourne Victory gave Premier League giants Liverpool a strong match, but it is safe to say that that showing would not be reciprocated on a week in, week out basis.
So in the name of hypothetical football, here is my rundown of where each A-League club would be sitting if they were competing in the English football league set up.
Please note that tier one is the Premier League, tier two is the Championship, tier three is the League 1 and tier four is the League 2.
Adelaide United
The Reds would be in the company of some of English football’s big clubs such as Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
This would not transpire to the pitch, where Adelaide look to implement a new free flowing style under Josep Gombau – a style of play that is foreign to the English leagues.
Their keys players such as Michael Zullo and Jeronimo Neuuman are Championship quality, but as a squad they would be surrounded by the likes of Bradford City and Walsall, leaving them in seventh spot in the League 1.
Brisbane Roar
In my opinion that Brisbane Roar are Australia’s most advanced team, with individual talents the would feature in the upper clubs of the Championship.
The Roar would be competitive in the English second division with the playing style that would allow them to beat some strong English clubs.
The would be in between Wigan and Ipswich in 14th.
Central Coast Mariners
The Mariners have solid foundations that teams find difficult to break down.
Under the guidance of Graeme Arnold, it is foreseeable that they would be able to avoid relegation in the Championship.
Marcos Flores is a fine player and would supply the Mariners with the goals to see them edge into 20th spot among Charlton and Birmingham.
Melbourne Heart
The Heart boost the quickest attack in the A-League and in the English game speed is a key attribute.
This, combined with the defensive organisation of former Leeds man Patrick Kisnorbo and Patrick Gerhardt, is key to a side looking for a mid table finish in the League 1.
Star player Harry Kewell would relish the prospect of playing in England once more. The red half of Melbourne would finish a respectable 14th, wedged between Swindon and Colchester in the English third tier.
Melbourne Victory
Often referred to as the biggest club in Australia, the Victory could also be seen as the Australian Liverpool having not won anything in more recent times.
The club has some big names such as Mark Milligan, who was targeted by Premier League side Crystal Palace, and Pablo Contreras, who at his peak would have been a solid defender at most mid table Premier League clubs.
They also have a wealth of attacking options that would be handy in the English second and third tier. The Victory would be able to take out the League 1 in front of well known English clubs in Wolverhampton and Leyton Orient.
Newcastle Jets
A club that does not seem to know how it wants to play.
Spearheaded by English cult hero Emile Heskey, the club looks to play robust with wide players in James Virgili and Craig Goodwin, however this does not result in attacking football or consistent goal scoring.
On a positive note, the Jets, a club whose Wikipedia page can get linked with Newcastle United, have a relatively solid defence set-up that includes Middlesbrough target Conner Chapman and former Derby County midfielder Ruben Zadkovich.
They would be a strong side in the League 2, finishing in second place behind Oxford United.
Perth Glory
A club that used to be more known for defensive steel than the state it is in now plays decent passing football.
Michael Thwaite, who is soon to be paired with former Chelsea and Arsenal captain William Gallas, make up a dominant defensive core that is screened by the most underrated player in the A-League in Jacob Burns.
With goalscorer Shane Smeltz leading the line, it is easy to predict that the Glory have the ability to finish 10th in the League 1 – just above MK Dons and a few behind Adelaide United.
Sydney FC
Yes, they have Alessandro Del Piero, who could probably still get a run at a club as good as Swansea or West Brom.
But like Newcastle, they are a club that does not know how they play. Without the legendary Italian, they seem to play with zero confidence in the attacking third and for some strange reason his absence unsettles them in their defensive third as well.
This combination is aided somewhat by the experience of former Premier League players Brett Emerton and Richard Garcia, which could propel them to fourth in the League 2 behind the Newcastle Jets and Fleetwood Town.
Wellington Phoenix
I hate bagging a bad thing but is there a worse sight in football then an empty stadium and a nil-all draw?
The answer is no. Despite the signings of Carlos Hernandez and the retention of Jeremy Brockie, the ‘Nix are a poor offensive side whose defence is at best adequate.
They are good enough to remain in the English professional leagues, but only by a handful of places. They would come 14th in the League 2 between Southend United and Hartlepool United.
Western Sydney Wanderers
The new boys of the league are already one of the league’s big guns.
Shinji Ono has played in three World Cups with Japan and is perhaps the A-League’s most technically correct player. Their defence is rock solid, and the giant trio of Michael Beauchamp, Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Matt Spiranovic would be near unbreakable in the English third tier.
Tomi Juric upfront has been akin to former Leeds, Middlesbrough and Newcastle forward Mark Viduka, which makes for a successful League 2 side.
This said they are probably a bit better than that, finishing in 24th place in the Championship only a couple of points behind the likes of Barnsley and Yeovil.
What you should gather out of this is that yes, the A-League does not yet have a team of Premier League quality, however all the teams would be competitive in one of the other top three English professional leagues.
The Championship is the world’s strongest second division, ranked 19th overall in the FIFA League Rankings Coefficients – higher than the Swedish First Division, the Scottish Premier League, the Mexican Premier League and the cashed-up United Arab Emirates League.
The League 1 and League 2 also feature in the top 80 leagues, which can not be said for any other third and fourth division.
What do you think about these placings? Have I been too hopeful with my calculated guesses? Or not hopeful enough?
Ian Blair
Guest
Is this the same Jeff that played for my team Hartlepool Utd (apparently the same standard at Wellington)? The A league is awful to watch. My uncle came over from England who has been watching league 1 and 2 since the 50s and said the A league is conference standard with a few has beens that have played at the top thrown in. We went to watch MV v Perth, he wanted to leave at half time it was that poor. He laughed a lot through the match however. I cant bear to watch the A league, its like watching a new sport. Also even mentioning games between the PL team that come is mental as they are meaningless friendlies. Hartlepool beat Man U 6-0 in a friendly in 1988, we didnt go around saying we could compete with them.
Jeff Smith
Guest
I have watched hundreds of English lower league games and played at Conference premier level myself. I have seen 5 years worth of A league games. Most A league teams would be mid to lower league one ( tier 3) standard in England with the bottom two or three probably league 2 (tier 4)
Paul
Guest
Interesting reading... I wonder how a squad made entirely of a Socceroo squad would fare in the English league? Perhaps bottom of the Championships?
Parrot
Guest
Send an English Championship team here with a squad limit of 23 players and watch them battle away trying to cope with the travel and the heat. By the way folks, wasn't it Celtic that lost a practise match here to Central Coast Mariners only a few weeks before the SPL season was due to start? And Sydney FC did well on their Italian tour playing some Serie B teams.
Chris
Guest
This is the most accurate post i've read here. To think that MV would get above Wolves as the OP says is just crazy, although Wolves had a calamitous season last season they have about 4 players who each probably earn more per season than the entire MV team. They're going to use experience, fitness and professionalism to win that league at a canter....most of all they play for 90 minutes when the quality of a typical A league game seems to drop away through tiredness and lack of concentration after 65 minutes. I'd actually put WSW as easily the team best able to cope in England, there's no coincidence that Popovic sees organisation and competitiveness as the bedrock of a team, even if it's unattractive on occasion. That's the key to the Championship or Div 1 and where he gets his ideas from, they even play just like a Mick McCarthy team. I do like watching the A league, until the ball gets around the penalty box and then the finishing is atrocious. I applaud the attempts to play good football and the inventiveness is great...most of all the games are competitive which is really what it's all about. I do however wish, that if the Aussie clubs want to import a marquee player, they do better research. The likes of Kewell and Heskey have been shot to pieces for years, not good examples to follow. Signing a top class character like Kevin Phillips would have raised the standards of any A league club, just by leading by example. He'd have cost a lot less than the other two clowns.
asanchez
Roar Guru
Physicality is great Jake, but those british lower tier sides could only beat Asian clubs with their muscle playing with European refs, but not with Asian refs who give a foul when a player sneezes. Different part of the world, different conditions. Championship & League 1&2 sides only travel 1-2 hours on a bus max.
AZ_RBB
Guest
don't think you get it. you seem to think that our teams do poorly in Asia simply because of the talent and coaching. when there are a number of critical factors in play. the amount of travel is just a starting point, compounded by the fact that our clubs operate under a fairly tight salary cap and timing of the ACL is much more favourable to Asian teams. The fact Adelaide have done so well in Asia yet far from perfect in Australia proves that there's a lot more to it than what meets the eyes.
Jake
Guest
I love my football what can i say, i call it as i see it.
Jake
Guest
In a legit game? i would say championship sides are the perfect fit to beat up on Asian teams just with physicality alone and hoofing them to death if they must.
AZ_RBB
Guest
would love to see a Championship team travel to some random part of China midweek and see how they go. I would be putting good money on the Chinese outfit.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
So, Jake .. allegedly you're watching HAL, SPL, EPL, League 1 .. and reading Juventus forums. You're a busy young fella! You should get your parents to read you the story of Pinocchio.
Jake
Guest
I watch plenty of league 1/spl Sydney fc are a pub team, some of the comments on various juve forums are hilarious.
Jake
Guest
South Melbourne lost 2-0 to man utd but make no mistake that was a mickey mouse game, in serious circumstances you would be looking at double figures, likewise liverpool v mv. I just dont see how some can claim the gap is closing, English championship teams are packed with players who are quick and powerful and very skillfull. MV, BRIS and CCM have pretty much failed in every acl campaign so im not how these championship/league 1 comparisons are made, on a very good day i'd give some mls and j league teams a chance at championship level but thats about it
forestforeverandever
Guest
For my sins, I'll allways be a Forest fan, it's a dirty job but somebody has to do it! I also think your too quick to dismiss my point, which is fine but I would like you to actually see some of the lower league clubs in person and some do play or try to play a very technical game. There is a strong mood within England that they need to start producing technically gifted players like the spanish,germans etc as hoof ball can only get you so far and this is affected not just the premier league but also the championship and below. I actually think your article is spot on in your comparisons and as long as the gap between the top leagues of the world and the A-League keeps narrowing, the future looks rosy for australian football.
asanchez
Roar Guru
It's a very tough comparison to make as there's way too many determining factors. From budgets, to squad sizes etc. But if all things were equal, and it was the A-league squads starting XI's vs the EPL clubs, teams from the Championship & League 1, I reckon our clubs wouldnt do as badly as some people might think. The problem with most so called Football fans in this country is most dont give our local game or its clubs any or not near enough the credit that they deserve. First point, if anyone thinks that any of the A-league sides would struggle to even compete against League 2 sides, they've got rocks in their heads! Most sides in the A-league have at least a couple of players who would do well in the Championship at very least, and quite a few A-league players could play EPL. Not at a Top 6 side, but the overall quality in the EPL decreases dramatically after the top 10-12 sides. All british sides are hardened, experienced and disciplined defensively but football wise we can match it with a fair few clubs over there. If anyone has watched League 1 or 2 matches, the standard is disgraceful, the ball is never on the deck, and there's limited skill involved. The ball keeps getting hoofed from box to box, bypassing the midfield. Im sorry, but to me that's not football! The clubs in the A-league do have a huge difference between the best player on the team and player #23 on the roster, which is an issue we have over here, but this will continue to improve. Obviously in the UK the quality disparity isn't as big within the clubs. But a couple of results people need to remember, in 2000 at the World Club Cup in Brazil, a semi professional South Melbourne side with Ange as coach took on the 99 treble winners Man Utd. South lost 3-0. A semi pro club from Australia vs the English & European Champions. Liverpool came to Melbourne this year in preseason, and beat Victory 2-0. Yes it was preseason and people can say that certain players didn't play of the opposition wasn't trying etc etc. But the fact remains, we weren't embarrassed by these sides. We held our own and had respectable results. Should we expect to beat these teams? No! By the same token Blackburn Rovers came to Sydney for a 4 team tournament with AEK Athens & Rangers 3 or 4 years ago and they were horrible! Not much better than our teams here at all. I think WSW, MV, BRIS, PG & CCM could easily hold their own in the Championship and some even closer to the top of the ladder looking for promotion. The rest of the clubs, would probably fit in the relegation zone of the Championship and a couple in League 1. Of course we're behind the clubs in the UK, that's a fact. And every club is different, but overall we're not as far behind as some people think. And that gap is closing every year.
fadida
Guest
He's what we call a "Eurosnob"
Ballymore
Guest
I question whether people are able to watch enough League 1 or SPL to make an informed comparison to HAL. I once went to a HAL match with an Italian gentleman. Less than 10 minutes after sitting down he told me it was Serie C standard. In just 10 minutes! He must be good.
Ballymore
Guest
"The mere fact that Terry Butcher is successful and respected as a coach says it all, really." Classic. I cracked up.
AZ_RBB
Guest
pretty sure Adnan Januzaj was called the next big thing after stringing together a couple of decent passes. everyone knows there have been some terrible matches already this season. not news to anyone. but it's been balanced by some great stuff. i watched 4 of the 5 games last weekend and they were all crackers.
Cameron
Roar Guru
The next Viduka... Where did you get that from? As Fuss has pointed out already... Nice work evading questions by the way.