Twas the night before Christmas, or at least the night before, and if there’s one thing A-League fans might wish for from tonight’s grand final rematch at Parramatta Stadium, it’s some entertainment.
What a round of football it has been.
Sandwiched between a pumping, pulsating Melbourne derby were three encounters of varying degrees of dullness – from the pair-your-socks boredom of Newcastle’s win over Brisbane to a “turmoil derby” so dreary you’d be forgiven for giving up on football altogether and starting your own sock-knitting business.
It’s safe to say Friday night’s encounter between the Roar and a plucky Newcastle Jets didn’t exactly go to plan for Mike Mulvey and his league-leading Brisbane, although one might reasonably assume Mulvey hadn’t anticipated sending his team out onto a cow paddock.
The Roar were living on a prayer the second they took to the pitch, after last week’s Bon Jovi concert left vast sections of the Suncorp Stadium turf looking as rutted as a donkey track.
Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen – where does it end?
A-League teams continue to play second fiddle despite being on-going stadium tenants, and having decided not to move Friday night’s clash to Ballymore, it’d be interesting to see if the Roar made the same decision were they given the chance again.
At least Friday’s encounter produced a modicum of entertainment, which is perhaps more than can be said for another Sunday afternoon borefest at Westpac Stadium.
All credit to Wellington Phoenix for belatedly getting off the mark, and it was nice to see Stein Huysegems get on the scoresheet after a couple of poor performances in front of goal.
That said though, is there another team in the league which flatters to deceive quite like Sydney FC?
Watching them go around on Sunday, it seems an absolute miracle the Sky Blues have somehow recorded six wins thus far.
The hit-and-hope tactics are transparent at the best of times, but when Alessandro Del Piero is absent, the Sky Blues look about as sharp as a spoon at the point of attack.
And yet somehow Sunday’s trans-Tasman snorefest wasn’t even the dreariest game of the round.
That dubious honour goes to Perth Glory’s coma-inducing scoreless draw with regional rivals Adelaide United – an encounter so tedious to watch on television, it left me begging for the Yuletide schmaltz of Love Actually to start.
“Perhaps they should let Jeronimo do some advertising, maybe in a few underwear catalogues?” was my girlfriend’s not-entirely-helpful marketing suggestion when I pointed out the empty seats, though you’d forgive anyone for averting their gaze from the actual football on display.
It’s yet to reach epidemic proportions, but several games this season have been far more bust than bell-ringer, and the lack of entertainment on offer makes it difficult to attract new fans.
Which makes Saturday night’s thrumming Melbourne derby all the more indicative of the best the A-League has to offer.
The major talking point, of course, was the dismissal of Heart defender Patrick Kisnorbo. Whether or not a red card was harsh, surely a player of his quality and experience should know that diving in on the edge of the box is risky business.
Was Connor Pain guilty of the same offence barely a few minutes later? Perhaps. But Pain stayed on the pitch and an early Christmas present from Heart goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne helped propel crosstown rivals Victory to a stunning 3-1 derby win.
It’s hard to see where Heart coach John Aloisi goes from here, and what the former Socceroo wouldn’t do for a slice of luck.
His erstwhile Australia teammate Tony Popovic may wish for the same thing tonight as the Wanderers host Central Coast in a blockbuster grand final rematch to end the round.
It’s the start of a hectic festive season of football and one which hopefully keeps us all entertained, as the A-League looks to end the year with a bang.
Dan J
Guest
His name was John Constantine - and he was failed solicitor from Kogorah
c
Guest
but the goal is the ultimate goal to be achieved in our game ( and yes they are a rarity which makes them even more valuable) but to see some of the goals that are missed well that allows for the disparaging comments made about the standard of the game here
trimmers
Guest
I refuse to believe this has happend. does anyhone know if this has been confirmed anywehere?
trimmers
Guest
I agree here. You don't need to see goals to see a good standard, entertaining game of football. Fans looking for more goals should be directed to other sports. Football is different. The joy is in the movement of the ball itself. Whether the onion bag bulges or not is a secondary matter.
Punter
Guest
No AR, the difference again is that I have no issue with the football CEO stating that he feels football will become no 1 sport in this country! Now is Gallop a prophet, well probably not, who knows what the future holds, but what is not in doubt is football is still a long way from this goal. Football is going fine in this country. The funny thing is if/when football gets close no such statement will be needed. However, you seem to have issues with Gallop's making such claims. This is the difference between you & I, you seem to take Gallop bold comment as a personal insult.
Androo
Guest
Despite all the recent woes, Mike, at least the A-league and Fox haven't stooped as low as to come up with a crass concept like the Big Bash Family. OMG. I saw a BBF during a broadcast the other night; a mum with her sons. It was only then I thought, TG the A-League hasn't gone mainstream! I enjoy watching a bit of BBL, but shamelessly throwing bucket loads at ocker Austrayan families is common denominator stuff in the extreme!
realfootball
Guest
Cracking game last night. Melbourne derby good watch. Just need a better effort from the bottom half of the table.
Bondy
Guest
He's a silly little man from Victoria pushing a silly little Victorian game.
nordster
Guest
Make money? Yeah i think he just wants them to break even so he doesnt have to tip his own money into it to cover for structural losses in the 'model'....funny how people are so blasé about spending other peoples money. Only 1m indeed....the guy isnt Bill Gates... I agree relocation is not the best option but its a side effect of the system here in australia that does not let small clubs lower their cost base sufficiently to remain in smaller catchments.
Australian Rules
Guest
When someone says its unlikely that association football will become the No.1 sport in Australia, that doesn't automatically make them "anti-football". That's seem to be one difference between you and I.
Australian Rules
Guest
"they need to go build their own Waverley park… that went pretty well for the AFL (VFL) didn’t it." It certainly did. The idea for Waverley began in the 1950s and will come full circle when the AFL takes ownership of Etihad in 2025. A (very) long term investment it has been.
1860melbourne
Guest
OFF TOPIC. BUT BREAKING NEWS http://www.news.com.au/national/melbourne-heart-sold-to-storm-owners-for-9m/story-e6frfkp9-1226788486271
Matt P
Guest
Tenants like frontier touring (Backed by Mushroom), who bring all the above gigs that are obviously making that stadiums operator considerable money... The only way that the stadium operators would walk away from this would be for the roar to be getting 35k a match otherwise, they need to go build their own Waverley park... that went pretty well for the AFL (VFL) didn't it. Sport is a passion for people but to think that it gets in the way of business at this level of operation is misguided.
asanchez
Roar Guru
Mike, Good article, there's always plenty of talking points in the league. I know alot has been made about the standard of the league dropping this season and so forth. I dont think the standard has dropped, I just think that its a very tight competition and there's not much between the clubs. I know the bottom 2 clubs, the Heart and Wellington are way off the pace in terms of points, on the bottom of the ladder, but they've both had great chances in almost every game they've played, to have more points on the board. They've deserved more, they certainly haven't been smashed every week. Close games are defined by details and these 2 clubs haven't been good at those key moments. But overall, I agree that we've had more poor games this season than the past couple of years. It is still early though, still 16 games to go plus finals. Still time to make it a quality season. Also, I think there's a definite correlation between the fact that there's no week in, week out pressure, for both players and coaches in the A-league and this adds to certain games being boring or fizzing out. But what are the answers? Promotion & relegation isnt an option at this stage, as we're still realistically a decade away from that being a reality or even a possibility. But I've got a different idea on how to combat this Mike, try this on for size. I think without promotion & relegation to keep everyone on their toes, how about FFA spice things up and make it interesting by offering prizemoney to the clubs for their end of season spots on the ladder. As an example, lets say the FFA put aside $1.9m a season for prizemoney. That means clubs would not only play for a finals spot but also for extra cash. Let's say the top side at the end of the regular season would get $800k, $400k for 2nd, $300k for 3rd, $200k for 4th, and $100k each for 5th and 6th. The teams that dont make finals get nothing. This would also help the 2-3 clubs each year to pay for their ACL forays. I know this isnt a perfect system, but till promotion and relegation comes in, it woud help to stimulate clubs to win every game and to go for it and have a real crack week in week out.
Matthew Skellett
Roar Rookie
I think you guysare acting like spoilt kids really you dont recognise the growth/maturation of the HAL -once we were over the moon toget Harry's attention -now we scorn his frequent bouts of injury -once we were shouting from the rooftops about ADP coming to play in the HAL -now he's almost ho-hum to most of you -we have some of the most exciting youth talent in the world emerging yet you lament the passing of the Golden Generation-guys and gals ; wake up and smell da moccona-the HAL is growing up and so should we :-)
asanchez
Roar Guru
Mid, This is crap! Charlesworth has come in and suddenly become another Tony Sage. Another loud mouth owner is not what the league needs right now and its definitely not what the Central Coast needs. I understand he's trying to get a better stadium deal from Gosford City Council or whatever, but he's not going about things in the right way. There's way too much noise coming from him at the minute. A couple of points that I'd like to make; One, surely Charlesworth who's from the UK, knows the business of sport, so he would know that not many sporting clubs in the world make money. The entire sports industry isnt a profit driving, money making exercise for clubs. And he's complaining about losing $1m a season?? Are you serious?? My take is, if he came to the A-league to make money, he's in the wrong industry! Two, surely he would've done his homework before buying the Mariners, and he would've known that the Mariners come from the smallest population base in the country, and also that its a low socio economic area, with high unemployment, and that our code isnt the #1 sport on the coast. And three, surely an astute businessman like Mike Charlesworth would also know that constantly making noises about the possible relocation of the Mariners, and others issues could have terrible effects on their existing loyal fanbase. They may not be the biggest in numbers but they are loyal, and Mike is jeopardizing that by carrying on like a pork chop. He's not doing his club & fans any favours. Apologies for my rant, but I'm sick of hearing from Mike Charlesworth, and the guy's only been around 2 minutes. This has the makings of Clive Pamer all over again.
Androo
Guest
The Brisbane v. Newcastle match was so abysmally insipid even I kept flicking over to the BBL on Ten. I don't know if the pitch was to blame but I do know I HATE Newcastle's style of play. No wonder BBL thrashed HAL in the ratings. TG the Melbourne derby redeemed my belief that the league has a pulse: pulsating end-to-end stuff. One match was 90 minutes too long; the other left me wanting 90 more.
JonJax
Guest
AR -"What are you going to do?" What any savvy landlord would do- ensure their long term anchor tenants who provide a perpetual annuity stream, are happy . Particularly long term tenants with so much blue sky ahead of them like our A-League clubs!
Allan
Guest
The cellar dwellars beat a team that has the nerve to think they're in finals contention, I don't see how that was a boring match.
Punter
Guest
Yes sometimes people talk to early. That was a great 1st half.