The A-League may be ticking along nicely, however it would be even better with some genuine star names.
It may be the longest of long shots, but Aussie clubs could do worse than give Zlatan Ibrahimovic a call.
The 34-year-old Swede is in the final season of a three-year stint with French giants Paris Saint-Germain, with the Sweden skipper having netted an incredible 123 goals and counting during his prolific spell in the French capital.
He’s recently been linked with a diverse range of clubs ranging from Arsenal to Orlando City to a yet to be determined team in Qatar, but there’s no real reason an A-League club shouldn’t be in the mix.
He wouldn’t even be hard to get a hold of – I can think of at least one influential Aussie who works with him on a regular basis – yet there’s no chance Ibrahimovic will grace Australian shores if we don’t even try.
The club perhaps best placed to launch an audacious bid for a player like Ibrahimovic is arguably Melbourne City, although the fact the Swede currently plays for a club owned by Qatar Sports Investments, while the City Football Group is an Abu Dhabi-based enterprise, makes it unlikely.
What makes it even more unlikely is the fact A-League clubs can’t even get it together to sign one of our own. That no one has signed Socceroos star Tim Cahill is an indictment on the competition and an admission that most A-League coaches would rather go without marquee players.
All of that leaves us with plenty of entertaining football being played out against the backdrop of sparsely-populated stands.
Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou was right when he said in an interview with Fox Sports last week that we don’t spend enough time talking about the actual football on display in Australia.
When I lived in Germany many years ago, I used to devour the venerable Kicker magazine from cover to cover twice a week.
However in doing so, I read a publication in which the first 80 or so pages were dedicated to football, with only a cursory number of pages at the back dedicated to other sports popular in Germany like tennis, ice hockey and basketball.
It would be fantastic if the mainstream media spent more time discussing the intricacies of A-League tactics, but to do so football would first have to knock several other sports off the back pages.
That’s never going to happen without some genuine marquee names, which means we’re back to square one when it comes to drawing more attention to the A-League.
Leading player agent Lou Sticca told me at the start of the season he preferred a system that would see the game’s broadcasters chip in to help fund bringing down some genuine marquee stars.
Without them, we’re left to dissect the likes of Sydney FC’s entertaining 4-1 win over the hapless Central Coast Mariners, where the Sky Blues took full advantage of some amateurish defending from the youthful Mariners outfit.
No doubt the biggest talking point of the round was the decision to award Besart Berisha a penalty in Melbourne Victory’s 1-1 draw at home to Perth Glory, which led Glory goalkeeper Ante Covic to label Berisha an ‘Albanian salesman‘.
I’m all for Covic speaking his mind – he was asked a question by Michael Zappone and he answered it with uncensored frankness – and Berisha himself probably couldn’t have cared less as he slotted home the spot-kick.
The Kosovo-born ex-Albania international remains one of the A-League’s biggest stars, even if the prolific striker was plucked from the obscurity of the German third division.
There are countless footballers with Balkan heritage doing the rounds, including one from the Swedish city of Malmo.
His name, of course, is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. If A-League clubs are serious about marquees, they should pick up the phone and dare to Zlatan.
George
Guest
Good article but I strongly feel that what will also make the media and other codes sit up and take notice is increasing the number of A-League clubs. Two more clubs from untapped catchment areas like southern Sydney and Fremantle in WA will create more derbies and send more fear down the corridprs of NRL and AFL. Geographical expansion is the key and other codes fear this.
Ian Font
Roar Rookie
Cahill has always made it clear he has no intention of playing in the A-League and has always said that it would be a "backward step" in his career.
MarkfromCroydon
Guest
The thing is, the A-League can't afford to pay the same as other wealthier leagues to attract marquees, so you have to look out for other incentives. e.g. sell the image to the player such as a country which is an attractive place to live long term /as a great 2 year cultural experience. These sorts of things will appeal to players who may view Aus as an exotic destination. We should also target players who know friends/relatives here. I think there's a few 'names' that many people would know that could be quite 'gettable' eg. Nemanja Vidic, Georgios Samaras, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda, Rafael van der Vaart, Helder Postiga
Graig Foster
Guest
How about recruiting Darijo Srna and/or Eduardo da Silva as marquees? I doubt they would want to stay at Donetsk considering the geopolitical situation in Eastern Ukraine, and think how many Croatian expats would come out to watch the A-League! MelbCro what do you think?
Ian Font
Roar Rookie
If the A-League clubs have the money then they should sign the best players they can afford. The economic returns may be the issue with some owners, who are taking a loss in the main. Does Australia and the A-League have the potential fan market and pulling power to draw the necessary extra fans or increased ticket prices to pay for a Zlatan or Cahill or Ronaldinho to grace our league? Should the FFA subsidise marquee players? Who bears the costs and makes the gains? Did Del Piero generate additional profits for Sydney FC at a cost of $4M plus per year? But thumbs up to players like Harry Kewell, John Aloisi and Brett Emerton who took a big pay cut to come back to Australia and support the A-League. Thumbs down to players like Cahill, Schwarzer and Chipperfield who said they would never play in the A-League. Chippers said he would rather go back to driving Unanderra buses than play in the A-League. This is a problem that won't go away in a hurry. Our best players go overseas to make a career and earn their retirement money. We still don't have the market in Australia to attract and afford the world's best.
FIUL
Guest
jb I"m surprised to read you say that. We have clear examples from huge crowds & great atmosphere at Brisbane Roar's 3 Grand Finals .. which they won, yet the casual, event-watching fans aren't the slightest bit interested in the club, or the competition during the season. Why did Perth Glory pull big crowds in the old NSL, but they can't do it now? As far as I know it had nothing to do with a marquee player, but just the fact local Perth football fans found a connection with the team. I'm sorry, but nothing anyone says will convince me we need to chase the casual fan to build ALeague crowds. The casual fan is easily distracted. If the final of X-Factor clashes with an MVFC match on TV, the casual fan won't be watching MVFC.
Kaks
Roar Guru
Lets be realistic with our Marquee's, please. We are not the only nation who will be looking for 'Marquee's' to boost our league, and we are definitely not the richest of them all either.
Fadida
Guest
Agee Fuss. Casual fans are by their nature unreliable. I suspect there are plenty who flit between BBL, NBL, A-league, depending on which is more fashionable. Even with a constant stream of "name" marquees, and again we aren't talking Messi, CRon, Zlatan quality in their prime, they will still lose interest after a few"events" as Fuss puts it. Was it RBB or AZ who claimed we shouldn't be focusing on the casual fans, for the very reason they stop coming regardless of what you do, and how good the football is, how big the marquee is? I agree. Clearly SFC casuals concentration span extended to about 4 games. Attendances to SFC away games were up because of the novelty factor, and this had worn off by season 2 of the ADP show. Yes to quality marquees who first and foremost improve the teams they are joining. If they put bums on seats great. Let's not expect that this alone will solve the issue of plateauing crowds. Pure football fans want better football. We get that every season (CCM and Jets fans excepted). I don't see MV fans turned away by a lack of name recruits. They are building a growing base because they offer consistently the best football. Why? They spend their money on many very good players, not on one player.
jbinnie
Guest
Fuss - Using my magination,if I had drifted into the recent Victoryv Glory game as a nosy "casual fan" I might just have been tempted to return and enjoy the football and atmosphere I had enjoyed.(unkless I was dead from the neck up).Does that answer your question.Cheers jb
jbinnie
Guest
oly - Careful in your analysis. ADP was brought to Sydney as a "marquee player" that is a player who attracts people. Sydney's average for 11/12 had been 11,838,and in 12/13, his first season, that grew to 18,660,The next season 13/14 that grew to 19,676. ADP left after that season. In season14/15 the average dropped to 17,406 and up to round 11 this season,after 7 home games that average is sitting at 16.779,so if Sydney are experiencing a downturn you can't blame ADP. Cheers jb
oly
Guest
Totally agree. Del Piero and WSW coming in gave the A-League a big boost in 2012/13, but it is worth noting that Sydney FC's crowds actually rose the season after ADP left. They were also a far better team because they weren't carrying an ageing star who could barely run...
oly
Guest
So your plan would be to simply ask him to take a pay cut of about 90 percent? Let's see how that goes. Sure it would be great for the A-League to have big name marquees, but in the current climate it just won't happen. We face competition from the Middle East, China and the USA as "second tier" competitions throwing big money at ageing stars. Del Piero was a once off, plus he was approaching 40 anyway.
FIUL
Guest
jb Can anything realistically be done to keep the casual fan? I don't think so. Casual fans are, by the very definition, attracted to the event; not the substance. The mentality of someone who comes to ALeague only because ADP is playing tells me they're not interested in substance. In a team sport, real fans understand the individual often has minimal impact. So, if they're getting excited only because ADP may score from a great free kick, what's the motivation to keep coming back once he's gone?
jbinnie
Guest
Fuss Re,your second statement,I agree with your "long view" but in the "short view" we have to get those new "potential fans" into the grounds and that to me is the purpose of the "marquee" system. Blame for having got them in and not retaining them cannot be placed at the feet of the "marquee" but rather at the work done to try and retain their interest. Cheers jb
FIUL
Guest
jb I think the ADP experience has been a real eye-opener for the ALeague club owners. It clearly demonstrates that chasing a big-name footballer & paying around $4m/yr is simply not worth it in the long run. Yes, it provides a burst of media attention, shirt sales, etc.. but long-term fan loyalty cannot be built around any 1 player, or coach. Loyalty is built by making fans feel they want to be part of the club.
jbinnie
Guest
Fuss - Sorry if I misunderstood your intent but I do agree ADP'S "effect" did wear off as his stay extended but to me that is to be expected but it is surely also a measure of "lack of learning" on the part of others in the game that his visit has not since been replicated,and that is an indictment in those who "saw, but didn't learn". Cheers jb. ps. Re.his impact he did score 24 goals in 48 games.As a midfielder that to me compares favourably with Berisha's 115 goals in 71 games ,and Berisha is an out and out striker. Cheers jb
FIUL
Guest
jb You seem to have completely missed my point - but, so did someone else - so, perhaps, I didn't make my point clearly. ADP was the best thing to ever happen to the ALeague ... OFF-THE-PARK. And, unless, we get someone like Zlatan, Ronny, or Leo to come to the ALeague in the future, ADP will continue to be the best thing to happen to the ALeague off-the-park. My comments about "but apart from brilliant touches" specifically referred to ADP's on-field impact. I watched nearly every game he played in the HAL & I don't think he ever dominated games, or changed games, in the way I've seen Broich, Bonevicia, Carlos, Fred, Mooy, etc. etc. By the way, it's interesting to note that, in ADP's 4th home match for Sydney FC (so the novelty was still there) the attendance was only 13.3k. The following week in his 5th home game, the crowd was 12.4k. In total, there were 4 matches out of 13 when the SydFC crowd with ADP was under 13.5k. Makes you realise how quickly the casual fans switch off.
jbinnie
Guest
Fuss - Care has to be taken when assessing ADP's influence on our game as a genuine "marquee" player. It is not at all fair to credit him with some "brilliant touches " for he did much more than that in his stay,things that we are not "privy" to and it would be nice if we could get some idea of the "non Sydney FC finances" that enjoyed some "growth" during ADP's stay. As I've stated before, every "home" crowd (with the exception of Adelaide) was increased when he visited those grounds, increase in revenue for those clubs?--we don't know. Was he "sold out" as a "guest" to business functions in Sydney or any other major city,with large Italian influences in their population?---we don;t know. Did his "backers" get any payback from the number of "products" sold, attached to his name?----we don't know. I could go on but I think you will get my drift.As you said, we tend to measure his success "on" the field and to me that is a mistake for the whole idea of "marquee players " is to do exactly what ADP gave Sydney Fc the opportunities to do . Will we ever know just how successful his visit was ?----I'm afraid not but one thing is sure ,we have not had another "marquee" who has accomplished what the little maestro did. Today it appears to be simply a way of by-passing the salary cap. Marquee status???,not in the frame. Cheers jb
Evan askew
Guest
Paying the iron price and sacrificing to Thor and odin.
FIUL
Guest
Well, if you read my original post you'd see that I explicitly said: "Zlatan would be a fantastic inclusion for any FC, anywhere in the world." But, if Zlatan doesn't think he's "too good" to play in Qatar then, based on my very limited exposure to the best Qatari teams, we can assume he won't think he's "too good" to play in Australia. Yes, his wages may be beyond any ALeague club - which I also explicitly mentioned in my original post (if you weren't so hasty to always find fault in my commentary you may have noticed this) - but, if Zlatan doesn't come to the ALeague it won't have anything to do with being "too good" to play ALeague.