Just before the 2010 World Cup started, I interviewed Park Ji-sung. Then still with Manchester United, old Three-Lungs was always a gentleman and like many East Asian star players, pleasantly said nothing much.
I asked him whether he would one day play in the K-League. He was non-committal but it was obvious that he would not, and everyone knew it.
Even Korea, a country that takes proud possession of its successful overseas stars, never expected that they had to return home – some do, some don’t. Plenty hoped Park would, and it would have been a major boost for the K-League, but it was never really an issue.
In Australia, it seems that there is more expectation that prodigal sons come back to the roost. Another obvious difference is that players from down under tend to be a little more outspoken.
Tim Cahill seems to have upset some by not reportedly dismissing the chances of joining the A-League. Mocked and derided for claiming that the league did not match his vision, the Socceroo legend may be in danger of tarnishing his legacy.
Apart from the fact that the player denies he said what it is said he said, it doesn’t matter. Tried and convicted of ideas above his station, the public jury has spoken as if acting on behalf of battered and bruised corner flags around the world.
There seemed to be a certain amount of glee that Cahill has seemingly ‘dissed’ the A-League. Like it was his time to be taken down a notch or two. Maybe it was okay to get ideas above his station when he was lording it in the Premier League but now he is in China…
The word legend gets brandished more easily than imaginary yellow cards in a top European league game, but in Cahill’s case it is a perfectly fitting title. After over a decade of the most sterling Socceroo service he deserves to be judged on actions, not opinions. After what he has consistently done for Australian football, he should be allowed to run in the Melbourne Cup, get a walk-on part in Neighbours and sing with AC/DC.
Respected around Asia for giving everything every time on the pitch year after year, Cahill went to the China in the twilight of his career and excelled. It is not easy for foreign players to make a difference in the Middle Kingdom, especially those that are in their mid-thirties, but the former Millwall man did that and more. The fact that he was released says a lot more about the way Chinese clubs treat their imports than it does about Cahill. The fans wanted him to stay.
It was always likely that he would stay in China, and why not? This is an exciting time to be there, on and off the pitch.
Shanghai’s a great place to live. Hangzhou is a quick train ride away and it’s a club with plenty of youngsters and a coach taking charge of his first club. Cahill’s experience and leadership, as well as his goals, are needed.
There was always going to be some revisionism of Cahill. It is just the way the modern world and social media works. All I see is one of the most professional players in Asia, giving everything every time he crosses the white line, making the difference at those crucial moments and demanding high standards of himself and those around him.
Wherever he has gone, the fans have loved him. Millwall, Everton, New York and Shanghai. Fans from three continents appreciated him when he was there and were sorry when he left and as a player, you can’t ask for much more than that.
There is no reason for Australian fans to be any different, regardless of what he may or may not have said and whatever he actually thinks about the A-League. He may consider it to be the worst competition in the world but that doesn’t change what he has done. C
ahill has given so much to Australian football over the years and deserves the label of legend.
j binnie
Guest
fadida - You accuse me of breing selective in citing statistics on 2 of the players you mentioned and yet you do exactly the same when mentioning your 2 nomines against the ADP "we saw here". Of course they have more to offer because of the 6 to 8 years they have over ADP in age differential but to class them as better players (as you almost did) was as I said a bit tongue in cheek. With all due respects to Bruno and Besart they will never attain the standard of ADP as a footballer if they live to be 50 and still playing..You know that is an indisputable fact. One thing you did get correct I do ignore rumours but what I can do is prove to you that every where he appeared in his first season here (Adelaide& derbies excepted) the home team enjoyed their largest crowd of the season.I could attempt to put a figure on their increased revenue that week but I think you'll agree it was a significant figure,often discounted when analysing his effect on our game. To finish i did make comment that I think Bruno and Besart have been good signings for the HAL and have proved their worth,no argument, but that is not what was being discussed here,the original article was about the perceived standard of the HAL. Cheers again jb
Fadida
Guest
You are being selective jb. You have ignored Fowler's better English scoring stats, but use the other two's. You choose to overlook or ignore ADP's rumoured wages, ok. But do you believe he was a better player than Besh or Bruno? I have no doubt that they are better players, more influential than the version of ADP that we saw here. There is also no doubt they are paid a hell of a lot less! My point stands therefore, these are the players we should be attracting. As for Pim, it is as you say a matter of opinion only, and as such can't be proven
Realfootball
Guest
Chinese football as it is now didn't exist, or Harry would surely have gone there.
j binnie
Guest
FADIDA - a good response with some decent input.You again pass an opinion that ADP was "past it" when he came here but again you drift into the area of monetary economics which neither you nor I can cite with any surety for we simply don't have the figures to prove or disprove whether the ADP experiment was a financial success. That's why I stay away from that area of discussion. You chastise me for daring to use statisticcs in comparing ADP,with Bruno and Besart (who I think are both great assets to the league) but does it not strike you as odd that the 3 players mentioned have scored far more goals in their HAL appearances than they had in their immediate past careers.After all, at 28 and 30 respectively ,compared with ADP's 36 they both have had exposure to much football in their respective careers and you know I think there are more than a few managers in the HAL who would be quite happy to get a player who could get them 24 goals in a season and a bit (48 games) which you correctly point out could be "governed" by injuries and non appearances in a 52 game season. Your reasoning on their career figures is a bit tongue in cheek,these guys are and have been professional players ,two of whom have been expected to score goals as the end product of their existence which they have and are doing in the HAL but apparently have found it a bit harder to do in their respective careers spread over 8-10 years in overseas football. That gets us back not only to Tim's reported statement but even further back to opinion stated by the former national coach Verbeek.Do we take it there may be something in what they say.? Cheers jb
Realfootball
Guest
Memo to Jarrod: engage brain before posting.
Realfootball
Guest
Good work, Horto - that is an original!
Midfielder
Guest
Q & H Tis messy, and IMO Timmy was influenced by people he knows in the A-League and they would be in the main PFA management ... So me thinks it was the PFA hinting and saying things Timmy went public , the media reaction and Football forums and a TV presser that he was being constantly asked ... it was building and Gallop had no other choose than to react... For me I greatly question Timmy advisor's and who they are listening to... for me its these behind the scene folk who have helped no one ... If I am totally fair with TC ... he saw what happened to Harry and Lucas Neil both IMO badly treated by social media especially Kwell ... So if I was in TC's position I would not return to the A-League many in our fan base don't seem to have a balanced approach and many unachievable goals are set and when not reached they say fail .. I think TC needs to get better advisor's ...
Horto Magiko
Roar Rookie
Ok Marron, but we don't really know what actually transpired verbatim.. That needs to be said first.. Then it's all speculation after that. I'm not clear on whether: 1) he said that ffa lack vision in general.. 2) he said that they lack vision specifically in regards to the offer they made him.. You can't argue with #1.. This regime has ushered in some imperative changes, but to defend them to the hilt is a completely different thing. I think there are changes that could happen right now overnight ie loosening the marquee rules, allowing transfers between clubs.. Why haven't they implemented these? Why did they stop the "troisi loan rule"? Is it because they are blinded by all of their vision they have going on.. With #2 How do we know Cahill didn't push for this fabled franchise in the gong and was swiftly turned down? We could speculate until the cows come home.. Either way he's been slayed in the court of public opinion.. It's not a good thing for the nt.. Or Maybe it is and he'll do his talking on the pitch.. On viduka.: he hasn't explicitly bagged the aleague but when he presented the inaugural viduka medal in FFA cup he almost looked offended being forced to attend and he didn't even bother showing up when we won it.. Bit of a diss to the FFA if I've ever seen it. But sure if it's not on record (cameras) right marron?
whiskeymac
Guest
In all fairness some want the ffa to also set out the same
Punter
Guest
Do you watch the A-League or just have an opinion?
Punter
Guest
RF, I hate it when you talk sense!!!!! Love my football, love it to bits, but how does an Australian football legend, but overall decent but not great (world wide) footballer be worth $30M.
Fadida
Guest
You haven't seen many games this year then "rookie"
marron
Guest
Careful I think "national treasure" is an official title these days. You'll have dawn Fraser after you.
marron
Guest
Dukes doesn't cop it because he doesn't complain about football here, insinuate he knows better, but not tell anyone - including FFA- what he'd do different. He's actually a case in point in that sense. Nobody expects anything from him because he's not put himself out there . I love what cahill has done for the national team and as a rep of Australian football overseas. If he has something to offer the game here I'd love to see it. Or hear it even.
FIUL
Guest
"Many more exciting leagues to watch" Who cares? Who watches sport because of an exciting league? You watch sport because the club means something to you - mostly a geographical bond; sometimes a religious or political bond. Only in Australia I hear the asinine comment: I only watch XYZ because it's the best. Real sports fans watch their team - good, bad, or ugly. Event-watching, bandwagon, pretend sports fans watch because they think it's the best league, or best club, or best player.
Jarrod Free
Roar Rookie
He is pretty on point about the A-League anyway. Many more exciting leagues to watch and more money for him in China. Pretty hectic lifestyle over there too!
Fadida
Guest
Trade him for Corey Brown
Fadida
Guest
ADP was a past-it player jb. Unquestionable. By season 2 he couldn't run.If we are using statistics in the argument we can see from the stats that you posted that ADP was less effective than Berisha or Fornaroli. Robbie Fowler scored 166 in 390 in England. He then scored 18 in 54 here. Can we conclude the A-league is a better comp based on his poorer goal return here? Regardless of whether we agree on who is" past it", there is surely no doubt that Berisha and Fornaroli are better value on field than ADP was. Both have a greater influence on games, for much less money. Surely this is what counts? Not selling shirts? On why their career figures are better here? It could be playing regularly? Being injury free? Coaches playing a style that fits them? Both moved around clubs regularly. Loans and lots of sub appearances, not conducive to good stats. Topically, Jamie Vardy has 24 in 64 in the EPL. He scored 20 in 63 in the championship. Does this suggest the standard is the same, or that he now has a coach who has given him confidence and plays to his strengths? Stats hey!
j binnie
Guest
FIUL - Should have mentioned it but enjoyed the game last night,another highly entertaining game, just wished it had been Khalfalla that had been on the end of the chance Pain hit the post with. Would have killed the game stone dead. Cheers jb
j binnie
Guest
Fadia and FIUL-Thank you for the info but I had asked Fadida for his opinion on what he regarded as a "past it" player.Both of you disregarded that request and slipped into a financial argument which none of you can prove for no one has ever costed out the real benefits against expenditure on the player ADP. We do know of a $4mill figure being bandied around as a cost but we have never seen the income generated at almost every ground he played at in this country ,not to mention the sale of goods etc etc etc. Now what I did note that in reply to my citing ADP's scoring stats you have gone as far as mentioning 2 players who I too much admire.Are they undervalued at the time of "bringing" ? as we don't have the figures we don't know but what we can say with some certainty is that neither of them,both recognised as out and out strikers, cannot get anywhere near the feats of ADP who played most of his football, in Italy and here, as a scoring midfielder. Now a look at the statistics of the two lads you mention throws up another argument In their overseas careers before coming to Australia Besart had played 99 top grade games scoring 22 goals.(22%). Since coming to Australia he has played 120 HAL games and scored 76 goals (63%) Bruno's stats are very similar. In his o/s career he played some 109 top grade games scoring 23 goals,(21%) As Fadida says, he has scored 17 in his 19 appearances in the HAL.(89%)!!!!!!!! Now if we remember that the original discussion here centred on a supposed statement made by Tim Cahill re. his opinion of the standard of the HAL what are the figures attained by these 2 strikers over their respective careers actually telling us? Makes one wonder. Cheers jb