Life after Aaron Mooy represents dangerous times ahead for Melbourne City FC. Despite the attacking style of football played last season and smashing goal-scoring records, the club failed to make any real impact into the overcrowded Melbourne sporting market.
Failing to attract financially sustainable crowds has been a problem that has hampered the club during its entire six-year history. Despite being owned by some of the richest men in football, City Football Group isn’t prepared to throw money anything that resembles a poor investment.
In many aspects the club has learnt the hard way about dealing with the restrictive nature of belonging to such a competition as the A-League and that dealing with the FFA is unlike any league in the world. The control the FFA wields over clubs in the league makes it a very unattractive prospect for owners to take calculated risks.
Last season City managed to average just over 11,000 patrons to home games, less than half of what rivals Victory attract thru the turnstiles. When you consider City had two derbies and a home final within those figures, you begin to see a clearer picture of how Victory dwarfs their cross town rivals. Crowds have never been a strong point of City and you start to wonder how the current administration can turn this around.
The picture is even fuzzier when you look at who will remain from the 2014-15 squad. Already the club has lost captain Patrick Kisnorbo to retirement and could be without golden boot Bruno Fornaroli if the two parties cannot find common ground in contract negations. Although Fornaroli is contracted for one more season, you cannot see him being at the club under his current arrangement.
Another who has one year remaining is Frenchman Harry Novillo who has indicated he may not be back in Melbourne next season. Homesickness is being thrown around but Novillo had two suspensions (one club imposed) at key times during the season and at various times looked uninterested.
While those are potentially key losses, they pale into insignificance when comparing them to Socceroos star Aaron Mooy. Unlike the other football codes in Australia, playing domestically is nowhere near the pinnacle of the sport.
Mooy has already dipped his toe in European waters but found the temperature lukewarm. A return to Australia has lifted the stocks of the attacking midfielder dramatically and dominating the A-League has Mooy looking towards a second stint in Europe and the biggest move in his club career.
For the club to lose a star of the Socceroos team at this point in time will be a vital blow to the club.
No City fan can begrudge Mooy of his dream of moving to Europe and City shouldn’t stand in the way of any such decision, but this will hurt the club more than any other individual.
City has come out and stated they’re not prepared to spend money on a true football superstar, costing the millions of dollars in which you cannot see the club recuperate. While a global superstar could create a surge in attendances it would be seen as throwing good money after bad.
City Football Group didn’t make their fortune by setting poor financial precedents and another David Villa would only have negative effects on the club overall. Short term it could be a benefit for the club, but what would it really achieve long term while trying to build a club culture?
Once again the season ahead for Melbourne City represents one of the most important in club history, and although it seems this has been the case for the preceding six seasons, 2016-17 will prove the litmus test for how those running the club actually see the side going forward.
With another mass exodus of players an aggressive scouting campaign will be required once again to not only attract new and existing fans through the gates at AAMI Park but keep them coming. John Van’t Schip has somehow seemingly survived another 12 months of underachievement and has been handed the opportunity to be the architect of yet another squad rebuild for what could be one last shot at A-League glory.
Over the next few months, it is inevitable Aaron Mooy will be leaving the club but given the potential career the talented Socceroo has ahead of him a move overseas can only be encouraged. It will be who City decide to bring in that will prove more important to the future of the A-League and will give fans and other interested parties a clearer indication of what City Football Group are trying to achieve in Australia.
City fans will be hoping for more pearls of scouting wisdom like Fornaroli and less own goals like the Stefan Mauk/Osama Malik trade.
Fussball IUL
Roar Rookie
"How’s new recruit David Villa doing?" Not very well from what I gather. I don't watch much MLS, but Villa, Pirlo & Lampard all played over the weekend in the Hudson River Derby against NY Red Bulls. High priced recruits that Strayian football event-watchers would salivate over. Alas, these celebrity recruits lost 0-7.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
The closest I can come to in terms of a divide are the age old sayings "north of the Yarra" or "south of the Yarra". This is an amusing article that sheds a little light on this: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/about-town/a-city-divided-20120202-1quub.html Overall this divide between north/south is old fashioned and quaint and good for a laugh but it doesn't figure too prominently in discussions these days.
Bob Brown
Roar Guru
"We'll all be rooned " said Hanrahan, "before the year is out." The multi billionaire owners of CFG probably make as much money in one hour of every day, that Melbourne City lost last season, so money is not the issue. If they paid Mooy and Fornaroli and their agents what they are asking for, they would have a weakened team overall. Its a balancing act to get the best team, not the best couple of players. How many millionaire players do Adelaide United have?
AR
Guest
The purchase of Heart was never about making money. Owning a club rarely is. It was about building a global brand. Yes, CFG had its eyes open...but was possibly looking ahead to manufacturing change, hence (for eg) its arranging of meetings in the UAE to discuss those very changes relating to ownership.
AR
Guest
I think informed observers of the CFG would crack a wry smile at the suggestion that the overarching objective of this organisation is to "build a club based on substantive football principles." Even the reference to "the event-watching sports fan who may be lured by 2 high-paid celebrities each season" is pretty funny. How's new recruit David Villa doing?
Sam McCosker
Roar Pro
If he wants to improve as a growing influence in Australia football as well as a reputation of one of the best in the A-League he should stay for one more season and use it as experience and what not for his career overseas.
Fussball IUL
Roar Rookie
"but it seems clear that for now it has no interest in splashing out the big cash for big marquees (as many predicted they would) until there’s real change" The Aleague is a Salary Capped league. I think the CFG should be applauded for trying to build a club based on substantive football principles, than appeal to the event-watching sports fan who may be lured by 2 high-paid celebrities each season.
Fadida
Guest
I can't imagine anyone invests in the A-league expecting to make money AR. The market is surely too small? Only the biggest clubs in the world make any money, and they have enormous tv deals to divide up. The City Group surely had their eyes open?
The Phantom Commissioner
Roar Rookie
SPL just doesn't make any sense for me and Rangers!!?, he'll go from linking up with Fornaroli to Kenny Miller.
asanchez
Roar Guru
Mooy is class, and yes I've also heard the rumours about him going to the SPL, but that'd be a joke for me. This guy is the best player in the A-league, IMO too good for a newly promoted SPL, albeit knowing that it's Rangers. I just think he'd be wasting his talents and his time in that league, not to say that he should be going to the EPL or to La Liga, but he should be going to a top team in a mid level league, Ajax and Club Brugges have been mentioned. Either of these would be a great move for Aaron. Onto City, they're still an enigma for me. They just haven't got their market right. They barely advertise themselves, which by all reports is how Man City wants them to operate. That's all well and good, but Melbourne isn't Manchester. Their management team needs a total cleanout and new ideas, nobody ever hears their CEO, and it's just not good enough. The Melbourne market has huge potential, even though they started 5 years after Victory, that excuse is now wearing a bit thin. Success is always helpful, but with or without Mooy/Fornaroli/Novillo next season, they need to perform well and replace the players that leave with even better players if they want to remain relevant. Their coach is also surprisingly still in a job. I would never have re-employed him, as I don't rate him as a coach. IMO he's still living off his playing day reputation, having done zero as a coach to date. To me, the A-league is well past those days, and particularly a club like City, with not only all the resources, but the know how and contacts all over the world to help this club improve. The league needs 2 strong and well supported clubs in Melbourne. Let's see what they dish up next season...
AR
Guest
The tension between ALeague club owners and the FFA remains an unresolved issue which needs to come to a head. The FFA wants benevolent, but ultimately benign, billionaires to pour money into clubs...whilst limiting how much those clubs can raise in revenue for themselves. It's a delicate relationship. The CFG is a powerful benefactor for the FFA but already has made significant moves to effect change. You can be sure that the CFG won't sit idly by forever. It will endeavour to top up its list to stay competitive, but it seems clear that for now it has no interest in splashing out the big cash for big marquees (as many predicted they would) until there's real change.
Passionate_Aussie
Roar Rookie
As Leicester proved, money doesn't buy you everything.
AZ_RBB
Guest
Yeah I get the sense City are building a strong supporter base albeit slowly. There seem to be a lot of young fans but they seem very passionate about their team. I think the league as a whole will continue to grow over the next 10yrs as the fans who embraced the league as a youth are now having families of their own and hopefully passing on that passion. Is there any sort of divide in Melbourne? Or are there lots of smaller divides but none as dichotomous as the east-west divide in Sydney?
Stevo
Roar Rookie
I can see what people are trying to say but the geographical point of difference that people love to point out - that of WSW and Sydney FC - doesn't exist in Melbourne. Other than the Yarra river, there is no other natural divide that would help create a natural rivalry. This is unlike Sydney. If you say that AFL clubs have lost their identity because they play out of the same grounds, try telling that to members of Collingwood, Carlton, Richmond,etc, etc. You won't get far IMO. The membership at City has been growing but at a slower pace than people expected/wished for. Rome wasn't built in a day. I'd rather slow growth and getting people on board that are in for the long haul than theatre goers.
Gnasher
Guest
City Football Group not doing much for the image of Abu Dhabi overnight. NYCFC lost their Derby 7-0. There must be better things to waste money on.
Fussball IUL
Roar Rookie
The best players leaving a football club are just a part of life. Happens to nearly every club - from Bayern Munich to Man United. Perhaps, Real Madrid & Barcelona are the 2 exceptions where few players leave in their prime. So, I never understand doom & gloom articles such as these. 12 months ago, there was no Fornaroli at City. 24 months ago, there was no Mooy at City. Players come. Players go. Enjoy the moment & then say: thanks & good luck and you find new players; just like you found Fornaroli & Mooy.
Kaks
Roar Guru
I wonder how he will do in the upcoming friendlies against teams that wont give him so much time on the ball. He had been blessed with poor pressing teams lately, I hope that this isnt the reason why he looks so good.
Timbo
Guest
I remember when the city group took over and it was supposed to be the salvation of the Heart/City franchise. Problem is there is a finite amount of A-league supporters in Melbourne and most of them are rusted-on Victory followers. For all their money and pretty football, city dont seem to attract many theatre goers or new supporters. A better solution would have been a geographical point of difference, instead of being similar to AFL teams who play on the same grounds and have lost their identities. It was a mistake to rebrand them as Melbourne City...they should represent the East or South East of Melbourne where they would gain a local following distinct from Victory's .Thats why the Sydney derby has a lot more intensity and evenness in support...that geographical point of difference.
Josh
Guest
Mooy will be treating the England friendly as a job interview. I'm expecting an amazing performance.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Mooy was certainly the stand out Australian player of the season just completed - I wish him all the best in whatever he chooses to do.