Graham Arnold has taken a subtle swipe at Western Sydney, encouraged his under-performing Sydney FC still managed to pinch a point against a Wanderers side playing “at their best”.
The Sky Blues lacked their usual attacking ruthlessness in Saturday night’s goalless A-League draw, unable to put away their fiercest rivals in a bid to restore their seven-point lead at the top of the table.
The scoreline accurately reflected the cagey affair, in which the luckless Wanderers were denied a clear-cut first-half penalty and looked the more likely to net a late winner.
But Arnold, while unsatisfied with the result, he relished the fact that Tony Popovic’s men had “100 per cent” raised their game against his league leaders yet still left Allianz Stadium without a derby win in more than three years.
“If you don’t play at your best and you still get a point, and they play at their best, it’s promising,” Arnold said.
The comparison summed up the two teams’ contrasting campaigns.
While Popovic delighted in the eighth-placed Wanderers’ first clean sheet, Arnold was content to oversee Sydney’s ninth in 15 games.
The latter now sit five points clear of Melbourne Victory, who are closing in and have a game in hand.
Arnold conceded awry execution let the hosts down but praised the assured defensive displays of in-form goalkeeper Danny Vukovic and young centre-back Aaron Calver, who was rushed into the starting line-up following Matt Jurman’s exit to Korea and Seb Ryall’s hamstring injury.
The Sky Blues notably struggled for attacking options out wide while wingers Bernie Ibini and David Carney sat idle on the bench until they were finally introduced in the last 20 minutes.
“I tried to keep them a little bit longer because it was humid conditions and we tried to get (the Wanderers) in the last 15 minutes when they’d run out of gas a little bit,” Arnold said.
“But they kept fighting. We had a couple of half chances, crosses come in, and Vedran made some good saves.”
Midfielder Josh Brillante will again be available to face Adelaide on Friday night after serving his suspension.
Al
Guest
Another great football occasion. No goals but still entertaining and tense.
rasty
Guest
Big marks for persistence Northerer, I think you will require more still with this bunch... Good luck
At work
Roar Rookie
MF you have history, earlier on this thread you wrote; "Do not judge the A-League on the basis of one game, each round there are at least two or three games where there are genuine chances and goals scored. Occasionally, the refs make a correct call." Don't try and act like you you're not condescending when you talk about the A League.
SVB
Guest
Can this thread get any more tedious?
Mister Football
Roar Guru
AW You are wrong. I thought it was a very good rating and said precisely what I thought about it. On what basis could you possibly view that post as being a put down?
At work
Roar Rookie
No you didn't Mister Football and you know it. You were being purposely negative and doing your usual tactic of pushing the A League down, like you do every day on this site.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
I put up a very positive post about last night's ratings. Call the police!
bill
Roar Rookie
Who did you support before the a league? And why did you drop them?
Jordan
Guest
The common response of "why are you posing on a football article when you don't like football?" aside, I find your comment a very curious one. You say you've attended an A-League game previously, where you had a personally unenjoyable experience before, and yet you've come back. That suggests you've witnessed something in the A-League that has got your attention. A close finish or big upset I'm guessing. Of which there plenty. Adelaide v City on Thursday night, or Roar v Victory on Saturday night as two very relevant examples. Roar home games over this season and last have produced countless. Yet you fail to mention this in your post to justify your argument. Every sport has dud games. Both Big Bash games last night were duds. The Manchester Derby last season was 0-0. State of Origin is famously low-scoring (and revered for it). Last night was the first ever 0-0 Sydney Derby. Therefore, the vast majority of games in this fixture have been an entertaining spectacle. I can't be bothered finding stats to back this up, but I would suggest the vast majority of the "hyped" games in the HAL deliver on the pitch. I've been to 40 odd Roar home games and witnessed one singular 0-0 game, in oppressively hot night conditions.
northerner
Guest
That's fair enough. I would point out, however, that I didn't bring it up and have not in fact been discussing ratings: it was Mr. F who started it, and Nemesis who took it to another level, throwing in another of his trademark insults along the way. Like I said, I just made an innocuous comment. Jump on the pair of them if you don't want to talk about ratings. And reading through their comments, I can't see either of them showing any interest in the actual game at all.Just the usual code war stuff.
c
Guest
mate “A” stands for awful.
Jordan
Guest
Nobody is suggesting the A-League is the best quality football you can see around the world. But it is decent quality and constantly improving. I find the idea of playing my part in its growth by going to games and watching on TV and talking about it with my non-football friends as an endearing part of this competition. Watching it grow, being able to see its growth from the day I started supporting it and in 20 years time what it becomes. In my part of the country Roar have average crowd of around 15,000, give or take. I'm confident that it can get to 30,000 at some stage in my lifetime. Whether thats in 5 years, 10 years whatever. Broncos are a behemoth here, averaging about that mark after a 30 year existence. I think Roar as one HAL example of a team that can grow to become the genuine second biggest team in their market.
SVB
Guest
The article is about the game last night. Why are we talking about TV ratings or money? Go write an article on TV ratings or money and discuss with others, and I promise I won't 'jump on you'. In fact I won't even make a comment, because I have no interest in TV ratings or money, just like you have no interest in what happened in the game last night.
northerner
Guest
Geesh. All I was trying to do here was to point out that ratings do matter to the game. Not that they're the only thing, or the primary thing or the most important thing. Just that good numbers means more dollars. An innocuous comment stating the obvious, and I get jumped on. What is it with you guys? A few weeks ago, everyone was talking about the significance of the Foxtel deal, then it was the money and potential audience in China, and now, suddenly, it's all about the purity of the game. Right. So, we won't be hearing any more about TV ratings, attendance, FTA TV deals, or any of the other things that have been engaging so many so intensely in recent weeks. And of course, there will be no further comparisons with other sports codes because, after all, the only thing that matters is the sanctity of the game of football, and all that other stuff is irrelevant. Yeah. Pigs are gassed up and ready for take-off.
northerner
Guest
It may indeed be "all about the game" for you. FIFA, the FFA, the A League all have to think a bit more widely and creatively. Increased viewership means increased revenue for the game: it's as simple as that. Whether it matters to you or not isn't actually relevant, because they, not you, are the ones responsible for growing the game.
SVB
Guest
Too bad the A-league crowd was bigger and the intensity in the stadium was twenty times better. But hey, it is exciting on this site listening to a bunch of middle aged white guys telling us about how awesome corporatised sport is. Maybe I'll give a s#%^ one day. But for now give me the action and atmosphere where it matters most.
Nemesis
Guest
If the ALeague loses sponsors & doesn't have enough TV money. So be it. It will fold. And I'll watch the next level of football down the chain. If that level folds. Fine. I'll watch the next lower level. Eventually I'll find a level that survives on its own merits. It's wonderful to have money flowing into any club. But, that's not the reason I follow a Football Club. I follow a football club because I want to watch them play football. If it's in the lowest possible league with just a handful of people that's fine by me. If it's in the Fifa Club World Cup final with 70k other fans, that's also fine by me. It is, and it always will be, about THE GAME.
northerner
Guest
Nemesis - if you don't understand that professional football is a business, there's nothing more I can say. Football did not become the world game by ignoring the power of marketing and advertising: I'm going to bet that, in your first season of watching A League, you saw advertising billboards and placards all around the field, and logos on players uniforms. Who knows: there might even have been a sign or two for Hyundai. You yourself have gone on at length about how many people watch the World Cup, how the game has grown globally thanks to the exposure it gets every four years, particularly in countries with limited football traditions. Well, that exposure didn't happen out of the philanthropic goodwill of newspapers, radio stations, television networks or now, the internet. It happened because there was and is money to be made. Advertising revenue is critical to the growth of the game and has been for decades. Without it, football would still be an amateur game played on weekends on the village green instead of the juggernaut it's become. I understand the purity of sport all right. What I don't understand is anyone who thinks that the A League, or the global game of football, can survive and prosper without selling its product to punters and advertisers alike. Without advertising and marketing there is no A League. And I'm going to bet that even your grassroots team relies on sponsors and their advertising to keep itself in footballs and uniforms.
northerner
Guest
You're right about the atmosphere - but it's the ratings that are bringing in those Foxtel dollars, and that's not to be sneezed at either. The FFA has to take both attendance and ratings into account. All I'm saying is, be nice to the advertising guy, because he's paying for a lot of the things the fans want for the game.
Gyruss
Guest
Let's be honest and cut to the chase shall we. With what you have written and that kind of attitude, you had no intention of enjoying yourself did you.... Don't let the door hit you on the way out