Perhaps there wouldn’t be so many cultural misunderstandings around football if we didn’t get our news delivered to us by comedians in the first place.
Simon Hill was as forceful as ever as he excoriated the Australian media for perpetuating negative stereotypes about Honduras last week.
Hill was dead on in explaining why throwaway comments can have far greater consequences than intended, although unfortunately for him he was preaching to the converted.
Who would want to be a serious journalist these days anyway?
You either train for years to end up as the first employee on the scrapheap, or by some miracle secure a job which then allows you to spend your downtime reading the comments of an army of online critics who seem to spend every second of every day criticising every single piece of work you do.
It’s probably why our news broadcasts are now hosted by a bunch of comedians and former reality TV contestants.
And as much as it would be nice for mainstream Australia to pay more respect to the Socceroos, that’s a tough thing to accomplish when Fox Sports – whose coverage of the game in Honduras was outstanding – is not watched by the majority of Australian households.
It doesn’t help that the default setting these days is to view absolutely everything in a negative light.
A quick glance at FourFourTwo’s Australian football forum over the weekend revealed such illuminating topics as “The VAR is a disgrace,” “Adelaide need to sack Marco Kurz,” “What has been Ange’s worst decision as Socceroos coach?” and my personal favourite, “1:1, even losing 1:2, would have been better than 0:0”.
Never mind balance. Why think the Socceroos might be halfway to Russia when it’s easier just to say something critical instead?
Present company notwithstanding, it’s safe to say spending time online these days can often be a dispiriting experience.
Which is why fans in Sydney should get off their devices and get out to ANZ Stadium in Homebush on Wednesday night for the biggest Socceroos game since the Asian Cup final.
(AAP Image/Joe Castro)
If Honduran fans taught us anything, it’s that the concept of the ‘12th member’ still has a vital role to play in international fixtures.
And if one of the obvious joys of football is that it’s a shared experience, then there won’t be a better time to make some memories within the next four years than there will be on Wednesday night.
It’s a shared experience largely missing in our domestic league, and with the Socceroos completely overshadowing the latest round of A-League fixtures, the debate around whether Football Federation Australia should observe international breaks has once again reared its head.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the A-League should break for internationals, and it’s hard to understand why the FFA is so intent on doing the opposite of what looks like common sense.
Perhaps they’re just channelling their inner George Costanza, but it doesn’t say much for our appetite for football when only 48,008 fans in total turned up to the A-League this weekend.
The games were all entertaining fixtures, and Sydney FC’s surprise defeat to the Central Coast Mariners means this season’s title race is anything but a foregone conclusion.
You could say the same thing about Wednesday night’s do-or-die international showdown, and for once the FFA can be reasonably justified in expecting to put up the ‘Sold Out’ sign on the night.
It’s Australia’s biggest World Cup qualifier since that famous night against Uruguay in 2005, and it’s a chance for football fans everywhere to really blow off the cobwebs and provide the sort of fanatical support we take for granted elsewhere.
Because, deep down, isn’t that why we watch football?
Not to carp and moan, or complain about every little thing? But to share the experience of supporting your team alongside thousands of fellow fans?
We’ll get that chance on Wednesday night. It’s high time we made the most of it.
Tommo
Guest
Poor attendences.
Fadida
Guest
Why?
Fadida
Guest
Lucky Eddie, you do realise FFA aren't allowed to change the rules of the game to suit the casual Australian sports fan?
Fadida
Guest
Amazingly lack of goals wasn't mentioned too Redondo. That would have completed the set; cynical fouls, diving, lack of goals. Oh,and hooliganism
Tommo
Guest
Maybe those 4 clubs should be done away with or at least combined to form 2 clubs.
PJ
Guest
other than this is the most boring sport on the planet......
Redondo
Guest
Kiddie replies?? Your argument has so many holes and non-sequiturs I didn't know where to start. With apologies to Monty Python... Nobody expects falling crowds - our chief problem is cynical fouls...our two problems are cynical fouls and time wasting...our three problems are cynical fouls, time wasting and the Liverpool ticket debacle...our four problems are cynical fouls, time wasting, the Liverpool ticket debacle and competition from other more ethical pursuits...our five problems... So even you know it's far more complicated than cynical fouls but you keep fixating on that. 'For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.'
LuckyEddie
Guest
Look you can ignore what's happening if you like but give up on the kiddie replies. You've become cynical watching cynical fails and it is affecting your ability to comprehend.
Matsu
Guest
Ba-dum-tum!
Redondo
Guest
So is the Roar's membership problem down to the Liverpool ticket debacle or cynical fouls? You seem unsure.
Footoverhand
Guest
Agree
Not so super
Guest
Your all time best comment
Onside
Guest
thanks Ben.
Kangajets
Guest
J b No offence taken Just trying to get a football discussion going re the quality of round 6 Hypothetically If Newcastle were at home to Sydney FC this weekend I think we get 15000 especially Sunday 5 pm
Footoverhand
Guest
I have never heard of Mike Sheahon before and I live in Melbourne. Herd had some good things to say, wouldn't have a clue what Bartlett said.
Footoverhand
Guest
From some posters on that site, you must wonder if they want Australian football to fail, the more spectacular the better.
Fadida
Guest
The ratings don't suggest an aversion to cynical fouls at all, unless they have managed to break down the data to individual reasons for not watching? I'm not saying ratings are good, but I will say that choosing a personal pet hate and then claiming that this is the reason is totally absurd. Personally I think it is the constant complaint and whinging faces of Simon and Brosque that have killed them. Prove otherwise.
LuckyEddie
Guest
Simple the next smartie that fouls a player near half way when that player is trying to make a break give him a red card. If a player dives for a penalty and VARS looks at it there can only be two outcomes, a penalty or a send off for the dive. FFA needs to approach managers and explain to them that cynical fouls and time wasting might be ok with them but the mugs paying will just stay away. The FTA ratings will back me up in that even football people cannot be bothered watching cynical rubbish. I feel sorry for some of the players but if they do not follow the mangers rules they are out of a job.
LuckyEddie
Guest
Yes it is problem that it is accepted in football crazy countries where there are no other alternatives. But Australia is different, for a start in summer we can go to the beach, go for a walk after sun set, watch basketball, Big Bash, test cricket, swimming comps etc. etc. So because cheating is accepted overseas and people with no viable options put up with it, it will not work here. As for hardcore supporters turning away look at some of the poor crowds and memberships that have been stagnant for years or like Roar are dropping. Roar had about 11k members until the Liverpool ticket debacle and now have about 6k. People can turn their nose up at what I am saying but do what I once did. I invited a neutral sports fan to a game, he was totally bemused by the out and out cheating and time wasting and will never be back. I was just totlly embarrassed that the game I love had turned into a cheat-a-thon and had all the charm of a z-grade movie. On top of that we have these half way fouls to break up attacks, it's a joke and football needs to either fix it or watch HAL slowly sink. The TV ratings are terrible and it's not because of the talent of the players but more to do with the rubbish going on that simply adds up to cheating. So any reference to Europe is just not valid in our market and if you check on a lot of European clubs their ave attendance are not that great either.
Nemesis
Guest
ALeague fan. Watch many other leagues, but, for club football, ALeague is my football league.