AAMI Park is the best venue in the A-League, and Melbourne Victory will pick up points freely now that they’re playing out of a proper football ground.
Saturday night’s Melbourne derby was a humdinger of an affair – tight and tense until the end – and it looked like it would finish scoreless until Melbourne City goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis’ moment of stoppage-time madness.
Bouzanis has had plenty of decent games in a City jersey, and it hardly seems fair to pin an entire defeat on the solitary figure between the posts.
But having sprayed wayward passes throughout the entirety of the 90 minutes – despite constantly being lauded for his distribution – is it really worth picking a goalkeeper for his passing ability if he’s going to concede a penalty after failing the rather more critical task of collecting a cross?
To put it another way: does the art of actual goalkeeping play second fiddle to the cult of possession in the world of modern football?
Perhaps City would have been better served with Eugene Galekovic between the posts, but the hosts could at least breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of Ross McCormack coming off the bench barely a week after it was thought he would miss the rest of the season.
And McCormack had his work cut out from him in a typically ferocious derby, thanks in no small part to the raucous atmosphere raining down from the stands.
(AAP Image/ Julian Smith)
Victory can thank the fact they had Mark Milligan on the pitch for converting their spot-kick – he’s a much better penalty taker than Besart Berisha – but it was the away fans massed at the northern end of the ground who played their part in creating a vociferous atmosphere inside the ground.
Is the Victory home end back in full force? There’s no denying the fact active fans have been badly treated in the past, but it’s probably also safe to say that some A-League fans are quick to find the first available excuse to avoid attending games.
But both Victory supporters, and the small but passionate contingent of City fans, helped produce the sort of atmosphere we see more commonly in Europe – and the derby itself was so much better for it.
It’s a far cry from the sort of atmosphere we see at Westpac Stadium every fortnight – which is a shame, because a visit to Wellington is arguably the best away trip in the A-League.
Wellington itself is fantastic – the city is cool, the food and drink is superb, and you can happily engage in a spot of pub-hopping en route to a stadium that sits within a comfortable walk from the CBD.
Even the weather is suitably moody, and when the dark clouds roll in over Wellington Harbour, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re about to watch a game somewhere in Europe.
That is, of course, until you see the empty seats. The Phoenix didn’t even bother to announce the attendance on Saturday.
And they were never at the races as soon as Sydney FC got out of second gear, and having comprehensively crushed the Kiwi club thanks to a Bobo hat-trick in their 4-1 win, the Sky Blues are another club that would do well to lift their attendances.
That won’t be a problem for Victory for the rest of the campaign – their upcoming home game against the Mariners in Geelong duly noted – and now that they’re back at the venue they share with City, they can play in front of the sort of atmosphere that helps bring out the best in players like Berisha and Leroy George.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Adelaide United host the Mariners tomorrow to round out the Christmas action, and here’s hoping it’s a suitably festive Boxing Day encounter.
As for today, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year – one filled with plenty of fantastic football!
Kangajets
Guest
On the subject of crowd atmosphere the active support in bay 1 was huge in Newcastle on Friday night . This was created on social media by ceo Laurie McKenna and Joel Griffiths . This is fantastic engagement by the club towards the fans and shows the A league clubs what can by done . It just took Lawrie doing some personal Facebook posts and personal engagement with the fans . I’m absolutely positive that the jets players fed off this positive vibe from the crowd .
Kangajets
Guest
Lionheart Agree the refs could have fished out some yellows to stop all the fouling and let the game open up . Nevertheless I still found it a very decent game .
Kangajets
Guest
Lionheart Agree the refs could have fished out some yellows to stop all the fouling and let the game open up . Nevertheless I still found it a very decent game .
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
I'm still waiting for the end of the A-League that was supposed to happen when North Queensland Fury and Gold Coast folded. It actually led to a better A-League comp with the birth of West Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City. Looking forward to the next end of the A-League with great delight. Merry Christmas Mike, the Roar writers and fans and a bigger and better 2108 for all, especially those poor A-League club owners.
Lionheart
Guest
What irked me was the cynical fouls throughout, that got no cards, just a breal in play for a free kick. Even the commentators said "MV's plan, if they can't control the game, is to stop the game'. It was particularly so in the first half, but not only, and it happens week in, week out, and it ruins the spectacle. How ironic that such tactics result in a winning penalty "won" by the offending side. The referees and the coaches need to do better.
The Doc
Roar Guru
Good read and great work on your pieces through the year. Mv record at etihad is pretty strong too (I don't have the comparison of records at each home ground though). As you alluded to the atmosphere at AAMI is brilliant compared to the stale one offered by etihad. It isn't that the fans are less vociferous - etihad lacks atomoshpere for any sport imo and 20000 fans spread out over a 50000 Staidum plus the distance from the pitch makes its less than ideal. I'd b happy to claim that atmosphere at Mv at aami is the best out of any professional sport in Victoria (melb v Sydney in the gf a few years at aami would not have been the same at etihad). As for the soccer, derbies are rarely a feast for pure quality but it is the intensity of the contest that usually stands out
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Ha! Agreed. Cast-iron pen.
Waz
Guest
err, that was a stonewall penalty every day of the week!
Worried
Guest
Dissappointed to yet again see a match decided by a referees decision in the dying moments of a game! Let me say I am not a fan of either Victory or Melb City so its unbiased. I just don't like a match being decided at the end by the referee! Points; In the final stages of a tight game, players (all teams) seem more inclined to go to ground (fall over like they were shot) seeking a decisive Penalty rather than trying to score a legitimate goal. If the pen is awarded, there is usually no time to recover. Often the Penalty is a judgement call, even if the Referee is 100% right, another referee might not award it or might not have seen it! So in effect the Referee decides which team wins. Often the "foul" involved is more technical than deliberate and does not deserve such a heavy punishment as "instant loss of the game". Ask Adelaide re Jets. Don't be mistaken I do not have the answer, but I do think it is something the sport should look at! Perhaps a moratorium on Penalties after the 80th minute, where a player commiting a "penalty type foul" in this period is given a straight red card instead. This would penalise the Player and his team but not decide the game! Just an idea, probably not a good one, but I hate late Pens!
George K
Roar Pro
Thanks Mike :) Merry Christmas!
Waz
Guest
Baasaaah Humbug! The bigger crowd did not drive the players on to better performances as the derby was full of mediocre football and, quite frankly, some pretty woeful football in the final third. What the crowd and the excellent atmosphere they generated did was to elevate the average and make it great - but in terms of quality it was no more than slapping lipstick on a donkey. The FFA, who after all have a vice-like grip on running the A League, must recognise the role atmosphere plays in the spectacle that is our code, and figure out how to grow crowds and how they unleash active support and let it flourish. 2018 has to be the year of #StopTheRot
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Cheers Grobbelaar! We wish the same to you.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Indeed George, I saw your piece when I sat down to write this one. Great piece, and it's a sentiment I've always agreed with.
Grobbelaar
Roar Guru
I would just like to take this opportunity to wish Mike, the Roar staff and all friends of football a very merry Christmas.
George K
Roar Pro
This is what I was talking about, Psychologically better atmosphere creates better performances it is the responsibility of the FFA and fans to achieve this. Great to see what may just be a turning point in the A-League,
lesterlike
Guest
I feel like I might as well ignore the A-League until Christmas and the Etihad games are finished, home fixtures only become worth going to in the second half of the season when MV can play at AAMI Park. Big Bash forces us to use up our Etihad games at the start of the season and the FFA demands to stack our fixture early (when our best players are always away for Internationals) with big games for their stupid "start the season with a bang" mentality. It means we are constantly disjointed for the start of the season and take ages to build any sort of momentum.