The A-League’s detractors cite plummeting crowds, non-existent TV ratings, and the ineptitude of the FFA to run a functioning game. But the real problem is ‘the enforcer’.
The A-League has played host to many wonderfully skilled and creative players.
The early days featured the attacking brilliance of Dwight Yorke, Nick Carle, Fernando Rech, a young Alex Brosque, Joel Griffiths and (who could forget?) Fred.
Then came along the step up, with the likes of Carlos Hernandez, Song Jin-Hyung, Henrique, Marcos Flores, Thomas Broich, Kosta Barbarouses, Marco Rojas, Shane Smeltz and a relatively uninjured Robbie Kruse.
Before long, Shinji Ono, Allesandro Del Piero, and Emile Heskey decided to try a footballing holiday, gracing our pitches with the likes of Dario Vidosic, Aaron Mooy, Tom Rogic, Craig Goodwin, and Bernie Ibini.
Now we have the likes of Pato Rodriguez, Diego Castro, Ross McCormack, Bobo, Leroy George, Ronny Vargas, and Bruno Fornaroli (when fit). They play with the likes of Daniel Arzani, Bruce Kamau, Joey Champness, Jacob Italiano, Lachlan Wales, and Riley McGree.
Subjectively, there has never been a more talented group of attacking players on our shores. They play with flair, purpose, intent, and finesse. They make defenders back away, and lift the hopes of fans whenever they pick up the ball.
They cause headaches for managers around the league, who delve into their tactic bag to find ways to shut down this creativity. Sadly, many managers around the league don’t delve far, and pull out the oldest tactic: just hack ‘em down.
To carry out this tactic, teams require an enforcer.
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The enforcer is a big, burly, holding midfielder or marauding centre-half. Their mere presence strikes fear into creative types, their challenges are as callous as they are meticulous, and they have been around the A-League, and world football, for a while.
The original spine-remover doesn’t mess around, lets you know they’re there, and doesn’t want you to do your thing.
Then you have your more refined, subtle enforcers. Players like Mile Jedinak, Mark Milligan, and Matt McKay – known as ‘midfield generals’ – bossing their areas, shutting down attacks, and then moving the ball out of danger.
Modern football has undergone multiple overhauls, showing us different looks. We started with the 4-4-2 diamond, then came the 3-5-2, and the current craze is the 4-5-1. Different players have thrived in these systems, however the enforcer has been part of all of them.
When the likes of Rodriguez and Arzani find space and take off, Osama Malik and Ben Kantarovski are charged with bringing them down, which is exactly what we saw last Thursday at AAMI Park.
Rodriguez spun and weaved his way through City’s midfield, while Malik hung off him when he could catch him. Arzani would dive in off the right wing, past a tired Ivan Vujica and would be met by Kantarovski.
Wout Brama was brought in by Paul Okon to solidify a shaky Mariners defensive unit that lacked grit and grunt. With over 300 Eredivisie games and three matches for his country to his name, Brama’s decorated career is blotted by his actions towards Corey Gameiro.
The Dutchman’s decision to take out his late-game frustrations on Gameiro’s leg was immediately rebuffed by football pundits and fans alike. Even most Mariners fans were disgusted by the stamp on an injury-plagued Gameiro, drawing comparisons to Kevin Muscat’s infamous flying scythe-tackle on Adrian Zahra.
Wout Brama (AAP Image/Brendan Esposito)
What Brama did on Saturday was not enforcing, nor was it in the spirit of football. All it did was underscore one of the main issues we are seeing in the A-League and one that if addressed, would see the league thrive again.
A fortnight off for this tackle is an insult to the repeated recoveries that Gameiro has been through to get to where he is now, an insult to every attacking-minded player in the league, and an insult to fans.
Condemnation of incidents like this is paramount and the response has been immense – Mariners fans have said they will boo their own player when he touches the ball in a fortnight’s time. However, we need to encourage players and managers to find a new way to deal with the attacking brilliance of players. We need to move away from just hacking players down.
The City-Jets game I referred to above was littered with needless fouls, where players were just hauled down. The challenges we saw that night are not present in the top echelons of football. Those players are forced to actually use their skills and dispossess the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo of the ball.
Sure, we see them scythed and grabbed and mugged to the ground plenty of times, but the times where they are truly countered are when they meet a player who stops them by removing the ball and not their kneecaps.
I’m not calling for every mere touch of a player to be blown up, simply for a move to the centre. Malik committed five fouls on Thursday night but did not receive a yellow card. No single foul was seemingly malicious, more cynical, and after numerous attempts at bringing attacking efforts to a halt, surely he would be told enough is enough? Not in the A-League.
At times, defending in the A-League looks more like an NRL team inside their own 20 – bend, don’t break, if you feel that you’re going to lose the battle, then end the battle and begin a new one. It’s a sound tactic in the Canberra men’s State League Div 5, but not in our top flight.
Repeated fouling detracts from our game, and discourages the likes of Arzani and Petratos from showing us their full arsenal.
If the FFA cracked down on these tactics, we’d see a more free-flowing, entertaining, attractive game, which would encourage crowds to return.
Give the people a reason to spend their money. Let the attacking players create, weave, entertain, and excite. Force teams to actually defend, force defenders to use skill rather than brawn, and make managers create tactics that nullify these players via intricate gameplans.
Most importantly, instruct refs to crack down. That Brama was initially shown a yellow for his challenge says much about the prism in which the A-League is officiated.
The fact that a similar incident occurred earlier in the season, where Wout Brama required the VAR to step in and send him off, gives the A-League an unwanted reputation, one which will mean soon we’ll have a league of enforcers rather than Rodriguezs and Adrians.
Kangajets
Guest
Leonard , the 2 footy teams in Sydney have abt 38000 regular supporters between the 2 teams .... that’s an ok amount, but nothing to be to proud of considering the sport has been in Sydney 40 years now .. The A league teams are 13 and 6 years old and get about 25000 together as a rough average, so giving another 25 years to grow , the combined Sydney A league crowds will get bigger . And Like u said both sports crowds are better then Sydney rugby league teams .
Leonard
Guest
About sports / Foot Ball data sources: the easiest to navigate, the ones I've found (so far) most free of corporate / commercial / HQ BS and propaganda, and with the clearest and least-cluttered and distracting screens are: ~ for the A-League: http://www.ultimatealeague.com/ (which I reckon has the best layout and screen impression I've come across); ~ for the AFL https://afltables.com/afl/afl_index.html (totally plain text and two-D layout, thoroughly practical and quick to respond to user enquiries); ~ for the NRL: https://afltables.com/rl/rl_index.html (same remarks as for the AFL version; was originally the 'home base' of the two, but with far greater AFL-user interest, afltables.com became the more comprehensive of the two); ~ for SAANZAR's Australian games: haven't been able to find anything anywhere near as helpful, especially as match reports in the public media rarely report these crowds. One laudable feature of A-League media is that there has been no move to cease publishing embarrassingly low crowds stats - a temptation which the ARU seems to have succumbed to. http://www.austadiums.com/ is very useful as a backup and an alternative source
j,binnie
Guest
cc - Here are the latest figures from my "BS file' which I get from official FFA sources. Last season at this point in time teams had played differing amounts of games but taking the figures from "number of home games played" here is a little "attendance league" for your perusal. Victory Last season average 22,770 This season average 19,591. WSW Last season average 20,160. This season average 14,683. Sydney Last season average 16,584. This season average 14,351 Adelaide Last season average 11,313. This season average 10,612. Jets Last season average 8,805 This season average 10,429 Perth Last season average 10,364 This season average 9,875 Melb C Last season average 10,882 This season average 9,325 Roar Last season average 14,681 This season average 9,136 CCM Last season average 7,758 This season average 7,383 Well. Last season average 6454 This season average 6,182. Now last season to game 92 the HAL had attracted 1,193,,185 fans to games. This season to game 92 that figure is standing at 1,014,335 fans to games By anyone's maths this is a drop of 15% If you need anymore "BS" just ask. Cheers jb.
Redondo
Guest
Kanga - how can the absence of evidence be proof of a crime?
hogdriller
Roar Rookie
Don't think it's just the refs Paul, seems the MRP should kop the full brunt of total incompetence by only handing the thug a two weeks suspension, especially seeing as Papadopolous was handed a seven week ban for spitting in the direction of thug Smurf, Matt Simon. Match officials aren't doing themselves any favors by relying on VAR to make some decisions for them during the game, but the MRP had ample time, conference and replay footage to correctly decide on the deserved punishment for such a career ending tackle.....and still they stuffed it up. And Paul Okon should also be ashamed for arguing the point of such a disgraceful act of on field thuggery in defence of his player.
Kris
Guest
There was always going to be an unusually high rating for the first ever game in the competition. Will be interesting to see the ratings from here on.
Leonard
Guest
Most (body or missile) contact team sports would have a rogues gallery list of such blokes. In the 1958 VFL GF, 'Hooker' Harrison played a vital role precisely because of being one of 'them blokes'! Probably most grade cricket teams had one such fast bowler.
Kris
Guest
Yep instead of having a guy driblling towards your goal and creating space, foul him and force him to take a set piece. Slows the play, creates disjointed football. But before we bash the A-league for it, let's remember that it is more often than not the cornerstone of Serie A where the ability to foul and not draw cards is prized.
Kris
Guest
Manny Muscat would have no career if he couldn't foul blokes.
Leonard
Guest
Given that "how many people in Sydney give a ratz about" depends on what "give a ratz" is supposed to mean, https://afltables.com/afl/crowds/swans.html reports that in the 15 seasons from 2003 to 2017, the season average H&A crowds for the Sydney Swans ranged from 30505 to 35632 (except for the three years when the SCG was being upgraded, when they were in the mid-20000s) I s'pose that if an average of 30000+ attended these 132 Home games most of these specgtators could be reckoned as "giv[ing] a ratz". (Which, BTW, is about twice the NRL overall H&A average, and about three times the current A-League average. And, remember, you introduced this matter in that tone to the thread.)
Kangajets
Guest
Fadida It’s one problem, there are other problems But I’m optimistic off to the game today Hoping for a 5 goal thriller, going the Jets way of course Cheers
Kangajets
Guest
Redondo Your stats actually prove my point that s f c get away with it No conspiracy, just officials not doing there job .
Kangajets
Guest
Wsw have beat Melb city 3-1 in extra time of the youth league grand final 40 minutes to jets v Melb Victory
Waz
Guest
jb. It’s a direct cost alright and your numbers are not far off. The Bakries had to transfer an additional $400,000 to cover Roars shortfall on crowds - that’s $40k per game.
Redondo
Guest
This is just fake news. Sydney have conceded the least fouls of any team this season. As a result, they also have the least yellow and red cards. Are you guys suggesting there is some kind of coordinated conspiracy amongst all the match officials in favour of Sydney.
Kangajets
Guest
Claudio They are very aware of the massive ratings drop for the women’s game on the other site . Give it 2-3 more weeks for the media to catch on though .
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
Do you know how many people in Sydney give a ratz about your so called premier sport of Australia?
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
That is yet another reason to be proud of our Aussie Bert football league when you compare the number of people who attend football games at our A-league to the population of our country; compared to other nations round the world and their huge populations. Also take into consideration the enormous distance between teams and how far away fans have to travel. There are virtually no away fans at games except for city derbies in the A-League. Its pretty good isn't it.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
Where do get your BS from jb. My stats say the average attendances are only 1,113 down over 5 years since 2012-13 and we haven't had the important final 8 rounds of the season or the finals series or the grand final for 2017/18 yet. That represents a fall of about 9% which is very favourable compared to the trend all around the world in sport. Live TV and rising prices kill attendances at sporting events. Owning an A-League club is a business like any other and many clubs around the world lose money even EPL clubs and AFL clubs that need to be propped up by government money and poker machines.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
Why no mention in the media AFLW opening round match attendance down 5,598 from last season. That's a "catastrophic" fall of 28.9%. TV ratings down 74.6% - that is a "human disaster from which we will never recover."