As the Harbour City’s stadium shuffle continues, the weekend’s Sydney Derby was a potent reminder of how badly the A-League has missed the Wanderers’ Parramatta home base.
And the sneak peek fans were offered of the new mecca of football in the city’s west was more than enough to whet the appetite for the club’s return.
The cavernous ANZ Stadium scarcely deserved the tight, tense and eventful game which unfolded within it.
The half-full stands looked bad on television, affected the acoustics of the die-hard support, and took away from an intriguing game.
With fewer under 100 days until Western Sydney play their first game at Bankwest Stadium, the return to the parochial Parramatta surrounds is arguably the most exciting aspect of the upcoming season.
For the Wanderers, it represents the chance to rebuild a fortress – a true home from which they can re-launch their assault on A-League finals and perhaps even titles.
For the league, it will hopefully mean the restoration of arguably its most colourful and impressive match-day experiences – that is if the FFA hasn’t totally killed the enthusiasm and passion of one of the country’s biggest and loudest active support groups.
(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
The willingness of supporters to flock to Bankwest as they once did at Parramatta Stadium will be crucial to the team’s success.
Whether the Red and Black Bloc returns in the numbers it once boasted or not, the club will be playing out of a truly impressive stadium.
Of course, this can also have a negative effect.
The pressure and expectation on Tottenham Hotspur to finally bridge the gap between themselves and the Premier League’s biggest clubs has increased tenfold following the completion of the new White Hart Lane.
Unlike Spurs, the Wanderers will not enter their first season in the new stadium from a position of strength.
It has been a tough slog for Western Sydney this season, and it cannot have been helped by seeing inaugural coach Tony Popovic take Perth Glory to the top of the table with consummate ease.
The Wanderers have never recovered from Popovic’s shock exit from the club on the eve of the 2017-18 season, but a fresh start in a new home next season may prove the opportune time to embark on a new dynasty.
Tony Popovic (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
It certainly has not been an easy first season in charge for Markus Babbel, but despite failing to take his side to the finals, he looks set to be the man to lead them into this important new era.
With Oriol Riera, Raul Llorente, Brendan Hamill, Rashid Mahazi and Jordan O’Doherty all approaching the end of their contracts, the German will have plenty of room to remodel the squad during the off-season.
Perhaps that is the opportunity he needs to reinvigorate this stale team.
He will be buoyed by the fight shown in the Sydney Derby and perhaps the performance was enough to prove to the powers that be that the players are willing to fight for him.
With a new team entering the competition in 2019, competition for talent will be tougher than ever, but the Wanderers will hope Babbel’s European connections and the lure of playing in a new stadium might help him transform the club into contenders.
After two disappointing seasons, the Western Sydney will not want to waste the golden opportunity its Parramatta homecoming presents.
marron
Guest
No other stadium was going to enable all the non RBB members to be seated due to FFA regs. It made sense at the time, to most wanderers members. But that was before the reality of the joint set in. First game the stadium staff started doing things like refusing to let kids sit with their parents one bay over because of ticketing messups, and it was all downhill from there. A few months maybe, maybe even a season, to enable the club to sort it out, and, okay, maybe everything could have turned out differently.... but it never happened. The lack of... well... anything, at homebush that replicated game day in parramatta made it all the less palatable.
Nemesis
Guest
"The move to spotless was the correct decision. There was no way I was going to watch games at Penrith or Campbelltown. They are third rate stadiums that can’t even fully cater to our members." So you'd rather play on a cricket oval where the facilities are better than on a specific rectangular stadium? That's very interesting. I'll always choose a rectangular configured stadium. I don't care about facilities at stadiums. All I want is a rectangular stadium & any position (preferably standing) with higher vantage point than the field of play.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
Yet we played ACL games at Campbelltown and FFA CUP derby against SFC at Penrith as well as a home game a few seasons ago against Wellington. I don’t disagree with the general premise that going to Homebush was a better idea but there are some mixed messages in here. I reckon I might have opted for CCM stadium for 3 years if I had made the choice and in conjunction with supporters, club, state rail and Central Coast Leagues Club and club etc made some good arrangements to bus/train supporters there. After all, it is as easy to get to Gosford as it is to Moore Park from many locations and life could have been so much better!
chris
Guest
Good post RBB. Over the next 5 years that imbalance in sporting facilities will be corrected. The sooner they build Moore Park and reconfigure Homebush the better. There just is no need for such large expansive playing fields in this state.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
No, Arsene won trophies.
RbbAnonymous
Roar Rookie
The move to spotless was the correct decision. There was no way I was going to watch games at Penrith or Campbelltown. They are third rate stadiums that can't even fully cater to our members. Not to mention that the stadiums are both to the extremes of the Western Suburbs while both Parramatta and the SOP/Spotless are more central to our supporters. It would be awesome if we had better options for our club and supporters but the simple fact is WE DONT. Quite incredible to think that Sydney has better facilities for AFL, a sport that no one plays in the Sydney region than for the rectangular sports of football and NRL. We will bounce back and everyone is excited to move back to Parramatta stadium. The sooner the better.
chris
Guest
Would they take only 50% of the country being interested in the sport at all?
J.T. Delacroix
Guest
The MCG being only 50% ‘full’ for the majority of AFL matches?! I think that’s a problem every other sport in the country would gladly accept.
Jordan Klingsporn
Roar Guru
The next Arsene Wenger???????
AR
Guest
Yeah! How dare someone write a speculative piece, generate discussion and increase content about the sport I love!
AR
Guest
josh, did you vote?
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Fake news! I call it BS. ‘No way Jose‘ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fadida
Roar Rookie
Incredible news if true. The guy is an appalling coach
Jordan Klingsporn
Roar Guru
BREAKING: Melbourne City set to extend Warren Joyce's contract. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.goal.com/en-au/amp/news/melbourne-city-set-to-extend-warren-joyces-contract/ja7bjxzxqavl16fslac1wt5hv
AR
Guest
Between 60-70%...so yep. Actually, perhaps in hindsight it was underwhelmingly.
David V
Guest
The new stadium won't fix Wanderers' problems overnight. They began with the change of ownership and the current chairman and CEO five years ago. Since then the club has lost touch with its supporters. Babbel on the other hand looks like someone who will hopefully clean out the squad and get them sorted for next season. Remember that's what Ange Postecoglou did at Brisbane Roar.
Amazon
Roar Rookie
Totally agree - if only the other clubs had such great supporters. My point was the stadium is not the panacea for WSW's resurgence, they need their supporters to stop talking the talk and starting walking it!
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Me thinks the Drive Bys have made a South Gosford FC mistook ---- They need the Campbelltown team to re build. IMO Western Sydney is a massive Football heart land and the Drive Bys if they manage the PR will get their crowds back... but their owners are showing the same behavioural patterns of former management teams at South Gosford FC. I think their crowds will come back and if some RBB folk can only support them on vertain conditions them the club needs to have an open and rational debate and conversation. The issue with the RBB aside from not being a single group but more a whole lots of little groups is some of what they want cannot happen and instead of discussing the issues to appease MSM management comes down hard and unbending. Simple like Drive By management could buy smoke bombs, they glow and let out smoke and are often brighter than flares but totally safe and legal... its just an example of understanding the issues and sure some may say ...no its the danger of the flair and that its against the law... then so be it my thinking is many will use the smoke bombs and in time the issue will fade away [no pun intended]. A winning side playing good Football would also help.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Ben astute point about the clubs being different
josh
Guest
No, we didn't. AR is still angry that WSW forever destroyed any chance of his beloved expansion project getting a foothold in Western Sydney.