Geelong has always been a football city. On Saturday, fans from the city in Victoria’s south can see one of the most skilful players of his generation go around.
Alessandro Diamanti is the sort of player genuine football fans should pay good money to go watch in person.
He’ll win the Johnny Warren Medal as the A-League’s best player at a canter if he maintains his Round 1 form, and he’ll inspire Western United to more wins than defeats with his dynamic attacking play.
He’s precisely the sort of foreign import the A-League needs and he’s already laid down a marker to the likes of Diego Castro, Ola Toivonen and Adam Le Fondre.
Think I’m exaggerating? That’s your problem.
Alessandro Diamanti. (AAP Image/James Ross)
But it’s also the A-League’s problem, because one of the biggest issues the competition faces is the perception it’s lacking in quality.
It’s a myth perpetuated by an army of zombies in the comment section of every social media post ever conceived about the A-League these days.
“The A-League is so boring,” someone who hasn’t watched a minute’s worth of action since Gold Coast United last kicked a ball in anger will write.
“You couldn’t pay me to watch it,” will be the next ten or twenty replies.
And heaven forbid if you try to disabuse some of these fans of such notions, or attempt to persuade anyone online to employ even a shred of critical analysis.
I should know. I make the kids on Reddit so angry by trying to explain some of the ideas in my own writing, I’d be better off changing my username to Mr Snrub.
But it’s not going to be writers like me who convince stay-away fans to return to A-League venues, but rather players like the mercurial Diamanti.
It’s not like we shouldn’t already be familiar with the enigmatic playmaker.
He destroyed Melbourne Victory playing for Guangzhou Evergrande in the AFC Champions League five years ago, prompting Victory to try and sign the Italian.
And it’s to Lou Sticca’s and Western United’s credit that they’ve managed to land such an exhilarating attacking talent this time around.
The goal now has to be to get fans through the gates to watch him play.
But before we all start ripping Western United to shreds for their ticket sales or connection to the local community, it’s worth remembering a thing or two about the A-League’s other most recent expansion club.
Western Sydney Wanderers kicked off their A-League existence in front of just over 10,000 fans at Parramatta Stadium in October 2012, then hosted Sydney FC in a sold-out derby a fortnight later.
They then failed to crack another five-figure crowd until the New Year, and drew just 6,755 fans to Parramatta Stadium in a December win over Brisbane Roar.
So it’s not like the A-League’s most mythologised club started with huge crowds.
And Western United won’t either, or at least not until fans in Geelong and Ballarat realise the likes of Diamanti and Panagiotis Kone are top-class European talent.
(Photo: Western United FC/Twitter)
Maybe it would help if they were English, judging by some of the reaction to the news that Wellington Phoenix have just signed one-time Celtic striker Gary Hooper.
Hooper will “destroy” the A-League according to several online commentators, although they were less forthcoming about the fact he only scored 31 goals in 89 games across all competitions for Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.
Despite that Hooper’s signing is a real coup for the Kiwi battlers, as is Western Sydney Wanderers’ addition of the exciting Nicolai Müller.
But Alessandro Diamanti is the best of the lot, in my not-so-humble opinion.
You don’t play 17 games for the Italian national team for nothing, even if Diamanti’s exuberant personality hasn’t always won him universal acclaim.
But don’t take my word for it. Just watch Western United take on Perth Glory on Saturday afternoon and you too will soon find out.
AxeMaster
Roar Rookie
Yep, great points. Anyway I don't know if you have Foxtel or not Nemesis, but would you or anyone else here know what has happened to both "Shoot Out" and the "A League hour" show's on Foxsports? Cheers.
RbbAnonymous
Roar Rookie
Didnt the FFA say "Diamanti who" all those years ago when Victory tried to sign him. I swear its like trying to push a barrel of poop uphill with the FFA. Any football fan could see what a gun Diamanti was and it must have been puzzling for football fans around the world to hear the news, that the A-league didnt sign Diamanti because he is not good enough. Yes, yes I know we are talking marquee funds etc etc but this is the message we were sending out.
Nemesis
Guest
Let's be quite clear. The sport is the most popular team sport in the world - to play & to watch. The sport in Australia engages more participants every weekend than any other team sport in Australia - all ages, men & women. When we add the people who watch overseas football it might even be the most watched sport in Australia. The ALeague competition doesn't engage the football community the way the AFL & NRL competitions engage the Aussie Rules & RL community. In a similar way, 11 months of daily thoroughbred racing doesn't engage the horse racing community in Melbourne, the same as 1 month of Spring Carnival. Same underlying sport. Different engagement levels. Sheffield Shield cricket competition doesn't engage the cricket community the same as BBL or Test Cricket. Same sport different competitions, with different levels of engagement. And, finally. Football in Australia can't make up its own Laws. We choose to be part of a global game and are regulated by laws that are used globally.
AxeMaster
Roar Rookie
Spot on Tyke, it’s a great message to all A-League team’s. If M.V played a good fast brand of attacking football and they lost more than they won, I would not be bothered so much cos at least they would be creating lots of chances and excitement. This League doesn’t need cautious, slow, defensive tactic’s.
AxeMaster
Roar Rookie
Yes consequences for failure. I like that Nemesis. Other suggestions might include only half a competition point for nil all draws or not being able to kick the ball back over the halfway line when a team is in attack. I've always wondered if the A-League or any League for that matter could introduce some of it's own rules in spite of FIFA to make the game as a whole, a lot more interesting and consequential.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
Yep no denying but I’d say that even when WSW are playing, the buzz is only in the immediate surroundings.
Waz
Roar Rookie
He was better last night although missed a few sitters before getting one. Fitness should take no more than 4-6 weeks otherwise there’s s problem with niggling injury or motivation so we should see him at his best in the next couple of weeks.
Tyke
Roar Rookie
If they are what you say they are, I’m sure they will have a place at the top in an environment of P&R
Tyke
Roar Rookie
What is this club?
Tyke
Roar Rookie
Sydney may be an “event city”, but I’m having a hard time counting sport as apart of that these days
Tyke
Roar Rookie
Channel 7 not even mentioning WU’s first game is evidence of this, I’m guessing other MSM didn’t either, this is also evidence that MSM’s demise is their own fault for being rubbish. But bugger them, oldies watch the 6 o’clock news, that isn’t the A league’s target demo
Tyke
Roar Rookie
I think we are naturally moving towards more exciting, attacking play, stake holders are aware that sport is entertainment. Rudan coaches that style, City has made a change in style, after the World Cup I read Arnie’s sentiment coming in as coach as “if we are gonna lose, we are gonna lose playing an entertaining brand”. You can have the best defense in the world but it doesn’t matter if you don’t score goals, on top of all this, of course people who play the game (kids especially as the future of the game) want to play that way, because it’s fun!
Griffo
Roar Guru
Good luck to you and your family, Jimmy, on the mighty WU journey. The ups and downs are greater than the fabled ‘90 emotions’ that last longer than the ‘90 minutes’.
chris
Guest
Punter I reckon people in Sydney would struggle to name even one gws player. Hard for our Melbourne friends to understand this but thats the reality.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Buddy, of course there would be the diehards at the airport. I'm more talking about around Sydney, especially around Western Sydney, what was the interest in pubs, cafes, work places, schools, houses, this is the biggest sporting competition in Australia & a West Sydney club was involved. What was the buzz??? Sydney is an event city, this was a big event. You can feel the buzz in Sydney during WC time, people who don't normally talk Socceroos were talking Socceroos.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
I suppose it depends on where you look and what you listen to as far as what makes an impact. The weekend of the AFL grand final certainly saw a lot of orange and black at the airport heading south and although they were heavily outnumbered, the support was there. In Sydney, nobody really makes a big impact in terms of crowds. The Swans probably the biggest but the crowd falls away when the team is not performing well. No nrl side stands out as being huge draw cards and much has been made of SFC crowds and the club’s inability to secure a larger audience despite the on field successes. WSW remains about potential imo. The regular home crowd could well exceed 20k if the team is performing well. There are plenty of potential fans, the club has to continue to work at engaging, encouraging and of course - performing.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
Agreed he improved last night and as the manger said, he, along with a few other players need time both for fitness and to gel with each other. I do find it slightly ironic that even though there is a five month break before a new season begins, so much is left until the last minute and the first month of the season is almost like a warm up.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Sam, we enjoy nil all draws, just like you enjoy having to look at the scoreboard to see who is winning in your sport. We enjoy watching our sport in every corner of the world, just like you enjoy watching your sport in every corner of Melbourne. I also understand in Melbourne AFL rules & football is small, but outside of Melbourne that is reversed. This is why so many AFL fans like to spend time in the football tab, the insecurity is huge.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
enjoy the season Jimmy
TK
Guest
Well he's fired my fantasy football team off to a good start tonight against victory. Pretty classy first time finish for a ????!!