There’s no doubt active support is what makes the A-League unique, but how do we balance the need to let fans do their thing with Australia’s unremitting culture of rules and regulations?
First things first, congratulations to Melbourne City for essentially sealing the premiership with their 3-2 win over Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park.
They’ve been the best team in the league all season and they proved it again by battering the visitors inside the opening 20 minutes on Sunday, even if the Roar did miraculously well to go into the halftime break level at 2-2.
Both Connor Metcalfe’s opener and Scott Galloway’s winner were moments of real quality, with Paddy Kisnorbo and more recently his assistant Des Buckingham managing to turn a team laden with cast-offs from rival clubs into what looks like a title-winning side.
It’s a shame there weren’t a few more fans inside AAMI Park to witness the win, not least because City play such an entertaining brand of football.
You couldn’t always say the same thing about Richie Garcia’s beleaguered Perth Glory, even if both of their goals in the 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory were easy on the eye.
It was nice to see fans back inside HBF Park after the midweek 3-1 defeat to Melbourne City took place behind closed doors, although they might have witnessed a very different second half had Robbie Kruse converted a 25th-minute spot-kick.
Three games, three handballs and it was Brisbane Roar who were the unlucky losers in the lottery that is A-League decision-making, after Sydney FC striker Bobo on Saturday and Glory midfielder Callum Timmins yesterday were adjudged to have handled the ball during split-second interactions.
Melbourne City winger Craig Noone did exactly the same thing in the build-up to his side’s second goal against Brisbane Roar, however his infraction was ignored, while Bobo and Timmins both conceded penalties.
Timmins was ultimately bailed out when veteran goalkeeper Liam Reddy guessed the right way to save Kruse’s spot-kick – much to the delight of the fans behind the goal.
But it was the fans behind the goal at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday night that should once again spark some conversation around how supporters are treated inside A-League grounds.
Western Sydney may have smashed Western United 5-0 in their biggest win of the season, but it was a social media post from the Red and Black Bloc that drew just as much attention.
“We deeply apologise for the sudden no chanting tonight,” a post that went up on Twitter and Facebook read. “But (it’s) due to one member being kicked out for ‘not sitting in his seat’ and tonight’s Capo being banned for 12 months for swearing”.
Barely a week out from a raucous Sydney derby at the same venue, fans inside Bankwest Stadium were met with a large and highly visible police presence.
And I have no doubt that many A-League games are over-policed because I’ve seen it time and again with my own eyes.
But perhaps there’s more to this latest incident than meets the eye.
For one thing, the sizeable police presence that surrounded the Red and Black Bloc during last weekend’s derby win over Sydney FC didn’t seem to arrive until after a flare was ripped.
And for another, the guys who do the Red and Black Bloc TV podcast literally described in their latest episode what happened.
According to them, the Capo’s brother sat down in the disabled section some 40 minutes before kick-out, whereupon he was allegedly evicted from the ground.
The Capo then took it upon himself to tell the attending police officers what he thought about the eviction, resulting in a 12-month stadium ban “for swearing”.
I sympathise with the RBB because they cop more scrutiny than other fan group in Australia. But as football fans it also wouldn’t kill us to be a bit smarter about the way we support our teams.
Active support is vital. But when it comes to policing, it’s probably best not to give them an excuse.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Is this an A-League problem or a problem between a set of fans and a specific police jurisdiction? When was the last time the Gosford fans or Newcastle fans were in an uproar regarding over-policing? Go out West and you'll find two of Perth's police graduates this year were ex-Glory players. The majority of A-League fans and police appear to have a constructive relationship. Muppets will be muppets, no sport nor region has a monopoly on them.
Philbert
Guest
Oh, surely you are used to being lectured. The "special" ones tend to get more lectures than most. Just admit it, you got sprung for assuming I wasn't Australian and played the typical nationalist card.
jbinnie
Guest
Chopper - Pity you use a nom-de -plume for I suppose I may have met you somewhere, some time, in the past. You seem to be questioning the ability of Reserve teams and Academies to produce players ad lib ready to take over and that is exactly what I said to Lionheart, the young players being paraded before us week after week are ,in my opinion, not yet ready to grace a pitch with the top teams in the present A-League. I use the term "present" for it is also my opinion that the actual standard of football being played has slipped back, as I said in another letter, more exciting yes, more entertaining yes, but a higher standard of play- no. You may disagree of course but if you are as learned as you claim you cannot help but to see the increase in "bad passing" or "turnover " as it is now called, and that flaw in itself tends to create more exciting play as the ball goes from end to end ,but it does not signify an increase in standard. How else do you explain CCM's table position for the last 3 months, the fall from grace at Victory and Perth, and the sudden action from Sydney to get back two former goal getters. We all are aware of the effects of the pandemic this season but other sports are attracting big crowds now, while the football average seems to be stuck on 5,500, down from 9,500 just 12 months ago. Please explain. Cheers jb.
Chopper
Guest
JB I too have watched football all over the world as well as playing it, coaching and administering the code. It is unreasonable for us to expect any A League side to immediately produce ready made players for the A League in a quantum of numbers after all even the best of Premier League clubs cannot do that with one a year the most likely. Teams that try to push that boundary in the A League end up at the bottom of the pile as per CCM in previous years, Jets this year and possibly Adelaide (who are on a nasty slide). Experience with a blend of ages including youthful performers are an essential part of forming a good squad. In the Roar's case they are rebuilding from some disastrous years however they are improving and as one of the fans in the 2180 (after travelling from the Gold Coast) I can assure you that the potential is there. The game is a game of opinions and you have every right to sing the praises of Champness (even though my spouse calls him a show pony) I prefer DWH and I urge you to think more positively toward the Roar and their "optimistic" supporters instead of continually putting them down.
jbinnie
Guest
Chopper - I would be nice to say that the Roar academy and NPL league side are churning out players all ready for the A-league and I for one would be most pleased, for, I truly believe Brisbane should have a top A League side. But after having spent the last 50 years watching football all over the world I like to think I am fair minded enough to recognise whether a player has what it takes, to not only play in the league, but to survive. The stat concerning shots at goal are not in any way connected to whether a team is successful, the Italians proved that in the 1960's, what it does say to me is that the team having 38 shots in 90 minutes is having a high rate of possession and if you appreciate the basics of the game that team will, or should have ,a better chance of winning the game. Jamie Young has been performing as well as any keeper in the league so it wasn't just the posts that were saving goals being scored but for the sake of inches it could have been 5 or 6 -2 at half time. It wasn't ,as you say, but you will note I mentioned the first 25 minutes and Go-Go wasn't on the field at that time. You also mention the supporters and letting them enjoying the spectacle that Lionheart is talking about and I have dared to question. The last home game attracted 2,180 and compared to last season's average crowd of around 9,500 there are a lot of those self same supporters don't appear to agree with you. So Chopper, don't worry when you read my comments to Lionheart, we, him and I, do have many conversations but I prefer you read what I said when I wish there were another 10.000 like him. I don't think of him as wrong ,I simply question on what he bases all his hopes, for I don't see it on the field. Let you in on a secret before I go, I'm not alone in my thinking. Cheers jb.
chris
Guest
Hmm last time I looked/read they weren't lecturing me. Something you seem really good at! And then you retreat into the "oh you are quite the little authoritarian".
chris
Guest
You are the one who completely took what the author was trying to say out of context. You come in with deaths avoided and catastrophes averted. Its a football blog.
Philbert
Guest
Is Simon Hill not allowed to talk about the UK anymore? How about Kevin Rudd when he was living in the US? Forfeit his right to comment on Australia? Sometimes, it's just a bit too easy to pick fights with the simple.
Philbert
Guest
These existential hyperbolic comments will definitely get you that gig with a major employer.... Keep it up son! You'll make it one day.
Philbert
Guest
Yup. It is. You must love being some kind of authoritarian hero that denies Australians the right to talk about their country even though they don't live in it. There is a a word for it. Starts with B and rhymes with igot. Surprised you never ripped into Mike when he was contributing to this website while living in Japan and Germany....
Philbert
Guest
And if only a major paper could have you publish that.... Mediocrity in one's field must be so delightful. But wait, I bet you think writing for a major paper and permanent employment in the field would be "selling out", right?
Philbert
Guest
You live overseas but you are ok with commenting on our penchant (in Australia) for over zealous governance. Got you. I live overseas but I'm Australian. I thought as a citizen I'm entitled to comment on the government that issues my passport. Evidently not. For someone so against the cops, you are quite the little authoritarian yourself Chris - telling me when I can and can't say something....
Tekkers
Roar Rookie
Did they go over the top? yes definitely. Should they have been amongst the RBB? No. Should they have been standing in a line of stern? No. Like I said before they only care about the history of the RBB. They don't care what they are like now. I have seen the samething in Eastern Europe derbies on TV with the Police. (Croatia, Latvia, Estonia etc). It is what it is.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Went to Dolphin for the Nix game and it was the best atmosphere of any A-League game i've ever been to, any Roar fan thats wants to move back to Suncorp should not be allowed to renew there membership IMO also only saw 2 cops there the entire game, only thing that could be improved is the drainage of the pitch
Silvio Arratia
Guest
Is true that WSW are over policed I personally ask one of the police commander if every thing was ok and his answer was all good; Police have a very good relation with NRL with several policeman refereeing their games for many years and as everybody knows rugby league fears football , you can put two and two together , I do though believe some members of the RBB think that their entitled to have a behavior no proper in a place there is children of which we have thousands of them , we need the RBB but not above the Club after all that is what we follow and the players men and women.
Chopper
Guest
JB, forever the cup half empty. You have said many times on here that it doesn't matter how many shots you have but the ball in the onion bag is what matters. So City had three or four times the amount of shots that Brisbane had, irrelevant if they missed. This is not AFL where you get a point for missing as we also have goalkeepers that are paid to stop the ball going into the goal and as a very old supporter of the code you could reminisce about many of them. Back to the game, just prior to the third goal Glover saved a Gol Gol header quite brilliantly and created the "if" which combined with the controversy of the handball gives the unlikely result credence. It never happened I know, however it is what brings fans to games and gets them avidly supporting their teams. For all your so called history and knowledge of the game perhaps you should sit back and let them enjoy their dreams rather than correct them like a second rate school teacher. By the way If Brisbane Roar end up second in the A League will you still say there are none of them fit to pull on a sky blue shirt?
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
could be just me, i tend to rub coaches the wrong way with my views haha
chris
Guest
I have to disagree with you there Andy. He attended a junior coaching clinic at my club and he was really friendly and smiling and very affable.
chris
Guest
I'm quite aware of the procedures in voicing my opinions and concerns to my local mp. Thanks for the tip. It must be very satisfying providing advice on how to live in Australia when you don't actually live in Australia.
chris
Guest
You live overseas but you are ok with commenting on our penchant (in Australia) for over zealous governance. Got you.