When the NSL died a slow and painful death and the early murmurings of a new competition that would eventually become the A-League began to surface, I was probably one of the most passionate in support of the new and futuristic incarnation of Australian football.
I’ve written extensively in the past about how I was never welcomed into the NSL landscape; frustrated and infuriated as I was in the seemingly ethnically defined top tier of the game, I’d always dreamt of something better, something more inclusive and something with the potential to grow off the back of an audience that included the broader Australian public and not just a small gathering of people from the migrant groups that had injected passion into the Australian game after World War II.
When the modern A-League was born, I automatically became a Sydney FC fan. It seemed almost common sense for someone who had lived nowhere else in his 33 years on the planet.
Logic suggested the Sky Blues were to become a powerful club in the short term, with a mob down south in the form of the Melbourne Victory almost certain to be their biggest threat when it came to becoming the most influential club in the land.
History tells us that Sydney FC has indeed become the most successful club of the new and modern era.
Championship years of 2006, 2010, 2017, 2019 and 2020 sit the club clear of any other and only Melbourne Victory hold a candle to their successes.
With the biggest city in Australia providing such an enormous potential fan and financial market, the establishment of a second team was a fait accompli and the Western Sydney Wanderers were born via A-League investment and support in 2012.
From day one, many referred to them as the McWanderers, knowing full well that the bandwagon support they had drawn in the early years would most likely have been directed Sydney FC’s way had the masses assembling actually had any serious interest in football.
Along with many others, I’d always felt that as soon as things turned sour, the RBB and a vast majority of the folk streaming to games when Asian Champions League glory was nigh would desert the club as soon as tough and inevitable times hit.
(Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
History has proven such a view to be correct and Western Sydney currently pull near a quarter of the people through the gates as they once did.
Mind you, they are not alone, yet as a team with a solid tenure in a modern and state-of-the-art venue in the heart of the biggest city in Australia, they should be doing far better. Albeit, the football they are producing is consistently poor.
My passion for Sydney FC died around 2017, after a mountain of online abuse from Sky Blue fans was sent my way.
I’d become a travelling interstate supporter by that time and when the fanbase began seeing my articles appearing on various publications daring to call a spade a spade and not toe the party line, I became public enemy No.1.
As a travelling supporter, a trip to Adelaide become the last straw when one of the most influential members of Sydney’s active support group, The Cove, stood face to face with me during the first half of what eventually ended in a nil-all draw and instructed me to leave the active support area via the phrase, “F–k off, journo”.
Many of you might be considerably tougher than me and subsequently thought little of the exchange, yet I was deeply hurt, and gradually over the months that followed and after copping a few more barbs from additional Sydney FC fans determined to insult and vilify under the cloak of anonymity that is social media, I threw my numerous Sydney FC kits into the brazier around which my wife, children and I sit and consume toasted marshmallows each afternoon during the depths of winter.
Thus, the idea that the seemingly ever-present Sydney FC will not feature in the 2021-22 A-League finals pleases me greatly; equally as much as seeing the dysfunctional McWanderers off on yet another premature end-of-season trip.
I dislike both clubs for different reasons and will thoroughly enjoy watching the brilliant Mariners, gutsy Reds and resilient Phoenix take on the three Victorian teams that appear to have a leg up when it comes to claiming the 2021-22 championship without having to endure the inherent media bias that exists when it comes to the plight of Sydney FC.
Across the country, I’m sure there will be many others relishing the absence of the Sky Blues during this year’s finals.
Let’s hope it all comes to a fitting climax, that the eventual champions are crowned without reference to the five-time champs and that perhaps a new and sustained period of success might be beginning in a few centres that the A-League as a whole should well be pleased with.
For someone with an eye to the broader good of the game and the personal grudges I possess, this finals series is a breath of fresh air.
Grem
Roar Rookie
I wonder if some of the riot squad from Sydney FC and Wanderer's games could be sent to junior rugby league games in Penrith to stop the gang violence?
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
australia needs to make some tough choices moving forward after arnie leaves. no more, should players be chosen just on reputation eg ryan, mooy. when they dont play each week if theres a player performing better in the third tier in holland or 2nd tier in bulgaria then they need to start being taken into camps and friendlies to see how they cope in a national team environment. i have no doubt, theres several players who would have done a job for australia this WCQ campaign - unfortunately they dont get a look in
chris
Guest
Grem, no they aren't journalists. They are paid to tow the owners line (Murdoch) and so it's any wonder they have zero respect from the general population. Not worth the paper they are written on or the pixels they occupy. I'm not saying Stu copped the abuse because he's a journalist, but I'm sure it didn't help.
Punter
Roar Rookie
I can't really comment on Peter Makrillos and Anthony Kalik as I've not seen the only a little of Kalik & nothing of Makrillos. Jason Cumings, yes, one of the best players in the A-League, has a bit of x factor, hopefully he gets a run. Stefan Mauk, I have seen, nothing special, a good hard working professional, attacking midfielder for Australia NO, big fat one, No 8 for for Australia NO.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Are there any/many journalists anymore? I can't buy any newspapers because they're rubbish. Most free to air news is rubbish. And both those outlets are biased to the view of the rich owners.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
doesnt matter who the club is, if a player is performing they need to be getting selected for the NT - especially in a midfield that is not exactly settled ( i made the same argument of having other midfielders like peter makrillos and anthony kalik also selected soles on stats above the likes of jeggo etc etc) the point of camps and friendlies is try players and see how they work in a national team enviroment where they cant make several mistakes compared to aa club match one of my earlier works on here was about jason cummins, and the majority of people were against my views of bringing him into a camp, a friendly or even a WCQ camp. fast forward several months and the people who were against him being included, now want him included lol
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
kind of like the rage against the machine song, killing in the name of :)
Punter
Roar Rookie
If he was from any other club apart from Adelaide, despite his stats, you would not have been sprouting his name. You know your football, this I have never doubted, this was a bias call, he is a good solid hard working A-League player not an International player, does not have the skills, plain & simple, you know that, I know that, anyone with any semblance of football nous knows that.
chris
Guest
Good post bludger. People who lament the standard of football here are either not watching or are clueless. Or both.
chris
Guest
The current press pack that follow Albanese around like a bunch of hyenas give press a bad name for sure. These so called "journalists" are nothing more than paid stooges trying for "gotcha" moments from the Labor leader. I hope he wipes the floor with them next weekend.
chris
Guest
Hmm sure yes, you are critical of your own team etc. But through all of that there is this under current of an "east coast bias". So it doesn't matter how good (or how bad) your team is, its fighting against a system that doesn't allow you to excel.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
taking my friendship with the player out of the equation, he was statistically the best performing australian midfielder in not only the a league, but anywhere in the world last season besides several goals & several asssits he rated highly in several other stats -including getting into the box. he deserved a call up on his stats alone (much like peter makrillos) national team players should be picked on merit (not because theyre mates with the coach, like several of the current squad is with arnie.) if you're not playing and performing week in week out, you should never be chosen for the national team im not saying he would be the answer to the current midfield dilemma, but we will never know as australia doesnt do as many training camps and friendlies compared to other nations
Punter
Roar Rookie
Maybe it was Stefan Mauk for Socceroos that clouded my East Coast Bias.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Not really sure what the point of those stats are. Brimmer is a midfielder, as I said, his number of score involvements would be pretty high, probably the highest of the whole Victory team, and that's with what is a pretty ordinary bunch of attackers in front of him.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
i dont want to say much (because my opinion goes against the grain of most people) but the player is question has co-incidentally, recently received an 'honorary doctorate' from south australias best university but there's other players at the club, that fans havent got behind or there form this season has been woeful and warranted booing EG. ansell, timotheou, caletti, blackwood, tratt, d'arrigo
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
I had a great deal of time for Mark Kingsman. I wrote to him once, around the time Roar (read Aloisi) dropped Thomas Broich, with my thoughts on numerous club issues. He rang me and we spoke for nearly an hour, about Roar and what was involved in managing a professional football club. He could have binned my letter but he chose to give him his time. He was very sincere. Also have spoken to some of the staff in the car hire company he managed, Australia wide. They loved him.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
MV suffer from bad finishing so that means everyones score involvement suffers when the opportunities are missed. Folami while his end of season hasnt matched the start he did a lot of good lead work only to see the finish fluffed by others. From what I have seen Brimmer has had a lot of good scoring opportunities and he has only scored 1 goal from open play. Thats confirmed by this list and the others have more goals from open play. Of course Brimmer has had the most game time of MV attacking players and also shoots from distance a bit. DAgastino is not a bad shooter its actually his first touch and lack of control this season which is the biggest problem. J. Maclaren Melbourne City FC 76 Daniel Penha Newcastle Jets FC 60 B. Mikeltadze Newcastle Jets FC 57 A. Prijović Western United FC 56 Glenville Adam James Le Fondre Sydney FC 48 C. Goodwin Adelaide United FC 45 M. Ureña Central Coast Mariners FC 45 B. Fornaroli Perth Glory FC 42 J. Cummings Central Coast Mariners FC 42 Jake William Brimmer Melbourne Victory FC 40 Penha not only shoots a lot from distance he shoots no matter how many players he has in front of him so of the 60, I would say half would have rebounded off someone a few meters in front of him. Mclaren and Mikeltadze they have had a lot of opportunities in good positions, their finishing hasn't been that good compared to the opportunities. Prijovic I would assume its that high because he does get his head onto a lot of contested balls in the area. La Fondre hasn't been starved of opportunities. Urena 1 pen and Cummins 2pen not the best finishers. Leckie, Nkolo, Davila are ones who have finished well despite not as many opportunities particularly Davila . Would like to know Kuol shot percentage its must be incredibly high.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
You don't get it, you are not really listening to the account of a long period of abuse. That's okay. I don't mind, but every question above is flawed somewhat in its execution.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Junior NRL games may not be able to go ahead in the Penrith area because of gang violence that may occur. Thank goodness this isn't happening at football games because then it would be a huge problem and would feature in all media outlets.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
A bit over the top. You too could just let it go. That's his personal experience, it's not necessary for anyone to take affront or try and argue the toss on it. I admit, I don't really get it either, not sure the start of a finals campaign is the time to write such an account, but...I don't think it's worth adding fuel to the fire either.