Was at the “Brisbane” stadium last night for the Matildas game.
Over 49K through the turnstiles and a great turnout with a poor result for the green and gold. Not my point however.
Not being Australian, i look at this from an outsiders perspective and it seems that every code has complete and utter disdain for one another at the highest levels.

I stress this in advance for the minutiae warriors who do so love these boards, I am writing my opinion here. I would have liked to write this as a piece itself, but i don’t have all the facts to hand and have no internal relationships with any code to allow me to gain further knowlegde. so with that said….Apologies in advance.

The Matildas were playing arguably their biggest ever game on home soil with a chance to progress to the second round of a world cup that is being hosted here (and NZ).
Many other countries (my own former home of Scotland included) would have a game of that magnitude as the only thing going on so that the whole country has the opportunity to attend / watch in homes-bars-purpose built venues for such an occasion.
But it seems National pride in the football (Soccer) team and the country’s performance on the world stage is so off the radar of some, that the NRL decides to not only schedule a game for their women’s competition on the same night…they hold it in the same city 4km away.
Women’s sport has worked so hard to just get to where it is now and has the opportunities to allow it to grow even further, yet there are still some who treat others sporting codes as a threat.
It would have been bad enough having a men’s game being played ( both NRL and AFL rounds kick off tonight instead, well done there at least) but to have another women’s game being played in a different sport in the same place at the same time, taking eyes away from one or the other through inability to attend one or the other for sports fans or taking TV viewers away from one or the other is at best negligent and at worst ignorant.
Being a local derby between the Broncos and the Titans it also would also have affected the attendances as well perhaps with a number of fans already committed to one or other events and unable to support their chosen teams (assuming that there are maybe, just maybe, some people who enjoy watching more than one sport).
Is the sporting calendar really that chocked that they couldn’t have moved the NRLW game to another day or at the very very least another state.
Maybe I’m the one in the wrong and no one really does care that much. in which case, I apologise for making this so long and you have probably stopped reading by now.

Come on sport…..you can do much better than this.

Too true TK. A job that you used to love doing, but now you do it because you’ve forgotten what it’s like to not do it.

I take my hat off to Stuart (Good read, thank you) and all the other article writers on here.
I also take my hat off to every commenter here too, be they infuriating, reasoned, retaliatory or just down right deliberately inflammatory for effect on this site and others like it.

The fact that the likes of Stuart and the others write articles and we all comment shows one fundamental connection. CARE.

We care about this game.

It sometimes feels as though the people in positions of power and influence, have forgotten to do that. In some cases, it really feels like they never had any care in any way shape or form for the game from the off.

From an outsider who is tired of trying to dig deep into every agenda on a minute to minute basis anymore for reason that are not required, it feels like there is no willingness to collaborate and move forward but rather what we have now which seems to be no more than school playground stuff of I’m going to win or if I can’t I’m going to make sure he loses as I’ll enjoy that just as much.

Would it be good to think that football was the central focus once again and that we could all move forward as one for the benefit of the game? (team allegiances aside of course! That’s everyone’s prerogative. Got to have a team apparently (at least those who are left))

As I ride off over the rainbow on my unicorn as WAR sings me on my way “Why Can’t we be friends? Why can’t we be friends?”

Of course, if it was the playground, the teacher could just put a spike through the ball and that would be the end of it!

Don’t stop caring people…one day someone might actually realise that we’re here.

I moved to Australia over 8 years ago now and since then I have probably been a more active fan (going to games) than I ever was in the UK, that being said I’m probably a more enthusiastic fan of my hometown team back there now than I was there too.

So growing up I have only really experienced a league set up where everyone plays everyone home and away (and home and away again in Scotland) (until stupidity created the “split”) and at the end of that, who ever is top of the league table is the winner.

Moving over here and seeing Football, AFL and Rugby League have their more prized accolade played for by the top 6-8 teams has always been a struggle for me to get my head around, and always will.

There doesn’t really seem to be much of a fanfare for the top of the ladder at the end of the regular season here as it’s all really a preamble to where everyone wants to be and be seen.

I have a mate who has never been to 1 regular season game of A league, but has been to almost every home final and has attended every GF at Lang Park.

The codes hierarchy just love an event and it is what it is.

My personal preference comes with an outrageous amount of ifs and hope, but here goes. Personally I would prefer to see in the medium term a 14 team league (no details, and nothing to back it up sorry to all the OCD detail heads on these forums) with a full home and away season of 23 games (13 Home games as is currently the case every other year for each team). End of the season, top of the league is overall winners……finish.

BUT run the FFA cup through the season rather than almost the feeling of a mostly pre season cup with only the last few rounds within the season (could make that a league cup if it’s still enthusiastically supported on an ongoing basis and still have that final in the middle of the league season) and have a cup final the week after the end of the season.
An extra 4 or 5 fixtures for the a league clubs perhaps? (speculation) which would could be scheduled for one weekend a month if the finals series is no longer a factor and could mean minimal or no elongation of a season which is already overlapping GFs of other codes on one side and season starts on the other.
Quaint old country folks like me always hanker for the old times.

But ultimately, finals are how it’s done down here and it’s what happens, so there is no real point in outwardly wailing and gnashing the teeth at it’s relative merits or otherwise. And there is no denying the stuck on barnacles of supporters and the event attenders do make a phenomenal atmosphere for a final. Would be nice not to mortgage my house for a ticket mind you.

I said my piece and have made my peace.

All hail the loo seat and hopefully one day, a team who finish in the bottom half will be A-league finals champions.

Apologies in advance, for typos, factual errors, and incorrect useage of terms. I’m Scottish, (nuff said)

Good luck to all teams playing this weekend

Mattq,

Have to agree. JA had said at a press conference after the WSW game that he ultimately was going to prioritise the A-league finals over the ACL.

Having lost one Keeper late in the prelim final and being forced into a change to our other fit senior team keeper (having watched him warm up and warm down from my vantage point at Suncorp week in and week out I would say possibly the hardest working reserve Goalie in world football!), there has to be a question asked about the decision to play him in the ACL.

Along with DeVere ( Arguably our best defender central or otherwise) playing 55 mins and Broich (a man who sat and watched the WSW penalty shoot out with ice packs on BOTH thighs!) going just over an hour, a trio of players who would be probably considered shoe ins for starting line up on Sunday.

Was there really no one else? is there some sort of pre-requisite of first team senior players that need to be fielded for an ACL game.

I am at a loss as to why these players travelled to Thailand let alone played.

If you are down to one keeper, would you not think of playing the 19yr old Bilic from the start over there, to give him some game time and experience and if you have to send Jamie as a back up as worst case scenario?

Is JA trying to wring the maximum out of Broich before he leaves at the end of the season?

But then again, I am only a humble layman, JA is the manager, he must have factored in fielding a 36 year old for his 4th game in 14 days knowing that he’ll be making it 5 in 19.

Good luck to all 4 teams this weekend.

Andrew,
As you rightly acknowledge, it’s not for everyone. I guess it does help being a fitba tragic….
But in Football there is much to admire and deem worthy of interest in many leagues across the world.
Yes by any standard you hold the Scottish league to, Celtic are a significant distance ahead, Points, Goal Difference, Revenue, Attendances, you name it they boss it.
They are currently unbeaten through domestic competition for the season 16/17 and their aim will of course be the domestic treble. It would only be an eternal optimist and aforementioned Tragic that would potentially contemplate a loss for the hoops this season.
However, in the words of the late Spurs legend Jimmy Greaves, “Football’s a funny old game”.
Week in week out, those not of a green and white persuasion look on to see if this week is the week that the crown slips just for a second. Teams have put themselves in a fantastic position to do the rest of the league a favour and show that the ‘Tic are human, only for Brendan Rodgers’ charges to find a way to turn the spectre of defeat into a draw or in some occasions push hard to the 6th minute of injury time and snatch an unlikely victory from the proverbial jaws.
In much the same way as the football watching public of Australia checked the results of Brisbane Roar to see when their unbeaten run would end. Or who would be the team to topple the Arsenal “Invincibles”, or could AC Milan go two season unbeaten? Would Juventus complete the season with 0 in the loss column.
In terms of previous financial dealings in the Scottish league (focussing mainly from around 1988-1990 onwards) only two teams have really had any money and even though one of those clubs has been down and back up due to irregularities (and depending on who you talk to they may not even be the same team but that’s for another post in another lifetime) these two teams still command the top two positions in the Scottish firmament for wage bills.
Aberdeen come in a very distant third with Heart of Midlothian Fourth.
The ability of Brendan Rodgers to come in and have a war chest to buy players like Scott Sinclair and Eboue Kouassi and have the draw to bring Moussa Dembele up to Glasgow, could never be replicated in the current financial climate for any other team outside of the “old” firm.
At roughly 3 times the average wage for a Celtic Player compared to that of Rangers and (only had a quick look so the figures are old on this and I would suggest with the new charges coming in to Celtic that the gulf may even have widened) and 6.5 times compared to Aberdeen, it’s always going to be incredibly difficult to stay with a side over the course of a season.
The rest of the teams trickle down to around 20 times the difference in average salaries and this is just in the top league and generally, this means that most outside the big two rely on a core of quality players with an influx of loan deals.
Having lost and incredibly talented Loan prospect in the January Window, Aberdeen are back to basically the squad that finished last season, which should hopefully give them a cohesion to kick on and try and make second theirs, ahead of the richer blue side of Glasgow (equal on points with a game in hand and a goal difference that the dons haven’t had in what seems like forever). Though based on the first outing for Hearts new signings in the last week, they look like they have some interesting new weapons at their disposal.
That’s not to say that there haven’t been a few squeaky bum moments in the recent past for the top club with Aberdeen having 4 chances last season to close on the champions and push an advantage home only for some bad luck and some poor concentration to put pay to the title tilt on each occasion. Not many of the dons had been in that position before and the experience of Celtic shone through at the pointy end of the season.
Celtic have improved significantly under the tenure of Rodgers however and the mistakes and complacency of last season have for the most part been eradicated hence a 27 point gulf to the rest.
I would also suggest that disparaging eyes cast over the Scottish game would be a disservice to some very capable Australian Players past and present.
Of course everyone is raving about the performances currently of one Tomas Petar Rogic. But perhaps is not being challenged each week in a lower quality “unfashionable” league?
Other noteworthy mentions who have played at some stage in their career in Scotland include, Craig Moore, Tony Vidmar, Mark Viduka, Ryan McGowan, Patrick Kisnorbo, Scott McDonald, Daniel Mcbreen, Rostyn Griffiths, Erik Paartalu, a shy retiring Wallflower by the name of Kevin Muscat, some bloke by the name of Aaron Mooy??? Oh, and SBS’ very own David Zdrillic, who even though I’ve never heard him refer to it is still fondly remembered in the North East of Scotland for his season at the Dons.
Perth Glory and Wellington Phoenix fans may also remember the flambouyant Ivorian Eugene Dadi who spent some time at both Aberdeen and Livingston.
Of course it’s not all been one way traffic Scotland has provided several players, particularly in the early phase of the A league. Grant Brebner was part of two Double winning Victory teams, Charlie Miller, Stephen McGarry, Ian Ferguson, Stewart Petrie, Scott Gemmill and…er..Bob Malcolm..Actually based on that last one, perhaps Scotland may have done better out of the hands across the sea.
Long live the tragics, COYR, and here’s to watching football (and all sports) for the love of the game and the wonderful moments it gives us at every level.

Many pertinent issues being raised from this topic. Mike, as always an excellent conversation starter.
Something to be talked about over hot and cold beverages for the remainder of the season and beyond.
It is something that gets spoken of intermittently among the small band that I attend Roar games with. I have been very fortunate to luck into a few football pals who love the game enough to get season tickets with me for the last 3 years and have gone to a majority of the games in the 3 years previous to that.
I can’t claim die hard status of some of the distinguished luminaries that populate this and other comment sections as, being an incomer from the frozen tundra of Scotland I did not arrive until a few years after A League Ground Zero.
The others I go with are all Australian. We all have our overseas teams we support but we are all Roar from kick off to final whistle.
Having played Football at school and coming from Aberdeen ( and growing up during the era of the greatest success in the club’s history) I have a love of watching the game.
It does not preclude me from other sports. I played Rugby (Union) at Secondary School (and still love to watch that even though it can on many occasions bear no resemblance to the game I played).
If it is on (not that I have any paid subscription TV packages) and I’m allowed to (I’m out gunned two to one by the ladies of the house) I would watch most sports WNBL/Athletics/NRL/AFL.. Can’t ride a bike and love the Tour de France. Have watched, American Football since The season of Superbowl 18, NBA since around the same time etc etc.
Rugby league was not as prevalent on TV in the UK other than the Challenge cup back in the day but I would watch that too.
The point I’m trying to make is, that there has been a lot of talk here about the quality of the product. Yes, it may not be as good as EPL, It may not have the 100mph pinball nature of the stuff I grew up watching (who can blame them in the prevailing climate). But it is sport. I watch it because I enjoy it. I was never good enough to have played anything professionally (Golf would have been the closest I could have got) but Sport is a polarising/inclusive/infuriating part of life that I would watch in outer Mongolia / Brisbane / Mexico, wherever I might be.
In many of the roar games this season there have been off the ball runs, passes picked out (or not quite) tackles, goals that would be quite at home in other leagues ( Some better leagues and let’s be honest, in some cases that could quite easily be an under 7s league (apologies to under 7’s as this may be a disservice also)).
So whether it’s good bad or just plain ugly, I’ll be there.
It would be nice to get 15,000 even 20,000 as an average gate for the season, and that is eminently achievable with some push from the club and the A league as a whole.
Brisbane has a lot of fairweather fans ( I know the ultimate one who has never been to a regular season game but has been to 1 semi and all the GFs) and when the meaningful games swing round, the gates ramp to at least 25 odd thousand, and the GFs are quite literally almost standing room only!
But there is much less care for the way that a team gets there, on the whole. (A sweeping generalisation that will no doubt have the professional commenters and /Brisbane natives reaching for their Pitchforks and Torches. Apologies if you feel this is not the case)
I have read the posts on this topic in the comments and I apologise if I have glossed over someone else’s point, but does anyone else think that a home fixture laden run in to the end of the season affects the average attendances as well? Especially the likes of Friday games.
I’m not going to swear gospel on this, but I believe we have had 4-5 of the last 6 or 7 games of the season at home for the last 4 years. and last years with the congestion due to other teams commitments etc we ended up with something like 7 of the last 10. I seem to remember being at Suncorp about 5 times in the space of three weeks.
Now, being that there are a lot of fairweather supporters in the city, whose first sport is decidedly not Football, is there a correlation between the drop off in attendances lowering the average toward the end of the season, when fans potentially may have to attend possibly on 4 of 5 weekends consecutively, but also other codes have started their seasons and now choice have to be made as to what to attend on a weekend?
I look at this from a purely Brisbane centric point of view as I don’t pay much attention to other teams fixtures in their entirety. But it seems that Brisbane has a sensible start to a season, then we can go weeks without a home game. This year was exacerbated by the excellently inclusive regional game in Cairns. It was about 4 weeks without a home game at Suncorp.
I believe that the success of that Cairns game should allow for more inclusive Queensland engagement, Maybe Birdsville could be next years fixture.
Having the comments on this subject up around 160 and a large percentage discussing local engagement, would it not be better to concentrate the effort on the 2.5 mill available in the vicinity of our current home?
I await the lambasting of my flippancy with baited breath.
A little more forgiveness and willingness from the general population. continued enthusiasm of the current attendees, some better connection in anyway shape or form from the club to the area (rather than come and see the Roar play in the ACL on a billboard at the airport, you know that’s where all Brisbanites love to hang out though so smart marketing there) and some common sense through the HAL and FFA.
We all love sport (this sport in particular). So let’s see what happens and see you all on Saturday.

ClarkeG

I did say Scotland would find an even more extravagant way of snatching that defeat didn’t I?

Ha ha

Jcr

Thanks for your comment, Brisbane Boy also.

The piece started off as a bit of a comment on another thread. but meandered to something a little longer.

In the middle I do address the issue of the respect. And I absolutely agree with you both on this issue. There should be some cooler heads now that the pressure valves have been reset.

During my playing days (however mediocre they may have been), It was always Sir when referring to the referee, and I do not believe that this has changed. Indeed, in the article, prior to it’s editing by THE ROAR, I refer to Craig Joubert as Mr Joubert wherever you now see only his surname. I felt it was important to the piece to show respect in that way despite the fire he has come under.

Respect is also a two way street and if it is given by the players, I would expect it to be shown by officials also. and therein I disagree with the action of leaving the field immediately. But, we will never know the exact circumstances of that either, so no point in dwelling anymore.

Perhaps, in the cold light (though being a Scot living in Queensland I find that to be somewhat of an oxymoron) of the days since and those following, some people will look at themselves, review and improve.

Obviously only until the next time of course.

Thanks for the support Nick.

It was written from a point of view of mild catharsis I think. Seems that for a few, the war still rages. On both sides.

But I hope that even through the most one eyed view points (and neutral perspectives of course) that it raised a smile or entertained in some way.

Luke,

Appreciate the comment.

The statement of ownership of the decision was purely a personal (though possibly National) suggestion rather than an irate demand.
If it reads differently then that is purely from a lack of focus from the author (me)

Of course it is entirely the right of any referee to make those calls and not have to explain. And we as participants (be it players, former players, Ardent or fairweather fans) accept that stance regardless of the fury that it fills us with.

Sport is a wonderful and polarising facet of shared experience, and I for one will continue to watch with avid interest whatever sport whenever I have an opportunity. Despite the knocks and bumps.

By The same rationale Denis Law should have been dong backflips the length of the pitch when his backheel goal relegated united in 1974when he moved across town to Manchester City.

Law is arguaby a bigger legend at Manchester United than the prolific portuguese and he till maintains that that moment haunts him to this day.

Special players that move on, never ever give less than the best on the occasions when they return to places where they have had such success and been held in such high regard.

Ronaldo learned the game there, even learned to stay on his feet a little more too. It is as a direct result of his time under Fergie and playing, training and living alongside such proessionals as the likes of Giggs, Scholes and Butt, that he has become the player he is today scoring 18 goals in his last 18 Champions league game.

The respect he showed folowing the goal on Tuesday has increased his standing in world football in my opinion.

Wouldn’t necesarily agree that theis article is rubbish as everyone has the right to an opinion, cotroversial or otherwise.

It is perhaps more pertinent that respect shown on such occasions as this is magnified by the nature that it is not as prevalent as once was the case. It’s a different game to the one a lot of us grew up watching and the evolution in some cases has not been a good one.

I applaud these moments of poignancy and reflection in a world where they are a rare commodity

Many thanks for the feedback.

Seeing as it has been mentioned several times now. I whole heartedly apologise for my lack of comprehension and indiscreet use of the word “minor”.

The game is tonight at the New I_mobile stadium in Burarim , Thailand.

Good digging Doc,

I didn’t realise that this was the case.

Going onto the AFC Cup pages of the AFC websiteof th though, it appears that all the spots in the group stages are already taken up, wih no spaces made for Buriram/ Brisbane.

I wonder how much publicity the Brisbane Roars participation in either will get over here.

Hope that David Gallop will be making mention of the fact that one of the A league teams is playing a crucial ACL qualifying match today during his ammouncement.

nice that almost no one is now paying any attention to this game having managed to create an away tie from a home one and now burying it even further with a major announcement on the day.

Great progress and I’m all for it.

Just one day of difference in the announcement would have been more respectful rather than seemingly making Burarim United v Brisbane Roar an even dirtier little secret that no one wants to talk about.

Nice to see a much needed cup ompetiion coming a step closer

Seem to remember that Ben Buckley stated that there would be a cup compettion this year.

Another bare faced lie from the former CEO?

Agree with Bondy that the Premier’s Plate is most important.

Being an incomer from Europe (apologies), I’ve never qute grasped the concept of being champions when finishing 6th. That’s despite being scooped up in the moment of he previous two grand final wins from Brisbane Roar.

I look forward to CCM’s next crack at the ACL group stages.

And despite the fact that the Roar and all connections seem to have been trying everything they possibly can to all of their advantage to the opposition, they silldo have a chance to join the ranks of te last 32 with a win in Thaiand tomorrow.

The fact that Brisbane is still in the competition has been widely avoided by pretty much all media that i have seen in the last 3 months. I bow in defference to those more knowledgable than myself on the coverage of this and will gladly admit i’m worng if this i not the case, but for a country who’s sport and teams are sacred to it, itfeels like a pretty poor effort all round.