In terms of pure spectacle it’s equal of any game that happened anywhere in the world and A-League often has that.

You can’t force that though, what a-league has a big issue with is stadiums.

Out there in the wilderness (Brisbane) there’s just no enough hardcore punters around to fill out that stadium week in week out, that’s not saying there’s anything wrong with the Roar or it’s supporters it would just be ample if they had a stadium that maxed out at about 30k less seats.

If the roar had that then that match would sure like a less dour affair than it seemed, it’d also probably help the roar as a smaller stadium would make it feel more like a home game than an exhibition match.

One of the issues much complained about is the lack of ambition shown by A-League club owners.

And I think that’s the real issue, Roar and Wellington should be trying to move heaven and earth to get themselves suitable stadia arrangements because their cavernous abodes are a huge problem for the league.

Nah mate there’s nothing to show for it, as a Brisbane fan, I’m glad we didn’t end up with Tippett and Franklin wouldn’t have done our team any good either.

At the time yeah they looked good for about 3 seasons now you’re stuck with Franklin who’s too old and injury prone and Tippett who’s retired but still on your list wasting cap space.

The Lions talent spotting/wheeling and dealing on the other hand since the 2013 crisis AGM has been almost second to none (who wouldn’t want Cameron, Neale, McCarthy, Hodge, etc) there’s been nothing high profile but we’ve managed to get ourselves to a window with cap space to spare.

Ultimately the Franklin trade backfired and didn’t yield anything, the team you traded with won 3 more premierships you won nothing.

How can you be happy with that since now you’re stuck with Franklin and Tippett?

Won’t be surprised if/when Sydney loses some of these kids they’ve got running around for them when they realise they won’t be getting pay rises at all.

“world’s best-located club”

This is the most contentious issue out of all of the things you just said.

Thanks for the responses lads, not sure why this took soo many days for the Roar to publish it, submitted the morning after.

I wouldn’t care if Juventus brought it’s best team here at the end of the day it’s just a glorified practice match.

I am a ‘rusted on’ Melbourne Victory supporter and I couldn’t care less about these games, it’s not for me it’s for the eurosnob that doesn’t really like football and doesn’t entirely understand the machinations of football.

But there’s the thing, people are going learn about football and what it’s really like at some point, every super star they’ve ever heard of started somewhere else 99% of the time.

The players that are probably going to wind up at in the future Juve are currently playing at US Sassuolo right now.

But let’s face it nobody in Australia who likes Juve would be interested in Sassuolo let alone Juve’s youth team.

First of all I’m going to say I love basketball and truly do hope to see it’s revival in Australia.

The next thing I’m going to say is, I love football much more and can only see brighter days ahead for the code I love more than any other.

When both MVFC and SFC are breaking membership records in this season of all seasons with the issues we’ve had leading up to it you can’t honestly see it slowing down anytime soon.

The thing about football that most non football fans don’t understand is that the horse hasn’t just bolted it’s done three laps had a snooze and bolted again.

In 2016 it’ll be the 10th anniversary of the first time that Melbourne Victory first drew over 40,000 ten years on and we’re still doing that only on a much more consistent basis but I don’t think that statement may have sunk in so I’m going to say it again…

2016 will be the 10th anniversary of the first time we drew 50,000 to a game.

If you think it’s only ‘a bubble’ like the NBL had way back in a what? 3 year period in the early nineties maybe you should think about that.

Just one thing, I’m not really all that familiar with the intricacies of TV deals but wouldn’t added competition drive up the need for added content on networks thus giving the FFA greater power at the bargining table?

It’s a nice thought however reality is that it could take decades until such a thing occurs, no doubt it’s the dream scenario (if it’s not happening to your a-league club) but the realist in me says that no one in a-league wants to be the next WSW let alone ne part of something even more embarrassing.

But you never know.

Tinkler yet another billionaire with ‘bigger fish to fry’ so to speak.

My article wasn’t all about BR it actually did reference Tinkler as well as Palmer as failed club owners.

It makes me wonder why people don’t read things properly.

My aim was to point out that being a successful wealthy businessman isn’t the perfect prerequisite that the FFA seems to believe that it is.

It’s quite simple while the Bakrie Group are losing billions of dollars they’re not going to be thinking “Oh dear Brisbane’s losing $2.5 mil a year playing at Suncorp Stadium we’d better do something about that” nope sorry BR is a horrible little excess in the greater scheme of things, hence why wages that should be subsidized by the aforementioned TV deal are not being paid.

You can recive $1.5 mil but that means shit all when you’re losing $2.5 for the franchise and $9 billion from the failing coal market.

I don’t think it’s quite that simple, with A-League it really stands out, the clangers just keep happening.

The major difference between EPL and A-League (in regards to the topic) is that EPL a mistake will happen and then the issue dies down for a month or more before it comes up again with A-League it’s more or less a fortnightly occurrence and to double that for Strebre with Melbourne there’s history plus overall we’ve copped the dirty end a crucial moments several times this season thus why right now it’s a major issue.

And I don’t think it’s as simple as “throwing money at it won’t fix it” because it’s wouldn’t simply a matter of throwing money at it.

Professionalism would be much more than that.

Ben and Strebre and Lucian and co would be proper refs paid to know the game and the rules and scenarios inside and out, mistakes will still happen likely they’ll happen less.

It was Nabbout he got contact and embellished it to win the penalty, it was a lot harder to tell imo because the Perth player did actually jump into Nabbout only that the moment he felt it he went down.

Imo a really tough call that the ref got wrong.

I agree that refs should maybe leave the really contentious decisions alone, I felt Strebre did that when Antonis and Leijer came together as I personally thought it was more unintentional on both players behalf than SFC fans would probably like us to think.

As for handballs I though the referee in the WSW v NJ match did a great job at identifying both penalties in my mind they were both clear cut decisions of the ball striking an arm away from the body personally I don’t care how the ball got to the arm, if the arm is away from the body like it was in both scenarios it’s a clear as day penalty.

I’m pretty sure you’re referencing the Nabbout penalty right after Smeltz blazed over the bar from the spot.

I’ll admit it was contentious but also much more ambiguous.

But as I said I’m not really here to argue tit for tat, we’ve all at one time or another copped the dirty end of the stick when it comes to the referees.

I’m sure any fan could probably list 2 or 3 occasions.

Considering I wrote that opinion before Atheti went and smashed Madrid I think I deserve a little leeway…

Lol, nah you’re missing and simultaneously making my point at the same time, which is to say I’m not here to argue who’s best.

As I’ve pointed out and as you’ve proven with your wonderful timing in football there is no single aspect to the game which can’t be called definitively ‘the best’ there is in the game.

Athleti beat Madrid by being physical therefore you could argue that in that single crucial aspect of the game they are the worlds best team.

We should all watch only them.

Personally I think it’s just getting bigger and there’s more eyes watching.

Yes this season maybe more than others the refereeing has probably had a bit more of a shocker but I personally don’t think it’s significantly more just more noticed.

If you went back 5-6 years the reffing was still crap and I think that because the game has advanced so far in that space of time people expect that the officiating would go with it.

Look you either miss or are not paying complete attention to the points I’ve made so I’ll spell it out for you.

England is not good at developing English players, they are not as good at that as Germany, Italy, Brazil, France, Argentina and Spain just to note a few.

That makes English football and it’s league inferior in that aspect.

How do I know this?

Germany, Spain, Italy.

Last three World Cup winners.

Argentina, Holland, France.

Last three World Cup runners up.

Spain, Spain, Greece.

Last three Euro Champions.

Italy, Germany, Portugal

Last three Euro runners up.

Last ten Champions League.

Spain 4
England 3
Italy 2
Germany 1

See
English teams = good
English Player = not good.

So what does that suggest about EPL?

Well it’s main concern is to buy up the best Belgium, Neatherlands, French, German, Italian, Australian, South Korean, Japanese, American talent.

Meaning it’s not very good at developing it’s own players something that has been identified as a massive flaw for England and English footballers.

Is it the best at winning Champions League?

No, Spain is.

“2. Many countries don’t have access to Pay-Tv or free-to-air coverage of the EPL, La liga etc… Therefore they know no better. Once you have tasted the best, it’s hard to go back my friend. However, if you know no better; then you will never know what you are missing out on.”

This is simply not true my friend, most nations on the planet now have EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga etc etc etc

Does that stop the people of Holland, Croatia, Chile, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Japan, Korea, Russia, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Scotland etc etc from getting behind their local leagues?

Not in the slightest.

In Australia many people who started with European football are now supporting A-League clubs.

I supported Liverpool, before MVFC was even conceived of, from the treble in 01.

Did you watch the Melbourne/Sydney game?

Well obviously unlikely…

The game was a classic (second between the two rivals this season) two of the Melbourne goals were first class as good as any goals you can see in Europe, our defense is admittedly ‘second rate’ but our attack is something to behold.

You also get the wrong idea about what I ‘prefer’ to watch, that doesn’t mean I don’t like the football on display during a Madrid or Barca or City or any EPL/La Liga game in that aspect I prefer watching those leagues so what point am I making about La Liga and to some extent EPL?

When I generally know who’s going to win before the game even starts makes the game I’m watching feel hollow.

Overall I just find your reasoning to be flawed, I don’t blame you for watching the best, I simply think what you personally judge as best and the manner in which you do that is rather shallow.

You put EPL and England on too much of a pedestal as I’ve pointed out in many ways England is flawed, not in an entirely bad way and certainly not for… Well lets face it in that aspect you and I are more neutrals than true partisans (as in an Englishman might understand the frustration of what I’m pointing out more than you).

I’m hardly what you could refer to as an ‘elitest’ I quite simply just love football more than any other sport and I’m watching it every single moment, I’m watching La Liga (Madrid) right as I’m writing this.

As for your MLB/NFL/NBA/AFL/NRL arguments, they’re all moot points, you can’t compare such things to football such is the sheer enormity of football, there truly is NO SUCH THING AS BEST there is only best at any given time THERE ARE NO ABSOLUTES, NO CERTAINTIES.

Currently Australia is unquestionably the ‘best’ football nation in Asia…

Currently, that doesn’t mean in a years/decades/centuries time we’re going to still be the best.

It’s the same world over and it has been throughout the history of football. Europe hasn’t historically dominated world football that title is arguably shared (and some will even say belongs) with South America.

All those American/Australian sports leagues are unquestionably the best at their given sport and have always been the best and will likely always be the best.

Football quite simply is not, has never been and never will be anywhere near that definable, quantifiable and unquestionable.

Did you see my argument about Madrid?

It got shot down, it can be questioned, it is not definitive, it’s certainly only temporary.

People once upon a time said we’d never be competitive against Asian opposition…

It’s all a fallacy.

As I exemplified with Argentina and for that matter Brazil and what’s happening in Asia, the possibility of improvement, the possibility to rise up is entirely possible regardless of money.

Is Australia winning a World Cup possible?

My answer… Absolutely, it only takes the development of 40 maybe 50 really good players, you don’t even need the worlds best player!

How far away is that?

Closer than we were before.

Lastly and finally to exemplify why I think you really don’t have any clue about football…

“1. England invented football at the height of their powers and therefore was able to proliferate the game world wide due to it’s vast Empire.”

No.

Whilst I don’t completely disagree Simon I also don’t blame the AFL or the clubs for wanting to give their fans a nudge.

I say this because I believe most AFL supporters don’t understand the realities and meaning of football supportership.

Most quite simply see it as something that fills in gaps between goals because of boredom.

Whereas if you ask any football supporter (or player for that matter) and they’ll tell you it is in the interest of driving and encouraging the team while intimidating and thwarting the opposition.

This is a concept that is lost on most AFL fans.

Barry.

Nope, in all honesty I’m exactly the same except on the otherside of the coin, like anyone I make predictions etc

If you asked me before Asian Cup I would have told you I thought we were an outside chance but certainly not favorites.

But certainly I know we’re on a a path as a footballing nation, we have a national curriculum (Foster likes to remind everyone of it), we have direction.

I didn’t doubt that we are going places I just didn’t think we’d arrive anywhere so soon.

Which is the point I’m making, there’s so much going on, modernization of facilities, greater coaching opportunities, a more focused path for player development, more money than ever being injected and all this seems to be occurring more and more rapidly.

I look at a nations like Argentina and Japan and I think we can reach the same heights and I’m not shy of expressing that thought.

Argentina a nation that doesn’t have a great deal of global awareness, you know the basics (Boca, River Plate etc, but San Lorenzo?) but in reality most people myself included don’t really know a great deal about it other than that they’re able to develop some pretty decent footballers.

Look at it like this, with less money, less global awareness an inability to compete with Europe financially and all that, Argentina are still able to finish second in the World Cup, Second in the Club World Cup and win their Continental Cup.

That’s pretty impressive for a nation that should theoretically be inferior to Europe.

Japan, has more than we do (Korea too fwiw) they are lavished by European and South American leagues who use Japan to develop coaches, to send young players to develop and invest hundreds of thousands of dollars there doing it.

Do you think after the statement we just made there’s not going to be more of that here?

We just beat them with a financially inferior system that is based around developing young Australians with less.

The Gulf Mancs showed up in Melbourne before the Asian Cup and just the other day Everton entered into an agreement with CCM…

Foreign investment is on it’s way in a big way, that and we’re looking to renegotiate the TV deal in a years time in what’s expected to cover two to four new teams.

I only base my thoughts on what I see as trends, I look more at J. League and MLS as comparisions with A-League and I base a lot of my theories and arguments on what has occurred in those countries over some despairing ‘worries me’ kind of attitude.

It’s all happening in Australia quicker and faster and as far as I see it only 1/40th of the country actually knows about it.

Yes and it was brilliant however Madrid won CL and Madrid won WCC and Madrid will likely win this seasons installment Atleti winning last season was great but in the here and now Madrid are the team to beat.

You know why I don’t like Spanish football?

Barca and Madrid.

They are the two most boring teams to watch in Spain, yeah they’re good quite simply better than everyone else but it’s the other mobs that get the feels, their supporters care a lot more.

In England you watch City tearing up the place but jeez they are one seriously boring team to watch, Chelsea too.

Like when you watch City in their massive stadium and no one is there because they’re all poor yet the tickets cost a weeks pay do you really think that it’s the best thing going?

Personally I’d rather watch lower English leagues than EPL at least then it seems to matter a great deal when they do score.

Rick

Going by your logic and reasoning of what to watch and what not to watch in regards to what’s first rate and what’s second rate in football everybody in the world should watch only Real Madrid right now!

Quite simply as it stands right here and right now everyone in England, Germany, France, Italy, Argentina anybody in Spain that doesn’t like Madrid… Everybody should be watching Real Madrid.

Or perhaps Germany by World Cup standards.

You know it’s the dumbest thing that people can say about football “I’ve seen the best and now I can’t go back”

In what aspect?

Best at development?
Best at spending money?
Best at drawing a crowd?
Best at playing the game?
Best at coaching?
Best at playing total football?
Best at playing long football?
Best at playing beautiful football?
Best at playing tough football?
Best at playing with emotion?
Best at creating chances?
Best at putting away chances?
Best at playing on the counter?
Best at offense?
Best at defense?
Best at buying Norway’s hottest young player?

You want my opinion on what’s best?

I like football with feeling, by that I like football that matters, it doesn’t need to be flash it just needs to be played with hearts on sleeves that’s what I like.

Give me a Melbourne/Sydney game any day, it’s got plenty more feeling than most football derbies I’d much prefer watch that than Madrid/Barca.

You know why?

Investment, no matter how hard you try you can never truly relate to the foreigners like you can with your own local brethren that you see in the flesh week in week out.

That’s when it becomes personal.

You know what the funny thing is if you asked any Brit, German, Italian, Spaniard or Frenchy they’d tell you the same thing.

Youth.

Ange’s insistence on playing youth meant a-league went from a glorified retirement village to a league (no pun) for young upcoming talent.

Playing style in soccer too is not something to be written off so lightly the insistence on possession and quickly retrieving the ball meant other teams were left floundering with long ball football no longer being very useful all of a sudden Australians had to play the game.

It finished careers of both players and coaches.

They made finals, we were rooted to the bottom of the table for nearly a decade there’s a difference… Well not so much with the Doggies but I always felt they got away lightly considering how we were treated.

We didn’t survive because the AFL white anted us into the merger, every other VIC team turned on us viciously.

I doubt Cameron cares enough to understand that one, probably puts England on a pedestal.

What Cameron needs to ask himself is “who is the best player in EPL?” and then “are they English?”

And that should suggest that no I’m not joking.