David Gallop wanting to shit down the Wellington side for another Sydney one is funny, does he really think there’s a market for another team? The Wanderers tapped into the wannabe European soccer culture and FC followed that naturally with the “derby” becoming the lightning rod.
I don’t think it’s necessarily Gallop. They have an argument that a NZ side does not contribute to revenue or Australian player development, but it’s a bullshit argument really. The pressure is coming from the very powerful Sutherland football association, backed by Wollongong, who want into the A League. The politics of football in this country is what’s running this argument and those politics are very powerful, I’d imagine Gallop is totally confused by it.
It’s bizarre though, who would you take a financially stable club out of the league? Wellington haven’t done anything wrong, they’ve never relied on handouts, it’s ridiculous getting rid of a perfectly viable club.
In that case there should be expansion but it’s clear the cash isn’t there for that.
I wouldn’t necessarily rule the idea out though. Sutherland is the biggest football association in the country. Huge football following there and some very successful junior clubs. They have never really warmed to Sydney FC and obviously would not want to be associated with WSW. I’d imagine the vast majority of people there would gladly bin their Sydney shirts and support a southern Sydney team, especially if Wollongong was part of the deal (like the Dragons in the rugby league thingy). The thin end of the wedge has now been applied and momentum will grow from here.
What the FFA should really be concentrating on is developing a real second tier competition, taking the NPL away from the states and running it as a national comp, with a view to eventual relegation / promotion to the A League. You look at the set ups of some of the NPL clubs like Blacktown, Sydney United, Manly etc (many of whom were in the old NSL), they’re huge clubs and have a dedicated and not insignificant fan base (many people I know involved in football here support an NPL team and not an A League team).
Was playing 5 a side so missed most of it, We came back well in the second half, the langar should have been sent off.
Did you boycott last night fitzy
I didn’t mate, though I sat in the members stand and didn’t venture anywhere near Bay 16 out of respect for the actions of our ultras. Only caught the last 15 mins as I was playing 5 a side earlier and hobbled into CC Stadoum after receiving a nasty dead leg last night.
I will post on this whole state of affairs later.
The Mariners are an NPL team playing in the A League, we were hopeless last night. Though it was good to see Aaron Moy live again last night, he is a very gifted footballer.
He’s a class act. Surely get the big move soon to Europe. Would he make a premiership team? I reckon he would.
Sydney are planning something big this weekend. Not sure what yet
There’s talk of him moving in January, but I don’t think it will happen - he’s just had a baby last week with his partner and coming into the european season half way through is very very difficult. I doubt he would make a premiership team at the moment, I’d like to see him going somewhere like Belgium, Holland and playing for a team that’s making the Europa league or something. He’s showing he’s a capable international as well. He’s the whole package, brilliant first touch, great vision with accurate passing and he can score goals. His dead ball stuff is excellent as well, one of the very few players in the A League who knows how to execute an inswinging corner, something fuck all teams do, something that completely mystifies me.
So how did it come to this? The active supporter groups boycotting games this weekend in a league struggling for attendances. As I was saying to my good friend Craig Foster in a conversation on LinkedIn the other day (ah go on, give me that at least), the FFA have all of this at their door. We know the history*, the FFA however just keep digging a bigger hole. Damien De Brohn’s post match disaster on Sunday, Gallops various car crash press conferences this week, and still it gets worse.
What is it with the administrators of football associations? Is there a special school you have to attend before you get a gig at one? The incompetance, the aloofness, the complete disconnection with football supporters is quite remarkable.
The supporters have every right to feel aggrieved. We have been called thugs, terrorists, all sorts. I’ve been going to Mariners game for 10 years. In that time, I’ve seen two blokes kicked out (both clearly drunk). All around us there are families, all enjoying it. I’ve been to one rugby league game in my life. I won’t be going back, it was disgusting and something I would never take my family to (there was a notable lack of families at it in fact). This year has seen despicable racism at AFL games (not to mention the bloke punching a woman at a Freo game) - do we hear the howls of protest from the Murdoch press about it? No.
Football is an ethnic game in Australia, so it’s an easy target for the right wing press (the subset of this is the game Muslims like is always under the surface). Yes, there has been the very odd incident with flares and the RBB need to sort their shit out the next time they play Sydney FC, but it is fuck all in the scheme of things.
Most of us couldn’t give a fuck what Wilson or Jones say, but it was the lasck of support from the FFA that got everyone’s neck up and the utter bollocks they’ve made of the banning / appeals process.
Very clear message, very simple message, no fans no football. I was proud to stand behind this banner on Sunday.
(I also pissed myself at the RBB’s banne last Sunday “Wilson and Jones, are really so vile, compared to drunk drivers or paedophiles?”)
You know what is though, it’s the anti football journos getting involved and taking the opportunity to knock the football fans. Simple facts are football is taking over league in Sydney based on playing numbers. These guys don’t like it so when something like this comes up they take their opportunity.
Interesting to see what Sydney do tonight. Seb Ryall was certainly inflaming it during the week. Seemingly a big protest planned.
Ah Foszy. Played against him 2 seasons ago when he was with Waverly Old Boys. Had a team of ticky tack kids ran the sh1te out of us. However they underestimated the ignorance of the Irish.
It’s the blue rinse / Daily Telegraph / Alan Jones / @Chucks_Nwoko set finding another way to scare confused white aussies. In reality, they’re not coping with the fact that rugby league participation numbers have collapsed all over the country and kids are playing football. Out of my young lads circle of 30 or so friends, 2 play rugby league, everyone else plays football at some level. The scenes of large organised supporter groups with banners and coordinated chants a la european (well world) football is not something that has traditionally been part of the australia sporting landscape, where the individual, larrikin commentator in the back seats throwing out hilarious abusive comments has always been the go. The WSW / RBB phenomenon took many people by surprise, that something so immediate and powerful could arrive so quickly. The fact that they’re from Western Sydney, that many of them are from immigrant backgrounds, just makes it harder for polite Australian society (such that it is) to accept and it’s very easy for the Murdoch type press to fire shots at it to sell papers.
The abuse from the right wing doesn’t really matter.No one gives a shit about that. It’s when the governing body doesn’t come out to stand up for the most important stakeholders (their word) in the game, that’s when we all get pissed off and rightly so.
Rugby League will be dead in 10 years and I’ll preside over it’s funeral.
Fuck me Fitzy, you got that one wrong.
So now that peace has broken out and the fans have won, where do things sit?
Well, it turns out The Western Sydney Wanderers are the best team in the A League. 7 wins on the trot, not just that, but playing good football too. Mitch Nicholls has been a revelation this season and Romeo Castalan a fantastic addition, an exciting, attacking player, very unselfish who sets loads up. As with any team under Tony Popavic, they’re organised and defend well. A terrible start to the season, but they’re playing cracking football now. The game against Victory on Saturday was the game of the season so far.
Victory have suffered twp losses in a row for the first time since Jan 2014, but they’re stil the defending champions and with the array of talent they have, a case can still be made for them to be favourites to be champions again. Archie Thompson is not far off coming back, that will give them a great boost. Brisbane are playing good football as well, Jamie McLaren knocking them in.
Melbourne Citeh are thirs having scored more t=goals than anyone, Fornarolli took time to find his feet, but with Aaron Mooy playing as he is, they’re great to watch.
Then there is the strange case of Sydney FC. A team who can’t buy a goal with a manager who is trying to do a very bad Mourinho impression. Arnold’s press conference after Saturday’s game was bizarre. He doesn’t seem to see what the rest of us do. Sydney are a terribly boring team, but more worrying, they are a very dirty team. It was out of character for Gersbach (who is a very good young footballer) to get sent off for a studs up, but Jurmain should have been sent off for the same thing (he’s not a very good footballer, a complete horse in fact).
So you’d have to say at this point, it’s WSW, Victory, Brisbane and Citeh who will decide things.
The rest are basically all fucked.
As to my beloved Mariners, well we’re playing entertaining football and we don’t care that we lose every match. Well, I do. It’s not fun being bottom of the table, having won one game (round 1 against Perth) all season. The defending is beyond funny. It’s going to get worse. We haven’t paid super to the players and a load of them will leave in January. We are watching the slow death of a club and it’s depressing.
Melbourne derby this weekend, hopefully a high scoring mad game.
Andy Keogh has come back to Perth Glory after a failed time in Malaysia or somewhere. They can’t play him as they have too many imports, but will lose some of them in Jan to make way for him.
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Roar will win this pulling up
Was I not on here a few months back giving out about Arnie and his style of play. Terrible football and letting Janko go was a massive mistake. Holosko is useless.
City have a chance with Mooy and Fornarolli, who looks really dangerous. Not sure if they are good enough at the back to win it though. Victory will still have a massive say in it.
This weekend is interesting. Victory lost a thirs in a row last night against Perth, so will be out for a win at all costs on Saturday against an in form City side, but one who are pretty flaky at the back. I reckon Victory will be pissed off and too strong in this one. The other interesting one is WSW V Perth. Glory have won two games on the trot at home (albeit one against the Mariners NPL team) and WSW have to lose sometime don’t they? I’ll have a few sneaky dollars on Perth at $3.50.