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A-League threads [Merged]
- Thread starter Lidsand
- Start date
Ian4 said:
We live to screw Victory.
Did your fans want the red carpet also? Next time we may provide that for you guys. After all, you are Victory fans and deserve everything you want. Sound like Collingwood supporters.
I have nothing to do with ticketing and only got back to Australia not long before the game so don't know, and to be honest, don't care about the fuss made by your supporter base. My thoughts are it is our home game, and you guys should abide by what we want to do with the ticketing, just like we have to abide by what your club wants to do with the ticketing. It won't be fair on your end, it won't be fair on our end.
Thanks for the welcome mate, it's good to be home. I spent time at three Premier League clubs whilst away and really got a feel for how they operate. Totally enjoyable time. Saw 16 countries in Europe and also spent time in Dubai which was awesome. As I said good to be back and focused on my true love, the Richmond Football Club.
Tigerbob said:
no, we didn't want the red carpet treatment. only fair treatment. you guys only provided us with 4 bays for our away area, stuck in the corner away from the tv cameras and separated by an huge tarp. i can understand you guys wanted us away from the cameras, but from all reports, you refused to provide any more space and were just plain difficult with all ticketing requests.
at least common sense prevailed in the end and the tarp was removed.
Tigerbob said:
well considering we're hearts meal ticket... in that you guys make money from us attending your home game, i think it would be in your best interests to come to the party so our masses actually attend. as far as i understand, the whole northern area at heart home games is normally GA, so you guys should have made the whole area available for us imho.
and i can assure you that after what happened on october 2, we won't be doing you guys any favours re ticketing requests when we're at home to you guys in january.
I'm bored of the manufactured rivalry already.
It's childish spats like this at a corporate that will prevent football from really becoming big in Australia.
Add in the referee abusing, dive taking and vicous tackles from behind and the A League certainly has it's work cut out for itself.
It's childish spats like this at a corporate that will prevent football from really becoming big in Australia.
Add in the referee abusing, dive taking and vicous tackles from behind and the A League certainly has it's work cut out for itself.
A leagues already on the wane.
Bringing in extra teams wont improve it it will only compromise it further, just as the NBL did, the former Baseball league did and the AFL is seemingly hellbent on doing.
The Vic sides are the only ones that seriously draw crowds lets be honest, and i agree with Baloo the manufactured Melbourne rivalry is passe..
Newcastle, Nth Queensland in deep sh!t, Gold Coast owes $$ and at one stage limiting crowds able to attend to save $$, Perth in crisis, Sydney fans fair weather.
As well as the A league has done in its first 3 years especially i reckon the introduction of too many sides will hold it back and dengrate the competition.
I watch EPL soccer and Socceroos games, im certainly no die hard but i do watch it and follow it, i however have absolutely no interest whatsoever in the A League, dont watch it, and would never go to it.
Just does not interest me and i dont think it ever will.
Bringing in extra teams wont improve it it will only compromise it further, just as the NBL did, the former Baseball league did and the AFL is seemingly hellbent on doing.
The Vic sides are the only ones that seriously draw crowds lets be honest, and i agree with Baloo the manufactured Melbourne rivalry is passe..
Newcastle, Nth Queensland in deep sh!t, Gold Coast owes $$ and at one stage limiting crowds able to attend to save $$, Perth in crisis, Sydney fans fair weather.
As well as the A league has done in its first 3 years especially i reckon the introduction of too many sides will hold it back and dengrate the competition.
I watch EPL soccer and Socceroos games, im certainly no die hard but i do watch it and follow it, i however have absolutely no interest whatsoever in the A League, dont watch it, and would never go to it.
Just does not interest me and i dont think it ever will.
craig said:
yeah classic euro snob mentality craig, but some valid points that i will respond to.
firstly, crowds were never gonna maintain it's early high levels. we had the novelty factor and then season 2 was on the back of our first world cup appearance in 32 years. if you go by historical data in the USA and japanese leagues, the same thing happened... big crowds early, then the drop off after 5-6 years after the novelty factor wears off, but now they're steadily increasing again. the same will happen here.
newcastle is not in deep *smile*. they have a new owner and a 10 year licence. they are now going great guns. they just need to fix their stadium issues and change their hideous kit!!
north queensland is in trouble because the FFA won't guarentee their future beyond this year. they are not allowed to sign players for next year, which has allowed victory to sign cernak... a highly talented young midfielder.
gold coast is an absolute shambles. clive palmer is treating it as his little toy at the expense of local fans and the community. when he walks away, the club is a goner imo.
central coast, while a very small community club, are the first football club in the country to establish it's own youth academy. they are doing brilliant things in regards to youth development.
sydney while having some success, have been a complete embarrassment to the FFA in regards to crowd numbers. the fair weather supporter aspect is definitely a factor. but i also think the "bling" reputation is hurting them a lot. while york and juninho sounded like a good idea, they do come across as being a souless club. in my opinion the FFA need to take the blame for this as sydney receive so many soccerorrs home games, which makes the locals a little more ho hum in regards to the domestic league.
whats happening with sydney rovers is a complete embarrassment. west sydney have produced a large chunk of our stars (kewell, cahill, neill, schwarzer, etc), but are struggling to produce the capital for the team to get the green light. with 3 teams already in nsw, i just don't think they are ready for a 4th team. canberra should have been awarded the 12th licence. they have the money and corporate support ready.
as much as i hate to admit it, melbourne heart have done very well in every department except crowd numbers and member numbers. as much as i was hurting when we lost the derby, it was probably the best thing to happen in regards to us building a rivalry with them and to help them grow. yes its a manufactured rivalry, but i can assure you that true victory supporters hate them already. all this talk from heart about being a purist football team and playing this euro/possession style football... what a joke. haha. that's their way of separating themselves from the best and strongest team in the a-league. good luck to them (not).
i'm sure the reason why the a-league doesn't interest you is because it's not the best standard in the world. but we need to be pragmatic about it. we're only in the 6th season. we have a salary cap and still only 1 team can make a profit. all our stars will most likely always go to europe. but the standard isn't as bad as what people are suggesting. go to game and see for yourself. the standard is constantly improving.
don't forget that being in asia is a huge benefit. it's the fastest growing continent in the world in regards to economy and population. this has huge positive ramifications in regards to our growth. make no mistake, moving into asia was genuis.
finally, don't forget that there are more kids playing soccer than afl. and if we win the world cup bid, this sport will seriously rival AFL/RL as the biggest footy code in australia in the next 20-30 years. and as a sports lover and recent soccer convert, i personally welcome this.
Ian, has been well known for quite a while that more kids play soccer than AFL, but the gap is closing. See data from ABS website showing a marked change between 2003-2009. Soccer participation for 5-14 year old boys went down from 301,000 to 278,000 (down 8%) whilst Aust Rules participation went up from 184,000 to 224,000 (an increase of 22%). I assume Auskick has had a big immpact here.Ian4 said:
Reckon it is incredibly nieve or ambitious or both to suggest Soccer will challenge AFL as the biggest footy code in this country. Sure it will continue to be a popular sport to play for kids but it won't get near the AFL in my lifetime. The World Cup being here would have some impact but soccer is battling plenty of other image problems IMO that include - self-indulgent supporters (I often wonder if they are they there for the game or themselves?), self-indulgent prima donna footballers will never get respect in this country, abuse of referees in particular after penalties awarded, diving/staging generally accepted, ethnic rivalries impossible to overcome
I am actually a soccer fan and have attended A-League matches and agree the standard is improving but doubt it will capture the attention of your loyal AFL follower to have a big impact on spectator numbers.
Big Cat Lover said:
yeah you're right. i exaggerated a little bit. but the afl definitely do find soccer a threat. have you ever noticed that everytime there is some big soccer related announcement they afl always try to steal their thunder? it's pretty funny, but also very smart from an afl perspective.
Big Cat Lover said:
could not disagree more with that statement. i don't think you understand the politics here... yes flares are still an issue, but active fans and supporter groups are brilliant for creating atmosphere at games and actually attract more fans to games. the real problem is the FFA. they promote the a-league as being "fan made," but they then hire a company who specialises in anti-terrorism in an attempt to idenify so called hooliganism. i kid you not... an anti-terrorism company. check them, out: http://hatamoto.com.au all the FFA need to do is engage fans and consult with them like they do in other soccer leagues around the world, but we get treated like crap and is part of the reason why numbers are down imho. clubs need to consult with fans better as well.
Big Cat Lover said:
in some countries yes simulation is an issue, but it's frowned upon in australia. the FFA actually suspend players if a dive results in a penalty or a red card (which has happened twice this season). as for ethnic rivalries, its non-existant in the a-league
I go to Coburg games and enjoy them even though the standard is way below the AFL.
Same with The A-League. It's no EPL, but Victory is MY TEAM. Hence, I enjoy watching them play.
And a secondary reason is my declining interest in Cricket.
Ian4 said:
Your reply confirms my post. Fans create atmosphere? I think the game itself is what should create the atmosphere. Fans going to watch other fans? I go to the footy to watch the game, couldn't really care less for other fans, chants, songs etc. It is fun when the crowd gets excited or a chant goes up but why your main interest is not on the game itself rather than other fans or a rhyming song is strange to me.
I don't understand the "politics"? What have they got to do with the game?
Fans should be consulted by the FFA about the game? In what respect?
I am no euro snob Ian my ol son, im not that into English soccer mate i dont even support a particular team i just follow it a bit watch it occasionally on pay tv am certainly no euro soccer snob i can assure you.
I will be honest i dont really find the game that attractive too much diving and acting and carry on for mine.
I will be honest i dont really find the game that attractive too much diving and acting and carry on for mine.
Big Cat Lover said:
c'mon mate, you dont think richmond fans create an atmosphere when we get on a roll?
Big Cat Lover said:
i went to the round 27 game last year away to sydney. the FFA placed riot police in our area. can you believe that? riot police. anyway, i saw this guy get kicked out... the manhandling was disgraceful, he was roughed up big time. to make things worse, not only was the guy innocent of any wrong doing, but his 2 young kids were left behind (this is 1 of many examples on the day and the guy did put in an official complaint). after the game i was in the toilet and 2 of the riot police were there... one of them said to the other, and i quote "they're not so rough." so in other words, the FFA/hatamoto fed the cops some rubbish about us being a bunch of trouble making hooligans, hence the rough treatment.
so anyway, instead of consulting with an anti terrorism organisation and creating anti fan friendly policies (including dossiers on so called unruly supporters), why don't they actually consult with us so we can reach a common ground? the leader of the blue and white brigade is actually a decent and approachable person. and the hiring of this hatamato group makes us angry at the establishment. did i tell you that they are an organisation that specialises in terrorism? just to spy on soccer fans? don't you think thats overkill? and do you blame us if we thumb our noses at them?
Ian4 said:
I admit I know little about soccer or its politics. And I understand that fans often get a bumb rap simply because they are soccer fans and "hooligan" is an easy label to use. And I've been to the soccer and not seen any trouble or ever really felt any undercurrent of trouble (although have seen guys with flares at the old Bob Jane and just thought they were immature attention seeking idiots). But I wonder why the FFA would feel the need to have such security - surely the cost would be something they'd rather do without? If the fans are so approachable/amenable how did this situation come about? Or is it simply death by association for all soccer fans?
A question - in these supporter groups eg the blue and white brigade - are there equal numbers of male and female? I ask because whenever I see footage of soccer games there never appears to be that many females at the games. I will see if I can find some statistics on attendance by sex.
Big Cat Lover said:
good question. there are anti social elements in supporters of all sports, but you don't see riot police at afl, rugby league and cricket games. and as far as i know they don't employ anti terrorist organisations to spy on fans. it might be about perception because of fan issues in other countries. and we did have the ethnic issues in the old nsl.
in regards to flares, i'm with you. they are usually about image seeking idiots wanting their 5 seconds of fame (ie. that flog at the derby). it's usually some teenager who sneaks into the active supporter areas trying to make a hero of himself. i support any moves to stamp them out. they're too bloody dangerous and give a very bad image of the game. but i do concede that flares, flare tifo's and piro shows are a traditional part of fan culture all over the world, particularly in europe and south america.
Big Cat Lover said:
yeah no doubt the majority of active aupporters are male, but its not 100% male. there are many females involve themselves in the singing and chanting.
Streak said:Gee, lucky that Glory got rid of David Mitchell. Otherwise I am sure their 5-0 to Central Coast would have been worse :
It just keeps getting better and better.
Harry said:
Have to agree. Whilst not happy with the loss, definitely no shame in losing to the Roar who are by far the best team I have seen this season. Went to the game and in the first half the passing and movement was fantastic from our guys, really were playing well. In the second half, the Roar stepped it up a cog and their ball movement was unreal.
We had our chances to win, Bolton saved a penalty which was a ridiculous call by the ref. I think the game deserved a draw, but saw some great signs from our lads. After the game, spoke to a couple of the lads and they were downbeat, but staying positive. They firmly believe they can do the job against Adelaide on Friday night. I love the way we play, we utilise the wings, great ball movement and great movements from all our players. John Van Schip has done a marvelous job with this side. Very proud of the season so far.
Full credit to the Roar though. A joy to watch them play. Matt McKay runs hard all game. Easily the best team in the league. The standard of the league has definitely lifted. Great day out at the football. Looking forward to Friday night.
Tigerbob said:
disagree, it was a penalty for mine. but i agree, it was a good game to watch, enjoyed it thoroughly. especially after brisbane scored late :hihi
Tigerbob said:
agree with that. brisbane have really raised the bar this year. full credit to ange for that. if victory don't win it (and we're not looking anywhere near it right now), then i hope the roar do.