Re: The Official A-League Thread.
Good article this one...
Sydney FC failing to match the hype
By Simon Hill
Fox Sports Football Presenter
September 18, 2007
FOUR games, two points, eighth place on the ladder - Sydney FC's start to the A-League season makes for grim reading. And although it's early days, it's clear the club has much work to do if it's to make the top four.
Sydney is not alone in making a sticky start - but any club that labels itself the “Manchester United” of the A-League (and in fact, just last season Sydney FC player Mark Rudan used Real Madrid as an alternative comparison) must endure the same sort of scrutiny United or Madrid would have received, if either club had made such a start to the season.
To my mind, that is one of Sydney’s many problems. Such delusions of grandeur do not help a club that - despite its protestations to the contrary - is not even the biggest in Australia at this moment.
One of the keys to Sydney’s trials and tribulations is the constant reshuffling of backroom personnel.
It’s no coincidence that Madrid’s chopping and changing post-Vicente del Bosque brought only mediocrity (until Fabio Capello), while Manchester United’s most sustained period of success since World War II came under a manager who has been in charge for over 21 years. Sydney is yet to have a coach that has reached even 21 months, and the merry-go-round of other functionaries behind the scenes is even worse.
Stability is the key to any organisation. Sydney’s lack of stability has led to the absence of a clear strategy, and this is evident in terms of its playing staff. The squad is unbalanced, and contains too many players on long-term contracts who provide too little.
The departures of Alvin Ceccoli, David Carney and Nikolai Topor-Stanley have left the club with precious few options on the left flank - and there are no natural full-backs, leaving the likes of Zadkovich, McFlynn and Fyfe to try to plug the gaps, with mixed results.
The lack of a natural goal scorer is another major problem - all the pretty football in the world matters not when there is no end product, and Sydney has been going around in circles trying to find someone who can put the ball in the back of the net. Juninho is a brilliant talent, and I for one am glad to see him in Australia - but was he really the marquee player that the club needed, when Steve Corica already fulfilled that type of attacking midfield role to decent effect?
All these issues are reflected in Sydney’s relatively poor attendances. The club has haemorrhaged 7000 fans between home games one and three, which suggests that the fans aren’t happy either.
Sydney’s marketing is also an issue. Although the budget for that area has reportedly been doubled this season, the club still needs to compete more aggressively for media space in a city that has a hugely-congested sporting market.
At least Branko Culina has learnt that lesson. In throwing out the titbit that Juninho was in the frame to start on Friday against Wellington, he perhaps sold a few more tickets, and pushed the crowd up to a (still miserable) 11,000. Sydney needs to get a lot more stories like that out to a sceptical local population.
Culina, to his credit, says he will make “no excuses” for failure. But if that’s the case, then he must be seriously concerned.
His record of three wins in 15 matches (A-League, Pre-Season Cup and Asian Champions League) is clearly cause for unease, and already rumblings of discontent can be heard from Sydney’s rapidly dwindling hardcore, known as the Cove. Patience is not a commodity associated with Sydney where coaches are concerned.
There IS an appetite for football in the harbour city - 60,000 tickets have been sold for David Beckham’s visit with LA Galaxy in November. Sydneysiders will always turn up to the big events, especially when there is star quality on show.
Sydney FC needs to grab some of those fans - and keep hold of them. But its steady decline, which has been going on for the best part of two years, will be difficult to reverse.
For the sake of the A-League - which desperately needs a successful Sydney side - let’s hope the glory days of Pierre Littbarski and Dwight Yorke will not prove to be the high-water mark for Sydney FC.
And if the club's goal drought continues, what price giving Damien Mori a call?
Good article this one...
Sydney FC failing to match the hype
By Simon Hill
Fox Sports Football Presenter
September 18, 2007
FOUR games, two points, eighth place on the ladder - Sydney FC's start to the A-League season makes for grim reading. And although it's early days, it's clear the club has much work to do if it's to make the top four.
Sydney is not alone in making a sticky start - but any club that labels itself the “Manchester United” of the A-League (and in fact, just last season Sydney FC player Mark Rudan used Real Madrid as an alternative comparison) must endure the same sort of scrutiny United or Madrid would have received, if either club had made such a start to the season.
To my mind, that is one of Sydney’s many problems. Such delusions of grandeur do not help a club that - despite its protestations to the contrary - is not even the biggest in Australia at this moment.
One of the keys to Sydney’s trials and tribulations is the constant reshuffling of backroom personnel.
It’s no coincidence that Madrid’s chopping and changing post-Vicente del Bosque brought only mediocrity (until Fabio Capello), while Manchester United’s most sustained period of success since World War II came under a manager who has been in charge for over 21 years. Sydney is yet to have a coach that has reached even 21 months, and the merry-go-round of other functionaries behind the scenes is even worse.
Stability is the key to any organisation. Sydney’s lack of stability has led to the absence of a clear strategy, and this is evident in terms of its playing staff. The squad is unbalanced, and contains too many players on long-term contracts who provide too little.
The departures of Alvin Ceccoli, David Carney and Nikolai Topor-Stanley have left the club with precious few options on the left flank - and there are no natural full-backs, leaving the likes of Zadkovich, McFlynn and Fyfe to try to plug the gaps, with mixed results.
The lack of a natural goal scorer is another major problem - all the pretty football in the world matters not when there is no end product, and Sydney has been going around in circles trying to find someone who can put the ball in the back of the net. Juninho is a brilliant talent, and I for one am glad to see him in Australia - but was he really the marquee player that the club needed, when Steve Corica already fulfilled that type of attacking midfield role to decent effect?
All these issues are reflected in Sydney’s relatively poor attendances. The club has haemorrhaged 7000 fans between home games one and three, which suggests that the fans aren’t happy either.
Sydney’s marketing is also an issue. Although the budget for that area has reportedly been doubled this season, the club still needs to compete more aggressively for media space in a city that has a hugely-congested sporting market.
At least Branko Culina has learnt that lesson. In throwing out the titbit that Juninho was in the frame to start on Friday against Wellington, he perhaps sold a few more tickets, and pushed the crowd up to a (still miserable) 11,000. Sydney needs to get a lot more stories like that out to a sceptical local population.
Culina, to his credit, says he will make “no excuses” for failure. But if that’s the case, then he must be seriously concerned.
His record of three wins in 15 matches (A-League, Pre-Season Cup and Asian Champions League) is clearly cause for unease, and already rumblings of discontent can be heard from Sydney’s rapidly dwindling hardcore, known as the Cove. Patience is not a commodity associated with Sydney where coaches are concerned.
There IS an appetite for football in the harbour city - 60,000 tickets have been sold for David Beckham’s visit with LA Galaxy in November. Sydneysiders will always turn up to the big events, especially when there is star quality on show.
Sydney FC needs to grab some of those fans - and keep hold of them. But its steady decline, which has been going on for the best part of two years, will be difficult to reverse.
For the sake of the A-League - which desperately needs a successful Sydney side - let’s hope the glory days of Pierre Littbarski and Dwight Yorke will not prove to be the high-water mark for Sydney FC.
And if the club's goal drought continues, what price giving Damien Mori a call?
