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10 December 2008 10:48
By Simon Hill |
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You have to laugh at some of the “anti-football” brigade – they sure pick their moments.
We should have seen it coming – A-League crowds are down (although Fox Sports viewing figures aren’t), and the sentences handed down to Ney Fabiano and Michael Theoklitos, for spitting and stomping respectively, make our game look a little tame next to the other football codes, where proper violence is not just enjoyed, it’s practically compulsory, on and off the field.
But one journalist’s comments in the Sydney Daily Telegraph still managed to raise a titter, given they came from a bloke who writes books on Aussie Rules.
For those of you fortunate enough to have missed the rumblings of another dinosaur stirring from his slumber, here are the quotes from a segment where he plays judge and jury over the so-called “sporting misdemeanours” of the week. (I think it’s meant to be witty.)
"Name: Soccer (sic) fans.
Crime: Pretentiousness, false and misleading conduct.
The Court says: Despite claims their sport is the true “world game’’, will soon become Australia’s premier sporting competition and should only be referred to as "football", indisputable evidence proves soccer has duller draws than cricket and more players who fall to the ground feigning injury than the entire cast of World Wrestling Entertainment.
Sentence: Writing on the blackboard no less than 100 times: “The A-League is nothing more than a dressed-up backwater suburban competition."
Mercifully, (and strangely, given our pretentiousness), the sporting gods are quick to answer these days – and this journalists epiphany was right under his nose.
It came in the shape of A-League club, Adelaide United, which drew a full house to Hindmarsh to play in an INTERNATIONAL competition.
The game against Bunyodkor was watched by a global audience, and the Reds’ achievement put South Australia on the map quicker than a hundred Grand Final wins by its AFL teams ever would.
Now, far be it from me to cast aspersions towards the other codes (because, of course, when we football-types do, we “lack a sense of humour” © Peter FitzSimons) but when was the last time an AFL team played an outfit from Japan? Or China?
On the recent trip to Uzbekistan, I only had to mention the word Australia to our taxi driver, and his eyes lit up. His connection with this far-off land wasn’t Gary Ablett (though he may have recognised him as the Liverpool defender in the 1980s), nor Kevin Sheedy (he’d have picked him as the Everton midfielder, same vintage) but Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill. Football is the “world game” because the world plays it, loves it, understands it and communicates through it.
Big business invests in it, Arab consortiums and Russian oligarchs buy controlling shares in it; and countries all over the world battle to stage its events.
The A-League may be a lowly link but like the Arabs and the Russians, it’s a part of the chain.
Contrast that to a certain other football code, which plays a ridiculous hybrid game to try and find a meaningful match overseas. A code whose charm offensive to its only international rival was to knock the crap out of them to such an extent that the opposition refused to play in 2007...
On the subject of draws, I perfectly understand people of this journalist’s generation not understanding the concept – people with that outlook do tend to see things in black and white; a bit like the photographs of their youth.
So, in order to make things a bit less likely to end in a draw, I’m proposing we follow the example of the English referee, who recently awarded a goal in the Reading vs Watford game, even though the ball merely passed close to the frame rather than into it. I wonder where he got that idea from, eh?
I’m with him on the issue of feigning injury, too. It’s a terrible blight on the game, and I’m sure everyone in this journalist’s native Melbourne agrees with him – especially Shane Wakelin.
As for that suburban backwater jibe – well, as Adelaide continues to take on the big guns of Asia, the “International Rules” series is featuring Australia and Ireland... again.
The world is on tenterhooks awaiting the outcome.
This article first appeared in the December issue of Australian FourFourTwo |
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11 November 2008 10:03
By Simon Hill |
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Just five moments the editor said. Five moments that define the magic of the last three years of football in Australia.
But how could I leave out the Australia-Croatia emotional rollercoaster in Stuttgart? Could I forgive myself for omitting the Sydney-LA Galaxy extravaganza, when Becks turned football from a sideshow into the main event in town? And whither the Kossie/Musky grapple fest, which had tongues wagging for weeks?
Still, five moments he asked for - five he will get (even though I’m sure I’ve just stretched it to eight...), so in the true beauty pageant tradition, the results are in reverse order…
5. OLD SOCCER TO NEW FOOTBALL
January 1, 2005. It may only be a name, but the shift from “soccer” to football was a hugely symbolic moment. At a stroke, it removed some of the stigma the game had suffered, and aligned the game here with the rest of the world. Some in Australia persist in calling it “soccer” - it doesn’t matter. They can call the game what they like - but this underlines that they have no right to impose THEIR name on our sport.
4. AUSTRALIA Vs JAPAN, WORLD CUP 2006
June 12, 2006, Kaiserslautern. 15,000 Aussies packed into the stands, when only a few hundred had watched some of the qualifiers. Thousands more spilling onto the streets back home in the wee hours to watch on big screens. Johnny Warren’s prophetic words “I told you so” came to mind that night more than any other. Then, the last eight minutes - Tim Cahill’s double, John Aloisi’s blinding finish. Ecstasy and bewilderment at the game’s transformation, and the nation’s first-ever World Cup win. Amazing.
3. THE MOVE INTO ASIA
Not spellbinding television - not even really a “moment” as such - but when Australia’s football history is written, January 1, 2006 is the day when the sport’s fortunes took an incredible turn into a new, different and exciting future. After years of trying and being rebuffed, Frank Lowy’s charm and political skills won over a previously reticent AFC, and Australia’s long-term football health was assured. The benefits have been astronomical - a tougher but fairer World Cup qualifying campaign, meaningful regional competition for the country and its clubs, plus more clout on the world stage.
2. GRAND FINAL DAY 2007
Melbourne Victory versus Adelaide United, February 18, 2007. A one-sided game, but wow, what an occasion! 55,000 plus fans crammed into Telstra Dome, including one end jam-packed full of Adelaide fans, all clad in red, provided a marvellous spectacle, and proved the Hyundai A-League was more than just a peripheral sporting competition. The support was tribal, passionate, noisy - even the Prime Minister was there. Domestic football had arrived.
1. AUSTRALIA VS URUGUAY, WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
November 16, 2005 - the day everything changed for the game in Australia. From the moment the Uruguayan anthem was booed, I knew this was going to be a special night. Some weren’t happy about that, but having been in Montevideo a few days earlier when the Australian anthem received similar treatment, there was a feeling that the crowd, and the team, knew what needed to be done. Afterwards in Sydney, there were scenes few thought possible - and the day after, 10,000 turned up for the celebration party near Sydney Opera House. I’ve never, ever seen such a collective outpouring of emotion - giddy euphoria mixed in with the relief that 32 years of waiting was finally over.
Simon Hill is a football presenter and commentator on Fox Sports.
This column first appeared in the November edition of Australian FourFourTwo magazine. |
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27 October 2008 01:32
By Simon Hill |
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Another year of the Hyundai A-League is now in full swing, but what are you looking for, apart from success for your team? Here are five things that I’d love to see from this year’s fare. What say you?
CONTINUED CROWDS GROWTH
The first three years have been phenomenal but can we keep it going? Crowds averaged nearly 15,000 last season – it’d be nice to think we can keep moving on an upwards trajectory but there’s still plenty of room for improvement in Perth, Sydney, Queensland and perhaps Adelaide. Will the Olympics hit attendances in the early part of the season? Will the credit crunch impact? I hope not.Fingers crossed we’ll take the average somewhere up near to the 16,000 mark this term. It will be interesting to see if rugby league’s problems at the gate will have any knock-on effect for our competition in the eastern states...good or bad.
BETTER IMPORTS
Have the coaches recruited properly this time? Last year
was a disappointment, with the overseas “stars” barely causing
a ripple on the A-League landscape. The signs are better this time around, with clubs having been more patient, and avoided the ageing superstars like Mario Jardel. I like the look of the Jets’ pair, Jesper Hakansson and Edmundo Zura – both internationals, both in their mid-20s and hopefully not just looking for a pay packet and a quiet life. Adelaide have gone Brazilian again, and Cristiano in particular sounds as though he’s found his feet quickly in pre-season. I’d still like to see more recruiting of Asian players though - did the Jets’ Song Jin-Hyung’s form not register with anyone?
KIDS ARE ALRIGHT?
One of the most pleasing aspects of last year’s competition was the emergence of youngsters such as Holland, Kruse, Zullo and Rukavytsya. With the National Youth League now in situ, the chance is there for the kids to really shine and seize the limelight. Who is going to make a splash? I hear good things about Brendan Gan (Sydney), Luke DeVere and Tommy Oar (Queensland), Nathan Elasi (Melbourne) and Hayden Doyle (Perth Glory). Is this their time? It’s disappointing that the new youth competition is only a seven team league – why wasn’t the option of Wellington fielding a team out of Canberra taken up?
BETTER MEDIA DEBATE
Debate about football in this country is far too polarised.
And too often it’s not much of a debate, just a dogmatic lecture from one side or the other, with no counter-view offered or entertained. The game is not black and white, there are plenty of shades of grey. Let’s do away with the pontificating, and discussions focussed purely on personality or nationality, and get back to addressing football issues with balance and fairness. The football audience is mature and getting pretty fed up with media people defending their mates – or their agendas. One of the reasons the game failed for so long was that it was a divided sport. We are running the risk of becoming so again.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
The start of last season’s A-League was epitomised by negative, cautious football, with some coaches more anxious not to lose rather than to win. While that’s understandable given the higher profile and the higher stakes in modern football, the fact that the A-League is still at its embryonic stage demands entertainment, right from the off. We cannot run the risk of losing hard-earned fans due to negativity. And if coaches are unwilling to play positively, they should be instructed to do so by their owners/board.
Simon Hill is a football presenter and commentator on Fox Sports.
This column first appeared in the October edition of Australian FourFourTwo magazine. |
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23 September 2008 07:12
By Simon Hill |
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When it comes to development in football, a new generation of media are stepping up their game
Youth development has been the catchphrase of many in the football media over the last few years – indeed, some have turned it into a mantra bordering on mania.
But what about in the media’s own backyard? The Australian media landscape has changed massively since I arrived on these shores in 2003 – mainly for the better with regards to football – but is the next generation coming through?
The answer would have to be an unequivocal yes. The internet has been the key to this quiet revolution, with many football fans taking to their keyboards to “blog” on their favourite subject with an Australian slant. The A-League and the success of the Socceroos has spawned dedicated fan sites, discussion forums and opinion pages that have given free reign to the would-be writers, broadcasters and commentators of the future.
Some of these scribblers are damned good while some, it must be said, are not. But debate is raging about the beautiful game Down Under, and that can only benefit the long-term future of the sport.
Furthermore, many not only write with passion, but also with great style, insight and humour. Some even write with balance, a key component for any journalist, and something which is sometimes lacking in the mainstream football media.
As football grows, opportunities will open up for this new generation of writers and broadcasters. Currently, the football media is a very small industry in Australia, but it has grown significantly in the last four years and that trend will surely continue.
It’s not just potential journalists who are upping the ante either. Ex-footballers such as Ross Aloisi, Paul Okon, Kimon Taliadoris and Mark Bosnich (do we class Bozza as an “ex” footballer yet?) are taking their first steps into the world of punditry.
Love them or loathe them, the fact is they are all benefiting from the game’s increased profile by becoming spokesmen whose opinions are sought and valued.
The daily newspapers too, have been quick to jump on football’s rise and in the main, the coverage they give the game (in my humble opinion) is good.
Yet there remains a residue of resentment in certain quarters towards the round ball game and only when the next generation comes through, particularly at editorial level, will we see this totally dissipate.
But the fact that I am writing this column in a dedicated football magazine underlines how far the football media industry has come. I was delighted to see FourFourTwo recently giving one internet blogger, Tony Tannous, a chance to write for its website. That’s proper youth development!
Football Federation Australia is even getting in on the act with the recent appointment of Bonita Mersiades. Bonnie’s brief is to liaise with the media and provide much more information than has been forthcoming in recent years, from what was a notoriously paranoid organisation.
When FFA loosens up and encourages open debate, you know the game is on a strong footing.
All of which made Pim Verbeek’s recent comments rather puzzling. Pim expressed his disappointment with the Australian media after their criticism of him, and his team for their showing in the two World Cup qualifiers with Iraq.
Now Pim is an affable, likeable guy and I think he’s a good coach who will take the Socceroos to the World Cup.But he’ll have to have a thicker skin in the coming months as the race for South Africa hots up – the football media these days is no longer a tame beast… and the next generation is sharpening its claws.
In my opinion, it’s almost ready for a takeover – blow-ins like me may be on borrowed time!
Simon Hill is a football presenter and commentator on Fox Sports.
This column first appeared in FourFourTwo magazine. |
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07 August 2008 12:04
By Simon Hill |
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Another close season and another batch of young Australian players make for the promised land – otherwise known as Europe – following in the footsteps of last year’s crop of Carney, Carle, Leijer et ... more
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11 July 2007 08:52
By Simon Hill |
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A few years ago, Roy Keane aimed a not so subtle crack at the “new” breed of football fan at Manchester United. Keane was bemoaning the lack of atmosphere at Old Trafford, and said the ground was full... more
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04 June 2007 11:56
By Simon Hill |
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The franchise battle is starting to heat up in Queensland – the preferred state, it seems, in which to expand the fledgling Hyundai A-League. Just a few short weeks ago, only Townsville were flying th... more
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07 May 2007 02:33
By Simon Hill |
The night New Zealand was given the go ahead to continue in the Hyundai A-League, I – along with Fox Sports’ colleague Andy Harper – was en route to the annual Illawarra FA season launch.
more
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12 April 2007 01:18
By Simon Hill |
Goalkeeper: Michael Theoklitos, Victory
Eight clean sheets in 17 games is a stat that tells its own story – even though
he was helped by a fine defence in front
of him. Cool and assur... more
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12 April 2007 12:57
By Simon Hill |
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Now the domestic season is over, thoughts will inevitably turn towards Asia – not just the Champions League, but the Asian Cup in July. The recent friendly against Denmark perhaps provided more questi... more
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28 February 2007 11:53
By Simon Hill |
It was interesting to read the comments of Asian Olympic Chief, Ahmad Al-Fahad Al Sabah, in recent weeks, given the synergy his remarks had with the world of football.
Al Sabah was reactin... more
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