Who could the Roar buy if they wanted to? Most major signings for 2010-11 have already occurred and you can only sign 5 foreigners (one of whom is a Wellington outer squad member - but probably for next year's sell off).
Can't see this doing much to grow the A-League in Queensland.
Meanwhile, union, league and AFL is focusing on bringing the world's most exciting players in their code to the state.
Seems the Roar will be a team that gives youth a taste of football for their shareholding agent to sell in Europe. Excuse me but wasn't this why a Senate Enquiry was held? And why the A-League was formed in the first place? Wasn't it found that NSL clubs were treating players like commodities?
9 comments:
So much for Ange's youth policy. What a joke.
In 5 seasons we've sold Brosque, Baird, Dilevski, Williams, Vidosic, Minniecon, Kruse, Zullo, Oar, Sarota.
I don't think there has ever been a real concerted effort to actually win the A-league - it's just about giving young guys enough game time to get them a gig elsewhere.
The squad is now weaker than it has ever been. They have just sold our most recent NT player (I think Mckay is now our only international?)Why would anyone buy a season ticket??
Thanks Orangecrush
I think Frank had a plan to win. But the newly installed majority shareholders didn't like playing a back seat and Frank making all the decisions.
Bara from NZ and the guy from 2nd league Scotland is clearly give them game time and sell them on.
Brisbane could have been a real stronghold for soccer. Now it is hard to see how it will be.
We are now getting park football. You can watch that for free.
I'm a "new fan". The only think I know about the NSL is what people say on blogs like this. I'm part of the statistic of growth since the 2006 WC etc, and I have a son who has not left the game but at 14 is still playing and loving it, as are many of his mates. Even my girlfriend has joined a team, bless her heart.
So I'm part of the 'success' right? I'm something the FFA can point to and say, "See, there's success. There's growth in our game."
But yeah, I've discovered that park soccer is free, and a helluva lot of fun (Go West End Partisans Women!). And that the A-League is over-rated and over-priced. And that the vast majority of the soccer community I meet feel the same way.
Thanks Hamish
I see your point.
I feel that the A-League is great. But I think that the Roar have both missed a massive opportunity and sold their fans out.
I wonder what the FFA think about having to put millions into the Roar this year, then seeing the owners get all their money back by selling the fans favourite players? Particularly after the owners had kicked out all the fans favourite experienced players? What decent player with a choice would sign now to play for the Roar?
Now I feel sympathy for players on long term contracts who the Roar doesn't want to sell.
From a general Australian football fan's view, I have to disagree with you Hamish. Oar is possibly the best player of his generation. He just oozes potential. Players will always look to go to the top tier in Europe such as the Netherlands. It's better money, prestige, exposure, development, everything. That's just football.
If a player wants to leave then clubs are forced to sell or have an underperforming, unhappy player who walks on bad terms at the end of his contract for free. Or clubs can cash in and both parties leave happy.
I think you should be happy that you saw him live last season and that he is now furthering his career (and building for the national team) in Europe which is going to do him a lot more than playing/learning under that frootloop Ange...
The A-League should stop players taking sideways steps in Asia playing in dead-end leagues in Europe. In my opinion the best of the best will always go to Europe and I am happy with that.
Thanks Dane
I think the talk of Oar and Zullo misses the point. After 5 years the Roar should have had a solid experienced team to attract and keep a City of 1,000,000 interested. Instead the sponsors felt they didn't like the image of the experienced players so they forced them out.
So now the Roar is losing its youth with potential as well - which would have always gone sooner or later.
There is a question over Sarota. He may have a career on the bench in Europe.
But also I don't think we have been told the whole story and have been spun. Both on why the experienced players left and on the club's role in the sale of Oar, Zullo and Sarato. Why send them over - tell fans it is a 'training opportunity' then say how sad it is? Why let the player agent have a key stake in the company?
Doesn't look like the club is trying to grow the A-League in Brisbane.
By the way it looks like this is happening without Ange's support.
Seems like the big issue is that the "new start" that the A-league and the FFA offered hasn`t always lead to professional management/ownership of clubs.
Like the brisbane management.
Commiserations.
Clayton
AArrrrhhh!! I go off the net for a few days and this is what happens when my back is turned??
I guess Dane is right that the best will always go to europe and we not be seeing players move sideways to other asian leagues or low ranking euro leagues. Therefore the three kids going to a good club is ok - if they are replaced...
In a similar way the clear out of older players is fine by me as well... if they are replaced...
Who is going to fill this void?
Lets just hope they get some first team chances at their new clubs. Oar and Zullo have both played well at times - well enough to be the best on park in this comp, sarota has not even managed that. Compared with Dario Vidosic who was so clearly a different class from the other players on the pitch that he was snapped up by Nuremberg after just a handful of appearances for the Roar. When he left it seemed clear he would soon be a star for the socceroos, but it took several seasons for him to break into the first team and he is now probably not that far ahead of Oar and Zullo in the reckoning for the world cup squad.
Also lets not blame the A-League for this - our local team is not going well to be sure, but the same cant be said for the whole league. I would be pretty stoked if the roar could put a team on the park like the victory or bring in a coach like Sydney's or improve each year like Wellington or connect with the fans like Adelaide or bring in a marque player like the Fury or play cute little one touch triangles like Gold Coast... anything - throw us a bone, some scraps of hope to feed on.
Yeh ok, its all a bit dramatic but one of the few things I miss about brisbane is going to the football and I would like it to still be there when I come home.
Still its not all on the club, the fans must take some blame as well. Perhaps SVD summed it up best when he talked about why he had decided not to return to the Roar - "Adelaide is a football city" :(
'the fans must take some blame'
Sorry Ed I could not disagree more. Various owners have resisted the challenge to invest and have a proper marquee plus a guest. With these players the Roar would have qualified for Asia at least once maybe twice.
Now I am not sure what is happening. But don't be surprised if 1. more players are sold and 2. either new owners come in or FFA is given back the licence.
To me selling 3 players is a sign that shareholders are looking to cash their chips.
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