Melbourne CiTIM
Speculation always surrounds Tim Cahill about a possible A-League return whenever he returns home to play for the Socceroos. Normally this is taken with a grain of salt and immediately dismissed given the outlandish price tag Cahill and his agent place on his services.
Like it or not Cahill is the face of Australian football. Whilst we have Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak leading out his club team in an FA Cup final at Wembley and Mat Ryan performing in the top Spanish league Cahill is pottering around in China, watching the money (and the occasional goal) fly in. Ask most casual football fans in Australia and they would probably come back at you with two replies; umm isn’t soccer, and how good is Timmy Cahill.
Melbourne City smashed scoring records last season and although faltered at the final few hurdles, they also failed off the pitch, failing to attract crowds deserving of their performances on the pitch. Last season Aaron Mooy and Bruno Fornaroli were running rings around the league, scoring goals for fun at times but all in all it was still the usual suspects turning up to AAMI Park to watch City play.
Tim Cahill coming to Melbourne City would appear to be the perfect storm for the A-League and City Football Group, at least off the field. There is no doubt Tim Cahill playing domestic football in Australia would be a huge shot in the arm and would most likely make Cahill the most recognisable footballer of any code in Australia.
Melbourne City would be the most likely location for the Socceroos legend given the deep pockets and want for their brand to grow in Australia. Off the field Cahill would not only get football on the back pages on a more regular basis but would open the door for many football fans who don’t really consider themselves as A-League supporters.
On the field the move would be considered more of a gamble for City who couldn’t afford another failed marquee venture. Cahill must understand any injury layoff or below par performances would come under heavy scrutiny from both the Australian football media and fans of the game. The A-League hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Socceroos players returning home to play out their final years of their professional careers.
Currently Melbourne City is organically growing a small but loyal fan base but the signing of Cahill would be a definite game changer for the club. Crowd numbers would improve whilst Cahill is on the pitch but the big challenge for City would be keeping the majority of those new fans post Cahill.
Any move to bring Cahill home would be an expensive one but you can imagine it would be heavily subsidised by those at FFA HQ. You can only imagine how willing David Gallop and Steven Lowy would be to dust off the chequebook and finally see Tim Cahill as the poster boy for the Socceroos and the A-League.
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