Another week, another wide variety of opinions on the From the Stands website discussing the A-League and Australian football world. In this inaugural edition of “Opinion From the Stands” I’ll take you through a brief run-down of what our passionate writers have had to say this week. Thanks to Daniel Palmer for both the concept and this week’s editing.
Does the Salary Cap fit? Doug Kors (@dougkors)
https://www.fromthestandsal.com/2013/02/04/does-the-salary-cap-fit/
“The recent horror stories of footballers in Indonesia, specifically the death of Diego Mendieta, leaves me appreciative that the PFA has fought over the years to ensure that professional footballers in Australia have had their rights and benefits fought for… Despite the explosion of the A-League in the past 12 months to all time high attendances, memberships and viewership figures we should not forget the mistakes that have been made over the years that led to many clubs being financially crippled and the leagues future at times being questionable…
Personally I find it difficult to agree with the argument that the money earned from the Socceroos should be considered as potential funding for players in the A-League… When you consider that the AFL relies on its funding from only its league/clubs and manages a 20% share of revenue for its players it makes the A-League players 40% seem exceedingly high…
Our own worst enemy David Hards (@hardsy05)
https://www.fromthestandsal.com/2013/02/04/our-own-worst-enemy/
“Shooting yourself in the foot is sometimes accidental, but sadly not in this case. Football fans had the chance to shine on Saturday night, 40,000 passionate fans, 90 minutes of action seeing 2 teams battle it out in the 9th instalment of the Melbourne Derby. Sadly the only numbers most of our local media outlets are concerned with is the amount of seats broken during the contest…
We must be smarter A-League fans, stop the flares, save the chairs and pull your heads in. Real football fans work tirelessly improving the image of our games, countless hours are spent by players and staff promoting the game through all facets on the community and our reputation is tarnished by those few who cannot move forward with the league itself.”
Time is due for due process Blake Hampton (@Blake_1986)
https://www.fromthestandsal.com/2013/02/04/time-is-due-for-due-process/
“Joel Griffith’s recent 3-match suspension has raised too many questions. These questions have either gone unanswered or simply taken too long for the standards of a professional sporting body. The Match Review Panel (MRP) has demonstrated a level of incompetence throughout this saga…
Lack of due process affects all sides involved. Today it is Joel Griffiths and Sydney FC over this allegation, next week or next season it will be another club and another player.”
Wogball: why anti-football media stems from racism Daniel Palmer (@userlastname)
https://www.fromthestandsal.com/2013/02/05/wogball-why-anti-football-media-stems-from-racism/
“Football fans in Australia aren’t exactly a rare breed, but they’re certainly an oppressed minority. In 2013, football isn’t new to this country – but only recently, with the A-League’s increasing success has it come to the forefront as a real threat to the “traditional” Aussie sports such as AFL, Rugby and Cricket…
We are not defending the three people evicted from the football match, but criticising the unfair way in which it was reported – something we’ve endured for far too long and are well sick of…
Ladies and gentlemen, what I am about to propose may certainly be controversial – but I now believe it to be sadly true. This sort of reaction we’re seeing in the media is a by-product of the typical Australian disaffection towards anything “foreign”. This defensive stance from NRL and AFL fans is an extension of the unfortunately prevalent, bogan Aussie racist urges…
3AW comment, even for a shock jock Doug Kors (@dougkors)
https://www.fromthestandsal.com/2013/02/05/3awful-comment-even-for-a-shock-jock/
“When I first met my girlfriend she was not a football fan… After almost 3 years together she is now a Sydney FC member and in her first season of playing she got to experience the joy of winning a golden goal championship final. Despite all of this she does not share the same passion for the game that I do and sometimes struggles to understand my undying love for the game, but you do not need that love of the game to feel the immense sadness that comes from the Hillsborough disaster…
Elliott has joined the far too familiar group of Australian media who take any opportunity to speak poorly about the game of football and its supporters in Australia. In an attempt to belittle the continued growth of the sport in its country media personalities like Elliott exacerbate any issue in the game…
This might come as a shock to Elliott who seems to think English football is still ravaged with hooliganism but one of the most heartfelt and genuine moments that resulted from release of confidential documents proving the innocence of supporters were the actions of local rivals Everton.”
RIP Etihad chairs Blake Hampton (@Blake_1986)
https://www.fromthestandsal.com/2013/02/06/rip-etihad-chairs/
“I raised my hopes when I read a recent headline courtesy of FFA who boldly stated: “Football Federation Australia says it has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the integrity of Australian football.” Brilliant! Stop right there. Fantastic! Finally the games head honchos have grown a backbone and are willing to push back a little bit. However, my enthusiasm was immediately quashed when I continued to note that the sentence was followed by the phrase “against match fixing.”…
Is crowd behaviour an issue that should be monitored? Of course. Is it headline worthy? Depends on who is writing the headline. But what should the response be? To many who are just in love with sport and go with the flow- brilliant. If you feel more impassioned and aligned with football, I take the view that these individuals in the media who make, lets call them uneducated opinions, do not deserve the dignity of a response.”
Where does united stand? Jordan McIntyre (@JordyMcIntyre)
https://www.fromthestandsal.com/2013/02/06/where-does-united-stand/
“The last few weeks or so for Adelaide United have been one that the club would rather forget. From the fans unrest, the $750,000 payout to Rini Coolen and recently the Kosmina shock resignation, you could be forgiven to think that these were problems of an A-League club sitting at the bottom of the ladder…
There was some welcomed news from Adelaide United owner and board director, Bruno Marveggio, who has put together an all-star cast to help the reds select a new coach for the 2013-2014 season… The article went on to say that there has to be more emphasis on passion and professionalism. Building local talent and re-engagement were other goals the club wanted to achieve… Getting into the mind of now reds coach Valkanis, you wonder if this will have any bearing on his thoughts that he may only be a short term solution for the club.
The club and fans may be going through a tough time at the moment but this has no doubt brought all reds fans closer together who demand more and rightfully so.”
The RBB and why football is such a beautiful game Daniel Palmer (@userlastname)
https://www.fromthestandsal.com/2013/02/07/the-rbb-and-why-football-is-such-a-beautiful-game/
“There’s been a lot of negativity in and around Australian football in recent weeks, so I thought I’d take some time to escape the furore and instead examine what has been quite the success story. Some would label the RBB’s first endeavour into Australian football so far as a “fairy-tale”. But that would be misleading… The story of the RBB is no fairy-tale; instead, it is a story of dedication and passion – the sort that any football fan can agree makes this sport so unique and wonderful…
The dedication and passion that surrounded me blew me away. These people were singing for 90 minutes, punching the air, throwing their scarves up and down, smiling and cheering as if this were a team established long before I was born. It blew me away, but was incredibly contagious…
We’ve had tough times in the past in Australian football, but the RBB’s success is a huge indication as to just how far we’ve come…”
Match fixing and what the A-League does not need Andrew Smith (@A_n_d_r_e_w_S)
https://www.fromthestandsal.com/2013/02/09/match-fixing-and-what-the-a-league-does-not-need/
With one A-League game already suspected for match fixing after a $49million bet was placed on the round 10 clash between Adelaide and Melbourne Victory by someone in Hong Kong, and with many other Football matches around the world being investigated, it is something our A-League does not need.
Traore picks up a straight red, for a challenge that could barely be deemed a yellow. This incident has sparked controversy with calls for the referee to be sacked… But what we really need to hope for, is that no one placed a big bet on that game last night…
