Football has moved on- but has Sydney FC?

 

If there is a Silver Linings Playbook for football clubs, then Sydney FC need to be able to study it first. It seems that with every signing made with the best of intentions for the long-term, there is a puzzling short-term stopgap solution just around the corner. Sky blue fans have the utmost sympathy with Bill Murray in the film Groundhog Day. This type of news is akin to hitting the snooze button when we hear the phrase “I got you babe.” At what point will the club be able to say in unison: “this is who we are and this is where we are all going”?

Without wanting to sound like another crisis-piece, because this isn’t, it is worth noting the major signings the club has secured. Del Piero has changed the landscape of football in this country and he is ours. He will retire a Sky Blue. Lucas Neill is the current Socceroo Captain. Joel Griffiths has come from a team where he has fought for a spot with Anelka and Drogba. Despite people writing him off for good, a fit and healthy Brett Emerton will prove a major asset to the club. In other words, Frank has quality cattle at his disposal and experience to boot.

Farina alluded in his blog that certain re-signings are a by-product of previous contractual decisions. If someone was signed to a long-term deal and he was no longer wanted, then payouts would be counted under the salary cap etc etc. Which is fine, we sympathise with the predicament. Frank was not hired to guide a star-studded team who were united and full of confidence. What remains troubling however is the reactive nature of signing player simply because they can fit under the cap.

Peter Triantis signing on for 2 more seasons is great news. He may not be good enough to go onto Europe, but he can be a quality player for Sydney for many years to come. Yet what has caused a stir, particularly on Twitter are the re-signings of Terry McFlynn and to a lesser extent Ivan Necevski. In relation to the latter, this is just odd. Ivan demonstrated that he really has struggled to be regarded as A-League quality. It is also troubling for Vedran’s sake as well. Competition is healthy and it is highly unlikely that he can be challenged for his spot from Ivan.

I’ve already made my feelings known about McFlynn, but this latest news about re-signing for another season really does illustrate the frustration many supporters feel towards the club. I preface the comments naturally by agreeing that the vitriol and aggressive abuse directed at him is only a poor reflection on those individuals. No one deserves dog’s abuse. He does “bleed Sky Blue”, he cares passionately and I’m sure is a quality human being.

Now with this being said, lets have an honest appraisal of his situation. In 2013, it is no longer good enough to judge the quality of a player on his commitment, drive, passion and desire to produce some sort of Roy of the Rovers rearguard. The issue in the first place would be- why does Sydney FC need to launch a rearguard and why do we need a midfielder to tackle his guts out and scramble for 90 minutes?  Our problems certainly do not begin and end with Terry; he is a reflection of our technical and tactical failings.

Sebastian Hassett from the Fairfax Press was the only one publicly who indicated that the club is being out-coached. Whilst other teams are progressing with a vision or ability to shift their shape and formation, Sydney is playing a very rigid meat-and-three-veg 4-4-2, which leaves very little to the imagination. This is not to say Frank is incapable of altering his style or can’t play good football; it is just what is occurring at the moment. So when people criticize the inclusion of McFlynn, it must be viewed within the context of a team who are usually on the back foot and struggling to maintain possession or gain the ascendancy. His recent improvement in form ironically enough proves how reliant we’ve become on performing a rearguard. We’ve been forced to scramble and fight, something McFlynn is accustomed too.

The other argument often made is his experience. “His experience is invaluable.” I’d refer you to paragraph two. Any more players over 30 and we could reboot the ‘Dad’s Army’ franchise. We might not have any players with resell value, but their superannuation would be through the roof! If you wanted to discuss this with whoever chooses to be devils advocate, you could look at experience in central midfield. But fans are very settled on a goalkeeper who is playing his first full season. It is also fair to believe that experience in central defence and attack would be the ideal environment to develop a young midfield. When else could you do so?

The reality is no one will blame Farina for giving the opportunity for young guys to play. For all the talk about pressure, people understand this is a league to develop the best young Australian talent. He has already done so with Triantis and look how well he has developed through regular playing time. Antonis, Gligor and Grant (if he ever settles on a position) are other guys who can help the team maintain possession and build from deep positions in the mould of a Luke Brattan or Billy Celeski. If Ange did not moved on Grant Brebner then Celeski would not be where he is today. The fact McFlynn is the Captain of the club means his selection is guaranteed. So it is not an argument to suggest his squad inclusion does not hinder anyone because it does.

It feels as though the atmosphere around the club fluctuates depending on whether we’re just in a top 6 spot or just out of it. Yet regardless, these issues are clear for all to see. The reality is football has moved on. For a club who has spent far beyond the two pacesetters of the league, sitting 8^th on the table, something has to change. Even squeezing into the 6 would not make the problems obsolete.

Can Sydney FC be a club who impose themselves on the pitch? If we cannot dominate possession, can we at least have the ability to do so?  There are many clichés to use in an attempt to champion the cause of young, dynamic free-flowing football. All that can be said at the end of the day is we want to see the club progress. A step forward needs to be followed by another step forward. Many from inside and outside the club who view football in its modern climate agree that the way we’re playing football and who we’re using to play are not keeping up with the rest. The table agrees.

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