Ed’s Note: We received tremendous feedback on Joey’s edition of The Grand Stand. Thanks to all who responded. Today, Boris Gligorevic takes his turn on what he would do to overhaul Sydney FC.

Intro

If you have known about me or follow me on Twitter, you will know that I am a Sydney FC fan. I have followed them virtually since the inception of the A-League and remained extremely loyal to them, especially in the wake of Western Sydney’s introduction. And if you know me, you know that I not one for being shy in giving honest commentary on Sydney FC, on and off the pitch.

It is well documented that at some point, I had a disconnect with Sydney FC. I wrote about struggling to find a connection to Sydney FC, something that I can identify with. Since then not much has changed. Increasingly, more and more fans seem to feel the same things I do in my feelings toward Sydney FC. What Sydney FC has in their favour is the fact that I am a loyal fan. As things stand, I see this as both a blessing and a curse.

The beauty of discovering Twitter is that I have at times, a soap box with which to voice my displeasure with Sydney FC. Occasionally I also do this via this column. In doing so, I have made a number of friends and connected with people and I would like to think that I have a respectable opinion among fans from all teams (in spite of whether you can figure out at which times am I being serious and at which times I am making fun of something).

I think since originally voicing my displeasures I have talked for long enough. Thanks to some brilliance from Joey Crews, I am participating in a special edition of The Grand Stand, along with Chris Gouw, in penning my views of Sydney FC should be from my point of view. I am not the be all and end all and I do not have all the answers. But then again, this is only my opinion.

Creating an identity for Sydney FC

Beliefs

I have played football for 22 years of my life. In that time I have played just about every form of the game at every level, bar representing state and country and playing professionally. I have played park football, youth league football and state league football. I have also played futsal too. In all the teams I have played in, I have played in teams that played boring football, entertaining football and in some seasons, uneducated football. I have also had the privilege playing with and against some great players. Some made it to the big dance and some did not.

I have been watching football ever since I can remember. It has been ingrained in me since I was a child. I have watched large amounts of state league football, Italian football, English football, UEFA Champions League football and any other football I can find, highlights or otherwise. Importantly I have also watched quite a few A-League games, specifically Sydney FC games.

I have had the privilege of being exposed to great footballing sides, namely AC Milan, Manchester United and some fairly good Real Madrid sides. I have been lucky to see some of these sides play some extraordinary and breathtaking football. In more recent times, it is also been a privilege to be watching an era of football such as the kind played by the Manchester United squad containing Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez, FC Barcelona, Spain, Jose Mourinho’s counterattacking Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

I have strong beliefs when it comes to football. Ultimately, I prescribe to the notion of winning first and foremost. Results are all the matter because history does not care for nor does it remember the loser. I will forego to the chance to play in the same team as my mates in order to play for a team that has the best chance of winning.

But when I think about winning, I also think about how I want to win. I want to win with style and win big. I want to win with flair and excitement. I want people to say, “They are the best.” That being said, I want my football team to play an excellent passing game with the ability to hold the ball for as long as required in order to carve out a good scoring opportunity. When we are attacking I want my football team to play to the crowd, to entertain them and provide them with joy and delight. I want my football team to win a style which is breathtaking and dominating all at once.

Defensively, I want my team to press hard but selectively. There are times when you can the ball back straight away and sometimes you have to be patient. In those moments when patience is required I want my team dictating to the opposition where to attack, in essence forcing them into a trap where we can win the ball back easily and preferably with little trouble.

My definition of Identity

Tony Pignata and the board of Sydney FC have very little going in their favour in my eyes. Experts are beginning to realise that the club currently has no identity and is effectively soulless. The only good deed they have done in recent times is sign Alessandro Del Piero. His signing has in turn increased the global recognition of Sydney FC and has also attracted corporate sponsorship, despite poor on-field results. Without Del Piero, I highly doubt that the club would be able to attract the corporate sponsorship that it has.

Additionally, there’s nothing I can say that describes Sydney FC’s identity. There is nothing I direct people to that describes who we are and what we stand for. I have argued this for many seasons and only recently have I noticed that the mainstream media has also picked up on this.

There is no doubt in my mind that the club needs a huge overhaul in this particular department. By no means will it be an easy task and I believe it will have to be done in parts. Having a belief plays an important part in having an identity. The belief, as I mentioned earlier, comes from the playing style that the club wants to play. This helps to attract fans to the club. The second part of having an identity I believe comes in the form of the club’s crest. Like the playing style, it helps to attract fans also. Importantly, a great combination of both allows people to relate to, be loyal to and grow affectionate to the club.

The current crest of Sydney FC is rubbish in my opinion. You can easily tell that it was designed by a graphic design company. What is also easily noticeable is that it looks to be some of the laziest designing ever. I’m sure that when promoting Sydney as a tourist destination, the Opera House, Centrepoint Tower and the Harbour Bridge are frequently used. If that was the effort put into designing, any schmuck with a photoshop program could have produced the same thing for a quarter of the price.

I can already predict the argument. The A-League was just starting and the club needed something that identified it. That was all well and good 10 years ago. But it is still a marketing gimmick. New South Wales has Newcastle Jets, Central Coast Mariners and Western Sydney Wanderers. We should be looking at changing the crest now more than ever. It needs to represent the city and its history.

What should Sydney FC focus on

Nine years into Sydney FC’s journey and I can say that we are truly focusing on nothing in particular. The club throws around the word ‘stability’ like it was going out of fashion but at what cost? We may have a stable board and a coach who is seemingly stable but are we being stable just for the sake of it? Are we not putting plans in motion and building the foundations that will benefit Sydney FC’s future? My answer is no.

The club however, seems to be skilled at planning for the short term. The way Frank Farina has the squad playing suggests so. No planning for academy (or youth) teams is visible. There seems to be no visible effort to produce plans for the long term and establish a culture which will ensure the club remains successful both on and off the pitch.

I find it embarrassing when fans of other clubs can look at Sydney FC and realise what I already know. Some Sydney FC fans may put comments like that down to banter but the reality is that there is a mountain of truth in the things that are said.

How does the club rectify its image, identity and beliefs? What are the areas the club needs to focus on to establish it as the premier club in the country, not just in the A-League but across all the sporting codes? In no particular order I will list things, with reasons, as to what Sydney FC should focus on.

I have already mentioned beliefs and identity earlier. These are important areas which, as I’ve also mentioned, helps to create loyalty and affection amongst fans and help attract new fans. The product delivered on and off the pitch is vital in creating attachment to the club while increasing its brand awareness, both locally and internationally.

Fans are attracted to club because of its on-field performance. The belief/performance exhibited here helps to attract casual fans. If the team is consistently performing well, these casual fans can be potentially turned into members, which is no doubt one of the key goals of every club. We all know fans spend money on merchandise, thus also helping the club’s bottom line. But fans won’t do it if they don’t have a reason to, something I think our club is guilty of in spite of Del Piero’s presence.

A successful team on the pitch helps attract sponsors. No matter what the club identity is, the corporate dollar is attracted to winning sporting organisations. In a league which allows a marquee player, having the right marquee also helps to attract the corporate dollar. However, the key in all this is that club needs to remain successful in order to achieve profitable revenue from sponsors.

Does Sydney FC’s identity have to be Bling FC? No it doesn’t. But we are the biggest city in Australia, with the most people and arguably the hub of Australia’s glamour events. I have no doubt that the club should use this in helping to create its identity. People around Australia already view Sydney FC as arrogant, so why not use it? Success breeds a degree of arrogance and more often than not, the most successful clubs around the world are usually viewed as arrogant.

Furthermore, I mentioned earlier about the issues I have with our crest. My view is that our crest should not have been that lazy to make. There is enough history in Sydney to create something meaningful, something that better represents the city’s history other than the Opera House and the Commonwealth Star.

A simple bit of research on the City of Sydney’s website immediately provides inspiration to create a meaningful crest. There’s no Centrepoint Tower, no Opera House and no Harbour Bridge. There’s more to Sydney’s history than these man-made landmarks which are more often than not used to promote Sydney as a tourist destination. Don’t believe me? You can click here and here to see my point.

Additionally, I believe we should also change the colour of jersey. This generally doesn’t go down well with fans (see Cardiff City as an example) but let me explain. Sydney’s current jersey is that of the sky blue variety, chosen as it is representative of New South Wales. With four teams in the A-League coming from New South Wales, this is no longer a logical colour choice.

Using the links I provided earlier, there is nothing to suggest sky blue is a colour of Sydney. The colour of Sydney’s flag has a large chunk of what looks to be a royal blue, not sky blue. It also has elements of white, red and gold as well. My proposal of a new colour for the club would involve a royal blue jersey, white shorts and royal blue socks.

In a nod to our early history, I would love to have a ship similar to The Endeavour adorn the back of jersey, just below the collar in sky blue. I would also be happy to incorporate elements of sky blue on the jersey. My honest opinion of sky blue is that it’s not a great colour to begin with so any use of sky blue on royal blue jersey would have to be minimal.

Another area requiring improvement is recruitment. This applies to players, coaching staff and the administrative side of the organisation. Particularly regarding players, the club has a history of recruiting bad players who have turned out to be failures (David Zdrilic, Jacob Timpano, Ruben Zadkovich, Shannon Cole, Mark Bridge, Stuart Musialik, Brendan Gan, Hayden Foxe, Brett Emerton, Scott Jamieson, Wade Oostendorp, Alejandro Salazar, Patrick, Marc Warren, Blake Powell, Tiago, Mitch Mallia, Joel Chianese, Ali Abbas – he’s actually good at left back). Again, better understanding of the style Sydney wants to play will help in searching for better players that fit the system. Individual brilliance does not necessarily translate into a successful team.

I know people will argue that some of those players have gone to other clubs and have had better careers. I direct my recruitment argument to the coaching staff. Does Sydney possess the best coaches it can get, who can implement a style, structure and discipline to achieve success? Over the course of the club’s existence, the answer is no.

And who is responsible for hiring the coaching staff? The board. The question then turns to the qualifications of the board in relation football. Do they know football? Do they understand the requirements of the club, the team and the game itself? Do they understand that football is a global sport? Yes, running a club is as much about being a football club in the traditional sense but it also needs to make a profit and head in the direction of best practice.

Marketing is another area that I believe the club should focus on. I strongly believe that the club isn’t making the most of its squad in terms of marketing. It’s even more noticeable because we have Alessandro Del Piero on the books, someone with instant recognition around the world. It helps the club with Del Piero being a World Cup, UEFA Champions League and Serie A winner. Why isn’t the club utilising him more in promotion of the club?

The same can be said for the rest of the squad. We have Nick Carle, Brett Emerton and Richard Garcia, all of whom were Socceroos at one time or another. Why can’t the club produce a television commercial or radio advertisement with one of, if not all of, them promoting the club, club events and matches?

The club I believe can make better use of bus shelters, billboards and newspapers. Whilst I realise the club does have some presence in advertising in the major newspapers, why not make the ads bigger? Does the club advertise in local papers?

Another way to promote the club is through social media. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram seemingly connect people around the world quicker than ever thought possible in today’s world. Interestingly, a recent article on Leopold Method suggests that all A-League clubs don’t use Twitter effectively. Clubs, not just Sydney, need to effectively use all forms of social media.

In turn, this feeds a connection to the club’s fans. It is safe to say that the disconnect between Sydney FC and its fans has never been greater. The club needs to find ways of reconnecting to its fans. This can be done through things I have mentioned already: identity, belief, change of crest, colours and marketing. The club, in changing these areas, can ask for fan input. There is no easier way in getting fans involved and more attached to the club than to ask for their input. And using the various social media, website and email functions available in today’s technology, there should be no excuses.

Another area in which Sydney FC needs to improve on is its National Youth League side. In recent times the side has seemed to underachieve and not provide a successful continuity to the first team. Whilst youth players have been promoted to the first team, not one of them has managed to achieve success in the first team at Sydney FC. It is a shame as they have seemed to move on to other clubs and achieve greater success.

Sydney FC also needs to work out something with Football NSW so that the National Youth League side is playing in the state league once the National Youth League competition is over. Year round competition for the youth side gives them a feeling for full time professional football, developing them and giving them exposure to men’s football against the best sides that the New South Wales National Premier League has.

You can go one step further and suggest the need to establish an academy or youth teams. These would cover the age groups from under 10s to under 18s. Again, the youth teams would need to play in Football NSW’s youth competitions and SAP programs. It gives kids something to aim for and in the future, you can have home-grown kids who have played through the entire system and graduated to the first team.

To oversee the entire structure of the academy, the club would need to hire a Technical Director. A technical director is a very handy position to have. They can oversee that the club plays in the same system from the first team all the way down to the under 10s. The technical director can also help the first team coach to help them identify players in their scouting systems who would suit the club’s playing style.

I have identified quite a few areas that I believe the club should be focusing on in order to improve themselves. I realise that some of the aspects require funding but I also didn’t say that all these areas require improvement simultaneously. These are all things that can be progressively adjusted over time but also some things can be implemented in a quicker, shorter amount of time.