MOOK'S MAIN COURSE-BREAKING DOWN THE A-LEAGUE'S 1ST SEASON
By the time I have completed this, the inaugural season of the A-League will have concluded. A new league in Australia was needed more urgently than O- blood. And whilst the concept of 1 team towns may have been seen to be optimistic by a few people, the true fans of the game have voted with their feet.
This column will examine every team in terms of what went right and what went wrong. Of course, this is all just a young man’s opinion and should not be taken as the Gospel according to St.Mooks although you’re more than welcome to do so.
SYDNEY FC
WHAT WENT RIGHT
- Their approach to recruitment in terms of getting a mix of older players returning home (Saso Petrovski, Steve Corica), the massive name (Dwight Yorke) and impressive youngsters (David Carney)
- Putting themselves in the shop window through the World Club Championship eventually finishing 5th.
- Getting the Sydney football community together with some massive crowds, particularly in the finals series.
- Winning the Championship
WHAT WENT WRONG
- A mid-season slump that cost them the minor premiership
- Some unsettlement over the fitness and eventually selection of ex-captain Mark Rudan
CENTRAL COAST MARINERS
WHAT WENT RIGHT
- Eventually making a sporting team in the area work
- Stability within the ranks which promoted the likes of Michael Beauchamp to the National Team
- Lifting their game when it mattered in the finals
WHAT WENT WRONG
- Failing in both pre-season and A-League finals to Sydney FC (their bogey team)
ADELAIDE UNITED
WHAT WENT RIGHT
- Like Central Coast, stability in the playing ranks complimented by 2 great imports (Shenqing Qu, Fernando Rech)
- Winning the minor premiership
- Having both the scoring power (only failed to score twice all season) and the defensive prowess to help their cause
WHAT WENT WRONG
- Choking in the finals losing all 3 matches to bow out in straight sets
- Crowds were down a fair bit from the previous NSL season
NEWCASTLE UNITED JETS
WHAT WENT RIGHT
- Securing some of the more talented players produced in the country (Ned Zelic, Ante Milicic, Nick Carle)
WHAT WENT WRONG
- Poor finals performance against Central Coast
- Some disappointing attendances at home games
- The broken leg for defender Andrew Durante during pre-season
PERTH GLORY
WHAT WENT RIGHT
- The reunion of Damian Mori and Bobby Despitovski after Mori was left out of the initial squad
- Nicky Ward’s form leading to an international call-up
WHAT WENT WRONG
- Appointing Steve McMahon as 1st team coach only for him to be shown the door after a few months
- Bungled player recruiting (Neil Teggart, Steve McMahon Jr, Brian Deane)
- Poor crowds compared to past seasons (linked to McMahon’s appointment)
- Nick Tana leaving the club, a loss for the game in Perth and Australia
QUEENSLAND ROAR
WHAT WENT RIGHT
- Strengthening ties with Asia through Korean signings (leading to an invite to a 4 team tournament at the end of the season)
- Decent crowds confirming that there is potential in the game in Queensland
WHAT WENT WRONG
- Their inability to score for the majority of the season
- THAT orange strip (:puke)
MELBOURNE VICTORY
WHAT WENT RIGHT
- The best crowd support in the league
- Archie Thompson’s form which lead to a shot at PSV Eindhoven
WHAT WENT WRONG
- Ernie Merrick’s coaching and strange tactics (FFUK off Merrick???)
- The inability for anyone else apart from Thompson to score in open play (Kevin Muscat scored plenty from the spot)
- Conceding soft goals, as few as the defence may have conceded
- Negative reporting from the likes of Peter Desira from the Herald-Sun newspaper (FFUK off Desira???)
- The whole Thompson to PSV saga
NEW ZEALAND KNIGHTS
WHAT WENT RIGHT
- If you can tell me anything that went right for the NZ Knights, then I’ll try to get you a prize (maybe some coke zero)
WHAT WENT WRONG
- Anything you could possibly think of except for bird flu ravaging the club and/or a terrorist attack at one of their games (not that it would have hurt much)
So with Sydney FC celebrating their championship that their glamour club status demanded, the A-League’s 1st season is completed. On the whole, it was a very successful year on the pitch as well as off it even though start-up costs may lead to financial losses across the board. Let’s hope that the momentum of the 1st season will be able to flow on to season 2006-2007.
