Recent Posts
They say theres no such thing as bad publicity, but the North Queensland Fury must be ruing the negative headlines that have been running for the last few days. This is no way for a struggling organisation to win over the public and sponsors of Townsville.
The problem began when Robbie Fowler, upset at being excluded from Ian Fergusons starting line-up, elected to skip the match entirely, preferring to play with his little son in the stands than take his place on the bench. This was interpreted as a legend of the game raising a very public middle finger to his rookie boss which, nobody should doubt, was exactly how it was intended.
Thats despite the vigorous spinning that the Fury attempted the following day. According to chairman Don Matheson, the whole thing was nothing more than an unfortunate mix-up between Ferguson and Fowler.
Ive spoken to them today and realise there has been a misunderstanding, he insisted. Ian wanted to play a particular formation and that included utilising Robbie as an impact player off the bench and Robbie believed he wasnt part of the squad and there has been an unfortunate outcome because of that misunderstanding.
If you believe that, youll believe anything. After all, its very difficult for somebody to be told Robbie, Im dropping you to the bench, only to hear Robbie, rather than including you in the match-day squad, Ive decided that you and your boy should spend some quality time together in the stands. Yet even if, somehow, something was lost in translation, as Matheson would have people believe, there would have been ample time for Ferguson to clarify things.
So why, then, has Matheson decided to accept at least officially such a fairytale? The answer is that he has concluded it is in North Queenslands best interests for everybody to pretend that nothing actually happened. In football the world over, it is commonplace for disgruntled players to rebel. Sometimes, they will storm out of the stadium if substituted early; sometimes, they will refuse to attend the game if not included in the squad; and sometimes, as in Fowlers case, they will react angrily to news that 11 teammates have been preferred to them. In response, an ultimatum is generally issued, along the lines of Apologise, or youll never be picked again. This is the clubs way of trying to regain control of the situation, and of reminding the players who is and who isnt in charge. Typically, such phrases as No player is bigger than the club are also bandied about.
If Matheson opted not to follow this well-trodden path, its because he must have feared that Fowler would refuse to apologise. For continued recalcitrance by the Englishman would have forced him to choose between two unpalatable options: sack his star import, who is by far the most talented and marketable member of the Fury; or essentially do nothing, thereby destroying the credibility of the board and the coach. Consequently, Matheson chose to hear no evil and see no evil, reasoning that looking a little foolish and weak was better than escalating a crisis that may well have ended unhappily.
With the standoff now seemingly over, it can be said that all three key participants have emerged from it with their reputations diminished. Clearly, Fowler has behaved petulantly (unless, before signing with North Queensland, he was secretly promised that he would always start if fit). When it came time to go into battle, he decided that salving his wounded pride was more important than fighting side by side with his comrades. As captain, he has set a shocking example for his teammates, while disrespecting them in the process. His was the reaction of a man who believes himself to be bigger than the club. Inevitably, some of the Fury especially the younger members, who would have hung on his every word must now be questioning their faith in God.
Where Fowler looks arrogant, his superiors appear pathetic. We now know that their authority is not as absolute as was once thought. Having so publicly lost the respect of his marquee man, Fergusons credibility has taken a battering. And having turned a blind eye to his employees disobedience, so has Mathesons. Yet it is difficult to say that they have acted wrongly.
Ferguson may have erred in trying a new formation, and he may have erred in thinking that it could not accommodate Fowler. But tactics and selection are solely the coachs domain. It is the coachs right to plump for whichever system and players he likes, for which he is then held accountable. Fowler understands this as does Matheson, who, to his credit, made a point of refusing to overturn the controversial demotion. A coach is paid to make decisions and a player is paid to obey them. If Fowler wasnt willing to accept this, he shouldnt have signed his generous contract.
However, once the crisis erupted, the Fury powerbrokers may have reasoned that although they occupied the moral high ground, backing down was the most responsible option. Yes, they may have been justified in publicly admonishing the former Liverpool legend, reminding him that a paycheque comes with obligations, and that he would therefore have to apologise or else. But would escalating a crisis that may have resulted in Fowlers axing have been in the clubs best interests?
In other words, could it be that instead of feebly caving in, Matheson and Ferguson have demonstrated strength by being prepared to lose face in order to secure the fledgling clubs future? Turning a profit in the A-League is difficult at the best of times, but when your market is small and youre sitting near the bottom of the ladder, it becomes even more challenging. Maybe, the pair agreed that although it would undermine their authority and affect the teams cohesion, finding a way to retain their highly bankable star was the lesser of two evils. If so, that would be ironic, because a crisis that was precipitated by somebody placing their ego before the club would have been ended by two men placing the club before their egos.
Such a message would not have been lost on Fowler, who has agreed to play out the season, but may well return home rather than honour the final year of his contract. It is no secret that he and Ferguson have never had the best of relationships, and now the Scotsman has irritated him further, firstly by dropping him and perhaps by then being the bigger man. Given that the imports tantrum has been indulged, and his place guaranteed for the following game, he has no pretext for angrily storming back to England. So now it is him who has been left with two options: swallow his pride and fulfil his agreement, or conceitedly run away and damage the club that he has so often declared his commitment to. What sort of man is God? Were about to find out.
According to Andrew Demetriou and David Gallop, the AFL and NRL want nothing more than for Australia to win the right to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. According to Frank Lowy, the FFA is convinced that all the football codes would benefit from such an outcome. These men are lying.
Hence, we have a situation in which the FFA is trying desperately to prevail in an extraordinarily challenging fight, while its two main local competitors are trying desperately if subtly to ensure its defeat.
At first glance, the round ball game seems to be making a valid point when it says that Aussie Rules and league stand to gain from a successful Australian bid. After all, the federal government would pour money into the infrastructure that they rely on, such as stadiums, training facilities and transportation links. Therefore, Lowy and friends conclude, both codes can expect to make advances that they wouldnt otherwise make, a point that Demetriou and Gallop calculatingly pretend to accept.
On closer inspection, however, footballs argument collapses, as Demetriou, Gallop and Lowy know full well. For while the AFL and NRL would make a gross gain from the World Cup, they would end up recording a net loss. Thats because although they would take a small step forward, their increasingly strong rival would take a giant leap, meaning that this absolute expansion would result in a relative contraction. In a sporting environment as competitive as Australias, its less important for governing bodies to increase their amount of pie than their share of pie. For the stronger party will always try to bully its weaker opponents, as evidenced by the AFLs push into the rugby league heartland of western Sydney. Having dished out an incalculable number of beatings to football over the years, the AFL and NRL are terrified by the prospect of their former whipping boy growing strong enough to give them a taste of their own medicine.
The benefits football stands to gain from hosting the World Cup are colossal. When the Socceroos defeated Uruguay and subsequently advanced to the second round of the World Cup, it gave the code the greatest credibility it had ever experienced a glow it continues to bask in several years on. Staging the tournament would trump that umpteen times over. With tens of thousands of fans joining some of the planets finest athletes in Australia, the excitement generated would be like nothing the nation had witnessed since the unprecedentedly heady days of the Sydney Olympics. Football would saturate the media; football would be on everyones lips. In short, it would be the most comprehensive publicity campaign any of this countrys sports had ever enjoyed. Having watched throbbing stadiums cheering on the likes of the Socceroos and Brazil, and having absorbed the monumental interest being shown by billions of people overseas, Aussie Rules and league would inevitably look less attractive by comparison.
That is why the AFL and NRL dont want Australia to host the World Cup; that is why the FFA does. Most importantly, though, the punters and thus the federal government want it. As a result, Demetriou and Gallop have been forced to tread carefully, as they understand that it would be a PR disaster if they were thought to be impeding the bid, or harbouring negative feelings towards it. So, through gritted teeth, they trumpet the official line, proclaiming their support, while agreeing that it would benefit their codes too.
The recent outbreak of dissent from Demetriou and Gallop needs to be seen in this context. By issuing warnings to the FFA about stadium availability and crying foul about disruption to their 2018 or 2022 seasons, they have tested the waters to see how much rebelliousness will be tolerated. They have prodded the FFA, rather than thumped it, because open defiance would be considered unpatriotic. And the two appear to have gotten the balance right, with the general view being that they were not hysterically attacking the bid, but raising legitimate concerns.
Ironically, though, Demetriou and Gallop may have actually strengthened the FFAs hand. For as Sport: The Australian Disease has previously argued, the only way to snare the World Cup will be to appeal to the emotions of the 24 members of FIFAs Executive Committee. It wont be done by telling people that we have the best infrastructure, because we dont. However, a case can be made for awarding the tournament to Australia on the basis that its the only part of the world yet to be conquered by the global game. South Africa will be hosting the next World Cup for emotional reasons; if the FFA can convince FIFA that Australia is a final frontier that needs to be snatched from other sports, it may end up doing the same in 2018 or 2022. So when the AFL and NRL attack football, they may unwittingly be attacking themselves.
Regardless, they need to realise that this is a battle they cannot win. The punters want the World Cup. The federal government which has invested significant financial and political capital in the bid wants the World Cup. No amount of petty quibbling from the AFL and NRL will be able to destroy that consensus. Consequently, there are only two courses of action for them to follow: praying for the FFA to fail, and preparing to cope in the event that it succeeds.
Should the World Cup come to Australia in around a decades time, it could very well prove to be a turning point in this countrys sporting history. Thanks to the years of favourable publicity football would receive either side of the tournament, it could be the moment in which the once derided wogball long identified as a sleeping giant finally gained ascendancy over its two bigger rivals. And if that was to happen, it would be almost impossible for Aussie Rules and league to ever wrest back control. So disregard all the false smiles and soothing words from Demetriou, Gallop and Lowy. In reality, these three are locked in fierce combat.
First Kevin Sheedy, then Jarryd Hayne and now Paul Kelly: the AFLs newest baby has only just been born, and already its made a significant impact.
When Sheedy was announced as the inaugural coach of the Western Sydney Football Club a fortnight ago, many in the harbour city took note. When it was reported that Hayne was on the teams hitlist, further headlines were generated. And with word recently emerging that Kelly is considering taking up a developmental role, even more interest has been sparked. All this attention can only be a good thing, right?
Well, yes and no. Those who insist that theres no such thing as bad publicity are guilty of facile thinking, because the type of publicity somebody or something receives is often more important than the amount. As Sport: The Australian Disease has previously argued, winning the affection of western Sydney and the support of sponsors is going to pose an extraordinarily difficult long term challenge. For WSFC to succeed, it will have to convince people that its committed to the region, and that its going to be around forever. In other words, it has to establish itself as a credible entity.
Cheap publicity stunts, therefore, are a hindrance rather than a help. Unquestionably, the Hayne story would have aroused the interest of the locals, many of whom would have devoted rare attention to a code that theyre ignorant of, and even hostile to. But one suspects that a majority of those would have regarded with scorn the idea of a league star wanting to convert to an entirely foreign sport, or making a success of it if he did. And that scorn would then, in turn, have been directed to the party responsible for the idea- WSFC. So increased recognition would have come at the price of decreased credibility. Thats why there is such a thing as bad publicity.
The signing of Sheedy and the possible recruitment of Kelly, however, are examples of good publicity. While a lot of the league loving locals would possess only a dim understanding of the pair, there would be a vague recognition that the first was a champion coach and the second a champion player. Then would come the instinctive thought that if individuals of that calibre had chosen to get involved with the fledgling club, there must be something substantial about it.
Still, it would be wrong to place undue emphasis on publicity. Thats because WSFC needs to sink its roots very deeply into the western Sydney soil if it is to survive and thrive. As the Swans would attest, consolidation will not come before decades have passed and tens of millions of dollars have been spent. There is no short term fix to be had; only long term vision will enable the AFLs 18th franchise to securely establish itself.
With that in mind, the Hayne flirtation looks even more foolish. Even if the Parramatta fullback could somehow be seduced, it is extremely unlikely that he would be able to turn himself into a star in a second code. And unless he could do that, the whole exercise would be pointless, because why would the region be inspired by the exertions of a middling footballer?
On the other hand, the appointment of Sheedy and the pursuit of Kelly look even more inspired. The former Essendon boss possesses greater experience than any of his contemporaries, meaning that there could be nobody better qualified to recruit staff, draft players and develop a flourishing culture. As for the Brownlow Medallist, he is revered in the Riverina zone in which he would be doing his developmental work, meaning that there could be nobody better qualified to convince talented young athletes to choose Aussie Rules over other sports.
With these two on the payroll, WSFC gives itself the best chance to build a robust structure. Clubs that have poor foundations go bust, because they lack credibility. Sponsors dont want to sponsor them; players dont want to play for them; supporters dont want to support them. Conversely, clubs that have firm foundations are able to make it through the inevitable low points in the sporting cycle and ultimately prosper.
It is on this point that WSFC must resolutely focus. Building support and winning games will be difficult, especially in the short term. If, however, a robust structure is created, both should eventually arrive. It wont be quick, it wont be easy, and it certainly wont be cheap. But if the club remains true to a long term vision, theres a good chance that the AFLs newest baby will grow to be a mature, healthy adult.
Thanks to the arrival of John van 't Schip and the departure of Frank Farina, coaches have been the main focus of the A-League in recent days. While the two have generated headlines for very different reasons, their clubs deserve praise for what they have in common- namely, an ability to make strong, logical judgments.
That opinion would not be shared by Farina. A prickly chap at the best of times, Cranky Frankies mood has only darkened since being dismissed for his second drink-driving offence. To say that he is bitter would be an understatement
[ Click here to read more ]
It is one of the great conundrums in modern football. Can a misguided star actually lead a team to ultimate success? Can a player sacked by their previous club for their transgressions revive their career at a new home and lead this club to glory?
As AFL Trade Week winds down for another year, two of the leagues best outfits have decided to take on this risk in their pursuit of a premiership. The Western Bulldogs, in their endless search for a key target up forward, have given renegade big man Barry Hall another chance at redemption after numerous anger management issues on the field over the last few years. And just as the deadline approached on the final day of trading, the Brisbane Lions pulled off a blockbuster trade for troubled Carlton superstar and reigning Coleman Medallist, Brendan Fevola.
[ Click here to read more ]
September 16th 2009 11:44
If early indications are any guide, the Tri-Nations is to be expanded into a Four Nations tournament come 2012, when Argentina will finally be granted admission. This would be a welcome- and long overdue- move.
The Tri-Nations is amongst the leading events on Australias sporting calendar, yet one that could do with some tweaking. But to understand what is wrong with it- and to understand how the presence of the Pumas would be beneficial- we first need to understand what is right with the Tri-Nations
[ Click here to read more ]
(Source: The Age)
First Collingwood; now Sydney. Planned coaching handovers, it seems, are the AFLs new black.
[ Click here to read more ]
And the winner of the World Cup is
Australia!
For even the most passionate supporter, it is too much to hope that those words will be uttered come South Africa 2010. But what about some time off into the murky distance? Is it unrealistic to expect that the Socceroos will one day get to raise the coveted 18 carat gold trophy
[ Click here to read more ]
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the incident, whatever may or may not have happened, the Matthew Johns scandal is a damning indictment of rugby league.
Four Corners is to be commended for exposing the shocking misogyny that lies at the heart of the games culture (and, incidentally, that of Aussie Rules too). It is a culture that objectifies women, transforming them from human beings worthy of respect into sexual playthings who may be used however footballers see fit. It is a shameful culture
[ Click here to read more ]
The board of the Richmond Tigers needs to ask itself a question: is Terry Wallace a good coach?
If this sounds like an obvious reaction to the mess that Richmond finds itself in after losing all of its opening four games, its because it is. Yet its amazing how often clubs- spooked by negative headlines and deafened by the din of talkback radio- will choose the emotional reaction in such instances over the logical and obvious one
[ Click here to read more ]
|
|
|
Add Comments
Read More
Comment by Nick Bendel
on When something for nothing isnt worth anything
Sport: The Australian Disease
The A-League is full of workhorses, average players and good players. However, there are no special players. I do believe it is the responsibility of the FFA to try to grow the game (i.e. to win over those who currently show scant interest)- after all, if a governing body isnt trying to grow its particular game, what is the point of having a governing body? And I further believe that one of the best ways to grow the game (i.e. to win over those who currently show scant interest) is to offer them something special. I think that a marquee player should be special- and if hes not special, then he doesnt deserve special treatment.
Anyway, I appreciated your comment. Thanks for the stimulus!