OT: Association Football

[phantom eel]

Some decent quality live soccer on free-to-air tele tonight...

Man United v Man City 9pm on SBS.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Yeah I remember when I lived in Manchester City I used to hate those guys. Then I went and lived in Manchester United and I realised they weren't so different after all.

This match means a lot to me. I hope I don't take a ninety minute shower and miss it.

 

[phantom eel]

Hope you're enjoying half time in your long shower... Much better to watch games from a local league that isn't in the top 40 of the world's leagues, than to watch games from a league in the top 5, hey?

If you appreciate the art of the sport, you appreciate seeing the better quality matches regardless of who is playing... but if hooting and hollering for a team you can care about is all you need, then I can see how the local league might satisfy.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

It's a f**king shithouse game. The only reason anyone would watch it is if they cared about the result.

 

[Suitman]

lol.
Not only is this cringeworthy, but just look at the demographic.
It's exactly the reason GWS will never win over Sydney's west, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars the ALF pour into them to the detriment of established traditional clubs and this is why I hate ALF so much. Their arrogance is phenomenal, thinking they could just throw as much money as possible towards a club and bend all the rules for them to become an instant success and more importantly, change a complete culture of a region that they really knew nothing about.
Western Sydney is a R League and football region. It is becoming more and more culturally diversified as the decades pass, so there is less likelihood that it may become a home for an ALF team. Long may they continue to throw their media earned dollars at our local media, local councils and schools.
They are at war with all other sports in Sydney. Even one of their pea brained commissioners claimed yesterday that their goal is to be the dominant east coast sport within 20 years. They have very little idea of the culture in western Sydney.

 

[bartman]

I actually think that the GWS success will only reinforce the popularity/pecking order in Western Sydney as:

1. Rugby League (NRL)
2. Australian Rules (AFL)
3. Soccer (A-League)
4. Union (Super whatever)

AFL is trying to dominate it's competitors but soccer is played in the other half of the season, so AFL is not really trying to compete with soccer. There's nothing to worry about (since this is the soccer thread), and before anyone tries to have a go I like soccer as a sport and wish it well.

Soccer is only really competing against cricket for hearts and minds at the same time of year... where would the Big Bash fit in the above list/popular pecking order? I'm not sure.

 

[hineyrulz]

If you think AFL is more popular in Western Sydney then Soccer Bart you are kidding yourself, or just throwing out some rank bait to stir up Suit.

 

[Gronk]

I don't get the hate. Surely Sydney doing well in any code is a good thing ?

 

[hineyrulz]

I don't get the hate. Surely Sydney doing well in any code is a good thing ?

GWS is a plastic team that has been handed success on a platter, so many leg ups it's not funny. If you happy to cheer on a team that has been offered every advantage just to try and take a chuck out of the Sydney market go for your life.

I can't believe the simple AFL fans from Melbourne who follow and spend thousands on a team that has Buckley's chance of ever winning again while these new plastic teams are being handed instant success to ensure their survival.

 

[Gronk]

GWS is a plastic team that has been handed success on a platter, so many leg ups it's not funny. If you happy to cheer on a team that has been offered every advantage just to try and take a chuck out of the Sydney market go for your life.

I can't believe the simple AFL fans from Melbourne who follow and spend thousands on a team that has Buckley's chance of ever winning again while these new plastic teams are being handed instant success to ensure their survival.

LIke the Suns ? They have had the same cash thrown at them. The Swans got the same support when they transitioned from Sth Melbourne.

Anyway I watch as much AFL as I do ALeague, but I maintain that it's a good thing that Sydney teams are doing well. It's good for our city, generates income and positive vibes.

 

[hineyrulz]

LIke the Suns ? They have had the same cash thrown at them. The Swans got the same support when they transitioned from Sth Melbourne.

Anyway I watch as much AFL as I do ALeague, but I maintain that it's a good thing that Sydney teams are doing well. It's good for our city, generates income and positive vibes.

The Suns had the same amount of leg ups as well, they just payed way to much for a broken down Gary Tablett Jr., the Lions, Swans and the new teams have all had massive leg ups to the detriment of the Melbourne teams. Once they took away the COLA allowance for the lions they have struggled and are nearly on deaths door they have finally taken it off the Swans after making the finals for every year for well over a decade. Instead they give them dodgy draft concessions.

They can never allow these new expansion teams to struggle or they will be tipping even more then the 20m per year they have budgeted on. I'm glad you are feeling warm and fuzzy though.

 

[Suitman]

The Suns had the same amount of leg ups as well, they just payed way to much for a broken down Gary Tablett Jr., the Lions, Swans and the new teams have all had massive leg ups to the detriment of the Melbourne teams. Once they took away the COLA allowance for the lions they have struggled and are nearly on deaths door they have finally taken it off the Swans after making the finals for every year for well over a decade. Instead they give them dodgy draft concessions.

They can never allow these new expansion teams to struggle or they will be tipping even more then the 20m per year they have budgeted on. I'm glad you are feeling warm and fuzzy though.

Mate, there is so much wrong with the game that is sweep sweep swept under the carpet it is sickening.
How about that Greater Waste of Space player that refused the drug test? Oh that's right, it's the finals. Keep it quiet please media. Oh, btw, he's still playing. The misogyny, the racism, the cover ups. The list just goes on and on.

 

[Gronk]

The Suns had the same amount of leg ups as well, they just payed way to much for a broken down Gary Tablett Jr., the Lions, Swans and the new teams have all had massive leg ups to the detriment of the Melbourne teams. Once they took away the COLA allowance for the lions they have struggled and are nearly on deaths door they have finally taken it off the Swans after making the finals for every year for well over a decade. Instead they give them dodgy draft concessions.

They can never allow these new expansion teams to struggle or they will be tipping even more then the 20m per year they have budgeted on. I'm glad you are feeling warm and fuzzy though.

Your beef seems to be that the AFL are investing heavily in their new business venture (GWS) and want it to succeed. They are doing nothing different than any other business would do.

I don't get why merkins are so anti GWS. It's not as if they will draw fans away from A-League (played in summer) or NRL (supporter base demographic is mainly expat VIC, SA & WA).

Suity seems to have a Western Sydney rivalry with them. Not sure why he gives a crap TBH.

 

[Suitman]

Be under no illusions Gronk that the AFL want to down Rugby League as well.

 

[Gronk]

Be under no illusions Gronk that the AFL want to down Rugby League as well.

Suity, I heard on the ABC this morning that Sydney's population grew by 1 million people in the past 5 years.

I think we can cope with a second AFL team that draw under 15k every week. Relax.

 

[hineyrulz]

Your beef seems to be that the AFL are investing heavily in their new business venture (GWS) and want it to succeed. They are doing nothing different than any other business would do.

I don't get why merkins are so anti GWS. It's not as if they will draw fans away from A-League (played in summer) or NRL (supporter base demographic is mainly expat VIC, SA & WA).

Suity seems to have a Western Sydney rivalry with them. Not sure why he gives a crap TBH.

lol last time I checked it was a sports comp with a cap and a chance for all 18 teams. Instead it's an absolute farce. My boss is an Essendon fan and he cant believe the leg ups these new teams have gotten while the traditional clubs struggle to survive. They have set them up for a decade of success imagine supporting a struggling Melbourne club???

If you think the AFL aren't out to hurt RL and Soccer you are kidding yourself.

 

[Twizzle]

If they weren't out to hurt RL, they wouldn't be in Western Sydney

 

[phantom eel]

If you think AFL is more popular in Western Sydney then Soccer Bart you are kidding yourself, or just throwing out some rank bait to stir up Suit.

I couldn't care less about baiting, and any over-reactions to my posts. Soccer generically is more popular in participation rates sure, but I'm joining the discussion about popularity of the sporting product which is on offer to attend or to view.

AFL always had an undercurrent of support in the late 1980s as I was growing up - and it used to baffle me. I couldn't understand the attraction, even though Sydney had the Capper-Edelstein Swans enjoying some early success. With consistent free-to-air coverage of the code, GWS's current success, and the AFLs other initiatives (in getting more and more goalposts erected in a spread of Western Sydney Council-run parks) they are making huge inroads, and building on the underlying support for AFL that is already out there.

As a sporting product A-League is only really in competition with T20/Big Bash and Test/One Day cricket - the only other code that shares it's season. A-League does not have the free-to-air deals that AFL does, and hence will struggle to grow it's popularity significantly beyond current levels. The TV deal is no-one's fault and simply a factor of quality of sporting product - AFL is the premier (only) competition in its code in the world, and A-League is about the 40th best in quality in its code.

It's a shame because soccer is the world code of football, is a great sport to watch or play, but the FFA have failed so far - through TV deals or attracting world quality players - to make A-League a product that will reach the wider popular sporting consciousness of that enjoyed by AFL, NRL, or even (arguably) Super 16 (or whatever number of teams it will be now).

 

[phantom eel]

If you think the AFL aren't out to hurt RL and Soccer you are kidding yourself.

Why would the AFL give a shit about soccer?

(That kind of nicely sums up my earlier point.)

 

[hineyrulz]

Why would the AFL give a shit about soccer?

(That kind of nicely sums up my earlier point.)

They have an insular fear of all sports except cricket(only because they need their grounds)


You only have to look how they went out of their way to help torpedo the Soccer WC bid. Other sports were happy to work with them but not the all mighty AFL.