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Aussie Analysis: The A-League Is A Graveyard For Technique And Style
The A-League's stocks are falling in Asia, writes Goal.com's Chris Paraskevas.
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Jan 28, 2010 1:11:00 AM
By Chris Paraskevas
Before the A-League season kicked off I managed to bump into Sydney FC CEO Stefan Kamasz at a Sydney Olympic match at Belmore Sports Ground, where amongst other things, the topic of the A-League’s then-announced ‘Top Six’ came up.
Having remembered the days of the National Soccer League’s convoluted finals series and bearing in mind the fact that the A-League contained only ten teams, I asked Kamasz about the logic behind the decision.
I recalled little of the answer even immediately after I left that match that evening, which says something about the total lack of legitimacy to the concept of a six-team finals series. As far as I was concerned, the system was designed to reward mediocrity, with a team finishing fourth from bottom capable of trumping the Premiers and lifting the A-League title proper (don’t say it won’t happen).
Upon reflection, there are only two real purposes the finals series can serve: the first is purely financial, with a whole host of people including Football Federation Australia likely to profit from what should be increased crowd numbers and television ratings when the sizeable finals do kick off. The second is to cater for the return home of Socceroos who will be encouraged to stay on Australian shores by a longer season in a World Cup year – though the latter argument fails if the respective teams housing those Socceroos-elect don’t go far in the finals.
These are but weak arguments in support of having six teams virtually nullify the 27 games of football they had previously played.
In truth, the presence of such a system is a reflection of the results-driven nature of the A-League during the embryonic stages of its existence. Whether by design or coincidence, the manner in which clubs operate within the league’s current framework isn’t conducive to developing discernible philosophies of football or styles of play – conservative approaches to management are valued more highly than more interpretative approaches to the game by coaching staff, administration and player.
Goal.com Asia editor John Duerden penned an outstanding recent piece bemoaning the lack of technical quality in the A-League, which is so conspicuous at the moment that the vast majority of the confederation's leagues are heading toward not bothering with bringing over Australian talent any more.
Many will argue that the departures of the likes of Joel Griffiths, Jade North, Danny Allsopp and Mark Milligan reflect the growing reputation of the competition within the Asian neighbourhood but the truth is that these individuals appear to be the exception to the general rule that A-League players aren’t technically sound enough to survive in countries like Japan and Korea.
“The A-League has this reputation of being one in which technique comes a fairly distant second to power,” Duerden wrote.
“Last year, a team newly-promoted to the J-League scoured Australian football but failed to find a player that it felt was as good technically than any of its squad which had just finished a J2 season. Korean teams get around this by focusing on Australian defenders to their backlines where, it is felt, that a lack of technique is outweighed by physical strength and power.”
I’m not one to subscribe to the ancient notion that all of Australia’s football fraternity values physicality above all other qualities on the football pitch. The much-flaunted argument that a British school of football dominates the development of Australian players is flawed, offensive and misplaced, not least because the spin put on ‘British’ football in this sense is particularly misleading. After all, this is a nation that produced the likes of Viduka, Kewell, Culina and Zelic, all ball-players of a continental mould.
Instead, Australian players continue to suffer in their post-teenage stages, where they are exposed to a competitive environment that does not encourage style or artistry as far as technique goes. This has nothing to do with a cultural interpretation of the game but of a continued emphasis on results as opposed to the manner of results.
It isn’t necessarily a conscious movement; the reality is that clubs in Australia are limited in the way they operate if they seek any sort of success. The A-League embodies this trend with the continuing presence of a finals series that now in particular encourages the grinding out of results, thus lowering the standard and aesthetics of the football on offer.
Where a straight league format would force teams to focus on technique and tactical sophistication – it is the formula that delivers titles more often than not all over the world, particularly in Europe – a finals necessitates that sides are able to play badly but scrap for the occasional result to keep themselves alive.
Clubs with a relative lack of resources simply don’t bother with experimental recruitment or promoting more technically gifted players, as these strategies are long-term and very rarely deliver any sort of immediate success. This usually leads to the departure of managers, a trend that is worryingly prevalent in the A-League and was typified by the premature sacking of Branko Culina from Sydney not so long ago.
The only exception to this rule is Ernie Merrick’s Melbourne Victory, the Scottish manager having endured a rather disastrous first season with the club (they finished second last) before going on to deliver two A-League titles by virtue of an adventurous scouting network that brought two of the competition’s best ever players in Brazilian Fred and Costa Rican Carlos Hernandez.
The Central Coast Mariners similarly have kept faith in Lawrie McKinna and as a result, the Scottish manager has been able to take the modest club to two A-League Grand Finals, both of which they were rather unfortunate to lose. He remains the only A-League manager apart from Merrick to have been with his club since the inauguration of the competition.
Even the Mariners were forced to regress to a particularly un-savoury brand of football recently though, one that they have been unfairly accused of in the past but which was un-defendable as they looked to kick Gold Coast United off the park in a recent match. In the knowledge that they were still in with a chance of winning the A-League title despite have only won six games this season, is it any surprise that such tactics were utilized?
Why would teams like the Central Coast and North Queensland Fury bother trying to emulate the Melbourne Victory when they can just as easily employ simplistic formulas in the way of player recruitment and tactics and still be in with a chance of being crowned the best team in Australia. The European equivalent would be a team like Stoke City qualifying for a ‘Top 12’ in the English Premier League and going on to knockout both Manchester United and Chelsea on the way to a Grand Final – romance aside and one realizes it is a particularly unfair system.
Is it any wonder then that Song Jin-Hyung, the Newcastle Jets’ resident Korean, has reportedly regressed technically during his two seasons with the Jets?
“Another is that the move doesn’t seem to have helped Song as a player,” Duerden wrote. “When the midfielder returned to his homeland last year to participate in the Asian Champions League with the Jets, coaching staff from his former club went along to take a look. [FC] Seoul were shocked by what they saw as a complete lack of technical development in the player since he had left Korea.
“So surprised were the staff that FC Seoul, a club known for helping young players develop, no longer recommends the A-League as a possible destination to any footballer that leaves the club.”
Perhaps the most concerning part of the above reality is that the Jets, particularly under former manager Gary Van Egmond, had a reputation as one of the league’s more cultured and aesthetically pleasing outfits.
So much for the ‘Top Six’...
Get all the Australian football coverage you need on the Goal.com Australia homepage!
Having remembered the days of the National Soccer League’s convoluted finals series and bearing in mind the fact that the A-League contained only ten teams, I asked Kamasz about the logic behind the decision.
I recalled little of the answer even immediately after I left that match that evening, which says something about the total lack of legitimacy to the concept of a six-team finals series. As far as I was concerned, the system was designed to reward mediocrity, with a team finishing fourth from bottom capable of trumping the Premiers and lifting the A-League title proper (don’t say it won’t happen).
Upon reflection, there are only two real purposes the finals series can serve: the first is purely financial, with a whole host of people including Football Federation Australia likely to profit from what should be increased crowd numbers and television ratings when the sizeable finals do kick off. The second is to cater for the return home of Socceroos who will be encouraged to stay on Australian shores by a longer season in a World Cup year – though the latter argument fails if the respective teams housing those Socceroos-elect don’t go far in the finals.
These are but weak arguments in support of having six teams virtually nullify the 27 games of football they had previously played.
In truth, the presence of such a system is a reflection of the results-driven nature of the A-League during the embryonic stages of its existence. Whether by design or coincidence, the manner in which clubs operate within the league’s current framework isn’t conducive to developing discernible philosophies of football or styles of play – conservative approaches to management are valued more highly than more interpretative approaches to the game by coaching staff, administration and player.
Goal.com Asia editor John Duerden penned an outstanding recent piece bemoaning the lack of technical quality in the A-League, which is so conspicuous at the moment that the vast majority of the confederation's leagues are heading toward not bothering with bringing over Australian talent any more.
Many will argue that the departures of the likes of Joel Griffiths, Jade North, Danny Allsopp and Mark Milligan reflect the growing reputation of the competition within the Asian neighbourhood but the truth is that these individuals appear to be the exception to the general rule that A-League players aren’t technically sound enough to survive in countries like Japan and Korea.
“The A-League has this reputation of being one in which technique comes a fairly distant second to power,” Duerden wrote.
“Last year, a team newly-promoted to the J-League scoured Australian football but failed to find a player that it felt was as good technically than any of its squad which had just finished a J2 season. Korean teams get around this by focusing on Australian defenders to their backlines where, it is felt, that a lack of technique is outweighed by physical strength and power.”
I’m not one to subscribe to the ancient notion that all of Australia’s football fraternity values physicality above all other qualities on the football pitch. The much-flaunted argument that a British school of football dominates the development of Australian players is flawed, offensive and misplaced, not least because the spin put on ‘British’ football in this sense is particularly misleading. After all, this is a nation that produced the likes of Viduka, Kewell, Culina and Zelic, all ball-players of a continental mould.
Instead, Australian players continue to suffer in their post-teenage stages, where they are exposed to a competitive environment that does not encourage style or artistry as far as technique goes. This has nothing to do with a cultural interpretation of the game but of a continued emphasis on results as opposed to the manner of results.
It isn’t necessarily a conscious movement; the reality is that clubs in Australia are limited in the way they operate if they seek any sort of success. The A-League embodies this trend with the continuing presence of a finals series that now in particular encourages the grinding out of results, thus lowering the standard and aesthetics of the football on offer.
Where a straight league format would force teams to focus on technique and tactical sophistication – it is the formula that delivers titles more often than not all over the world, particularly in Europe – a finals necessitates that sides are able to play badly but scrap for the occasional result to keep themselves alive.
Clubs with a relative lack of resources simply don’t bother with experimental recruitment or promoting more technically gifted players, as these strategies are long-term and very rarely deliver any sort of immediate success. This usually leads to the departure of managers, a trend that is worryingly prevalent in the A-League and was typified by the premature sacking of Branko Culina from Sydney not so long ago.
The only exception to this rule is Ernie Merrick’s Melbourne Victory, the Scottish manager having endured a rather disastrous first season with the club (they finished second last) before going on to deliver two A-League titles by virtue of an adventurous scouting network that brought two of the competition’s best ever players in Brazilian Fred and Costa Rican Carlos Hernandez.
The Central Coast Mariners similarly have kept faith in Lawrie McKinna and as a result, the Scottish manager has been able to take the modest club to two A-League Grand Finals, both of which they were rather unfortunate to lose. He remains the only A-League manager apart from Merrick to have been with his club since the inauguration of the competition.
Even the Mariners were forced to regress to a particularly un-savoury brand of football recently though, one that they have been unfairly accused of in the past but which was un-defendable as they looked to kick Gold Coast United off the park in a recent match. In the knowledge that they were still in with a chance of winning the A-League title despite have only won six games this season, is it any surprise that such tactics were utilized?
Why would teams like the Central Coast and North Queensland Fury bother trying to emulate the Melbourne Victory when they can just as easily employ simplistic formulas in the way of player recruitment and tactics and still be in with a chance of being crowned the best team in Australia. The European equivalent would be a team like Stoke City qualifying for a ‘Top 12’ in the English Premier League and going on to knockout both Manchester United and Chelsea on the way to a Grand Final – romance aside and one realizes it is a particularly unfair system.
Is it any wonder then that Song Jin-Hyung, the Newcastle Jets’ resident Korean, has reportedly regressed technically during his two seasons with the Jets?
“Another is that the move doesn’t seem to have helped Song as a player,” Duerden wrote. “When the midfielder returned to his homeland last year to participate in the Asian Champions League with the Jets, coaching staff from his former club went along to take a look. [FC] Seoul were shocked by what they saw as a complete lack of technical development in the player since he had left Korea.
“So surprised were the staff that FC Seoul, a club known for helping young players develop, no longer recommends the A-League as a possible destination to any footballer that leaves the club.”
Perhaps the most concerning part of the above reality is that the Jets, particularly under former manager Gary Van Egmond, had a reputation as one of the league’s more cultured and aesthetically pleasing outfits.
So much for the ‘Top Six’...
Get all the Australian football coverage you need on the Goal.com Australia homepage!
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| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
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| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
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| Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
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