I've got up to the 21 minute mark.
Thanks for elucidating the Auckland scenario, gents . I didn't know much about it.
Graham, loved your average attendance stats club by club for this season. I wonder if the negative and positive figures, can be attributed to relative club success compared to las season? Auckland has boosted AL crowd averages, and have had quite a lot of success on the pitch.
Alex, sorry to keep picking you up, but IMO many fans don't have massive insights into the changing quality of a league.
Why?
1. We've had Scottish fans on 442 claiming their league is pretty decent, when from cold, hard stats, the ball is in the transitional phase of play a lot. If players are constantly battling each other for possession of the ball, and teams can't maintain possession, a league can't be that high in standard, despite the income and cost of players. Also, using football game based criteria ( shut up Mono - ha ha), few Aussie players have improved from playing in the Scottish league - outside the Old Firm.
2. In an AL game a few weeks ago, between Melb Vic and Perth G, there were a massive amount of turnovers. Melb Vic couldn't maintain possession like they usually do. Credit to Perth G's off the ball game, in disturbing MV build ups effectively, but this game featured a massive number of clashes for the ball in defensive and attacking transitions, or, contested ball phase of play. Vic won 2-0, I think, but apart from being more clinical around the penalty box, played a lot worse then usual.
3. It is an Anglocentric view that the English Championship is a high quality league - a huge step up from the AL, as English officials claim when Aussies move to them. I know it has changed, but Champ clubs don't get the chance to play in home and away games that compete in the UEFA Champ League and Europa League. Few of the players in it, play for high quality international teams. For Aus players to play in the English Championship isn't like Aussies playing in Switzerland, Portugal, Netherlands, Turkey, Greece or Belgium, who have high performing teams in European comps, that even Scottish teams from the Old Firm, compete in. It isn't a massive achievement for Aussie to play in the Championship - like the EPL and about 10 European Continental leagues.
4. Based on quality, it isn't an issue that the most popular national sporting team ATM in Aus, is the Matildas. Tactically, they are as good as the male payers, but technically and athletically, they aren't as good as the Socceroos, but are more popular ATM. Spectators are not being stopped from watching the Matildas, because they aren't as good as the Socceroos. ATM spectators prefer them.
I'm hoping there will be more discussion in the remainder, about Mac and Western. I was pretty dirty, they were awarded franchises instead of a Tas bid. ATM, the AL movers and shakers are doing more for New Zealand football than the Aus regions - Tassie, ACT, Far North Queensland, Gold Coast, and the Northern T.
Gallop's rationale for awarding Western U and Mac licences, were flawed. He isn't around to face the music. Notwithstanding, both are doing very well on the pitch ATM. Surely the high quality football both are playing, should warrant more spectators?
Last point, Auckland has a lot of experienced, older players, who are more consistent and don't male the mistakes the plethora of young players do who play for other AL clubs. They aren't going to get much better individually, just as a team unit.
Most other AL clubs, playing so much youth have the ability to improve fast - like when it all clicked for Western and they blew Auckland off the pitch!
