The straw that broke the camel’s back (to be honest it should have been broken a while ago) was their efforts from Saturday’s night’s game. Although it must be said that I did watch the game live – I have watched the highlights and their commentary was appallingly biased in its nature. And it’s not the first time.

First take a look at the goals scored by both teams – the contrast in reactions from both commentators is extremely stark depending on who has scored. When both Cole and Gan scored the opening two goals, the two could barely control themselves with every cliché being used and almost professing their affection for Cole after his effort.

Whilst I will admit that both of those Sydney strikes were worthy of some kind of reaction, both Harper and Cockerill’s enthusiasm was clearly lessened when Nick Ward hit the back of the net with his own effort for goal of the year to level the scores.

The final example is Cockerill’s reaction when Danny Allsopp bowled over John Kosmina. For all of you haven’t seen or heard it – I have included it below. You can almost hear Cockerill’s veins popping in his head as without any review of the incident he is calling for immediate sanctioning of the Victory striker. His disappointment when all that Allsopp receives is a strong talking by Matthew Breeze is almost palpable.

Another thing that galls a lot of fans is that even when commentating on a Sydney FC game they will make some inane reference to the aforementioned team. As a Melbourne fan, I don’t particularly want to hear about our arch rival when they are not involved in the contest – and I am sure that applies to most non-Sydney fans.

I think its time for Fox Sports to show the red card to these two clowns and blood some new talent or give Simon Hill (clearly the best commentator on Fox) some more A-League air time. They have had four years and they haven’t changed their ways at all. Give someone else a go or otherwise you might find many fans switching off (the sound that is).

Neil Zimmerman is the editor of the84thminute and also runs the Victory In Melbourne site. He also can be found at au.fourfourtwo.com where he writes a weekly column on the Melbourne Victory.

I was watching the game on Foxtel, and both Robbie Slater and Simon Hill were both quick to lambaste Cristiano for his actions and rightly so. Although I found Hill’s comments about diving being a South American thing, a bit odd. Doesn’t he remember a certain Round of 16 match between Australia and Italy? But for the good of the game here in Australia, its something needs to be stamped out.

Many pundits, Slater included, have been calling for the FFA judiciary to take a look at the incident, with the possibility of Cristiano receiving a ban for his actions. Whilst there is no precedent for a suspension for such an action, earlier in the season they did give a one match ban to Adam D’Appuzzo for handling a goal bound ball in the clash between Melbourne and Newcastle. I am not sure where I stand on this issue, I hold an extreme disdain for those who dive, especially one so blatant, but I am not sure if it is the domain of the judiciary.

But surely, our referees are smart enough to pick up something so obvious. Its not like its the first time that Cristiano has gone down a little too easily, whether it be inside or outside the area. I am sure Mr Breeze and his fellow referees do have access to videos of previous matches. One good thing, depending on your viewpoint is that with so much attention being given to the incident, I am sure all referees will be thinking twice about awarding a free kick when Cristiano is involved.

And that’s the one thing that I don’t understand, is why Cristiano feels it necessary to constantly resort to these tactics. He has been one of the recruits of the season and with five goals is one of the leading marksmen in the league. In the press on Sunday, Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar in the Herald Sun said he could also find reasons, if not excuses, for Cristiano’s act, stemming from a tough upbringing.

“Look, Cristiano’s a fighter, there’s no question about that. The day he was born he was fighting and that’s his upbringing.I’m not going to condemn him for what he did, no. But, certainly, it’s not in the spirit of the game and FIFA has also changed those rules. And certainly it’s not the style or game that Australians are known for, anyway. As I said, I’m not going to condemn him for it, but I certainly will speak to him to see if he can improve in those areas.”

I don’t quite follow that excuse, surely a fighter wouldn’t get very far feigning injury. Vidmar’s avoidance of the issue after the game on Friday was much smarter as both Hill and Slater probed him on the issue. And as Simon Hill did point out there is some cultural reference to this issue. In Chris Taylor’s book about football in South America, The Beautiful Game, Mauricio Taricco, an Argentinian who played for Ipswich Town, talked about the very same issue. He stated:

“The mentality of the people here (in England) is different. Here they don’t accept that (gamesmanship). I understand that. While I’m here I accept it, but I can’t completely agree with it. If I have the chance to dive or to put it in with my hand withouth anyone seeing, well, fine, no one saw.” (author’s notes in brackets)

And that mentality is the same here in Australia. For Cristiano, he needs to understand the cultural differences of playing football here in Australia and that diving and to a certain extent gamesmanship is frowned upon by fans and officialdom alike. Vidmar, should be suggesting to him that he is good enough to excel in this league, and in my opinion he is, without having to result to blatant cheating. He will get a lot more fans onside with his footballing skills and not a figure of derision.

Neil Zimmerman is the editor of the84thminute and also runs the Victory In Melbourne site. Another place where you can find him is on the au.fourfourtwo.com, where he blogs about the Melbourne Victory. On most weekends Neil can be found at a football match, be it either A-League, Victorian Premier League or a match that he happens to come across whilst walking his dogs. Neil is also growing a moustache for Movember, so check out his mospace page and donate some money to a good cause.

Photo credits: f1power on Flickr via the84thminute photo pool.

We played Queensland Roar on the opening day of the A-League season, coming off 3 matches where we won 2 and drew 1 (Penalty shoot-out against Melbourne excluded).  When we were heading into our recent fixture against the Roar on the same terms, it got me thinking about superstition in football.

Whether it’s the power of prayer, getting your shirt off with 10 minutes to go, or giving your teammate a kiss on the chrome dome, there are a lot of myths and heresay around football superstitions.

I came across this book recently called “Myths and Facts about Football“, which breaks down a heap of myths and facts with some scientific analysis. It tackles issues such as being more likely to concede a goal after you have just scored one, and that a ‘keeper is more likely to save a penalty by standing still rather than diving’.

Professor Peter Ayton, a psychologist at London’s City University and one of the book’s contributors, reckons that the book could prove a useful tool for players and fans alike.

He told BBC Sport: “I’m not saying we’ve got all the answers but this is the way to find out what the real truth is. Pundits and commentators all have opinions but if you can back something up with data, then why not use it?”

Footballers and their fans are a funny lot when it comes to some of these things, which makes it all the more interesting to have some of these myths debunked.

Personally, I have a couple of superstitions when it comes to playing - I always put my left boot on first, and I always tie my right lace first. It doesn’t really help my game, but it’s something I generally stick to.

What other superstitions are out there? Feel free to drop a few comments in with anything you’ve heard, or something you do yourself.

Adam Brown is one of the founders of Yellow Fever – the Wellington Phoenix supporters group. As a freelance writer, he covers football for Sportal in both New Zealand and Australia as well as writing for several local publications. He is a keen footballer himself, but has never managed to excel beyond plodding through the local divisions in Wellington.

This article originally at The Hand of God, under the title Superstition and football - the perils and pitfalls.

Photo credits: tsetribe on Flickr via the84thminute photo pool.

But anyone thinking the hard work is over is kidding themselves. We all know what goes up will inevitably come down in some capacity; just ask Wall Street. And just because the game now has caught the imagination of the wider public, that doesn’t mean it will have it forever; just ask Perth Glory.

Ever since John O’Neill signed away Australian football’s broadcast rights to Fox until 2013 for $120 million, the concern has been that being hidden away in the obscurity of pay TV would impact the game’s growth. Perhaps now – only two years in to that deal – we’re already counting the cost.

Just look at Perth Glory, a club slowly losing its once-unassailable foothold out west. When they took the jump from NSL to A-League, in a market with a historically low pay TV take-up rate, there was nowhere to source growth from. The team on the park clearly hasn’t provided it.

But neither has the way the game is presented to the wider public. The Glory was ahead of their time in the NSL, you’d hate to think they’re ahead of their time now, in the A-League, too.

You can also take Adelaide United’s AFC Champions League success as another example. Sure, the people of Adelaide have been right behind their boys, but what impact has it made beyond the South Australian border?

Taking one giant step towards a Champions League final berth is an event worthy of capturing national attention. Yet news broadcasts here in Melbourne had little to say about it, as did the papers.

It seems that now is the perfect time to pull the free-to-air trigger. Football is deserving of the national spotlight, and in some cases it’s in desperate need of it.

Which is why John O’Neill’s broadcast deal already seems so short-sighted. We can’t pull the trigger until mid-2013. With the exception of World Cup matches, which will remain on SBS, we are stuck on a platform not conducive to the game’s growth. And it isn’t going to get any better from here.

Times are changing in Australia, and not just economically. Next year, the free-to-air networks will launch secondary HD channels. Channel Ten are rumoured to be keen on an all-sports network that would rival Fox Sports.

With the right level of promotion, the secondary free-to-air channels will become more readily available than Fox. (By 2013 it will be a certainty, as the analogue signal will then be turned off.) It will add a whole new layer in between football and the mainstream media, and will also provide opportunities for other sports to gain exposure, too.

If Fox’s growth is stifled – and other sports manage to line up unprecedented free-to-air deals – how is this of any benefit to football?

Beyond the world of broadcasting, another mad dash for exposure is going on. All four football codes are all set for mortal combat to win over markets in Sydney and Southeast Queensland.

Football’s ability to gain a foothold must surely be hampered by the fact codes like AFL and rugby league consistently provide exposure – on free-to-air – in these markets. In fact, the AFL practically demands that all games involving local market teams (outside of Melbourne) are shown on free-to-air.

When the Fox deal was announced, O’Neill claimed free-to-air networks weren’t interested. That was on the eve of the 2006 World Cup. It’s hard to imagine any network in this country turning their nose at the opportunity to broadcast a crucial World Cup qualifier or an A-League grand final. Perhaps the best model was to offer a mixed bag to different networks.

All across the country there are numerous examples that there’s no resolute decree your product has to be completely in the hands of one broadcaster. Both the AFL and NRL split games between free-to-air and pay. The Wallabies score free-to-air coverage. Heck, even international netball scores free-to-air coverage.

The up-side of Fox is that the football fans’ every need appears catered for. The network’s live, dedicated and uninterrupted coverage of not only every A-League and Socceroos game, but also the odd serving of action from around Asia, has been unprecedented. Adding that to their strong portfolio of overseas leagues and it’s a football feast.

But now is not the time to be complacent. Our game’s position in the market is still far from cemented. Perth remains on a backwards path, the television landscape is changing and other codes still hold the upper hand.

If only the FFA’s hands weren’t tied. Unless Fox feels generous enough to hand a chunk of its “exclusive” rights to a rival, our game is stuck on pay.

A week, as they say, is a long time in football. How long is five years?

Michael DiFabrizio is a young, aspiring writer from a backwater in regional Victoria who finds time in between doing homework and logging on to MySpace to blog at Best Off Ground. Whilst a follower of practically all sports, he has been a Socceroos fan his whole life and a Victory fan since day one.

Photo credits: John Worthington on Flickr via the84thminute photo pool.

They also have the ignominy of being the worst performed Australian team in the brief history of the A-League, having finished the last two seasons in seventh position. The paltry crowd of four and a half thousand in their last home game clearly had Ben Buckley and FFA worried and this week it didn’t get any better with their insipid performance last weekend against league leaders, Melbourne which had co-owner Tony Sage vowing to “cut the cancer” from the club’s playing group. But what should the FFA do with a problem like Perth Glory?

In part, a lot of the Glory’s current predicament can be placed fairly at the feet of those who are running the club on and off the field. As one commentator put it simply in today The Age:

“On this sort of performance the Glory barely merits a place in the A-League, and Football Federation Australia must surely be casting worried eyes west wondering how much the club’s recent insipid performances have damaged the game in a marketplace in which soccer used to be a big deal. But that was in the past, when the Glory was like an A-League team playing in the old, underfunded National Soccer League. Now it is like an NSL team playing in the more professional A-League.”

Disastrous signings and an exodus of quality players has contributed to the Glory’s poor on field performance which in turn has lead to dwindling crowd numbers. Names such as Brian Deane, Jorge Drovandi, Mate Dragicevic and both Steve McMahon Jr and Snr would make most Glory fans cringe. Whilst most teams have learnt from their recruiting mistakes, the Glory administration seems to not have learnt anything at all. Whilst the recruitment of Dadi and Amaral are an improvement on previous imports, their age limits them to being any more than an attempt at a quick fix and not a long term solution. Also one must question their recruitment of local players, many of them whom appear not up to A-League standard.

When looking at the dwindling crowd numbers, some finger of blame can and should also be pointed at the FFA. Their failure to acknowledge the club’s NSL history prior to the beginnings of the A-League has put a number of long term fans offside. It also appears that the FFA’s introduction of the Home End Membership has had an impact on “The Shed”, which up until this season was one of the league’s most dedicated and vocal supporter groups. As one fan puts it:

“The Shed was once the envy of every other club in Australia with its supporters passionate and the atmosphere it provided almost magical. Even the past players would agree that there was a relationship between player and fan. Go back to your roots Glory, don’t expect people to follow if they do not like the direction you are heading.”

Constant sniping between the FFA and the Perth Glory administation is also not helping matters along with the FFA’s subtle threat to use or lose it after the Glory’s recent poor crowds. In a national competition, the FFA cannot afford to be without a team from the largest state in Australia and most certainly won’t have the crowds (and those long term fans rushing back) with threats. The FFA should also acknowledge the past history of a club that was once the benchmark of all footballs in Australia and the template for the professionalism that now exists in the A-League.

The Glory administration must also take a serious look at the way that it runs the club at all levels, from players right through to the coach and the treatment of fans. It must bite the bullet and admit that they have stuffed it up so far and bring back some of the professionalism that has been lacking. They must look long term and not short term. It will be a difficult time for all involved, especially the fans, but the club must change the way it does things and the results should follow, along with those passionate fans.

Neil Zimmerman is the editor of the84thminute and also runs the Victory In Melbourne site. On most weekends Neil can be found at a football match, be it either A-League, Victorian Premier League or a match that he happens to come across whilst walking his dogs.

Dear Mr Shield,

I am writing on behalf of all A-League fans to ask you to reconsider your decision to hang up your whistle. You are by far the best referee that has graced the A-League and you are not prone to countless mistakes like the others (although several thousand Central Coast Mariners fans and a certain Danny Vukovic may be beg to differ).

We as a nation of football fans are not ready to cope with the prospect of Matthew “its all about me” Breeze being Australia’s number one referee. The man didn’t have the balls (pardon the pun) to send that pesky Joel Griffiths off for hitting a linesman in the nether regions. I bet that red card of yours would have been out quicker than a Sasho Petrovski appeal for a free kick. I think he also has a bit of an inferiority complex knowing that you are a better referee. How else would you explain all those headline grabbing decisions.

I admit that there is some hope for Messrs. Green and O’Leary, but in my opinion they aren’t yet ready to be the number one. Further to that O’Leary is a New Zealander and we can’t have one of those being our top referee, and I don’t care if he has been once a fourth official in a English Premier League match.

Then there is Mr Williams who often forgets that he is refereeing a football match and not a rugby match. I also suspect that he sleeps on the job as well. How else would he have missed that hit by Tiatto on that lovely Vargas fellow? I also have a funny feeling that the FFA video guy accidently hit the erase button on that game or else he is a Queensland Roar fan, but that is a whole other matter that I won’t trouble you with at this time.

There is also that Chris Beath guy who forgot that a yellow comes before a red card. I suppose he had the common sense to admit that he had made a mistake - take note Mr Breeze and Mr Williams.

I promise that if you should return to the ranks of referees I shall try to not question any decision that you make (unless it affects my beloved Melbourne Victory unjustly) and will also refrain from calling you a yellow maggot or any similar derogatory terms.

Yours faithfully

Neil Zimmerman

The sense of injustice was exacerbated by the knowledge that a few weeks earlier, by rights, Joel Griffiths should have been rubbed out for most of the season for SackWhackGate, alas, embarrassingly for the league, he received just a yellow for having hit a ref in his nether regions.

Melbourne was to receive two more red cards for the remainder of what was ultimately a disastrous season, and all were correct calls – but a nagging doubt started to form that the reigning champs were subject to a higher standard of onfield behaviour than what was apparent in other games on any given weekend.

At least the FFA was big enough to admit that the whole SackWhackGate had been unfortunate, and that a new post-match review process would ensure a bit more consistency in the manner in which players were judged to have gone beyond the normal bounds of on field behaviour.

Six weeks into the new season, and the promise of greater consistency looks a million miles away, indeed, we are further away from that goal than at any stage in the A-League’s history.

Once again, Melbourne appears to be at the heart of the issue and a pattern has formed providing us with evidence that they are treated differently to other clubs when it comes to disciplining players.

Three weeks into the season, Melbourne was scoring freely, playing the most attractive football, in short, they were absolutely flying.

Three weeks later, with three consecutive red cards, and Melbourne shares top spot with Sydney, but is on the verge of going into free fall, no thanks to a spate of red cards which on closer inspection, and in comparison to what is happening with its rivals, look rather harsh.

For starters, for any club in any league to score three consecutive red cards is an extremely rare occurrence. I have looked for similar occurrences in the other major leagues of the world, but I am yet to find one. If we were to find it, one suspects that one or more of the cards would have been associated with violent behaviour.

But here is the rub – none of the Victory’s three cards have involved violent behaviour, not even close.

So the whole scenario starts to look a little weird, but it gets even weirder.

Video footage of each of the incidents indicates that none of the reds were proven beyond reasonable doubt – they are all inconclusive, and in all honesty, questionable. Indeed, for Fabiano’s spitting offence, it transpires that there is grave doubt that the ref actually witnessed anything at all (and yet at one point the FFA was happy to increase the penalty from 6 weeks to 9 weeks when the Victory appealed).

You may conclude that it must mean that Melbourne has a disciplinary problem. But in fact Melbourne has the lowest yellow card count and the lowest foul count of any team in the league this season!

But it gets worse.

In the last three weeks, there is has been one violent action that stands out in all the games played, and that was Danny Tiatto’s elbow to Vargas in Melbourne’s home game on Sunday against the Queensland Roar. It was of the type that most certainly would have got a player reported in the AFL.

No one denies that this occurred, and that it was clear cut, yet the FFA has concluded that Danny Tiatto has “no case to answer”.

In the context of Melbourne’s three consecutive red cards, in the context of Pantelidis’ red card last season and Fred’s two seasons ago (for elbowing), and in the context of the FFA’s promise to improve the consistency of the whole disciplinary process – this decision is not only weird, it is not only inconsistent – it smacks of out and out bias!

But why would the FFA have an agenda for putting a dampener on Melbourne’s bright opening to the season? I can think of two reasons:

1. The A-League is young and while it takes some solace in the numbers Melbourne is able to draw, it really can’t afford to have Melbourne dominate the season like it did two seasons ago, in the interests of building up the support of the other clubs – in short, it is much better if the silverware can be shared around a bit more; and
2. The FFA has just announced that it will proceed with a 2nd Melbourne team in two seasons, and once again, the FFA can’t afford to have such a strong Victory team if it wants to establish a 2nd Melbourne team alongside it.

Of course many will find such a scenario far-fetched, but they would have very short memories. Even the world champion of 2006 was found to have a domestic competition so riddled with corruption and match rigging that external bodies had to take some extreme measures.

In the present case, I conclude the following: the A-League can have no credibility while its disciplinary process is seemingly so inconsistent, and the fact that the owner of SFC is actually on the FFA board goes no way to improving the perception that perhaps the competition is susceptible to being rigged.

Pippinu d’Angelo is author of Li pila di pippinu, a blog about the wonderful combination of football and linguistics. He was also one of the founders of the Sicilian version of Wikipedia. Pippu has followed the Socceroos closely since they first appeared in the 1974 World Cup. More recently, he jumped on the Melbourne Victory bandwagon and despite being born and raised in Melbourne, but he has not lived there for 20 years.

This article was originally published on Li pila di pippinu as Is the A-League a credible competition?

Q: What’s the chances of her coming back to play for the MVFC W-League team?
A: depends if tapable - pls send pics via pm

who cares, unless they play naked i wont be watching them

Women can’t get into an argument without getting emotional.

(that was when a discussion ensued about women coaches)

Why do we have to have a women’s team? Can’t they just be satisfied with being cheerleaders for the lads?

Should have put the money in youth football, not useless womens football.

I will definitely attend these matches if they don’t wear any uniforms.

Shirts off

nah it wa too cold. woulda loved it though. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm stiff nipples.

like any one really gives a fuck -

If MVFC (the real team, you know, the one with penii) was playing at 3am in Healesville in the middle of winter… these same people would go in a heartbeat.

The only people really contemplating it probably have very little life.

Same here, personally think the whole league is a massive waste of resources which should be put towards the important side of the game (Men’s football).

Not interested, unless they play in the nude.

This prompted a female forum member to ask that any Melbourne Victory player, whether they are male of females being treated with the same respect.

There is a fair bit of sexism expressed in here. Some of it is tongue-in-cheek (or other parts of the anatomy). A lot of it is only cliches pumped out without much thought or intention. Some of it is people genuinely expressing sexist attitudes. Some of it is wumming.

There is not much reason to expect it to be otherwise. While there is a stronger female presence in the forum than a couple of years ago, it is still a very male environment, so it is not surprising to find a fair bit of locker-room behaviour, and conscious or unconscious sexism. It is also a forum, so it is not surprising to find people saying things they hope will get a rise out of others. Sexism is a contested area in our society, so it easily generates lively conversation.

I know that there are many forumites who do not care for women’s football. That is their right. Being an A-League fans carries no obligation to like other comps. However, I think we should be able to expect MVFC supporters to behave respectfully towards MVFC players, teams, and the competitions they are in. They are part of our club.

Everyone who thinks women’s football is waste of time/money/should not exist has had a chance by now to express that opinion. I would hope the need to tell us again everytime there is a mention of the WWL will fade, and those comments will come to be seen for the spam they are. I would hope those who are not interested in the WWL will just stay away from those threads.

I would hope forumites will comment on our women players’ football tactics and performance, and not their looks or tapability. Most of all, I would hope that forumites who want to post in threads about the WWL are careful to show respect for a team that is part of our club.

While most fans responded positively to this statement others (the same that made the comments) made predictable remarks.

I am no feminist or any great advocate for women’s rights (I have made sexist comments myself once in a while….as my partner would attest) however I am aware of harassment when I see it. Personally as a ‘fat teenager’ and partly as a someone who was the only non English speaker when I went to school in Australia (later alleviated by an influx of Armenians) I am acutely aware of being singled out from a group.

Attitudes as shown in the Forum infuriate me. However while tempted I have not pursued discussions in there because I believe that ultimately it is futile. There is a Milanese saying that ‘by arguing with donkeys you risk becoming an Ass’ and that is what I feel. I would get aggravated for no reason.

I ‘tolerate’ the sexism in the area where I watch games but I don’t like it at all. Fortunately my son has plenty of examples of women to hopefully inoculate him from the toxic attitudes present in that section of the ground. There is a woman that has to walk in front of the end behind the goals where I stand. This seem to happen every match and inevitably hundreds of man start chanting ’show the tits for the lads’. When I raised the fact that such an action could be intimidating for this woman the responses were on the line that she liked it. To me that is the same thinking as the ’she asked for it’ argument.

An article which was written in the Guardian by Cath Elliott I think goes to the matter of why this behaviour occurs.

Men aren’t making these comments (about physical appearance etc.) because they respect and admire us, but because they resent our very presence and have found a method that cuts right to the core.

I believe that that explain lots of the comments coming out from some men in the forum. They see football as a male domain and any ‘interference’ either from a articulate woman supporter, or women athletes that could play them off the park three times over is resented. Football represents a world where males are males. Where gays are derided (and in fact used as a weapon of derision, especially against Sydney) and women are excluded and know their place (as objects of male desire). I love my football and I love most aspects of active support. However any homophobic and sexist behaviour appalls me. I tolerate it and ignore it. But I don’t like it at all.

Guido was born in Milan and comes from a family of AC Milan supporters. His beliefs are located in the caffelatte sipping, tertiary educated, inner suburban, left leaning lovvie category. Knows very little about the game but wants it to succeed in Australia and is fascinated by how it manages to expose aspects of Australian society and its beliefs. For read more of Guido’s writing visit The Accidental Australian.

This article originally appeared on The Accidental Australian as Sexism at the football.

Why would a proclaimed Chelsea/ManU/Liverpool/Barca/Inter/et al fan living in Brisbane want to support Queensland Roar Pty Ltd over these far more glamourous and more skilled foreign teams? Who wants to support a franchise, buy crappy Reebok merchandise in fluro orange and join in supporting a team with a stupid name and a home end that resembles a star trek convention?

Quite simply you should support Brisbane Queensland Roar because they are your local team. It’s time to ditch your Liverpools, Manchester Uniteds and Milans from far flung places you have most likely never visited and get with your local team; if only because you have one.

And if you think some European team are your local team because you were born there then good for you; but don’t call yourself a football fan if you have not once been to cheer on your current local club. The excuses that are often given by these misplaced European migrants often are along the lines of ‘Shit team – no fans’. I don’t buy the shit team thing for a second. The quality of the football in Europe is not always all that it’s cracked up to be, just watch a game involving teams outside the top four for proof of that. As for the lack of atmosphere at the Datsun-League games compared to Yoorup; isn’t that up to us fans to generate? Or are these fans the ones who’d rather eat prawn sandwiches while soaking up the Old Trafford atmosphere created by others?

If you have decided to make Brisbane your home, stop dreaming about what you once had and start living in the present. Come to the games, stand up and sing loud.

The orange clad team with a stupid moniker are not meant to replace your original love, and at the beginning attendance might not be as more than an interested observer – it’s hard to become a ‘right proper’ fan with a club less than four years old overnight. But your Liverpool or Milan were once only a toddler club of four years of age. Just like the affection for the team grew on your great grandfathers; your affections will grow for the quaint little franchise from colonial Brisbane. Football is more than the 22 men kicking the ball. It’s the shared experiences and the bonding with your fellow football tragics. At some point in the future, with some effort on your behalf they will become your team.

We in Brisbane have a blank canvas on which to paint our football culture and traditions. No one has come before to paint it for us. We are here, and now. Not in Europe in the past. It’s not possible to get the bus to Anfield and stand on the Kop; but it is possible to buy your ticket to the Southern End of Lang Park and still physically yell and sing as loudly as you could in Liverpool.

In three seasons the derogatory banter with Sydney and the pre-match watering holes on the Caxton Street have been established. Sure our team is still shit when compared to those big, glamourous clubs in Yoorup – but so what? Since when has being shit stopped fans from supporting their team; true fans that is. The ones there for the bad times to tell the tales of 3rd Division survival to those bandwagoners who join in just for the cup finals. Do you, sitting on your lounge chair really feel the joy of winning the European Cup? Does that club really represent you, where you live?

How can someone who’s never been to Barcelona (or Manchester or London) really call themselves a Barcelona supporter? Would you be embarrassed to tell a scouser that you are a Liverpool supporter if you had absolutely no connection to the city of Liverpool at all? The Mancs probably feel the same too and get completely fucked off with blow-ins who aren’t from Manchester taking their tickets.

There is no reason not to adopt sympathy for a foreign club. Many Aussies have becomes fans of Leeds, Aston Villa, Liverpool and other clubs because of Australian players who have earnt their wages at these clubs. There’s no shame in wanting to see Barcelona win because you enjoy watching Messi play, but the fact remains football is far better experienced in person than on the telly. Why not get your arse down to Lang Park to watch the local lads run about in the hope of one day getting a proper job in Europe?

If you can drag yourself out of bed at some god-forsaken time of the morning to watch one of the ‘Big Four’ play in the BarclayCard Premier League ™ and buy the overpriced new strip made in a Chinese sweat shop, why can’t you get on a bus and support your local Datsun-League club?

Go to watch some football, yell and scream, have a drink with mates and cause some shenanigans in the process. Your great-grand kids will thank you for creating the football culture and traditions that they will adopt.

Someone has to create the time honoured traditions of those football clubs so envied they are supported by those from the other side of the world. That someone is you. See you at the Southern End, or even better on Caxton Street before the game. Drink up!

Stormin_Norman is a writer for the Northern Element. The Northern Element are a group of football supporters in Brisbane who follow the Queensland Roar, and are more interested in the drinking and singing aspects of the football culture than the commercial form of the game on offer.

This article originally appeared on the Northern Element website and has provoked much discussion throughout the land.

Photo credit: Maj… ick on Flickr via the84thminute photo pool.