CityHeart

to be honest, I think I had read that but not put it together. It is absolute clear that we, Melbourne City are a clear driver behind this announcement. Our public facing comments since have been horrific from a fans point of view. This is why following this club is extremely questionable if not damn near impossible for me going forward. I had been wondering all week what was in this for us - why did we agree to something like that? Obviously the money is negligible. It may be as simple as looking after our shareholder silver lake making the A-league financially stronger however it is still too much to our detriment surely. My gut feel is going back before Silver Lake, who knows if in fact Silver Lake were involved behind the scenes long before they bought in...what has always got me is the Western United decision. Why on earth were the SE Suburbs neglected for the comparatively much weaker western suburbs? The population boom in the south east had to be the clear choice, surely? Moving on, suddenly we ditch the northern base for a SE base - I think a backroom deal was made for us to take over that market (very slowly) and in return the league wont base a competitor there. We may have owed a vote/favor, with tit for tat support going on by the individuals running the league even during the FFA days. The whole league an sport in this country really does reek.

pretty damn obvious we are more complicit in this than we are admitting. My gut feel is we were a key driver in this and as a club have no feel for the grass roots feel for the game. Its dogs balls guys. To be the only club to not speak up, for our players to speak as they did and for those comments in the ESPN article...yeah, this club has to be boycotted. Supporting City is now supporting the APL and directly the GF decision in my mind, and not sure anyone with two eyes can see it any other way. I will no longer attend a city game regardless of what happens from here. I will read the spin we put on this when our 'statement' finally gets released.

Im sorry but a statement 'sometime this week' is simply not good enough. Something should have been said yesterday, but obviously the club WAS on board with this. They will now spin it somehow with the backlash coming country-wide. I am pretty much out - this league simply does not deserve to be supported. It is sad, but there is no other conclusion to draw. Constantly shooting themselves in the foot, with fans the stakeholders at the bottom of the list. In fact, it seems they do everything with the aim of peak annoyance. If you turn up this week, you are complicit in this joke of a league.

Of course they will sign a deal with Fox. Do you really think there is a viable alternative? Unless fox flat our refuse, which I highly doubt. Fox want the EPL back and they are not anti-football. They have just overpaid in the past for what they are getting. No more free lunch for leagues such as ours and super union rugby. Need to stand on our own two feet now and perform as a league. Pretty simple what must happen. Re-sign a smaller deal with fox, and in that contractual period turn the league into a compelling TV product - all of the issues discussed above and everything is on the table. Forensically go through everything from keeping/moving each club, to stadiums, to ticket prices (waaaaay too expensive) to the season length (home and away season nothing more) to the season it is played (I cant see winter working but meh), if it stays in summer SURELY the GF is played before AFL/NRL commences etc. Everything is on the table.

What do we think IS the fundamental problem? There are key issues, but what is the backbone issue? This is half the issue, identifying it. On streaming, I hope people realise that the reason organisations bring it up is to 'force' foxtel into a deal as they have other options. It is the ONLY way to negotiate any sort of deal as, you guessed it, the league has no other options. It is a threat and a threat only, and one that foxtel wont fall for in this environment. It is the last thing that FFA wants to do. Hopefully it wont have to.

If you think that slashing the budget and running a cheap streaming offering is going to take the league anywhere you are dreaming. It will be laughable, and send the sport back to the NSL days. Yes, OTT streaming could be the future for major leagues, but lets be honest NOBODY pays the foxtel monthly subscription solely for A-league and hardly anyone will purchase this. It will be given out for free with club memberships and will signal the end of the league as we know it. OTT will work ala Netflix for TV shows - the OTT product is a BETTER product than what TV has been able to provide. Putting up armature budget level streaming for a pro-league is exactly what Netflix isnt. Stadia is key - but not the only reason for club locations. Newcastle and CCM (always the bottom for crowds) are two clubs from an area that shouldn't be sustaining 2 clubs. The catchment is too small. Even still, their smaller stadiums are still too big and are never packed, creating sellout situations etc. Thats what we need. 12K max etc. Compare to lower league English clubs etc. Your "sustainable" comment is exactly why FFA and the A-league have ballsed everything up again. No, the key should not be 'sustainable' at all - it should be putting clubs in locations to THRIVE. Take my point on Werribee - just an absolutely brain-dead decision by a bunch of brain dead people. Yea, they could be 'sustainable' (but probably not really), but a SE Melbourne team would be the only further option in Melbourne to THRIVE. The catchment is much larger, and automatically distinguishes themselves from the two other Melbourne clubs. An utter no-brainer of a decision that was stuffed up, yet again. Watch this - foxtel will play hard ball and they have now cut ties and removed all A-league content. The A-league will buckle and sign a watered down deal because simply without Foxtel (or a FTA partner), this thing is not a going concern. Fact.

An independent streaming option would be futile. Bring in very little $$$ and the costs to create would be too high. What people forget is why these leagues need someone like foxtel, not only do foxtel throw the millions per year, they also create and fund the production, and associated shows/cross promotions etc. You need to massive, ie AFL to even try this and they obviously wont. Look at the NBL, without TV you are nothing. Fact is, TV is doing it tough and unless you are the AFL, Cricket or the NRL foxtel is going to treat you with contempt. Yes, they need content but they need profitable content. Subcribers need to justify the cost. Losing the EPL probably did the A-league few favors as well. It is a mess, and the product has been ordinary for a while. I have been saying for years on this forum a major issue for the league is the look on TV. No crows, very amateurish and no atmosphere for 90% of games. The grounds are simply too big, and no fit for purpose. Goes without saying Aami isnt right for us. Everyone needs to find a 10-12K or so option for everyday games, with the bigger venues for the derbys etc. It would look great on TV, atmosphere would be huge and would create buzz with hard to get tickets etc. Decisions have to be be smarter. How Werribee could possibly be entertained as a new club before the SE suburbs is just crazy. Makes no sense. Melbourne United should nearly be turfed already, a failure which wont work for a long, long time. They offer nothing. Not sure the league has the time or resources to sit through their growth. CCM and Newcastle - either they merge or fold em both and start again. Again horrible decision from the start they are a million years a way from averaging 20K etc. No future there as it stands. I feel the league needs NZ, but perhaps not as it stands. Could a north island/south island team work? would sky TV NZ support it? Can the find a better stadium that that abomination called the cake tun? Time to make REAL decisions, not pie in the sky stuff.

the 'problem' is that we are not very good, but a good run early with a hot streaking Mclaren has caused too many to believe it was sustainable and this club is really 2nd. Firstly, we are not - you have to assume those with games in hand win them so we are equal 4th/5th in reality. (yes I know Perth play the nux next week, but we wont beat victory in a fit) How is Florin in an a-league squad, let alone a starter? In a highly capped league, all players have limitations so you need guys that can offer something, and hopefully deal with their limitations. Florin is so vanilla he is of zero value. Probably not shocking at anything, but cant do anything either. There is absolutely no place in the squad for him at this level which is clearly above his head. The spanish guy hasnt impressed me at all either. Noone should go. Our 'scouts' clearly dont exist, or are taking the piss. My prediction from the start of the season stands - we will fight to make the finals and all this because of a hot streak early. If it wasnt for that, we probably wouldnt even be in the equation. What else is papering cracks is there is literally 1 decent team in this league. The rest of us are absolute rubbish and borderline unwatchable.

We have been extremely ordinary all season - how on earth we lucked out playing so many poor teams/out of form teams up until now is amazing. Even Perth have been struggling, but although they lost last week was a slight turnaround for them. Going to be very difficult to finish in the top half - and this league is absolutely rubbish and pretty much unwatchable these days. This squad is very, very ordinary and dont let the early season wins fool you.

What a bloody useless bunch of muppets they have thrown together this season. Severely concerned with the lack of creativity - we do not even look like scoring outside of Mclaren and you cant survive in this league on defense. The quality just isnt there (obviously), plus half of our defenders are no good. We got our guys in early, were ahead of the curve in the league and caught teams under prepared so far. We still dont look good, even though we have won a game and made the final of a mickey mouse competition. Outside of all of the imports being invisible, I said last season Najjar is no good and he seems to be our forward backup. Najjarine aint much better...how we could not play then lose birigits for this BUM of a No1 I will never know. We deserve to fold on this alone. People are waiting for the mother of all bananaramas in Florin to come back - LOL. I have fears we could be looking at bottom 4, and heaven forbid something happens to Maclaren bottom two or even the spoon. This squad is not built for this league. No pace, no strength, no hunger/desire to work past obvious skill deficiencies due to the standard. There is obviously a massive issue that runs deep. Either CFG have too much say and have no idea about the local league...or the locals on the ground here they are relying on are absolutely useless and stealing a salary. We need the BEST POSSIBLE A-league proven coach to come in towards the back end of the season, see what we have then have the authority to go to town to build his own list. Keeping Joyce for the year, and now replacing him with another bloke who knows nothing about this league surrounding by mupppets who know not much more has just wasted another off season, a bunch of coin and another season. What is worse we may have committed too long to these imports - none of which I rate. Come at me, and please tell me I have this wrong. This is the worst I have felt for this club since inception, and that is saying something.

If the ffa didn't royally screw up and give the south east the license instead of terrible we'd be an utter laughing stock.

Another rubbish squad put together . The imports are useless. We ain't gonna score much outside of jMac. Poor squad hidden as we seem more prepared than most. When the rest hit their strides I have grave fears. Not convinced on the dopey looking gaffer either.

hopefully he has washed himself off any Scott Munn related. Time will tell. Unfortunately this guy has had his apprenticeship under one of the worst sports administrators in the country.

His win/loss is an absolute joke of a stat. The squad we had, with holes and all, was STILL good enough to win the league each of the last 2 seasons. If anyone hasn't noticed, as I have been banging on about for 18 months now - the A league is PUTRID. Putrid. With our resources, we should be walkin in the league standing on our hands. No good teams - Glory will probably win it after last night, but they are a mediocre squad at best. There is just no quality at all and the league is borderline unwatchable. This is a poor Sydney (and Victory) side, but will probably give them a game and a half if not beat them in the final. Adelaide - a squad levels below ours could have pinched the win last night. this is a squad who sacked a coach this season. God we have totally ballsed up the last 2 seasons.

Surely to God the 'rumors' out there of an extension was just the club playing the game to keep him interested/harmony in the group until the season ended. After we ballsed up not sacking him 6 months ago, we had to commit to ending this dog's breakfast of a season with him. However, there is no way on earth any sort of club with any sort of ambition could extend him. Hands down, he has to go down as the worst A-league coach in the competition's history. When you consider his output as opposed to what he had at his disposal - it is actually laughable he even lasted this long. He has single-handedly caused many of our rusted on fans, my included, to not turn up and basically turn off the sport. Not only did results nose-dive, we play the most horrific style of the game in the league, and stuck with the core group of loser players for most of the season. Unbelievable, just unbelievable.

is the season still going? I said at the start of the year that I would not attend another game whilst Munn and Joyce are here, and have been true to this word. Havnt attended a game since. If he is not sacked, not even sure I will accept a re-deployment to youth or a homesick excuse, I will not renew and probably be done with this club on a week by week following mode. The A-league is pretty much dead to me anyway - should be over by now as winter sports swamp it. But this club makes it all the much harder as well.

yea but 'what is the point of moving him on now' etc. Seriously - the ONLY bad decision we could make at this point is keep him. The only one. And no doubt, true to form we will balls it up in ways only we can.

I have read this line of thinking, and I have posted this before. I actually disagree with the notion of desire and care by CFG. We would have spent more than any other club on players since CFG took over. Heck, bar victory we would have spent the most this season. Case in point - in January we get in a proven league level Australian striker and Tottenham youth player. You can not say the desire or intent is not there. You just cant. Im sorry. We are not playing kids when we should be. We arent about cashing in youth players at all it seems. If the right one comes, sure, but it isn't our default position. However - the ability to execute and create the successful team, in this league in this country with these rules just isn't there. I am pretty much at the point at narrowing this down to horrific ground level staff here - they are being advised, and listening to a bunch of losers here at Heart/City who have NFI on what they are doing, or how to create a champion team. The culture is wrong - and they type of coaches they have worked with to recruit are just wrong. I was happy with Mclaren - why? Path of least regret. Proven A-league quality striker. Nearly cant stuff it up. Look at Harrison, Tottenham youth product but extremely underwhelming. Another bust! We need to do this with a CEO and coach. Go and get the best A-league proven ones we can. We just cant rely on internationals coming here as the club doesn't understand the local league at all, at this point.

I said this in the birighitti thread - yea some are laughing saying GK's are the least of our problems etc. I still stand by this - this 'stuff up' in playing Eugine all season sums up our total rudderless, directionless club. Only on an extreme level should this guy have started every week - and this is by no means having a go at EG - but the only reason should have been a horrific drop in form by MB. Why? This is a salary and visa capped league. We had the opportunity to have an Aussie keeper, at the higher end of the talent pool available to us at relatively young age. Lets be frank, he is a better keeper than EG as well. EG is at the end of his career - AGE and LIST MANAGEMENT just has to play a major part in a game-day squad. Thinking like this is why we have such high turnover over of players, dont have continuity in the GK position or now could have to again waste a visa spot on a GK. That is NOT how you win a tight salary and visa capped league. We simply have no idea on what we are doing Im afraid. I just seem to disagree with everything we do. And our results show this.

As per any employee of note in any company - the basic standard you want is that the place is a better place when they leave, to what they inherited. Can Joyce say this? I think on any metric, on any level pretty much everything is worse, in most cases significantly worse in the time he has been here. Even if we have technically conceded less goals, I am at no way convinced we are a better defensive unit. He has just shut the game down on all levels.

does anyone even care anymore? That second half was as putrid as last weeks game. Thing is, a club with half a brain will take this as a negative and opportunity lost - another season with no strong teams and some mediocre mob is going to win it. So lets get our $hit together. Nah, we will take the positive and think that 'see, we arent that far away' and keep the mediocrity flowing.

it is so scary how far warren should be from managing a side. scary.

been saying all season, as I said last season. The current level of the league is ordinary! Without an influx of international talent, this thing is going to jump the shark. So many games unwatchable. This victory team isnt great by any stretch - neither Perth. With our resources we should have been able to romp in last season and this. Victory won the thing by default - being the least worst last year. This year they might do it again just by being thereabouts. Of course, we wont be because we have no idea how to build a title competitive squad. None whatsoever - and couldn't appoint a coach to save ourselves.

See ya Joyce. Our impotence utterly exposed in front of 32K. Got a drippin wet blonde model starfish in front of us...and cant get it up!

HAVE A CRACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GEEZUS!