Someone Up There Hates Me

Seriously? This guy?

Only 20 minutes before I began writing this very piece, Sydney FC confirmed the news that was being reported that Frank Farina would officially become the new coach of the club. It was only a couple of weeks ago that I wrote the following:

“Obviously several locally based managers will apply for the job. I would imagine former Socceroos coach Frank Farina will be interested but to say I would be upset if they hired him would be an understatement. After his Socceroos stint, I want nothing to do with supporting a team he coaches ever again.”

When I saw the news tick across the bottom of the screen watching Question Time on Sky News this afternoon, I instantly texted a friend telling him about it and the reply I got was “Oh f*ck” but without the *.

Whilst I didn’t agree with hiring Ian Crook in the first place as I thought the club needed someone better and could certainly get better, I didn’t for the life of me think that they would replace him with truly one of the worst football coaches I can remember. Frank Farina was truly awful as Socceroos coach and replacing him with Guus Hiddink was like upgrading from a Datsun to a Rolls Royce. I have never had a conversation about him where someone has defended him, which says a lot.

Then he coached the Queensland Roar before they changed their name to Brisbane. They weren’t terrible but certainly not very good and certainly not particularly entertaining. Once again as soon as he was sacked, he was replaced by someone competent and the team turned into the juggernaut that went on to win back to back titles. Not to mention he was fired for getting done for drink driving ON THE WAY TO TRAINING.

I don’t know Frank Farina as a person and he might be a terrific bloke, but to be honest I really don’t care about that. What I care about is that Sydney FC are in a situation where they need to capitalise on the godsend they received by having Alessandro Del Piero agree to play for them and when Ian Crook resigned they had the opportunity to take a step in the right direction. Del Piero is no spring chicken and as I wrote about previously, this is a win now situation.

Then again maybe Sydney FC are geniuses. Whoever replaces Farina seems to have great success, so if he coaches for simply one game and then is sacked, perhaps the next coach will turn the club around. Or you know, perhaps this will be a wasted season where the A-League took steps forward and Sydney FC, despite having the best player in the league, took major steps backwards.

I can’t imagine Del Piero staying on past his two year contract, so if this season is a bust – and right now all my money is on it staying that way – I hope they find a suitable coach and recruit players to make the club successful in 2013/14.

I might be proven wrong and Sydney FC might turn it around under Farina and yet I will still disagree with hiring him in the first place. All you can go on is history and there is nothing suggesting this is a good decision.

It’s hard being a fan sometimes.

Friday Footy Quick Hits

New ARLC CEO David Smith if you wanted to know what he looked like

Even though it’s off season there are some things I want to comment on going on in the world of footy.

First of all the ARLC just announced their new CEO in Lloyds International boss David Smith. Smith is from Wales and has no background in sports administration but is more a traditional business executive type. It remains to be seen how he does in the job, but this hiring says to me that in terms of actual football issues, the ARLC board itself will be the ones making the big calls and Smith will focus on the business side of things. The biggest issue of the new TV deal has already been dealt with, but I can’t imagine Smith is going to be the guy deciding on issues like the shoulder charge.

Speaking of the shoulder charge, the decision to ban it has been greeted with near unanimous disappointment and disagreement. Whilst as a fan I agree with the players, fans and media who are upset we are losing one of the most entertaining aspects of the game, I also have been following all the research coming out of the USA on the real impact of concussions. The NRL are choosing to make a decision now, before they start dealing with the issues the NFL faces of players having serious brain damage after their careers. I don’t like it, but I do get it and so I’m not going to hate on the decision like most. I might have more of an issue with it once referees and the judiciary start their near-certain inconsistency policing and punishing it.

Another issue that I’m commenting on simply because I feel like it’s not in the news enough is the situation at the Tigers. Everything I hear suggests that the Tigers development is not going to get approved and once that happens the Tigers are going to be in serious, serious trouble. Like “goodbye Tigers” level trouble. By 2014 I think we are actually likely to see the Tigers part of the joint venture fold and welcome back the Western Suburbs Magpies, who are just waiting to take over the licence the way Manly did when the Bears folded. It’s not even impossible that this could occur before the start of next season, depending on how quickly we get an answer on the development. How is this not a bigger story already?

Finally, with $onny Bill Williams now officially a Rooster, at least for a season, and with Quade Cooper quitting rugby, wouldn’t surprise me to see the Roosters do everything in their power to bring Cooper across to Bondi Junction. Given the money he will command however, they might end up paying about a third of their salary cap to just two players. Risky business for two guys who aren’t exactly durable or reliable as humans. If he doesn’t end up there, he might replace Thurston in Townsville if JT skips town.

Seeya Later Gladiator

Russell Crowe watching on next to John Sutton

Russell Crowe is selling his shares in the Rabbitohs. That one sentence is enough to create a big news story and also send panic through a large section of Rabbitohs fans. Some are angry at him, some are worried about the future and some are saying ‘I told you so’ about selling the club to him in the first place.

What I want everyone to do is calm down and realise that Russell Crowe is not the be all and end all of the club and he would be the first person to tell you that. This change, whilst obviously a big deal, isn’t as big a deal as people seem to be thinking it is.

There is a lot yet to occur and we can’t be totally sure what the future ownership structure of the club will look like, but no matter what happens the club is both protected and self sufficient enough to handle it.

First of all, no matter who Crowe sells his shares to (and Holmes a Court if he sells too for that matter) and no matter what percentage of the club they own, they cannot make decisions such as turning the Rabbitohs into the Perth Pirates. The 25% of the club the members still own hold the veto rights on all decisions involving the name, colours, logo and location of the club. The club can move stadiums within the “Sydney basin” but can’t actually move away. Also people seem to jump to some sort of conclusion that Crowe is simply going to sell to the highest bidder, which is likely going to be some movie villain, Gordon Gecko style corporate raider who comes in and destroys the club. Whether or not this new owner is stroking a white cat in a swivel chair at the time I’m not sure.

Second of all, there is a chance that either the members or Souths Juniors will end up owning the club. Obviously this would require the members finding the funds to pay whatever the club ends up being valued at or the Juniors affording it, but it is an option that could occur, however I get the feeling it is most likely the club will remain in private ownership.

Here’s the thing people need to realise about 2012 Souths compared to 2006 Souths. In 2006 the club needed Russell Crowe and more specifically the money he was willing to put into the club, not just in terms of the purchase price, but also all the money he put in to keep the place going. But in 2012, thanks to that money and the hard work of people on and off the field the club is actually self sufficient. In 2013 - the last of Crowe’s ownership - the club will either turn a profit, or at least break even and therefore who actually owns the club won’t matter. The NRL grant to clubs is increasing significantly and is actually going to be higher than the salary cap, which means the NRL grant should fund most of the costs of the club in general. Add onto that the fact that Souths have the highest membership and sponsorship revenue in the NRL, or at least of the Sydney clubs, the club is in a position to run itself without having an owner as emotionally invested as Crowe.

Contrast this to the situation in Newcastle where Nathan Tinkler’s demise is putting the Knights in danger. But the Knights are in the position the Rabbitohs were in six years ago when Crowe bought the team, not the position the Rabbitohs are in now. The Knights are not self sufficient as their own entity and without money coming in from ownership, they were always going to be in trouble. This difference is why we should be thanking Russell Crowe for what he did and appreciate that now is the time for him to move on and deal with his personal life.

So yes, there is a chance the club will be bought by someone “outside the family” who sees it as a way to get into the high life of owning a sports team and potentially as a smart investment now that the business is actually viable. But in this day and age people need to appreciate that sports teams are just that... businesses. It is in the interests for the new owner that the club continues on the path it is on both on and off the field and whether they are a fan of the club or not won’t matter.

Finally, this issue seems to be bringing out a lot of the in-fighting between the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ camps from the original vote to sell the club in the first place. We really should be past this. ‘No’ voters should clearly be able to see that the club is in a much better position than it was when we voted and appreciate that this wouldn’t be the case without the course of action we took. ‘Yes’ voters need to move on from the George Piggins hate and realise that entire thing is now just a chapter of the past. In fact the media as a whole need to stop going to George every time they want a quote on Souths. I understand the man did a lot and was a big piece of the club’s history, but you don’t see past administrators of other sports teams being interviewed constantly, no matter how influential they were once upon a time.

It’s time to put that entire thing to bed and appreciate the fact that we support a club that is highly competitive both on and off the field and the future is bright, with or without a movie star leading the way.

Sky Blues feeling Crook

Ian Crook on a bad day

So a day after friends and I were discussing how we think it’s time to fire Ian Crook, Crooky took it upon himself and quit his job as manager for Sydney FC. By all accounts Ian is a great guy and good with youth footballers, but the job of manager of an A-League team always seemed to be out of his comfort zone. I personally wasn’t high on hiring him in that role in the first place and I think now even he agrees. It felt like Sydney didn’t like or get the candidates the wanted and just took the cheap option and promoted internally when they should have hired Tony Popovic before West Sydney Wanderers got him.

Crook will go back to coaching the youth team and will do well at that. But now it’s time for Sydney FC to find a manager that can capitalise on the opportunity they have to succeed with Del Piero in the side. This is not a situation where a guy can come in and take time to build his own team and not have expectations of winning instantly. The man who takes the job has the expectation that the team will turn it around and succeed immediately as having Del Piero only works if the team actually wins games, otherwise the novelty will wear off and the crowds will fall away again.

So who is out there for Sydney FC to hire in what is a very high pressure job?

Locals

Obviously several locally based managers will apply for the job. I would imagine former Socceroos coach Frank Farina will be interested but to say I would be upset if they hired him would be an understatement. After his Socceroos stint, I want nothing to do with supporting a team he coaches ever again. Former Melbourne Victory coach Ernie Merrick might be interested as well and if they can’t find someone high profile from overseas he is a solid option who has done well in the A-League already.

Sydney have already signed Jason Culina so his father Branko might throw his name in the ring, but after Branko was fired in Newcastle for knowing about Jason’s injury before signing him, I can’t imagine Sydney wanting to go down that path.

Miron Bleiberg would be a fascinating option. He is great for a quote and in the media and has coached in the A-League. Whether the board would be willing to deal with him, that’s another story, but it sure would be a fun ride and he might be able to get the best out of the underperforming squad.

Of course Steve Corica is the caretaker manager and if the board aren’t impressed with other applicants and if Corica does well as a caretaker, they might just hand the Sydney FC legend the keys and give him a shot.

After that the local contenders seem to fall off a cliff. Perhaps there are a few other options that might do well in interviews, but given the stakes in this job I would be disappointed if they went to someone else locally who was unproven.

Overseas

Figuring out who is available and might be interested from overseas is a much trickier prospect. A friend of mine who supports Tottenham wants Sydney to sounds out Harry Redknapp but also knows how unrealistic it is that he would want to do it. Fox Sports threw out the name of Gianluca Vialli who is not only a proven manager but also a very close friend of Del Piero. If Alessandro pushed hard for Vialli, I would be totally on board with that. If anything, it would even further strengthen the support of the local Italian community for the club and keep the crowd numbers up.

In terms of the guys coming over from England there are a few available guys such as former Bolton manager Owen Coyle or Manchester United legend Roy Keane, who supposedly was close to coming to coach in the A-League not that long ago. Keane would certainly be a big name, whether he would actually be good at the job is another question.

Ruud Gullit is another big name whose managing career hasn’t lived up to his playing career. Gérard Houllier would be a good choice but given his heart issues might not be interested in managing again. Gordon Strachan is available and would be worth consideration as would Kevin Keegan.

At the end of the day these international options come down to who is even interested in moving out to Australia, but I do hope the club try their best to go for a proven manager from overseas before settling for one of the lesser local options. The club needs to be in ‘win now mode’ and if you are spending big money on a marquee player, it makes no sense to try and save money on the manager.

There would be a plethora of other possibilities on top of those I mentioned and if Sydney FC are serious about making a splash both on and off the field, they must learn from their previous mistake of hiring a cheap, local option who couldn’t handle the magnitude of the job.

Or I could just show them my record on Football Manager and do the job myself.

Giddy Up! Melbourne Cup Guide

Back in a past life I used to write a Melbourne Cup Form Guide article that was read by thousands of people. It was really cool to get my take out there to such a big audience, however the pressure was certainly on to deliver. At first results were good as I had a stretch where my Cup tipping was strong, culminating with a run where I picked Makybe Diva, Delta Blues and Efficient in successive years. Unfortunately after that my form took a turn for the worse. Last year Dunaden was one of a few horses I had a few bucks on and the reigning champ is going to take a lot of beating.

This year I’m not going to do a complete form guide and talk about every horse, because frankly, I’m no longer being paid to do so. But I will tell you who I like and why.

It’s no exclusive to suggest the international horses are where most of the smart money is this year. The last two winners are back and both looked fantastic in the Caulfield Cup. I would have no hesitation in simply saying get on Dunaden and Americain if it wasn’t for the large weights they are carrying. They are big boy weights for some big boy horses, so I do think they are both capable of winning despite the penalty, but it certainly levels the playing field. Then again, that’s the entire point of a handicap race.

Last year’s runner up Red Cadeaux obviously has to be in contention as well. He’s the type of horse I think you have to put in your trifecta bets because even if he doesn’t win, I’d be shocked if he didn’t finish in the top 5 or so. However he hasn’t raced in months so there isn’t any recent form to comment on.

Mount Athos seems to be the horse everyone is looking at to be the best chance to end the French domination. I haven’t seen it race but the experts think it’s got the quality and the Cumani stable often bring a horse that runs strong. Plus I want to be in the good books with Francesca Cumani, so I have to speak highly of her camp. Concern is that this race is in a different stratosphere to anything it has run to date, so it is somewhat unproven. Absolutely a chance to win, but starting to get a bit too short in betting for my liking.

Sanagas is a Bart Cummings horse. That by itself should make you at least think about it. He hasn’t done anything lately to make you drool, but you know he’s going to run the journey and a Bart horse at juicy odds is always a decent option.

Ethiopia is an interesting one. He finished fourth in the Cox Plate behind three horses that aren’t going to run over 3200m and he won the Australian Derby. He is only 4 and is capable of winning and also capable of not running out the 3200m. If he runs well, I think he might start next year’s race as favourite. I also have a soft spot for Ethiopia as I have a cousin from there, so I am a bit biased. Will certainly be in my bets.

Fiorente beat Red Cadeaux only a few months ago. That surely counts for something. Gai Waterhouse has never won a Melbourne Cup and she isn’t without a hope here. You will get decent enough odds on him, so if you are looking for value it’s not a terrible choice. I personally am not betting on him though.

Galileo’s Choice is Dermot Weld’s entry this year from Ireland. I made money on his last winner in Media Puzzle so I highly respect any horse he brings over. He has a good record, will be trained to the minute and you know he will run the journey. Odds seem to reflect that he has to be taken seriously without being one of the favourites.

Glencadam Gold is the other Gai Waterhouse runner and the more high profile of the two. He started favourite and failed miserably in the Caulfield Cup. He clearly has the talent, but it would be some sort of turn around to bounce back and win the big one after such a poor run.

Green Moon is another tough one to place. Runner up in last year’s Caulfield Cup, but then didn’t run well in the Cox Plate this time out. He loves Flemington but has never run the distance. Basically there are pros and cons everywhere for him. Some are going to love him and some are going to hate him and only one side will look smart after the race. I’m not backing him, but I also won’t be shocked if I end up with egg on my face.

My Quest For Peace is the other Cumani runner and I’m a fan, not just because of Francesca either. He finished 5^th in the Caulfield Cup after being swamped by the French connection of Dunaden and Americain, but still it was a solid run and showed he can hang with the big boys. He has drawn the inside barrier so should be able to get good position, but also needs to avoid being boxed in. Corey Brown is a top jockey though so I trust him in that department. Not tipping him to win, but strongly considering him in my boxed trifecta.

Lights of Heaven is one for the ladies. She is the only female in the field and isn’t without a shout. She finished third in the Caulfield Cup and has previously won the Brisbane Cup over this distance. She is by Zabeel who breeds stayers as well as anyone and has Black Caviar’s jockey Luke Nolen on board. If her odds stay north of $20, you would be doing well to have a flutter.

Kelinni won the Lexus on Saturday. Has possibly the best jockey in the field on board in Glen Boss and is also carrying the lightest weight. Those are all factors that suggest Kelinni is a contender. I don’t think he wins, but I do think Bossy will get the best out of him and he won’t be all that far behind.

Now comes the time when I actually put my neck on the line and give you my tip. To be honest my opinion between now and the race might change, although I do have a top 4 I’m pretty set on. As it stands I can’t look past the superb run Dunaden had in the Caulfield Cup and despite the weight he is carrying, I think he is a great chance to go back to back. The three horses I struggled to leave out of the placings were My Quest For Peace, Lights of Heaven and Kelinni.

My First Four:

1. Dunaden
2. Ethiopia
3. Red Cadeaux
4. Americain