A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the A-League Rebound

The recent signing of former Manchester United forward Nani by Melbourne Victory is a welcome sugar hit for the A-League. And there could be more…

Since the start of the A-League back in 2005, there has been recurrent debate regarding the value of marquee players – players whose wages are accommodated outside the salary cap.

One side of the argument insists that the salary cap is critical to keep clubs within their means, and also ensures (approximately) a level playing field which provides for a close competition, where anyone can beat anyone on their day.

It’s also important to give as many opportunities to Australian players as possible – especially young players.

The other side of the argument sneers at such mealy mouthed justifications and demands entertainment. “You won’t get bums on seats if you have bums on the pitch. Give us famous marquees!” they cry.

“But only the rich clubs can afford marquees,” is the response. “It’s not fair.”

Well, maybe it’s not. But viewed only through the prism of crowd (and TV) engagement, marquees are clearly what the non rusted-on fans want. And the powers that be mean to give them what they want.

Truth be told, there have been some crackers over the years. Dwight Yorke and Alessandro Del Pierro at Sydney FC…

Robbie Fowler at North Queensland and Perth Glory…

Shinji Ono at the Wanderers…

Alessandro Diamanti at Western United…

Tim Cahill at Melbourne City and Harry Kewell at Victory.

Even the Mariners dipped a toe into the marquee market with brief stints from Mark Bosnich and John Aloisi.

Johnny Aloisi who’d graced the grounds of the EPL, La Liga and Serie A… scorer of THAT penalty… absolute Socceroo royalty must have wondered what on Earth he’d let himself in for when he turned up to his first day of training on the Central Coast, to find a burnt out car in the middle of the pitch.

Straya .…

There have been failures though – very expensive failures.

Daniel Sturridge hardly set the world on fire at Glory. Romario was less than a shadow of his former self at Adelaide, and the less said about Usain Bolt the better. If only the A League had been at a higher level. It would have been so much easier for a thoroughbred, like Usain, to adapt. I wonder if his music is any better than his football…

So how is Nani likely to go?

At 35, the suspicion will be that he’s here for a superannuated holiday, but he looks fit. There are plenty of others who’ve played here well into their thirties and still done the business. Diamanti for one (I love watching him play). Ninko, Patrick Zwaanswijk, Isaias…

The players who’ve stayed injury free and maintained their ectomorphic body shape tend to be the ones who succeed. Nani looks fit and thin enough, and I suspect he’ll do a great job for Victory. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing him play (especially his shooting from distance) and I just hope the vast A-League marketing division get off their arses and let the potential audience know about him. The fact that Man United played in the country this past weekend was an unmissable opportunity to leverage Nani against his old club.

But that’s not all. The whisper is that Cesc Fabregas may possibly come to Australia. Someone (Macarthur Bulls, perhaps) will have to find $1.5 million per season to get him but that’s a drop in the bucket for your big city clubs. The Mariners could offer him free paella and fifty percent off sangria… on Tuesdays and Wednesdays… but that won’t be enough to tempt the ex Arsenal man.

I would love to see him here though. I was lucky enough to see him live at Emirates Stadium some yonks ago and he put on a midfield masterclass. If he can find just a smidgette of that form he’ll still dominate matches – at 35 years old. I’d love to see it.

Even if it’s not fair to the clubs that can’t afford him.

Because people will pay to watch Nani and Cesc and, in the end, we need people coming through the turnstiles and watching on telly. A compelling product (with extra sugar) is how we grow the game. (Although a fully integrated football pyramid with promotion and relegation is even more important to increase the pool of players and interested observers.)

Adrian's books can be purchased at any good bookstore or through ebook alchemy. His first sci-fi novel will be published by Hague Publishing in 2022.