THIS edition might sound a bit pompous. I don’t intend it to be. In fact, I write it with the words of the great George Burns firmly in mind: “It’s too bad that the only people who know how to run the country are busy cutting hair and driving cabs.”

Likewise, I have no idea how to run a football club.  Like many before me, that has not stopped me from filling the comments pages of blogs like this.  Plenty has been written on what has gone wrong, but I want to look forward, because I think it is critical that Sydney FC gets this season as right as possible.  So as version 5 approaches, here are four areas that I think must be the priorities for Sydney FC, this year.

1. Look after your members and fans
Regardless of the ownership structure, all successful clubs are "members' clubs". Happy members equal a successful club, regardless of the performance on the field, because there is a buzz around the ground on match days and a pile of goodwill off the pitch. Unhappy members - well, see last year.  I think what members want, most of all, is for their club to have regard to them.  That doesn't mean bowing to every demand, or plying the members with free stuff, but it means having a broad understanding of what the members are looking for from Sydney FC and trying hard to deliver it. 

2. Rise above the clamour and din of the other teams
Often, the A-League is a bitchy little place, filled with petty villains.  We have had a few of our own and whilst the media loved the various performances at after match press-conferences, invariably the club emerged from them damaged in one way or another. It's not the club's job to create easy copy for tabloids.  And whilst a "no-dickheads" policy would be a great start for next season, more is going to be required.  The stability that Sydney FC needs can only come from a clear, disciplined vision and not being distracted from that.  I'm sure that people at Sydney FC have articulated plenty of mission statements and long term goals over the past 4 years, but basically Sydney FC should try to be the club that the rest of the league envies and admires in equal measure.  Everything the club does in public and in private needs to be done with that in mind.  Moreover, the club's public faces need to exude a cool sophistication that matches the city that Sydney represents. From the boardroom to the ball boys: no bitching, no whining and no sideshows.  Just admirable and enviable.

3. Do some great things in the community
Sydney FC sits at the top of a huge pyramid of football in the Sydney region, and everyone wants their piece.  The club cannot possibly be all things to all people.  I have no doubt that Sydney FC already makes a huge contribution to the community.  I know that the club supports a number of worthy causes.  Nevertheless, when the CEO needs to issue a press release to defend the club's community contribution then it is clear that those works are failing to make a public impact.  This may be a result of trying to do too much with a finite amount of resources.  Sydney needs to spend some time picking good targets and really committing to their development. And pick the targets well, because assisting the football programs of large, well-resourced private schools doesn't count as community work in the minds of the public.  There are any number of places where Sydney FC's ongoing commitment could make a huge difference to the lives of people who wouldn't otherwise have great opportunities.  The club should seek those places out and bring all of its resources to bear in making sure that the club's efforts in the community result in real benefits.  Do some great.

4. Win well and often
This one almost goes without saying, but I have put it last because I think it is less important than doing the other things I have mentioned.  Nevertheless, Sydney FC needs to be a winning and stylish team.  If nothing else, winning will buy the club enough space to make the other changes it needs to succeed in the long term.  I think we can be a winning team that plays attractive football; the current squad is more than good enough to win the league and happily, they are all footballers, not hack-merchants.  I am really looking forward to seeing how the club adds to the squad, and how the squad responds to the new coaching regime.

So, that's my very inexpert prescription for curing Sydney's ills.  It would be interesting to hear from other readers about what they think Sydney FC needs to do, to get this season right and set the club up for the future.   Over to you.