SPORTS psychologists teach athletes to ignore negative thoughts and focus on positive outcomes. But as recent A-League events demonstrate, it's not just players who need to maintain a healthy degree of optimism.

First we had Sydney fans attacking one of their own team members. Then we saw more loutish behaviour from coach John Kosmina, this time grabbing Frank Farina by the neck. Finally, Jets owner Con Constanides threatened to throw his own supporters from the balcony of his corporate box. Seriously!

These nasty incidents sparked internecine frenzies of online bickering, with frustrated fans turning against their clubs - and each other - in fits of frothing rage.

Now, some might see such episodes an inevitable part of any new league's growing pains. It's no coincidence that both Sydney and Newcastle are former champions who missed the finals this year. No doubt raised expectations - on the pitch, in the stands, and around the boardroom - have a lot to do with these current crises.

But there's also no doubt that both clubs have become thoroughly infected with what one journo recently called "something rotten".

More than anything else, what all these coaches, club owners and flipped-out fans urgently need is a change of attitude.

Contrast all the emotional train wrecks above with the Gold Coast United club today. Without a ball having been kicked, fans are already flocking to the club's wildly cheerful vibe.

While Miron Bleiberg signed up one big name after another, the entire football community buzzed with excitement. At last week's launch, the coach paid tribute to owner Clive Palmer's relentlessly positive drive and enthusiasm from Day One.

Palmer then went even further, insisting that the new team would go through their first season undefeated. Seriously? Well, yeah - seriously!

But what was the reaction from the Australian football public? A huge belly laugh of derision.

It was the same thing with our marquee signing. Jason Culina - Jason frikkin' CULINA!!! - comes home to play in the A-League and all you could hear was criticism, moaning and cheap sniping. Seriously!

OK, folks, laugh all you want. But the results are already speaking for themselves. Just look at our squad.

Or consider Miron's comments about a prospective warm-up game against Everton or Fulham: "We are not really chasing them, they are approaching us ... It shows that we are making an impression before a ball has been kicked and we welcome that."

Finally, take a good, long look at Clive Palmer himself. Whatever you might think of his character, his politics, or even his money, Australia's richest man is a a walking, talking, laughing advertisement for the power of positive thinking.

The self-made billionaire has not just been in the right place at the right time - 1970s Gold Coast property boom, 1990s global minerals boom - he has also had the right attitude to make the most of those circumstances.

Just last week, for example, he took a $46.5 million punt on a single oil well in WA's Carnarvon Basin. One analyst called it "the largest single personal investment I have ever seen in Australian corporate history".

If the well doesn't strike black gold, Clive's money is wasted. But thanks to modern seismic technology, there's at least an even chance of success. So it's not a totally uninformed wager.

Will Zeus-1 be a gusher? Who knows? Will Gold Coast United go through season one undefeated? Who knows?! But either way, Clive Palmer is giving it a go, and a few bad results won't be enough to make him pack up and leave town.

Sure, it's easier to be successful when you are rich, just like it's easier to be happy when you win.

But you are never going to be successful at anything if you can't dump all the negative baggage in your own head.

Seriously.

IN OTHER NEWS:

* Here's a measure of Clive Palmer's passion for his new football team, Gold Coast United - the homepage of the billionaire's privately-owned company, Mineralogy Pty Ltd, includes news updates about the squad. Sure, the news is a little out of date, but it's still an interesting sight on a corporate website.

* If the Nix miss the finals, there's a good chance Shane Smeltz's 12 goals will be overtaken by Central Coast's Matt Simon. And speaking of positive thinking, here's Simon talking about his latest Socceroos callup: "2005 I would never have thought that, I was just sitting down thinking about what I was going to do for the rest of my life workwise. Now a couple of years down the track...! If you put your mind to something anything can happen."