NEWCASTLE Herald rugby league journalist Brett Keeble wrote an open letter to absent Newcastle Knights fans last week, asking where they were in season 2009.
I for one reckon the same might be asked of Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariner fans, and indeed football fans Asia-wide.
Thus far, the two geographically close cities of Newcastle and Gosford have managed a pretty paltry average of 7,868 supporters between them over three match days.
Elsewhere in the Jets' Group E, Griffiths brothers Joel and Ryan would have thought they were having a kick in their backyard when only 1,389 people turned up to the 43,600 capacity Munsu Stadium for their away match to Ulsan Hyundai.
Similarly sickly, and even more mediocre numbers have been evident in Singapore, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, even Japan, with only Iranian, Chinese and Saudi Arabian clubs pulling mass attendances to date.
Here is a re-jigged version of Keeble's letter, applicable in part to the revamped version of the AFC Champions League and namely to the coastal population the Jets (and Mariners) inhibit.
Is it just me, or does anyone else think this competition should be making bigger waves upon our shores?
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Dear Fans,
Where are you?
What happened to the droves of you that made the trek down the F3 on grand final day? Surely you didn't just jump on the band wagon during that sensational finals run. Surely.
Is the recession biting that deeply into your hip pocket that a night at the footy with family and friends is a luxury you can no longer afford?
Has marketing failed? Has the ACL not been promoted well enough? Did I just hear you ask, "What's an ACL?"
Does the dog's breakfast of a construction site around the soon-to-be dismantled western grandstand put you off?
Is it a cultural thing? Can you not embrace "sokkah" if it's not being played on a Friday night or a weekend?
Are you too ethnocentric to appreciate a continental competition which features many current and former international players?
Did you become too accustomed to success during the Jets' first three years?
Do you still pine for Joel Griffiths? Don't worry, he'll be back in the green of Guoan soon enough.
Is the ACL not a case of "90 minutes, 90 emotions"?
Are you racist? You guys like Jin-Hyung Song, right? So it couldn't be that.
Is it Con? Is it the Squadron? Is it Dutchy or Jonesy? Is it the team?
Don't you like the fact the Jets - with new recruits Vignaroli, Petrovski, de Groot, Milicevic, even Topor-Stanley - look a stronger prospect now than they did during last A-League season?
Do you side with Pim Verbeek's view that the A-League, and thus its players are, well, "hopeless".
Are you a Knights fan now and there is room for only one Newcastle football team in your life?
Where are you?
Are you coming to the game against Nagoya Grampus on Wednesday?
Ben O'Neill
FourFourTwo Australia/Newcastle Jets blogger since 2008
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Newcastle Jets v Nagoya Grampus (Wednesday 22 April 2009 / Newcastle Stadium)
Possible Lineups:
Newcastle Jets: B. Kennedy, T. Elrich, A. Costanzo, A. Griffiths, N. Topor-Stanley, B. Kantarovski, K. Patafta, M. Thompson, F. Vignaroli, S. Petrovski, D. de Groot
Nagoya Grampus Eight: S. Narazaki, H. Tanaka, T. Masukawa, S. Abe, M. Bajalica, Magnum, N. Nakamura, K. Tamada, K. Yoshimura, Y. Ogawa, Davi
Kick off: 8pm AEDT. LIVE on Fox Sports 3, LIVE on 1233 ABC Newcastle
Notes:
- Brazilian striker Davi banged a brace during Grampus' 2-1 away win over Kashiwa Reysol on the weekend.
- Imposing Jets defender Ljubo Milicevic is suspended, as is left sided defender Adam D'Apuzzo.
- Just two points separate the four clubs in ACL Group E.
Prediction: Draw
