American writer Geraldo Rivera once said: "The courage in journalism is sticking up for the unpopular, not the popular."
Criticising the FFA at the moment is the journalistic equivalent of writing: "That Bin Laden's a bugger isn't he?" (though comparing the FFA with one of recent history's biggest mass murderers is probably equally churlish!). If you're an Australian football writer today, I'd venture the most courageous act you could undertake is to throw your support behind the embattled FFA.
Well, don't worry brave keyboard warriors out there, I'm going to fall short of an act quite that audacious, but I am going to flag a concern which is eating away at our game.
I also don't plan to protect the many mistakes that FFA have made in recent times, nor even give high profile examples, you are all fully aware of their short-fallings.
Instead I want to draw attention to a mentality that has to stop. It is a frame of mind that can be best summarised by the blanket refusal to believe that the FFA will ever do anything right, ever again. Basically making up your mind without considering the merits.
No matter what this FFA administration, which is going no where, attempts in the coming months, it will find media outlets and fans scorning their efforts through a negative mindset so engrained it has slaughtered objectivity.
I recently got asked what is the difference between a football fan and a football fan who is a journalist - the answer is the aforementioned objectivity. I judge every FFA action and announcement on its individual efforts. Knee-jerk FFA condemnation which comes from pure emotion is pointless.
FourFourTwo were invited to an off-the-record media briefing at FFA HQ this week. When news filtered out about the gathering with Holger Oiesk and Han Berger who offered us hacks some vital background information on the future of Australian football and a review of our past performance, fans were all over Twitter criticising the initiative.
As the attending journos could not share the information, some of it a candid insight into Socceroos' tactics which our opponents would love to be privy to, that was fine by us. Seemingly it wasn't fine by fans who think that FFA should forward them every piece of information available. Some branded FFA as transparent as FIFA for gagging us journos!
Next week (possibly) the FFA will release their report on their realigned vision for the A-League. It could prove to be a hollow waste of time and be slated by all and sundry - me included if it fails to deliver. It could be the most progressive and revolutionary piece of football-based literature ever written. And people would find a way to slate it.
On a hiding to nothing doesn't even skim the surface. The blinded skepticism in which people now treat every one of the FFA's movements is destroying our game.
We must be a laughing stock to other codes: "Those lot don't even like each other, what chance do they stand taking us on?". The only way the game is going to grow in Australia is through a siege mentality from everyone involved in the game: administrators, media and fans alike.
So what can be done? There is part of me that feels Ben Buckley, the CEO scapegoat at the centre of the fan lashing, has seen his position become untenable. Buckley could get Ronaldo playing for a relaunched North Queensland and fans would bemoan missing out on Messi.
It could be easy to suggest that for this reason Buckley should be removed and the more popular choice of PFA CEO Brendan Schwab should be appointed. Considering Buckley's contract extension, you feel something else needs to be pioneered.
Fan interaction. That seems to be the common phrase doing Australian football ranks at the moment. Or lack there of I should add. I can't help but agree for the obvious reason that West Ham have had as much interaction with silverware as fans have had with the FFA.
Which brings me back to Buckley. Last year we headed to the FFA offices to interview their World Cup bid team for our 12-page magazine special which appeared in the November issue. I'll be honest, I expected Buckley to be as engaging as a village politician. I make no apologies for that comparison as that is the persona Buckley has built through his public appearances.
However, when we got to FFA HQ, myself and Buckley had to undertake a photoshoot for the magazine with the FFA CEO showing me through our bid book.
To fill the dead air while our photographer endlessly grabbed his frames, Buckley and I flicked through the book and chatted to each other. Believe it or not, but the FFA suit had me in stitches with a series of gags around the images in the book. That's right, Ben Buckley has a sense of humour! And a good one at that.
When it came to switching my voice recorder on for the official interview, the word-watching politician remerged. I believe Buckley spends too much time paranoid about saying the wrong thing and not enough time being himself.
How Buckley and the FFA might be able to save this potentially untenable situation is by taking the most hands on of approaches to that short-falling in fan interaction. Buckley needs to go on a "baby-kissing, political campaign" and get out and meet the fans.
Buckley should head on the road and do meets and greets with fans I hear you crow? At this point you might fear I've lost my marbles! But I feel he has more of a personality than he portrays at his events so far. Why not prove this first-hand by visiting grassroots clubs and A-League fans face-to-face?
Career suicide for Buckley? Well, the noose is around the neck already! So, as the proverb proclaims, "desperate times call for desperate measures!"
