‘The original and the best'
It's not often one can take good advice from snack food packaging, but on this occasion, I think Smith's and their delightful chips (original crinkle-cut, if you must know) fits in perfectly with what I'm going for.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I put forward to you, that Archie Thompson, is the greatest marquee to ever grace the A-League, and one of the few players who have held title that actually deserves it.
What's that, all-night-Dwight and Scouser Robbie I hear you say? Yes, both fine players, and have certainly given the league a little boost. However, when measured against my carefully selected criteria, they simply do not measure up as the ultimate marquee player.
Reliability
No-one can lay claim to Archie and his mesmerising goal scoring record. To singlehandedly lead the line for five seasons for the premier team in the competition is no small feat, and is what your marquee should be doing in the first place. However, Yorke, Fowler, even Joel Griffiths can lay claim to also being superbly reliable and gifted, and as such, Archie isn't clear in front yet on the marquee stakes.
Marketability
Watch the news in Melbourne, read the papers. Archie Thompson singlehandedly has had the most column inches written about him than any other Victory player. Whenever Victory are mentioned, you can be sure that Archie will be squeezed in somehow. Ask the kids at the game who they're wearing on their shirt, and you'll find 9 times out of 10 it is Archie. The man IS Victory, and the fact that is the face of most, if not all, Victory campaigns, well, he's earning every marquee dollar with the exposure that he generates. However, like before, this doesn't set Archie apart from the others. Yorke is synomonous with Bling FC, and the recent media circus surrounding the ‘will he, won't he' saga that was Robbie Fowler and his next cheque. Heck, if column inches are a indication of marketability, then Sydney FC's new marquee Nicky Carle must surely be leading the race. Carle is a human headline, and not always for good reasons either. So Archie, whilst the face of Victory, is not the main headline grabber in the league.
Longevity
This is where Archie stands out from the rest of the rabble. Archie has spent the best part of five seasons with the club as their marquee player, and as such, has delivered the most consistent results from their presence. Yorke buggered off back to England the first chance he got, as have many other marquees when they haven't failed miserably. Fowler is flip-flopping around Australia, showing no discernable loyalty to anyone it seems and not providing any long standing following at one club. No, Archie has been through thick and thin with the club, and it shows through the adoration that Victory fans shower upon Archie every game. Archie has been nothing short of loyal to the club that reinvented him, and he repays that back in spades every time he takes the pitch. You ask anyone in the streets of Melbourne about their favourite Victory moment, and I'll guarantee you that it involves Archie. His five years at the club has provided many highlights, as well as many trophies. I'm not a fan of those who jet in, play around for six months and then bugger off. The role of a marquee is to grow the club and the game, and that takes time. Time which Archie has given.
Affordability
Let's clear one thing up. Archie is not being paid peanuts. He is being paid handsomely. However, in comparison to other marquees that have come and gone, he is virtually a bargain. To get someone who has firmly thrust the club into the hearts and minds of the Melbourne public for the fraction of a Yorke or Fowler is nothing short of perfect. This affordability gives Archie even more points on the ‘marquee scale', pulling him away from the chasing pack. Clubs continue to break their backs for these ‘big names' (which, unless you follow football anyway, are fairly anonymous) to come out for a season, whereas Victory have done their homework, and got maximum bang for their buck.
There's not much else to say, other than Archie Thompson is the prototype upon which all future marquees should be based around.
