I watched a local derby the other day. 87,000 crammed into the stadium, a red hot atmosphere and a tight contest throughout. No, not the Manchester contest, of which so much has been written, but Kaiser Chiefs meeting Orlando Pirates in the Soweto derby. Not greatly familiar with that part of the world I found the contest utterly fascinating, dominated by Chiefs’ World Cup goal scorer Siphiphe Tshabalala and made complete by the late, late appearance by a blimp-like Benny McCarthy.

I was warned by a South African friend that the standard won’t be amazing but the crowd numbers will be, and she was right. The football was very different to ours, far more reliant on athleticism than an adherence to structure and measured play. The players seemed to want to play the game at a lightning-fast pace, far beyond their capability to control the football, so possession turnover was constant. For the record, it was 1-1 at full time.

It was interesting to note that there were no foreign imports, indicating that the A-League is far more cashed up than its South African counterpart. Which got me thinking – why not scout for players from that part of the world? They offer technique and athleticism, and A-League clubs wouldn’t need to break the piggy bank for them. Not to mention that they speak English and adjusting to life in Australia shouldn’t present a challenge. When I remarked how festive the atmosphere was at the Soweto derby, as opposed to the naked hostility in Manchester, my friend replied “Absolutely! The knives and guns come out after the game…” Perhaps another reason a few of the players could be tempted to seek employment in safe and sunny Australia.

How safe is the A-League? For the fans it depends on where they sit. Forget the media hysteria and biased hype of the last 24 hours, there was only one person in the stands who needed looking out for his safety. Watching the Sydney derby from the comfort of Reserved Seating I saw a guy in his twenties in front of us bring a few kids together and attempt to start a “Sydney FC!” chant, much like the one performed by the Cove. It was all good fun, but not according to a fired up Riot Squad looking for something to do. After about ten minutes of occasional chanting (he was a source of greater mirth than inspiration) our section of the crowd watched in surprise as four massive uniformed heavies descended on the jovial character.

There was little protest from the man other than pleading his case but within a minute he was physically grabbed by all four of the Riot Squad quartet, one by the throat, and dragged off up the stairs. It was a sickening sight, and the crowd around us began booing and shouting at the goons, disgusted at seeing choke-holds and headlocks used on a single, defenceless spectator. Much filming took place by all around us, the children who had been happily laughing and chanting a few minutes earlier now horrified by what they were witnessing.  

Moral of the story – do not attempt to stand up and start a chant unless in the Cove. And if you do, film the incident and have your lawyer present.

Perhaps Alessandro Del Piero also needs his lawyer present to assure safety as the on-field respect he engendered in the early rounds has well and truly given way to rank thuggery. For the second time in a fortnight a former Sydney player, now coach, has obviously sent his players out onto the field with the instruction to physically attack Del Piero. After coming on with 20 minutes to play, the Number 10’s first touch of the ball resulted in an express train-like Aaron Mooy flying through the back of his legs, the intention clearly to injure the Sydney talisman. The technically gifted Mooy ought to know better, and who knows what karmic retribution he may receive for his troubles. How he stayed on the field is beyond me.

Mooy’s challenge may have been the reason for Del Piero’s inability to move around freely thereafter, but to be honest I am not convinced he was fit to play in the first place. If he were, surely our best player would have come on a lot earlier, given that we were chasing a game where we were never in the contest. I can’t help but wonder – is Alessandro Del Piero our star player or star attraction?

We’ll never know for sure, but I would love to see him spend three weeks on the sidelines, allowing his battered body to repair and recover. As we saw earlier in the season, he is amazing when fit, but we played those last twenty minutes at Allianz with ten men as the trequartista struggled to move around the field. Personally I would rather he gave us three months of solid football at the back end of the season than push through matches without the fitness and sharpness he needs to make the on-field impact he is capable of, especially now that he has become a target for dirty play.

There was also space between the lines, the Wanderers cleverly exploiting acres of room in front of the back four time and again. I was hoping Paul Reid would be brought on to plug the gap but his introduction was too little, too late.

Our other marquee Brett Emerton played out the 90 but looked completely out of sorts, having to cut inside each time he received the ball wide on the right. Perhaps he needs to be utilised on the left, combining with an overlapping Fabio who had his best game in Sky Blue on Saturday night, and leave the right flank for speedster Yaira Yau.

All of which should not overshadow the Wanderers’ amazing performance. They were hungrier, were first to every ball, pressed high, and created chance after chance. Their passing, shape and movement were excellent and they were generally a mental step ahead of the home players. Popovic may delight at bringing Del Piero down a peg or two, but he should also be proud of his side’s commitment and quality.

Respect is also due to the WSW fans for making the trek to Moore Park and putting on a good display. We definitely took over Parramatta Stadium in October, but Saturday night belonged to the Wanderers in every respect, on and off the field of play. To date it is 1-1 in the Sydney Derby and I am firmly convinced that this fixture is set to be a red-hot affair for many years to come.

Back to the Sky Blues and Farina has decisions to make. Does he persist with Del Piero or give him time off for R & R? Is Emerton’s position on the right in jeopardy? And what accounts for our listless showing in front of 26,000 fans in the most passionate atmosphere I’ve experienced at Moore Park since defeating Melbourne Victory 2-0 three years ago to win the Premiership?

A week to regather, and an opponent in Newcastle Jets searching for form and inspiration – and possibly affected by issues behind the scenes - presents the perfect opportunity to get back to winning ways. We were victorious in the pre-Christmas fixture last season and the match could become something of an annual event.

Many Sydney fans will make the pilgrimage to Newcastle, a fixture that has historically brought the Sky Blue away fans out in numbers. Let’s hope we have something to cheer about.