Failures

1. World Cup Bid
No way to sugar coat this – it was a stinker. From the cartoon kangaroo to the one solitary vote it was a colossal time and money waster. The $45 million of taxpayer funds washed down the gurgler was small change compared with the cost to the game’s credibility and the progress of the A-League. Buckley, Lowy and the FFA took their eye off the ball back home to chase glory on the world stage. What we got was a global pantsing. The opprobrium was not Buckley’s alone – we now know the fix was in – but it smacked of all that was wrong with Australian football administration, the lack of football people. The minute Paul Hogan, Elle McPherson and Nicole Kidman were trundled out we knew we were in trouble. And rightly or wrongly it reaffirmed the notion that the former AFL man was a ring-in.

2. Club Squabbles
Buckley deserves an upper cut simply for unleashing self-confessed rugby league die-hard Clive Palmer on the game during his watch. The mining magnate’s colourful salvos against the FFA in the dying days of Gold Coast United made for great theatre unless you actually cared about the future of football. It may have been brinkmanship by Nathan Tinkler to hand in the Jets licence but once again it showed football’s governing body had lost control of the game’s well-heeled patrons. Dire warnings over the bows from Adelaide United’s Greg Griffin and Perth Glory’s Tony Sage, among others, added to the impression the game was a shambles.

3. Expansion Woes
Not so long ago the A-League looked like it was headed for oblivion. Gold Coast went the way of North Queensland Fury and the Jets looked like joining the dearly departed. Let’s not even get started on what was happening with the Sydney Rovers bid or bullish talk about setting up a rebel league. Plans for a 12 and 14 club league early in the piece suddenly seemed like so much pie-in-sky. Plenty of pundits were lining up to write the fledgling league’s obituary and Buckley’s team seemed incapable of presenting a clear and positive plan for the future.

4. North Queensland Fury
How apt was the name Fury? This deserves a point all of its own simply for the way the whole debacle was handled. Even now it leaves a bad taste in the mouths of many football fans. It may never have been a goer but the notion that it was simply a pawn in the FFA’s world cup bid is hard to shrug off. When the bid fell over the writing was pretty much on the wall for Franz Straka’s men. Talk of setting up a community model may have been given an airing behind closed doors but it’s hard to say. Lack of transparency was a defining factor of this administration. Probably a wasted opportunity to have an open discussion about different ownership models.

5. Lack of cut-through
There were plenty of good news stories during Buckley’s reign but the former CEO lacked the strength of personality to cut-through wave after wave of bad press. In fairness it was a tough gig. Faced with an anti-football media and plenty of disgruntled football followers willing to believe the worst it was next to impossible to be a glass half-full kind of guy. To his credit he always came across as a thoroughly decent bloke but when the Andrew Demetrious of this world are hanging you out to dry it’s time to take off the gloves.

Successes

1. Western Sydney Wanderers
After numerous air swings, Buckley was finally kicking goals and this was the best of them - a screamer from six months out of the season kick-off. Following the calamitous North Queensland Fury and Gold Coast United experiments the FFA finally bit the bullet and returned to football’s heartland – Western Sydney. Given its previous track record with expansion clubs the level of scepticism among the wider football community was understandable.  For once FFA never looked like running up the white flag. Big points as well for the level of community engagement. Wanderers are now part of the A-League, with a solid fan-base, a competitive squad and former Socceroo Tony Popovic at the helm - Buckley can wear this one with pride

2. Broadcast Deal
Just around the corner supposedly – although this phrase is proving more elastic than first thought. After crunching the numbers it seems Buckley won’t get to make the big announcement which should include about $40 million a year – about double the existing contract and what should be enough to carry the salary cap and lift the financial burden on clubs. The real silver lining though is a FTA component which will ensure a wider audience for the domestic game and a chance to see delayed coverage of Socceroos matches on SBS. Expect new boss David Gallop to unveil it in the next day or two.

3. A-League
Move over Socceroos – the real jewel in the FFA crown has emerged. Expecting the national team to carry the game was never sustainable. Thankfully we haven’t gone the way of rugby union and cricket. The domestic league is remarkably good shape, all things considered. After the debacle of the World Cup bid the administration reset its focus on the A-League and four rounds of Season 8 TV audiences are tracking for an all-time season average record. Average attendances are up 20 per cent on the previous season. Buckley can’t take credit for luring the likes of Alessandro Del Piero but building a positive club environment certainly makes it easier to attract the big names.

4. Truce
After burying their hatchets in each other the FFA and club owners finally decided to bury them for good – well, a while at least. The formation of a joint committee to give club owners greater say in the game was just the circuit breaker needed to head off a full-scale revolt. It may lack substance and achieve virtually nothing but in terms of putting a temporary stop to the blood-letting it was an unqualified success.

5. New Era
Buckley oversaw a period of rapid growth in the game. It was happening on all sides and that was on a slow day. Appointed only months after Australia’s move to the Asian Football Confederation was ratified, there was not a moment to draw breath. A second consecutive world cup appearance, the implementation of the new national football curriculum, launch of the W-League and National Youth League and laying the groundwork for a second tier Australian Premier League. This wasn’t evolution it was revolution – no wonder people were losing their heads. The fact the game has emerged a little bloodied but bolder and stronger for the experience deserves at least a fist pump.