Both Oceania Club champions too, yeah?
Dave is being annoying as usual re South but this really is a game you would hope for them to pull well over 5k people to SURELY given all the hubris?
"Best NPL vs Interstate team" crowd seems a nervy shifting of the goalposts to me.

I don't like all the crowd figure talk generally but if this game doesn't motivate a chunk of the apparent latent casual SM fans then not much else will surely.
I was really hoping we would get this tie as I would have even considered going across for it.

Yes. Canberra Olympic v Sydney FC 5581

agree SF.
Mind you if a wsw supporter watching you'd think wtf not being 3-4 ahead before HT.
Once City settled they were matching them finally once the rhythm changed.
That peach of a long ball from Cairncross for Andrews to run onto was perfect counter attack and good call by the coach on the sub.
The talk of poppa being happy where their at is lip service imo but good luck to them getting through.

Davo isn't being annoying its the other way round, now its put up or stfu.
TBH I expect a Large crowd, be it neutrals incl thanks to SFC, current dual Champs, impressive results mid pre season yet to hit their straps against a PL team who has just ended their season added with Cup games its now all or nothing as it would be anyway.
By the way, how did Gold Coast get to last nights stage ? did they have a golden run.

You're consistent talking about them, moaning like a little sad twat goes to show their valuable in an otherwise extremely stale league.

""but if this game doesn't motivate a chunk of the apparent latent casual SM fans then not much else will surely""

Youre kidding. Try victory or city. You know derbies tend to pull larger numbers and inspire more passion. Next to no one gives a shit about sfc in Melbourne compared with mv and city. And even then the most cynical fans wont stir until south is shown respect it deserves and included in top tier football.

Its such a dumb premise anyway. Judging south on their ffa cup crowds while theyre an NPL side. New franchises arent held to the same scrutiny. That's ALL guesswork. Given same opportunities as hal clubs and enjoying fewer restrictions as hal clubs do, south will once again rise to their former glory on and off pitch. They have always done enough to be included. They were the baby in the nsl bathwater.

Thats why the hal is a joke and p/r is the only thing that will save our boring stale league and development crisis. As VFTF always says. More middling clubs bolstering a closed loop league wont solve the bigger problems. Only exacerbate them.  In fact the A-League perfectly mimics the lowy regime. Its acting and looking busy while not really accomplishing much.

And i dont want south being bestowed entry. Fuck that. Let us meet the criteria and play our way in. The entitlement of the franchises rubs off on hal fans and commentators here alike. No one deserves opportunity at success over another club no matter how MLS/A-League brainwashed you are. (Wellington the exception). In fact its always been my belief that the franchises deserve it less. But hey opinions are like assholes right. 

Rant over.

I'm calling it....

It will be a sellout

Over 10k

@ Rimbaud

"It was only Sydney FC that's why noone came"

Fuck Souf fans got a new excuse every week

Lol. Nice bait.

Thats what u extrapolated?

Regardless of what you may think, the sfc brand doesnt hold that much gravitas. AND you underestimate the intelligence of south fans.

Debate me on my point that derbies intrinsically draw bigger crowds. Think bergers city game. 

Davide specifically said "but if this game doesn't motivate a chunk of the apparent latent casual SM fans then not much else will surely"".

If you stand by that, then thats your credibility on the line, not mine.

Dude.. how the fuck is that bait

What other team in the world would say the reason we got a low crowd to a home cup semi-final was because of the team we played..

You're talking past me and creating strawmen. I said i disagree that sfc is the biggest draw card and that "if this game doesnt blah blah then nothing will" bs. I said a derby ctrowd will always be bigger. I said that one showing in a ffa cup semi isnt the determining factor for shit let alone league inclusion (a completely fucking seperate comp lol).

Keep jerking in the mirror.

Mate if there is anyone moaning its u and ur usual spiel for all things great about the npl and all things bad when it comes to aleague. It gets old.

Surely its time for sth to put up or shut up. No need to have a go at other clubs because none of them clown about thinking they are well bigger than their boots. Its unjustified arrogance that pisses me off about sth. 

I hope so. 

IMO the FFA Cup is an inclusive competitive football competition, and if South Melbourne fans can't be arsed coming out in reasonable numbers to back their side against one of the devil league's evil franchises then I question whether they ever will.

Hence me saying "not much else will" as opposed to "nothing will".

Nice to see you haven't changed Horto

For the record (once again and for anyone who is not psychotically quick to anger like Horto) I'm all for SM in the A-League.
I'm not saying they need to get 10k crowd here to prove they deserve to be in the A-League or anything stupid.

BUT they do talk the big talk (really very big talk) so if they cant pull numbers equal to or above canberra for a SEMI FINAL against the reigning A-League champions on home soil then they themselves will be a bit pissed off I dare say and will look pretty damn foolish in MY opinion.

That's a lot of MV fans hoping to see a SFC loss

This goes for literally any club.

But especially South Melbourne considering their grandiose claims.

The canberra semi will be easily eclipsed. I still think many would consider even 7k a failure though. 

I'm pro SM in the aleague in every way but think even 5k will be a struggle. All their previous cup crowds have been shithouse

Wouldnt call 2,600 against edgeworth in round of 32 shithouse. It will be well over 5k. The question is how close can it get to heidelberg v melb city, sydney united v sydney fc etc..keep in mind those were all derby games. Im leaning towards 7k but as i said that will still be considered not good enough.

grrr

Anything over 7k would be great. 

I watched too much NSL to think 2600 is a good South Melbourne crowd. Believe me I want 14k there. The FFA cup crowds have consistently been below what I expect of the club. 

Keeps them being talked about. Moreso than the likes of Wellington and they are far more interesting to talk about. 

2017 PS4 NPL national Grand Final possibilities,

option 1 (most likely outcome):
Edgeworth Eagles OR Brisbane Strikers v Heidelberg United at Jack McLaughlan Oval OR Perry Park

option 2 (most unlikely outcome):
Heidelberg United v Edgeworth Eagles OR Brisbane Strikers at Olympic Village

winner of the 2017 PS4 NPL national Grand Final gains automatic qualification to the 2018 FFA Cup round of 32.

2017 PS4 NPL national Grand Final:
Saturday September 30th 6.00pm Brisbane Strikers v Heidelberg United at Perry Park

winner of the 2017 PS4 NPL national Grand Final gains automatic qualification to the 2018 Westfield FFA Cup round of 32.

Scenes. Good viewing numbers again. 

This year's FFA Cup has changed my attitude to the better  NPL teams.

For the first time there has been a discernible improvement in closing the gap on HAL teams. Even though HAL teams  have been in pre-season mode with heavy legs, they are getting closer to the start of the  HAL season.

Blacktown's second half and extra time performance against WSW was a pleasant surprise. I thought CCM were far more effective over the 90 mins against Blacktown than WSW were over the 120.

WSW looked very good in the first 45 mins.

We desperately need the HAL2 promo and releg system ASAP and more professional clubs. If semi-pro and amateur clubs can  perform as effectively in the FFA Cup over an entire campaign as some of them have, we need them to take the next step and become full time.

The only difference between Blacktown & the Wanderers was purely fitness towards the end of the match. I was very impressed by the tactical acumen of the Blacktown coach.