Mark Bosnich and Mark Rudan on ‘the darkest day in Australian club football’

ELEVEN goals. Two games.

Brisbane Roar are now equal with Newcastle Jets for the worst result by an A-League club in the Asian Champions League after conceding six goals against Ulsan FC.

But Western Sydney Wanderers weren’t far behind after going down 5-1 to Shanghai SIPG.

Fox Sports’ Mark Rudan labelled it as “the darkest day in Australian club football,” while Mark Bosnich said the “embarrassing” results would hurt Australia’s football brand around the world.

“But there are a whole lot of other issues,” said Bosnich. “A whole lot of other things are happening.”

Here’s the breakdown.

HIGHLIGHTS TO HURT AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL’S BRAND

“When this goes around the world they’re going to go, ‘What’s going on with the A-League?’” Bosnich said.

Seriously, what will they think?

Brisbane conceded three goals in the first half and then three in the second period. Hulk scored within three minutes before Oscar doubled the lead. Mitch Nichols hit back but that just saw Shanghai add more.

Bosnich added: “A lot of them did not look like they wanted to be out there.

“This is the end result of everything we’ve been talking over the last three years.

“This is Australian football’s brand ... We’re going backwards.”

Rudan recalled how Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou said Australia “as a footballing nation have lost respect in Europe”.

“Gone is the golden generation ... opposed to other [South East Asia] countries who have elevated.”

Bosnich added: “We should be ringing up Gianni Infantino [FIFA president] and thanking him for expanding the World Cup, because this is where it’s going.”

‘DARKEST DAY IN AUSTRALIAN CLUB FOOTBALL’

Brisbane Roar are one of the most successful teams in A-League history, while Western Sydney Wanderers had a “phenomenal” start to their club history.

Now it’s just “depressing, mind-boggling and we need to address it,” according to Rudan.

“Powers at be need to speak up in the headquarters also need to speak up.”

He added: “We have got so many issues need to be addressed, that need to be spoken about, that need to be fixed. We want our game to flourish.

“We want to be not just the best in Asia, as Ange says, we want to be the best in the world one day.

“Right now, this is probably the darkest day in Australian club football.”

‘WE’VE GONE BACKWARDS IN SO MANY AREAS’

“It’s not about the money that needs to spend,” Rudan said.

“We’ve spoken about the two Croatian imports (Mislav Orsic and Ivan Kovacec) for Ulsan who tore us to bits - mind you they would be $150-200,000 in a salary cap in Australia, if someone had gone out and had a look at them and brought them to our country.

“Instead, they’re producing this kind of football in a different competition in a different country.

“We’ve gone backwards in so many areas... We have been discussing this for a while.”

Bosnich added: “This has been coming for a long time and it’s going to be coming to the Socceroos team.”


ISSUE 1: TRANSFER FEES

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” Bosnich said.

$7000 - That’s the maximum a National Premier League club can charge on a transfer fee after developing a player no matter what they go on to do.

“The NPL has developed top class players ... What type of incentive have you got to go and pay a coach to train players? That has got to stop,” Bosnich said.

ISSUE 2: SALARY CAP

“That salary cap’s supposed to be an equaliser - that’s a mirage,” Bosnich said.

The difference between first and 10th place in the A-League is 36 points but it’s not that wide in any of Europe’s top five leagues.

Adelaide, the Wanderers and the Roar finished first, second and third last year but now they’re 10th, sixth and fifth and have essentially “been punished for their success” in the Asian Champions League.

Unable to spend money on buying more players, each team has been dismantled by high-spending Asian teams.

“It’s ridiculous,” said Bosnich.

“Forget other sports... they have not got an international market.

“We are playing against the rest of the world and you’re continually punishing people for success.”

Western Sydney Wanderers' midfielder Mitch Nichols.
Western Sydney Wanderers' midfielder Mitch Nichols.Source: AFP
ISSUE 3: LACK OF AMBITION

FFA: Why the A-League can’t expand right now

Rudan said Australia “100 per cent” lacks ambition when it comes to providing opportunities.

“There’s that many kids who are desperate and dreaming to make a football career for themselves,” Rudan said.

“But their dreams are stopped because there aren’t enough opportunities for them.”

Rudan says with 10 A-League teams, “we’re not giving it [opportunity] to them”.

A lack of opportunities is leading to young players stopping to play football, even though all they wanted to do for most of their life was become a professional footballer. Then it’s a coach or volunteer who has to let them down.

“I’ve had those chats with crying players in my dressing room. It's tough because you are so passionate about the game.

“We are denying kids the chance to show their talent and we are losing so many.”


He added that FFA’s lack of money is a “poor” and “lazy” excuse not to expand.

“There are so many upsides to creating not just two but hopefully four more clubs,” Rudan said.

“Build it and they will come. We have that many kids playing that we have to change it.”

Football has the highest participation of sport among kids in Australia, but it hasn’t translated in the A-League

“We have that many kids who are play our game who just aren’t given the opportunity to play in the top competition,” Rudan said.

“If they can’t do it here, that’s why they pack their suitcases at 14, 15 and completely change their whole life because they’re denied an opportunity in our country - it can’t happen. We’ve got to change that.”

‘JUST AS GOOD AS ANYWHERE’

“John Barnes - Liverpool legend - said the boys here from 8-12 are just as good here as anywhere in the world,” Bosnich said.

“So what’s happening from 12-20?”

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/asian-champions-league/mark-bosnich-and-mark-rudan-on-the-darkest-day-in-australian-club-football/news-story/e751d7562a2b64fe45a821e35c1ee2ba

Football has the highest participation of sport among kids in Australia, but it hasn’t translated in the A-League
“We have that many kids who are play our game who just aren’t given the opportunity to play in the top competition,” Rudan said.
“If they can’t do it here, that’s why they pack their suitcases at 14, 15 and completely change their whole life because they’re denied an opportunity in our country - it can’t happen. We’ve got to change that.”
‘JUST AS GOOD AS ANYWHERE’
“John Barnes - Liverpool legend - said the boys here from 8-12 are just as good here as anywhere in the world,” Bosnich said.
“So what’s happening from 12-20?”

Why a second division is so important

"So what’s happening from 12-20?”

:laugh:

No argument from me!

i would say the FFA's statement on expansion was a far worse experience than getting our arses handed to us again in the ACL.  Because one thing has caused the other.

12 years. Still only 10 teams.

Covered all the TV interview last night.

Thanks for quoting the article again, really appreciate reading it again

I agree with this, the darkest times are made in the FFA boardroom with their lack of vision and leadership. Two teams getting smacked in round 2 is annoying. but not the end of the world. 

Clubs who qualify for the ACL are shortly after qualifying, weaker than they were, than when they qualified.

AU and WSW are weaker now than when they qualified.

I thought Roar were possibly better than last season, but they were dismal against Ulsan last night.

They were outclassed.

The full backs were outpaced by Ulsan wingers, who constantly got in behind and played crosses. The central defence lost shape.

The squeezing of Ulsan was high intensity, whereas Roar's was  often languid. This enabled Ulsan to play with more time on the ball.

As soon as Roar lost the ball, they struggled to contain the Ulsan counter attacks.

In the past, sometimes the Asian teams are very sharp at the beginning of the ACL, but their domestic leagues seem to wear them out as the ACL season progresses.

we usually have weaker sides qualifying. But there has been a gradual improvement from year to year (up to year to year fluctuations)
this is an alarming drop in quality

They both hit the nail on the head, couldn't have said it any better.

So true. The evening and mood was already under a dark cloud to begin with, after the demoralizing statements of FFA yesterday for eg. "Our model that we have shoved down everyone's throats, that we've talked ourselves up about and hijacked the sport with, btw, its not sustainable. And sorry, no expansion for another 2 years". 

And then came the drubbings. Insult to injury.

And dont mean to nitpick, but its only 9 Australian clubs after 12 years (will be 14 years according to FFA now). So 14 years and 9 Pro Australian clubs. Awesome.

Just watched the video, was great. 

Get a grip...

Darkest day in club football? Or darkest day in the last 2 years. FFS, can think of dozens of offfield things worse than getting spanked. Also, check the history books for some scores from touring teams. 

Finally watched the whole video, brought back memories of Johnny Warren unleashing back in the day on sbs.

link?
 to the Bozza video.

Dundeee spanked a local side 16-1, Bristol Rovers put 9 away, Rapid Vienna putting 10 away 

It is on fox sports A-league

Towards the end, Adam said he knew of a Chinese investor willing to put in money for a club.  I wonder if that is true and if so, who it is.

Yep lets just sweep this under a huge carpet.

It might be ACL results last night, but also our youth teams have nothing been short of horrible in the last couple of years, its a bigger issue and thankfully Bozza and Mark Rudan have the balls to say it what we all fell what is going on in Aus. football.

This will continue to happen in the next few years if things dont change fast.

Yesterday was probably the worst day in Oz Football since we joined Asia, people need to wake up and realise there is a bigger problem arising..hopefully this doesn't effect the socceroos in the short term.

If you think it's all about the results you're missing the point.

I think youre missing the nuances. And the bigger picture. Its not just about drubbings. Its that the drubbings came on the same day as FFA making demoralizing statements in regards to their own model being unsustainable, no expansion; lack of player pathways, salary caps, etc and all the other factors that contribute to the gargantuan gulf between us and our Asian neighbours. Teams get spanked in the A-League 5-0, but thats a different conversation. The point is, It was a dark day before either team walked onto the pitch. And the moment was (rightly) hijacked by the panel to illustrate a point.

Unless you think that the list of problems they raised arent stifling the development, growth and quality of the game. 

No, but club football has been in way worse positions. Football is dull and crap here, but laughbale to suggest it's at its darkest days. 

Those things listed annoy me so much I've started to turn away from attending the game at top level and prefer to spend time at my local club. But any of us that have seen football over an extended period of time know we have been in a lot darker positions - that is not to excuse the current managemnet though. 

Cheers, I found it.

Its refreshing and frustrating at the same time to see people so passionate about our game but knowing if you put that video on a desk in FFA HQ it would just fall on deaf ears.

You only need to look at Bozza's eyes to see how much this hurts. Not only for him but every football person in this country.

In the video they did say "darkest days since joining Asia."

Scheduling is a massive issue for the current sides, last year we had both sides make the second round but we knew it was a fluke in the way it was done, fox sports and the FFA need take responsibility and help the sides with the fixtures.

Ah, cool 

They're just using these results to lash out about a bunch of other things, many of which are legitimate. The news yesterday about the delaying of expansion was the likely catalyst.

Wish it was a little less ranty though.

Desperate times, and all that.