The first point regarding the scheduling would 100% come down to Fox. SO i must say, i do chuckle a bit when Fox presenters like Slater, Boz and Rudes talk about scheduling when its their boss dictating the terms. You could say that the FFA should tell Fox to shut up, but if Fox decide to reduce monetary terms as a consequence, then all clubs are worse off. 

But for all other points they have complete merit in blaming the FFA.

I reckon there is merit in in what you're saying here. I guess we are all saying it, but haven't heard them all in unison voicing their opinions loud and clear for all to hear about their disagreement with the direction the FFA is taking until now.

The list of cock ups this organization has made in the last 24 months alone is remarkable! Worse than the other 10 years combined!

Well I can see a solution that would work if the FFA actually had the guts to implement and that's this:

Introduce transfer fees, to incentivise local clubs to really push for developing players as the rewards are a lot greater (also resulting in lower rego fees too perhaps in some cases).

Secondly, ensure all A-league clubs have 3 under 21 players on the roster on game day as mandatory. This would ensure some young players get a run every weekend, and it would be fair as all clubs would play under same rules. It would also be cheaper as u21 would players would be cheaper to contract than older "more experienced" players.

Don't forget that there was also light refreshments provided

As they were saying, kids up to the age of 12 are as good here as anywhere else in the world. THat's great news as it wasn't always the case. It's the 12-20 year category that is the big issue. What is going on once they hit their teenager years? 

I don't think it should be mandatory. Clubs should be allowed to field whatever players they want. Anytime you place restrictions on clubs it just makes things worse. Hire the best footballer for the role, age should not matter. Clubs already have the option of having 3 or more u21 players in their starting side. They know its cheaper. Just abolish the salary cap and floor and let the clubs operate where they are comfortable. If clubs don't want to spend or develop players that's on them as they will continually come last in the A-league and will lose fans and sponsorship. We need to stop mollycoddling everything in football. Stop protecting players and the clubs, we need to toughen up players and put them under the pressure of a tiered system. That is what will help drive football in the country, the fear of failure. I don't want a system where everyone gets a chance to win the A-league. I want the best managers, players and clubs to rise to the top and be rewarded for their efforts. It will produce a better league and a much better player than we are getting now. 

@timmy

Yeah I hear the cheese platter is good. Mostly Gouda and Australian cheeses, no Feta or Halloumi though.

Sympathetic to that, I do think that the teenage years is where we need a tweak and probably more diversity in approaches as we get into how to mould the kids, but Slater's comments made it seem like he was attacking the early development stages (small sided games, etc.) which is the one part that appears to clearly be working well.

It is the timeslots they are playing? or more the distance having to travel ie. Brisbane to China to Melbourne to Brisbane to Perth etc

I'm assuming its more the latter along with 9 games in 32 days.

As said on here early years aren't the problem but rather teenage years, i've seen and known some people who were amazing as kids and early teenage years but that is where they halt and they never reach the potential or even close too it.

I think a problem in those teenage years for us is firstly the competition isn't good enough period and this is where a lack of drive may come from through a false sense of security, this accompanied by football still isn't that ingrained in the culture and a curriculum which isn't good for creativity we will then have a poor youth system.

I don't think we are ready to be implementing a system similar to those of the top nations as we simply aren't one talent wise and mentally. They actually have the level of competition, plenty of opportunities and desire from the kids to actually get better beyond the confines of training. This is where they develop the technical skills the most and a bit of instinct.

I can't believe people are blaming the low standard of visa players, except for the Mariners every club has some amazing talent from overseas, it has never been better.

Gee the NC isnt that bad, surely its not perfect but it doesnt need to be deconstructed, it just needs a tweak here and there but thats all there is no need to panic which we done alot of late.
Slater just loves to point the finger at something which he is entitled to his opinion anyway.

In fact from i've witnessed from the youth teams the attention has turned to producing more technical players and right now its starting show that we are SLOWLY starting to produce more technically gifted players which i haven't seen in a long while, so we need to give it time to see if it makes an impact with our youth teams one day.
But at the same there is room for improvement and i agree with the rest there needs to be room for individualised development of the players instead of training to play a system which has probably resulted in the lack of individual quality of the players of late, where it should be amount trying to improve them technically and tactically but in end making intelligent enough in solving football problems.

Too much emphasis has been made on the style of play which is fine in the early stages of the NC but now the next step should be about making the player better and i think this is where we can improve further.

Why are lower table A-league teams all of a sudden a barometer for all things Australian football ? 

i hope to see a revolt. i have usually been quick to defend the ffa and david gallop, however things are getting out of control. things such as the stance of sucking up to the media, lack of expansion, lack of vision, lack of access to the cahill rule funds.

+1

Slatter has a point and there is a revolution building....

I would hope that given his age, position etc he could offer some kinda guidance to a way forward...

I have no doubt over the next six to nine months we will see some major changes to structures.

Hopefully it can be done in sensible way rather than a constant negative and a blame game that everything is the fault of FFA is beyond foolish ... are we really saying the only people who have fucked up are FFA..

Whatever the new structure is those in charge will face identical issues that FFA have today..

By far the biggest issue is revenue ... as another 100 million per year would solve many issues...

We all want things to move faster and funding for all sorts of things but we simply don't have the money.

The challenge for the future is to create a league that can expand and demand more money.

My hope is its not rushed... its involves as many stakeholders as possible and finished within six months and then well communicated to the Football community.

We need to change and do it reasonably quickly ... but not at the expense of getting it wrong and rushing it..

We also need to understand its a collective issue ... like how about the Football media learn how to write positive articles at least sometimes.

Finally I doubt posters on forums like this have the knowledge and key data to say this a system they prefer will or will not work...

IMO you need to put the best brains you have together supported by people who can do analysis work and arrive at a workable system... then say that collective group with all the information and evidence they have can based on a collective knowledge  say this is the way to go ... 

There is a football model. FIFA provides that model for all the leagues of the world to follow. Funny how when we don't follow that model that it is the A-league that looks broken.

This is clearly the case, judging by the many conflicting proposals put forward to "fix" things.

There are two perspectives in this debate (at least):
1.  the traditional European model that many football fans are hanging out for
2.  the commercial reality that many of these ideas are as likely to suck up resources with no return as to introduce an age of prosperity.

You should have more questions for the wanderers board 

Thats it then ... simple .... 

Just one question just suppose however unlikely we can't get a broadcaster  to agree .... and we don't get broadcast and are totally ignored by the media ... I guess key sponsors if this happened may withdraw ... what happens then ...

Why would improving the quality of the league get rid of broadcasters? They pay for the sport, not the quality evidently as it is awful, stale and unimaginative.

Are you kidding me? Because its proven that no one likes to watch promotion or relegation battles on tv.
Ok Middy. 

What about the model for if you're unique

Guys

Massive assumptions on your part .... not saying the following would happen but you also can't say it wont.

Football ==Mr Fox broadcasting we are going to change the system...

Fox ===OK tell me...

Football ===Look we are going to introduce P & R and people will flock to watch the R battles..

Fox ==== so you are saying MV could go and be replaced by Woy Woy...

Football ==== Thats very unlikely to occur ..

Fox ==== But it is possible...

Football === Possible but highly unlikely.. and even if it happened rating will remain the same may even get better

Fox ==== then F O then ..we are not going to take that risk.

Are China Japan and Korea using the traditional European model? What about South America and Africa? 

I think you mean world model. Right? 

The commercial reality is that the model is unsustainable. FFA admitted this. You and midfielfer are overthinking this. Listen to the wise RBBAnonymous, FIFA provides a model for everyone. We ignore it. Presto our league is unsustainable. Go figure eh? 

Its also possible that club Woy Woy might get relegated and promoted by another Sydney and Melbourne side. How do you like them apples fox. Pretty good huh? Keeps you interested and guessing right. 

More derbies with more teams, more than actually 2 games in the year which may get decent views. And a relegation battle going down to the wire would draw higher ratings than any MV possibly could. It stops pointless and shite games for 25 weeks of the season and MV isn't the factor in any deal nor would it be.

Also Fox will be outbid by Bein or Optus or something you need not worry about that.

Probably another tax payer funded "restructure" 

The reality is the rapid move to a full pyramid model or even just two league closed shop model is very high risk and would require a model that achieves consensus with Foxtel, the franchises, the PFA among others. Maybe it could work if the enormous hurdle of consensus can be achieved may be you're right and broadly the status quo model should be retained due to the high risk of the alternatives . 

...But you can't blame people who've had their expectations raised for getting frustrated or supporters of clubs that were disenfranchised for the "good of the game" for dropping the boot in to the FFA