Matthew Hall
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Much Ado About Nothing
Pim Verbeek's words have exposed Australia's insecurity.
Which is kind of ironic when you consider that on the pitch, the Socceroos coach has built a seemingly impenetrable defensive wall to set up qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
But Verbeek's opinion that the A-League is not up to a standard required to incubate the best players for a competitive national team has not go down well.
The latest chapter in Verbeek's straight-talk stance was written after he attended a coaching conference last week to suggest Jason Culina's return to Australia is not the greatest move for the player's international ambition.
Verbeek later repeated his comments to media outside the conference, after which his assistant Graham Arnold quietly told him that he "shouldn't have said that about the A-League."
Arnold knows Australian football, the Australian media, and Australian fans like no other. So he knew that Verbeek had just made life a little difficult for himself.
True to form, the meat pie cheer squad was up in arms. To the tune of Waltzing Matilda and fading strains of (God help us) Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!, everyone from club owners to journalists to posters on internet discussion boards were outraged that Verbeek is not a propagandist for the A-League.
Guess what? Verbeek is right.
The standard in Australia is not as good as good as in Europe. Tick.
A player benefits his international chances by playing in an elite European league. Tick.
Jason Culina faces big, but not insurmountable, mental and physical challenges if he wants to maintain elite level while playing in the A-League. Tick.
I know this because I've seen it first hand. I've attended PSV training sessions and watched the intensity that players, competing for a place on a team sheet, must reach while performing even mundane drills.
One player at a specific training session was way off the pace, however. His name? Archie Thompson, who had just recently burned up the A-League as one of Australia's best home-based players at the time.
Thompson never got a look in at PSV even though he was the A-League's best. What do you know? Even Thompson is now considering returning to Europe to better improve his chances to be included for South Africa next year.
Supporters of home-based Aussie talent point to warhorse Craig Moore as an example of an A-League success story. They stubbornly overlook a few reasons Moore still gets the call.
Ignoring that these days it would be tough for Moore to command a first team place with a top European club, quite simply there are no other defensive options for Verbeek to consider.
So selecting an older, wily, defender against Asian opponents is one thing. Putting him into a 2010 World Cup cauldron in South Africa might be another.
Late last year, Verbeek sat down with FFA Chairman Frank Lowy and Chief Executive Ben Buckley. Verbeek was asked to turn down his A-League blowtorch. Interestingly, that hasn't happened.
Maybe more tellingly, in a week when FFA's Truth Police fined Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar for telling it like it is about his home city and club, Verbeek's A-League comments go unsanctioned.
But telling Verbeek to shut up won't help football's local development. It is not going to turn A-League players into seasoned internationals.
Australian football shouldn't be afraid to face reality. Australian football shouldn't think that it's better than it really is.
Remember the last time that happened? The Asian Cup in 2007. And we all know what happened then.
Pim Verbeek got hired.
COMMENTS
I don't know why everyone pretends like the A-LEague is even close to the standard in Europe. Let's get real here.
Do we want a coach who is just kow-towing to the media and fans or someone who tells it like it is?
- by Brendan Jones on February 21, 2009 at 06:15 PM
This has got to be one of the best articles Matthew Hall has written yet.
- by Jason on February 21, 2009 at 10:50 PM
This is a new league, its not going to reach european levels, but what it does it give local kids now something to aim for. The oppotunity to play and learn from players who have played at the top level and see the level of commitment it takes to get that far. It will take time, the standard in 10 years time will be 10 times what it is today. So Pim is right in his frank assesment of the A-League
- by stainsy on February 22, 2009 at 08:00 AM
So the A-League isn't at the same standard or as competitive as the major European (or South American) competiions -- hardly a surprise. I believe very few fans who know anything about the game would disagree! In my view, numerically, most of the national leagues in Europe/SA are in a similar position. Look at the line-ups of most clubs in Italy, Spain, England, Germany -- the best players from a host of other countries play there. The domestic competition in Australia needs to achieve and maintain a standard at which its best players are attractive to the strong clubs elsewere. In my view Croatia is an example. For its population, a national team that punches above is weight, full of players that ply their trade across Europe..... but do they have a high quality domestic league? I don't think so as most of their best are in Germany, the Premiership, etc. As for players such as Archie Thomson, clubs often buy players for their potential. A few months of training and playing in the Eredivisie or similar may allow him to develop. If he can't.......... As for the future of A-League, given the size and finances of the member clubs maybe some people's expectations as to the standard it can achieve need to be reset.
- by Dave on February 22, 2009 at 08:33 AM
I have not met anybody who thinks the a-league is close to european leagues.
How you can expect players to improve in a 21 round home & away season when in top european leagues it is 38 games is beyond me.
Alot of sportspeople have to leave australia if they want to improve... Pitman, Bogut, Hewitt, Evans and the swimmers who go to europe to train..
General admission to a-league game is $25 to $30 compared to overseas $80 to $120 so of course the standard is less
- by Mick on February 22, 2009 at 09:00 AM
finally....the truth and by the way australian fans watch european league and they know the quality whe they see it none in the A league but we watch it cause thats what we have.....as sydney fc fan everybody should understand
- by waza on February 22, 2009 at 09:14 AM
It's great to see people supporting Verbeek. What I find interesting is that people say that Verbeek "criticised" the A-League. This article makes it perfectly clear that he didn't, he simply pointed out a fact. And he's absolutely correct. The A-League is entertaining to watch. I love it. But what we should be doing is quietly taking comments like this on board and constantly asking ourselves how do make it better, more professional and nearer to the standards of the great Leagues, as opposed to putting a bag over our heads and living in denial. If we do this, the whole debate will end because most of "our" players will play at home.
- by nicholas on February 22, 2009 at 09:18 AM
Sydney FC have it right hiring Vitezslav Lavicka. No offence to Farina,Vidmar or Van Egmond but for the league to develop they should all be assistant coaches to top European or South American coaches. Even for just two or three years. Then see how fast the League develops.
- by Philip on February 22, 2009 at 10:35 AM
I think we need to remember that the best players for Brazil, Argentina, France, and pretty much all the top international teams dont play in their domestic leagues, they play in England, Spain and Italy. And yet those teams win world cups, and their domestic leagues are strong and popular. A-league will truely be good at the point the best players get bought directly by big clubs, rather than working their way through mid level European Leagues. And they need more football, a cup competition, or perhaps some form of alience with other emerging leagues like America to stage club cup tournaments rather than play friendlies. What about picking a league from all major continents and rotate hosting an end of season club cup competition?
- by David Tieck on February 22, 2009 at 02:02 PM
There is no denying the A-league has a lot to improve, before it starts developing and attracting talented players worthy of any national team. However - it is definitely a step in the right direction.... just think a few years back to the NSL days...
Having said that, however, the best way to promote the game in this country is to introduce a tiered system of promotion and relegation, as opposed to the US-style 'franchise' insanity. Yes, we might not have the highest capacity stadiums, we will not have 15,000+ crowds (we rarely do now, anyway).... but coaches, teams, players will have the opportunity to excel. In England, the Premier League may attract 50,000+ crowds every week for the top few teams, but the Championship (1 level down), has much more modest crowd numbers. Yet it serves as a breeding ground for young players and coaches.
Bring on a nationally-governed, tiered system of football in Australia!
(and PLEASE lengthen the season... we have some of the best weather in the world - let's take advantage of it)
- by Jordan on February 22, 2009 at 03:03 PM
I agree with your article. Pim Verbeek is spot on, let's not kid ourselves. Matthew, I would prefer someone like Pim Verbeek to be direct and telling it as it than someone who is talking crap!!
We have to listen to him and take his comments on board and turn them into a positive.
Remember at the last World Cup, people, there were four Dutch coaches coaching four different countries. We have to change our thinking and our tactics and training methods!!
As a spectator, I am sure you have seen the difference in the quality when the national team plays compared to the standard at an A league game. This is not to say that things can not be improved on.
Mick, fellow blogger makes a very good point, "How can you expect players to improve in a 21 round home & away season when in top European leagues it is 38 games?" The situation for the game in this country has to change. The season needs to be longer for players and coaches. This includes better training techniques for our coaches and players. The Netherlands is world renowned for producing excellent coaches and football players.
I read an article by Heath Gilmore in the SMH (Feb 15) where former Socceroo and SBS Commentator, Craig Foster and Southern Cross University in Lismore want to develop Australia's first education and training centre. The aim being "to entice the best sporting minds from the Asian region, this will include countries from the Asian Football Confederation, the Middle East and Oceania. The Rudd Government has offered its encouragement. "
"Federal Labor MP Janelle Saffin was appointed to head a regional steering committee on Friday.
Under the proposal, the centre will target students from the confederation region to study football administration and coaching up to a masters level at Southern Cross University in Lismore, as well as hosting training camps and tournaments, elite matches, coaching and education seminars for young footballers from overseas and regional Australia."
In a nutshell, Heath Gilmore and Craig Foster indicate why can't Australia produce excellent administrators, coaches and players. This mirrors Pim Verbeek's comments in Matthew Hall's article.
Listen to the Pim, we need to start somewhere!
- by Travelling_Max on February 22, 2009 at 03:08 PM
If we want to adopt the Dutch total football approach we have to accept that we will also get the Dutch total feedback approach
- by SB on February 22, 2009 at 04:21 PM
Who thinks the A-league is the same top European leagues? No watcher of the A-league I know thinks this but Pims comments to the media are unhelpful why not work with the clubs to improve it. These comments only help the Euro snobs whose understanding of the game is shallow at best.
- by Fred on February 22, 2009 at 06:21 PM
For Gods sake, we pay a man to do a job and whilst he's doing it we're saying ' oh you can't say that about our A League it hurts ' !
I actually considered taking out a family membership to Sydney FC this year. My Son plays U9 Div 1 soccer and i'd love him to have a club to follow and a level to aspire to. I took him to a game between Central Coast & Sydney FC in Gosford and we went with a friend of mine who is an ex socceroo and his 9 yr old and none of us including the 2 9yr olds were impressed in the least. It was a joke, my best estimation would be that it would rate with bottom level 2nd division in England. It was torture to sit there and watch poor play, poor ball skills just all around poor soccer from both teams. Stay in Europe if you are good enough to have a gig over there. Pim is RIGHT !
- by John on February 22, 2009 at 09:00 PM
PIM LEADS BY EXAMPLE.
Australia hired Pim for many reasons above an investment to our future.
Firstly his credentials alone put us on the world stage and at times we need to "give a bit to receive a bit" meaning who in Australia has such a positive focus oranywhere near his experience as a worldcup football coach. Secondly, no footballer in the world or football follower would disagree with the facts outlined regarding the A-League for his own player [a Socceroo with many years to play Culina].
Pim's job is guide and to lead by example and put his coaching experience on the line. If he fails he would walk himself. Therefore any business person wanting the best of their investment in a football club would frankly desire to have the same passion.
Put your money where it counts and invest in your club and the football results will come your way. Pim has been there and will be there again on the world stage.
Viva World Cup 2010 here comes the Socceroos.
- by Greg Koulax on February 22, 2009 at 09:40 PM
Being a very proud Aussie and having an English dad I am a massive supporter of the EPL and have been for as long as I can remember. I had hope for the A League when it started but the standard of football here is not even close to any other comps in Europe or other continents. I back Pim up for speaking the truth. The only problem we have in the league here is that overseas clubs will be able to purchase any player they desire for next to nothing. I can recall a certain Dean Carney being an example. Any talented players stick out like sore thumbs in this below par league and get snapped up to move onto bigger and better things. The question is how to keep these talented players here!
- by Captaincurls on February 22, 2009 at 10:03 PM
seen better 0ver 35s games than some of Sydney FC games...A league has a long way to go ..and it will take more than 10 years!
- by hj on February 22, 2009 at 10:28 PM
Verbeek is right and also wrong.
Right: A-league is no where near the standards of the European leagues. It will never be. Main reason is that audience will be limited to 21 million ppl vs 600 million (and that's not including billions around Asia, Africa and South America who watch the EPL, etc). Even if football became #1 sport in Oz, you can't just compete with the 100 years lead and huge audience enjoyed by Europe.
Wrong: it doesn't mean that Socceroos have no hope at the World level. Take South America. Their leagues definitely 100 times better than A-league but not as good as European ones (most of the their top players earn their living in Europe). However, 3 South American countries have won the World Cup and majority of the team fare fairly well in the World Cup. With some serious passion we can try to emulate that.
Summary: I think criticism like Verbeek's one should be seen in positive light. At the end of the day, A-league should be seen as a good stepping stone for Aussies to play in Europe and consequently perform well in the global stage.
The problem, however, is that us Aussies are not good at taking criticism or loss in sports.
- by sfx on February 22, 2009 at 10:50 PM
Thank you Matthew great blog
You know what? Verbeek is actually holding back, he has been told to.. and yet even the little bit of truth he tells gets jumped on..
Amazing isnt it? Australia do you want to improve as a footballing nation?? Then start facing the realities, learn and improve..
its the only way.
- by Jason on February 22, 2009 at 11:28 PM
Great blog Matt
also the fact that Verbeek is clearly not even being brutually honest, because those around him have told him not to. including from what ive read one of his assistant staff coaches who i will not name but is obvious.....
and yet he still gets told not to do this? absolute joke
- by Peter on February 22, 2009 at 11:29 PM
I live in Holland at the moment.
The whole straight talk thing, is a Dutch character trait. I work in an international office, where foreigners are actually warned about getting offended by Dutch bluntness.
My boss is Dutch - sometimes it stings to hear what she says, but she's been doing the job 10 years longer than me, you suck it up and take heed.
Australia do the same.
- by LukeR on February 23, 2009 at 07:25 AM
It's about time the Oi Oi Oi Brigade woke up to themselves and accepted that there might be one or two things that Aussies Aussies Aussies aren't the best in the world at.
- by Peter de on February 23, 2009 at 07:47 AM
The a-league needs more games, with more minutes on the field players will improve individually and the team would get stronger as well. Thats why we need to setup an FA cup of our own... it would help a league teams and the premier league teams as well...
Verbeek is absolutely right about the a-league...
- by William on February 23, 2009 at 08:15 AM
I don't think anyone is under the illusion that the A-League is better than it is. But the people who are trying to improve the standard of the A-League (part of which is trying to get some better players to play in the A-League) are probably quite reasonable to get a bit frustrated by his comments.
It's like "yes, we know the standard isn't up to that, we are trying to work on that gradually, you don't really need to keep pointing it out every time we try to get a quality player to come into the A-League".
Can a player's level of play drop if they move to a team who's level is so far below what they are used to that they can just coast and still be the best player in the team? Yes, of course! That's a bit of a no brainer!
If Culina doesn't have to work that hard just to get his chance of a place on the team on the weekend, then he has to make sure he has other things to motivate him to work just as hard as ever. And I'm sure that his coach is hoping he will do that, and that sort of work ethic will rub off on the other players and help to bring the overall level back up.
So I can see where Verbeek is coming from. He is afraid that his players will move back to Australia, won't work as hard, and won't be playing as well when he needs them for the Socceroos.
But I can also see where the A-League guys are coming from, where the comments from Verbeek make it feel like he's responding to every attempt to improve the A-League along the lines of "why bother, it's a pathetic competition and always will be, so just let it be a rubbish competition and send all the good players overseas."
- by Chris on February 23, 2009 at 11:20 AM
If an Aussie Premier League player dropped a couple of divisions and Pim said that this would hurt his chances of playing for the Socceroos, no one would bat an eye lid.
Say that about the A-League though and everyone becomes very precious.
The reality is that the 2nd Division in England is probably stronger than the A-League any way.
- by Chris on February 23, 2009 at 12:12 PM
I'm not a big soccer fan, but even so I am really surprised that there would even be a discussion as to whether the A league would measure up to europe. Of course it doesn't, it doesn't have the level of interest or the cash that soccer playing nations have, so seriously, how is this surprising??? If you put all the cash that Rugby and AFL generate combined into the game of soccer in this country, you still probably wouldn't get near most european leagues.
- by N on February 23, 2009 at 12:13 PM
Good calls by most bloggers.
What Pim said was that JC's move to the A-League would be detrimental to his National call up aspirations - something that he is probably well aware of.
He wasn't being critical of the A-League - just a few home spun truths. Gold Coast or Fury or whoever JC is lined up with got their noses out of joint - thinking this would jeopardise their chances of securing him. The A-League is a stepping stone to bigger and better leagues, a one stop league for those with merely good ability - or a final stop for players on their way out. JC is none of these and I can only assume it is a lifestyle choice - all power to him. The Lifestyle issue will attract good players from Europe - perhaps it is almost time to increase the number of marquee players.
- by Cav on February 23, 2009 at 01:27 PM
I'm sitting here and scratching my head, trying to find the point to this article. The title of it should be "Verbeek states the bleeding obvious and this author agrees with him". Then I wouldn't have wasted the last couple of minutes of my life.
I have not met one A-League fan delerious enough to actually believe that the likes of Melbourne Victory or Adelaide United etc. could compete on anywhere near the same level as European clubs.
- by Dave on February 23, 2009 at 02:09 PM
I think Verbeek has to walk a fine line.
One one hand, Australian football does NEED his honest assesment of our game. From frank appraisals we can move forward.
But, on the other hand, he does need to ensure that his criticism is balanced, and widely understood.
As some of these posts attest, it is too easy for his comments to be misunderstood as an outright condemnation of the standards of the A-League and Australian footabll more generally.
And more importantly, it is vital that his judgements are presented alongside an analysis of why our game needs to improve, as well as the ways in which it can be improved.
- by Simon Maher on February 23, 2009 at 02:49 PM
I find it incredible that some people believe that the A-League is of the same standards as European leagues. I have lived in Argentina and Brazil, which as we know have players which in many cases are better than European ones and I can tell say that they have a competition of very high standards and professionalism, albeir being South America, which way beyond Australia. I believe the Australian coach is in his rights to make such comments.
- by Rick on February 23, 2009 at 06:26 PM
Regarding South American football: If you believe that the English Premier League is superior to the Brazilian or Argentinian leagues, then I believe you have watched very little of the latter 2 leagues. Apart from the "Top 4" EPL clubs, the remainder would be creamed for skill and guile against the South Americans.
The only reason why the EPL is "Number One" in the world is because they advertise it as such! Discuss this with an Italian or Spaniard for their viewpoint.
Now, I too love watching the EPL mostly, but I've seen enough WBA, Stoke, Hull (even mid-table clubs) etc. to appreciate that massive media promotion, big money signings, noisy & large crowds, excellent football pitches can make my over-35 side look interesting.
Having said all that, I firmly believe that most Aussies have no problems with the Verbeek criticisms. They are, after all, stating the bleeding obvious. Positive feedback will ultimately drive the A-League improvement (as far as financial resources will allow).
Similarly, criticism of the Socceroos is healthy and justified. The Brazilians, Italians, English and Spanish national teams endure it and so can we. I, and no one else really need a lie about the state of affairs to make us feel better. Only results and an improving game can do that.
Aussies football fans are not that naive that we can be offended by the truth.
- by Oz Dart on February 24, 2009 at 01:23 AM
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"FFA's Truth Police fined Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar for telling it like it is about his home city and club"
oh, so we are a pissant city! dang! and I thought viddie was merely acting like a spoiled brat who didn't have the ability to achieve his aims so he blamed it on everyone else... including us pissants!
but now you say it's true! I am shocked.
although I do agree with you about verbeek, he should tell the truth as he sees it!