Aussie fans find their voice to signal a real cultural shift

Okay lets put this straight from the start. This is not in any way a criticism of of my adopted country or in any way an attempt to diminish my fellow Australian citizens. However it does need to be said: It fantastic to at last see Aussie sporting fans show passion not dependent on getting pissed at the SCG, MCG or any other sporting arena. What I am referring to is the phenomena which is the Western Sydney Wanderers and in particular their supporter group the RBB...formally known as the Red & Black Bloc.

                                   The Red and Black Bloc in residence at Parramatta Stadium

 

It is known by most sports fans now that a miracle of sorts has taken place out Western Sydney way as a club only born 26 weeks ago has come through to dominate and eventually come through to be the minor premiers in their first season as an A League club. Of course that is a fantastic achievment in any sporting context but I feel what has happened off the field with the supporter group is even more impressive.

Last year I wrote a couple of pieces on on the new club saying:

Western Sydney Wanderers take a bow...not just the football but also the fans. You have, in a short time set the benchmark for passionate support in Australian sport. League, Union and AFL don't come near in terms of noise and participation. Melbourne Victory had been the supporters setting the pace but they have been surpassed. The real success story here is not how the side is outperforming onfield but how the West has embraced this fledgling club. You won't read it anywhere but methinks that there are many Olympic, United and Marconi fans actually giving them support. Why not, after all the A and State Leagues barely overlap. It is healthy for Sydney football yet more importantly goes against the stereo type of Sydney sport support being soul-less.....the city is now Red and Black.

A bit earlier I'd said:

This takes me onto my second point on the A League and the way forward. Any second Sydney side should be in the Western Suburbs. Unfortunately, the FFA ignored reality and not only failed to foster relations with existing Western Sydney clubs but planned to base any expansion side out of Homebush! What could they be thinking? The NRL proves every year that this stadium / venue is not a week to week proposition for a club side. Why would a new football team want to play in a massive 3/4 empty stadium? This view can be backed up by a story from the old NSL days. Marconi and Sydney United both had sides in the NSL. So what you may say. Well the west not only provided these two National Soccer clubs but they are almost in the same suburb! You can see one stadium from the other! Absurd but even more incredibly no one seemed to acknowledge this...was it because few Sydney, NSW or Australia based people ever went out there to disover this fact? To me expansion of the A League will require talks with these old school participants of the game. Italians and Croatians and others in Bossley Park could put together a strong club using one of their existing stadiums. Nearly a decade has passed since the schism left the old NSL people disconnected from the national game. Here is an opportunity that could bring these elements back to the mainstream and in the process strengthen our National competition, the A League. Frank Lowy probably realises that some welcoming back into the fold is necessary. An A League side based in Bossley Park or Blacktown would deliver a very strong football area back into the fold....time to revisit a few hasty decisions for FFA?

                                                           Seven Thousand Fans  at Gosford

Well in the event it took the collapse of North Queensland and Gold Coast United to make it happen...that and the Foxtel contract demanding a 'ten team' A League competition before WSW were given their chance. In the short time available the club literally built itself front he ground up. Numerous supporter meetings were held throughout Western Sydney to gauge opinion. Modern media were used to bring a wide range of voices to the conversation. Twitter, Facebook and blogging all played their part. One of the most important developments from the beginning was the idea of 'active support' at games. To those unfamiliar with this term it means 'fans singing throughout the game'.....something common in Europe, Asia and South America but unusual in Australia.

Why would this be in unusual in Australian sport? Personally I believe that there is a significant anomaly between the outside perception of Australians and the reality within the country itself. In my experience travelling, Australians come across to others as open, relaxed, fun loving and loud. However, within their own surrounds Australians are reserved...even at sporting events and don't really sing.  Occasionally I have heard St George, Rabbitoh and Cronulla fans sing a song but it is usually when the match is over and won. Weak renditions of Aussie Aussie Aussie prove my point. Down in our sporting capital Melbourne the Victory supporters have a fair go at making noise but Western Sydney Wanderers and the RBB have reached a new level. A thousand fans travelled to Melbourne and then seven or eight thousand to Gosford and Newcastle. An unprecedented effort in Australia. They are not particularly tuneful like Liverpool or Swansea fans but definately make a noise almost non-stop. Their top chant being 'Who do we sing for? We sing for Wanderers!" Fantastic if you will excuse the pun.

 

A quick glimpse of the RBB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqEfo7vjvxQ

 

If you prefer a bit more of a tune with your noise.....here is Swansea Hymns And Arias

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92j3_4Q2qdk

or the scousers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFsl9LwRLYY

Australia...truly is that all we have?

It seems as though quite a few people got to see the Australia v Oman game in one way or another. Many watched on TV while 35,000 made the effort to go to that sporting vacuum that is ANZ stadium. As one of the match day spectators I must say that I was underwhelmed. It hadn't been a great day for me.....spot  BOS inspections at school and run ins with mortgage bankers who act like robots but lack the personality. Regardless, we made our way into the stadium and sat along with the throng of hopeful strangers united by their commitment to the green and gold'. The omens were not good even before the kick off. Clearly a local village was not just missing one of its idiots but a mating pair. He reminded me of an annoying Harry Enfield character while she parroted his every word in some bizarre commentary only missing comic brilliance because they were so serious.
No sooner had we shuffled to allow the latest latecomers into the aisle when suddenly the Socceroos were behind to a fine Muqbali finish. The likeable Thwaite had seen the ball roll off the Omani's shoulder and fall neatly into a channel on the left. A fine touch and finish saw the ball go through Schwarzer's legs for 0-1. A collective groan rang out with the realisation that after just 6 minutes the road now had quite an incline. People looked desperately for reasons .....programmes were consulted and feverish iphone activity took place as disbelief took a hold. Only at this point did I have a good look at how the Aussies were lined up:

.......................Schwarzer
Wiltshire Cornthwaite Thwaite McKay
Kruse   Holland    Jedinak     Holman
...........Brosque....Cahill

Yep a great side to put out in some away leg in snowy conditions in some former Soviet Republic where we need a point. Unfortunately, here we were on a balmy March evening playing at home against an Omani side which had scored just 4 goals in five games. True, they had pulled off a Asian Cup smash and grab against us down in Canberra a few years back but surely they couldn't hope to do that again?

I refuse to believe that that side put out by Holger Osiek is the best Australia has available. There were at least four players shoe-horned into the starting line-up who were playing out of position.
McKay....Kruse....Holman and even Cahill were playing in less than optimum positions. The team had little natural width and contained no player whose normal game involved running at the opposition.  The result being that the 39 minutes that followed the Omani goal were as sterile and frustrating as any under Pim or Farina. The Aussies failed to register a single shot first half. Their build up was pedestrian and first touch abysmal. Any side playing a slow 'pass pass' game like this is simple to defend against. Surely changes would be made at half time and the subdued crowd brought into the game. Whatever words Osiek spouted in his 15 minutes at half time never got a chance to have an impact. Within four minutes the hapless Jedinak had turned a right wing cross into his own net..... 0-2 we were now in deep trouble.  A collective crowd vocabulary including such words as clueless, shit, boring and rubbish seemed to circulate without a single mobile phone being touched. One of our central midfield artisan twins...... Holland was quickly withdrawn. Bresciano entered the fray and brought a touch of subtlety and guile previously missing up to until this point. A string of crosses and corners at last reminded the Aussies that their renowned physicality might indeed be a help. Almost on cue Tim Cahill rose to head a fine goal inside an unguarded right hand post.....1-2..... the crowd at last remembered why they were at ANZ. Thompson replaced the out of place Kruse on the right and with 30 minutes remaining hope sprung eternal. Unfortunately Bresciano's game was to be just a cameo and he was replaced by the natural wide player Tommy Oar. Holman moving inside. Route one became the main Aussie tactic but they were still strangely lacking in energy with Oman picking up too much of the central midfield possession. In truth Oman had been comfortable for much of the night and played most of the best football on show. Australia maintained a back four that played absurdly deep for a side chasing the game in the last ten minutes. Then somehow Holman came left to right and unloaded a fine low shot that bounced before and away from keeper Al Habsi. Somehow it was 2-2 and an unlikely point the reward.

As we walked away from ANZ the question 'Australia...truly is that all we have?' went through my mind. The villagers walking behind us were bemoaning the gamesmanship of the Omani's....my last thought being 'Yes....if the Omani's had actually stood up for longer and played the game we would have gone down by 3 or 4 goals.
Somehow Australia needs to include both Aaaron Moye and Tommy Rogic in this shambolic side. Someone who passes comfortably and someone who can drop the shoulder and head through the heart of the oppostion back four. Whether these two get the opportunity in the 2014 World Cup is in doubt. Timing is everything Holger and your time is swiftly running out.

2012 TABLES: WC QUAL - AFC

TEAM	P	W	D	L	GD	PTS
Japan	6	4	1	1	10	13
Jordan	6	2	1	3	-6	7
Australia	5	1	3	1	0	6
Oman	6	1	3	2	-3	6
Iraq	5	1	2	2	-1	5