The A-League Watchability Scale | Thebigtip

After watching the first half of the A-League season, a clear gap has emerged between the teams that are entertaining to watch and the clubs that you would have to think at least three times about before committing to a two hour serving. 

Originally the plan for this piece was to rank the teams from top to bottom based solely on my opinion. As it went along and the top half got progressively harder, the thought popped into my head ... what about making a scale? That way, everything is a bit more concrete, biased opinions can be factored into the criteria, and most importantly everyone can get involved by comparing their results. It’s a little bit more in-depth than, ‘Your team sucks, I don’t like watching you!’ Because this is the first edition of the scale, there will no doubt be some changes down the line. For now though, here are the criteria, complete with explanation.

Players that draw a reaction: 1 point each

There are a total of 15 players used for the scale. In the majority of cases, it’s the 15 that comprised the matchday squad with a couple of changes. For example, the Sydney squad from the weekend didn’t include Nicky Carle, but he’s been such a big part of their season (for better or worse) that he had to be included. When there’s a situation like that, the backup keeper is normally the player that’s removed.

The initial plan was for players you’d like watching to score a point, while the players you disliked would end up subtracting a point from the total. After some deep thought (read: no more than 90 seconds), I realised that if you don’t like a player, you’re more likely to tune in to watch the possibility of a spectacular failure – i.e. Sydney fans taking delight in Victory failings and vice versa.

Style of play: 1-10 points

This is probably the most subjective point out of the lot. If you were to compare the Mariners to North Queensland – undoubtedly the former is the better team – and some would argue therefore play a better style based solely on their results. Try to run that one by me though and you’ll be shut down very quickly.

Supporters: 1-10 points

Coming up with a score for this point was based on a number of things. The amount of supporters, how they conduct themselves at games, and also their club forums were the three main factors in their score. You’d be surprised at how browsing through the forums manages to alter your perspective on a set of fans in a positive light.

Perception from other clubs: 1-10 points

For the purpose of this point, the perspective comes solely from the eyes of a Victory fan. While I’m able to put any bias away for my weekly previews, for this specific criterion to work it has to be from the eyes of a supporter.

Obviously a team like Sydney will be high on the list, while a team like Newcastle will be a lot lower. The style of play does come into it at some point. An entertaining outfit will obviously be more exciting to watch when you’re at the game, compared to a team that is going to set its stall out for a point and look at the other side of the field like it’s the moon.

Coach: 1-5 points

The last point is simply a combination of the coach’s performance (which can be tied into the style of play, or just based on results), and the entertainment value they bring. That would mean in some people’s lists, Graham Arnold would be approaching the top end, while for others; Bleiberg would be challenging the leaders.

With the explanations out of the way, the only point left to make is that obviously the Victory won’t be scaled. So from bottom to top, here we go:

#10: Central Coast

Players: Ryan, McBreen, Rose, Bojic, Zwaanswjik, Griffiths, Bozanic, McGlinchey, Wilkinson, Simon, Amini, Hutchinson, Lewis, Perez, Kwasnik

Players that draw a reaction: 3 (Perez, Amini, McBreen)

Style of Play: 2

Supporters: 3

Perception amongst other clubs: 3

Coach: 2

Total: 13

It’s probably no surprise to many that Central Coast are at the bottom of the list. After tallying up the points my first reaction was ‘Really? Surely they can’t be that low?’ Naturally, I double checked everything to make sure the total was around the mark, and it was spot on. Out of the listed players, the majority draw a great big bucket of indifference, which will logically transfer across to their style of play.

It’s hard to blame Arnold too much for the style of play he’s instructing his team to play, because it is a limited squad in terms of out and out talent. In that respect he’s done well – what drops him down is his refusal to change anything up and his inability to give anything of merit in interviews. The highlight (lowlight?) was in Week 3 where they lost 2-0 to Wellington, created nothing of merit, left McBreen rotting on the bench ... and then had the temerity to claim they were the better team on the day. Give me a break.

My first reaction when I see Central Coast as the next fixture on the list is usually some sort of condescending remark followed by wondering how on earth the Victory can get past their defence. That’s a mark of respect but when it comes to the encounters, it’s not something I look forward to. Combine that with a general lack of anything spectacular from their supporters and it’s only Lawrie McKinna’s Twitter that keeps the total from being lower.

#9: Gold Coast United

Players: Moss, Thwaite, Djulbic, Caravella, Anderson, Culina, Porter, Rees, Brown, Traore, Fitzsimmons, Djite, Pantelidis, Robson, Minniecon

Players that draw a reaction: 6 (Thwaite, Culina, Porter, Djite, Rees, Pantelidis)

Style of Play: 3

Supporters: 1

Perception amongst other clubs: 2

Coach: 2.5

Total: 14.5

I have no doubt that if this scale was being compiled at the same stage last season, Gold Coast would have been somewhere near the top. How they’ve changed their output on the field so dramatically on the field is a mystery, given the obvious flaws in the squad.

Bleiberg has done well to change the style, but to be honest it seems to have come at the expense of his quotes. Last season his post game interviews were almost unmissable. Now – with the exception of a few brief moments – they’re all the same. I blame the FFA.

The top level talent is still there and capable of producing some quality football (Thwaite, Culina, Porter, Djite), but the lack of supporters at their home games hinders that. There’s the old excuse that they’re professional, but to walk out of the dugout and see empty stands everywhere must be disheartening.

#8: Newcastle Jets

Players: Kennedy, D’Apuzzo, Topor-Stanley, Milicevic, Kantarovski, Wehrman, Zadkovich, Elrich, Haliti, Jesic, Abbas, Bridges, Petrovski, Fiorentini, Patafta

Players that draw a reaction: 4 (Kantarovski, Haliti, Bridges, Petrovski)

Style of Play: 1

Supporters: 5

Perception amongst other clubs: 3

Coach: 2

Total: 15

Of the clubs at the lower end, Newcastle definitely are the ones with the most scope for improvement. Tinkler’s money and community involvement should have the club on the up soon – the only problem is that the future doesn’t count for their general lack of anything resembling a professional football team at the moment.

Conceding less than a goal a match becomes redundant when you’ve only scored five in 11 matches. Much like Central Coast, they have a lack of quality, but the problem there is that the Mariners have enough talent at the front end of the park to get by – Newcastle doesn’t even come close. It’s all well and good to take a million shots a game (I’m looking at you Marko), but it might be an idea to make sure a few of them hit the target from time to time.

#7: Perth Glory

Players: Velaphi, J Coyne, Todd, Fowler, Jelic, Neville, McGarry, Howarth, Sekulovski, Sterjovski, Burns, Harnwell, Baird, Pellegrino, Skorich

Players that draw a reaction: 4 (Velaphi, Fowler, Jelic, Burns)

Style of Play: 6

Supporters: 7

Perception amongst other clubs: 5

Coach: 2.5

Total: 24.5

Never fear, while deciding on ratings for the criteria it became clear that if this was earlier in the season, Perth still would have had the same rating. By replacing Mitchell with Ferguson you get the same coaching hilarity but with different methods. The points Perth would have had from their ability to play decent football in the early stages of the season has now been replaced with their new found ways to lose in different circumstances.

Turn in the worst performance of the season to the then bottom of the table team? Check.

Turn in an even worse performance the next week to lose 5-0? Check.

Lose at home to a goal inside the first minute to a team that hasn’t won away since the dawn of time? Check.

Although I’ve only had limited exposure to their fans (not a big online presence, forum is small), they come across very well. After their start in the early seasons, you could have forgiven them for completely jumping off as it did seem hopeless at one point. The fans stuck with them though, and even though The Shed turns out some cringe-worthy chants (I’m sure people know the one specific tune), they are good value with a strong away contingent.

#6: Melbourne Heart

Players: Bolton, Marrone, Beauchamp, Thompson, Worm, Sibon, Shroj, Behich, Skoko, Kalmar, Zahra, Heffernan, Colosimo, Terra, Aloisi

Players that draw a reaction: 5 (Marrone, Beauchamp, Kalmar, Aloisi, Worm)

Style of Play: 6.5

Supporters: 5.5

Perception amongst other clubs: 6.5

Coach: 3

Total: 26.5

Firstly, I must confess that the supporters rating would be a little bit lower if I hadn’t taken part in a fantastic futsal competition at Albert Park that was run by Red & White Unite. A great, well organised day with the only negative a huge green and purple bruise courtesy of a stray knee to the hip. That’s what you get for trying to control your area.

It’s tough to judge the Heart given that they are of course the new team. Because of that the perception is a lot higher, mainly because of the curiosity value;

‘Hey the Heart are playing tomorrow night’

‘Aren’t they the new team?’

‘Yeah’

‘Definitely want to watch them play’

That simple exchange has probably played out between diehard and casual fans more than a few times this season. Luckily their squad has enough name players to interest the occasional fan, and strangely enough for a fellow Victory fan have them rating quite highly. I can definitely pinpoint a couple of categories that will change as time goes on.