Craig Foster, again....

[Dojo]

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/aleague-v-afl-challenge-accepted-20110219-1b084.html


CRAIG FOSTER

February 20, 2011


Then come internationals and of course the World Cup all of which would be a more accurate benchmark for Richard's holy grail of atmosphere, the AFL grand final, given that it doubles as the World Cup final, but to compare anything on a domestic level with world football, well, that would be sheer madness.

Shouldn't he have other things to worry about?

 

[DamoESP]

Craig who?

 

[Mong]

I couldn't be more delighted that Richard felt the need to compare an AFL grand final or State of Origin with a humble A-League game between Adelaide and Melbourne Victory

If a humble A-League game was not an appropriate comparison, maybe he should have waited a week then to make comparison with a more important A-League elimination final where the same team hosted to a crowd half the size.

Despite that comment I'm not here to criticise soccer or the A-League but why should I care what happens in South America or Europe? That's not a reailty that I'm going to experience more than a couple times in my lifetime, if that. If I'm into soccer my reality is the A-League. And the reality of the A-League is that it is a third rate league. And to reiterate that's not an attempt at criticism but a hopefully fair statement.

The A-League is never going to be home to the world's best players. Ever. It's not even going to ever be the home of Australia's best players. And that's its biggest problem. While the game's fans use "it's the world game" as their selling point, that simply says to me the good stuff is played elsewhere.

While the A-League as a niche league will always have its fans (I even consider myself to be a casual fan), it will always struggle to attract the interest of many that call themselves soccer fanatics because if there's one thing that Australians love is watching elite sports.

 

[Ochre]

Craig who?

Craig "All other codes are insecure unlike 'football', which is why all of my articles are about AFL and NRL" Foster

 

[Dan]

Soccer

 

[Dojo]

Karmichael took a few marks and had a couple of kicks in the NAB Cup.

That's a leading story on Fox Sports....home of the A League, and Karmichael's grabs were mentioned before Brisbane beating the Central Coast in the A League Finals.

Don't get me wrong, I love Soccer, but Fos needs to pull his head in a bit IMO.

I don't see the problem about us being proud of our own sport.

It seems supporting the team I love, and have grown up loving, makes me an uncultured pleb (despite my enjoyment of Soccer, behind Basketball and Australian Football).

 

[Alfonz]

He is basically saying he has NEVER been to an AFL match? What a moron, crapping on about people needing to "travel abroad" to experience his game and how people need to be educated to write about soccer. How about he educate himself about Aussie Rules?

I've seen Real Madrid play in front of a full house at home during the Beckham days, and to be honest it was a pretty damn boring atmosphere. The home fans were not passionate at all, the few thousand travelling fans from Cadiz made more noise than the whole home crowd (and Madrid won 3-1). I would say the Madrid supporters were sort of like the "chardonnay set" line that gets rolled out about WCE fans.

I've been to Buenos Aires a few times, but just missed the Super Clasico. However a travelling companion attended, and on his way to the ground he was wrenched from his taxi by a busload of Boca fans when they pulled up next to him and saw he was wearing a River shirt (which he just bought not thinking about the stupidity of such actions). He feared for his life, then they ran down the street burning his shirt which they ripped off him. They lock the home fans inside the ground for 45 minutes or something after the game has finished to avoid confrontation. I went on a tour of the stadium, the guide said its not uncommon for fans to rip the stadium apart and throw whatever they can at the opposition supporters. She even made some throwaway line that people have died there, as if it wasn't a big deal. But true, there is a lot of passion involved.

 

[Dan]

He is basically saying he has NEVER been to an AFL match? What a moron, crapping on about people needing to "travel abroad" to experience his game and how people need to be educated to write about soccer. How about he educate himself about Aussie Rules?

I've seen Real Madrid play in front of a full house at home during the Beckham days, and to be honest it was a pretty damn boring atmosphere. The home fans were not passionate at all, the few thousand travelling fans from Cadiz made more noise than the whole home crowd (and Madrid won 3-1). I would say the Madrid supporters were sort of like the "chardonnay set" line that gets rolled out about WCE fans.

I've been to Buenos Aires a few times, but just missed the Super Clasico. However a travelling companion attended, and on his way to the ground he was wrenched from his taxi by a busload of Boca fans when they pulled up next to him and saw he was wearing a River shirt (which he just bought not thinking about the stupidity of such actions). He feared for his life, then they ran down the street burning his shirt which they ripped off him. They lock the home fans inside the ground for 45 minutes or something after the game has finished to avoid confrontation. I went on a tour of the stadium, the guide said its not uncommon for fans to rip the stadium apart and throw whatever they can at the opposition supporters. She even made some throwaway line that people have died there, as if it wasn't a big deal. But true, there is a lot of passion involved.

This is why our game...AFL...is so great! The fans can sit next to or near opposition supporters and their won't be a riot after the game or a flare lit up.

 

[Jakko]

Even this week in the Advertiser the soccer reporter made some mention of the NAB cup/A-League clash, and how the A-League won the turf war because it got 3,000 people more in the showpiece game in adelaide versus a preaseason game. Maybe the AFL will care when an a-league preseason game gets within 3,000 of a crows/collingwood game.

And yet AFL in Melbourne went head to head with the new RU team and good growds without the conspiracy theories.

AFL and the rugby codes are used to fixture clashes and get on with it, soccer sees a conspiracy in every clash even though they deliberately hide from the bigger codes with its summer league.

Im sure fozzie has his followers though.

 

[Gizmo]

Even this week in the Advertiser the soccer reporter made some mention of the NAB cup/A-League clash, and how the A-League won the turf war because it got 3,000 people more in the showpiece game in adelaide versus a preaseason game.

Did he also talk about how the TV ratings for the Victory vs United soccer match were 38,000, only 17,000 more than attended the game?

 

[le dominateur]

Did he also talk about how the TV ratings for the Victory vs United soccer match were 38,000, only 17,000 more than attended the game?

Wow, those Fox figures are embarrassing for the z-league. No hope of getting the $billion for the next TV deal.

 

[morgoth]

OK Foster go have a look at the US, where the dominant winter sports are home grown. How's soccer going there? Not so good and its the worlds biggest market.

In the few countries where people are given a choice of which code to follow, Soccer fails. Its a shitfully boring sport, its so bad the crowd have to entertain themselves.

Foster needs to face facts, Soccer is a sport for height challenged divers.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

I think part of the reason the AFL put GWS and GC on the same night was to show how far one of these start up clubs can come in 12 months.

GWS got royally pumped by Sydney. GWS are in the same position GC was in 12 months ago.

If the AFL didn't put them on show together to deliberately show this then it's a piece of accidental brilliance.

 

[Madtiger2006]

Hey Craig, if there were 30 goals in every soccer game you wouldn't even get half the roar you get from that only goal you get in a match and you wouldn't get 1/4 of those drunken chants either. Oh and if Europe and Asia had the populations of Australia it wouldn't be be the called the world game. Europe and Asia are like big countries and soccer was their first sport which they grew up with just like we have grown up with footy.

 

[tonk]

What a sad, pathetic little t**d you are Foster. This is Australia numbnuts and we like footy.........deal with it.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Craig Foster is obviously another soccer person with a massive inferiority complex, and I'm tired of hearing from them to he honest.

I love the way he has a go at someone for their uneducated views on soccer, and yet has the audacity to pass in his own pathetic observations about Aussie Rules.

And he commits the cardinal sin a lot of arrogant soccer people do .. he calls it football. FFS, get it right. In THIS country, Aussie Rules is football. It is the major code played here. Craig, in Australia, your game is called SOCCER .. and don't forget it.

I am fast coming to the conclusion that soccer people are from another planet. I was listening to callers on SEN yesterday arguing about comments police made about Melbourne Victory fans.

One caller said the police have to try an understand what soccer people are all about. No, they don't. Just because you follow some boring game where nothing happens and have to make your own entertainment, it doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want in a public place. If you want to carry on like European crowds, go live there. This is Australia.

Is it my imagination or has this anti-Aussie Rules garbage picked up a gear ever since they failed to secure the World Cup? Why would anyone give the World Cup to Australia? The game of soccer is nothing better than a parklands competition over here, no matter how much soccer people scream about it being the "World Game".

Get over it Foster, your game is feeble and it's boring. I went to a soccer match at Adelaide Oval one day ... never again. Dull ... dulll .... dullllzzzzzzzz.

 

[ManWithNoName]

When was the last time an Australian soccer figure managed to speak without bringing up the AFL?

Inferiority complex.

 

[legend166]

Ffffffffoooooooooooooooooooooozzzzzzzzzzzzziiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeee

 

[TradeDraft]

Foster is the Biggest Winger out there

 

[Ed_Gein]

honestly, he is no different to those pro-nrl plebs that are on that 'the back show' page. especially the moron that looks like a constipated koala.

 

[Royal Flush]

so what???

 

[rhinowce]

honestly, he is no different to those pro-nrl plebs that are on that 'the back show' page. especially the moron that looks like a constipated koala.

Lol constipated koala.

I only watch that show for Billy, what gets me is when Brian Taylor is on the show he rarely sticks up for the afl he just sits there like a stale cup of piss..

 

[Spanish_Fly]

Do you realize all you tools slagging off soccer make yourselves look even more insecure and ignorant than Foster does. Atleast he tries to make a reasoned argument.

I love both footy and football, but ultimately billions of people love football and a few million love footy. Normally the people who constantly announce that the rest of the world are idiots are generally the biggest idiots of all.

 

[TradeDraft]

honestly, he is no different to those pro-nrl plebs that are on that 'the back show' page. especially the moron that looks like a constipated koala.

I thought Fox Sports where just about all PRO-NRL and Soccer

 

[Pessimistic]

Ive been to the 100,000 flamengo fluminense and its quite e thing, but when theres clear blue skies you have to wonder why theres a river of liquid drippng off the top deck..... eeeeewwwww
Anyway 100,000 from a city of 10 or more million yet melbourne has those from a city whach was less then 2 mill a couple of decades ago.

AFL crowds are alot more sedate but wiht the 'atmosphere' of eouropean games you also hve to bear in mind that if you actually see an opposition fan close up, you then have to wonder if thats a stanley knife in his pocket etc etc.

Anyway FOS article sounds like hes finally realised that will never happen here, and pining over what will never be.....