Sydney crowds; will they turn up?

THERE were strong comments after my most recent piece from some Sydney FC fans not happy with the sacking of Branko Culina and the club’s move to appoint John Kosmina.

The feeling among many fans, including those that have commented, is that the club has become Frank Lowy’s play-thing.

Fair enough, some might argue, since it was Lowy who basically bailed out the club after the largesse of the first season. The club was said to be six or seven millions dollars in the red.

However, there are others who argue it is a throw-back to the early days of NSL when Lowy presided over the Sydney City Slickers, the league’s best backed club financially, but the worst backed club in terms of numbers, as Lowy himself confirmed in Ross Solly's Shoot Out;

"It [Sydney City] was very successful, the players loved it.....but we didn't have spectators."

The fear among many fans is that Sydney’s crowds, already sliding, will continue to dwindle, and many regulars are claiming they will no longer attend. Some will even switch allegiances.

Here are the thoughts of one Sydney FC member, who has forwarded TRBA the email he sent to the club after hearing about the way the whole Culina matter was handled;

“This club is a shambles. Three coaches already and we aren't even half way through the third season. Instead of sacking the coach, the club should take a closer look at the squad of players. Half of them shouldn't even be there. And the other half are too bloody old. Our playing roster has to be the worst in the league. I was teetering whether to continue my membership this year and only did so on the appointment of Culina, and the hope of influx of new players. What do we get...Popovic...(dont we have a tall lumbering slow central defender already?). Thanks for making up my mind about next year. Cant wait for a second Sydney team, in the meanwhile, Go the Mariners.”

It’s stinging stuff, and there’s no doubt it’s the last thing the club and the A-League needs, fans of the game to stay away.

Yet there is a feeling the club has done very little to engage its fans or the community, with many feeling they’ll need some convincing to stay on board.

Others will be there through the good and the bad, as another SFS regular confirmed;

“Sydney City Hakoah reunion – Lowy, Kemeny, Kossie…not sure if it’s good or bad. I am not a member, but attend every home game, and yes, I will be there again
– I back my teams to the end.”

Right now the club looks like it could go either way – will it move forward and offer the stability and sound management fans crave, or has the goodwill be lost? Will fans give the club another chance?

In his piece yesterday, Mike Cockerill signed off by writing that there should be a spike in crowds for this weekend;

One positive at the end of a bad week for the club is the likelihood of a bumper crowd to witness Kosmina's first game in charge. With former English Premiership star Michael Bridges making his Sydney FC debut, and Socceroos striker John Aloisi making his debut for the Mariners, club officials are hopeful of a season-best crowd for a match that could decide Sydney's title aspirations.

Interesting times indeed for Sydney and the A-League.

Whether you’re a Sydney FC regular or casual, will you be turning up? If you’re not a Sydney fans, can you understand if fans turn their back on the club given what has gone on so far? Let us know your thoughts either via a comment or email me at roundballanalyst@gmail.com