ZINE-DINE EDITION ONE MELBOURNE DERBY 1 MARCH 2014
A FANZINE BROUGHT TO YOU BY
Thin White Line FOOTBALL CULTURE MAGAZINE
THE LAST DERBY? Is this Heart’s last Melbourne derby? What will the club be next season? Richer, is the simple answer. Heart has 16 of 18 points in the last six matches, while Victory has been wildly unpredictable. Victory’s weakness is its defence. Sydney FC management recently stated that its club philosophy includes “creating goal scoring opportunities” and “defence”. In time, this visionary concept will catch on south of the Murray. Clichés have taught us that “form goes out the window” for a derby. “Form is temporary, class is eternal,” said Robbie Slater last night. “I point to the fact that time is eternal,” rapped the late Ricardo da Force in The KLF’s “3a.m. Eternal”.
The Knights beat South in the two-legged major semi-final in 93/94, before going on to lose the grand final, again on penalties, this time to Adelaide.
If form does go out the window – although which window that is, and whose job it is to open it, no-one is sure – then that might be Victory’s best chance of, er, victory.
The Preliminary Final was played in pouring rain at a sodden Olympic Park in late April. During the week leading up to the match, Frank Arok, South Melbourne’s coach, asked whether or not this Mark Viduka was as good as he was made out to be. By the end of the match, Frank would know.
HELLAS LAKERS
CROATIA KNIGHTS
by Ian Kerr South Melbourne vs Melbourne Knights was the Melbourne rivalry of the NSL in the 1990s, despite what Carlton SC supporters might say. Over 21,000 crammed into Olympic Park to see the teams play in the NSL Grand Final in May 1991. Andrew Marth scored in the first half, only for Joe Palatsidis to equalise in the second half with only a couple of minutes left on the clock. The game went to penalties. After six penalties were missed in the shootout, South Melbourne eventually won 5-4 and South’s captain, Ange Postecoglou, lifted the trophy.
For Knights fans, it was during the finals series of the 94/95 season that the rivalry reached its apex.
The V-Bomber had scored 18 goals during the season, on his way to a second consecutive season as the league’s leading goal-scorer. Was Arok calling into question Viduka’s character? The young striker had been held goalless in the previous season’s grand final, marked well by legendary defenders Milan Ivanović and Alex Tobin. A mulletted Danny Tiatto cut down his opponent on 13 minutes and received a straight red. This was the signal for Viduka to prove why he was Australia’s dominant striker – in an era when Damian Mori was banging ‘em in. Under 15 minutes later Kevin Muscat, who in those days still had hair, gave away a foul on the wing. Krešimir Marušić’s free kick was met with a stunning Viduka header at the far post. 1-0 Knights.
It was from another free kick, ten minutes later, that Viduka scored his second. This time Vinko Buljubasic took the free kick, and after a flick on and a scramble the ball spilled loose for Viduka to chip the keeper.
BEFORE HELLAS, THERE WAS JUST
A man down, Melbourne Knights deserved their lead. Water covered the pitch, and slide tackles were in vogue for the evening. Could a 2-0 lead be defended?
As a Knights fan growing up in the 90s, I developed a love for the game just as my team had arguably the greatest side this country has seen.
Moments before half-time, enigmatic striker Con Boutsianis put South Melbourne on the scoresheet, staying on his feet while all around him players fell. The striker Francis Awaritefe, on the losing side in the 1991 Grand Final, joined the fray shortly after half-time in the blue of South Melbourne. But moments later it was Viduka who scored, completing his hat-trick, and delirium broke out on the terraces. Marušić broke down the left wing, and slipped a pass across the box where a sliding V-Bomber put the ball in the opposite bottom corner of the goal. It was Awaritefe who laid the ball on for Boutsianis for South’s second after 72 minutes. A tense finale beckoned. With time running out, and whistles squealing from the Knights fans, South threw everything at the South Melbourne goal. Lucchetta had a long-range shot that skidded just wide of the goal. Frank Arok, never one to hide his emotions, looked like he was about to self-combust. Goal-line clearances and desperate defending followed. Viduka himself was back defending, something young people today might not believe. Frank Juric made saves that would have been incredible in dry conditions, let alone a muddy penalty area. “There’s no-one leaving Olympic Park early,” said the commentator, as streams of spectators could be seen in the background heading for the exits. Seconds later, full-time, and Melbourne Knights were in the Grand Final, where Adelaide City awaited them.
by Ante Jukic
In terms of rivalries, there was nothing better than getting one over South Melbourne. For those alive during the 80s, however, it was Footscray JUST (Jugoslav United Soccer Team) who Melbourne Knights (then Croatia) fans most despised. The duality of sport and politics rarely permeated on Australian shores as feverishly as it did in this instance. JUST had links to the communist Yugoslav regime, a regime which a vast number of the Croatian migrants who founded Melbourne Croatia escaped persecution from, so when the two sides clashed it wasn’t merely a football match – it was borderline hateful. Hostilities were not solely reserved for the pitch, with the rivalry playing out in the boardroom. In his role as State League Committee Chair, JUST President Tony Kovac was alleged to have played a significant role in maintaining Croatia's continued exclusion from the Victorian State League in the early to mid 1970s. JUST's admission into the newly formed NSL in 1977 granted Croatia a lifeline, and when they eventually joined the national competition in 1984, it wasn't all fire and brimstone. The likes of Oscar Crino, Ernie Tapai, Warren Spink and Gary van Egmond all played for JUST in this era, while Joe Biskic, George Hannah and Zeljko Adzic were part of the precursor to the side that dominated the 90s. Aside from the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe, it was the Knights who would have the last laugh. The Knights' 2-0 victory over JUST, who needed a win to stave off relegation, late in the 1989 season at Middle Park, with goals from Adzic and Joe Caleta, effectively sealed their rival's fate.
WHITHER THE FFA CUP FINAL?
PLAYING WITH FLARES
This week the FFA Cup was launched. No need to mention where it was launched - ça va sans dire.
The RBB, which invented active support in Australia, has now invented the concept of getting into strife for letting off flares.
FFA CEO David Gallop announced that there would be no Wembley-style fixed home for the final of the FFA Cup – possibly as a sop to the voices south of the border railing against the Sydney-centric bias in Australian football. Hosting the final at one of the competing teams’ home grounds makes the FFA Cup Final no different to the A-League Grand Final. The event needs to be made special. A tradition needs to be created. Either the FFA Cup Final is rotated from city to city (like the UEFA Champions League) or it is given a permanent home. And there is only one candidate for a Wembley-style permanent home: Bruce Stadium. The reasons for Bruce Stadium to become the home of the FFA Cup are multitude. Here are but a few: •
It’s called Bruce Stadium. (Admittedly some company has paid for naming rights, but underneath it’s still Bruce Stadium.)
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There is no more Australian name than Bruce.
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It was the home ground for Canberra Cosmos.
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Mark Viduka (playing for the Olyroos) scored a goal against South Korea there in 1995. (The home supporters booed when Kevin Muscat’s name was announced pre-game.)
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Who doesn’t love a road trip to Canberra?
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So many other things to do and see in Canberra, such as all the roundabouts.
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Bruce Stadium is so Australian. It’s more Australian than an upwards inflection at the end of a sentence.
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It’s not in that unholy cesspit Sydney/Adelaide. (Delete as appropriate.)
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You can drive your car up to the boundary line and honk when a goal is scored.
The case is clear, then. There is only one natural, you-beaut, fair dinkum choice. To host the FFA Cup Final anywhere else would be un-Australian. We call upon the FFA to lock in Bruce Stadium to host the FFA Cup final from now until the Armageddon comes.
During Wanderers’ loss to Ulsan Hyundai on Wednesday night, several flares were let off, cleverly disguising the home team’s defending that led to the visitors’ first goal. Under Asian Football Confederation rules, the club is liable to a fine of $US5000 per flare discharged. The FFA will enjoy paying those fines.
SAFE STANDING Supporter groups in the UK are pushing for the introduction of safe standing areas. The initiative has not met with universal acclaim in the UK, with some groups (including the Hillsborough Family Support Group and the Premier League) opposing the proposal. While safe standing is taken for granted European countries, such as Germany, emotive issue in the UK. Standing is still the public’s consciousness with crowd overcrowding and disaster.
in some it is an linked in violence,
All-ticket standing areas would overcome some of these concerns, but the emotions in this debate are strong. Could this be the future for “active supporter” areas at A-League stadiums?
FOOTBALL, BRIBES AND ROCK ‘N ROLL Jesse Fink’s work has spanned the football and rock ‘n roll worlds. His most recent book, The Youngs, is about, well, we give it away in the first question. Jesse spoke with Thin White Line’s editor, Ian Kerr. Let’s start with your recent book on AC/DC, The Youngs. The band wore the Scotland football kit on stage in Glasgow in 1978. What was AC/DC’s link to Scottish football? The famous Glasgow Apollo gig where they played ‘Fling Thing’ and ‘Rocker’. Not every day you see a football kicked on stage. As I don’t need to tell you, the Youngs are from Glasgow. Bon Scott was from Forfar/Kirriemuir. Malcolm was a handy player in his own right. Had he not conquered the world with his Gretsch, who knows how far he could have got with his left foot? You might have seen the footage of Mal in the film Let There Be Rock: striking, simultaneously standing in goal and celebrating on the run with a beer in hand. Complete with cheesy sound effects. Dig it out. It’s really very funny. There are also a lot of photographs of AC/DC park games floating about on fan forums. I’ve seen a photo of Angus in a New York Cosmos shirt. In my opinion that Apollo show in ’78 was probably their finest moment live. I watched a lot of their concerts on YouTube writing The Youngs.
muzzling the press a price worth paying to win the right to host a World Cup? Interesting question. No. FIFA is the Death Star of world sport, as far as I’m concerned. We should all be working to bring transparency and accountability to FIFA and its officials, no matter if hosting a World Cup is at stake. I did my best when I was at SBS, getting stuck into Blatter, and later with some stories on executive committee member Worawi Makudi. He was cleared by FIFA. Not a lot changes at FIFA, sadly. But kudos to Oliver Fowler and David W. Larkin at ChangeFIFA, Andrew Jennings, Jens Weinreich, Jean Francois Tanda, Lasana Liburd, Philippe Auclair and other writers for taking up the fight to them. I admire all of them. There aren’t enough journalists in this country working to expose the goings-on at FIFA. It’s fundamental to the future of the game to ensure we have the right people running it. It’s time for a new generation of Australian football writers to step up and have the courage to take on FIFA.
If the Young brothers were Rangers fans, then that almost makes them the anti-Rod Stewart, doesn’t it? Hahaha. True. What really happened to Rod Stewart? I ponder this question frequently. AC/DC still rocks hard. Rod’s doing god-awful, cut-rate Michael Bublé sludge. He’s not that much older than Mal and Angus. There was a time in the 1970s, of course, when he was doing superlative rock: Faces, the solo work. He even did a cover of Stevie Wright’s ‘Hard Road’ (a George Young–penned track) on Smiler, which was a ripper. I listen to it regularly. The guy used to have so much soul. Listen to ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’ off An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down. Amazing. Now? Truly unbearable. A talent wasted. It has been widely reported that just before the vote on the 2018 World Cup host, Sepp Blatter reminded delegates of the negative stories published in the English press about FIFA. Is
Jesse Fink is the author of The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC (Random House), Laid Bare: One Man’s Story of Sex, Love and Other Disorders (Hachette) and World Party: The Inside Story of the Socceroos’ Greatest Campaign (Xoum). For more details on World Party, check out www.xoum.com.au/shop/worldparty/ and follow The Youngs on Facebook at www.facebook.com/youngsacdc
BRITISH FOOTBALL’S CULTURE WARS
HQ in protest at ticket prices. At the end of the previous season, Arsenal’s £62 tickets for the away section prompted protests from Manchester City fans, who had banners proclaiming “Enough is enough” removed. Liverpool fans have displayed banners saying “Supporters not customers”.
by Martin Cloake
Protest has moved from grumbles in pubs and offices to visible spectacle in the stadiums. And that could damage the brand. But there’s more getting under fan’s skin than ticket prices. The experience of watching your team has become increasingly controlled and managed. The terraces are long gone, replaced by seats in which you must sit, not stand. Fans are told what they must and must not sing lest in cause offence – in Scotland there’s even a law prohibiting “offensive behaviour” – flags are fire risks, cards used in tifo displays could be used as missiles. In a move that is beyond parody, one council even prohibits musical instruments inside grounds.
Despite the Premier League’s success, there is a feeling that the game is becoming disconnected from the fans. The fans are worried because something we valued seems to be slipping away. The administrators worry because the passion of the crowd is a key part of what they like to call the brand, and that passion is flagging.
Sit down, shut up, pay a premium, take second place to the corporate packages, don’t obscure the advertising hoardings, here are the rules you must obey… And they wonder why the atmosphere is flatter than it was. Or why the Against Modern Football movement is growing.
White Hart Lane had, until recently, retained much of the traditional rumbustiousness associated with British football grounds. In 2006, the Bolton Evening News praised the ground as “the greatest stage in the country” and said watching a game there “is like taking a step back in time in a good way. The noise is constant and electric and the passion is tangible.” And yet, over the last few seasons, regulars have talked about a lack of atmosphere. The Spurs crowd has always been demanding, but it was passionate and supportive. Now, it seems impatient, with a sense of entitlement. But the angst in the game goes deeper. When the question of whether the fans are right to criticise or even boo the players is raised, the response is usually that “for the money we pay, we can say what we like”. The Richest And Most Glamorous League In The World, it seems, is beginning to reap what it has sown. Ticket prices are becoming a big issue. For years, the clubs have ramped up prices, exploiting the fierce loyalty of English football fans and the massive global demand for the game. Just before this season started, in an unprecedented show of unity, fans from over 20 different clubs put aside their differences to march on the Premier League
There is no easy explanation for the change, but there are plenty willing to try – my favourite was “the internet generation’s culture of instant gratification”. (I blame fluoride in the water myself). What’s undeniable is that there is change. Where once British fan culture set the standard, positively and negatively, now the Brits look abroad for inspiration with many younger fans styling themselves on European “ultras”, to the derision of some of the older heads. Crowds at Premier League grounds are older and more well off, prompting tensions with younger fans who feel excluded by price and alienated by a more sedate support. For fans of my generation, there’s a danger of harking back to a mythical golden age of support. Much has improved, but the feeling that something has been lost won’t go away. And it’s a feeling that’s being picked up on outside the fiercely insular counter-culture of the committed fan. The game is not at ease with itself. Martin Cloake is the author of the e-book “Sound of the Crowd”. He will be taking a deeper look at British football’s culture wars in issue two of Thin White Line magazine. Martin’s website is www.martincloake.com Photo by Przemek Niciejewski
UNCAGED ANIMALS A road trip for a home game is an In the Serie A, Cagliari supporters across land and sea to see their games in Trieste while problems stadium were sorted out.
unusual concept. travelled 1000km team play home with the Cagliari
Obscure American troubadour Bruce Springsteen was playing at AAMI Park, so Melbourne Victory had to decamp to Kardinia Park for the Asian Champions League qualifier against Muangthong United.
One North Terrace regular said after the game that there were no issues at all with police or security the whole night. It was a pseudo-away game and the travelling home support had a ball. A frenetic final few minutes saw a headbutt, a red card and a pantomime villain-type sarcastically applaud the booing crowd as he was marched off the pitch. At South Geelong station, the PA crackled into life: “The next train to arrive will be the 10pm soccer special.” A voice yelled out, “It’s not soccer, it’s football!”
It was odd seeing a rectangle marked out on the oval playing surface. There were certainly many less redheads mooching about than on the damp winter afternoons that I’d spent standing in the outer years ago. Modern stands have replaced wooden constructions. And the scoreboard – what happened to the hand-operated scoreboard? An empty hole marks the spot, with a fancy new screen erected in a forward pocket. Or back pocket, depending on your perspective. The food selection inside the ground was pretty poor:
Thin White Line Ground stewards twitched when there was a roar from outside the stadium. The 6pm train from Spencer Street Southern Cross had arrived, more or less on time, and with it a trainload of singing supporters.
Thin White Line is a new football culture magazine, telling the stories of how we live football. Issue 1 is out now, and includes: •
The column of fans – home and away intermingled – was escorted by six mounted police, who seemed happy just to get out of the office.
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After the ground announcer had mangled almost every player’s name, the game started.
•
And what a game, featuring moments of farce and great skill. During the second half two banners were displayed at the city end – “More club less franchise” and “Robson out!” – both written in English, using the modern Latin alphabet. How boring. The crowd took the banners down of their own accord.
• • • •
The Americanization of Australian football – the influence of the NASL on the formative years of the NSL. Nordkurve Mönchengladbach – a photo essay of the standing terraces of Broussia Mönchengladbach’s Nordkurve. Should I Stay Or Should I Go? – young Australian footballers and the European dream. Heart of Hajduk – the love story that is Torcida’s relationship with Hajduk Split. The Best of Days – the night that George Best played for Devonport City. Chiquidracula – Mexican referees wreaking havoc on the world stage. Mooroolbark United – how a suburban team with ambition kick-started the NSL.
BLIND CHANCE Krzysztof Kieślowski took a bleak view of chance. Misery is inevitable, whether you catch that train or not.
THE DIEGO MARADOUBLE by Ben de Buen After Maradona’s last major health crisis, he pulled himself together, shed the addictions, lost the weight and made a notable public comeback worthy only of El Diez himself. Not long before, he had been shown on television using two walking canes to support the weight of almost two Maradonas.
How might Kieślowski have felt when his high concept was given the saccharine treatment of Sliding Doors. His body was cold in the ground by then. He had died during open heart surgery. Misery is inevitable. Ange Postecoglou was nearly given the elbow in his first season at South Melbourne. If the South Melbourne president had been at the committee meeting that had resolved to bin Postecoglou, then South would have played its next game under a different coach. Instead, the trigger wasn’t pulled, South won that weekend and went on to reach the preliminary final. Sliding doors. Blind chance. Misery is inevitable. The FFA chose Postecoglou as the new Socceroos coach not only because of his deep understanding of the fundamentally flawed nature of man, but because there is no power on earth (or at least in Australian football) compared to him. “I was always scared of him, to be honest,” said David Clarkson, who played under Postecoglou at South Melbourne. “He’s a smart man, strong man, deep thinker and a passionate man,” said Andy Harper, who used to sit next to Postecoglou at the office. What, then, is Holger to Ange? A laughingstock or a painful embarrassment, to use Nietzsche’s words? “I’ve got enormous belief in our young players,” said Postecoglou on his first day in the new job. “I want to get the best out of every player available. Will there be changes? Of course there will, I’ve got my own way of doing things.” Ange’s own way involves asking himself questions and then answering them, it would appear. Postecoglou has so far managed to avoid mistranslating any Latin sayings in his media outings as Socceroos coach. Coaches usually only get one chance as national coach. And coaches seldom leave of their own accord. Misery may be inevitable for grumpy Polish filmmakers, but Postecoglou has five years to prove Kieślowski wrong.
Months later he was looking as good as the Diego who celebrated a goal against Greece in the face of a USA 94 cameraman. The best Maradona of many years became so remarkable he hosted his own talk show La noche del 10. Pelé was his first guest. The two football legends chatted and made amends over their consistent bickering to be the best in the in the history of the game. The treaty lasted – a little while. By the end of the season – the TV season – Maradona had interviewed anyone who was anyone in his world, including argentine folksinger Mercedes Sosa, Mike Tyson, a number of Mexican television stars, Robbie Williams and even Fidel Castro. Maradona had interviewed everyone but Maradona. Until the last episode. Diego sat across the table from himself having a casual chat. There were two of him on screen – without the help of walking sticks, each Maradona in his own chair. This man has awed the world many times with impossible tricks and impossible comebacks. As a spectator you could only wonder where was The Hand of God in this new stunt? (And which one of these really coached Argentina in 2010?) A few days later it was revealed that Maradona has a double named Escolástico Umberto Méndez who has been representing Diego for a long time. Casually found in Buenos Aires for photo opportunities, he has also stood in for the argentine legend in commercials, films and in bedazzling television stunts. A third Maradona, Eduardo Anacleto Paz, became famous during the last World Cup, for his striking resemblance to Diego, but has since passed away.
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