Goodbye Danny Allsopp

With confirmation that Danny Allsopp has left for Qatar club Al-Rayyan Sports, Melbourne Victory has lost not only one of its two primary scoring targets but a long time servant of the club.

Of course the writing has been on the wall (or in this case within the forums) for a week now after Allsopp failed to not only take the field against Newcastle but wasn’t even present at the game. Rumours were flying almost instantaneously about a Qatar club that had come knocking. Of course Victory denied it (as is their policy) but everybody knew a transfer was on the cards.

Danny Allsopp leaves as the Leagues second highest goal scorer, second only to his strike partner Archie Thompson. He is also the holder of the most game appearances with the Victory and was one of only two remaining original Victory players who have been there continuously from the start (the other is Kevin Muscat). Although not exactly a crowd favourite (he was regularly jeered because of a perception that he wasted a lot of opportunities), he did have his fans however and nobody could question his work rate and stamina.

Farewell Danny you will be missed.

On the positive side Melbourne does have a decent amount of depth in the striker stakes. Ney Fabiano will now get his chance to show if he is good enough for a regular starting spot and Ernie does have young Nathan Elasi there to throw in if and when needed.

The biggest challenge that Melbourne will face however is the need to change the game plan. Fabiano and Allsopp are very different strikers. Danny preferred to attack defenders with his pace and hard work, never really comfortable with his back to goal or with the ball in the air, it was his ability to use his strength and pace to arrive late into the box and pounce on a cross. This suited Melbourne’s counter attacking game style. I am not sure though the same can be said about Fabiano.

Ney Fabiano doesn’t have Allsopp’s stamina but is very good with his back to goals and is excellent in the air. He is also deceptively quick over 2 –5 paces and uses his body well to hold up the ball. Victory need to adapt to this. If they can I think that Fabiano may surprise a few of his critics.

More emphasis needs top be placed on width though and good crossing. Carlos Hernandez and Tom Pondeljak now need to get closer to the strikers to ensure an outlet for Fabiano. But most of all Victory needs to get more desperate in the box.

With Muscat returning over the next couple of weeks, Ernie Merrick must be considering his options and a back three looks to be a possibility. This would release Kemp and Surat to push forward more and hopefully give Victory the width they will need. The loss of Celeski however will hurt and although the club deny it they don’t have the depth in this position as they would like.

The next few games will tell if Melbourne can adapt to Allsopp’s loss.
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Ticket Shocker

Last year Brisbane Roar played Central Coast Mariners in a Round 3 match that attracted 12,185 people along. This year their round 4 fixture against Central Coast could only manage 6,433. The low crowds in Brisbane have been focus of media attention over the last two weeks and much conjecture about the reasons behind this. For me the overwhelming reason has to be the ticket pricing.

Such a significant rise in the pricing of memberships and general admission was always going to see a lot of people stay away. Small increases over a period of time can usually be absorbed by the fans but a 40% increase is going to cause many fans to think twice at purchasing a season ticket let alone part with their hard earned as a walk up fan. As a comparison compare the pricing across the league. Prices below are full prices for a General Admission entry.

Wellington $34
Gold Coast $29
Brisbane $27
Melbourne $25
Adelaide $23
Perth $22
Sydney $20
Newcastle $19
Central Coast $17
Nth Queensland $14.50

No wonder Gold Coast and Brisbane crowds have been disappointing. I don’t think I would pay $27/29 to see a A-league match week in week out. When you use the membership prices it is even more telling

Perth $260 $20.00 per game
Brisbane $275 $19.64 per game
Wellington $245 $18.84 per game
Sydney $242 $17.29 per game
Gold Coast $230 $16.43 per game
Newcastle $209 $16.08 per game
Adelaide $209 $14.93 per game
Central Coast $190 $14.62 per game
Melbourne $195 $13.93 per game
Nth Queensland $131 $10.08 per game

What is going on in Perth where the difference between buying a membership and general admission is a paltry $2 saving per game?

The table also explains why just about everyone attending Melbourne matches is a member when the cost per game is nearly half that of a general admission ticket.

The FFA need to step in here and take the lead with clubs to ensure ticket prices remain at a reasonable level. As a guide a target of no more than $20 for General Admission and $15 per game average for season tickets should be set as a goal.

Of course though these prices are not driven by the clubs but rather some very poor stadium deals. I am not sure why clubs would agree to poor deals that force them to charge over $25 per game. Brisbane need to rethink their relationship with Suncorp because at these prices they will soon be out of business if something isn’t done.

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