Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Head Office Speaks
Sound the trumpets! The deus ex machina has emerged from College Street and pronounced judgement, presumably to quell the raging media bitchfest over the future of the Socceroo job.
Although Lowy's (or his ghostwriter's) prose appears to be a calm and mature appraisal at first glance, there is some of the same subtle distortion that has bedevilled all the partisan commentary on the issue.
Lowy's chief target seems to be Mike Cockerill. Not surprising, since Cockerill has made no secret of his distaste for the way the FFA have handled national team affairs over the past year.
But most of the criticism of Cockerill is simply disingenuous. To wit:
...there have been worrying signs from some commentators, including the Herald's football writer Michael Cockerill, that hark back to "Old Soccer", when personal relationships and parochialism led to poor decision-making...
I fail to see how Cockerill's piece can be construed as harking back to the Soccer Australia/NSL days in any way. Resistance to foreign coaches? The vast majority of those appointed to the Socceroo job in the old days were foreign-born.
Note, once again, the careful "Old Soccer" product placement. Lowy wasn't involved in "Old Soccer", you know. Of course not.
...In his column last Friday, where Cockerill argued for the appointment of an Australian coach...
...Cockerill would accept a foreign coach, but not a proven one...
The old rhetorical trick of deliberately mistaking a suggestion for a stipulation. Not pretty.
Otherwise, Lowy's piece breaks little new ground, but a little paragraph towards the end:
...Football fans can rest assured that FFA has worked diligently to secure a coach with the qualities and enthusiasm that will give the Socceroos every chance of success...
...rings rather hollow. It is genuinely difficult to escape the impression that the FFA has, as I've mentioned before, placed all their eggs in the one basket. That basket is currently vacillating, and if there's a Plan B, it certainly hasn't been apparent.
Although Lowy's (or his ghostwriter's) prose appears to be a calm and mature appraisal at first glance, there is some of the same subtle distortion that has bedevilled all the partisan commentary on the issue.
Lowy's chief target seems to be Mike Cockerill. Not surprising, since Cockerill has made no secret of his distaste for the way the FFA have handled national team affairs over the past year.
But most of the criticism of Cockerill is simply disingenuous. To wit:
...there have been worrying signs from some commentators, including the Herald's football writer Michael Cockerill, that hark back to "Old Soccer", when personal relationships and parochialism led to poor decision-making...
I fail to see how Cockerill's piece can be construed as harking back to the Soccer Australia/NSL days in any way. Resistance to foreign coaches? The vast majority of those appointed to the Socceroo job in the old days were foreign-born.
Note, once again, the careful "Old Soccer" product placement. Lowy wasn't involved in "Old Soccer", you know. Of course not.
...In his column last Friday, where Cockerill argued for the appointment of an Australian coach...
...Cockerill would accept a foreign coach, but not a proven one...
The old rhetorical trick of deliberately mistaking a suggestion for a stipulation. Not pretty.
Otherwise, Lowy's piece breaks little new ground, but a little paragraph towards the end:
...Football fans can rest assured that FFA has worked diligently to secure a coach with the qualities and enthusiasm that will give the Socceroos every chance of success...
...rings rather hollow. It is genuinely difficult to escape the impression that the FFA has, as I've mentioned before, placed all their eggs in the one basket. That basket is currently vacillating, and if there's a Plan B, it certainly hasn't been apparent.
Comments:
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Mikey wrote - "I fail to see how Cockerill's piece can be construed as harking back to the Soccer Australia/NSL days in any way. Resistance to foreign coaches? The vast majority of those appointed to the Socceroo job in the old days were foreign-born.
Note, once again, the careful "Old Soccer" product placement. Lowy wasn't involved in "Old Soccer", you know. Of course not......"
I'm pretty sure Lowy is referring to the 'jobs for the boys' nature of Cockerill's support for Arnold, and indeed the rest of his Fox mates. Similar to the days when Eddie Thomson and Les Scheinflug were well-known for their networking skills and receiving patronage from certain people. That's what I think Lowy is alluding to anyway.
Both sides of this debate are equally guilty of this black-and-white approach in the war between the pro-SBS and pro-Fox camps. Frankly (pardon the pun), I'm well and truly over it.
Note, once again, the careful "Old Soccer" product placement. Lowy wasn't involved in "Old Soccer", you know. Of course not......"
I'm pretty sure Lowy is referring to the 'jobs for the boys' nature of Cockerill's support for Arnold, and indeed the rest of his Fox mates. Similar to the days when Eddie Thomson and Les Scheinflug were well-known for their networking skills and receiving patronage from certain people. That's what I think Lowy is alluding to anyway.
Both sides of this debate are equally guilty of this black-and-white approach in the war between the pro-SBS and pro-Fox camps. Frankly (pardon the pun), I'm well and truly over it.
# posted by 
: September 19, 2007 at 1:32 PM
: September 19, 2007 at 1:32 PM
Now Mr. Fink joins the fray
http://blogs.foxsports.com.au/football/index.php/foxsports/comments/game_time_for_lowy/
http://blogs.foxsports.com.au/football/index.php/foxsports/comments/game_time_for_lowy/
# posted by : September 19, 2007 at 2:44 PM
: September 19, 2007 at 2:44 PM
"personal relationships and parochialism led to poor decision-making."
Well Mr Lowy, then what the fuck is the appointment of Andrew Kemeny as chairman of Hakoah FC if its not a 'personal relationship'? Just wondering, was this story written at the Hakoah club if the rumour is true that the latest Sydney board-meeting was held there? Has FFA (Franks Friends & Associates) moved there yet?
Talk about "Old Soccer" and jobs for the boys
Well Mr Lowy, then what the fuck is the appointment of Andrew Kemeny as chairman of Hakoah FC if its not a 'personal relationship'? Just wondering, was this story written at the Hakoah club if the rumour is true that the latest Sydney board-meeting was held there? Has FFA (Franks Friends & Associates) moved there yet?
Talk about "Old Soccer" and jobs for the boys
# posted by : September 19, 2007 at 4:41 PM
: September 19, 2007 at 4:41 PM
...Now Mr. Fink joins the fray...
Well, credit where it's due, there's not much to disagree with in that piece. I think that, gradually gradually, the Oz football community is starting to wake up to the fact that the FFA is far from blameless in all this - and that their role has been, at times, an extremely cynical one.
..."personal relationships and parochialism led to poor decision-making."
Well Mr Lowy, then what the fuck is the appointment of Andrew Kemeny as chairman of Hakoah FC if its not a 'personal relationship'?...
Very good question indeed.
Well, credit where it's due, there's not much to disagree with in that piece. I think that, gradually gradually, the Oz football community is starting to wake up to the fact that the FFA is far from blameless in all this - and that their role has been, at times, an extremely cynical one.
..."personal relationships and parochialism led to poor decision-making."
Well Mr Lowy, then what the fuck is the appointment of Andrew Kemeny as chairman of Hakoah FC if its not a 'personal relationship'?...
Very good question indeed.
I am very happy that Lowy has spoken out against these 'old boys' who constantly just defend their mates.
I wouldve thought we moved past this just after the WOrld Cup, but boy was i wrong.
Its kinda sad that it took so long for us to figure this out... although i dont agree with Lowy's objectionable stance towards Foster's youth development issues.. which i though where extremely relevant
and While you may not like Foster, i am happy we have someone like this in the media, cause if it wasnt for him everything would be pretty much sugarcoated...
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I wouldve thought we moved past this just after the WOrld Cup, but boy was i wrong.
Its kinda sad that it took so long for us to figure this out... although i dont agree with Lowy's objectionable stance towards Foster's youth development issues.. which i though where extremely relevant
and While you may not like Foster, i am happy we have someone like this in the media, cause if it wasnt for him everything would be pretty much sugarcoated...
# posted by : September 21, 2007 at 12:25 PM
: September 21, 2007 at 12:25 PM << Home
