JUST as Ange Postecoglou would have been reading the riot act to his players in the Etihad Stadium changerooms at halftime, so too were fingers being pointed among Socceroos active supporters.
Like their team on the pitch, off it Australian supporters had been flat.
To be fair, Japan’s first half game plan in this vital World Cup qualifier was spot on, as were their fans, who could be heard over the top of the Aussie support squad at the opposite end of the ground.
A member of staff from Football Federation Australia’s fan engagement department was on hand to give the group’s leaders a rev up.
And just like a player giving a half time interview, active support co-leader Jim Lawrence explained plenty had gone wrong in the stands in the opening 45 minutes.
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From The Cheap Seats: Socceroos fans fail to find their voice
Matt Windley, Herald Sun
October 12, 2016 10:40am
JUST as Ange Postecoglou would have been reading the riot act to his players in the Etihad Stadium changerooms at halftime, so too were fingers being pointed among Socceroos active supporters.
Like their team on the pitch, off it Australian supporters had been flat.
To be fair, Japan’s first half game plan in this vital World Cup qualifier was spot on, as were their fans, who could be heard over the top of the Aussie support squad at the opposite end of the ground.
A member of staff from Football Federation Australia’s fan engagement department was on hand to give the group’s leaders a rev up.
And just like a player giving a half time interview, active support co-leader Jim Lawrence explained plenty had gone wrong in the stands in the opening 45 minutes.
Plenty of passion but a lack of co-ordination.
“The megaphone is not working properly, so that’s not helping,” Lawrence said.
“We’ve got pockets of people over on the sides who can’t hear (the directions). We’ve got half a dozen drummers, they were too far back, they’ve been moved up the front and told to really get stuck in.
“We want all the loudest people in one area so we’re communicating better.
“We’ve had two or three chants going at the same time.”
In the stands, as on the pitch, there was an instant reaction to start the second half, with noise levels raising several decibels in the lead-up to Mile Jedinak’s 52nd minute penalty
But atmosphere, or lack of it, at Socceroos home games has long been a bugbear of many soccer supporter — and there is no easy solution.
Soccer’s critics will say the lack of goals dulls the crowd.
That’s their prerogative.
But the truth is the problem goes deeper than that.
For instance, the next stop in this column’s year-long journey attending as many Melbourne sporting events as possible will be Saturday’s A-League derby between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City at the same ground.
An electric atmosphere is guaranteed, with Victory and City’s fantastic active supporters as much an attraction as the stars on the pitch.
The sheer size of Australia makes it hard for fans to co-ordinate support.
Politics are also at play, with active supporters from many a club wanting to take the lead when games are played in their state.
Postecoglou issued a call to arms on Monday, insisting the support Saudi Arabia received in Jeddah last week visibly lifted the Saudi players.
Whether the 48,460 on hand responded en masse is doubtful.
But it’s not through lack of trying from Lawrence and his fellow support crew leaders, who co-ordinated 20-odd different chants and plundered “thousands” of dollars in to about 450m2 of tifo, nearly 100 flags and 70m of fence banner.
“We’ll have a big debrief about it,” he said. “We’re always analysing.”
WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Australia v Japan, Etihad Stadium
Tickets: adults from $49.80
Running time: 8-10pm
Crowd: 48,460
Food prices: $5 pie, $4 hot chips, $5.60 soft drink
Best way to get there: public transport to Southern Cross Station
COMING TO THE EVENT I WAS MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO ...
Seeing what sort of atmosphere Melbourne fans could generate for a hugely important Socceroos match.
WALKING OUT I ...
Was left still wanting more crowd engagement at Socceroos home games.