Fan Focus: SKY'S THE LIMIT FOR THE BLUES.

In the past several weeks, Inside the Box FC has caught up with fan bases across the A-League. Having gone from the Western Suburbs of Sydney to the Sunny city of Brisbane, today we will look at the fan base of Sydney FC. In this article we chat to Die hard Sydney FC fan John La Scala about the small beginnings of the club to where it is today and what to expect in the future.


                                    

                   

Welcome John. First off, Your club secured the biggest transfer in A-League history. How does it feel to watch Alessandro Del Piero run out for the sky blues?

When I first heard that Sydney FC were in talks with Del Piero about a possible transfer to the club I was over the moon that a player of his quality and stature could be coming to play for my club. Being of Italian decent, it was even more of a thrill to know that a legend of the game in Italy would be coming. Watching him every week is a joy; he is a legend of the game, not only in Italy but all around the world. Even at the age he is, he does things on the football field with such grace and ease that other players can only dream of being able to do, to be able to witness this first hand is worth the admission price into the ground.

Looking back is that your favourite moment in the clubs history or do the clubs 2 championships out shine ADP's arrival?

The best feeling for a supporter of a club is seeing them lift a trophy, there's no denying that. ADP's arrival is up there with the two championships though. His arrival brought a sense of excitement around the club after a couple of dower seasons that came after winning our second A-League title. Lets hope we can see the A-League trophy in Del Piero's hands come the end of this season.

Ian Crook's tenure was a disaster was he the most unsuccessful coach for FC or was Butcher worse?

You can't deny that Ian Crook's time at Sydney was unsuccessful; I don't think he was the right man for the job to start off with. The club was after Tony Popovic but he chose to go to the Wanderers and when you're the second choice for anything in life, you're already not off to a great start. Ian said himself that he wasn't fully committed and lacked passion for the job. His passion is the young kids and their development.

Terry Butcher got the club to the finals in his year in charge at the club, but coming off the club winning the inaugural championship, yes, you could consider his time in charge unsuccessful.

To answer the question in short after all of that, I think neither of those managers were as unsuccessful as Branko Culina was when we was in charge of Sydney FC.

Frank farina was Crooks replacement were u happy with his appointment/ are you happy with his performance so far?

Yes, I was happy with the appointment of Frank. I think people were quick to judge him on his personal life in digressions and forgot to have a look at his footballing CV. He knows the game very well and I think he can do well this season with the coaching staff and players he has at his disposal.
After the start we had to last season, it was always going to be hard to turn things around, whoever the manager was going to be. I don't think its right to judge Frank on the performances from last season. In saying that, he did a great job to give us a fighting chance of making the finals. I think we had a run of 6 or 7 games unbeaten at home, that's the kind of form we had in 09/10 that saw us win the double.

Owner David Tratkovenko has recently showed his commitment with proving some funds for Del Piero bid - are you happy with him as a fan?

First and foremost, Mr Traktovenko is a football fan; I think that is so important to the club to have an owner that is passionate about the sport. Secondly, he has been apart of the club from day 1 as a shareholder, and then three years ago become majority shareholder. To me, this shows he is loyal to the club and wants to see that the club does well.
He wants the club to succeed, not just in the A-League, but he wants the brand of Sydney FC to enter the Asian market, and with the signing of ADP he is fulfilling this. He's doing a great job off the park with promoting the clubs stature around the world and the club is lucky to have a man of his riches and caliber overseeing things from the top.

What would you like to see change?

I think we need stability in the manager we have at the club. We have chopped and changed too many times, I think we need a coach who can stay for a few years and given time to implement and get right the style of play they want. Hopefully Frank and Rado can become the pair to do this.

What about CEO Tony Pignata. Are you happy with his involvement?

I think Tony is great for the club. His appointment to the club was well received and he hasn't let anyone down with what he has done. Tony is a fan as much as he is the CEO of Sydney FC. It is easy for fans to interact with him through social media and there is even a page on the SFCU website where fans can ask him questions relating to the club and in return he will do his best to answer the fan's questions. I don't think we would have ADP in a sky blue jersey if it weren't for Mr. Pignata.

We all know the success story of your rivals west Sydney wanderers, what can the sky blues do to compete with the boys from the west?

The arrival of the Wanderers into the completion is one of the best things the A-League has done. As much as I hate to admit this, their fan base is unbelievable, especially for a club as young as theirs.
I think that all clubs, not just Sydney, can learn from them on how they are recruiting members to their club. Yes, its easier because of their success last season, but I believe that all the clubs can take a leaf out of the Wanderers book to see how they engage their supporters to sign up and become a member.

Are they a threat to Sydney fc fan base?

Of course they are. I personally live and have grown up in the west of Sydney, and according to some of my friends, I should be supporting the Wanderers. I know many people who were once Sydney FC supporters who are now Wanderers fans. In saying that, I also know a lot of fans from the west that have stayed loyal to the sky blue jersey.

For fans of the game in Sydney it's a matter of choice between the two clubs but whomever they choose, it can only help grow and be a good thing for the game.

Lets look towards this season farina had made the most signings of the off-season you must be happy with that?

I think that any person who has knows about the A-League would have said that Sydney had one of the best squads on paper last season. This season is no different. The club has recruited well and the return of Nikcy Carle will be a massive boost to the squad.

There is a good mix of young exciting players in the squad with the likes of Gameiro, Grant, Jurman, Ryall, Warren and Chianese all impressing in the couple of preseason games we've already played. Throw in the experience of Del Piero, Emerton, McFlynn, Bojic, Bosscharrt and Carle and I think that the club has got a very good balance within the squad this season. I think most fans are excited to see what the squad can achieve this season.

Your defense really needed some adjusting and that's happened are you satisfied with the reinforcements farina has brought in in that area?

Frank and the club have recruited well all over the park but the first signings that were made were all defenders. Its one area on the pitch that the club was openly critical about last season and I think they have targeted the right players in Bojic, Warren, Jurman and resigning of Tiago. Last season Bosschaart was injured all year, he was a massive loss to the team; having him back will be like another signing as well. Hopefully whoever plays in the four positions at the back can do the job for the club.

Rado vidosic is now on board as farina's assistant what do you expect to change now that he is involved?

Rado's appointment as assistant coach, I believe is a good one. He knows the game very well and together with Frank will improve the way Sydney plays which can hopefully entertain the fans but most importantly bring results.

By all accounts Frank and Rado want to play a different style of football this season. More passing on the ground, playing out from the back and with a new formation that will compliment the players we have in the squad. From the couple of preseason games played here and the one in Japan, all reports have come back very positive and the coaching staff is happy with the way the squad is progressing.

What will the 2013/2014 a league be classed as a successful season?

There's no reason why Sydney FC can't finish top of the table come the end of the season. We're one of the biggest clubs in the league, if not the biggest and its what is expected of the club. I'd be happy with a top four finish.

Prediction where FC will finish?

Third, behind the Victory and Mariners.
Melbourne will be better off this season after already having a year under Postecoglou and the Mariners are the Mariners. They are always strong and will be up there again this season.

In 10 years Sydney FC will be.....?

...the most successful A-League club and also have a very high profile all around the world with ADP in charge.