You can find Steven on Twitter @Gixibyte he also runs @MVFCNEWS a page dedicated to all things Melbourne Victory.
Continued.......
11. Speaking of Heart Harry Kewell now plays for them, will you boo him come round 1?
I'll definitely boo Harry Kewell in Round 1! For several reasons. First and foremost, simply because he's a Melbourne Heart player. But I also feel he's been needlessly bitter since he signed for Heart. He has no reason to be contemptuous towards us but has said that he hopes to ruffle our feathers and piss us off at the derby.
12. His spell at the Victory was kind of an anti climax - why was that?
Kewell's mediocre performances with Victory were largely to do with a combination of his age and lack of pre-season preparation. This is why I wish he had stayed for a second season. I'm always curious about how things might have been different if he'd settled down at Victory and got a full pre-season under his belt.
13. As was Marcos Flores - are you glad to see him off the books ?
I'm not glad to see Flores off the books. He was a spritely character, always full of life and humour. Not to mention the fact he was and is a fantastic player. He didn't reach his potential with Victory. Similar to my thoughts on Kewell, I wish Flores had been able to stay for a second season. Maybe he would have returned to the form and flair he demonstrated during his time with Adelaide United?
Ultimately I think his underwhelming stint at Victory came down to his place in the team. Flores thrives when he is given a free role. I think he felt that Ange placed too many tactical limitations on him. Central Coast are also a structured side and I'm curious to see if Flores will find things any different under Graham Arnold.
14. We've seen two big name signings come close to singing with Victory but both chose to stay in Europe - who would you like to see come in?
Well, now we know that Kosta Barbarouses and Pablo Contreras have arrived at Victory, and James Troisi too on loan. I would have liked to see one of Victory's Greek or Italian targets (such as Seitaridis, Miccoli, or Karagounis) arrive at the club. But it wasn't to be. Nevertheless, the squad looks well-balanced now.
15. We've seen a lot of players leave Victory in the off season but not many to come in are you worried ?. The season kick of is getting closer ?
This question is also kinda irrelevant now :P But I think we have a very strong squad now. One of the strongest in the A-League, as things stand. We lack a dazzling marquee to pull the crowds in, but by virtue of the size and popularity of the club in Melbourne, exciting performances will be enough to attract large crowds.
16. You're coach revolutionised the A - League in terms of style he plays - what are you're thoughts on the Ange Postecoglu era
Ange has done what I expected him to do. Our play is so much more fluid and attractive than before Postecoglou arrived. Our striker-less system is quite interesting. We now have a plethora of attacking forwards at the club, I wonder if we'll see them play wide like Archie Thompson and Marco Rojas last season, or whether we'll see them play as more traditional strikers...
The longer Ange stays at Victory, the more he'll stamp his influence on the club's footballing philosophy. His revolution is not one that can be achieved overnight. It's taken him time to pull together a squad capable of implementing his style. He still has a long way to go and, knowing Ange, he won't be happy until he lifts the A-League trophy for Victory at an A-League Grand Final.
17. What are you expectations this season?
After the nightmare season we had under Mehmet Durakovic and Jim Magilton, I've learnt to temper my expectations. Last season I said I'd be happy with finishing anywhere in the top six. This time I'll adjust those expectations - I'll be happy with a top four finish. I won't say we'll definitely finish in the top two like some others do - anything can happen in the A-League, even with a strong squad a top-notch coach like Postecoglou.
If we measure expectations in terms of youth development too, I expect one or two of Victory's youngsters to really step up and become key players in the squad. I suspect Ange would share this expectation, as youth development is clearly a critical goal for him, judging by his football philosophy and his young signings.
18. Is it a failure if you don't win the league?
Ange has explicitly stated that failure to win the A-League title is a failure, in his eyes. In my own opinion, a failure would be failing to achieve finals qualification.
19. You're a proud homosexual - Robbie Rodgers recently came out and has since returned to football with LA galaxy, is this a breakthrough moment ?
Not sure I'd label myself "homosexual". I think sexuality is a spectrum, so I don't really believe in "gay" or "straight".
But anyway - yes. Robbie Rogers' MLS return and coming out process was a breakthrough moment. Let's consider this: the only other players to have come out or been outed in professional football are Justin Fashanu (who later killed himself, partly due to the pressure of dealing with his sexuality publicly, and also due to accusations of sexually assaulting a teenage boy) and Anton Hysen who plays in the Swedish third division.
The reality is, for all the strides forward society has made in regards to LGBT people, homophobia remains a serious issue in football. I have no doubt that there are scores or hundreds of LGBT professional footballers who find themselves unable to come out of the closet because of fears about homophobia. Justin Fashanu's suicide is a telling story. Even if an LGBT footballer were to be accepted by his or her teammates and a club's supporters, relentless media speculation and rumours would inevitably have an effect on their mental headspace.
If I may, I'll just make a quick plug here for Australia's inaugural Pride Football Australia festival, which takes place on October 5 at Kevin Bartlett Reserve. I believe it is Australia's first ever LGBT football festival. We will honour the memory of Justin Fashanu with the annual Justin Fashanu Cup between rivals Melbourne Rovers SC and Sydney Rangers FC, who will face off against each other in the centrepiece event for the day. Both the Rovers and Rangers are Australia's premier LGBT football teams. I played briefly for Melbourne Rovers' "sub-football" (Google it!) team once!
20. If an A-League player was to come out how do you think it would be received ?
I'm not sure how a gay footballer would be received in the A-League. For all the talk about how accepting and open football is, I've found homophobia to be quite common in the stands at A-League games. I have no doubt that an openly gay A-League player would receive torrents of homophobic abuse in the stands. Having said that, I also have no doubt that thousands of other football fans would also stand up for that player's rights to be free from bigoted taunts too. Most A-League fans I've met tend to be socially progressive, even if they aren't necessarily as politically left-wing as I am.
21. Finally in 10 years Melbourne Victory will be ....
......folded, wildly successfully, or both? No. I honestly don't know. Ten years is a long, long time in football. Especially in a league that doesn't possess the financial, political, and cultural clout of established codes such as the AFL.
Ange Postecoglou and Anthony di Pietro have, at times, suggested that it would be possible for Victory to reach a membership base of 30,000 or more. They may well be correct, and I certainly hope that turns out to be true. For several years now, Victory has had no issues reaching a membership total of 18,000. This season, our official target is 23,000 members. In this context, a target of 30,000 members within five or ten years is not unreasonable.
I'd like to confidently assert that we'll win a glut of championships over the next decade. But football is crazy and anything can happen! So who knows. One thing I can assure you, though, is that Melbourne Heart will be in our shadow forever ;)
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