Interview with the Enemy: Brisbane Roar

By: Matt | July 9th, 2009

As Celtic continue their second week of camp, operations will move over to Oz, as Celtic prepare for their first pre-season friendly against the Brisbane Roar this Sunday, and old pal Bob Malcolm. In a feature that I hope to use a lot this upcoming season, I talked to the Roar’s blogger on the Offside, Ahmed and picked his brain about the Roar, Bob Malcolm and co., football being third fiddle in Australia and the return of Queensland’s favorite son, Scott “Skippy” McDonald.

Matt: First off, a brief history of the Brisbane (Queensland?) roar? Famous former players, great accomplishments, how’d the team do last year, etc?

Ahmed:Formation: Brisbane Roar started in 2005 at the formation of the new Hyundai A-League. The club originally knows as Queensland Roar was one of 8 teams to kick off the competition. The name change came about this season with the introduction of Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury, meaning the Roar are not the only Queensland representative and hence, Brisbane Roar. The A-League replaced the old NSL and the Roar takes its heritage from the Queensland Lions Soccer Club. Currently, the club is owned by several shareholders:

* Emmanuel Drivas and Emmanuel Kokoris (Also own The Coffee Club) – 30%
* Claude Baradel and Serge Baradel (Also own Luxury Paints) – 15%
* Football Federation Australia – 55%

It has been said the Roars first season in the inaugural A-League was more successful off-field than on. The club was the first to have 100,000 spectators pass through the gates and overall had the second highest attendance for the season (148,609) and despite failing to qualify for the finals, the club’s home attendance was the second highest in the opening season (average 14,860 a game)

Who are some notable players past or present from the Roar?
Our most Notable players would be Craig Moore and Danny Tiatto who have both played in Europe. Other notable players are David Williams and Dario Vidosic also plying their trade in Europe now. Notable players amongst the fans include, Michael Zullo, Matt Mckay, Mass Murdocca, Liam Reddy and Charlie Miller. The Roar has prided itself in producing many young players and some have gone on to play in Europe. Not many players would be notable on the world stage, but would be well known in Australia.

Greatest Achievements in the Club’s history?
We still a very young club and our greatest achievements have been reaching the Preliminary Final the past 2 seasons. We lost the games meaning we finished 3rd and missed out on a Grand Final spot.

Any transfers in or out yet this transfer season? Has the season started? If it has not started, what are your thoughts for the upcoming season? What are the Roar’s chances?

Transfers in: Henrique – Atletico Mineiro

Bob Malcolm – Motherwell

Adam Sarota and Matt Mundy – Youth Squad

Transfers out: Tahj Minniecon – Gold Coast United

Chris Grossman – North Queensland Fury

Hyuk Su Seo – Brisbane Olympic

Season has not yet started. I believe the Roar can win the competition. Over the past two seasons we have shown the skill to go all the way and win the competition. We have come 3rd in the last two seasons and have only missed out on the Grand Final by a whisker. The fans really believe that we can win the competition. For the past two seasons we have been very strong and consistent compared to the other teams in terms of our attacking and chance creation. We seem to be lacking the killer instinct in front of goal, but Frank Farina has stressed that the team is working on that and doing all that is necessary to win the title. We have been the more consistent team the past 2-3 years and always improving, many fans feel this could be our year. Bookies have us as second favourite, but well see how go.

So, Brisbane has been acquiring numerous former members of Glasgow Rangers, Celtic’s bitter rival, including Craig Moore, Charlie Miller, and most recently Bob Malcolm. Is this a conscious decision by the Roar’s leadership? Does the Roar support have any leanings towards Celtic or Rangers?

I don’t think it’s a conscious decision. Many retiring or ageing players have spoken of their interest in the A-league. I think it’s just been easier to negotiate with ex-Rangers players due to the influence from Miller and Moore. This may also be seen as a good move as it makes the players settling down in Australia, much easier. There is no affiliation or leanings to a certain club, I don’t think, it’s just the way things have panned out. Celtic enjoys a big following in Australia and in Brisbane too.

Scott McDonald will be the home-town bhoy coming home in this match. Does the Brisbane community still keep up with McDonald’s career? Is there any buzz about the home-town McDonald coming home with the famous Celtic FC?

We do follow McDonald’s career. It’s been sad as he has not yet scored or shone on the international stage, so for the football fan who only watches the Socceroos or A-league games, they would probably question the hype. Having said that, the keen football follower knows just how big a player and asset he is. We are looking forward to seeing many Celtic players, including Samaras, Mcgeady, Boruc et al.

It’s a bit of a pity as the game is so close to State of Origin. It’s a rugby league tradition going back almost 3 decades. This is a really big event in Queensland and New South Wales and unfortunately with the current series being record breaking and on the cusp of a whitewash, the media have not been too kind to the upcoming Roar-Celtic clash. Adverts are visible in the city, but the media has been very poor with their coverage of the clash and I am yet to see a news article on TV regarding the match. Despite all this, I can guarantee the fans will be out in force for the game and im hoping to see a see of green and orange.

Thoughts on the Australian League? It has seemed to rise in prominence around the world with the continued success of the Socceroos, games being broadcasted on channels like Fox Soccer Channel, and blogs like yours. Would you agree there’s been a rise in the league and what do you see for the future of club soccer in Australia?

The Australian League is very young and yes it is rising every year. Clubs are reporting increased memberships and fans are taking more note of football. The biggest problem to football is the media. Despite getting games on Fox Sports, that is all you get. You get the live games of EPL or A-league and a highlights package and then one magazine show for an hour on each league. These all take place over a 3-4 day period. The timing of the shows is also very poor and is usually very late. It’s not very good for these sports. The journalists in this country have not been kind to the sport at all. They try to knock it back at every possible opportunity. They are much rugby and AFL orientated and this is very damaging for the sport. It’s been a problem as we as fans are not getting the coverage we deserve and the sport is suffering in terms of growth. The buzz world cup time as amazing, all people could talk about was football, but the media tried to knock it down once the buzz passed and its making people forget just what it means to the world and how big the sport it. The fans and people will always know the game is there and has the potential to grow, but until the media start to realise that there is room for football and they need to face up to the fact that its here and its getting bigger, we wont see much major growth as wed like. It’s crucial to have the media change especially if we want to host the 2018 or 2022 world cup.

What’s the supporter culture like in Australia? Is it similar to any supporters in another country, or does it have its own unique style?

Sports are what people in Australia live for. Having said that, the football culture is not like anywhere else is the world. It is still very young and growing. You won’t see as much passion as other nations and due tot strict stadium laws, no musical instruments can be brought it and there are many prohibited things, which limit the atmosphere in the stadium. Our stadiums are big, but crowds are still growing, so the atmosphere is not as big or great as other nations, but its still worth every cent. It’s always growing and moving forward, and I think it’s only a matter of time before the football culture we see in Europe and Africa take over here in Australia.

In general, sports culture is strong. Fans are very passionate for their teams and you often see banter on the fields. Being the opposition is not always the best thing and you may end up hearing things you never want to, but its all the fans passion and emotion. It does have a unique style in that we like to do things more laid back in a sense, but we still have as much passion.

Finally, thoughts and predictions for the upcoming match against Celtic. What do you think the score will be and who do you think will be the Man of the Match for the Roar?

I must admit, I have a soft spot for Celtic, so I think I would be a happy for a draw. Ideally though, it’s best for the Roar and football in this country if the Roar won the game, especially if it were high scoring. Players to watch out for, hard to say, the Roar have many young players who can do a lot on the ball; Man of the Match would probably come from a Celtic player, possibly one of the defenders if they can handle the young pacy Roar players.

Special thanks to Ahmed for taking time to answer some questions. Good to see Celtic trying to expand to new markets, especially with Naka moving on. Good luck to the Roar Sunday and the rest of the season. If you want, Ahmed picked my brain on some Celtic matters for the Roar blog, so check that out here!