“Passion is not a crime” has long been a rallying cry for fans across the A-Leagues, and it’s a sentiment Brisbane Roar’s combative men’s coach Michael Valkanis clearly shares.
Love him or loathe him, Valkanis has done something we haven’t seen in years – made Brisbane Roar the talk of the competition.
It was Justin Vidic who came off the bench to nod home a dramatic winner in the 2-1 win over the Central Coast Mariners on New Year’s Eve – a result that fired the men’s side up to the dizzying heights of third ahead of a crucial run of summer holiday fixtures.
I said at the start of the season I expected Valkanis’ men to make the finals, and I’ve seen nothing in the ten competitive games since to make me change my mind.
Yes, the win in Gosford was tough going at times, but you don’t get extra points for style.
And having only lost twice so far this season – one of which was an unlucky 2-1 defeat to the Phoenix in Wellington – there’s no reason to think the men’s side can’t set their sights on the top of the ladder.
Has the team’s style of football rattled opponents this season? It obviously has.
Head coach Valkanis was sent off in Gosford, there was a fracas in the tunnel at half-time, and Mariners coach Warren Moon shared some strong words in the wake of his side’s last-gasp defeat.
And… so what?
How is that any different to the scenes we see in football leagues across the world every day?
“The game is about emotion, about passion,” Valkanis said in the press conference after the fractious win over the Mariners.
“If you’re going to be a wet fish and not understand that, what are you doing being part of it?”
It’s a fair question, and having already equalled last year’s win tally in just ten outings, it seems fair to state that Brisbane Roar’s new-found competitiveness has clearly caught some opponents by surprise.
“Maybe we need more passion in this league,” Valkanis told reporters in Gosford.
“Maybe that’s what’s missing.
“We’ve become very robotic, and everyone just plays the same way (and) talks the same way.”
I’m not sure we could necessarily accuse Giancarlo Italiano of that, with his Wellington Phoenix side remaining one of the most interesting opponents in the league.
They got a bit lucky in that 2-1 win in Wellington in late October, conceding the opener after a long ball over the top from James McGarry exposed their famously high defensive line.
But after former Roar man Carlo Armiento drove a dagger into visiting hearts with a dramatic stoppage-time winner, the stage is set for Valkanis’ men to exact revenge.
Best of all, they have the chance to do so in front of a raucous crowd in Redcliffe – who will hopefully stick around to catch the women’s game straight after.
Like the men’s team, Alex Smith’s side have won exactly half of this season’s fixtures going into their clash with Wellington Phoenix – although they went down 3-2 to the Mariners in a thriller on New Year’s Eve.
Smith will be disappointed to have seen his side lose that one, especially after the Roar fought back from an early deficit to take a deserved 2-1 lead – only to concede a scrappy equaliser in first-half stoppage time.
But with the visiting Phoenix currently in fifth place on the ladder, the locals have a chance to leapfrog them in the standings on what should be a pristine surface at Kayo Stadium.
Michael Valkanis won’t be able to take his usual place on the bench for the men’s clash after his red card in Gosford.
Yet there is no doubt his team will be fired up for the chance to climb even higher up the standings, with a couple of tough-looking fixtures against Melbourne City and Auckland FC looming on the horizon.
If fans in Brisbane wanted a more competitive outfit, they’ve got one.
In the words of Maximus from Gladiator – a movie I have no doubt Valkanis has seen once or twice over the years – “are you not entertained?”
Mike Tuckerman
About Mike Tuckerman: Mike is a freelance football journalist and long-time Brisbane Roar watcher. He has written for the ABC, The Guardian, Australian Football Weekly, Football Australia and theroar.com.au.
