An open letter to fans of NWSW
Hey NWSW fans, are you really vying to sack your coach 9 games into the season, after you thought you won the league 3 games in? The infighting, reports of toxic culture within the club? Well well well how tables have turned…
But you’ve got it all wrong. Your early success has ironically set you up for failure. When you started you performed above all expectations at a time we were the easybeats of the league. Having contested 3 Grand Finals in your first 4 seasons (and fluking the ACL in the season you didn’t make the GF), you fooled yourselves into thinking you were going to dominate the league.
When you seemed not to put a foot wrong and we seemed to falter with every step, most of your fellow fans believed you would overtake us on titles within a few short years (which was just 1 league win and 2 toilet seats at the time), continue your derby dominance over us (with 3 wins in the first 5 derbies) and very soon become the biggest and most successful club in the land.
Well that’s where you went wrong. Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory will always be the big 2 clubs in this league with the biggest expectations and most titles. This won’t change in your life time.
You need to realise that you are the new Adelaide. They are the team that plays in a boutique stadium with a small but moderately passionate fan base (even vociferous if they ever find themselves 3-0 up in a game), with a history of punching well above their weight in the ACL.
Adelaide fans do not expect to compete for the title every season. They want to see some reasonably entertaining football, witness some mildly exciting close games, celebrating their occasional win vs their biggest rival Melbourne Victory and fondly reminisce over that win until the next one comes along in a few years. They want to finish in the top 6 most seasons, and hope to give the finals a good crack, but are not disappointed when they are knocked out in week 1, with fans speaking about how much fun they had that season and hope to do it all again after the 6 month off-season.
The sooner you realise this, the better. Sure you lost 5 in a row and haven’t won in 6 games since your miracle derby win, but Babbel is a good coach for a club of your stature and was unlucky not to draw a game or two during the streak. I really hope you re-evaluate where you want to be as a club, because you will enjoy your club and the football you watch so much more that way.
If you or other NWSW fans reading this could share it on your forum, that would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
A Sydney FC fan.
