Han Berger, Australia’s former national technical director, called them ‘match-winners’. In terms of trying to develop and nurture the talents of young players, he was referring to those with rare technical and creative gifts who, by one small deed or more, can win you a game.
He would consider, for example, Perth Glory’s Danny de Silva a ‘match-winner’. Adelaide United’s Awar Mabil the same.
I call them lock-pickers, for their ability to open gates through the most resolute and organised of defences.
But where are they in the A-League? In terms of numbers, they are as rare as hen’s teeth.
Despite the colour of my hair, I am not one of those common garden old-timers who, high on nostalgia, reckon everything in the old days was better than now. But I have to say I miss the commanding match-winners and lock-pickers we had in the National Soccer League.
The NSL, through its years, was riddled with them. At various times almost every team had at least one.
How many majestic, commanding midfielders do we now have like Zarko Odzakov? Or Kresimir Marusic?
Where is the latest Manis Lamond, whose close control and blistering pace cut channels through defences with astonishing ease?
Do we have a front man like Dez Marton, maybe the best all-dimensional front man our game has ever seen? Or a Zlatko Nastevski, who once scored seven goals in a game for Marconi?
Do you remember Vince Estavillo, a socks-down Uruguayan who once commanded Sydney Olympic’s midfield? Is there one like him in the A-League? Or Peter Katholos whose capacity to turn a game, not to mention his elegance, were monuments to what Australian football could produce?
Has the A-League had too many imports like Roberto Vieri? The answer is no.
The Melbourne Knights once had the super-exciting, teenage Mark Viduka. But they also had Zeljko Adzic. What a player? Some people forget.
And what about Marshall Soper, Mr Entertainment, with his capacity to dominate games and create controversy? We scarcely have such a drawcard today.
And big John Markovski, he of the soft, silky feet.
Memories talk to us about Kenny Boden, Agenor Muniz, John Kosmina, at his peak, and young attractions like Frank Farina, Paul Okon and Ned Zelic. And Oscar Crino, he whose qualities the Socceroos midfield does not possess even today.
The A-League does have its smatterings of crowd pleasers and lock-pickers, among them Thomas Broich, Besart Berisha, Fahid Ben Khalfallah, and now Marc Janko. Indeed Archie Thompson, for all his years, remains one of the most attractive players today and I would cross the street to see him play any day.
But there are too few of them. We, the fans, need and want more.
The obvious question is, are we producing or importing the right kind of players, special players who have the capacity to please crowds and woo us all with their gifts to create and beguile?
I crave for this every day. Whenever I see Josep Gombau preparing to send Mabil into a game I am filled with a sense of excitement, for the kid always does something special that stirs my blood.
I want Archie Thompson to start every game and I don’t care how old he is. There is no one like Archie to engender anticipation.
We have a fine league. It is more mature, more tactically modern, quicker and more professional than we have ever had.
But it also needs to excite and entertain. This is one area where some work needs to be done.
It could, of course, all be because of the way of the modern game, where functionality and work rate are everything while invention is not encouraged and, in some quarters, the dribble is outlawed.
I just wish it wasn’t so.
