Robbie Slater: New chief James Johnson starts with a whimper when the game needed a bang

It was supposed be Australian football’s moment to give the fans something concrete as to when the game would emerge from its enforced hiatus, but new chief executive James Johnson didn’t deliver with the spot kick.

This was James Johnson’s big chance to start with a bang — but I’m afraid all we got was a whimper.

This COVID-19 situation wasn’t of his making, of course, but the much-anticipated Football Federation Australia media release on Thursday left me — and I’m sure many fans — disappointed and frustrated that no concrete date has been set for a proposed restart to the A-League after the enforced hiatus.

“As soon as possible” was as good as we got from the recently appointed CEO as the FFA ran through the criteria that need to be satisfied before a firm date could be set.

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Many fans are saying how can that be since the NRL and potentially the AFL have specific dates?

Unlike the other codes, football doesn’t have to reschedule the lion’s share of a season. The A-League only has a few rounds to go, along with the finals series.

Although there are the obvious negatives, I am thinking and hoping there is a positive in the fact that a date can’t be given, as just maybe there are negotiations still going on with Fox Sports about how not only the finish of this season might look, but the shape of next season as well.

James Johnson missed a great opportunity to hit the ground running in new position.

There has been quite a bit written and said recently that Fox Sports are ready to walk away from the contract that has another three years to run. Some have even said that this would be a good thing for the A-League. Really?

Fox has even been portrayed as one of the problems in the game. Really? Even declaring that I am employed by Fox Football as a commentator and analyst, consider this:

Fact: If Fox didn’t jump on board 15 years ago, there would never have been a competition.

Fact: Fox has poured in over half a billion dollars in that time.

Fact: Every game has been on live.

Fact: The production has been as good as anywhere else in the world.

Would I say that Fox in the past couple of years has become frustrated and disappointed with the direction the game has taken? Yes, definitely, and why would they have been happy?

Johnson has strong belief from the clubs that he can drag the game out of this crisis.

Fact: There was a bitter war between the clubs and the FFA that dragged on for two years. It culminated in the departure of the family that had saved the game 15 years ago.

Fact: During this time there was little or no advertising of the competition.

Fact: Only Melbourne Victory signed a marquee.

Fact: Ratings declined as people became sick of the disunity between nearly every faction within the game.

I believe James Johnson has what it takes to pull the game through this crisis.

I have heard that everyone is now behind the FFA, the clubs and their owners and the states stand behind the new chief executive, and this will need to be the case because for so long now it hasn’t been clear who is running the game.

Johnson has to convince Fox and other partners that the game is now unified and that there is a plan moving forward.

In the public eye, though, he needs to cut through as the game’s new shining light. Let’s make a date for that.

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