A-League news: Robbie Slater on Brisbane Roar’s demise from powerhouse to battler

Brisbane Roar have been run into the ground by penny-pinching owners, who deserve scorn for transforming a powerhouse into a battler, writes ROBBIE SLATER.

Brisbane Roar Robbie Slater art

It’s arguably the A-League’s greatest tragedy – the demise of the once mighty Brisbane Roar.

The Roar were once the toast of Australian football, playing a style and brand never before seen in this country. Their team included Thomas Broich and Besart Berisha, the best one-two combination in the competition’s history.

Apart from the “Killer Bs”, the Roar squad of that golden era also included the likes of Matt McKay, Matt Smith, Jade North, Mitch Nichols, Erik Paartalu, Henrique, Michael Theo, Kosta Barbarouses, Luke Brattan … pardon me if I’ve left anybody out but it was a huge list of talent that wore the orange jersey.

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Super coach Ange Postecoglou started the “Roar” revolution, and mentors including Mike Mulvey, Socceroos hero John Aloisi and Robbie Fowler, one of the biggest names in world football, have carried on the legacy with varying degrees of success.

The club’s home ground was Australia’s best rectangular football venue – Suncorp Stadium ­– which in a four-year-period hosted three grand finals, all of which the Roar won, played in front of packed houses of more than 50,000 people.

Captain Matt McKay and coach Ange Postecoglou led Roar through a period of dominance.

But that was then. Now the Roar are a shadow of what they were, on and off the field, and the only ones to blame for that are the club’s owners, the Bakrie Group. They have let this once proud club that was at one stage the flag-bearer for Australian football become a complete joke.

And what’s disturbing is that representatives of the Bakrie Group are among those that now run the A-League. It’s a terribly bad look for the Australian Professional Leagues, who control the competition.

The problem with clubs being in charge of the A-League is there is no one to hold them accountable for the damage they are causing the game.

Ange Postecoglou has gone on to manage the Socceroos and Celtic.

Brisbane Roar have become a shadow of their former selves.

The Roar are a perfect example. The Bakrie Group run the club on the tightest of budgets, which is obvious with the team they are putting on the park. And that’s no disrespect to coach Warren Moon, who is doing the best he can when the Bakrie Group appears to be saving money rather than spending what’s needed to turn the club into a force again.

Their decision to abandon Suncorp Stadium and play at a suburban rugby league ground in Redcliffe ­– which isn’t even in Brisbane – seems to be purely a selfish one to allow them to save money. It shows no regard for their fans and it’s anything but a surprise crowds are low. Add to that their decision to make their training base at the home of the Gold Coast Suns AFL team is a further slap in the face to the fans and the Brisbane community.

What are the owners trying to do? Do they care about the club, and football in Queensland and Australia? The quicker the Bakrie Group is gone from the Roar and the A-League, the better.