Now is a pivotal juncture for Sydney FC: when the club has to determine whether they will undergo transformational change, or maintain the status quo.
It is significant because a decision must finally be made as to whether they will continue to rely only on results to determine success, or also on other factors, such as how the team performs and develops.
Four seasons have passed since Sydney FC last won a trophy, and this is principally because while others have worked to develop an underlying philosophy that guides recruitment and the daily work, the Sky Blues have not moved on from the week-to-week proposition they have always been.
Critically, this is the season that Sydney FC fans stepped forward to let the hierarchy know they wanted more than simply chasing three points, week by week. They wanted a new brand of football to enjoy, one that was sophisticated enough to also bring results in the medium term, but that was consistent with the aspirational club brand.
It is a big challenge for everyone at the club simply because, although the season was never characterised by stability or consistency of performances, the final result can be read in a positive light.
Although finishing in fifth position, Sydney were only three points behind cross-city rivals, the Wanderers, in second. They scored six more goals than the competition runners-up and were the league’s fourth-best attack. Yet, while forty goals were scored at almost 1.5 per game, the thrill of watching great football was intermittent, at best.
One of the leakiest defences proved their downfall with the most losses of any team above the bottom three. They were, very simply, constantly up and down in both performance and outcome.
Putting aside for the moment the fact that a Sydney fan would expect the team to fight until the last day for the league title, there was an added expectation on the club, given its salary expenditure, which was greater than every other club. Sydney were not alone in failing to live up to expectations, however, with the Roar so far out in front, though when it came to the chasing pack, they were right in the mix.
This is why it is so important the club not only questions what are its points and positional expectations, but also what are its football expectations.
Whereas the Roar continued to thrill, as did Adelaide with some spectacular football, and the Victory maintained a strong attack that was brilliant to watch, Sydney vacillated between standout performances, such as the five-goal thrashing of Victory, and tepid matches with barely something to cheer.
And this was the major turning point this season: when the fans finally came to the realisation that they should be able to expect something more than a hard-fought three points. They wanted to know that turning up to Allianz meant thrilling football. This certainty will add 10,000 to the crowd average in the next two years.
The football community is far more savvy than ever before, and this has raised the bar for every club and the coaches they appoint. Whereas before a poor performance could be brushed aside with some oblique and clever post-match comments, today there is nowhere to hide.
Every game is dissected, analysed and discussed, and every decision is laid bare, with the net effect of this being higher expectations on the part of fans.
Additionally, as successive clubs create an identity – with Adelaide the latest to develop a clear model of play and approach to every game – Sydney fans will only intensify their inquiries and focus their efforts.
This is fantastic because it is the fans who will ultimately put pressure on the club to take a different approach.
In this context, Frank Farina's future should be assessed on the basis of both the season’s results and performances – with regard to how the style of play suits the club in the future – and whether he is capable of delivering the football required to set Sydney's support for the Sky Blues alight.
Only the club can point out that the components the Sydney FC coach must demonstrate are greater in number and importance than ever before.
The club showed admirable courage in recruiting Alessandro Del Piero at a time when they were haemorrhaging money, and the bold decision paid off for both the league and the club.
As the A-League's last big club that, as yet, possesses no clear football identity, now is the time when equally grand and transformational decisions will have to be made.
