Go big or go home

Central Coast Mariners won the league last season on one of the lowest budgets in the league; Brisbane Roar won the Grand Final for the second year in a row without a marquee; Wellington Phoenix and Perth Glory have both advised their football departments that they will be operating within a reduced budget this season; the Newcastle Jets appear to be cutting staff left right and centre; if reports are to be believed Melbourne Heart only lost coach John Van't Schip because they asked him to take a pay cut, and a similar claim has been made about Carlos Hernandez's departure from Melbourne Victory. Why are clubs cutting back on spending just when the league appeared to be turning the corner?
The club owners would say they have lost enough money and that the cut backs are required to ensure the long term future of the league. They would argue that crowd numbers rose without star players last year and the best sides in the competition didn't have marquees, so following the trend is actually wise as well as making financial sense. They have a point.
The FFA would argue that having lost one club, and very nearly lost three others (Phoenix in pre-season, the Mariners throughout the season, and the Jets after the finals), leeway has to be given to clubs to cut costs. That a stable league is far more important to TV negotiations than potential increases in crowds could be in the coming season.
The reality is that whilst the owners shouldn't be expected to lose millions year after year, we are at a turning point in the history of the game. With a new TV deal being negotiated, a new club being launched, and after a season in which crowd numbers rose for the first time in years this is the last time we should be cutting costs. Now isn't the time to play safe, it's the time to speculate. A time to bring in the names, the entertainers, the flair players. Give the supporters the quality they crave, give the occasional fans players they've heard of and give the media something positive to focus on. If it doesn't work out and the TV deal is a flop, cut costs next year. It's just one more year of hurt, after seven of them can one more cause that much damage? It's time for the owners to go big or go home.