Sydney FC is a team in denial. Another loss, another excuse. Is it any wonder the Cove, that dedicated core of supporters who back their team no matter what, have had enough.

They turned on $1.4m man John Aloisi (unfairly) and Sydney FC coach John Kosmina (justifiably) after a horrendous 4-1 home defeat against Perth Glory.

Aloisi was made the scapegoat for missing two unmissable chances just when Sydney needed their hit man to hit the target. But Sydney FC's problems run a lot deeper than Aloisi's lack of goals.

Aloisi's brother, Ross, perhaps nailed it when he spoke out in defence of John.

"I think the biggest problem is Sydney aren't playing good football," Aloisi told AAP, a pointed reference to Kosmina, his former coach at Adelaide United.

"You've got to look at the whole team and their tactics. When is it that you stop pointing a finger at a player and start pointing it at the way a team is playing."

You would expect Ross to support his brother and the fact is John is nowhere near his best. An in-form Aloisi will score goals no matter how badly Sydney is playing or is being coached.

The goals will come, perhaps too late for Sydney to resurrect its season, but a fit and sharp Aloisi can score 20 goals a season. With the exception of Archie Thompson, no other striker in the A-League comes close to matching him.

Yet, Kosmina substituted Aloisi after 55 minutes in the loss to Perth, presumably for those ghastly misses. You could never imagine Zoran Matic, the best ever coach of an Australian club, doing that to Damian Mori at Adelaide City.

"Damian needs 10 chances to score one goal," Matic, perhaps overstating his point, once said of the greatest ever NSL scorer.

And don't blame Aloisi for what Sydney is paying him. No one forced Sydney FC to make him the highest paid footballer of any code in Australia.

Frankly, there are only two current Socceroos worth anything like that figure - Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell. Players capable of scoring and creating goals and attracting a new crowd - genuine marquee players.

Which brings us to Kosmina. Sydney FC gave him what he wanted - not only the signing of Aloisi, at that bewildering $1.4m per season, but also three of the A-League's elite, Simon Colosimo, Mark Bridge and Stuart Musialik.

After a promising start to the season, the defeats and the excuses, and those testy press conference appearances, have been coming at regular intervals.

And so has the spin. Kosmina has talked up his team even when it is self evident they have been truly awful.

After a scratchy 1-1 home draw with Queensland Roar he insisted they had played "champagne football" for periods in the match.

If it was champagne it certainly wasn't the French variety.

And he hasn't been afraid to raise doubts about his opponents, as he did, remarkably, with Glory, despite the 4-1 thumping Perth inflicted.

Sometimes you have to admit the other team is better.

Sydney's season started to unravel after Central Coast, trailing 3-0, scored three goals in 15 minutes to force a 3-3 draw. Kosmina was in a foul mood when he left the pitch and he was cranky and defensive in the post match press conference.

A week later it was no surprise when Sydney, still carrying the baggage from the draw with the Mariners, lost 2-1 to Wellington Phoenix at the SFS.

And perhaps it was no surprise when Kosmina was embroiled in yet another post match disagreement, this time with a clearly agitated Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert.

In the following week there was another post-match blow-up when Sydney went down 2-0 to Adelaide. This time Kosmina blasted the referee for not stopping the game to allow treatment for a seriously injured Terry McFlynn. The Irishman was subsequently sent off for what he had said to the official while receiving treatment.

Sydney has won just once (against Newcastle) since that round 12 meeting with Adelaide, and Sydney and Kosmina's fate could be sealed when the teams meet again at Adelaide Oval on January 3.

In a season when Sydney was expected to win the championship (it still might) failing to qualify for the finals would be catastrophic for Sydney and a major blow for the A-League.

The A-League needs Sydney and Melbourne to thrive as much as the English Premier League needs Manchester United and Chelsea to succeed.

But whatever is wrong with Sydney, the new owners, yet to be installed, will need to sort them out quickly.

A whole new attitude is needed - from coaching staff and the players to the top - to win back the fans who have not returned since the inaugural season when Sydney FC won the premiership due in large part to the talismanic powers of Dwight Yorke.

Sydney FC need a coherent marketing and recruitment strategy to win back Sydney.

For a city of Sydney's size, Sydney FC should be filling the SFS.  Crowds of 10,000 are unacceptable.

Whatever Sydney and Kosmina have been doing it is not working.

How ironic that Sydney need look no further for a blue print than Kosmina's former club, Adelaide United. The Reds have still to win the A-League and fell just short in the Asian Champions League, but their "brand" is the strongest in Australian football (soccer).

But what has been so impressive about the Reds is that despite the many hurdles and obstacles they have had to endure in playing two competitions simultaneously, they have done so with barely a murmur of complaint.

They are a smart team, led by a smart coach, Aurelio Vidmar. It's time Sydney smartened up.