Ever since Lowy succeeded his father Frank in the top job some 18 months ago the duo have become the punchbags of the soccer world - easy fall-guys for all that ails the game.

And in fairness, they have made themselves a target over a number of issues, particularly:

• a failure to grasp the expansion nettle to liven up the A-League;
• a lack of boldness and a failure to inspire with their vision of the game's future;
• an enervating dullness - particularly Lowy - in the rhetoric they use when talking about policy and plans.

Eloquence isn't a necessary prerequisite for a chairman, as history tells us there are plenty of brilliant speakers in all facets of life who promise the earth, generate wild enthusiasm and deliver little.

However, at at a time when critics are pointing to boredom with the 10-team format of the A-League and stagnating crowd growth (match attendances are just about on a par with last season), a little fire and brimstone might stir up the troops a little.

No wonder that spotfires have broken out all over their patch as impatient fans, frustrated investors, ambitious clubs and those advocating for transparency in governance and stronger marketing to engage the grass roots flex their muscles.

The biggest problem Gallop faces, after four years in the job, is that he rarely sounds like a genuine football enthusiast.

He has plenty of runs on the board as a sports administrator, and is a lawyer with many years' experience in the sporting field.

But his appointment - when he was poached from the NRL in 2012 - was a surprise as he had never been publicly identified as a supporter of soccer.

Yes, he advocates in public fora on behalf of the game.

He argues in its favour in negotiations with the government at state and federal level.

And he talks up the massive potential of the number of kids playing the sport and why they should be a marketing bonanza for any companies smart enough to engage with the game.

In short, he is always professional in his prosecution of the job.

But try as he might, he rarely sounds like a dedicated supporter of the game - the sort of bloke who would set his alarm for 4.45am to get up to watch Real Madrid v Bayern Munich or Juventus take on Barcelona in a Champions League game.

He is not unique.

He is merely following in a line of succession of administrators picked by Frank Lowy, who appointed John O'Neill (Rugby Union) and Ben Buckley (AFL) before they hired Gallop from the NRL in November 2012.

It was almost as if Lowy senior thought that employing anyone who had skin in the sport, who was a lifelong fan, who might have understood its nuances and the issues that were discussed by fans up and down the country, would be a bad look.

Whenever Gallop does depart - and I have no idea whether or not he will wish to extend his contract, which expires at the end of 2018 or if the FFA will want him to stay - it might then be time for the game's governing body to try and hire a CEO who might know a bit more about the game than the trio who have held the role during the Lowy (father and son) era.

That's not to criticise them or their skill-set, but its hard to imagine the AFL employing a CEO who had never played footy or been interested in it, nor one of the major state racing bodies choosing a CEO who had never had a bet or been to the races.

O'Neill did a terrific job in establishing the A-League, even if his one team/one town model might have been a little restrictive.

He eventually was succeeded by Buckley, who did his best trying to manage up to Lowy senior's World Cup dreams which sucked up so much of the game's time, energy and money and ensured that so many other aspects of its management were placed on hold.

One thing in Gallop's favour is that he and his negotiating team might have done a much better job than anyone thought at the time in getting a $346 million broadcasting deal from Fox Sports.

That certainly looks to be the case given the stunning lack of interest in covering the sport reportedly being shown by the free-to-air broadcasters.

Fairfax Media's The Australian Financial Review reported last week that the FFA had failed to tempt Seven, Nine or Ten into bidding for the rights to one live A-League game a week and a portfolio of other matches, including Socceroos games.

According to the Financial Review, the three big commercial networks had "baulked at some FFA requirements such as having to pay Fox Sports $2 million in annual production costs."

The newspaper did, however, suggest that Telecoms behemoth Telstra might have lodged a bid for streaming rights to available content.

The FFA pointedly said the day after that the AFR story was "not accurate".

But when contacted for an explanation of where the publication's story was wrong on Friday, the game's governing body stonewalled, saying they couldn't give any detailed explanations because talks were still going on.

That hasn't, of course, stopped a storm of rumour and, of course, criticism of head office, where such tactics are merely regarded as further evidence of a lack of transparency and a tendency to obfuscate and keep fans in the dark.

The Financial Review suggested that the ABC might now be a contender for the FTA rights, and in some ways that might not be the worst outcome.

The public broadcaster doesn't have the treasure chest that some of the commercial networks do, but it does at least have a national footprint. Nor does it show very much sport these days, having been outbid for almost everything by richer rivals.

Why not just give away the limited FTA rights to the national broadcaster? Instead of getting money up front, get guarantees that the games will be shown on the main channel, at prime time, and that the ABC will get behind the support with cross-promotional activities across its television, online and radio platforms.

The trade-off for a small sum of money would be national exposure on a station at the top of the remote control dial, a network that is trusted and could build a constituency for the future.

Broadcasting rights are just one unresolved issue faced by Lowy and Gallop.

The ongoing dispute with the A-League clubs is not going away either as talk of a breakaway in some form or other, most likely with some FFA approval, continues to bubble along.

FIFA is also continuing to monitor events closely here as it looks for evidence that Lowy is genuinely interested in making the FFA Congress, its policy making body, more transparent and accountable with a much wider franchise than it currently boasts.

The clubs and the state federations who are backing them believe that the continued stalling over a deal to change the numbers on the Congress is solely because the FFA wants to retain an iron grip over all revenue streams and policy settings for the game.

The lack of hope over expansion, the failure to yet engage in serious debate over the question of a national second division and promotion and relegation and the stand off between the clubs and some powerful state federations over governance, particularly the issue of an independent A-League, will continue.

Lowy and Gallop will need thick skins to cover them through what may be a winter of increasing discontent.