Frank Lowy refuses to be goaded into a tabloid-sized battle with the human headline, Clive Palmer. If you want to know what the FFA chairman thinks about the state of the game, you'll have to buy a ticket to Melbourne Heart's business luncheon at the Crown Casino on Tuesday. Palmer is unlikely to get a mention by name, but some of the issues he has raised might get an airing. They need to. It's not what Palmer has said, but why he's said it, which warrants Lowy's close attention.

Lowy understands he's got to start listening a lot closer to what the owners say. Quarantine Palmer from that discussion for now. Lowy attempted to contact the maverick Gold Coast United owner last week, just as things were heating up. He got brushed.

"Lowy understands he's got to start listening a lot closer to what the owners say." Credit:Nic Walker

That doesn't mean they won't be talking at some stage. It just means Lowy's focus, for the time being, has shifted elsewhere. But there's a sense of urgency all the same.

Inverse to the optimism surrounding the way the A-League has bounced back this season - crowds, ratings and memberships are all up significantly - is the pessimism among those who pay the bills. Lowy recognises the owners are unhappy, which is why he's embarked on a listening tour. Just how unhappy they are might surprise him.