How are the roar doing
They’re due off in an hour. Top of a very congested table.
Wanderers currently doing the Poznan. My taxes are paying for these westies to NOT watch a game. Shit cunts.
If it’s Surry Hills and a few selected eastern suburbs, then yes, by golly, the city is yours.It’s just the other 5 million people who live in the rest of the city that don’t like you.
@Little_Lord_Fauntleroy Roar got hammered by Perth 6-3 yesterday.
This is the league no one wants to win seemingly.
Everytime WSW, Victory or the Roar get on top, they seem to have all developed an unnerring inability to put daylight between themselves and the chasing pack.
How Melbourne Victory are 5th, with that attacking unit is beyond me. Roar can be brilliant, but only against lesser teams. WSW are exciting and dangerous one minute, brittle and stupid the next.
Adelaide and Perth are both on a roll (Adelaide were propping up the table after Round 6, now they’re third) and will have a huge say in finals procedings. To the extent that I can see Perth knocking Eastern Suburbs Sydney out of the finals. Yes, Eastern Suburbs have the meanest defence in the league, despite that horse Jermain playing for them,. They also have the most draws and have scored as many goals as those useless fucks the Central Coast Mariners. In other words, Eastern Suburbs couldn’t score in one of the many many brothels in their catchment area.
If Melbourne Citeh could stop leaking goals, they’d win this at a canter. They play the best football, have the two best footballers and are a joy to watch. Their inevitable destruction of us last night was enjoyable once I accepted it. I sincerely hope they win the whole fucking thing, but they’re probably a couple of years off that. I still think Victory can do it and have the cojones necessary.
Ladder here:
http://www.a-league.com.au/ladder/a_league
Injury of the season - our brilliant full back Storm Roux, managed to break his leg and dislocate his shoulder in one go last night, I can’t watch this, but here goes:
Title will be staying in Melbourne. City have the 2 best players in the league with Fornaroli and Moy. Fornaroli is the best I’ve seen in the league. But yeah at the back they are terrible, but the defending in the whole league is terrible. Central Coast are as bad a team I’ve seen at the back. I’d imagine there are better defensive units playing in the State League then them. As I said before Arnie has turned Sydney into a bore. That Fatty is fuck useless at the back, no football in him at all.
Victory should still win it. $6.50 is not a bad price. Don’t underestimate the loss of Milligan for the Victory. They will always be good going forward with what they have, but Milligan was a safeguard for them last year.
Yeah, Bozanic was the wrong choice to replace him, he’s not a holding midfielder.
Problem with CCM is that the backs we have are pretty much from the state leagues, Harry Ascroft and Jake McGing were both NPL players. Josh Rose at 34 is past it, Poscoleiro is very good, but has a new defensive partner every week.I’m led to believe they do fuck all work in training on defending and it shows. The defending this year has been absolutely clueless, no organization, the same mistakes being repeated time and time again. Have a look when someone bombs down our left flank and crosses. Both our central defenders and even Roux at right full all move towards the attacker, leaving a hole the size of Cavan in the box for attackers to run into and latch onto the cross with loads of space. No one holds their position and defends the cross. It’s happened time and again this season.That’s just one example, something I would expect an U12’s manager to cut out at half time in a club game. We can’t clear. We do not retain possession under any circumstances. It’s meant to be this entertaining bullshit, but it’s not. The plan is to get the ball and hoof it up the wing in the hope that Austin or Ferreira with their pace can get a break. We never hold the ball, we never ask questions. It’s a far sight from the football we played up to two years ago, which was based on possession, passing and a very organised defence. I don’t blame the players. Walmsley is to blame, the clueless pommy git.
Sydney media are pissing me off big time. All the talking coming up to the game was all about trouble this and trouble that. They are just pissed off now that A League is doing so well and football will be number one sport soon ahead of league. Attendance at the NRL in Sydney last season was terrible. The final last year was the only game in Sydney to reach over 35,000. 2 Sydney derbies have been over 40,000. An all Sydney Preliminary Final or Grand Final will have to be played at ANZ.
It’s an easy headline isn’t it? “Flares” sell papers, especially when set off by thugs from western Sydney (the unwritten context of course being Muslim thugs). Will no one think of the children? Even though the children are sitting in the stands, nowhere near the odd flare, which is more likely to (hopefully) blow the hand off the moron setting it off. 10 years of going to A League games, I have yet to encounter any unpleasantness, other than the odd Newcastle supporter.
I didn’t know that about the NRL attendance figures, though it’s not surprising. Given the behaviour of NRL players, anything that happens at A League games is small pototoes.
How many kids play rugby league now compared to football? 2/10ths of fuck all that’s how many. Of the 30 or so mates my young fella has, 2 play rugby league. Pretty much everyone plays football, the odd one AFL. In Vic or SA in fairness it is different, huge amounts of kids play AFL, but still huge amounts of them play football as well. Rugby League is dying. The question is whether football can survive the incompetancy of the FFA and their impressions of killing it at birth at times.
BTW, you were joking about that last sentence weren’t you?
Why would it have to be played at the SFS? Surely they would get over 55,000 at ANZ if they are getting 40,000 for a league game?
Drive by Queens Park on a Sunday and see the popularity of soccer, it’s ridiculous
I meant you are speculating that Sydney FC would make the grand final, never mind the finals, this year.
We’ve just gotten our draw for NPL Youths for this season, thirty games, March 6 - September 24. 13 year olds playing more games than the A League season. Not only is it popular, it’s taken very bloody seriously in some quarters. We started back training in November and we’ve played 4 trial games so far.
So four rounds left, four teams with a chance of winning the premiership, WSW, Brisbane Roar, Adelaide United and Mlebourne City. After a few stumbles recently, Roar fairly came good last weekend, thumping Melbourne Victory 5-0, Jamie McLaren outstanding again. Melbourne City actually kept a clean sheet beating the in form Adelaide 1-0. Cracking game tonight between Roar and Citeh which will go a long way to deciding things. Very hard to predict a winner as all four teams are in great form. Citeh are great to watch, especially Bruno Fornarolli, with his 20 goals so far.
Perth Glory sit fifth and while they may not win it, they’re a very good chance to be in the top six at the end. Melbourne Victory have gone to shit, which is suprising, though should make the finals. Which leaves the big question of what the fuck is happening at Sydney FC? They were abject against Wellington last Saturday, 3-0 down after 37 minutes. Haven’t won in the last 8 games in the A League, then they go and beat South Korea’s Pohang Steelers (3 times Asian champs) away during the week. Sydney have fuck all up front and a defence that looks like they only get introduced to each other 2 minutes before kick off. Not a very Graham Arnold like team. They are in serious danger now of missing the finals, especially given Perth’s rise in recent weeks and the knives will be out for Arnold then.
If I had to give a prediction, it would be Brisbane to win the whole thing, enough experience there with some brilliant attackers to do it.
The Central Coast Mariners won the wooden spoon for the first time in our history last weekend with four rounds left. Against Perth, two players sent off (including Luis Garcia). We are a pathetic facsimilie of the club we once were. An owner who clearly wants to move the club and a coach with a secure job despite 17 losses out of 23 as he’s the ultimate yes man. I fear for our future.
Andy Keogh is a superstar in this league 
1 Like
Thoughts on the up coming season @Fitzy ? Haven’t been following the offseason much. Wonder what this Bobo lad is like. Is Bulut is back with WSW. Cahill will be good to watch even though he’s obviously past it. What’s the Craic with this team in the gong? Will they get the go ahead next year?
Phoenix should be good to watch next year.
See Mooy has made a good start in the championship
Bobo apparently played with Holosko previously, so that’s good for them. The biggest thing for Sydney is getting Ibini back, he’ll terrorise defences again. They were awful last year up front, so they needed some decent strikers. Tavares and Faty, who are both good players, but clearly uninterested last season have moved to CCM, which I’m very happy about, but Sydney have gained Alex Wilkinson, which I’m not happy about as I wanted him back at CCM. . He’s a great signing for them.Great goalkeeper signing as well in Danny Vukovic. They should make the finals, but Sydney won’t be anywhere near winning it.
Melbourne Victory have lost Barbarouses and Finkler to Phoenix, huge losses, though they’ve gained James Troisi. Victory are the club who should be winning the league every year, they’re seething after a terrible season and will be like wounded animals. Reflective of their coach of course. They could well be the winners through sheer nastiness.
Champions Adelaide have lost a few significant players, Pablo Sanchez, Craig Goodwin, Bruce Kamau and Bruce Djite. Haven’t signed anyone of note as yet. They’re all decent players and they’ll struggle without them.
Phoenix will be better with the new signings, may make the finals, but are no great threat.
Perth got rid of a few fringe players and no great change there, they signed Smijanic from Maccabi who’s supposed to be decent, maybe @mickee321 knows? I like Kenny Lowe, the depressed northern englishman. He’s a dour fucker, but he’s been building a decent team at Perth who play surprisingly nice football despite his demeanour. They actually look like a team as well, not a collection of individuals and seem to have a real spirit about them. I’d have them as the dark horses for the league this year.
Newcastle are shite, discount them.
WSW – well, their U13’s Academy team drew 2-2 with Fitzy Jnr’s Academy team last Sunday, Tony Popovic’s son scoring a hotly contested equalizer, should have been a free on the keeper and the other goal ruled offside against us when our winger was 2 metres on was ridiculous, but I’m not bitter. Much. As to their HAL team, they’ve had their annual clear out and lost Romeo Castalen, Mark Bridge, Andreu, Alberto and Dario Vidisic, so looking light in attack. They’ve signed a few foreigners that no one’s heard of and the underrated Jacob Melling but pretty underwhelming in the market, unless one of the foreign players are brilliant. Oh and Bullut is back. If he doesn’t end up dead in a drive by shooting in Punchbowl, he could be brilliant for them. He’s a complete headcase of course, but fuck he’s a good striker. Finals, but won’t win it.
Brisbane Roar have signed Thomas Kristensen who has 11 caps for Norway and played a few seasons for FC Copenhagen, he’s 33 but could be decent. Most of us had never heard of one of the greatest players in the HAL, Patrick Zwaanswijk before he came here. They’ve lost the wonderful Henrique and that useless fucker Polenz and after that, they have signed virtually no one. Probably because the players don’t actually get paid at Roar. Financial issues still in the background and apparently a bust up leading to many rumours of John Aloisi’s exit in the close season, don’t seem to be a happy camp, but in saying that, they always play good football and you never discount them. One positive for them is that Shane Stefanuto has retired an utterly useless fucker. Maybe @Little_Lord_Fauntleroy can throw them a few bob.
Melbourne City – they have to win the HAL very soon. They have the best (current) player in the league in Bruno Fornaroli, who is just brilliant to watch. They have the best kit and the most money. But they’ve lost the best (previously) player in the HAL in Aaron Mooy, who I predict great things for. They’ve also lost their two central defenders in their captain Patrick Kisnorbo (retired) and Alex Wilkinson (Sydney) which is a huge loss to them. Harry Novillo has also left to go to Turkey. So significant players have gone and essentially the spine of the team. Much will be needed from former Mariners Nick Fitzgerald and Antont Caceres. They’ve signed Luke Bratten which is a plus and Josh Rose, one of my favourites from the Mariners, who’s a great left back, but is 35 years old. They’ve also signed some Argie bloke, Brandan. Oh yeah, and Tim Cahill. I don’t particularly like Cahill, I think he’s a spoilt child, but he’s a fucking good footballer and despite his age, seems totally fit. He wants to be in Russia in 2018. I don’t quite see however how you play him and Fornaroli together. The entire team should be built around getting the ball to Fornaroli and I can see Timmy having big strops when he doesn’t get the limelight, he’s very sensitive to being disrespected. I think they’ve lost too many players to challenge this year.
As to our beloved Mariners. Oh Christ do I have to? We don’t have a manger, the next one will probably be a disaster. We’ve signed Faty, Tavares and Connor Pain, so that’s good. But if we don’t get the wooden spoon, it will be a successful season.
So I’ll predict a competitive season, with Perth Glory to win it, which is probably the kiss of death for them.
We’re on teetering ground at CCM, I can see us not existing as an HAL club soon. Wollongong Wolves have a great organization and many friends, so there is a puch for them, in conjunction with Sutherland Football Association, the biggest in the country. Could well happen and sooner than we think.
2 Likes
My sources tell me Teddy Sheringham is on his way to Aus to manage the Newcastle Jets scum after they mysteriously sacked their manager whatshisname Miller the other week.
That Miller lad was a fucking tosser
Rojas looks to be sharp. thought when he left he would have been capable of making it. Injuries done him though.