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A-League Mens 25/26 - Round 9

someguyjc said:
Everyone is too busy. Weekend before Xmas is not the smartest choice for this fixture.
I reckon they should have it on Boxing day. They would pick up some extra ticket sales from the cricket crowd. Same as they do when the AO is on.
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Disagree. Before Xmas is far more preferable as people will be on holiday after Xmas day. And besides, we have hit 23,000+ for the Xmas derby 10 times out of 14. I don't see any reason to change.

Also, if we wanna benefit from the boxing day test crowd, then we should be playing a home game against a smaller pulling team like a CCM or a Wellington on Boxing Day. No need to a marquee-type opponent
 
FeedTheBrox said:
Disagree. Before Xmas is far more preferable as people will be on holiday after Xmas day. And besides, we have hit 23,000+ for the Xmas derby 10 times out of 14. I don't see any reason to change.

Also, if we wanna benefit from the boxing day test crowd, then we should be playing a home game against a smaller pulling team like a CCM or a Wellington on Boxing Day. No need to a marquee-type opponent
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This is where we need someone with brains making the decisions.
 
pre christmas Melbourne Derby ticket update – as of Friday 1.00pm AEDT,
Club Melbourne: 44 tickets left
City Platinum: 4691 tickets left
City Blue: 2497 tickets left
South End Blue: 235 tickets left
City Active: 107 tickets left
Victory Away Bay/Victory Active: 3236 tickets left
 
Reno Piscopo back in full training last 2-3 weeks.

Franco Lino not far away from either returning to matchday squad has been training past 3 weeks.

Brendan Hamill due back in full training next week.

 
It has been confirmed just now by Ten Network & Paramount match commentators Teo Pellizzeri and Phil Moss that it will be a minute silence for the Bondi terror attack at every single game this weekend.
 
Stronger police presence than usual at Melbourne Derby tomorrow night confirmed because of events in Bondi last weekend also at upcoming major events across Victoria on Seven News Melbourne 6pm bulletin.

 
Brenton1986 said:
Stronger police presence than usual at Melbourne Derby tomorrow night confirmed because of events in Bondi last weekend also at upcoming major events across Victoria on Seven News Melbourne 6pm bulletin.

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A league fans haven't had a lot of confidence that police will give fans fair and proportionate treatment...
 
0-0 at half time is a fair summary of the game.

We are dominating most of the play with our slow build up from the back but there is a clear absence of midfield presence with us generally running a single player into midfield and then most often bouncing it straight into the backline.

Lauton stepping into defensive/central midfield seems to be either unable to clear his markers or is just positioning himself too close to open a decent passing option. Result is a lot of play wide which is turned back maybe 50% of the time and not generating the edge when we do get it further forward.

We have created quite a few shots with good passing interplay when we get it right but we are lacking accuracy more than being defended out of goals.

I have to say our lack of polish is disappointing. We are passing to Macarthur or to nobody at promising moments far too often. I have not felt like we were likely to score at any moment.

Macarthur for their part are able to string passes together smoothly but unable to crack our defensive effort. Barnardo has done some very nice things in moments but again not enough to create a goal. Jurman is a red card waiting to dismiss himself. He just gets cranky and takes it out on his opponent but he is neither cunning nor smart in how he goes about it.

Defensively, we are tending to get the ball back wherever we choose to make the mark on the field that we start trying to. Sometimes with a high press; sometimes at halfway; sometimes in our defensive third.

Conditions can't be great with rain for most of the half but it does not excuse our inaccurate passing.

More responsibility required by the ball carrier, and more clinical in front of goal and we have this game. Continue as we are and I can see Macarthur slipping one in our net 'against the majority of possession'.
 
Dench looks a lot like waddingham doesn't he?
 
Herrington made a mistake, apparently its possible
 
2 soft penalties are really disappointing aren't they

we have worked so hard on a defense and when you are giving away soft penalties it means you aren't trusting your team to defense and recover. You can't gift penalties like this
 
patjennings said:
Looked like he got the ball that went to his own player and then was penalised for the Macarthur player running into his leg. Second penalty was fine.
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I was a little surprised that the first penalty stood. Barnardo executing the dark arts to run across Herrington and drop when the ball was a good 1.5 to 2 metres away (and at right angles to his run) outside his control area. Never going to the ball - only running for the contact.

But the second penalty was bloody minded stupidity from Maieroni. What was he doing holding the shirt of someone literally right on the edge of the box. It is just stupid and it cost us the game. Nothing soft about it being given than the grey matter that made the decision to foul Sawyer. I am really pissed off at that moment.

The first could have been given or not - they happen. The second was black and white penalty for me any day and entirely gifted by the Roar player's behaviour.
 
We scored first off some lucky bouncing, positive movement/positioning, good awareness and a clinical finish from Dench.

We then held firm and combined better than we had in the first half until Sawyer came on.

Got to give it to Sawyer - he is a big, very smart unit who used his height, strength and positioning to head the ball back in field for the penalty and made Herrington have to earn his keep. He used his head to take the grabbed shirt into the penalty area and dive - and I do not consider that dark arts - we made the mistake and he just made sure the ref saw it like a good striker should.

I would have loved to see Sawyer and Herrington match up from the start to see how Herrington handled the physicality and intelligence that Sawyer brings. What I did see was Sawyer running into spaces where Herrington wasn't - by design or simply how it played out I couldn't say - but why would you choose to run at the better defender if you have a choice. Again - smart play by Sawyer.

Being a goal down we continued to pass the ball slowly around our backline and pass backwards. There did not seem to be a moment where we woke up to the fact that we were behind other than maybe the last few minutes - when it was too late.

I found our attack to have a few moments but missing any sustained pressure on the 18 yard box.

Long played with skill and intelligence himself, but lacks the pace to run opportunities when he got in behind. Same with Hore when he contrives a run in behind - and hasto pass backwards because he doesn't have blinding speed either. As much as it is bullish play, I think I prefer Ruhs and Vidic to start and wear out the opposition centrebacks as they do - then we can refine the finish with both Hore and Long coming on.

MacNicol schemes around but I do not see that he is that much better than what Brazete offers us, and in a game like tonight I think Brazete would have made more of the spaces to take on his opponent and draw a foul or create something.

I really like Salas. Both attacking and defending he is quality and drive. McGarry was a bit quiet tonight - maybe because Vrakas was on the bench and he did not have the game awareness with Dench that he has developed with Vrakas. I did think Vrakas made a difference when he came on, for all that Dench put the goal away for us.

Frustrating to be solid in defensive fieldwork but conceding two penalties to lose. We got the result we deserved by our play.

Macarthur made the absolute most of two moments and took the points.

I would make a cheap shot of the first penalty bringing the crowd into it, but I am too saddened by our play tonight to attempt to be funny.
 
melbcityguy said:
Thurgate has gone backwards at wanderers
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Thurgate definitely going backwards since making the move to Western Sydney Wanderers as he hasn't been as clinical in capitalising on chances and getting score involvements this season, and discipline is still a problem for him with two yellow cards in nine matchdays.
 
The announced crowd was over 2,700 which is obviously crap. I think for the sake of the league they have to announce a minimum of 2,500 for these types of games. Problem moving forward is it needs to at least look like a believable figure and thats just not happening.
 
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