A-League thread

[dwaino]

  Never been a fan. Didn't mind him when he became back up, but deadset he is a boob in a starting 11.

[dwaino]

We have the opposite extreme this week. Refs aren't blowing crap. We were lucky not to give away a pen.

[dwaino]

What an assist by khalfallah  one of the most beautiful long balls off a step I have ever seen. The bloke wants another contract, just do it.

[mightytiges]

We have the opposite extreme this week. Refs aren't blowing crap. We were lucky not to give away a pen.

Yep, we got the rub of the green tonight. Clearly the referee was told by the FFA to keep the whistle in his pocket.

Having said that we had too much class for the wannabees and our defensive workrate and structure was good tonight (apart from the pinball moment in the first half).

Victory on top of the A-League table .

[dwaino]

Noticing the trend of us starting slow. We're guns on the counter and it is like we just sit back early and absorb the attacks waiting for holes.

As long as we stay in touch the game in hand should get us the plate. Looking at the ladder it is rubbish that Perth are even up there, our goal differential is 18 and their is 8 or something.

[mightytiges]

We clearly thought tonight if we got numbers back to defend and kept a clean sheet then we'd get enough chances to score and win the game. Berisha ran from our own half to get in position in the box to score his first. The other two goals were as you say dwaino on the counter. All thanks to three great balls delivered perfectly by special K for 3 assists.   

[tony_montana]

Sorry missed your post TM. What you mentioned about Kalfallah not getting a second yellow is something I've brought up plenty regarding a league. Refs will give out yellows so willy nilly but absolute reluctant to issue a second. I don't know if they are afraid of being incorrect and enforcing something that will have so much impact on a game, but when the second infringement is as bad if not as worse as the first well it is up to them to be consistent.

agree 100%, actually Ben Williams who I think is the biggest knob ref going around actually did one thing right at the asia cup and that was give a player a second yellow for diving - something you don't see happen very much at all. Got criticised for it but he was bang on for mine.

Another bugbear of mine is they will let 3-4-5-6-7 fouls go early in the match and then the poor bastard that delivers another similar foul (but one to many) gets the yellow.

[tony_montana]

Good win tonight, very clinical. Kalfallah is a gun. Victory should play like that against Perth, let those arseholes bring the bus fwd and then just pick them off.

[tigs2011]

Good win tonight, very clinical. Kalfallah is a gun. Victory should play like that against Perth, let those behindholes bring the bus fwd and then just pick them off.

Perth are too poo to get the ball and allow us to do that. 

[mightytiges]

City won but once again they produced a Heart-sized crowd (under 6000).

[tony_montana]

Good win tonight, very clinical. Kalfallah is a gun. Victory should play like that against Perth, let those behindholes bring the bus fwd and then just pick them off.

Perth are too poo to get the ball and allow us to do that. 

 

[tony_montana]

City won but once again they produced a Heart-sized crowd (under 6000).

City's got to do something to connect with its fans - as a fan I cant pin point one single game where I thought wow, these boys have made a statement today in a massive game. Reckon the club missed the boat when JVS left the first time around, brought in JA and sold half the team of young players to make some $$$. The club was building a super young side back then and if they had of kept the majority of the team together, they'd be gunning for championships now. Curtis Good, Ali babil, Behich, Maroney are some of the players that left. 

The last few weeks where they had massive games against crap sides to consolidate their finals chances, they capitulated. No culture there yet. Fans are just disillusioned so why bother going? Even though they won 4-0 last night I'm like meh big farken deal, too little too late, where was this 2 games ago when balls were on the line?

[dwaino]

Just from my point of view, heart/city are just the handful that didn't want to support victory for whatever reason and a couple I know only support them because they like to back an underdog. Seems like the wrong sort of reason to follow a team. Where as victory seems more like pride of the city and animosity against the visitors. All year we are divided by footy teams, then during the summer 40k rock up to Etihad in unison cheer on Melbourne and hang it on the opposition.

A workmate who is right into roundball moved from Shepparton to Melbourne last year and goes for city just because they're underdogs. He went to the last derby which was his victory game (he has been to plenty of city games though) and said he felt so inadequate and if he was on the fence on who to follow he would have gone victory in a heartbeat because of the passion of the crowd.

Victory have pretty much consolidated the support in Melbourne, how do city come back from that?

[tony_montana]

You're right to an extent Dwaino( I used to be a victory supporter myself), definitely going to struggle long term to get the numbers Victory do, they're a massive club but we do have 12k members. Theres never been anything like a barnstorming run to make finals and then win a couple of home finals to make it stick in peoples minds. That's how passion and culture is developed - by some massive historical moments(like Victorys 6-0 GF win, the stuff of legends) - we've just gone through the motions since inception, you cant get support like that. Look at victory after merrick left, the fiasco with the Irish coach and Durakovic, crowds fell to 14-15k and we're talking about the biggest club in the country. I have a sneaking suspicion that if we just did something to stir the emotions, I reckon it would ignite the latent support

If something clicks I reckon short term City is good for 13-15k crowds and then you can build on that.

[dwaino]

The next TV rights deal for a league will be crucial. Reckon they will get a massive boost, the salary cap will increase and every club will have 2 or 3 khalfallah like players (skilful, from a club in the top half of a top flight euro comp) running around which should boost the quality and bring the crowds with it.