Eastern Suburbs AFC

Don't get me wrong, some water wouldn't have gone a miss...

Also the council painted the cricket boundary through it which is a massive no no for the league.

I must say, given some of the rumoured figures for Director of Footballs and other coaches, you'd think Suburbs could invest in a part-time groundsman to put some sprinklers out.

anyone know why hoyle didn't play?? maybe because it was against his old side??

As noted, the field looked better live than it did on the TV.  If possible in absence of fence, advertising boards need to enclose the ground more, some kids ball kept getting onto the field, and a dog got as far as sniffing a corner post.

What was the story with the team kit faux pas.  It looked like early in 1st half, ES player went off to get blood nose attended.  Most have got blood on his shirt because came back on with another shirt, problem was it had a yellow back instead of white.  Second half came back out with matching kit.  

On the footballing side, ES looked to have recruited well.

Have to wonder about what the field will be like in a few weeks time, there is already dust flying up from the players feet when running and kicking and the ball was bumping all over the place!!!  Hope they sort it. This is suppose to be a ground suitable for playing a top level league on!!!

That's because the previous day it was used for a cricket match. Which I guess will happen all summer.

Feel like it's time to start asking questions of Tony Readings. I know the Suburbs squad was gutted in the off-season, but the difference between Eastern Suburbs' pre-season games before Readings, and now, cannot be more stark.

I remember going to a few pre-season games and ES looked very good, despite the changes. The team was playing the same way, they were more confident, and it was as much of a continuation of last year as possible.

Then Tony Readings turned up and the team have completely lost their footballing identity they had under Hay, and in the early games this pre-season. There's no direction in what they're doing and some of the team selections are baffling.

For example, players like Kelvin Kalua who was a regular starting CB under Hay for 2 years seemingly getting dropped before being brought back in RB. Or players like Adam Thomas, who was so slow and dire on the ball at NRFL level he was moved to full back (where he performed much much better). Yet Readings has started him every game this season at centre mid. (Where his distribution is always slow and he simply plays backwards). 

Then you have players like Kingsley Sinclair who, despite a much stronger team last year, was getting regular game time. Now he barely gets 5 minutes at the end of games. Instead Tony favours players like Martin Bueno who offer nothing except elbowing the odd opposition player. Then you have players like Mohammad Awad who's not being used properly. But hey ho, let's hoof it up to Stephen Hoyle.

This team has undoubtedly regressed under Readings and I think the players can sense it as well.

I did question how Tony would go with a full male NL side. They have looked poor.
Kalua is not an indicator of how the side is going. Thomas and Awad are.

Dylan de Jong joins Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona from Israeli 1st tier

https://oceaniafootballcenter.home.blog/2020/01/16...

Great news for Dylan, hope he makes the most of his opportunity. As for suburbs I do expect them to move up the table over the next month so long as they get to play on decent pitches and there isn’t a gale blowing as has been the case lately.

a shadow of last years team, just journeymen.

There was no one that was at an All White standard, no pathway, no development.

Very poor game but Suburbs perhaps a little unlucky- hit the woodwork a couple of times - but really had little class in the attacking area. 

Have to admire Waitak - have no players but 3 excellent coaches - Hobson , McPherson and Milicich(not quite sure how it works) .Both sending offs were interesting - both were second yellows. The Waiatk one could easily gone the other way - every time Bueno gets the ball with his back to goal he grabs his marker and could easily be penalised every time. The Suburbs one happened right in front of me and it looked like a 50/50 full blooded challenge from both players and the card could just as easily gone the other way in my opinion.Laughed at Solomons asking for a VAR ! Referee was pretty average. Suburbs have a lot of tall timber - must have been half a dozen 6 foot plus players. Be interesting to see how they go in the O league - they have a difficult group and a lot of people underesimate how tough it is playing in the islands. By the way hate Seddon Fields as a venue - much preferred Fred Taylor for all it's faults - at least you could view the game easily.

Don't think Hobson is an excellent coach.  Milicich is an interesting tactician to put it nicely, but very direct with a 
" it has to go " mentality.  Don't think McPherson cares about Waitak in the slightest, only the paycheck ( if there is one )  More there to help out his mate Hobson.

Suburbs may struggle like Waitak did under Shelley in O League. 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/domestic/119482640/ofc-champions-league-a-new-challenge-for-football-duo-following-major-injury-setbacks

This is a good game to watch so far, the commentator is one of the better ones I've heard on the OFC stream

Some players/selections getting found out big time. Built, Thomas, Solomos, Thurston...

I haven't really watched many suburbs games since last season under the Hay/Edge era, they don't seem to be playing similar to last seasons team in this game but that could be due to the players and coach. Have they moved away from the Ole style since then?

Yeah they changed big time. They just look fairly directionless now. Weird player selections; power and size over football brain.

They're playing similar to my eyes. Heaps of Olé traits on display. A bit more direct – no Just/McCowatt and no similar replacements forces their hand there though. Have been a settled side since the start of the year with this XI (Sinclair, who's been injured, v van den Hoven the one change). A decent-sized drop off in talent beyond Just/McCowatt is clear to see as well, but the approach is still straight out of the Edge/Olé playbook.

Rocks thrown at Suburbs players

WTF is this game? It looks like duelling fouls and time-wasting

So yeah, standard island football.

That's really pathetic, been intermittently watching around doing a few things at home, almost every time I looked up the game was stopped... Guessing there won't be a punishment for the 'supporters' either? What a disgrace.

Good result for Suburbs and admit to being a bit surprised . Bits and pieces i matched online saw Suburbs reasonably comfortable. Rocks, etc., pretty standard fare for playing in the islands - Oceania will do nothing as per usual. Ask anyone from Central about their experiences in Fiji in 1999 - Paul Urlovic had to go into hiding.

Can you please explain how each of these players has been found out. I have watched most of Eastern Suburbs' matches this year and some of the above have in my opinion been some of Suburbs' better players on average through out the season.

Who in your opinion from the current squad would be a better choice - and your reasons why?

Perhaps I'm being a bit overly critical but Suburbs did not have a good match despite the win. I'm mainly comparing them to preseason, where they looked a much better outfit.

Likes of Built were getting done for pace consistently in the first half, and had nothing going forward as well. Thomas at CM is painful, passes square or backwards, always takes too many touches and generally slows play down. There's a reason got moved from CM to LB for Suburb's NRFL team. Solomons got beat multiple times and was out of position. Admittedly his national league performances have been fine.

If I accept your opinion with out question who  would you replace each of the above four players from the current squad? and why?

That may be explained by Hekari's best player getting sent off

Such a positive post : )

2 - 1 down to Galaxy with eastern subs with xtra man and not a shot on target in 80 minutes. Where is Awad?. 

This game the Galaxy players are dropping off like flies without being touched with a 2-1 lead. The commentator is having a go at the Galaxy players for killing time and the lack of playing football in the second half.

and its levelled 2-2 in the 91st minute by Bueno!

Was thinking this was gonna be another OFC game marred by cynical play and it is referee just stopped play while Eastern was in posession near the Galaxy box

Awad left for Thailand (but maybe now Melbourne) before Christmas.

Awad at port Melbourne now

Thanks guys for the Awad updates.

Was Bueno doing his usual cynical play  that he does in NZ?

He certainly liked to celebrate by pointing thumbs to the back of his shiirt that don't have player names on it.

Parker-Price, Withers and Wooldridge have remained in Europe right? Staying at Torslanda to be joined by the new crop from WS or trying their luck elsewhere? Assume Harry is staying with Papa Edge

Don't really need to be cynical in these fixtures.

(Which is to stay, it hasn't stood out. I recall one moment yesterday where I thought 'classic').

The squad is looking a little thin.   Built is not a natural left-back and when we went off, Christian Gray moved across to left-back, not his natural position either.  They miss Dylan de Jong. 

... a dog made it to the edge of the penalty box this time and left a deposit...

As for the football, they recruited Dowling to replace De Jong and with Kalua back had their fullbacks so their shape was looking better last week against Hawkes Bay.  Then yesterday changed their shape and went 3 at the back and struggled to get from one end of the field to the other