Southern Football (incl Southern United) (Part 2)

YAWN

Good luck to everyone involved in games tomorrow, enjoy it.

Otago Futsal not worth crowing about so Cotter may be like Mosgiel all fluff and no puff when things get tough.

Mosgiel going back to the middle of the pack.

If they were no puff when it's tough how did they hold out tech for a 2-1 win, and fight back from being 2-0 down against an energetic well drilled green island? Think before you post Scottie, even if you couldn't wait to show off that wee rhyme you thought up.

GI. Did the business over DT today.

Yeah right. Need penalty taking lessons. 

How many did Mosgiel win by today. 

I see Cavy drew with Mosgiel 2-2. Heard Mosgiel was the better team and would've won the game if it wasn't for a late goal. That should shut some critics up.

Hamish Cotter got home tonight, emptied his pocket onto tge kitchen bench, keys, wallet, Tom Jackson, Lewis Jackson and Tor all popped out, the mans a freak

is he good enough to pipe up to a bird for a gobby tho?

reap what you sow mate

After an interesting round one it's time someone with a bit of sense put together a genuinely 'Performance based' (you hear that Mike?) XI.

Round One XI:

                                                      GK: Zane Green (c)                                                                  Bench:

                                                                                                                                                  Josh Dijkstra

Jesse Wright                  Jude Fitzpatrick     Tom Cairns         Hamish Cotter/Fergie              Rupert Mark

                                                                                                                                                  Rahan Ali

                                                                                                                                                  Matt Joy 

Cody Brook               Eder Franchini              Andrew Ridden              Tim Mclennan             Regan Coldicott

                                                                                                                                                  Morgan Day

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

                                          Ben Kiore             Lewis Jackson            

Unlucky: Isaac Snell

               Tore Waechter

               Jared Grove

               Matt Kelly

               Tom Kindley

               Campbell Attwood

               David Henderson

               Taylor McCormack

               Seamus Ryder

               Michael Hogan

              

Between the sticks you can't argue with Zane Green pipping Dijkstra. Dijkstra hasn't put a foot wrong and has a fantastic long ball; however you can't argue with a couple of penalty saves, athleticism, a strong leader and only 3 goals conceded - takes captain. 

Jesse Wright has been outstanding at RB defending and overlapping, cutting balls in nicely and with the big southern names like Howard performing poorly in the big games so far (early days) there isn't any contention at this position. Big boring Jude Fitzpatrick has been playing a fair hand winning every thing in the air, distributing and making tackles so he slots in nicely there. With Mosgiel's back four impenetrable so far, the other spot has to be joined by one of the two. Cairns is a rock, probably the more composed of the Toms in Mosgiel's so far very solid CB pairing so pips Kindley joining Fitzpatrick. Too much inconsistency so far for one of Techs Centre halfs to make the starting line up, Douglas has looked solid when he played, Mcpherson has been awful and Joy is improving after a slow start so makes the bench. At Left Back I can't separate Fergie or Cotter, Fergie probably has the edge with attacking prowess but Cotter is yet to be beaten so it's a deadlock.

In the middle of the Park Eder has been 'masterly' with distribution and a force on defence - walks in. No denying Riddens talents, one of the few who stepped up over the summer season, fantastic player and he takes the other spot. The Prince of the plains Morgan Day is finding his old self and apparently 'loving life' out on the plains once more, unlucky not to start but he's tucked away on the bench. Rahan Ali has been binning goals and knocking it around nicely in the Mosgiel triangle and makes the bench also. Rupert Mark might be the most underrated player in the league and has been the best of Roslyn, makes the bench. Campbell Attwood has put in big trying efforts and in a better team he would be closer to the fold - goes unlucky.

Out wide, Cody Brook has a special left peg, possibly the best free kick in the league and a fantastic work rate, takes the right hand flank. Has scored goals, got in behind and defended well. Can't argue with Goals, golden boot leader Tim Mclennan has looked lethal, has an eye for goal and is a great ball runner, makes the left. Taylor Mccormack and Isaac Snell are both unlucky out wide not to make it, two of the fastest players in the league. Isaac Snell strikes a great ball, is physical and was a nightmare for tech game one, McCormack has been a handful for every team he has played. 

Up front I've had to go off performance and you can't argue with 5 goals for Kiore and 4 (3 vs Tech) for L Jackson.  Kiore is a very one dimensional player with speed and getting balls slipped behind the back four, nevertheless effective and has scored vs big sides. Earns a spot. Louis Jackson is quality, a bit weak, but technically very good and needles his way around up top well often getting in the right place at the right time. Earns a spot also. Coldicott has shown glimpses of what he is capable of - utter carnage. Rapid and with a superb strike and an eye for goal he is yet to hit his stride but he could be lethal after a bye week to recuperate into round two. Tom Jackson is back and the long throw was shown to be lethal yesterday, was contained well by mosgiel but we all know what a threat he will impose into the coming round.

Unluckily - Tore Waechter has done a job up front for Cavvy, scored a couple of crucial goals and holds the ball up well. Jared Grove is class at CDM for cavvy and has performed well in the centre of the park but it's a tough ask to top some of the Central players the league currently has on offer. Matt Kelly is strong and great on the ball, has been handy for mosgiel adding even more central depth. Tom Kindley is a through and through defender, he has been strong aerially and brutal in tackles, misses out to his sidekick Cairns. Dave Henderson the free kick extraordinaire could actually be alright if he cared. Seamus Ryder has been good as per usual, sharp down the line and he lives on the far post - just misses out. Hogan has also been decent. Lastly a few GI players have stepped up, Mcglinski has been composed and Mcphail has been dominant. A note to leave on - Uni????? Talked it up massively pre season and this has been embarrassing. Jeremy Fong the only player to show any ticker.

What do you guys think? Could we also get a pretenders XI in print

The Plainsman

This is not unreasonable.  But why are you going with with 4-4-2? How about a 4-5-1 with Cam in as DM in place of Lewis up front? The latter has done well but I would have him on the bench (for the very reasons you cite).  What a 4-5-1 will do is give confidence to Wright, Ferg, Cody, Tim, Eder and Ridden to push on much higher in possession and also press higher up out of possession.

Yeah I'm with you there not unreasonable. That would tighten things up a lot more defensively in the centre of the park and allow the top man to roam, was just going off performance though not trying to create the best team slash formation hence the lack of thought into such 

The Plainsman

I think that line up with a couple touch ups would be a lot stronger than the previous southern United team.

How about this?

                                                       Zane Green/Tom Batty

Hamish Cotter           Jude Fitzpatrick           Tom Cairns            Fergie

                                                           Michael Hogan

                                        Eder Franchini                   Andrew Ridden

    Cody Brook/Lewis Jackson               Tom Jackson                    Tim McClennon

Campbell Attwood and Tom Cairns would be a close call for that centre of defence along side Jude.

you're on to a winner there Reason. To be honest I think Horner should take the team, switched on and gets players performing. Fridges shouting front is appalling, players dislike him and the whole thing needs completely revamped and done properly. That's starting from the parachute like baggy kit and extending to observing games and picking a side on PERFORMANCE.! I don't agree with starting Hogan though unless he plays in front of you play Attwood behind eder; Eder is best at CDM and you need someone else willing to push on with ridden. Cody over Lewis for me, just a bit stronger and capable of creating from nothing. Then again if Regan was at full flight imagine McLennan, TJ and Coldicott as a front three.  if you have Morgan Regan Taylor In the frame you've got a quality side. Dijkstra shouldn't be overlooked, although the arrogance starting to pour from his gob is marginal, a lot of confidence brewing in the swamp. Whispers are super coach burgess printed off derogatory 'memes referring to techs long ball style of play' pre game for motivation.

Couple of Players to keep an eye on for the summer: JaredGrove (cavvy), Louis Corkill (Mosgiel), Snell (Mosgiel) 

My nominations for the pretenders XI: Coach- muzzy dev manager - nick cooper, Rhys Henderson, Blair Bates (definitely captain - the kid reckons he's gods gift), Matt Webb 

All for feedback and opinion as long as you can justify it

The Plainsman

Chatham Cup Round 2 draw is tomorrow at midday.

Round 1 unbiased team reviews

Mosgiel AFC
Easily the most attractive team to watch this season. Their ability to play out from the back and create chances is second to none. Eder Francini already a strong candidate for player of the season if he keeps up his current form. Supported well by his team-mates and wide array of talent around him. Also notable performances by Cody brook and Morgan Day who have been consistent with their hard work and ability to read the game. We have also seen glances of brilliance and composure from Rahan and Matt Kelly. The highlight for Mosgiel in round was surely the significant, and symbolic victory over Dunedin Tec. Commanding goalkeeping performances from Zane have also not gone un-noticed, and a draw in the last game against league leaders Cavy shows that Mosgiel really do mean business this season. A disappointing 2-2 draw with Green Island, however, has kept them below Cavy in the league. May the good quality of football continue. All the best in Round 2 lads.

Caversham AFC 
A close to perfect round 1 for last years champions. Picking up from where they left off last season, Cavy have shown their ability to attain results "week-in week-out". Honorable mentions go to Andy Ridden for a dominating and creative presence in the middle of the park, and experienced defenders Jude and Fergie. You can't deny their quality with the results they are achieving, in game showing the ability to play a passing game like Mosgiel, but also kick it long at the right times as well. It will be a truly interesting battle for the tittle between Cavy and Mosgiel this season. Another big win against Tec showed the quality of young Louis who seems to love scoring against them! 

Dunedin Technical 
Much maligned with the "route 1" unattractive brand of football, Tec have nevertheless shown that, this perhaps out-dated style of play, can still achieve results. Losses to Cavy and Mosgiel though have been damaging to a side that strives to win the league each year and always has a large proportion of Southern United representatives. We have seen nothing new this year from the top performers of the club, with Joy, Taylor, Ross, and Mcllenan all advertising "the tec way". Will be interesting to see if Tec can get back in the tittle chase in Round 2, especially after a convincing 4-0 dismantling of Green Island in their last game, and a demolishing of Uni. Could this be Tec picking up form and ready to get back into the tittle charge in round 2? 

Roslyn AFC 
A mixed bag of results for Roslyn has placed Roslyn in joint 4th place with GI after a comprehensive Round 1 of football. Undoubtedly a talented side, Roslyn is yet to hit the ground running in terms of team unity and performances, with standout performances from Attwood and Rupert. Still a side that is taken very seriously and capable of causing an upset, Roslyn will look to climb up the table in Round 2 and beyond it. Tom Stevens also showing his quality between the sticks for Roslyn as their newest signing. 

Green Island 
"The young pups" of the Dunedin League showing us that they are very much capable of playing good football in patches and have some talented young players to look out for in the future. A 5-1 win over Northern, 4-0 win over Uni, and 2-2 draw with Mosgiel has them sitting joint 4th with Roslyn on 7 points, but slightly ahead of them by goal difference. Kiore has scored and shown his quality and pace, but perhaps also his inconsistency in the last game vs Tec with a missed penalty. Dikstra has made some terrific saves and good distribution. Kirkwood, Mcphail and mchglisnki also look solid, but the team needs to work on their cohesiveness if they wish to compete with the big boys: Cavy, Mosgiel and Tec. 

Northern AFC 
A dismal and disappointing Round 1 has made Northen a team against which teams have come to expect an easy game. A well fought out 3-2 loss against Cavy and 2-0 win against Uni, however, has placed Northern above Uni in the league. Taylor Quirck and Angus Milne upfront have played tirelessly to make up for their teams poor overall performances. Labelled by some as a "cheap mans Dunedin Tec", Northern will look to capitalize on poor performances by the likes of Uni, Roslyn and Green Island to pick up some more results in Round 2 and avoid relegation (is there relegation this year?). 

Uni 
Bottom of the league. 1 draw, 6 losses speaks for itself. A team lacking any real character, however with a few talented individuals - Truth, Clark, Webb, but unfortunately the loss of manager Luiz and Rae upfront have proven costly for Uni after a much more successful 2014 campaign. A clear goal-keeper crisis is also a present reality for Hart's men. An exciting 3-3 draw with Roslyn the only positive result for Uni in their first game, but exposed by Tec, Cavy, and GI in the later stages. Uni must surely display much more quality in Round 2 if they wish to climb up the ladder and not finish last. 

Final thoughts
In regards to the constant lack of success for Southern United, do you guys think this is due to poor management/player selection or lack of quality in our league? Regards, a concerned citizen. 

Somehow I don't think that these posts are coming from the mosgiel camp.

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Let's not be too silly banta Claus. They are not  afraid to say what they think on the pitch and have been somewhat correct in predictions and other matters so far making your statement invalid.

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You offer nothing..

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give it a rest Kindley

Not so sure about Horner as coach Plainsman.  Too soon I think.  That old-head Andy Brook has to be worth a look given what he's doing out on the Taieri - his progress makes MM look silly and just goes to show that a great player doesn't necessarily make a great coach.  But whatever the case - the 2015/16 SU coach (yes MF for the chop please) has to be impartial and get bleeding up-skilled, no? Queue this:

https://www.footballsouth.co.nz/index.php?id=44&tx_...

This made me come back.  Earth calling Matt Joy....talk to your old man ffs.

So if you are the real Nat Pevin why do you only have one post?

About time some decent talk.

 

Agree, Fridge had a poor first season by all accounts. Selecting players I thought were not national league standard and they got found out.

 

Who would take over? Horner, Burgess, Brooks? Someone from out of town?

Tony Martin for head coach anyone? Took the youth team to a national final three years back now, didn't take any shark from players and selected who he thought was good enough for the team regardless of age or club, just a thought 

Out of interest, who from last season deserved to play National league? exclude players that were asked but turned down the opportunity

Fitzpatrick, Ferguson, Joy, Attwood, McCormack, Jackson, Stewart, Little, Batty, Franchini, Day, Hindson, Connor, McLennan, Ridden

 

IMO

Ok, who from last seasons footballsouth premier league should've been picked?

Coldicott - injuried

Rae & Collier - didn't fancy it

Rickerby with 42 league goals in 2013/14 seasons, did he deserve to be there?

No

I don't see too many players with that number of goals, maybe if he hit 50 no?

Who you you reckon could make the step up considering no one bar Rickerby & McCormack scored more than 15 goals in our woeful league?

I agree that the above players are the best of the bunch that were picked, but that's only 15 players. That's at least 7 short of what is needed to support a summer season. 

I do think there were a few of players who maybe shouldn't have been picked, but at the same time I can see why they were. You need a squad of players, able to cope with injuries and suspensions in all areas. There were weeks where Fitzpatrick, Ferguson, Joy, Attwood, Stewart, Connor, Little were all unavailable. That's 4 (plus Connor who played there) defenders, and people expect Southern to cope with that! Be realistic..

It should be noted that MF and TM watched league games every week last season, so you would say they got a pretty good understanding of the best squad of players, of those who made themselves available.