Southern Football (incl Southern United)

Yeah fair enough - defence does start at the front doesn't it?  And that's why Burgess has to go because he does nothing in that department.

Unbelievable result today..heads are going to roll..whos first?

Glad I missed this game..

 beer bellied share-croppers 1 thing

There must be accountability by the players.

The Board need to talk to the players and get to the bottom of why they dont work for each other on the field

Never been as disspointed with an Otago Team as I was today

Also there seems to be no sense in the selections, what are these guys thinking?

Give some credit to Waikato, they did pretty well & the change in coach/tactics has suited them,  some of the goals were class! thought Jack Hobson-McVeigh was given way too much time on ball, he's a decent player but Otago allowed him to run the show & some of his switch play was exceptional. 

Don't know why people are on Burgo's back, pretty hard to play up top when balls are hoofed towards the centre backs, that's not Aaron's game & you want to give a guy who scored half the goals in spl a chance? as for Hancock, how can you play a guy who doesn't even train? Ant's a decent striker & has done well for otago in the past but he's unfitter than Burgess!

Not a good day at the office...I can't remember ever in Otago united history them losing by that much to a team at the bottom of the table. For me Govan has to start, give him a chance, it can't be worse than what I saw up top today. Wholesale changes are needed but is it too late? 

Judda no problem crediting the opposition for playing well - good for them.  Although I wasn't even there I think what we've seen today is likely due to the gulf in experience and ability between Cossey and Murray as coaches.  That's how two sides of equal playing depth and ability can end up so disparate on the score board.  Burgess is a LEGEND.  He can still do it at SPL level because the defenders are average at best.  But the step up speed and fitness-wise is too much for him now in the starting line-up (it's so bloody obvious, why can't you see that?), although I think he should be used INTELLIGENTLY of the bench.  Sadly neither Murray or Duncan have that intelligence - knowledge's post is worth reading, if players lack condition you make the change at 60-65 mins not 80-85!  Every freaking coach of an under-14 side knows that much. We needed to make some changes at 60-65 when Prattley equalised - not just gormlessley let the game bleed away.  And you say Hancock's not training?  Well he needs to go - stop freaking pandering to these Cavy boys.  I'm still furious haha.

It's too bloody late for a top-4, yes.  But for some pride and respect and maybe 6th, not quite.

And can you hear our voices Otago board members?

Don't think the board will make changes half way through the season, but looks like heads will roll come end of the season. What has happened to Gannon. He seems to be out of favor now as well. Didn't like Tristan at LM thought he wasn't very affected almost as bad as when cunningham played there game one 

Where was Gannon/ Amercian Jake and Regan today?? 

Scotty and Regs would have made are difference today and as for Ants it's hard to travel to and from Tmaru for training each Tuesday/Thursday

Little 7 played well and not at fault for 5 of the 6 conceded, should have done better with the wall for the first goal

Connor 7 never stopped running all day 

Joy 6 must do better on getting on the end of set plays

Horner 6 started to tire about 60mins but still tidy

Ferguson 7 started slowly but done well

Da Costa 5 not fit enough and needs to put himself about more

Mepham 6 showed some bite in the middle, it's what we need more of

Ryder 7 worked hard for us needs to attack more and back himself

Prattley7 needs to work on his passing great goal

Burgess 6 worked hard for nothing in return

Stevens 6 needs to take his head out of his arse, good player but needs to work harder for the team. Too soft and looked like its not his fault. That's youth for ya

Subs

Ridden 4 did nothing when he came on

Day 6 better than last week

Goven  4 did nothing when came on hard to get into the game with 9 minutes to go

Oh yeah for sure.  We lose 6-1 and we get an average score of 6.4.  Piss off.

This coming from a fan that couldn't be bothered to watch them in Wellington last week, at least I go to watch the home games.

Yes we lost 1-6 but we weren't that bad, they just put their chances away. Time for you to take a chill pill nat

Chill pill?  I'm passionate about Otago Rooster - and pissed off about the result.  Why aren't you?  Oh yeah let's hand out praise all around today - good job lads, keep it up!  Next up Manawata away - here's to losing 9-0 to go with the 3-0 dawking we got at home.  See, I'm too old to be a freaking Gen-Y PC ninny that sees positives even when getting boned up the backside.

Book your cab ride from your rest home grandpa ;-)

Rooster is that an insult?  I took exception to your game ratings.  By implication I referred to you as a PC ninny.  But mate, your insults are worse than your ratings.  Is that it?  Your insults are all a bit below par Rooster, all a bit limp.  Just like the players out there today were all a bit limp.  Don't EVER make excuses for a shit performance.  It's NEVER the Otago way.  Stop being a PC TWAT and grow some balls.

NatPevin isn't an old timer, ball boy mid 90's more like

Changes need to be made in the Xmas break. wether thats new coaches or fresh players im unsure but something needs to be done to avoid a repeat of todays result. Are there any players out there that could come in?

Whooaah that has to be the biggest oxymoron of the season, laughing with ya :) Tough times in Dunners, heads up and keep going, you've got a month to get it sorted.

I'm not really an Otago supporter but I have connections in the team and follow from a distance.  The problems the squad faces are numerous.  There's little player quality or depth.  Of the current crop only Little, Connor, Prattley and Stevens would feature in any of the other franchises' squads.  Only Stevens would get into the Auckland City or Waitakere squads, and only then as a youth player.  The players have no clues tactically and this is a coaching issue.  At this level every player has to be in the right place on the pitch, doing their job, all the time.  But Otago neither move fast enough, and into the right spaces on the park, when they don't have the ball, nor do they support each other quickly or anticipate well enough on the ball.  There's an awful lot of ball watching going on.  Otago seem to depend on desperate defending and hopeful attacks.  And that's about it.  I watched the Waitakere game live and the Team Wellington game on Sky and there is actually no structure to Otago's game when they have the ball.  It's all reactive instead of pro-active, like grown men playing an under-16 sort of game.  The key areas that need to be fixed urgently are in the middle of the park and up front.  Go to a 4-5-1.  Get the two wide players working their bums off - from what I saw neither of them works up and down the line consistently hard enough.  You need to stick 3 players in the middle of the park.  Otago aren't good enough to play 2v2 in there, but if they play 3v2 in there they can at least get some ball and try to keep it.  And with 3 in there at least they have a better chance of providing the back 4 with some sort of shield - there is very little midfield defending going on at the moment.  Based on the games I've seen I'd have Stevens in the middle up high, because at least he can run and is technical.  Burgess should go, in the Premiership you need players that can run a million miles mph for 90 minutes not 3 mph for 5 minutes.

there's a lot of good sense in that post mr voice

an old coach of mine, barrie truman (legend) was always adamant that when you are weaker than the opposition you always have to overload key areas either by playing a sweeper or an extra centre midfielder

and that wasn't just for defensive purposes, it allowed us to get a foothold in the game and try to dominate possession

we were average, but we beat some good teams and if not we ran them close

 been doing favors like Miss Elizabeth

Dear the voice of reason. I think you would find that Tim Horner would start in every team in the league. He is injured and is still the best player in Otago, and has been for multiple years

Agree

I don't intend frequenting this forum very much because you all know your players and your team much more than me.  And if you say Horner is quite some player, I can't really dispute that because I've only seen him twice.  But I can look at some facts. If he's the best player Otago has had for the past multiple years and would walk into any other side in the Premiership, why hasn't he played for the All Whites?  But he hasn't has he?  In fact he hasn't risen above playing for the mighty Caversham and all conquering Otago as far as I can tell.  That's hardly the CV of the best or second best centre back in the Premiership.  You don't seem to understand the level of football down there is miles off the pace of the rest of NZ.  And look at the fact that with Horner as centre back you have conceded 10 goals in 3 games.  He must be culpable for some of that surely?  As the most senior defender in your team it's his responsibility to organise everyone in the defensive line as well as the midfielders in front of him.  He's injured you say?  Well I hope he gets fit soon because you are going to concede a lot more goals this season at this rate.

Horner is a quality player Voice of Reason.  You're trying to get our backs up I think.  I wouldn't say he would walk into any other side in the league, that's an exaggeration IMO.  In his prime he was as equal as any in that hard-as-nails, never say die mould though.  I always felt he was too short to be a top centre back in New Zealand were there are a lot of high balls to deal with - I felt he was more suited to a defensive midfield role, because he can play a bit as well as defend.  Few Otago players achieve higher honours - Prattley and Cunningham have been our best recently and this Joel Stevens is part of the u-20 set up even though he's just 17.

It was Horner or Pupesh for the under 23's i think.Herbert went for rupesh.

Croyden Wheeler had the most promise out of anyone IMO but never went on like Cunningham

Before the Waikato game i'm lead to believe Govan had been in oz for a couple of weeks & hasn't been available for some other matches too?

Is Otago United Roslyn in disguise, they both seem to choke when it matters most

Area51 you not like Roslyn as well I take it

Plebs Rooster

Otago United could have saved the money they spent on new strips and just used Cavys strip. The rate Murray's going the starting XI will all be from there in a week or two. 

What happened to Curtis day? He should be in the squad ahead of half the centre mids.. The man just needs a break.