Temporada 13: Ronda 11 - La ronda española

Sydney well off their best but enough quality to take the 3 points.

Poor kid is gonna be in for a rather disappointing X-mas

Deserves it. How about some reasonable expectations?!

Does anyone know the stats for penalties awarded to A-League teams? I'm picking that Sydney get around 3 times as many as the average team.

Melbourne Victory and then Sydney http://www.ultimatealeague.com/records.php?type=cg&season=PEN

Also on the VAR and Bobo/Manny incident, they can look at it if they feel it's a clear red card that was missed. It was reviewed and as they thought it's between a yellow and a red it wasn't passed onto the referee on the field. 

This is probably a silly question, but why is it the Spanish round?

I can't separate these two sides, so going for a 1-1 draw.

Disney Round next week? Mickey Mouse would be highly appropriate.

Melbourne City's terrible run of injuries takes another blow after Scottish striker Ross McCormack suffered a potential season-ending knee injury @MelbourneCity https://t.co/QGKv5Ce5Kl via @theage

— The Age Sport (@theagesport) December 15, 2017

Lucky they've got one of Australia's greatest ever players to step into the breach.

Oh wait....

Great chance for Nabbout there, just needed any sort of solid contact and it was a goal

Oh come on, a yellow card for that? Isias falling down screaming is a very common sight in the A League.

Is this the first game for Moss this season?

0-0 at the half, not much to write home about

No, at least 3 or 4 now.

How was that a penalty?

Jesus wept. What a farce. 

Terrible penalty decision and unfathomable that VAR didn't overturn it.

I'd be prepared to bet that there have been more penalties awarded for handball so far this season than the whole of last season. And somehow VAR has got something to do with it.

Id rather have no bloody commentary option than a Spanish commentary option.

I dunno. I don't speak a word of Spanish but it's probably preferable to Speed/Slater.

That's close to a straight red for me. Santalab can say sorry all he likes but there was a deliberate studs up lunge meant to hurt.

2-0 to WSW, pretty much guarantees us bottom place whatever we do against Perth tonight.

I guess one season of VAR was enough. Getting beyond a joke.

Are the match officials all pulled from the Sunday social league? Terrible.

Okon: "Who's up there!?". 

And VAR sends a 2nd CCM player. Farce.

I'm turning this shark off. What a joke.

Another red card from VAR.... Surely it will be canned next season?

A 3rd red card. For a minute I thought he was giving it to the camera man.

Maccas might sell a few extra hamburgers. They're probably the only ones happy with VAR.

It is the one constant in the A League since the very first A League game. Shambolic match officials. Not even the VAR which was meant to take some of the load off them, is working properly, usually manned by the very same shambolic match officials. I just wonder why their standard has not improved, no lessons learned, no price to pay really, no seriously clamping down on them. 

I agree with the red cards, the first he just stumped from behind studs up on Roly's calf. And the second he jump-slide tackles from behind studs up into the players leg. Forget all the commentators bull shark, it looks worse in slow motion etc, it's the intend what counts. I'm happy if they give more red cards for this bullshark. Maybe the players learn. I personally love to see good tactics, precise passes and fluid play and not hopeless shark players sliding into other player legs. I would also like to see red cards for shirt pulling if a players goes through on a one on one, more goals and more fun. I love the red cards for coaches and other staff members for their antics on the sideline.

Well Muscat wouldn't get to be on the sideline after the first game for starters. Red card for shirt pulling would be brilliant. So too would a red card for simulation be welcome. Refs gave up giving out the yellows two seasons ago, although I do think one was given recently.

I see Okon has asked for the VAR to be dumped and imho, it has been a complete waste of time. Sure, we've had the rub of two decisions but for me, the amount of time it wastes, interrupting the flow of a game and more often than not, the wrong decisions still getting made, make it a waste of time.

I reckon 1-1 here