Match 22 vs Melbourne City | Sun 16th May | 6:05pm | SS7

number8

I hope we draw.

What strings did you pull?!

Jazzy Jeff

Leggy

Colvinator

Away draw against best team in league usually a good result, but a bit frustrating given we need to start winning asap and handed them a goal on a plate. 

We're still a good chance of playoffs, we're good enough to be there, but need to start winning now.

Against their B team

That's incredibly disingenuous. Glover, Reis, Good, Galloway, Berenguer, Metcalfe and Luna are all regular starting players. Tillio and Colakovski are young but have been getting a lot of game time this season too, only really Tsubaki who you'd call a B team player. You don't post often but when you do it's always snide and sardonic comments which read like you don't even support the nix. I don't get it

And Tsubaki scored and was subbed for Mclaren one of the greatest strikers in the history of the league who scored a worldie. 

You are not smart enough to get it 

Some knocking Leggy but this was our chance to pick up all 3 points against the top side in the league.  They've already played this week and left their biggest guns on the bench.  Yes they had some decent starters but they had more class missing then we did.

We'd be top two if our finishing was more clinical. That has really cost us.  We create loads of chances but too often fail to cash in.

This run of draws, while good not to lose, has likely ruined our chances of a top 6 finish and could well turn off flakey kiwis from the two home games.

We need 4 wins 🤞. C'mon you Nix.

Marto

Some knocking Leggy but this was our chance to pick up all 3 points against the top side in the league.  They've already played this week and left their biggest guns on the bench.  Yes they had some decent starters but they had more class missing then we did.

We'd be top two if our finishing was more clinical. That has really cost us.  We create loads of chances but too often fail to cash in.

This run of draws, while good not to lose, has likely ruined our chances of a top 6 finish and could well turn off flakey kiwis from the two home games.

We need 4 wins 🤞. C'mon you Nix.

We were missing our two most important players, a draw in a game that we dominated away to the runaway leaders is a good result.

We're closer to second place on the table than second place is to that Melbourne city team, they're a class above. And Jamie Maclaren is a great guy for going into battle for the Nix during the save the nix campaign, but he can fudge right off to a better league.

The good thing is that our remaining games are against WUN, PER, WSW & MAC. Wins over these teams will definitely be helpful. 

P.S - WUN are just complete piece of sharks. Going 8 in defense all the time!

So fitted we didn't nab the win but very glad we knicked back the draw.

That free kick they took was a banger.

Ryan

Marto

Some knocking Leggy but this was our chance to pick up all 3 points against the top side in the league.  They've already played this week and left their biggest guns on the bench.  Yes they had some decent starters but they had more class missing then we did.

We'd be top two if our finishing was more clinical. That has really cost us.  We create loads of chances but too often fail to cash in.

This run of draws, while good not to lose, has likely ruined our chances of a top 6 finish and could well turn off flakey kiwis from the two home games.

We need 4 wins 🤞. C'mon you Nix.

We were missing our two most important players, a draw in a game that we dominated away to the runaway leaders is a good result.

We're closer to second place on the table than second place is to that Melbourne city team, they're a class above. And Jamie Maclaren is a great guy for going into battle for the Nix during the save the nix campaign, but he can fudge right off to a better league.

Check the stats. We did not dominate the game

Leggy

You are not smart enough to get it 

Why don't you help me out and explain it for me then. Frankly I'm struggling to work out whether your comments are poorly executed, unrelenting sarcasm, or whether you are just incessantly cynical and the baseless retort above is a lazy way of glazing over that

Leggy

Ryan

Marto

Some knocking Leggy but this was our chance to pick up all 3 points against the top side in the league.  They've already played this week and left their biggest guns on the bench.  Yes they had some decent starters but they had more class missing then we did.

We'd be top two if our finishing was more clinical. That has really cost us.  We create loads of chances but too often fail to cash in.

This run of draws, while good not to lose, has likely ruined our chances of a top 6 finish and could well turn off flakey kiwis from the two home games.

We need 4 wins 🤞. C'mon you Nix.

We were missing our two most important players, a draw in a game that we dominated away to the runaway leaders is a good result.

We're closer to second place on the table than second place is to that Melbourne city team, they're a class above. And Jamie Maclaren is a great guy for going into battle for the Nix during the save the nix campaign, but he can fudge right off to a better league.

Check the stats. We did not dominate the game

We did control a lot more possession and create a lot chances than might have been expected looking at the table? Both teams struggled with finishing and the result didn’t flatter us? 

Leggy

Ryan

Marto

Some knocking Leggy but this was our chance to pick up all 3 points against the top side in the league.  They've already played this week and left their biggest guns on the bench.  Yes they had some decent starters but they had more class missing then we did.

We'd be top two if our finishing was more clinical. That has really cost us.  We create loads of chances but too often fail to cash in.

This run of draws, while good not to lose, has likely ruined our chances of a top 6 finish and could well turn off flakey kiwis from the two home games.

We need 4 wins 🤞. C'mon you Nix.

We were missing our two most important players, a draw in a game that we dominated away to the runaway leaders is a good result.

We're closer to second place on the table than second place is to that Melbourne city team, they're a class above. And Jamie Maclaren is a great guy for going into battle for the Nix during the save the nix campaign, but he can fudge right off to a better league.

Check the stats. We did not dominate the game

Okay, go toe to toe with better stats but not quite dominating then...

Jazzy Jeff

Leggy

You are not smart enough to get it 

Why don't you help me out and explain it for me then. Frankly I'm struggling to work out whether your comments are poorly executed, unrelenting sarcasm, or whether you are just incessantly cynical and the baseless retort above is a lazy way of glazing over that

Old and bitter.

Check page 1 i predicted we would get s 2-2 Draw, people need to stat listening to me just like i said Sail was our No1 Goal keeper.

Worked all day... Stopped at 6pm, about to switch on the football and on a calm evening my power goes out... Managed to catch most of it via Sky Go on my phone but very frustrating.

Ryan

Jazzy Jeff

Leggy

You are not smart enough to get it 

Why don't you help me out and explain it for me then. Frankly I'm struggling to work out whether your comments are poorly executed, unrelenting sarcasm, or whether you are just incessantly cynical and the baseless retort above is a lazy way of glazing over that

Old and bitter.

Ha ha plonker

Enjoyed that game. I’m sure there were plenty of neutrals that did too. I really thought we’d rue those missed opportunities (sotirio and I think it was piscopo who made the wrong call). But they kept fighting until the end. I really wish Hemed hadn’t done that sharke after scoring though. Not necessary and certainly not right. Still, annoying as it could have been 3 but weren’t certainly not out of it. Fingers crossed they can do the nearly impossible! 

Waine shooting (headed off the line by Griffiths) after beating Glover to the ball, rather than finding Hemed, seemed like another missed opportunity to make it 2-0 at the time.

But pretty natural to get excited and shoot after rounding the keeper I guess.

I thought it was a good game and was enjoyable to watch. The Jamtards looked all class in attack  late in the second half while we were far more cagey in the final third.
I thought the commentators were talking up Galloway a bit too much - he is no better than Fenton. He looked about as good as he did when playing for us several seasons ago (and the commentators did not even mention that), but I guess he is playing better now because he is surrounded by better players than he was then, so suddenly he is getting accolades.  I reckon Fenton had a stonking good game and Devlin and Payne did too. How did we manage to get a result (as in a draw) against leage leaders without Davila?
The one fail that cost us most was the miscued shot on goal from Ball late in the first half, just after Hemed's penalty.  That one was an excellent chance (much like the one from Melbourne City seconds before the final whistle), except for a split second reaction needed. Can't blame Dave and it could not be helped.
On the celebrations. I have no views on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that belong here, because this is a football forum. For that same reason I am uncomfortable with his celebration style. I get it that Hemed is a patriot, but he is here to represent Wellington Phoenix, not the state of Israel. Many leagues have rules against celebrating along national lines, and the A-League had clear rules set up about it early on, to avoid the NSL pitfalls of ethnic clubs' supporters chasing each other (and the players) with pieces of lumber after the final whistle due to old European animosities going back for several centuries.  I remember seeing that with my own eyes in early eighties when living in Sydney.  

Proud of the boys. Never gave up. Devlin and Fenton were immense. Considering the strength in depth that City have, set against our two best players being unavailable, the team did really well to get a draw away from home.  Bring on Western United and a big crowd at the Tin.  

coochiee

Waine shooting (headed off the line by Griffiths) after beating Glover to the ball, rather than finding Hemed, seemed like another missed opportunity to make it 2-0 at the time.

But pretty natural to get excited and shoot after rounding the keeper I guess.

Disagree. Hemed was quite covered, it would've been very difficult to get it to him. Shooting was the percentage play. In fact, what I liked is that he didn't 'get excited' and make a rash quick shot as you would expect a young striker to do, he took a touch, summed up the situation and shot. Just a shame couldn't get it past the defenders.

Leggy

Ryan

Jazzy Jeff

Leggy

You are not smart enough to get it 

Why don't you help me out and explain it for me then. Frankly I'm struggling to work out whether your comments are poorly executed, unrelenting sarcasm, or whether you are just incessantly cynical and the baseless retort above is a lazy way of glazing over that

Old and bitter.

Ha ha plonker

definitely.

coochiee

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/125149152/wellington-phoenix-coach-distances-himself-from-israeli-stars-goal-celebrations

Yeah it is pretty fudgeing tasteless on his part. I hope he doesn't do it in front of our home crowds.

Oi Oi Edgecumbe

Incredible that Sail played on, could we not afford the sub? I guess even uninjured he wouldn't have got to JM's free kick

I think he might might have got it- but I think the calculation was that he  played on as his value to us as a sweeper with two decent feet and to our rhythm would outweigh a slight loss of mobility. 
I think all our players were up for the game. Was actually pleased to see Lewis throw in a tactical foul- we lost at least one game by not doing that. 
I thought we were done- but apparently we can still make the six?

martinb

Oi Oi Edgecumbe

Incredible that Sail played on, could we not afford the sub? I guess even uninjured he wouldn't have got to JM's free kick

I think he might might have got it- but I think the calculation was that he  played on as his value to us as a sweeper with two decent feet and to our rhythm would outweigh a slight loss of mobility. 
I think all our players were up for the game. Was actually pleased to see Lewis throw in a tactical foul- we lost at least one game by not doing that. 
I thought we were done- but apparently we can still make the six?

Definitely can make the 6, though probably need to win all remaining matches. 

In fact, if teams ahead of us start dropping points to Newcastle, Perth, and Victory, Top 4 is actually an unlikely possibility.

Oi Oi Edgecumbe

Incredible that Sail played on, could we not afford the sub? I guess even uninjured he wouldn't have got to JM's free kick

I think he knows how good Marinovic can be. After waiting years to get some matches he doesn't want to give him a chance.

coochiee

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/125149152/wellington-phoenix-coach-distances-himself-from-israeli-stars-goal-celebrations

He's been doing it all season though, this game unfortunately lined up with politics and war. 

He's damned if he does celebrate like that, damned if he doesn't by his community.

WhoStoleMySock

coochiee

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/125149152/wellington-phoenix-coach-distances-himself-from-israeli-stars-goal-celebrations

He's been doing it all season though, this game unfortunately lined up with politics and war. 

He's damned if he does celebrate like that, damned if he doesn't by his community.

Things change, can't always just ignore that. I doubt he would be damned by his community if he didn't celebrate with the flag. 

WhoStoleMySock

coochiee

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/125149152/wellington-phoenix-coach-distances-himself-from-israeli-stars-goal-celebrations

He's been doing it all season though, this game unfortunately lined up with politics and war. 

He's damned if he does celebrate like that, damned if he doesn't by his community.

I've watched the Woodsman score goals in the UK right in front of me, his family and other obvious kiwis many times and never seen him use our flags even though we know he's a proud kiwi.  

Am happy that Hemed is a proud Israeli but not so sure he should be flag waving so prominently in a game of club football.  Its not part of the game downunder.   

The last thing we need is that shark that goes on in the Glasgow, Europe or the Middle East.

Lachyloolaa

coochiee

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/125149152/wellington-phoenix-coach-distances-himself-from-israeli-stars-goal-celebrations

Yeah it is pretty fudgeing tasteless on his part. I hope he doesn't do it in front of our home crowds.

Have to agree with this. Would ask those who have maybe followed his career is this type of goal celebration something he has done in all the leagues he has played with. I did a quick search and couldnt find any. If that is the case then if its something new maybe he should be encouraged to stop it. 

ballane

Lachyloolaa

coochiee

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/125149152/wellington-phoenix-coach-distances-himself-from-israeli-stars-goal-celebrations

Yeah it is pretty fudgeing tasteless on his part. I hope he doesn't do it in front of our home crowds.

Have to agree with this. Would ask those who have maybe followed his career is this type of goal celebration something he has done in all the leagues he has played with. I did a quick search and couldnt find any. If that is the case then if its something new maybe he should be encouraged to stop it. 

The flag stuff has always been slightly jarring for me because, even if it’s not directly political, it has the connotations, although as we’ve seen over the last year or so politics and sport have become ever more intertwined. It also kind of takes away from celebrating with the team and makes it more about with the Israeli community. But I’m not sure I agree with the people abusing him and calling it ‘disgusting’ that he celebrated with a Jewish prayer(?) given how common and accepted it is to see Muslim players kissing the turf or Christian players crossing their chest

Culture and identity and politics aren't the same. I had a look at his twitter and didn't see anything political. It was very well be that he just got close to the Israeli community in Australia and there's nothing political at all. 

For you maybe for others they are one and the same. 

I watched the game with 45 minute delay as I had stuff to do.
I felt a lot of regret in the end as, whilst City were class - and not at all a "B-team", given the players on the pitch and the reinforcements off the bench - I feel like we squandered an opportunity to get 3 points. And it came down, in my view, to two mistakes: Laws not clearing the ball for the first goal, and Sotirio (not Lewis who did the right thing in committing a professional foul) losing possession in an advanced position and leaving us exposed. Laws has had a good game and has been a worthy replacement for DeVere in my opinion, so it's a shame he basically cost us a goal.

Going forward we were excellent. To me Fenton, not Hemed, is MOM. He won us a penalty and won the ball by pushing high in the dying stages, for the equaliser. He never gave up and this to me was the best performance by him in recent times.
Sail was his usual amazing self - I hope that arm heals quickly as we're going to need him if we're to pull this off. Ball was hard working but only good in patches. Reno was devastating when he had space, but quite rusty and made a few mistakes in the first 20 or so.
I don't know - 3 points would have made things a bit easier and in my heart of hearts I really struggle to see us make the 6 - though I hope to be proven wrong of course.
If I think about it, we just haven't been up for it for large stretches of the season and have dropped too many points. At first I was encouraged by last season where we started off poorly and then got a massive string of results, but that never quite eventuated this year (until perhaps the last 5 or 6 where we've been unbeaten).

There are definitely encouraging signs - if we can keep most of the team together and make some targeted signings and keep Uffie, we could have a breakthrough season next year...

Ryan

Culture and identity and politics aren't the same. I had a look at his twitter and didn't see anything political. It was very well be that he just got close to the Israeli community in Australia and there's nothing political at all. 

you should check out his insta page, very political and obviously biased towards the Israeli point of view.

Agreed with the comments re: Fenton. Was superb and did put in a good number of crosses in the second half that I felt others should have done better with. Constant harassing of the opposition. That was the level of drive I want to see.

yeah I thought all of the lads put in a really solid performance, in a game that we were could have expected to ship many goals. We were lucky that the top scorer in the league was rested, but also unlucky to have conceded to goals that should not have happened. Laws fluffing a clearance he'd normally deal with easily and then a superb free kick that rounded the wall and found the top corner. The tackle had to be made, and maybe the wall could have been placed further to the right, if you want to be picky. Fenton worked hard all night, he was gassed at the end. Ball played his usual tough running game, top cross to Hemed for the second goal. Reno did well, but he was clipped everytime he had the ball which makes it difficult to create things (oppositions do it to Davila too - the refs have to do better to card that shark). 

We live on to fight for 5th or 6th, we need to win the next 4, and hope that Brisbane, macarthur, and adelaide drop points.