Nix v RADelaide Saturday 27th October, 7:30pm SS2 from Hindmarsh

Can we keep our unbeaten run?  Will Dura be well enough to return to the starting XI?  Who are our subs going to be?  Lia or Smith? 

Important questions that need to be answered

Let's get the cakes!

 Apparently Dura almost played Sunday so pretty sure he'll be back.

There were a few people on the pitch who almost played as well!

Time to move Brockie wider? It seems all of our forwards are best suited wide.

 Adelaide close to implosion? Wonder if Serg or Bruce will be back this week.

He also plays a mean left back. But yes, i'd be tempted to move Ifill up front, and Brockie out wide if we persist with 4-4-2.

I'm actually feeling somewhat adventurous and maintain we can do better with some 4/5/1 variant , as it is what the cool kids play.            

           Huysegems

   Fenton    Ifill   Brockie

          Smith   Muscat

Lochead  Durante Sigmund  Bertos

I would expect us to keep to the 4-1-3-2 formation that we have been playing. Against the Heart, we moved to more of a 4-5-1 because of their centre midfield. Adelaide seem to attack more down the wings, so I don't think we need the extra body in the middle of the park.

Even tho we have a miserable record at Hindmarsh, I think this is winnable. They have won 2 games, but have hardly been convincing and are coming off yet another loss to the Victory. They just seem to be sitting back, and trying to hit teams on the counter attack with their speedy wingers.

We've never done well at Hindmarsh, well not till recently.

It wont surprise me to see the away 433 formation back here.

                   Paston
Bertos Sigmund Durante Lochhead
           Muscat         Lia
                    Smith
Brockie    Huysegems       Fenton

^ thats not neccessarily what I would do, but it wouldnt surprise me if Lia does find his way back into the lineup

No ifill. No party.

Havent seen any evidence that Huysegems would be effective out wide. Not really as fast as we thought he might be, plus havent really seen him in wide areas enough. 

I would also be dissapointed if we played a 433.

However I dont think Brockie is best up top, I prefer him wide

Very interesting to hear that we have enlisted Trani as our 'Australian correspondent'. Could work especially well this weekend.

keep smith in, dura for boxy. panaman to the bench?

can't see lia starting, he looked a lot out of touch last weekend. Admittedly oput of his favoured spot you play where you're put right? If we go with the 4-3-3 then I like the above but move Smith back to CM and have Ifill as the CAM.

  More people in the team getting hit with the virus that is floating around. Hope everyone is fit for the game.

I want to see Boxall in over Siggy.

The more i think about it the more I like it. We've had two 1 all draws in arguebly what will be the two of our toughtest contest for year, playing with our B team and against an inform Roar and Boxall has looked solid in both, playing with a different CB both times (not easy).

And before people caste me off into the knitting circle wilderness think about this.... How many last ditch tackles a game does Siggy make compared to Durante, or desperate blocks?? Both play at CB so it should be pretty even, but Siggy clearly does this more often, which suggests (not actually a suggestion, but a simple fact), positionally he's not as good as Durante and has to "recover" because he lets his opposition drift off him.

Boxall is a little more Durante than Siggy positionally, which should help create a more compact and harder to break backline, especially with Bertos still developing.

Love Siggy, but have the strong feeling he's the third best CB at the Nix in reality.

.... all of the above is a mute point because Ricki loves his favourites and will play them regardless of how bad they are (Berto's entire 2011 - 2012 season)

 moot point.

...and I disagree.

 Siggy by a mile.

But what about siggy's goal scoring record? This must count for something.  

Also his bursting runs forward which Dura can do but Siggy does far more frequently.

not starting siggy?

This is a joke right?

Busy month ahead for the Phoenix

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/soccer-football/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=86

Is this correct? "Hindmarsh is a venue the Phoenix have been notoriously poor at in the past, although they did manage to win one of their trips to South Australia last summer when Tim Brown and Dani Sanchez netted goals to guide Wellington to a 2-1 triumph."

I thought we'd also won 2010/2011 1 nil or something before we had to return there for the play off game.

Correct on both counts.

Yeah, his 100% commitment really gets on my tits.

He needs to wind it back to say, 80-85%.

Id like to see

....................Paston

Leo......... Siggy...... Dura....... Lockie

Totori... Smith....... Manny..... Fenton...

...........Boyd......... Heysegems

Currently Ifill is slowing our pace we had in game 1 down, receiving the ball facing wrong way and behind him.
Give Brockie a rest and bring him on in second half.

Not all games are equal. Because we looked better in game 1, doesn't mean that the lineup we had was better...

Ifill should definitely be starting. Personally, I quite like having up front. But whether he should be wide or up front, he is still about our most creative player, one of our best goal scorers, so I don't even think there should be a question as to whether he should be starting.

I'm still amazed that there are people who would drop our best player for the past 3 seasons in favour of a 17-year old kid who's done a grand total of nothing so far in his three A-league appearances.

Yes, we were able to play at pace against Sydney because they were utter crap. Persevering with Ifill, even if he isn't yet fully fit, will soon start paying dividends.

At leasy Siggy gets close enough to make the last ditch tackles. Better than standing thinking "Oh damn".

Hope he hasn't burned it

Some massive lolz in this thread today. I guess some people lose the plot a bit when there isn't that much to angst about - just make shit up and call for our best players to be dropped. *crazy person emoticon*

Unless it's just trolling (dear god please let it be trolling).

Never said i didn't appreciate his commitment, but that doesn't make a player, sure it helps, but it won't do jack for you if you can't do everything else that is required.

Siggy is a favourite, and i really enjoy watching him play. I just think he's more suited to the direct style of play we are moving away from and that positionally he is not the strongest.

Am i wrong with my assessments??

Can we play a possession game with a CB who makes / attempts more 30 meter passess than 5 meter passes??

Take off the rose tinted glasses and actually assess his game and my comments concerning this, are they really off the mark. You don't have to agree with me thinking Boxall might be a better option long term, but can you really argue my assessment of Sigmund??

Has great commitment,heart and is solid in the tackle... lacks a passing game and can be positionally naive.

Its not trolling, just trying to create an informative discussion.

What makes Siggy a better player than Boxall... his commitment, because so far thats the only thing people are saying he has over Boxall, which to me isn't enough to garuntee him a place.

Lets ask the following questions...

Who has the better touch, the better pass, who reads the game better, whose better positionally, who works harder, whose stronger on the ball and in the tackle etc.

If siggy wins this hands down, call me an idiot, call me a troll... call me what you like. But atleast when i make a comment and an arguement I actually think about it first, and then post.... and how is it any different to opening up the discussion about whose better, Smith or Lia??

The knitting circle are a bunch of winey complainers with blinkers on (sorry knitters, but generally you are)... i really hope the fever forum regulars don't go down the same way, and allow people to actually share ideas that they don't agree with, without feeling the need to validate themselves with we know more than you, because i've had a beer with these players : )