Phoenix vs Sydney

He'll learn.

Jag2009-01-12 15:34:29

Bit like Siggy the previous week. Or Zidane 2006 WC Final. Can happen to anyone. Let's look forward to next season when Hearfield and Bertos are tearing up the A-League up front

So what was your excuse yesterday then EG ?

I stand by my statement that I was fouled (without getting the call) before red mist descended.

Yes Greenie

it's one of those things. he will regret it, but with experience comes wisdom. next time in a similar situation he will likely walk away. you could see the bad blood between hearfield and brosque from the time brosque strongly blocked hearfield's run in the box at a corner, resulting in a swipe to the head. game on from there. you could see brosque was up for it. if i was kosmina, i would have looked at getting him off before he self-imploded.

No one really has taken up what has seemed to be a deliberate sour grapes tactic first by Newcastle, and then by Sydney.

Best of all was us getting booked on the few occassions we did it and they walked away free most of the time.

I just wanted to win the game. Especially after Hearfield got sent off. I thought it was still on, just got iced on the counter.

I don't think there was much really to complain about on Williams behalf save any penalty decisions (which I haven't seen) and possibly getting in sooner between Brosque and Hearfield to stop that flairing up like it did.

More frustrating I'd say...at times it seemed like the only way a Sydney player would get carded was if he pulled out a gun and shot one of our guys...and even then it'd probably be only yellow.

There were three penalty shouts that I saw:

1. Early on, from our free kick. Ball bounces of Sydney defender's thigh onto his arm. Hard one - not playing the ball intentionally, but arguably the arm was in an 'unnatural position' and prevented us from getting possession. Fifty-fifty call, certainly not blatant miss by Williams. Although I've seen worse given.

2. The push on Smeltz's back in the second half (by Gan I think). The cross coming in from the left, Smeltz coasting in to challenge for the ball in the air, gets pushed in the back by the retreating Sydney midfielder. The arm is clearly extended, and clearly shoves Smeltz a bit further forward so he can't get to the ball. To his credit, Smeltzy stayed on his feet, but that was a 100% clear penalty any day. And probably a yellow card for a professional foul.

3. Another incident with Smeltz - loose ball in the box, Smeltz trying to control the ball with his feet, but appears to be tripped from behind before getting full control. Watching it live on TV, seemed a straightforward call, but I haven't seen any replays of the incident, so it's possible that I saw it wrong, or in a very one-eyed way.

Oh yeah i did see this one.
 Meh, I've seen softer given and worse ones not. Would you give that push in the centre circle? Unlikely... Maybe if Smeltz had been deliberately pushed then he could have tried not to keep his feet (I'm not saying dive, I'm saying take the contact and go with it)

It was a clear foul. I'm sure if it had happened in the centre circle Williams would've blown for it. I mean, it is a foul, and should be called wherever it happens on the field. Though you never know with Williams I guess.

In hindsight, Smeltz probably should've gone down. But as Harper said at the time, when there's all this talk of diving supposedly ruining the game, when a guy stays on his feet although fouled shouldn't he be commended for that?

Maybe Smeltz should've taken a tumble but Dadi tried that three times last night - got him precisely nowhere. And at least two of those were clear penalties.

I think a Sydney fan in the crowd may have asked for it.

I'll rephrase

To dive i.e. go down without contact, is absolutely the worst thing in the game at the moment. Thats out an out cheating. Cristiano is a scumbag for it and right behind him is lei lei down.

To take the hit and go with it i.e. contact and go down, is smart football.

You can't dive or be called a cheat if the defender has made contact with ya.
Agent 472009-01-12 20:41:21

you can if it was soft IMO, someone who gets a shoulder brushed past their chest and goes down clutching a knee pisses me off, smart football can still be cheating.

OH yes you can!

I tend to agree with you there, but I sense a lot of people don't see the difference.
For example, if you remember, there was a whole thread on the penalty that Coveny got against Newcastle earlier in the season, and a lot of OUR OWN fans were calling Covs a cheat, when he was clearly fouled.

But guess it's all done and dusted, no point on dwelling on what's happened and can't be changed.

I'm not referring to brushing past the shoulder and go down clutching the knee. Yes that is cheating.

Showing your true colours with a comment like that; Low life

He wasn't the only one to say/think it though.

Which game were you watching

Yes, my fair and sportsmanlike Australian friend.Yes, I am.

Jag2009-01-12 21:50:03

Fixed. Happy now?

i still cant get over the fact that the team needed to win that match, and most players didnt seem to break a strolling pace!for his part tho, i thought bertos gave everything, not that it was much good, but at least it looked like he was trying

Does anyone actually like Brosque? Doesn't he rank up there with Joel Griffiths, & Kevin Muscat &  ARSeo?? Troy's biggest mistake was not doing the job properly and flooring him....................................................

No problem with your opinions Agent, in fact I tend to agree with a lot of what you have to say.... just think that the fact you and others can't express them without using expletives diminishes the points you are trying to make..

I signed up to the forum to discuss football and sl*g off players/coaches and officials just like everyone else... just a pity that either people get so worked up over results that they can't think straight or that they have a vocabulary akin to that of a bartercard cup supporter....

bopman2009-01-12 23:07:54

I think that sums me up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfC7PFpw60Q

5:15. No way was that a two footed lunge. In fact Brosque didn't even leave his feet. He just came in and kicked Hearfield. Definitely deliberate though.

Have a look at the 7:47 mark. Interested on opinions on that one....
Agent 472009-01-12 23:19:27

but Hearfield lost us the game!111!11!!!!!!!

MUST...HAVE...A....SCAPEGOAT........