R10 vs Roar Saturday 5:30pm

*beaten* 

lol you bunch of f*ckers!!! very funny

I thought it was totally aimless and shapeless. The sad thing is that despite that we managed to get enough chances to win and, and blew all of those. I didn't enjoy watching us on the ball at all.

I don't think it was the worst ever, but it certainly wasn't great. First half was ok but we fell away towards the end and I didn't think we'd equalise.

I thought the players had been through a punishing pre season and were fitter than ever? Other teams still seem fitter and sharper than us.

Our pattern is: we look good, fail to capitalise fully, get ourselves in with a shout, and then fail to draw/win late though we look like a goal threat when Ifill comes on and we concede late.

That's pretty much it martin, every bloody week!

#transitionyear

What's the A League record for most games without a win?

Just watched the replay of that miss for the first time. Dear oh dear. Was SLIGHTLY further out than I thought at the time but still...

Maybe I am the anomaly again but I thought that was a very good performance (for a loss) and one of our better ones this year. We really are not far off making it all click. I've watched this twice before posting as well but I saw good football from us and Ernie must about be ripping his hair out in frustration.

We bossed Brisbane until the first goal. We did that by doing what they do to every other team - keep possession. We showed patience we didn't try to force it and we created legitimate chances (more on this to come)

The first goal... it was weird, its like Sigmund was trying to figure out how to keep his guy away from the ball without mugging him and then Moss looks leaden foot in getting down to it. I would consider that to be a soft goal. The rest of the first half we looked jittery and I guess it shows the teams mental state that it just takes a goal to ratter us.

I am the first to call the opposition cheating dirty diving cunts so here goes. Kenny Cunningham, you are a dirty cheating diving cunt. That shit does not belong in this football club - leave that to the domain of the cheating Aussie bastards. If I was the coach, there would be repercussions. If anyone wants to call me out on that, I'll search your name in this forum and similar words. I'm consistent and I stand by it.

The referee I thought was poor both ways. Durante did not deserve a yellow, Berisha did not deserve a yellow, we did not deserve a penalty and they did not deserve a penalty (and subsequent yellow) I thought Lia would have gotten one for the forearm to Broiches face considering Brockie got one for the exact same thing. Compare that to the guy Lucien we had the last home game, the FFA really so not give a fuck about us (playing midnight in Perth??? No FIFA windows???) so I actually expect that we will get the same kind of inconsistent referee every week. After all, the young ones would go to hell and back to get an A League game. Why would Streb and co want to leave their towns when they don't have to?

The second half was more even of the two but on balance, we deserved at least a point. We DESERVED that and lets be fair, most people went 'this is not our week to get points against a rampant in form table leading Brisbane'. For a bottom of the table team, we have not been played off the park by any side this year (lets forget the Perth game that I never saw and the Jets in Napier and the 1st half against Melbourne) but we have not rolled over and taken it up the tail nor been out of the game. Against the top sides, they have had to work fucking hard for their points and when you consider we have played WSW and Brisbane 2ce, considering their position and ours, we have deserved points in all 4 of those games. Other teams are getting diddled by those sides - not us.

Runing through the players.
I thought Moss could have done more with the first goal? The second was an absolute gem and he was beaten with flight and curl. I've read posts that say he was leaden footed and should have done better - I would not have have back Galecovic to get that one.

Fenton I thought was guilty in defence but its growing pains with him. He does stuff that gives you hope and then does stuff that reminds you that he is a convert.

I had no real issue with Sigmund or Durante but seemingly, the stats says Sigmunds passing is shithouse...? 55%? Colour me shocked. He is a limited defender (my new term from playing FM 2014) and does just that. He is night and day better than last year. The defending on that goal though.......

Manny showed why Caira is not starting. Second week on the trot though we have been hit with goals from the same point in the field. Always force them to the by line Manny, on the outside

I thought Lia was bloody good. He got the ball turned, looked up and picked his target with accuracy. For me, I have to proclaim him my MOM (and I've watched the game twice). He made some good tackles. His positioning is odd because when we have the ball, he sits deeper. When we don't have it, he presses high.

Riera didn't really stand out for me and I don't get the love for him. He did a job but nothing more or less.

Hernandez is in a funk. I was surprised he was the one that took the pen but at least he has something against his name. I think the last 3 games he has played, he has been in a slump and if it was not for the fact that he is really the only recognised A League quality AM we have, he might be riding the pine.

Stein looks a better player sitting deeper and I thought this was one of his most productive games. Its almost like Ernie has Lia and Riera, then Hernandez and Stein and the Brockie with Cunningham playing a little wider. Stein is a better fit for us being a bit deeper and if he spends the rest of the season there giving the same, I would be happy. Should have squared that ball for Brockie but when you are that far out, generally you would back yourself.

Cunningham looks to be fitting in better but is a dirty cheating diving cunt. I don't want to say anymore

Brockie...... Miss a pen with the AWs and then miss a sitter.... You've got to wonder where his mental state is (judging by half the hair cut he paid full price for, you'd think he is in a bad head space). Its not like Ernie can say 'play your way out of it' because he wasn't exactly converting before hand. If we send him to Toronto, who do you replace him with? The only alternative is Boyd and I prefer Brockie thanks. Either way, there is a reason you call those misses coach killers cause he has guaranteed that Ernie gets it in the neck from the press for another week. 

What do you do against a CCM side that just got ass raped by Adelaide? There are no quick fixes that will magically transform us so you go 'This has to be the one". CCM are playing like ass right now and I guess the question is, 'What does Ernie do next?' I think he does the same thing next week. You can't bring Caira back in, you might consider Boxall for Sigmund but you'd need a stinking game from Sigmund to do so and he has not had one, and you really look at what Hernandez and Brockie bring to the mix because I think those two are the most in danger of bench time. Someone will throw out a Rufer call (like we got last years 'play Lindsay' call rammed down our throats from some - where is he now?) but it would show up in training if he was good enough to get a run. This is it and while our football is light years better than last year, our finishing is about as adequate and satisfying as Len Browns. People will want to question Ernie and if he is the right coach but those same folk were more than happy to give Ricki and extended run of it when we were shit. The coach is not the problem in this case and anyone calling for his head, in my opinion has no clue about football cause the football is light years better than at any time under Ricki, but Ernie is not coaching an international striker to rifle it over from point blank now is he.......

I thought that was our best performance of the season so far too.

Summary?

YF faithful generally don't like loosing, but chant great any case

Wider audience are enjoying the style of play more

Carlos is shite, for now

Kenny is coming along

Brockie is a donkey

everybody else is doing about as well as you'd expect, but overall aint good enough

and (most gloomily) we are doomed and never will be able to attract decent enough players

But, to expand on one aspect, and most hopefully, we have played the top four SIX times (including the top two four times), and the rest only three times (Perth, twice) .... and one of them after midnight, 5,257km away and the other at the Village of the Damned with our NZ internationals rushing away to catch a flight to Mexico

Keep on believing 

WARNING INCOMING ANGST
If it was the first A League game you had ever seen it would be pretty hard to believe that it is a professional league and I don't think you would be driven to attend a game any time soon. Both teams were dreadful and it was a poor advertisment for the league - at times it was a complete hack fest. As previously stated I had enjoyed watching the Nix this year but found the game yesterday to be torture to watch. I don't think it will trend that way this season because we have shown we can play but it didn't come together yesterday at all IMO.

I thought the Phoenix played some good football. Certainly didn't look like a top and bottom of the table clash. You just lack a lethal finisher. I think Brockie has been found out in this more possession-based style. Pity Ifill can't play 90 minutes any more. Keep the faith and buy a proper striker. I like Stein's ball control and effort but he's just too one-footed to lead the line.

Keep the faith.

Am I the only one who thought the pitch looked like absolute shit? Folks around me were commenting on it, but haven't seen anyone here talking about it.

Lia had a very good game in my opinion. His distribution was great and he made some terrific through balls that lead to one or two clear cut/half chances. I think Lia has had his best season so far and for once deserves a bit of credit. 

Huysegems had a terrific first half but seemed quite ineffectual in the last 30 minutes of the game. Just wish he put one of those half chances away. I wonder if we'll keep hold of him when his contract expires. 

Fenton was solid defensively and hopefully he is now starting to grow into that fullback role. He has the athletic attributes and the mental ability (determination etc), to make a solid fullback.  

I don't think we're playing bad football and we're creating chances, but it just isn't clicking at the moment. I don't necessarily think we have bad players, we just don't know how to win. I feel if we recruited a quality foreign player or even a marquee it could lift the team. I know that we probably don't have the funds and marquees tend to be a bit of a hit and miss, but if we were to get an experienced and quality European Central midfielder or Defender, perhaps this would help us?   

I think the torture is that we are creating chances and butchering them. 

I remember reading in the footy tribe by Desmond Morris- great read by the way- that you pass to people who are your mates more than those who aren't. So I'd reccommend getting Brockie, Stein, Kenny, Carlos, Iffy,HIcks,  Caira and Fenton all together sending them off to get on the piss together or whatever...Honestly think this might make a bit of a difference. Just looking at the way everyone was blaming each other when passes weren't played yesterday...

A bit of chill and confidence might make the difference.

Also I am going to say, perhaps a bit of Boxall at some point...he's better than bench, but where to put him I guess is the question and when. 

Failing that bring back Greeny, think he'd be scoring for fun with all this service.

Start Ifill and Hernandez off the bench as the impact sub would be the way to go I think. 

It'd almost be better if we were getting hidings in these games because it'd be easier to argue for wholesale changes. I think that what's happened this year is that we had a disrupted start to the season thanks to AWs games and the travelling roadshow games, and we never quite clicked. Now it's been too long and the confidence is down and even when we play well for periods the moment something goes against us our heads go down and we go into our shells. Ernie/Welnix's failure to recruit a quality DM hasn't helped because we've had to put an extra man in the middle to help out which has made us play a narrow brand of football, which then doesn't suit our attacking stocks. The decision to pass on Matt Thompson has cost us - he might not have been exactly what we were looking for but nor was Cunningham and we signed him despite having a bunch of wide attacking players on the books already.

I also think the Brockie situation is tough - if you look at his career prior to last year he's never really played a lot as a striker and his goalscoring record is not that flash. Maybe last year actually was just an anomaly and now we've put all our faith in him as a striker when it's really not who he is. However, who do you replace him with? Where are our goals gonna come from with or without him starting? 

I think it might be time for some changes for the sake of it just to try and jolt the team out of this rut. Start Ifill, start Boxall, give Fenton a crack up front, play Stein in midfield, play a back 3....  I don't know just do something  to try and shake things up.... 

I expected people to disagree with me but that is how I felt about the game and usually I'm the first to point out the positives but this one was a particularly hard one to watch. I wasn't expecting a great performance beforehand either given how good the Roar have been but even they disappointed me.

The pitch has a really bad poa annua (pest grass) problem which has been only getting worse the past couple of years. They might have sprayed it with a herbicide which can make stand out as the plant stresses out. There are ways of masking it so it is less obvious but it appeared they didn't do that for this game.

Hopefully they get rid of the chick who was doing the ground announcements or at least get her to watch some football games before next week.  She was announcing subs before they actually occurred and in the TW vs Wanderers game told the crowd that TW had "two points" and Wanderers had "one point" after TW went 2-1 up.

Nice work with the chant YF.

Mid week catch up game against CCM over there, and then Sunday night footy at RoF.  

Will we fold or is the time for biscuit and our surge up the table upon us?

Also, no wonder we get ripped apart at the back.

Fenton shouldn't be converted!?!?

Why not let the poor kid play a more attacking role, what he's best at?

And bring in a RB instead?

I mean what do you expect trying to convert a player just like that?

It didn't go well with Bertos either...

Maybe if we played 'the rest' more they'd be top of the league?

Lack of quality in front of goal is the main reason.

Fever were amazing in the second half!!