R11 v Adelaide United | Sat 5th Jan 2019 | 7:35pm | Hindmarsh Stadium

Kurto! So happy we wasted an import spot on this guy. From the jaws of defeat and 25 odd shots against us he's won us a valuable point! MOTM no doubt about it.

Looking forward to a better performance against WSW though...

But so have our opponents, we conceded no goals so we deserve a point for the draw.

If adelaide scored a goal and it was ruled out incorrectly I'd agree we didn't serve the point, but our defence kept Adelaide from scoring so we deserve the point. 

Kurto easily MOTM. 

Good point, with a ref that allowed both sides to disrupt too much, playing poorly. 

But not giving up 3 points to a mid table competitor, away; priceless. 

A fairer comparison would be "any foul where the player doesn't get the ball and kicks the opponent full force in the ribs should be a red card".  And I would be OK with that I think.

Happy with the draw! Now who will replace Mandi in the next game?

What a nervy last thirty.

Quick thoughts on the game:

- Kurto MOTM surely. Kept us from conceding with crucial saves.

- Good defensive resiliance from the team after the red. While i would like to have seen the defensive line push up quicker when getting possesion back I can understand not wanting to risk anything. Again great defensive resiliance.

- Easy to say ifs and buts, but I feel if there was no red we nix a goal there.

- The red. While a very cynical attempt at getting the ball, I understand the attempt. Does it bring VAR into question? Yes and no. Its there fpr those reasons but the ref made his decision already. Stick with that. Of course being on the receiving end Im bias.

- Great tackle from Rufer at the end there. Not a yellow at all. Good clean hard tackle. Got the ball. No yellow.

- Why in sam hell did we not throw everyone forward for that free kick at the end. At least whip a cross in.

Five games unbeaten now is it. Unfortunate to miss Mandi next game, how are those yellows counting up?

On to the next one.

COME ON PHOENIX!!

Hard game to watch. But we hung in their. Credit where its due, the team really showed alot of grit and determination, Well done to earn the point.

We were a little bit lucky they didn't give them that penalty in the first half. Not the most clear & obvious penalty ever, but quite a deliberate foul all the same.

The performance is more disappointing than the result. Good to escape out of it with one point, but also, frustrating that it wasn't the performance we've been getting used to.

Stupid & reckless. Red card. 

Actually I don't think Mandi is a good fit for the Nix. Sure quality on the ball, but petulant, and hate his theatrics to draw a foul.

Not sure what his level of English is, but notice he doesn't answer the other Nix players when they talk to him. Wonder if he is breaking that no dick heads rule. Harsh perhaps.

Anyway I guess Kopy gets a go in that DM role next week.

Good point on the road (looked warm), with 10 men for last 25 mins. Lets not forgot lost limply 3-1 at home verus Reds, 6 weeks ago. Happy enough. Beat WSW and would be a good 3 game stretch in Oz.

Is this the first time the Nix have gone 6 in a row unbeaten? 

Many moons ago we managed 7 unbeaten.

With our next game in 3 days it may be a tough ask to match that again, unless Cillian is itching to see the back of the net on Tuesday.

On the other hand his attitude may be exactly what the Nix need. Fielding a team full of 'nice guys' never worked for us in he past. 

Though you have to wonder, if he did actually kick the player with full force rather than just theatrically kicking out, why wasn't there an Adelaide player rolling around on the ground in histrionics after Mandi kicked them? Normally the slightest touch is enough for a player to need the physio...

Disappointing overall performance. Stupid red. We only had one good attack the whole game, Mandi-Singh-Williams, 2nd half. Not much entertainment value. Hope we learn from it.

Clean sheet. got to like that.

That's why I wish football could stamp out all of the theatrics.  You regularly don't know if someone is injured or not untill they limp off or taken off on a stretcher.  

Still if someone was a little deserving of some theatrics to go against him it's probably Mandi with the way he carries on.

I don't mind having players who mongrel up every now and then - we got a point. This year's Nix are gritty as fudge - we'd have lost last week and this week without it.

This showed me that we really have taken on board Mark Rudan's philosophies. Make ourselves hard to beat, check. We'd have lost that in previous years, we'd have rolled over and pulled out a "not our fault, the ref dicked us again" excuse. We are built of harder stuff these days.

That said it wasn't a great watch. Mandi and Rufer didn't keep the ball ticking over like they have been doing so well recently, Fenton was generally back to Fenton of old (hope that doesn't last) and Singh was creatively anonymous. But they all dug in, Durante, Doyle and Taylor were immense and we got an away point. Brilliant.

And as for Kurto, best keeper we've ever had. 

Bring on the Wanderers and a debut for Cillian Sheridan.

Kurto was very good, though he did nearly mess it up in the first half didn't he? When he came for it and didn't get it and they just missed the shot.

Mandi out for at least two games. Also how many yellows is that for Rufer? Four or Five? 

Midfield options for Wednesday?

That was Rufer's fourth yellow.

nah was Chachache's foot that dragged the ball, as much as it looked really bad, Mandi was going for the ball when it moved.

if that had been given I would have expected the nix fans there to tear the stadium apart - would ga e been the softest call ever.

I wouldn't mind Nicholls getting a chance for Mandi's spot against WSW. 

Better than Kopczynski playing in midfield.

Disagree. 

A player is guilty of serious foul play if he "uses excessive force or brutality against an opponent when challenging for the ball when it is in play". From what I saw this was reckless (i.e. complete disregard for danger to, or consequences for, a player) play from Mandi and, therefore, a yellow card.

You can watch a replay here

Even if you still think this was a red card, it has to be a "clear and obvious error" for the decision to be overturned. The referee had a clear view of the incident and awarded a yellow card on the basis that it was reckless play. As far as I'm concerned, this is death by slow motion because the replays made it look much worse than it actually was.

Away point in Adelaide after being down to ten men... got to be happy with the point. Expect to win at home  but nearly always happy with away draws given history.

Not really sure what to make of the red as only showed in slow mo. Something I've never understood is that replays are only slow mo.. I think intention is much more obvious if we also get a replay at full speed.

I disagree. The performance was OK against a difficult opponent who was playing at home. We might have all expected Nix to win 6:0, as we all are suddenly hard to please now with less than a win. I blame Rudan for raising our expectations :-)

It was not a great game of football, and the Reds piled up pressure and we were under the pump in the second half.  I am pleased Rudan showed he has Plan B, this was clear late in the game tonight, despite Adelaide passing handwritten cribsheet "How to beat 10-man Nix". 

Strategically, I am OK with this outcome (not giving Adelaide three points), as they are next to us on the table. This one, and the game against Victory last week, were the ones I was afraid we might lose.  I expect WSW will also go at us physically, and the game might be somewhat similar.

Assuming we can beat WSW and that will not be easy.

Five points from three away games on the bounce.  If we had been offered that 24 hours before the Victory game I reckon we would have been more than happy.

Not pretty tonight but this team has got some spine now. For the last four years at least, a game like that at home would have seen us losing by a sucker goal let alone anything away. 

Sure. Performance not great, but we got a point away v. Adelaide - that's all that counts now really.

Re: red card, I agree slow motion did Mandi no favours. Pretty sure it was Lia on ground with ball being a sharke. I need to see replays again but I think his retaliation afterwards on Mandi goes unnoticed/unpunished - that was not smart from Lia - watch him walk away from the action. 

We are very gritty. I love this team. 

Adelaide's game plan was give us no space and monster us where possible. I guess we just retaliated in kind. A decent scrap, but not a game to enthuse the neutrals.

Only 1 loss and 4 goals conceded in 5 away games is a pretty good return so far.

Seeing that tosser Lia strutting around reminds how good it is that we got rid of him. 

So you're saying that taking a full swing at a player who lying on the ground isn't excessive force? What's excessive force, pulling out a gun and shooting him while you're at it?

The other thing also is we don't know yet if the red card was for serious foul play or violent conduct, it's not clear to me whe  exactly in the entire sequence the whistle had been blown.

Wouldn't mind TAHW slotting in there either - hopefully Mandi's suspension means his signing is both ensured and hurried up

Just a thought on the VAR. Sorry if it's a bit off topic, but is surely relevant to us based on what occurred this evening.

If the VAR is in place to correct and overturn clear and obvious errors from on field, then shouldn't those in the hot seat be only limited to one, normal speed, look at any incident in question? This should apply to the ref reviewing any incidents on the sidelines too.

My reasoning for this would be that the guy in charge only gets one look at any initial incident. For mine, It's not exactly a clear and obvious error if you have to look at several different camera angles, slow motion replays, & zooming in for close ups in order to make a decision that should be, well, 'clear and obvious' upon first sight. I don't know, maybe I'm just being too rational? Would love to get a few thoughts on this though.

Yer we stunk it up a bit overall today. On their day they’re a tough team to deal with. Kurto was great. Can’t believe how many times they actually missed scoring in the second half alone. They looked like duds, thankfully. The big result was not getting the point away but stopping them getting the 3 and bounding away on the ladder. 

Perspective:

Played well against Perth at home. Got shafted by Ref. Outcome = Draw! 

Played shark against Adelaide away. Probably the right decision by Ref. Outcome = Draw!

In previous editions of the Wellington Phoenix we would probably have ended up with a loss in both situations. Accept that we come away with a point in each match and move on!