R13 vs CCM | NYE | 9:00pm | SS3

This was by far not the worst performance this year. It was a defensive minded game, but we had some clear cut chances and I hope a player like Burns will score one them. It is not the best to watch football but brings us back to basics, work on the defense and the imorove the attack when the new players are here. Some of the long balls where pretty good and greated opportunities. I thought Paracki was solid and some of the quick passing between McGlinchy-Kalaudjerci-Krishna where delightful and show that they can play watchable football. We just need more of this stuff. We are last on the ladder and with more confidence we would have won that. The team is at a low, I‘ll take the point and I hope they will play with a more winning spirit next week.

I was looking for what the coach was doing.  Set up 5-3-2 and still had moments where a team that's been struggling to score split our CBs or iced our full backs. The coach did every thing he could to give our cattle a chance of holding their scoring low and looking to catch them on the break.  And we had enough good chances to win it.  Points to Darije. 

Good sub getting Rossi off who was getting run all around by a fresh Kwabena,  who looks a lot better than when we had him. Points to Darije. 

I think bringing on an attacking Singh for Ridenton earlier would have risked a late goal against us and another hit to morale.  Points to Darije. Others see that differently but I think that was a good call. 

Given the last few years of garbage I'm happy to hold onto a point and keep a clean sheet against a side that cut us to ribbons last game.  Not good enough but better for now. I hope with Fox back we may be able to set up slightly less defensively. Paracki will be able to play with a bit more confidence without having to baby sit Dura and Mullen for pace and hopefully tbc mid and Burns help slot the winners. And we'll have more depth on the bench. 

Gotta walk before you can run. Hopefully Fox can make a difference,  otherwise Darije has a headache. I don't see Dura or Mullen as anything more than experienced back-ups lacking pace. And we are still fragile enough at FB that we need two good quick CBs who can cover ground well. 

Just my thoughts. 

Yes, half time interviews are bad.  They are bad when the Hurricanes (sorry for the sensitive for mentioning the rugby) are winning their way to a championship, and they are bad when the Nix are still the bottom of the table.  It's not looking for things to moan about, it's talking about what we are seeing at that moment on the television.

I think the fact we are four points and a game behind  2nd last place suggests that we aren't expecting EPL or Champions League level, but perhaps just A-League level.

sitting in last and playing for a draw is just fudgeing shark!

Our target every season is top 6 and we are not going to get there targeting draws. We need to win and win often to get anywhere near or target of playing finals football. On current form and squad I dont think we deserve it. Assuming we get a bit of a clean out in January then maybe just maybe we might see a change - what worries me is that the players who want to come here wont be f the quality we need but what we deserve.

Nil-all is our go-to result!

Burns might change that though. He's no mug. In fact, he's proven to inspire us to loftier ambitions.

We shouldn't be rushing to get words out of exhausted players as they walk off a field in any sport- cricket, rugby etc. etc.

The reason why we pay casters is they have something interesting to say. The players have to play the game, if they have to comment on it too, let's just get rid of the talking heads altogether.

Nothing to do with the team or club either.

So if we brought Singh on for Ridenton who had totally lost confidence and played very poorly we would have risked a late goal against us?  Really?

I think part of the Ridenton thing is that Darje has essentially got him replacing Dario, rather than playing CM where he was earlier.  

He's made a bit of space for himself and a shot a couple of times, and forced good saves. 

And, while being in some very good company here, made a meal of chances. 

Also it should be noted that our club striker and challenger for the golden boot didn't take responsibility in a shooting position. And Ridenton also had one of the few genuine shots on goal, and Krishna also made a meal of a couple of chances. 

Really,  particularly if Singh was asked to win the game,  as many seem to have wanted.  Singh for Ridenton naturally changes your type of player and your style of play.  Ridenton may not be the perfect player but he's got an engine and does a lot of work.  

Just how I see it. 

Ridenton missed a sitter,  but that's not really what he's there for.  And even McG has missed goals like that.  I didn't  really  see Ridenton drop his effort or confidence.  But we all see it different. 

Dont think people are expecting Singh to win the game at all.What people want i think is for him to be given a decent shot at showing what he has to offer. A token 5 minutes at the end of yet another crap game just dosnt cut it. What i fear may happen is like Kosta before him and Rojas we lose Singh to another A league club who is prepared to give him a decent crack at showing what he can do. 

While Dura may be beyond his use by date its ironic that he plays and we dont concede after leaking goals recently. Yep have no doubt it will be claimed it wasnt down to him.

Ridenton simply just is not good enough specially playing in an attacking midfield role and yes he missed a sitter that a Masters 6 grader should have scored. He is not the only one as we have a number who are not up to it.   

I remain unconvinced that Ridenton is genuine A league standard ( and by that I mean how many other sides would he get in to?) but I think people are being a little bit unfair on that missed chance. Yes , he probably should have scored ( and a top quality striker may well have done) but the pass to him ( from AK if I recall)  was a metre behind him. Not the easiest thing in the world to instantly shift bodyweight to compensate. To fetch the pass meant shifting his weight backwards ( risking a shot over the bar) and that's what happened. So to be fair , yes , it was a great chance but also a bit of a shark pass from AK ( who I thought should have taken the shot himself )

Sure, but those interviews are bad in every sport and in every country.

Think about it this way, the Phoenix are struggling, the fan base is struggling, and unfortunately this site is also struggling. A lot of people who used to regularly post on here have left, they're still interested in the team because I see them at the games others are also active on Phoenix related twitter. I can only surmise that they gave up on this forum because of the negativity that is abound. We can't do much to  help the team on the field but what we can do is support them and be a friendly place for fans to congregate.

I always avoid match threads because I know what they contain, I don't know why I bothered this time, it was overly optimistic of me that's for sure - perhaps I was still drunk from the night before.

The team is struggling, we all know that. Sure post your opinions on here, but I think we've got bigger things to worry about than the quality of sound bites that happen after the half time whistle has blown. Even that isn't a problem it's just cumulative. 

The problem is that everything is a problem, there is literally nothing good that ever happens to anyone on here. 

If I was someone new to the nix I'd probably take one look at this group of supporters and walk away from the whole mess.

Or he used his vision as an experienced pro to see that rather than taking a 50/50 shot with the keeper shutting down the angle, if he played a square ball his team mate had an open goal to aim at.  

I do hear you, but i'm just not sure what we can post about if we are just being positive and supportive at the moment.  I was really on your side during the Ricki era, and mostly during the Ernie era.  There was a lot of negativity that blew out anything positive, and that can be frustrating.

But I feel like the match thread would be 2 pages long if we were just 'support the team' and be friendly because we are fudgeing terrible at the moment.

I do understand that negativity can be hard to stomach, i'm not trying to be difficult.  It's just hard to be positive at the moment.  

Also, just quickly scrolling through the thread over the first half, there was some negativity and some positivity, and some bemoaning the lack of yellows as we were getting wiped out - pretty much as people react to what is happening as it occours in the half things are getting posted- what a match thread is for.  

This turns pretty consistently negative in the second half, where not a lot happened, and more negative as it appears we are settling for the 0-0 result.

I don't think it is an unfair reflection on the game.

Are people's expectations of Burns too high ?

He has not had a club since July. God only knows when he last played any decent match minutes on a regular basis.

It will be some weeks before he is approaching anything like Match fitness.

possibly

Love your definition of an open goal- a keeper and two defenders

But yeh it's a poor shot,but neither of our two main goal scorers have tried to work an opportunity earlier. Compare it to earlier where Ridenton takes a shot into traffic and then Kalu fashions an opening and forces a great diving save out of kennedy.

Shots from all three were on. A bit more pace on the ball perhaps and Ridenton could have taken it on his left I thought or the ball should have been in front of him rather than behind him. Had to keep it down. Had to get it on target. 

Happy to be proven wrong but all things considered, I do not see him as the great saviour for this season at least.

You're right, imo this season has to be written off and the focus placed on next.

I didn't get to watch the game as I was celebrating new years. How was Dura. I haven't heard any complaints

Ridenton, what a missed chance. Looked worse on TV 3 tonight.

another Ridenton miss at 1.06. Only 1 defender and the keeper and ball at feet in front of him here. Also misses two 1-on-1s in the game. Sack him. 

I was on a plane and didnt see the game and have only just read the match thread. I read a lot of whining about the team being negative but those highlights (first half mainly I guess) have us looking pretty good, a lot of postive shots on target and nothing of note for the Mariners. You would have expected Roy to bury his second chance. Looking forward to the return of Burns.

Dura was good.  Defence seemed better with him there driving things once they sorted the balls going right through the middle of them early.

(Speculation alert) It might have done him a world of good to be on the bench for a little while - perhaps Kalejzic had a word with him quietly as to what he expects of the team captain.  Or maybe I am all wrong, and perhaps Dura shone only because we were playing CCM and not the Jets.

Yep, you'll note all our highlights we are going from right to left, none going the other way.  First half was quite positive at times.