R17 vs Melbourne City | Sat 14th Feb | 5:00pm | Bellevue Gardens Hotel

Boyd: he's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy?

Maybe the issue is that he thinks he's the Messiah. I don't mean to religiously stereotype, but the kind of footballers who are very vocal about their evangelical Christian faith tend to be the ones who're not quite as good as they think they are (eg Fallon, R.)

It is a little bit on the edge...

Been a Phoenix fan and reader  of this generally good-humoured forum for many years---not posted before but must give voice to my frustration after the game on Saturday. I left the ground with a feeling of bitter disappointment.  No complaints with the venue in any way but the ref. entirely ruined the game in my view. Football is meant, I've always thought, to be a game of skill, pace, goals and entertainment for the fans and to allow a team to persist with continual and cynical fouling turns it into a travesty.  I seem to remember a few years ago a Fifa directive that any player coming in from the back was to receive an immediate red card.  Judging by some of the fouls on Saturday that is obviously being ignored these days.  No bloody wonder Merrick is so fed up---trying to get your team to play a decent style of football only to see the opposition kick the hell out of you combined with weak refs. must be utterly galling for him.  My female companion was astonished to see her normally mild-mannered and good-natured friend forever leaping out of his seat and bellowing at the officials---in the second half the linesman on our side was about 2 days behind the play. Explained that's what football does to you sometimes.

Rant over. Feel much better. Not normally this grumpy.  Any views on 10 mins in sin bin for yellow card as in rugby?

Talking about this after the game. Weemac needs a break. I would start Rufer next week, weemac off the bench to come on at half time. Also, fever need a banner that says shooooot on it.

This reads the same way as any "I'm not racist but" quote.

Completely agree.

I do get the impression that HAL refs are given instructions to try and 'let the game flow' (possibly due to criticism of footballers being soft and trying to compete with other codes in Aus), which normally results in far more cynical and physical challenges and often creates scrappy games, rewards the physical teams over the technical ones. These refs go and do an ok job on the international scene under the FIFA banner and are stricter in their interpretation. Even teams that do try and play, like Adelaide, are, IMHO, overtly physical/niggly - because they are allowed to get away with it. 

Against WSW, Golec should have gotten a yellow for his professional foul on stopping a promising counter attack of ours - ref awards a free kick in our half which is exactly what WSW would have wanted in that situation - the ref is rewarding the cynical team. Then later in the game when Golec takes down Burns and does get a yellow, it could have been his second or he may not have attempted the challenge and Burns would have been through for a possible goal scoring opportunity.

Came on when we were short players, in Adelaide, and impressed me. He has pace, a good turn, and could be a good outlet for A-rod/Lia. He may also free up Roly, and that could change a game.

This week it will be "Crowed Attendunce"

Agree. Fouls are for loosers, coach praise 'fighting spirit'. They should introduce the rule, that if you foul someone and he needs attention on the sideline, the player who fouled should stay with him off the field for the same time, no advantage fro fouling and some time to think about it.

Am curious as to why, in the first half with a stiff, swirling wind at their backs, a few long-range shots were not tried.  Only one that I can recall.  Swerved a foot or two over the bar but had the keeper in some alarm.  I remember an old Scot's coach dictum,  "If you dinnae shoot you cannae score."   For long periods in that half their keeper positioned himself between the penalty area and halfway line. Might have been a good idea to have him scrambling about a bit more.

Yeh, maybe, but I did say it so you certainly can.  :)  My impression was they kept a couple of mids back at all times, and their FBs weren't exactly flying forward but it may be mental degradation and bitter imagination. 

I still think we might easily have got one of those Krishna goals and it would have become a different game.  Having said that this patience and look for the opportunity to play the killer ball does have it's limits.  We are a small side easily physically bossed and with no killer dead ball player, limited height for set pieces and no different game plan options on the bench.  Otherwise good.

And I agree with whoever said that Rolly is getting gang banged and the game plan and Rolly haven't found the best way to handle that well.

slightly ironic, given the way we played for years, but yep

Better than cowed attendance

I think one reason why Adelaide is such a difficult ground to go to is that it's a rectangle football pitch and the croud really make things difficult for the ref and the other team.

*sigh* Okay, fine, I do mean to religiously stereotype.

Are you calling Martin Crowe a dunce?!?

Too deep and meaningless sori..Crowed as in noise or as another one letter change or add/delete in a word.....dunce as in misspelling both words

Of course not! I was making a reference to the lack of invitation to the Halberg Awards for one of New Zealand's greatest batsmen

I'm just too, too deep and meaningless for you

Oh, I don't really get through to you

And there's no need for Halberg to talk that way

Is there any less pessimistic thing to say?

Do you like Martin Crowe?

Should he have seen the show?

Shall Sky have had his spot taken?

Sadly he looks like Death and The Maiden!

Jeez, it was a joke. Either my sense of humor is offensive or it just goes over everyone's heads.

Under "Serious Foul Play" (Law 12) which is a red card sanction, the following is stated:

"Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force and endangering the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play."

Essentially this needs to be a tackle that has the studs driven in to a player (and we are really looking ankle or higher) or has force that is far in excess for the tackle committed or the tackle is in danger of seriously injuring the opponent. Usually, you want a combination of these at least along with speed.

For further clarity:

"Reckless" i.e. yellow card means that the player has acted with complete disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, his opponent.

“Using excessive force” i.e. red card means that the player has far exceeded the necessary

use of force and is in danger of injuring his opponent.

Now to muddy those waters for you, if there is a tackle that is 'orange' i.e. could be high end of the scale for a yellow card or low end of the scale for red card, FIFA want referees to come down to yellow. This was changed about 18 months ago where an orange tackle would be recommended to go to red.

Hope this helps you!

The ol' non-FIFA-sanctioned indoor football refs always tell you that you can't tackle from behind at all, but then proceed to ignore there own rules most of the time. Not really relevant but it annoys me - it's just a lottery as to whether the ref will call a hack to the ankles from the back of the player a foul or not.

He he he another misconception. You can tackle from behind provided its a legal tackle i.e. you don't commit a foul in doing so. I hear that one a lot.

'Oi ref, he's tackled him from behind!'

'I know...and what a bloody good tackle it was too!'

Exactly why Indoor soccer is non sanctioned - its just made up mumbo jumbo.

Futsal on the other hand ..

This one has persisted for quite a while now. I think it has been ingrained in many generations.

Pitch was, I believe, 65 x 102.  

Hutt News are on to it.  ;-)

What is ROF?

Another misconception that annoys me is the "I was going for the ball/got the ball" call. Like if you fly through someone at knee height with both sets of studs up its ok as long as you were trying to get the ball...

Or it's just not funny :)

Of the two, the Unicorn is the more likely to be found :-)