R6 vs CCM | Sat 12 Nov | 7:35pm | SS4

Problem? If anything, having game changing players on the bench is a luxury most teams do not have and great recruitment. A good man manager then earns his keep, ensuring benched stars remain happy. Depth across the park is something the Nix have never really had before.

Look at the difference between the squads for Sydney and Adelaide for example, Sydney can bring fantastic players off the bench week in week out. It makes a obvious difference when compared with Adelaide, who through failing to adequately replace players have a handful of injuries and then a team that barely functions.

Seeing as Ernie doesn't seem to think A-Rod is a DM, who is behind Lia? Where is our depth there? Across both fullback positions we have one guy who is both a genuine fullback and who has professional experience- Doyle. Parkhouse is okay going forward but poor on defensive positioning. Tratt looks like he could be alright, Fenton and Ridenton aren't fullbacks. We could have upgraded our starting DM or one or both FBs before worrying about having quality on the bench

We've got a lot more depth than I thought we had!

Oooh, I wouldn't put 'Aussie', 'butcher' and 'indigenous' in the same sentence..

True, we had good Plan B against the Jets and CCM, but we may be out of our depth against Victory. This may not be a six nil drubbing anymore, but "our depth is shallower than their depth", in other words our deep end is still in a shallow pool. I think I better stop here with my stretched metaphor, but you get my erm... drift.

Good result, boys. Never doubted ya.

The Mariners just set a record for most games in a row without a clean sheet in the Aussie top flight(A League/NSL) - 35. 

The a whole bunch of things that came out of last night (and last week) and I am unsure if they are because of the quality of opposition or more a measure of our team

* Last week Roly was out and this wee McGlinchey was out (and probably next week as well) and the team shaped better with 1.5 at the base of the midfield (with A-Rod focusing more on the defensive part than anyone else in that midfield group) There was more room for the other midfielder that plays off of Finkler to 'do more'. How would this midfield have functioned against a higher tabled team?

* Watson looked like an A League class striker

* Tratt looked every bit the RB we have been looking for

* Lowry had a very nice debut

* The attack seemed to function better with 'less of the same' in Kosta and Krishna vs Watson and Krishna. Ernie always wanted a differrent kind of striker as a plan B and Watson is his plan B

Other things that stood out was that Italiano is not ready to replace Moss any time soon. He made a couple of good saves but then thats what I would expect from keepers at that level. Its the other little things that I felt he was shaky on. Also Rossi is a very very good defender and he makes the game look so much easier than others around him.

Durante will come back in one would expect and perhaps push Lowry sideways to LB (is he left footed?) Moss will be an easy swap and one would expect that Kosta would come back in. McGlinchey being injured makes that decision in the midfield easier for him but no doubt the A-Rod haters will say he should be dropped and continue their retoric based on nothing.

No..one could drop Roly and keep Watson playing Finkler deeper.

When you've only got a squad of 23, foreign player and salary cap restrictions; some compromises will need to be made. Looking at the squad performance when we're depleted due to injuries and an international window, it looks as though the coach may have the balance right - or at least a lot better than the past. Not many other A-league teams have a strong bench.

I think Rossi was a great buy and makes our whole defense much better, but I still think that the salary/foreign spot that Finkler took would have been better spent on a RB or a DM. What you see as squad depth I see as a lost opportunity to address a weakness in our first XI. It's especially acute with Finkler because he's not versatile - he's a pure no 10 and that's it. He doesn't have the mobility or defensive nous to play deeper or the pace to play wider or up front. I'd be happier if we'd signed an import mid who was more versatile at least. Not bagging Finkler because I think he's class, I just don't think he's what we needed most in our recruitment this year. It's also meant that Rufer and Ridenton who were both progressing nicely are now further down the pecking order or being played out of position.

To be honest I think Roly is a tad overated (good player, but not the best player in the team), he can beat a player, has some nice skills, and can take a long shot, but he slows the game down and doesn't really produce much at the end of everything. If it was a choice between Finkler and Roly I'd choose Finkler.

So far we're the only team that has looked like beating run-away leaders Sydney this season. We didn't win, but the perfomance must count for something. A pure creative number 10 is a luxury position no doubt, but where is the issue with RB or DM right now? The only spanking the Nix have recieved was from Victory with an already makeshift backline (no Rossi) and only after we were down to 10. We already have the versatile import mid - I know you're a fan of A-Rod and you must admit that since he has been back, he has been playing positively starting from deep, tracking and defending well all over the park. 

Of course as you've said the wins have only been against Newcastle and CCM who are objectively weaker than other teams, but they are also teams we struggled against last season and dispatched without trouble this season.

Speaking of stats, Roy's goal last night took him to 20 goals for the Phoenix to overtake Chris Greenacre on the all time scorers list. Only Shane Smeltz 21, Tim Brown 23, Jeremy Brockie 23 and Paul Ifill 33 have scored more.

The problem is if rumors are to be believed he only agreed to stay on the proviso that he continues to play further forwards. I'd love to see him in that DM role simply because that was what he played before us and what he was signed to cover, in reality he hasn't looked that great when he's had to defend.

I wonder how comparable the cost of the two squads were. We were missing a three or four of our most expensive players, but we have two marquees, home grown player, and presumably mature age rookie so should be over the cap. The Mariners on the other hand have said that they are at 80% of the cap, so both squads might have been on equivalent salaries all up.

Your first three lines are correct.

I watched the Sydney v Perth tonight and we are not even close to these teams.

You need to watch better. We were at least as good as Sydney when we played them.

That was 3 games ago. We are not even close.

We are improving week by week and beginning to actually threaten up top. This weeks game will be a better indication of where we are at as a team.

I win here and the other teams will have to take notice, a loss and we will become that team that everyone hates to play because you never know when they are going to pull it out of their arse.

Yeah, well, that was clearly our best performance of the season and probably Sydney's worst. Either way, we haven't been good enough against the top teams this season. We have a chance against Melbourne Victory next week but beating them will be tough.

We clearly aren't the worst team in the league - the past two weeks have proved that. I think we will compete for the top 6 but an injury to a couple of players could really hamper our season.

Can Lowry do a job at DM?

This is a common mistake. When you see a game and it looks exciting/fast/lots happening, and then you project that against your own team who just played a lifeless looking game. It is an unreal projection.

The only measure is when two teams play together Leggy.

I read this line scrolling up on the app, and thought to myself "I bet that's Leggy".

I really don't get why people are dismissing these wins as though they mean nothing. Yes it was Newcastle and CCM, but last season we took 1 point from 6 games against them. So far this season we have 6 points from 2 games against them. It's one thing saying we should be winning games like this, but actually winning them isn't a given. What's also pleasing is the clean sheets, they haven't happened much. And to say that Sydney and Perth are miles ahead of us, really? We pushed Sydney all the way, and had it not been for some dodgy officiating would have probably got something out of that game. Against Melb City with half a team we weren't outplayed at all. And away to Perth, yes it was 2-0 but having half a team fly halfway around the world during the week, and then giving away 2 penalties doesn't help. For me, we're finally starting to see the promise that this team showed in pre-season. I'm finally starting to feel a bit of a buzz, and can't wait for Saturday night (assuming Westpac is good to go)

I thought the start to the season has shown that his place is further forward and not as a defensive player at all

I think that was the first time the balance of the side looked right.  Krishna seemed to be playing more up the middle rather than from wide, great stuff all round! 

I really like Watson... since his return last year he has played some very good games and as the commentators said looked threatening.

He's strong... but he also has a little bit of toe and is not the worst with the ball at his feet as well. If he was released by us I could see one of the lower A League teams picking him up.

Aren't we one of the lower A league teams anyway?  

Watson got big raps the other day by both commentators and has generally done well when played... for a club like CCM whilst using an import slot he does provide perhaps a better option that what they have currently at a price they can afford.

There is no point keeping open an international spot if you wont pay the wages necessary to get one in... its just a waste... the better question is, would he improve our squad and is he affordable... after all our international players are not guaranteed starters either.

The thing I like about Watson is he seems really determined to make his mark.  He puts himself around and doesn't die wondering, he is a bit of a throwback player but he has made an impression and he has scored goals as well.  I am still not sure he is the real deal, but he seems to improve on each showing

Yeah, if he gets a few more minutes and a few more goals then a team like CCM or the Jets might take a punt. We know that often imports are a gamble, so if you see a player who's performing at A-League level it's always going to be a better bet than someone who has better pedigree but might be a flop.

He's basically a kiwi Chris Wood.

Players like Matt Simon have had a good A-league career.

No reason why Watson cant, similar build and determination