Wellington Phoenix Men

R9 vs Perth Friday 11:30pm SS2

535 replies · 24,402 views
over 12 years ago
Leggy wrote:
[quote=Steve-O]

We need at least 1 full back, at least 1 centre half, at least 1 central midfielder, and at least 1 striker.

Easy enough...

[/quote

Pretty simple.
One good distributing DM, free's Manny to FB or as a second deeper lying DM, and Carlos back 
then we would be competitive again, not top four, but competitive
I am interested to know if Riera was struggling with his injury, because he was doing a pretty good job until fairly late in the piece.
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over 12 years ago

I actually thought we were really good for a lot of that game. Ok maybe we were playing a young side, but I thought a lot of the passing was good through the middle. But overall we ended up giving the ball away way too easily too often and that will hurt you.

Moss didn't have his best game and on another day would save the first and last. The first did have plenty of power, but Moss will be disappointed. I thought Thwaites goal was a fantastic free kick and he did really well to get on the end of it.

Ifill looked fitter and if hes that good he must start. Cunningham struggled to get in it, but I don't think we used him well enough. At lot of his work was ok.  I wouldn't like to blame Hicks and Riddenton for the loss, but we didn't exactly shore that game up in the last 20 did we? Hicks is turning the  ball over way too easily. Caira didn't have his best game either , and coughed up the ball for the last goal.

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over 12 years ago
Fenix wrote:

I actually thought we were really good for a lot of that game. Ok maybe we were playing a young side, but I thought a lot of the passing was good through the middle. But overall we ended up giving the ball away way too easily too often and that will hurt you.

Moss didn't have his best game and on another day would save the first and last. The first did have plenty of power, but Moss will be disappointed. I thought Thwaites goal was a fantastic free kick and he did really well to get on the end of it.

Ifill looked fitter and if hes that good he must start. Cunningham struggled to get in it, but I don't think we used him well enough. At lot of his work was ok.  I wouldn't like to blame Hicks and Riddenton for the loss, but we didn't exactly shore that game up in the last 20 did we? Hicks is turning the  ball over way too easily. Caira didn't have his best game either , and coughed up the ball for the last goal.


Moss and most keepers would never have got the first goal.

If you are old and wise you were probably young and stupid

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over 12 years ago
Steve-O wrote:

What say you now...?  Hammered by a weakened team.

Let me guess, we deserved to win, everything is fine, and I am just far too negative?  9 games without a win is perfectly normal etc etc


We've scored more goals that Western Sydney had this time last year, it could all just click and we could go on a massive winning streak, or we might not have the quality and could be in for a hard year.

The way we have been playing it looks like we almost have it, but then maybe this is the best of our ability and we wont be able to step it up that notch.
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over 12 years ago
Steve-O wrote:
sthn.jeff wrote:

Pantelidis off to Malaysia. Won't play Against Nix this week


Perth will be without Panteledis, Jameson, Burns and Gallas and possibly Smeltz.


If we win it will allow Steve-O to say it was against a weakened team I guess!



What say you now...?  Hammered by a weakened team.

Let me guess, we deserved to win, everything is fine, and I am just far too negative?  9 games without a win is perfectly normal etc etc
But you are a grumpy bastard though :)
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over 12 years ago

We might go winless all season at this rate!..although everyone  thinks we are better than Heart.(Feb 16 at home is best chance)

A small town in Europe........looking to bounce straight back up....well that aint going to happen

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over 12 years ago

Phoenix, Hibs, and Scotland all make sure of that Napier...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe_B5CzbTJo - Caceres winning penalty v Perth - footage from the Fever Zone

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over 12 years ago
Blew.2 wrote:



would like to see this for lia

Queenslander 3x a year.

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over 12 years ago


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over 12 years ago

Well, just about to go back and read through 400 posts...!!

But I think it is time for Merrick to take some responsibility. Cunningham is his signing and didn't perform and hasn't performed. One up front has been our best formation- we've looked good with it twice, and he's only used it twice this season. Thirdly, when the game was in the balance instead of putting on Boxall or Bertos two more experienced players, he put on Hicks and Ridenton and our midfield shape went to hell in a hand cart.

On the plus side, I liked Stein in at number 10. Thought he was very tidy there. Perhaps Hernandez up front?



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over 12 years ago
Outpost wrote:

My heart just sank when I saw who the ref is.


I'm sure this has been said, but what a wanker. How can someone get a yellow for delibrately stamping on someone after the play, and then Fenton gets a yellow for some decent defensive play against a tricky opponent. He then felt guilty and let Reira foul whoever he wanted, before messing up his cards! 


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over 12 years ago
martinb wrote:

Well, just about to go back and read through 400 posts...!!

(----)

On the plus side, I liked Stein in at number 10. Thought he was very tidy there. Perhaps Hernandez up front?


Hernandez is not, and has never been, an attacker during his time at Victory (do not know elsewhere). He is not a sprinter, either, and I would expect a player upfront to have a bit of speed, with or without ball.

Actually, getting outplayed quite a bit these days

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over 12 years ago
goldienz wrote:

Everybody chill the fuck out. Moss has got this.

this is the quote of the night.
4 minutes of stoppage, just the one goal in it...and...



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over 12 years ago
Munk wrote:
foamy wrote:
Just heard the commentator mention the name Brockie? Is he out there?

Hes done about as much as Cunningham


well did make the first goal for Stein. Loved that goal great football in 4-5 touches leading up.


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over 12 years ago
[quote=Bobobalde]

Why wasn't the freekick for their second goal not reversed?

Reira makes the foul, then is stamped on, edwards get a yellow.

If the ref acknowledges the stamp then why not reverse the foul?

 

cos the ref is a twunt?


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over 12 years ago
Bobobalde wrote:

Gotta wonder what impact the whole All Whites/Brockie playing for Toronto etc must have had on the pre season and even now. 

Again, this is a work in progress. Think Ernie needs to get rid of the dead weight left from RH era


gunna call BS on this one...
Deadweight such as Stein, Ifill, Brockie, Durante, Sigmund...? Ernie has got to own some of his own bad smell...who has he signed? Who hasn't he played? What choices has he made? 
Wouldn't mind seeing James and/or Fallon. Ernie has signed a lot of kids and bet our season on it. If only Ricki had done that Moneyball Styles and played tap and go we'd have come first.


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over 12 years ago

Fenton wasn't that bad. His was a commentators performance, defined by the no of times the commentators kept saying he's had a really tough night (which they had obviously predetermined on the basis that he would have a hard time marking Sidney). He had a couple of bad touches, one chest in particular, but actually that guy Sidney didn't get round him or expose him. 

Who still thinks ifill should only be allowed to start on the bench?


+ 1
Fenton like the whole team had a tough few minutes, but I had confidence we were going to settle then blast them out of the water 3-1. Their second came against the run of play and with help from some BS reffing to give them momentum. Then Ernie made some poor subs and we didn't have Ifill to come on at the end.


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over 12 years ago
f.barisi wrote:

Hmmm.  Placing Ifill in front of Fenton, and Cunningham in front of Caira, and leaving Lia and Stein in the middle was a bad idea.  When we shifted to 3 up front, people seemed to know their roles a bit better.  Some curious subs.  I think Reira was excellent tonight given what he had to mitigate....

Was ernie just about to bring on boxall when they equalised?  Ahh, what a different game it could have been.....


did see that conversation. He should have done it anyway. Boxall really is probably good enough to be starting. And seems to offer more from set pieces than the others...



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over 12 years ago
Fenix wrote:
Seb wrote:

I am not sold on Riera to be honest. Finding it very hard to justify him as an import player right now. 

I thought he was generally very good until he started hacking them down


Yeh was impressed with Reira-ish. maybe not marquee/import quality. But passed well, moved well and shut down players well, was handing out payback to Edwards brother and seemed to have decided that if stamping on someone's leg after the play, seemingly deliberately was allowed he was going to get some of his own. We really missed him from our midfield after he'd been subbed.


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over 12 years ago

thought we were good for it, and we were.

Let down by our squad: Cunningham, Hicks, Ridenton, Boyd, Adams, Caira, J B-S...no quality off the bench to change the game. Bertos didn't do much when he came on. Seems we've gone with an excess of youth over experience and paid for it. Some experience in the squad somewhere for exactly this type of situation could have allowed us to win that game.

Would you rather have had Clapham or Matt Thompson to come off the bench than Ridenton? I think in the context of the game (and not having seen him play in the A-league) I probably would have. Or maybe he would be found out at A-league level too. But he seemed to have impressed in the lower Aussie leagues.

anyway...Sunday spamming over!




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over 12 years ago

That Perth game really showed the lack of depth in our squad particularly in midfield.

Perth were less experienced but they stacked the midfield and we were outnumbered. We played well after the break and managed to swing momentum our way until Edwards made the double change and then it was all one way. 

Then we made our subs and it only got worse as we lost our cohesion through the midfield.

With regards to the leftovers from RH argument I think it holds a true. While many of the players are decent they are reaching their use by date. Siggy, Dura and Ifil are getting on and if not next season then the season afterwards we are going to need a lot of fresh players. Can't see many in the squad staying there in 2 years.

And with regards to Boxall re the above posts I would really like to see him in the game more as a DM or CB and move Siggy to DM. We are too weak in midfield not to experiment with a good defensive player as a midfielder.

"Yellow Fever are fantastic – I have to say that"

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over 12 years ago
asmodeus_82 wrote:

That Perth game really showed the lack of depth in our squad particularly in midfield.

Perth were less experienced but they stacked the midfield and we were outnumbered. We played well after the break and managed to swing momentum our way until Edwards made the double change and then it was all one way. 

Then we made our subs and it only got worse as we lost our cohesion through the midfield.

With regards to the leftovers from RH argument I think it holds a true. While many of the players are decent they are reaching their use by date. Siggy, Dura and Ifil are getting on and if not next season then the season afterwards we are going to need a lot of fresh players. Can't see many in the squad staying there in 2 years.

And with regards to Boxall re the above posts I would really like to see him in the game more as a DM or CB and move Siggy to DM. We are too weak in midfield not to experiment with a good defensive player as a midfielder.



Siggy way to slow and cumbersome for DM.

If you are old and wise you were probably young and stupid

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over 12 years ago · edited over 12 years ago · History

I think its fair to say most of our squad is way too slow. Lia, manny, Siggy, dura, hernandez, ifill - none are exactly quick

Queenslander 3x a year.

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over 12 years ago

Exactly. Sadly our guys are too slow. I have to say I was quite impressed with the speed of the Perth youngsters. McGarry only had to guide them through the game, they did the chasing and he did the mastermind work. I'm still waiting to see cunninghams blistering pace. Thus far defenders have been able to keep him in check. Although i do admit he has looked a tad better of late.

Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!

The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!

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over 12 years ago
martinb wrote:
[quote=Bobobalde]

Why wasn't the freekick for their second goal not reversed?

Reira makes the foul, then is stamped on, edwards get a yellow.

If the ref acknowledges the stamp then why not reverse the foul?

 


cos the ref is a twunt?

Can't reverse it. Its not like rugby.

Grumpy old bastard alert

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over 12 years ago

yeah the foul happened and deserved a card, the stamp happened agter and got what it deserved - ref did the right thing.

Queenslander 3x a year.

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over 12 years ago
Leggy wrote:
asmodeus_82 wrote:

That Perth game really showed the lack of depth in our squad particularly in midfield.

Perth were less experienced but they stacked the midfield and we were outnumbered. We played well after the break and managed to swing momentum our way until Edwards made the double change and then it was all one way. 

Then we made our subs and it only got worse as we lost our cohesion through the midfield.

With regards to the leftovers from RH argument I think it holds a true. While many of the players are decent they are reaching their use by date. Siggy, Dura and Ifil are getting on and if not next season then the season afterwards we are going to need a lot of fresh players. Can't see many in the squad staying there in 2 years.

And with regards to Boxall re the above posts I would really like to see him in the game more as a DM or CB and move Siggy to DM. We are too weak in midfield not to experiment with a good defensive player as a midfielder.



Siggy way to slow and cumbersome for DM.
Well he used to play there and he does give 110% and can surely tackle. I think he could screen
If you have an alternative idea to bolster our midfield within our current squad I'd love to hear it.

"Yellow Fever are fantastic – I have to say that"

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over 12 years ago · edited over 12 years ago · History

He'd be as good as Karl Dodd...

actually what's he doing now? BringbackKarlDodd



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over 12 years ago
Steve-O wrote:
sthn.jeff wrote:

Pantelidis off to Malaysia. Won't play Against Nix this week


Perth will be without Panteledis, Jameson, Burns and Gallas and possibly Smeltz.


If we win it will allow Steve-O to say it was against a weakened team I guess!



What say you now...?  Hammered by a weakened team.

Let me guess, we deserved to win, everything is fine, and I am just far too negative?  9 games without a win is perfectly normal etc etc
But you are a grumpy bastard though :)

Yup dealt to by a weaker team and we played like twunts. You will see I have said that earlier. Thats the difference Steve-O. when we play like twunts I will say say, when we play well, I will not have a moan about bag checks or security measures or some other obscure reason.
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over 12 years ago

Seems like I picked the right game to fall asleep through.

What SJ said.

Grumpy old bastard alert

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over 12 years ago
Jeff Vader wrote:

Seems like I picked the right game to fall asleep through.

What SJ said.


Usually I am relatively positive and do like to see the good in a match / player, but the game on Friday was dire JV. Honestly we just seemed to totally forget how to play football. We probably had an ok 20 minute spell and it was ok in that we scored twice and they did not. 
Obviously the Travel to Perth coupled with effectively playing football from Midnight to 2:00am certainly does not help.
I have thought about it a lot over the weekend and I think it  is just one of those "draw a line under it and forget about it" kind of games.

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over 12 years ago
2ndBest wrote:


Yeah, I just had a look at the A League website to check this game's stats and Lia had a great game, contributing greatly in all facets of the game. 
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over 12 years ago
2ndBest wrote:



What website is this from?
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over 12 years ago
Steve-O wrote:

Phoenix, Hibs, and Scotland all make sure of that Napier...

Now I understand :)
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over 12 years ago · edited over 12 years ago · History
sthn.jeff wrote:
Jeff Vader wrote:

Seems like I picked the right game to fall asleep through.
What SJ said.

Usually I am relatively positive and do like to see the good in a match / player, but the game on Friday was dire JV. Honestly we just seemed to totally forget how to play football. We probably had an ok 20 minute spell and it was ok in that we scored twice and they did not. 

Obviously the Travel to Perth coupled with effectively playing football from Midnight to 2:00am certainly does not help.

I have thought about it a lot over the weekend and I think it  is just one of those "draw a line under it and forget about it" kind of games.


posted accidentally without my comment - corrected later as a separate post.

Actually, getting outplayed quite a bit these days

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over 12 years ago · edited over 12 years ago · History

so this shows me the number of passes and direction, right? 52 passes, 5.8% were long 80.8% success rate. Which means 10 passes were inaccurate. The 10 passes that went away from uis are what concerns me but I guess I'll have to concede he looked worse than he actually was.

 

The attacking stats are more scary

Queenslander 3x a year.

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over 12 years ago

If there was a way for the club to raise a point of order about anything, that would be my choice.

Of course it is tough to travel from Welly to Perth (or back) for a football game, but it did not have to be a Friday Night feature ("A Midnight Special"). It could have a been a Sat or Sun afternoon game and it may have been less of a drama. I thought that part of the team management is ensuring players have a curfew - they were all well past their bedtime last friday.

Actually, getting outplayed quite a bit these days

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over 12 years ago
sthn.jeff wrote:

Usually I am relatively positive and do like to see the good in a match / player, but the game on Friday was dire JV. Honestly we just seemed to totally forget how to play football. We probably had an ok 20 minute spell and it was ok in that we scored twice and they did not. 

Obviously the Travel to Perth coupled with effectively playing football from Midnight to 2:00am certainly does not help.

I have thought about it a lot over the weekend and I think it  is just one of those "draw a line under it and forget about it" kind of games.


If the club wanted to ever raise a point of order about anything, that one would be my choice.

Of course it is tough to travel from Welly to Perth (or back) for a football game, as it is quite far away. However, once we get there, it does not have to be a Friday Night feature ("a Midnight Special"?). It could have a been a Sat or Sun afternoon game and it may have been less of a drama for us. I thought that part of the team management is ensuring players have a curfew - they were all well past their bedtime last friday.

Actually, getting outplayed quite a bit these days

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over 12 years ago
theprof wrote:

so this shows me the number of passes and direction, right? 52 passes, 5.8% were long 80.8% success rate. Which means 10 passes were inaccurate. The 10 passes that went away from uis are what concerns me but I guess I'll have to concede he looked worse than he actually was.

 

The attacking stats are more scary

I think Lia is playing better, but he's getting too far forward and making the team play worse overall. Perth ran through our midfield like it wasn't even there. I think part of that was due to Lia getting caught too far up the pitch.

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