Thoughts on the match (Game 1 - 2007)

Thoughts on the match

The Phoenix were all over the Victory like a rash at the end of the 2nd half and that easily compensated for Melbourne's not bad first half. Based on this, I feel that the Phoenix should have won. Felipe was brilliant and he should definitely start next week. It was a great game and I hope our home crowds can build from today's brilliant one.

Christie wasn't in the game much but I thought Old played well at RB. Lochead and Cleberson were awesome too.

Awesme atmosphere, Happy I came all the way from Auckland and I will be back again:)

Cleberson! what a buy!

My player ratings

Moss - 6 - Not much he could've done with both goals
Old   - 6 - Got forward well, shaky at back
Dodd - 6 - Had some good challenges and some equally bad misses
Cleberson - 8 - Shaky first rock in 2nd
Lochhead - 7 - Got forward well decent at back
Aloisi - 7 - good display
Christie - 6 - drifted in and out
Ferrante - 5 - made some wrong decisions and didn't really find his groove
Daniel - 8 - nice touches, few too many dives, unlucky penalty
Coveny - 6 - worked hard
Smeltz - 7 - goal well taken, miss not

Felipe - 7 - added spark
Brownlie - 6 - almost won it

Cleberson is going to eat small strikers like Juninho from Sydney FC.



Can't wait.
Brock2007-08-26 19:08:24

What a crowd too!  Amazing that we got 15,500 for a football match in Wellington, and bloody exciting!

I disagree with you guys about Cleberson.  I though Dodd was the rock at the back.  Cleberson made some great recovery tackles having been found out of position regularly, but for me Dodd was better.

I thought we lacked ideas to get behind their back four.  Felipe (sp?) made a difference.

Smeltz was sharp for 90 minutes and with better and more regular delivery could shine.

The pleasing things were that nobody was woeful bar the ref (cf: Kingz and Knights) and the come from behind draw was a great spectacle for the outstanding crowd.

Honestly, Auckland: you've got NOTHING.  My aunt, uncle and father came with me to the game, all in their 60s, and were chanting along with the fever boys by the end of it.  None of them are football types, all die hard rugby folk. 

The NZRFU will be sh*tting themselves stiff in the office tomorrow.  Did anyone see the crowd at the NPC?  No, me neither! Brilliant!

Guy.

lol, yeah if it continues like this. Rugby has been on a slide for a while now.

14,402. I was in block 23, Their pen was a defo, the ball was punched down. I thought they played much better with the ball on the floor. Long balls are not going to work as we had no real wingers on show. We needed one down the left, we would have ripped them then. Late in the second half, when the full back & Daniel started playing wide on the left, Melbourne looked jittery. Was their second goal offside? Unlucky with our own pen. 9/10 times they rocket in, not out.

REFEREE'S A w**ker.

The referee was woeful?? What game were you watching??

The referee's  Rob Styles!!  That was my chant.

what a brilliant game - I really thought it was all up at 70 mins (2 goals down and a missed penalty), WP back four seemed to have no answer to the Victory break-away attacks with the WP defence dithering and hesitant.
Then it all came brilliantly right and WP were unlucky not to get the win.

The sort of game that will have the fans and non-fans back again in a couple of weeks

Great game. Atmosphere was unbelievable. My mate got his camera in and took quite a bit of video so we will put that on youtube. Was it just me or did u guyes feel that daniel was going to miss that penalty. Jeez i thought Smeltz or Aloisi should have taken it. However great result and cant wait for the next game. 14000 good turnout.

maybe a bit more direct football would help the scoreline...otherwise good skills, accurate passing

53-47% possession but it felt like 70 -30%

Too drunk for a rela post but we were awerome  seroius stiuff in da mornig :P-)

There were times during the game when I wasn't too impressed. I thought: OMG, it's the KINGZ all over again. BUt they came right and did us proud.

If you had asked me at 0-2 down whether I would take a 2-2 draw I would have so we can't complain.

G

too delighted by the comeback to think 

Even before the comeback goals I thought wow, Ricki has got them playing good football.

Ye long ball was terrible tactics. Steven Old specialty. Also get something from da phoenix store. Milf works there man jeez that the only reason i bought a scarf frm da stadium today caz she worked there. Maaaateee how much is she selling for wooo woooo weee waaa.

Thougght the match was scrappy, Phoenix gave away the ball way to cheap. Lots of missed passes. And missing a penalty, gotta do better then dad. In saying that, all was forgiven in the last 20 minutes. Go the nix

First half, nix put too much ball in the air, too much long ball, and we let melbourne boss the game.

2nd half, we got it on the deck. Once Thompson went off Melbourne lost a lot, and when felipe came on for us, we looked like scoring.

first game against defending champs, cant say anything bad

I thought Ferrante worked hard and got himself into good positions he just tended to be a bit wasteful, I think he will come right though. Cleberson is such a presence hes just got to be careful not to get too carried away, but he is going to be an inspiration to the boys this year. Daniel should concentrate on his football for me...some nice touches but lost possession through his dives a few times. I don't think Old is a right back, I would prefer to see an attacking player like Christie there and that would free up a midfield spot for Felipe who was really impressive when he came on. Smeltz and Coveny are going to be a handful, Coveny was strong in the air and Smeltz battled away and looked likely to create a goal fairly often. It was a shame Brownlie and Smeltz couldn't quite score at the end. It was a brilliant game to watch though, really exciting...The crowd sounded good on the TV too, so good on ya lads

Interestingly on two Australian forums I have visited Old has been mentioned as one of the better players for the Phoenix... maybe we need to lighten up.

Old looked good- confident i thought

But what do i know-
Player of match was YF- looked great when the terrace heaved after 2nd goal

CLEBERSON for mine. I thought he had an outstanding game it it could have been an a whole lot worse a story by midway through the second half had he not been on the park.

Daniel played well and toiled hard all day, as did Aloisi. The young fella Felipe played very well when he came on the park, and could prove a very good impact player in the future.

Daniel is a Jeckyll and Hyde though!  Dangerous when he has a one-on-one situation and gets the ball in early enough.

HarryHotspur2007-08-26 20:17:30

It's cliche but the term 'game of two halfs' comes to mind. We were nervous as all hell in the first but we got into our groove in the second. Bodes well for future games. Really happy overall - I think some of you guys are being way too harsh. It was our first proper game vs the reigning champions - huge pressure to play well or people start saying 'it's the knights all over again' etc. valeo2007-08-26 20:29:37

Cleberson was awesome.  But Ricky was my man of the match.

 unlucky  he only had to beat the bloody keeper  !!!!

From aisle 27.

Young guy sitting in front of me, with ten minutes to go,  "Now THIS is entertaintment".

Terry Serepisos, with huge grin, "please you enjoyed it".

Melbourne Victory management person "you guys put on a great show!".

Anonymous, walking out of ground,  " I don't care if they never win a game for the rest of the season that was brilliant".

My dad, who's eighty one, after  the equaliser "I was jumping up and down, ME!!"

My cousin over in aisle eighteen texted "effin awsum gm".

Also by text, from Perth Glory fan in Perth, "a draw? I had you down for a win.  :("

It was great turning around and seeing thousands with the fever........

by unlucky i mean the rebound and the bounce of the bar it coulda gone in..

F**k the long balls, but damn, what a comeback!! when they actually held the ball and kept building from the back, they looked awesome!!! my voice is F**ked and i'll have a headache the size of texas tomorrow

if that shot that hit the bar had gone in, man it wouda been pandimonium(sp?)