What matters to you

What matters to you

Read this and it got me thinking. What matters to you? How we play or getting the win?

It opens up an interesting argument. Its seems for some people, its how we play that counts because there is the hope that at some point, the hammer will drop and we'll destroy teams. For others its not how we play but the 3 points each week. In respect of Steve-o's last line above, its very much the story of season 1 for the Nix, played some really good football but never won. Is that acceptable again? It reminds me of a line from 'White Men Can't Jump'..... 'You'd rather look good and lose than look bad and win'.

I'm not sure where I sit on this. The nature of the Kiwi sports fan is results driven. If you are not getting the 3 points, we are not coming to watch. If we were utter shyte but leading the league, Westpac would be jammed.... The exception is the All Blacks because of the weight of public expectation where its results and how they win.

We have the potential to look good and win but its still potential. At some point, you have to actualise that potential or its just a plateau. Can't please everyone but looking good and losing is better than looking like shyte and getting schooled. The truth lies somewhere in there.

Where do you stand?

I'm pretty sure everyone will go with win.

My problem in the thread was that we played well,didn't get the result but people were acting like it was the end of the world,as if we'd played like sh*t.

Of course it's disappointing that we lost,but it's not as if we played terribly (as we've done at other stages of the season) and lost.

I would say, if we're playing well, it usually means we're winning or at least drawing.

But while a win is good, scraping through on the seat of your pants is not a good sign for the form of the team.

Think of the 2-2 draw with Heart at home. That was the bell that tolled for our home record. It was clear from that performance, it was coming to an end.

However the last couple of games we're playing better, and we're looking in better shape to break out of the rut.

winning ugly is still winning.......which make me happy and less agst, this can only be a good thing. It's all about the win - and you can quote me on that!

Clean sheets!

i wasn't too upset after the loss to Sydney.
We played quite well and that just gave me hope for the future.

I guess a part of me is feeling like making the top 6 is our only goal this year, and if we can play nice football, then I think we're gonna achieve that

I don't care how we play as long as we win. However, if we play reasonably well and lose, there is no point going into a huge angst spiral and making changes for no reason, while if we lose playing horribly then obviously changes are justified.

I care how we play however I'll accept poor play for a win.

I actually prefer that we play attractive football over a win at all costs attitude. Of course I love us to win and I know that wins will bring in the crowds. However I watch football for the beauty of the game and as long as the Nix play attractive football, I'll go to games even when we are losing. In saying that though, the Nix have been playing really crap up until the last 2 weeks and I haven't felt disposed towards travelling the 4 hours to see them in action.

what's the point of playing pretty football and losing? being able to walk off the park and say "we played the better game" doesn't win you a trophy.

If we play poor and win, I will happily take it, but if your lose playing bad it makes you feel alot worse. At least if you play well and still lose you can walk away feeling a bit better about it, thinking on another day things might have been different.

Correct me if im wrong, but wasnt it a 2-2 draw with the Heart (week 10), THEN the 1-4 raping by the Roar (week 12), followed by the 0 - 3 probing by the Mariners (week 14)?goldienz2010-12-03 10:59:55

Some good points in here, and good topic to bring up Vader.

To me, it's all about the win. And goldienz has a good point in that if we're winning games, odds are we are playing good football. You can't play like a bunch of drunks week in week out and except to win all your games, especially in the a-league.

Bottom line, results first, style of play 2nd. Ask any premier league team and they'll say a win is a win. Not to mention the crowds who only see "Phoenix win 5th straight match and surge to playoffs" rather than "Phoenix play some nice passes but lose 5 straight".

Sorry.

I'm not talking about being a player, I'm talking about being a spectator.

win at all costs!

Personally as a fan, it's not about pretty football or not, but whether they're playing with heart. At times this year it has seemed they have given up, and / or couldn't give a crap (e.g. Roar at home) and that's when I was really disappointed as a fan and member.

Against Sydney, yeah they lost which was annoying, but they kept playing with heart and chased the game right till the last whistle, even after going 2 and 3 down, and that's why I could handle the loss.

That's it in a nutshell, I think most of us can. Tell me, people that voted - win, what would you do if the Nix lost the rest of their games this year but played reasonably well. would you give up on the team then?

While on any given day, I'll obviously take a result (3pts) over a performance (0pts), I like to look at it this way.

If you play crap and win, you're only as good as you're last result.

If, however, you play brill and lose, you're (kinda) as good as your next result.

Ie, A good performance has a lot more feel good about the future, whereas a football-less victory makes you wonder when it's going to all come to a grinding halt.

At this stage of the season, when we haven't been playing that well, to put in a good performance when losing has a lot of merit. There is realistic hope that we can put that run together.

Edited: brill, not crap in para 3!Turfmoore2010-12-03 18:37:16

I cant believe that half the people here have voted 'how we play'. What a joke.

The Phoenix are a shop window for NZ Football, the average kiwi isnt going to give a flying fuck about 'how we play', and neither do I. Sydney can play like a bunch of skum fucks and still beat a team "who played with heart right til the very end". So you tell me who the winner was two nights ago... if theres anything thats ever going to put an end to the Phoenix, this will be it.

And we didnt play well enough anyway. Hearfield/Paston combined with a perfect example of fucktardery and indecision through not being able to decide who should do what with the first, and then Sigmund took the text book and threw it out the window by defending like a cunt letting Ryall take the ball and walk off with it from right under his nose. The 2nd goal was well taken.

This is PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL, its time for results. They're being paid to win, not to play a bunch of exhibition games ffs AJ132010-12-03 23:02:08

At the start of the season I could tolerate a loss if we played well, for it showed potential for wins in the future. At this stage in the season however I expect three points for every home game, and at least one point for every away games. 

I'd take the result

So why do you bother? It is a matter of fact that not every team is going to win consistently - so when it is the Nix that fit that category - what do you do? [probably obvious - vent angst on here, abuse people with an opposing view, give up on the team?]

Basically, if we'd been winning a bit more, a decent performance but defeat in Sydney would've been easier to take.

It's clearly more than just winning, cos often when the Nix win people still bitch about how badly they played.  This is the single most frustrating thing about this forum.

It's fine if people are only satiified when the Nix win AND play well but at least say that BEFORE the f**king game, not 'I'd be happy with a draw, this will be a tough match' and then when draw or even win, 'yeah we won but we played sh*t' etc 


Cosimo2010-12-04 09:55:20

Winning.


Not whining.

True - whining is never attractive, even if it's justified.

Jeez, you're an angry little person aren't you.

Three points each week is the aim,
Final spot and lifting the silverware
This is what every team bases its campaign on.

If can look good doing it I am all for it.

The All Whites were outplayed in all three games - didn't stop me being spastically happy by the results.

George Foreman was was beating the crap out of Ali for most of their fight, but Ali was the hero of that night.  

Indeed, the unbeaten is one thing but people want a win.
If we got points for style it would be perfect world.

Good to see the poll figures change from yesterday.
I could not believe the amount of people who would be happy to play well and lose.

What do i do when the Phoenix arent winning consistently? I dont do anything. Why, what do you do? And what am I supposed to do?

Its not for me to do anything, Im a supporter. All i can keep doing is make sure Im buying match day tickets. But im not going to try and find things to be happy about when we're not winning games.

And football isnt at the level its at in NZ where I can sit back and say 'ah well, at least we played pretty good', because people arent going to stay interested in the game. Theyre not going to buy tickets, theyre not going watch the game on TV, and they wont care about the AWs. We're seeing this already.

Think about this though- the intent, flair and entertainment of the first season 'Nix cemented fans- myself included.

I think of Felipe's goal and Smeltz- though I guess the point there is that we beat Sydney on that day! I also remember watching Smeltz and Coveney combining against LA. It's always great to watch Kiwis with attacking skills.

I think playing attractively or enterprisingly and losing means you need to work harder on defence or finishing- you are playing ugly at the back or in the mids. If you are winning and playing ugly, well you're mostly doing it right- you maybe just need more Ifill, Kosta or Rojas!

Like Brisbane, you focus on how you play game in game out and that is how you get the results. Getting a scrappy win (like against Perth) isn't going to change the season

we don't feel so bad about 'good' losses cos we think it means we are due a whole lotta wins soon...