WPM R13 @ Sydney FC | Sun 18th Jan | 7:00pm | SS3 - Fever Tua

Massive three points! Best case scenario I thought we might get a point, maybe two from the Sydney/Jets games. Good weekend for the Nix.

Hughes showing signs of Surman with his last minute blocks. Great many run earlier today too.

Also showing good signs in the air on attack.

After his bad luck last year, good to see things fall his way a little more this year. I think he has potential beyond the A League, so good to see the improvement.

James solid today.

And finally. We'll done Chief

It's so nice watching the nix do Sydney and having a 2 goal cushion to protect my cardiac health.

Think Hughes is better with his feet than Finn. Finn a bit bigger. And Hughes has shown a nose for goal too. Always been a Hughes fan. Both great  Phoenix players. 

Admire that Hughes went through last season and is still going. Good temperament. 

Don’t let me Eeyore it, but it’s only 8th with Jets and Melbourne C next. 

We’ve shown we can compete. But we have to keep getting results. 

Come on Phoenix! 

How did Bill T go?

Talay at the end
Hilarious

Elemenop

How did Bill T go?

 He did well, he calmed the team down.

Huge win for the Nix. Frankly going into this I thought we would lose so this is a massive welcome. Admittedly the ref seemed rather soft on us compared to Sydney but hey I'm not complaining. Also Bill already looks good, hope he's able to get more minutes next week

edit: 2nd half was a nightmare though, we just made so many mistakes before scoring that second goal. Idk if we switched off but that had me stressed out

One very dodgy pass early that we got lucky with. Seemed to take on the leadership role nd directing things.

Alf Tupper

Talay at the end
Hilarious

What did he do? Corica impression?

Uffie post match prickly as always. But conceded was definitely a red card.

Second time we’ve done Auckland a favour. Brisbane could’ve gone top when we beat them and Sydney could’ve gone top today as well. I imagine some AFC fans were quietly supporting us

We win away, we win away
We win in Brisbane we win in Brisbane 
Yes! We took the chance
We win in Sydney, we win in Sydney
Shirts off and did a dance
We win away we win away x however many 

We’re the Phoenix the mighty Phoenix 
We’re not the Kingz or Knights

Gooner 4 Life

Second time we’ve done Auckland a favour. Brisbane could’ve gone top when we beat them and Sydney could’ve gone top today as well. I imagine some AFC fans were quietly supporting us

As annoying as that is, we gotta focus on ourselves. Worry about them when we need to. We ain’t there yet and a win for us is infinitely more important

LG

McCarron is having a good game.

Better the woud

The depth we are building and with Sander still to join the squad, the next NZ derby is shaping up to be a cracker!

A good run of results and the squad is looking a lot better.

If chiefy can turn this season around and we do better than just scraping into the play-offs then he gets my vote for another year... that's still a big IF at this point...

You have to hand it to Chiefy. Hes doing well with his tactical choices.
It makes a big big difference having experienced players coming back from injuries. He now can use the bench to control the game better.
What a luxury bringing Mileusnic, Retre and Tuiloma off the pine. They must have 400 pro matches between them.
This must be the only time those AFC a holes have celebrated a Nix win. Keeps them top of the table

Elemenop

A good run of results and the squad is looking a lot better.

If chiefy can turn this season around and we do better than just scraping into the play-offs then he gets my vote for another year... that's still a big IF at this point...

Mental 8 points between top and tenth on the table. And that dominant display by us was 8 v 2, and potentially top, due to a game in hand. 

Edit: We’ve scored 11 in our last 5 and still have a -1 goal difference. Genuine salary cap season. 

martinb

Don’t let me Eeyore it, but it’s only 8th with Jets and Melbourne C next. 

We’ve shown we can compete. But we have to keep getting results. 

Come on Phoenix! 

But putting the Tigger perspective we are just 3 points from 3rd. Even more astonishing, reflecting how level/unpredictable this league is, if we had turned around that game with the 9-man Aucks, which we should have, then we would be on the same points as them!
With Sander coming in, and injured players coming back, we are (potentially) right in the mix.

Whyme14

The depth we are building and with Sander still to join the squad, the next NZ derby is shaping up to be a cracker!

 I'll do hoodoo if it means beating Auckland for once

Noah4thenix

Whyme14

The depth we are building and with Sander still to join the squad, the next NZ derby is shaping up to be a cracker!

 I'll do hoodoo if it means beating Auckland for once

Mate, I’d love to extend that win away song to few recently less fruitful locations for damn sure.

coochiee

Uffie post match prickly as always. But conceded was definitely a red card.

I actually agree with his assessment of the game. His young player made a poor decision which changed the game and likely caused them to lose.

We were probably lucky to go into the half break 1 up. We then went on to win with the man advantage. 

I thought Chief set us up for the game brilliantly. But, it was the players on the park (their mentality) and a bit of luck that got us the win today.

I'd hate to be that young kid who got the red during the match review 🤣

What an amazing Wellington Anniversary weekend. Our Wahinix battle for a late 2 goal win and our men tough out a win against the team with the best defensive record.  Love this team!

Didnt see any luck at all

It was a very composed competent win

McCarron growing into the role

Piper delivering so much

Defence looking solid

Nagasawa excellent

Rufer yet again showing the critics they know nothing

anaveragestem

coochiee

Uffie post match prickly as always. But conceded was definitely a red card.

I actually agree with his assessment of the game. His young player made a poor decision which changed the game and likely caused them to lose.

We were probably lucky to go into the half break 1 up. We then went on to win with the man advantage. 

I thought Chief set us up for the game brilliantly. But, it was the players on the park (their mentality) and a bit of luck that got us the win today.

I'd hate to be that young kid who got the red during the match review 🤣

 

Just watched back the highlights and two things struck me compared to our bad days in Melbourne etc. 

Mandrejkar James takes one right in the head that might have been zinging in. 
And McCarron was respectable, but when he made the save that squirted out we had two players in Payne and James alert and first to the ball. That wasn’t happening before.

Compare that to our second goal. Rufer is incredibly composed and Sydney are locked on him and fail to mark up 3 players in their 6 yard box. And he finds one. 

Still not sold on LKH as a WB. He’s not Armientoing or Payneing up the wing and scoring or putting it on Piper’s head. Makes me a bit nervous seeing him there. Might be a squaddie CB. 

Edit: luck was the deflection for the first goal Al! We didn’t get that earlier in the season, but collected today and closed out too.

Nagasawa! Just doing a pro as job.

Oi Oi Edgecumbe

Nagasawa! Just doing a pro as job.

Dosnt get enough credit,good to see him get MOM

Alf Tupper

Didnt see any luck at all

It was a very composed competent win

McCarron growing into the role

Piper delivering so much

Defence looking solid

Nagasawa excellent

Rufer yet again showing the critics they know nothing

anaveragestem

coochiee

Uffie post match prickly as always. But conceded was definitely a red card.

I actually agree with his assessment of the game. His young player made a poor decision which changed the game and likely caused them to lose.

We were probably lucky to go into the half break 1 up. We then went on to win with the man advantage. 

I thought Chief set us up for the game brilliantly. But, it was the players on the park (their mentality) and a bit of luck that got us the win today.

I'd hate to be that young kid who got the red during the match review 🤣

 

I completely agree with all your points. Although, you cannot say that we weren't lucky today. There were two moments that changed the game late in the first half.

1. The deflection off the free kick causing a goal for us. That is like a 1/50 deflection.

2. Sydney defenders terrible tackle resulting in a red card. This was off the back of a series of heated challenges from both teams potentially causing a young player to overreact in the moment and make a silly challenge.

Up until those two instances the game was even. I also think Chief set us up so well today that you can equally credit him with the win as much as any of the players. 

ballane

Oi Oi Edgecumbe

Nagasawa! Just doing a pro as job.

Dosnt get enough credit,good to see him get MOM

Would be happy to see him back on a 1 or 2 year deal. Been great this season

I think that we won that second point. We were more disciplined. And the ref got his crap together thankfully. I think if Eze gets more calls against Kikianis we win that game too. But we have to adapt to where the ref sets the line and be disciplined. And hopefully we get the calls, not an activist ref out to call every piece of grappling. 

Compare that to Armiento’s red, which was unfortunate, but exuberant and a result of a bad touch and overpressing. That might happen if he’s playing on the front foot all the time. I don’t want him to tackle dangerously, but pushing all the time it might in a split second decision. 

Huge performance from the lads

Sure, Piper made a major error not to lay off once instead of shooting.

 But I thought he was very impressive generally, looked fit and fast. 

Watching the replay…Andy Harper: McCarron “coped one in the Barry Gibbs?”

What does that mean?

Banzai!...AIEEE!!!

Watching the replay…Andy Harper: McCarron “coped one in the Barry Gibbs?”

What does that mean?

70s singer that sings in a falsetto, ie he got hit in the nuts

lol.  

Rhyming slang for ribs?

The Sydney crowd was very quiet in the stadium. Fever was on form, good group in the away bay.

They said there was ~12,000 but didn’t feel like that tbh. Felt more like 7-9k.

Anyway, we’re going to win the league..

I watched both NZ teams games, and for my money our game was better to watch than the game that Mel City and A-FC played on Friday night.  That was tiring to watch, resembling a boxing match of 12 rounds. Our game had football in it.

Some could argue that we got "lucky" tonight. Maybe, but at best Sydney might have equalised if we were unlucky. But we were not, and the capricious Lady Luck did not abandon us and did not give us her usual sadistic smile, this time.

Also, Eze substitution was not as much a "defensive" move as a statement from Chiefy that Eze was selfish, unfocused and wanton today, and his early sub was a sign that he needs to remember he is part of the team, and not a star to make a name for himself. He stuffed up at least one if not two clear opportunities by not passing to a free man (much like Piper, but I cut Piper more slack than Eze).
Hughes, James = legends, both.
McCarron = earned his right to start the next game, and the next game, and the next game.
Nagasawa = give the man a new contract. He was a complete team player and did everything right tonight.  That was his third game in a row where was one of the best players on the park.
Final comment, Sydney were unable to do what they do best without Joe Lolley. Love him or hate him, Syd FC are a shadow without him.