WPM R19 vs Adelaide United | Sun 3rd Mar | 5:00pm | RoF / Sky Sport 3

Outpost

Talk about doing it the hard way. Or is there any other way for us?!

Did feel we were going to cough up another one if we dropped in intensity again. Which we did. 
 
Nice shot from Van Hattum, but I wonder if he could have found Kosta. Kraev and Old have had a bit of that this season- nice squares for 100% goals, but a lower strike rate taking the shot on. 

Still you want strikers or forwards who have the confidence to shoot. Certainly what we missed in Perth. 

Still back on top of the league. 

Those substitutions made all the difference, instant impact! Chiefy got it spot on again. We could have had more goals too, a great game overall. If we get 3 points next week I'm starting to believe it 

I love this team so much. Salas, Old, and Ball stand outs for me. Congrats OVH for knocking one in! Hopefully we'll see more!

Not our best performance but we ground out the result and I think they can be proud of their effort.

Great finish from OVH! You love to see it. So close to a double too.

Old looking amazing too.  Bring on next week.

I missed the crowd figure and it's not on stuff. Anyone know?

7,207.  Sounded bigger though. 

loyalgunner

I missed the crowd figure and it's not on stuff. Anyone know?

loyalgunner

I missed the crowd figure and it's not on stuff. Anyone know?

 7,200

kwlap

annnnd breathe! what an unnecessarily tense game. we played down to their level for most of it. but 3 points is 3 points :) 

Yeh- we played down to them. That’s it. 

Good to see Chief’s strategies with Conchie, Hughes and OVH coming good there. 

That could have been the title gone. And still we shouldn’t have let them score. That ball floating towards the back post with Ibusuki in the box is nightmarish. 

We should have scored 4-5. 3 was good, but at least one short. 

Also if I hear about Italiano’s stupid shirt tradition one more time I’m going to weep. It’s worse than hearing about Old and golf.

I hope he at least has the decency to donate them and not just bin them.

lets be honest it wasn't a great finish, but what was great was his first time ball to get Kosta away so he could play that pass to Old. He earnt that goal for that, even if it was ultimately a tap in of a ball going in anyway 

loyalgunner

Not our best performance but we ground out the result and I think they can be proud of their effort.

Great finish from OVH! You love to see it. So close to a double too.

Old looking amazing too.  Bring on next week.

Old's goal was an absolute corker. When you see the replay from behind the goal you realise just how narrow the angle is and how far out he is, yet he gave the keeper (who was maybe slightly unsighted) no chance. 

It was the kind of moment of pure class we are used to being on the other end of from teams chock full of talented imports. How satisfying then to see our own homegrown kid doing it for the Nix.

As much as I’m happy for OVH to get that first-goal monkey off his back, I’m slightly gutted for Old as he would’ve had a hattrick had OVH not bundled it in.

Still, getting the three points is all that matters! COYN!

Note, those three that hit the post could have been contenders for goal of the week. Job done. 

Amazing performance by Old clearly most exciting player on the pitch.
Kreav is a beast, massive engine, he makes thing happen. Unlucky not to score 2.
Salas was class, very explosive, he already feels like is in synce with the team, that one dummy on the sideline was breath taking, he definitely knows what’s around him.
Al-Taay, I’m a big fan of him, is a bit under the radar her, but he’s always super solid whatever he does.

InsulinMachine

My thoughts were offside and I'm not changing my opinion until I've seen it from a different angle.

I was more or less in line. 
I called it offside at the time, and no replay ive seen yet has convinced me it wasnt offside!
Cool. We got one!

I thought it was a great game. Adelaide were positive, and were a threat throughout the game. We made some mistakes, but at times we were superb. Salas looked class, but got some rough treatment and also gave the ball away a few too many times. Old, wow, he was sensational today. Im not sure Ive seen a ball hit harder than for his second goal. Great entertainment and we won and we are top of the league. What more could one want?

Just noticed we’re now on 40 points after 20 rounds. 2 PPG is an incredible rate to be running at, and is yet another proof point that this is a very special season we’re having.

7 more rounds is too many more rounds.

Very entertaining game, well done boy, without the depth of our bench today we could have lost.  An injury free Nix team is likely the title winning team this year. 

Bananas

8 more rounds is too many more rounds.

Let's just have 7 then 😁

6 April - CCM vs NIX could be the title decider

Kiwi Messi scoring 2 to beat Victory certainly helps.

2 horse race between us and CCM for 1st. And they're gonna have a bunch of Asian Cup games 

billyspleen75

Bananas

8 more rounds is too many more rounds.

Let's just have 7 then 😁

Haha the Google Matchday numbers threw me off.  Would rather 1 more :P

Gutted to not be there today, but kids birthdays should take priority I guess 😂 numbers wise, it looked about right for the crowd, but it was loud. Can’t wait for the next one (Vic at home?). 

Old was brilliant today, and Paulsen did what he needed to. Hats off to chiefy though, what a substitution and it paid off pretty much instantly. We didn’t play the best but there was some good stuff on show and as Fenix said, it was entertaining. This team man, something special. 

CCM with games against Mcarthur + Asian cup then Sydney after the international break. Surely that will take its toll.

UP THE NIX!!!!
We are on 40 points, the most we have ever got is 41 (2009/10, 2019/20).
8 rounds to go, home games against Sydney, Brisbane, Victory, MacArthur.
COYN

+plus a great game for any casuals there tonight.

Someone mentioned that we managed to grind out the result. That usually means stout defensive work after scoring a deciding goal, doesn't it? And our defence was a bit average against an average team. 
Poor Fin Surman, who I rate highly, had a bit of an off day today - but his layoff for Ben Old for the decider was excellent, so all is forgiven.
Italiano proved a better tactician than Veart. Bringing four new players on in one clean swoop saved our game. If Veart brought Irankunda and Ibusuki on any earlier, before our changes, the outcome might have been different. 

theaucklandphoenixfan

UP THE NIX!!!!
We are on 40 points, the most we have ever got is 41 (2009/10, 2019/20).
8 rounds to go, home games against Sydney, Brisbane, Victory, MacArthur.
COYN

+plus a great game for any casuals there tonight.

14/15 we managed 46.
I echo your sentiment otherwise though. 

billyspleen75

Kiwi Messi scoring 2 to beat Victory certainly helps.

2 horse race between us and CCM for 1st. And they're gonna have a bunch of Asian Cup games 

Wow- I would not have bet two headers. 

I know the ability to defend deep when not in possession and counter on turnovers plus to draw out opponents when we have possession and pounce is our game.

But for 15 minutes or so v Adelaide we just went full throttle attack.  And it was very, very good.

I'm happy winning either way, but more of the full throttle would be great.  And a lot less nerve racking.

YoungHeartHM

theaucklandphoenixfan

UP THE NIX!!!!
We are on 40 points, the most we have ever got is 41 (2009/10, 2019/20).
8 rounds to go, home games against Sydney, Brisbane, Victory, MacArthur.
COYN

+plus a great game for any casuals there tonight.

14/15 we managed 46.
I echo your sentiment otherwise though. 

Of course!! How could I forget.. I think I stopped myself from remembering that finals game against Melbourne city years ago 

WanderingSheep

Gutted to not be there today, but kids birthdays should take priority I guess 😂 numbers wise, it looked about right for the crowd, but it was loud. Can’t wait for the next one (Vic at home?). 

Old was brilliant today, and Paulsen did what he needed to. Hats off to chiefy though, what a substitution and it paid off pretty much instantly. We didn’t play the best but there was some good stuff on show and as Fenix said, it was entertaining. This team man, something special. 

What’s a better birthday present for your kid than going to a nix game??

billyspleen75

Kiwi Messi scoring 2 to beat Victory certainly helps.

2 horse race between us and CCM for 1st. And they're gonna have a bunch of Asian Cup games 

Mariners have at least two more AFC Cup games. H&A against Roy Krishana's Odisha. Home tie this week 7th March, and then away tie India 14th March. You'd think an ALM team should be too strong for an ISL team.

If CCM get past Odisha then next is a two legged tie against the winner of Abdysh-Ata Kant (Krygyzstan) verus Taichung Futuro (Taiwan). Dates 17th & 24th April. Would be a long haul to Krygyzstan.

Win that and it's the AFC Cup final against either an Oman team or a Lebanon team. And looks like either of the latter two West Asian teams will host the final.

So yes lets hope the Mariners get all the way to the AFC Cup final, with all that travelling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023%E2%80%9324_AFC_Cup

Rufer said post game the Nix didn't play well today, and the travel back from Perth may have been a factor. Ain't nothing compare to what potentially awaits CCM.

Rufer meant him and Surman made a couple more mistakes than usual. A couple of guys had very good games indeed!
But it’s nice to win because the attack was rampant rather than the defense was perfectly parsimonious. 

Geez I forgot that Kraev was cm from a brace and an assist himself! 

Especially that travela shot was important (as well as amazing) because it picked us up after we conceded the pen and jerkoff or whatever his name is celebrating in front of the Fever. 

When Hughes came on at 76 mins, at that point 10 of the Nix's onfield 11 were Kiwis, until game end. Wootton the outlier.

https://aleagues.com.au/videos/id/giancarlo-italiano-post-match-press-conference-wellington-phoenix-v-adelaide-united/6348144907112/

Chiefy words to the effect - 'the public won't realise how good Ben Old is until he is overseas and performing at a high level there'.

Edit - Jovanović is a kid at 18. Fans that end were trying to put him with the pen, booing/whistling and the like. No problem him giving it back towards the Fever. All good stuff

 

InsulinMachine

loyalgunner

I missed the crowd figure and it's not on stuff. Anyone know?

 7,200

Thats really really poor. Top of the league, at home, nice day, 9 results (10 now, yes!). c'mon Wellington you can do better then that, and so can you Nix marketing.

dunnix

As much as I’m happy for OVH to get that first-goal monkey off his back, I’m slightly gutted for Old as he would’ve had a hattrick had OVH not bundled it in.

Still, getting the three points is all that matters! COYN!

That was a funny old (lol) situation. 
Oldy would have had his first hatty, OVH has broken his duck and Ball would have snapped his drought.  All would have been sweet today. 

Ball really needs a goal for confidence I think though.

Happy for the result but was really hoping we'd win by a few more and build up a nice goal difference. As things stand CCM could still pip us if it came down to that stat.