WPM R25 v Newcastle Jets | Sun 6th April | 7:00pm

We won!!!

Josh you're the best

kwlap

See, this is the Phoenix of this season. Absolutely terrible. 

This is the Phoenix of this season because we have Piper, LKH, LBS and a fairly ineffectual Retre all on with only Kosta in front of them.  Like we had much of the season with injuries.

But good to win that on the back of a fairly proper starting 11.

What a save

How the fudge did we hold on?

Josh deserves a free shout after that between the legs save.

I thought we’d blown it again with that last play but we won!!!!

Jesus Christ how did we get away with that?

That almost seems like justice! 

We were terrible in the second, but they were worse. And dickheads to go with it. Hope we knock them out of the finals. 

Sheridan and Ishige were holding us together? Sticky tape thin. 

That was a good watch

Wibblebutt

Josh you're the best

Wait did you just change your avatar to Cleberson at halftime?

Very good first half... very average second half.

Same starting 11 next game would be a good start.

AucklandPhoenix

That was a good watch

That was a shocking second half performance.

That second half was such a hard watch. Looked like our guys had lead in there boots. Don't know how we managed to win that one.
First half goals were a joy to watch mind.

The 2nd goal was class - goal of the season material.

That 2nd half was a clown show!

nail on head

mjp2

kwlap

See, this is the Phoenix of this season. Absolutely terrible. 

This is the Phoenix of this season because we have Piper, LKH, LBS and a fairly ineffectual Retre all on with only Kosta in front of them.  Like we had much of the season with injuries.

But good to win that on the back of a fairly proper starting 11.

It wasn’t flash that second half but entertaining 

Josh villain to hero

A game of two halves. Showed 100% that if you play too many of the kids together then we fall apart. Josh can stop goals but nothing else. Wooten ended up taking the goal kicks. Will take the win but it was a very nervous second half. At least we have played some decent football in the last few rounds.

The keeper has taken an important slot. And been signed twice. Shameful.

AucklandPhoenix

It wasn’t flash that second half but entertaining 

Josh villain to hero

Good to see the forward line do a proper job and ‘bail’ him out, like we and  Auckland have done for Paulsen on occasion. 

Sure he’s not great with his feet, and he’s okay in the air, but he’s a good shot stopper and as part of that defensive unit one reason we’ve got out of that when we shouldn’t have. 

I mean would you bin off Thomas? He made an identical mistake against the Auckland press this week. It’s intimidating.

We’ve got to play to our players’ strengths and support them, cos other teams won’t be as generous in the midfield and we’re likely not getting a May who can score from 30 metres out at will to give us ballast. 

Some of our passing in that first half was sublime though. Its almost a day watch/ night watch scenario…

Question about the yellow carded 'dive' that turned into potential penalty for Newcastle that ended up getting ruled offside:

Would VAR have been allowed to overturn the onfield decision and give a pen? The ref gave the Newcastle player a yellow card and I thought VAR isn't allowed to overturn yellow card decisions - which giving a penalty would effectively do?

Interesting post match chat with Rob Stanton. Basically -

Different opinions to some at the club on what the Jets need, and should be doing. Reading between the lines, as rumoured he asked for extra resourcing that the fairly new owners weren't prepared to provide??
No anger towards Newcastle, but some within the club need to stand up and share some of the load/effort. Sounds like he's feels he's been carrying an unappreciated burden - club was almost folding when he came on.
Acknowledges football is a results business, but he also really enjoys trying to take young talent to the next level.
Wants some time off from football, before considering his next move.

Came across as a really decent guy, and lots of dismay from the Jets fans and general football community he's leaving. A feeling it's one step forward, two steps back continously with Newcastle as a club.

So we are 4-1-1 in NSW this season... can we play every game there?

We've won more points in NSW than outside NSW!

coochiee

Interesting post match chat with Rob Stanton. Basically -

Different opinions to some at the club on what the Jets need, and should be doing. Reading between the lines, as rumoured he asked for extra resourcing that the fairly new owners weren't prepared to provide??
No anger towards Newcastle, but some within the club need to stand up and share some of the load/effort. Sounds like he's feels he's been carrying an unappreciated burden - club was almost folding when he came on.
Acknowledges football is a results business, but he also really enjoys trying to take young talent to the next level.
Wants some time off from football, before considering his next move.

Came across as a really decent guy, and lots of dismay from the Jets fans and general football community he's leaving. A feeling it's one step forward, two steps back continously with Newcastle as a club.

Someone also said a large number of the players were contracted with the same agent as the manager ie Stanton iirc? Sone kind of power play there? 

Well I'll be damned that was the most stressful 2nd half I've ever seen. It was like we saw what we were doing in the 1st half and how well it was going and just went "let's stop that"

Either way I'm happy to finally have a win (regardless of dodgy officiating). Gutted for Oluwayemi, would've been a perfect game for him had he been a bit more solid when being shoved.

With Josh’s confidence what it is, he clearly needs to be behind a more senior keeper for a season or two to learn and grow.

But as an all-important visa player, that’s unacceptable for this league. 

Sorry mate, it’s not going to work out here for you.

dunnix

With Josh’s confidence what it is, he clearly needs to be behind a more senior keeper for a season or two to learn and grow.

But as an all-important visa player, that’s unacceptable for this league. 

Sorry mate, it’s not going to work out here for you.

Except he is signed for next season so unless they can agree he is here for another season.

I think a large number of our players have obvious chunks of their game missing. And hopefully that’s reflected in their salary satisfying our paymasters. 

Whether it is a bit of physicality or speed, or if it is mentality with ball at feet or whatever. 

I think Piper is a bit of the anti-Beckham. What’s that famous quip about Beckham, attributed to George Best? ‘Can’t run, can’t tackle, can’t dribble, can pass a bit’. I think Piper’s the opposite of that! 

Josh clearly is working through his issues. Though not making him play out and protecting him better at corners help. And I don’t see the point of Alby to play out from the back, which he’s clearly the better keeper at, without a midfield able to play out from the back. The 40/20 attempts today…

Nagasawa is a bit slow comparatively, but has a lot of compensating skills. 

We don’t have Kraev and Old, but we do have Payne, Rufer and Kosta. 

We’re still short on players and of the players that we do have not all of them are on Auckland FC’s radar shall we say, but it doesn’t mean we can’t get results by playing to our strengths. Just first halves based on today I’d say…

We've had such a fantastic run of keepers for a long time - Kurto, Marinovic, Sail, Paulsen, all were some of the best in the league at the time, if not the best. The run was likely to come to an end at some point, but I don't think I've been this nervy about a keeper since Italiano

Funny thing is it's been a strangely poor season for keepers in the A-League. 

The young guys at CCM and City have made some mistakes, Olu and Sail have both had some calamities, Devenish-Meares for Sydney come under criticism, Adelaide cycled through three different keepers, and even the experienced Lawrence Thomas has made a few blunders like yesterday.

Of course apart from Kurto (who is outstanding), Olu is the only visa player amongst them so is judged to a different standard, but it's certainly interesting.

Sheridan should be man of the match.

Takes the head knock, keeps playing.  Then takes a shot to the nads, and while in intense pain gets up and limps his way into the line to try to help keep defending.  Dude looked like he shouldn't be able to stand up but while the balls live he keeps going.

10/10 for the heart and drive to keep going while his insides would have been screaming.

Keegan Smith?

Jazzy Jeff

We've had such a fantastic run of keepers for a long time - Kurto, Marinovic, Sail, Paulsen, all were some of the best in the league at the time, if not the best. The run was likely to come to an end at some point, but I don't think I've been this nervy about a keeper since Italiano

nixin

Keegan Smith?

Jazzy Jeff

We've had such a fantastic run of keepers for a long time - Kurto, Marinovic, Sail, Paulsen, all were some of the best in the league at the time, if not the best. The run was likely to come to an end at some point, but I don't think I've been this nervy about a keeper since Italiano

He was a horror show. Was at the time of starting to watch the nix from LDN I couldn’t comprehend why he got a game.

5th, 7th, 12th and 13th to play.  We couldn't win all of those could we?  

Victory, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane. Victory and Perth at home.

We'd have some sort of chance if we played like the first half last night.  And no chance at all if we played like the second half.

Well we won, but it wasnt pretty. Second half was dire. Still not sure what Italiano is thinking starting 6 defenders with three of them in midfield. It worked but mainly because Payne is relatively attacking. Kosta looked good as always. Not sure how their goal stood, Josh was clearly impacted by the attacker backing in to him, sure the contact was minor but as the commentators mentioned you literally breath on a keeper and the goal is overturned most weeks.

One of the bright spots of the season to be honest - having to cover a range of positions

Bananas

Sheridan should be man of the match.

Takes the head knock, keeps playing.  Then takes a shot to the nads, and while in intense pain gets up and limps his way into the line to try to help keep defending.  Dude looked like he shouldn't be able to stand up but while the balls live he keeps going.

10/10 for the heart and drive to keep going while his insides would have been screaming.

Jack Duncan back from Victory? Did very well before Langerac returned.

LT01

Funny thing is it's been a strangely poor season for keepers in the A-League. 

The young guys at CCM and City have made some mistakes, Olu and Sail have both had some calamities, Devenish-Meares for Sydney come under criticism, Adelaide cycled through three different keepers, and even the experienced Lawrence Thomas has made a few blunders like yesterday.

Of course apart from Kurto (who is outstanding), Olu is the only visa player amongst them so is judged to a different standard, but it's certainly interesting.

nixin

Keegan Smith?

Jazzy Jeff

We've had such a fantastic run of keepers for a long time - Kurto, Marinovic, Sail, Paulsen, all were some of the best in the league at the time, if not the best. The run was likely to come to an end at some point, but I don't think I've been this nervy about a keeper since Italiano

 Yeah, him too. That season I think we had Italiano, Smith, Sail and Velaphi all getting a league minutes at various points - shambolic stuff

Ngl when I saw the result Jets 1 - 2 Nix I thought "oh, that's nice, the women won an away game"

ballane

dunnix

With Josh’s confidence what it is, he clearly needs to be behind a more senior keeper for a season or two to learn and grow.

But as an all-important visa player, that’s unacceptable for this league. 

Sorry mate, it’s not going to work out here for you.

Except he is signed for next season so unless they can agree he is here for another season.

Definitely, but A-League contracts aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

For example, I really can't see Retre staying here for the second year of his deal. (Just a vibe, I've not heard anything.)

With visa players, underperforming ones get the chop. If we do get a new coach, he'll want to get those spots locked in either way very quickly.