WPX v Perth, 5pm Saturday, GRRRRRRROF

Perth set their stall out for a point, and almost managed it. Their game plan was to sit back and frustrate the Phoenix. I am delighted with the win. Bring back Paston.

We love you Siggy ...

bloody hell what a sh*te match.

Yes points is points - nice goal - pretty much the only highlight of a dire game.

As for Pav - it was an awful challenge - 1 footed studs up jump into the calf of the defender.

Side on replay made it look like he was trying to stretch out to get the ball around the side of the defenders leg but awful technique if that was the case.

I'm leaning towards intent to get the defender as he had just been jostled out of possession seconds earlier by what looked like the defender holding him back a bit...

Deserved red - can't believe Ricki wants to appeal.

ForteanTimes2011-12-11 07:54:23

Can't believe they are going to appeal Pav's red.....on what grounds? Do they have frivilous appealing penalties in the A-League? if they do then he will probably get an extra week off. We are real lucky Brown did not get a red too! Dumb arse discipline from senior players

+1 I assume there is a chance that his ban might be extended as a result of the appeal process. And if I were sitting in judgement I sure as hell would dish out a longer ban. Silly, silly play.

Very pleased with the win, not so pleased with the way we played. Any news on Lochie's injury yet?

That was an awful game with the only redeeming feature being a great header from SigmUnd. Whitby boy2011-12-11 09:30:55

QUOTE=loyalgunner]Very happy with the win, what a bullet of a goal from Siggy.

Really need work on the crowds, though. Reported at 6 020 which is certainly an inflated figure. People won't be happy with this but I'll say it anyway. I've been thinking about why crowds are so low and the answer really hit me today, lately we've been playing terrible football. Even when we win. It often isn't in the least bit entertaining. We really need to get some new players in to turn that around. I'm still going to be watching and supporting, of course, but in the hope that it changes.

Here's hoping we take advantage of Brisbane's poor form of late on Wednesday in an entertaining manner![/QUOTE] Gutsy win. But Billy Harris article spot on this morning. Owners are great. Doing so much good work to rebuild the club, but will now know football supporters are all about the NOW, and have been waiting 2 years for as quality stirker and a class creative midfielder to be added. 

A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off and shown the red

card if he commits any of the following seven offences:

1. is guilty of serious foul play

2. is guilty of violent conduct

3. spits at an opponent or any other person

4. denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity

by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a

goalkeeper within his own penalty area)

5. denies an obvious goalscoring opportunity to an opponent moving

towards the player�s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick

or a penalty kick

6. uses offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures

7. receives a second caution in the same match

Only 1 applies but was it dangerous - No, just a yellow

bang on

Here's my ten cents worth. Yes the game was scrappy and a bastard to watch, but I believe in round three people were saying that our away game against perth was one of the best games we've ever played and lost.

Yes I would much prefer to see better football played, and yes it was a sh*tter yesterday, but to be honest I think the ability to grind out a scrappy win will be needed if the 'nix are going to make the finals. Unfortunately there is no column on the point table called 'played well but lost', so for me an ugly win is better than a good-looking loss.

So PLEASE play better than that next time lads, but at the end of the day well done for getting the points.ShowUsYaNix2011-12-11 10:59:03

i see ya point, but long term it's no good for the a-league or football in this country.

some of us are big on that, some of us are big on results.

i would suggest that, because this is a developing league, and new zealand football has always struggled for attention, that aesthetics are actually quite important.

Just wish we had a tactic other than down the wings and hook it into the box it works 5% of time at best.Even on the counter that's our first option look for someone out wide. heaven forbid we should try going through the middle once in a while
giddyup2011-12-11 11:42:28

aitkenmike2011-12-11 12:03:54

And while I remember...just how BAD was Lochhead yesterday? Unbelievable performance, played like he had his boots on the wrong feet!

I'm not making any comment.

yeah I would agree, it's no good at all if we play like sh*t but somehow get the points, but it is nice to get that kind of result every now and then.

the best teams in the world are often the ones that somehow manage to get lucky results even when they're having an off day. man u tending to find late winners/equalisers when they play average football for 89 minutes, for example.

yep- agree show-us-ya-nix I'd rather be moving up the table reprovingly, than sitting at the bottom of it beautifully.

Siggie scorer of late winners= legend! Considering we had a season where we used to concede late, like we did at GC earlier this season, us winning late is damn gooooood.

You know, these exact arguments were used in rugby circles for many years, with the All Blacks failing to win RWC after RWC.

They've learnt that it only takes one point to win a RWC, and damn the people who complain "it's not pretty".

Phoenix can keep winning, and we can keep complaining it's not pretty, as long as the Phoenix keep winning.Ard Righ2011-12-11 15:50:57

fair enough, but i think there is yet another distinction between not-pretty and not effective.

i.e. it's possible to not be pretty but still play effectively.

this performance was neither pretty, nor effective, just a scrap.

and such performances will net results like the one against melbourne heart last week as often as it gets a win like this week's one against perthreg222011-12-11 16:04:15

So you would rather play well and lose? Horrible logic.

I guarantee people feel worse after those games than scrappy games that we win.

The fact is that Perth dragged the game down to that level by stacking the midfield. We did well to battle and come away with the win. Even Arsenal has to do that sometimes.valeo2011-12-11 16:49:03

The around 5,000 core supporters will put up with yesterday's painful to watch game on the basis we got 3 points. Whitby boy2011-12-11 16:59:27

Perth did not drag the game down at all. If you want to have another look at it you will find that we stacked our defence(I don't know why) to stop Smeltz. However he was the lone ranger for 90mins and did nothing.

Exactly - Perth played with Smeltz as the lone ranger. And where were the rest of them? Clogging up midfield and their own defensive third. I don't think they brought anything to that game and are just as culpable for what was a really dreary game.

Sterjovski was up front with Smeltz but was too wide. If as you suggest they had all these players in midfield, they would have overwhelmed us. They did not. I've watched the game again, and they played some nice one touch football in their own third and then gave the ball away.

Red Card  !!! once was enough

Your right, but I'm a sucker for football, even bad football.

I thought Mehmet was immense off the bench last night for Perth.

Can't believe we didn't sign this guy.

Sack Ricki.

nek Mehmet!

this x 1000000

Shirley Pav>>Mehmet yesterday?

Some things that are better than Mehmet:

Middle one is Paartalu?

Think I may have got that one wrong...He does have reasonable pedigree so not sure how he's managed to be quite so guff so far. Saying that, Rigters hasn't exactly set the place on fire either!

nor Emerton / Kewell

Haven't been anywhere near the Phoenix or A-League part of this forum in a long time. Good to know I'm not the only one then.

Kudos to Judas for signalling the scoreline. I wish Warner had taken a stab at punting end to end when Vuko was up. Would have been brilliant!