RD 12. Anti football comes back to Brisbane. 27/12 7pm

[HEARTinator]

4 minutes ago, rass said:

 

I agree, but i think the reason is because the better teams often press up on us, putting the ball player under pressure. Noticed that the tards did that in the first 20 mins last week too.

I think we allow teams too much space in our back half at time, making them look better than what they are. Soon as we pushed up on them, they started to make mistakes too.

Don't think many teams in the a-league can deal with this actually. 

Agree with this. The skills of most HAL players do not stand up to intense high pressure that's why good sides will always have you under pressure whether you have the ball or not. Tonight we gave Brisvegas too much latitude and paid the price.

[Shahanga]

Harry is temperamental. If you read that article about him he's had "problems" at every club he's been. 

Anyway right now he's off his game, for mine he's been ( by his standards) poor the last 2 weeks.

(I agree with Kiro, mix it up, take the fuckers on and cross with your left, next time they won't know what to expect)

Probably needs some mind medicine, hopefully we can get him back, we need him.

Mooy's shout- "seen 'em given" that's for sure.

[Kiro Kompiro]

My first reaction to Mooy was there was contact  as he wrong footed the defender, must be a penalty.

[Jacques Le Cube]

9 minutes ago, Kiro Kompiro said:

Novillo's in the A-league and not in Europe because of his temperament.  He is now predictable in receiving, stopping to a walk, doing his cocky come and get it off me bullshit, then cutting inside to make room for a shot.  Just once I'd like to see him continue the forward momentum, burn their left back with run down the touchilne and not allow their defense to set up getting a ball across the six yard box for Fornaroli to tap in.  He is a winger isn't he?

He is inverted.

[Nate]

got what we deserved for that insipid first half, way better in the second though so no worries yet. 

too often tonight we overcomplicated things time after time by trying to hit narrow passes that simply weren't on when there were far easier options out wide

[Ray]

Just saw the team passing accuracy. Virtually identical to Brisbane at 81%. We must have given the ball away in worse positions than them because I swear it looked like we turned it over more than they did.

But the stats don't lie.

[strider]

Strider's weekly "three things I learnt this game":

1. #StandByNovillo

2. JA's ugly fucking mug needs to get kicked in

3. Corona is an ugly kent -- looks like a fkn vampire 

[n i k o]

Well that was a disappointing finish. Positive for the night though was our fight throughout the game. We definitely gave it everything until the last whistle. The other good thing is we may have lost but we are becoming an exciting team to watch. Two weeks in a row we have featured as the best match of the round, without doubt. I know it's a loss but it sure beats losing like the old day where we barely created chances and never tried to fight back in games. Moving forward, it's important the team makes a huge statement at home against Sydney next week. 

[drewmelbcity]

For some reason I have a positive sense after this game. Not very often you are going to give up own goals, the last goal was a bit of nothing considering we were going all out for the win. We looked much better in the second half, it would seem the half time talk done the trick. As mentioned above we seem to turn the ball over in poor areas most notably from kisnorbo, sorrenson and I think it was clisby. Fornaroli continues to do his thing which is pretty much to put the ball in the back of the net with the little chances he gets. Mooys first half was very dissapointing to watch as he seemed to be flat footed and not tracking back as he usually does week in week out. The second half from mooy was slightly better though not his usual productivity. Some may question novillos attitude/ actions when he was subbed however I find it reassuring that our players burn inside when they are not playing well and they rather be on the pitch putting in everything they have to push for the win. Sorrenson played another great game besides not putting more effort on the second goal but as above mentioned can't save them all, I think this comes down to tightning up the defense and really slowing the opposition to have fewer shots.

[Luke]

The positives are they scored through an own goal and a sorenson fuck up 

[Torn Asunder]

There were no positives in this loss.

The Football gods have yet again demonstrated their cruelty and allowed JA, the harbinger of Heart's demise, to inflict a familiar pain upon us all once again.

His smarmy face after the final whistle was like a dagger to the throat.

When we play them again in March, victory is our only option. We cannot allow JA to be undefeated against us this season.

Edited December 27, 2015 by Torn Asunder

[tigerou812]

4 minutes ago, Torn Asunder said:

There were no positives in this loss.

The Football gods have yet again demonstrated their cruelty and allowed JA, the harbinger of Heart's demise, to inflict a familiar pain upon us all once again.

His smarmy face after the final whistle was like a dagger to the throat.

When we play them again in March, victory is our only option. We cannot allow JA to be undefeated against us this season.

I wanted to punch the screen every time his face showed. I really hate this c*%t.

[Kiro Kompiro]

12 hours ago, Jacques Le Cube said:

He is inverted.

So are Riberry and Robben but even they go out wide sometimes.

[playmaker]

Conclusions I draw from this loss:

We played like a young team.

Koren is valuable and a match winner.

If JVS instustructed the players to play a defensive counter from the onset then he needs to go, as this is not how we win.

JA makes me sick.

[jw1739]

Not a disastrous defeat by any means. Disappointing but not disastrous. With 15 matches to go 9 of them are at home so I still think we can finish in the top four and get a home final.
Brisbane's first goal was going nowhere until PK stuck out a leg, and 9 times out of 10 it would have been a corner rather than an own goal. The second goal is down to Sorensen though - despite every good save he's made he needs to do a lot of work on his near-post positioning because he's conceded a few goals in that area.
Tuna is the best visa player we've had in our history.
For next season we need to have a genuine RW, and strengthen the defence.
Still concerns me that the players coming off our bench are not really potential game-changers.

[Jovan]

Sorry but your mistaken with Koren.

[jw1739]

1 minute ago, Jovan said:

Sorry but your mistaken with Koren.

I contend that Koren as a marquee should be good enough to start, and not be on the bench at all. But I was referring in the main to players such as Williams, Zinni etc who I don't see as the sort of player who is going to turn a match in the last 20 minutes or so.

[KSK_47]

I didnt get to watch the game but from what i have pieced together we sat back and invited pressure at the start and it went horribly wrong because of a few "unlucky" incidents. Then tried to fix it after it was too late despite some admirable efforts.

If this is the case it sounds like an all too familiar story. Fuck things up at the start by making poor decisions, scramble like hell to undo your mistakes but fall short. Followed by people feeling positive about the efforts made to get out of a hole we should never have been in.

[Jovan]

On paper the bench looked decent. But a player lacking form ,confidence and match fitness is a problem. The issue is that it's very difficult to get them right without weakening the team.

For me Williams is the perfect 20 to 25 impact player when he is in form but he is nowhere near that. 

Koren is just an overated spud. Zinni is still very raw and 10 to 15 mins every 3 or 4 weeks is all he deserves at the moment. 

We now have an issue with Novillo he has dropped. The problem is do you continue to play him and bolster his confidence or do you drop him to send him a message. Not sure without knowing his mentality. 

[drewmelbcity]

12 minutes ago, Jovan said:

On paper the bench looked decent. But a player lacking form ,confidence and match fitness is a problem. The issue is that it's very difficult to get them right without weakening the team.

For me Williams is the perfect 20 to 25 impact player when he is in form but he is nowhere near that. 

Koren is just an overated spud. Zinni is still very raw and 10 to 15 mins every 3 or 4 weeks is all he deserves at the moment. 

We now have an issue with Novillo he has dropped. The problem is do you continue to play him and bolster his confidence or do you drop him to send him a message. Not sure without knowing his mentality. 

Has Novillo really dropped though? Some expert commentators had him in their top three from last week derby, and while he was poor last night he did still manage to get a couple of shots off. He had by his standards a low game last night but he can't be a top performer every week. Do I think he needs to be dropped? That is a flat no still one of our top three players.

[playmaker]

33 minutes ago, Jovan said:

Sorry but your mistaken with Koren.

He is all class, the way he holds the ball, his positioning and his vision is only matched by Mooy. When he is on, Mooy plays better and Koren creates opportunities for Bruno by delivering it to his feet, where Bruno likes it.

Atm we are too one dimensional and predictable by replying on long balls with flankers just running up and down the line, Koren changes that as soon as he comes on and allows Mooy and himself to create opportunities more.

I would like to see Koren on when both Novillo and Bruno are on, hopefully next game as with Novello's fast cut ins and Bruno turning the defence around when receiving pinpoint passes, it will be unstoppable.

Koren's shot from outside from nothing....... Nearly had the tissues out again. 

Edited December 27, 2015 by playmaker

[japiedog]

13 hours ago, neio said:

Fuck what is with the hate for Sorenson, yes he should have saved the second goal but he can have one mistake after the 86 saves he made last 2 weeks

I was a bit sceptical on the visa keeper but he is the number one shot stopper in the league and is better than tando

 

i think they are taking the piss, the guy saved half a dozen last night

[drewmelbcity]

6 minutes ago, playmaker said:

He is all class, the way he holds the ball, his positioning and his vision is only matched by Mooy. When he is on, Mooy plays better and Koren creates opportunities for Bruno by delivering it to his feet, where Bruno likes it.

Atm we are too one dimensional and predictable by replying on long balls with flankers just running up and down the line, Koren changes that as soon as he comes on and allows Mooy and himself to create opportunities more.

I would like to see Koren on when both Novillo and Bruno are on, hopefully next game as with Novello's fast cut ins and Bruno turning the defence around when receiving pinpoint passes, it will be unstoppable.

Koren's shot from outside from nothing....... Nearly had the tissues out again. 

By your statement I am convinced you have only ever seen two Melbourne City games the first one being the 5-2 win over Newcastle in which Koren scored a hat trick, and the second being the last 15 minutes of last night's game.

Furthermore Koren is utter crap (I kept it pg for all the kiddies posting).

Edited December 27, 2015 by drewmelbcity

[bergkampesque]

Harry was bloody lucky not to get sent off. Should have received a straight red for his kick. So to have a little tanty when you then get subbed... well that's Harry I guess. He's a short fuse.

Anyone notice that we scored the goal from a long kick from defence? So why do we keep going short from the goal kicks? Against some sides it works, but when it's not working we need to change up the strategy. We put ourselves under so much pressure with dumb defensive passes. The second goal, while sure it should have been saved, how do you let a guy on his own in that much space without even opening us up with a decent pass? 

Still glad we fought it out and with a bit of luck we would have gotten the draw. Would like to see a bit more poise to put crucial shots on target eg Retre.

Edited December 27, 2015 by bergkampesque

[japiedog]

13 hours ago, Shahanga said:

Harry is temperamental. If you read that article about him he's had "problems" at every club he's been. 

Anyway right now he's off his game, for mine he's been ( by his standards) poor the last 2 weeks.

(I agree with Kiro, mix it up, take the fuckers on and cross with your left, next time they won't know what to expect)

Probably needs some mind medicine, hopefully we can get him back, we need him.

Mooy's shout- "seen 'em given" that's for sure.

problem is Shahanga, is that i reckon he has gone to his left once this season and cut it back ( as a traditional winger) I may be exaggerating the stat there, but he is so predictable

He is not a winger as such , but an old fashioned inside forward, who wants to score, rather than create a chance for someone else to score

 

[playmaker]

5 minutes ago, drewmelbcity said:

By your statement I am convinced you have only ever seen two Melbourne City games the first one being the 5-2 win over Newcastle in which Koren scored a hat trick, and the second being the last 15 minutes of last night's game.

Furthermore Koren is utter crap (I kept it pg for all the kiddies posting).

The past is the past. Let it go mate.

Just commenting on this season and the last 2 games he has made a big difference.

Can't dispute that.

[drewmelbcity]

1 minute ago, bergkampesque said:

Harry was bloody lucky not to get sent off. Should have received a straight red for his kick. So to have a little tanty when you then get subbed... well that's Harry I guess. He's a short fuse.

Anyone notice that we scored the goal from a long kick from defence? So why do we keep going short from the goal kicks? Against some sides it works, but when it's not working we need to change up the strategy. We put ourselves under so much pressure with dumb defensive passes. The second goal, while sure it should have been saved, how do you let a guy on his own in that much space without even opening us up with a decent pass? 

Still glad we fought it out and with a bit of luck we would have gotten the draw. Would like to see a but more poise to out crucial shots on target eg Retre.

Correct with your second paragraph, two players had been sucked into the bloke with the ball they didn't watch for the guy floating in behind from out wide and garrucio with his jogging back to help with the defending was pathetic. I want to see blokes sprint back to defend even if they don't get there at least I know they put in the hard yards.

1 minute ago, playmaker said:

The past is the past. Let it go mate.

Just commenting on this season and the last 2 games he has made a big difference.

Can't dispute that.

Besides his shot last night (which would have needed a Glen moss type mistake to go in), he did sweet fa. I'm not singling him out as the only player because even mooy had a woeful game. But if you pay a guy close to a million dollars and the only return you have is a hat trick in one game across two season as a fan you are a little let down. You may think his the bees knees but you'll find 95% of supporters will be happy to see the back of him.

[Jovan]

The thing is Retre Melling and Mauk have all produced more than Koren and are collectively getting paid less. 

He's got alot to do for the past to remain in the past.

[Dylan]

I think it would have been a different story if we travelled earlier and got used to the humidity. First half we looked lethargic and heavy.

Paartalu's best game for us, he was immense and hopefully it continues for the rest of the season. 

[Jovan]

11 minutes ago, Dylan said:

I think it would have been a different story if we travelled earlier and got used to the humidity. First half we looked lethargic and heavy.

Paartalu's best game for us, he was immense and hopefully it continues for the rest of the season. 

Agree. Humidity was a massive factor. That comes back to poor planning. 

[playmaker]

Much rather have Mooy and Koren in the midfield than relying on our headless chook approach of running the lines. We got away with it for a few games but that's gone now, teams are defending that approach quite well. So if you look at the game after Koren came on you see a difference,  that also improved Mooy's opportunities with extra space because he wasn't molested by 3 defenders and forcing him to go wide.

If we are going to take the extra step as a team we need Koren and one more level head that needs can create rather than rely on the one dimensional play we are relying on atm.

[Jacques Le Cube]

26 minutes ago, Jovan said:

Agree. Humidity was a massive factor. That comes back to poor planning. 

Scheduling makes it difficult, I'd prefer the players spent christmas with their families rather than training in Brisbane.

[Shahanga]

1 hour ago, japiedog said:

problem is Shahanga, is that i reckon he has gone to his left once this season and cut it back ( as a traditional winger) I may be exaggerating the stat there, but he is so predictable

He is not a winger as such , but an old fashioned inside forward, who wants to score, rather than create a chance for someone else to score

 

Yeah he's an old fashioned #8 or #10.(please tell the people at my club these are not "traditionally" midfield positions). Would be equally suited at either inside left or inside right.

Based on the small amount of time I've spent at training they want the winger to come inside "every time", now that's fine when the fullback overlaps, but when he doesn't I think it's important not to be predictable.

In regards to the questions about him, I know he seemed up set being subbed, but he didn't spit it to the coach, which is the main thing. He wanted to stay on - that's good- shows the competitive drive we need.  In regards to his form, well I'd work with him but no way would I drop him. Might get the club to fly his girl out for New Years though. He strikes me as the type who plays well when he's happy.

[haz]

Hughes unused sub (since we needed to score), that means he has still played less then 90 minutes for us.   Now that is a wasted Visa spot

[tigerou812]

13 minutes ago, haz said:

Hughes unused sub (since we needed to score), that means he has still played less then 90 minutes for us.   Now that is a wasted Visa spot

I reckon we have 3 wasted visa spots. 

[jw1739]

22 minutes ago, haz said:

Hughes unused sub (since we needed to score), that means he has still played less then 90 minutes for us.   Now that is a wasted Visa spot

I have said this pretty much from the start. If Hughes is match-fit then as a visa player he should start. If he's match-fit but not deemed good enough to start then he shouldn't have been signed in the first place, and if he isn't match fit then he shouldn't be in the match-day squad. Whichever way you look at this it is poor squad management. I don't apportion any "blame" to Hughes at all - he was offered a contract and he took up the offer (see Winston Bogarde) - it's a squad management issue. And it's the sort of issue that contributes to our failure to be a more successful club than we have been to date.

[Jovan]

2 minutes ago, jw1739 said:

I have said this pretty much from the start. If Hughes is match-fit then as a visa player he should start. If he's match-fit but not deemed good enough to start then he shouldn't have been signed in the first place, and if he isn't match fit then he shouldn't be in the match-day squad. Whichever way you look at this it is poor squad management. I don't apportion any "blame" to Hughes at all - he was offered a contract and he took up the offer (see Winston Bogarde) - it's a squad management issue. And it's the sort of issue that contributes to our failure to be a more successful club than we have been to date.

The only thing JW1739 how do you get Hughes to be match fit. He needs game time now assuming he's fully recovered. If he can't get onto the pitch in the next 2 games for some reasonable amount of time then yes it's a wasted signing. 

I have more confidence in Hughes contributing this season than Koren but that doesn't say much really. 

[haz]

3 minutes ago, jw1739 said:

I have said this pretty much from the start. If Hughes is match-fit then as a visa player he should start. If he's match-fit but not deemed good enough to start then he shouldn't have been signed in the first place, and if he isn't match fit then he shouldn't be in the match-day squad. Whichever way you look at this it is poor squad management. I don't apportion any "blame" to Hughes at all - he was offered a contract and he took up the offer (see Winston Bogarde) - it's a squad management issue. And it's the sort of issue that contributes to our failure to be a more successful club than we have been to date.

Exactly this.

Its not directly the player's fault (Unless they refuse to play), but the club's. Sorenson, Kisnorbo and Engelaar are arguably the best players we've had over 34 years old out of how many others? The club needs to open their eyes and realize that they are wasting their time signing players over 30, just look at Fornorli and Novillo for examples.

[Habitual]

Novillo really worries me, as does Mooy against the bigger teams. Novillo seems a 1 trick pony that sulks as soon as things don't go his way.

Whoever signs these players seriously needs to be looking for a new job.

The Hughes situation is a farce.

[playmaker]

We have the players we just have to use them and stop this running of the wings ping pong rubbish.

Koren and Hughes have to start next game or the season is over.