Defibrillator

Pick one of the mascots. I don't give a shit which one. At least I can (almost correctly) say some muppet got my vote. The rest can't even be called muppets after that performance. We're way beyond that.

Does anyone know Fernando Brandans' playing history? A few websites I've looked at (and not just Wiki) list him as a midfielder. Has he played as a 10 before? He's very good on the ball and clever, but I'm curious to know if anyone has any knowledge of his past?

I think in an odd way we agree. My question basically is - do you think it was the right strategy? That was the thing that baffled me and did my head in and I must say disappointed me. I guess I went along hoping for a new start - I think many of us did - and I'll concede that is probably naive on my account. But after all the years of rubbish, I was just hoping for change and acknowledge it's early days. With numerical advantage we didn't exploit it by always having a free man and trying to play through. Compressing forward screws up Bruno's space and exposes us on the counter, not to mention being very, very ugly to watch. With the talent we have and WSW's season, to basically leave the door open for them to get back in the game for the whole second half was ridiculous. We only looked dangerous when Caceras came on, presented, and wanted to play through. He at least was trying to unlock them (I know he's not everyone's favourite. We really miss having a playmaker and wonder how Brandan would go there as an aside). To add - cudos to the forum. I really like the fact we can express a differing opinion on here and no one seems to play the man or get hot under the collar. Certainly different and more mature than many forums I've been on before. The mods must take credit - it's a good atmosphere on here.

Just home from a long drive and was contemplating the idea of actually winning a game but still coming home depressed by what I'd seen. I didn't think it was possible until tonight. My 13 yo son (who actually studies the game quite closely) looked up to me and said at 70 minutes that this was rubbish football - and he was spot on. Niko, it may have been the tactic to hold possession and hit the wings, but I really disagree that it was done well. That second half especially was dire, boring, uneventful and actually seriously risked playing into WSW hands. If you want to play possession based football, the first principle is that someone has to present for the ball. What I saw tonight would have had any junior coach in apoplexy. I honestly couldn't believe the number of times Kilkenny had received the ball from a CB, turned around to go forward and saw 4 WSW shirts in front of him and no forward option or anyone else presenting at all? I can recall four occasions when there were six players in a straight line as our forward structure across the park with one of our full backs pushing up into a line with the rest of the midfielders and forwards. It was like they were lining up to start a race across the field. I'd never seen a 3-1-flat 6 structure before. The hole between our 6 and the rest was unbelievable. Where was Cahill when we had possession? Our "10" was jogging forward with his back to the ball pressing right up the park, as was Brattan. So what do we do? We either go back and fuck around with the ball, or we go long. A criticism of Tongyik above about long balls - the poor kid often had no other option. Cough the ball up playing out and you risk an opposition fast break with a guaranteed overload, and on a few occasions we saw this. WSW were very patient, compact but I'll never know if we could break them down because I don't think we had a midfield of any nature to try and play through them. I thought we were meant to be playing the "City way" with beautiful possession based football? What we had tonight was the Aloisi plan on steroids and it was dire. If this is what Valkanis brings and wants us to play then we have real problems. It was shit. Interesting to also see Jakobsen begging to come off at 70 minutes indicating he was cooked. Just back from injury and probably unused to the heat, he didn't look happy when the sub board was going up without his number on it. I just hope he hasn't re-injured himself. Well done to Tongyik - coming along nicely - and Franjic had a good game. I was also thinking how the hell the World Cup will work in Qatar? Tough for the players in the low 30's and the quality dropped right off at the end. Low 40's would be just murderous. Take the points I guess. But that just wasn't great tonight.

"A Rose by any other name would play as shit!" That Shakespeare guy knew a bit about football!

I think you've missed the point (and I'm not trying to be rude). A scouting network ferrets out who is possibly available and who is "gettable" before they're even presented for consideration to a coach. Not to mention the pull of a large organisation like CFG and the potential for exposure and post football opportunities. 36 scouts mean more doors are opened and explored. I don't think WSW would have had knowledge or access to the Visa players we have and, to be fair to CFG, their record over the last couple of years with visa players has been pretty good. Add to this that players like Kamau are on the record as saying that they came to us because of the opportunities of coming to a global entity, then it's clear we're in a very strong position. The only piece of the jigsaw I see to be filled now is a decent, pragmatic, results focussed coach.

Sorensen Franjic. Jakobsen Tongyik Muscat Malik Kilkenny Bruno. Brattan. Colazo Cahill I'm a Gooner after all - 4-2-3-1 in my blood. Cahill and Bruno to float and swap positions and Kamau first cab off the rank if we need more speed. More defensive than above but I'm sick of gifting goals to the opposition. Time to tighten up at the back.

Would you take their squad or ours moving forward??

I'd actually add Popa to this list too. Popa and Arnold to me are the ultimate pragmatists who play a team according to the strengths and personnel they have. Arnold is by nature a lot more defensive and I think Popa allows players to play with more flair if they bring it. Shinji Ono was a good example where he was given a free reign to create. He obviously had some issues with Mooy, but the most comprehensive coaching master classes I've seen at AAMI park have been against WSW - the (??) 3-0 defeat down here last year sticking in my mind - he shredded JVS. . He played the season with a very strong 6 and 8 with Dimas and Andreiu all the way to the final with an otherwise average squad. The guy can seriously coach and I'd love to have him here with a list full of talent. His record against Heart/City should put him on the radar too.

You don't think things can get any worse than last year??

I agree with Playmaker above. In 7 years (bar an 8 week) stint this club has been rubbish defensively. Given the flair we have up top and open football, if we can shut down the back end of the park we will destroy this league. Get a coach who knows how to organise a defense and build from the back. It's not sexy, it's not the CFG way necessarily - but it will bring us silverware. Attacking constantly and high pressing can work with world class players, super fit professionals and an unlimited purse. This is the A-league - a bit of pragmatism is required.

Only 17 days until Trump gets inaugurated. I'm holding fire on my opinions for now.

Can the thinking on the January transfer window be expanded to consider managers too??

What we're people saying about the refs.........???? Soft.

Can someone in charge of this club please fucking do something?!?!?! This is beyond a joke now. How long do we have to endure this rubbish with a good squad??

Then why the fuck don't we play him there!!! JVS is killing me!!!!!

Glad you had a good sausage Bella - I presume it's not a metaphor. Blame for me on JVS. Starting Rose over Muscut against possibly the form player of the competition was suicide and Rojas continually caused us grief. And our midfield shape - Troisi had a field day out there. Our midfield was AWOL for the match and nothing done to rectify it. They went in behind our makeshift defense so many times with easy through balls. Why Brattan and Colazo didn't sit in front of the back 4 to absorb pressure just bewildered me. The Man City way of possession based attacking football is all well and good, but when you have an opponent clearly up for a physical stoush and closing down space quickly and aggressively, sometimes a pragmatic approach to absorb some pressure and sit patiently a bit deeper is required. We were getting flogged and they went in behind us so many times in the first half it was amazing we were still in the game. "Playing the game our way and on our terms" is all well and good when you're flying - but we have a team out of form, down on key personnel and having a run of average results. Tighten up the ship and go back to basics would seem to be in order, but what I saw was a shapeless rabble. That comes from the manager. Can JVS actually adjust a plan?? The comments above re possession fanaticism and playing out from the back are spot on Only positives were Bouzanis - some great saves - Kilkenny always working hard, and Tongyik shows potential. Given the press this week, it was clear Victory were up for a fight and they clearly wanted it more. I just thought we'd fight a bit harder.

If Malik is available for next week do you take a risk on this guy, or let Malik return? Not an insignificant game coming up................

With only four of our players starting in their position from Wednesday night - clearly our strongest lineup then - this smacked of squad rotation and felt like watching our B team for us. It could have gone either way, but a point against a fresh Brisbane from our B team is not to be sneezed at - we were very competitive I was sitting behind the Brisbane bench and JVS giving it to Aloisi and the fourth ref was gold. I've never seen him so fired up which was great. It's the passion we've all been begging for. Felt for Retre - didn't think he was that bad - and Caceras's decision making pretty frustrating at times. The simple early ball ignored for runs in to trouble. Petratos gave Josh Rose a really tough night but to his credit he kept at it. While his skill and age have been questioned, in front of us he kept pushing and pushing - all you can ask from someone not having a great year and at least trying to contribute. Colazo still looked a bit underdone too - really struggling at the end - but the goal will be great for his confidence I'll take the point. Some big games on the horizon........................

I hope Michael Jakobsen doesn't get home after the game and find his house has been burgled. He's already been robbed once tonight.

To do this he needs to rejig the midfield. Again Kilkenny the only midfielder with a defensive mindset. Caceras and Cahill sitting high waiting for the cheap ball making it difficult to play out and not pulling their weight defensively. We are so far too heavily weighted to the top of the park the poor bastards at the back are under enormous pressure. Often outnumbered and with the JVS mindset of overlapping fullbacks, their workload is just too high. We really missed Brattan who doesn't shirk his defensive responsibilities, and I thought we looked much better with him on the park. The old adage "everyone defends" is so true but the kamikazee JVS forward plan will still be unpicked each week. To me the problem isn't necessarily the lads at the back - they're being screwed by the players forward of them.

Just home and a"school night" match from out of town a bit of a slog. I'll take the win. But can someone with more brains than me explain why JVS insisted on the team playing out from the back when we were outnumbered every time??? So frustrating to watch all night and so dangerous. Basically without the ball the Jets lined up as a 4-4-2 with the midfield and two forwards pressing very high. We had a back three, Malik and Wilkinson deeper, but Cahill, Caceras and the front three very high up the park behind the Jets midfield and not presenting. Effectively 5 of our outfield players trying to play through 6 of theirs. As the guy in front of me said, it was like a group of kids sitting forwards too high trying to get a cheap goal. For the whole fucking night we struggled to transition through midfield. Look at their near misses - all from coughing the ball up and their press creating an overload. How we didn't concede more was a miracle, and yet the dickhead didn't adjust for the problem the whole night. It also put Bouzanis under pressure and route 1 to relieve the pressure pointless with such a short front 5. Really really poor to watch and a better team would have killed us. I just don't get this guy at all. Basically out-coached again...........

Must admit I'm over the "what's fair" talk. After years of wheelie bin recoveries, shit facilities, no money to get a decent marquee (Maltese Messi my arse!) and watching other teams get loaned gun players with no salary cap implications while we got diddly squat, I'm more than comfortable for the cosmic karma to point our way for a while. Enjoy the ride - things can change quickly in this game.

That'd be me. I must admit the spray the "youth policy" gets on this forum neglects context or history. From memory the greatest shout-out for youth was during the glorious Aloisi 19 games in a row without out a win where experienced professionals were playing like shit and not being punished. A cancer to our culture I honesty think we're still paying for. Try some youth? Why not? Mitchinson amd Walker may not have worked out, but I'd rather try a kid and give him an chance to replace an underperforming senior player for two reasons. 1. Could it get any worse? 2. Take a chance to discover a 10 season player who will bust his gut and play for the shirt. Diamonds in the rough are out there. The cry for youth was only occurring when the L and D column on the table was in overdrive. With Josh Rose, I'm more than comfortable to try a kid who has a semblance of pace, can hit a pass back to his keeper, doesn't jump on social media to apologise (are we to expect the same tweet again today?), who hasn't come from an underperforming team shipping truckloads of goals and who looks like he gives a shit. Who knows, it might just work out.............. but the old adage of trying the same thing expecting a different result springs to mind.

This!!! Add Brattan getting into the scuffles with glee and Bruno with the arm-band niggling away and not taking a backward step (and Sorensen doesn't shy away either), this is the first time I've seen some real steel at our club. We all know it's a game of skill, but we've lost many a game over the years through physical intimidation alone - Mariners under Arnie and Perth repeatedly come to mind. These guys, with Cahill leading the charge, won't back down. I'll wear the occasional red card - but I hope we push on with this strength. I want us to be known as no pushover - it's been way too long!! A good test against the Lowe crew next Friday.