Defibrillator

Why the hell hasn't JVS just killed the game with 10 minutes to go? Put on Hughes for Mauk and play a back 5 and shut up shop. Theyre still creating chances with ease. Ludicrous.

We have an inverse-Mifsud!! A prick who actually knows how to stay onside!! Loving the front 1/3.

I've seen some jaw dropping Heart / City moments in my time. Engelaar's goal in our own half, Terra's bicycle kick, but the double substitution at 55 minutes just had me gobsmacked. It was obvious to a few of us watching that Mauk had run out of legs at 50 minutes, and Melling was starting to struggle but still gut-running as he does. At 55 minutes it was clear the midfield shape was gone - Melling sitting too deep and Mauk too far forward to the strikers, and with Carney dropping sporadically into the middle we were struggling - or should I say overrun. It just begged to be addressed. And the solution - take off the forward line that had pressed and created (and for all the Williams haters out there - he worked hard both ways) for two youngsters including one out of position (and watch the lack of defensive tracking three minutes after they came on for their first goal). Fuck knows what's going on with Paartalu, but to pick a bench with no backup midfielders when you have two youngsters in the middle and one coming back from injury was just suicide - and it turned out to be. And to chase the game - well you couldn't with that bench. So we bomb the ball long over a dysfunctional non-existent midfield to a 1.75m CF with no change in a clearly failing shape. Fuck, put Kisnorbo up there if that's all you got! You can talk about ticker in the players, you can talk about fitness, you can talk about youth failing, but what happened tonight has to be blamed on the coaching staff and only the coaching staff. After the FFA Cup debacle managerially, surely this has to stop. I'm done - JVS has to go to circuit break this cultural rot. 180 km round trip and three disappointed kids in the car and one severely pissed off adult. Fuck this is getting harder each year.

This is so true. But CFG must also be looking at the bottom line of this result. Not only a chance for silverware and kudos, but financially JVS just flushed a big financial windfall down the toilet by forgoing a big crowd for a home derby final. The owners must now sit up and notice what's going on - nothing concentrates the mind like cash - even with pockets that deep.

An empty trophy cabinet and a chance to at least push closer to silverware - and we send out this lineup. Does this club ever want to win anything? This is the sort of shit that just further deflates our hope and defines our culture. Things have to change.

...... and I will only give you that straw when you pry it from my cold dead hand ..........

Or a full squad of half-Germanos. Half a Germano is a Germ. The injury bug or the mediocrity bug - take your pick.

Taking up Bella's note above of Paartalu defensively, my 12 year old son threw up an idea last night that has got me thinking. How would Paartalu go as a centre-back? He's good in the air, has a big frame, reads the game reasonably well, is more mobile than Kisnorbo and has better touch and skills than Kisnorbo, and doesn't shit himself when pressed like Kisnorbo. I don't think he has looked anywhere near like running out a full game at 6 since he's come to us - he's not fit enough and his frame is too big to carry up and down the park for 90 minutes. Just a thought for discussion. Bring on Melling for six or somehow we ship Bratten over for a stint - that would be gold.

Early thoughts - some bits to like and plenty not to. A bit of fighting spirit in the last quarter of the game, but we were thrashed in the first half - we hardly got out of our own half. I always think no. 6 is critical to success and Paartalu didn't show up, cover the back four and created way too many cheap turnovers. We won't win much with our back four exposed that readily. Marquee signing off at 57 minutes is woeful - a full preseason and if he's injured he shouldn't have started. Really worrying. Clisby average and the tactic for Kisnorbo was obviously to press him very aggressively and he coughed it up repeatedly or bombed under pressure to no one. JVS also has a bit to answer for in my mind. Selection, tactics and preparation weren't great. We were incredibly disjointed for large parts of the game, looked ill prepared and frankly rubbish. The goals from individual brilliance papers over the cracks of how poor this team looked overall. To like - Bruno always presenting, constant effort and a bit of mongrel, Kuzi showed plenty and Mooy with a bit of support from Mauk looked great. And Sorenson will be great - kept us in the game with some great saves and commands the box well. Put a decent 6 and back four in front of him and he will look even better. Unlucky with the handball for a peno at the end - hand was out a long way - and lastly can someone explain to me how Berisha wasn't offside in their second goal? Impacted on the play by drawing a defender to help let Barbarousos play. I thought the new rule was more strong on any impact from an offside position.

Registered my son's team for the City Cup and for some reason my postal address became the address for his football club. No one could explain how - seems like databases clashing or overriding an address when a name appears. Thank god for the email saying my membership was ready to ship and address stated - otherwise it would have blithely been sent to an empty football ground. Took me a while to sort out late yesterday but hopefully should arrive Monday or Tuesday. Fingers crossed anyway!!

The problem with this is that the players don't have a preseason and stay unfit and are more likely to pick up later niggles, and the squad doesn't gel and play good football. This means we don't make the business end of the season.

I think the decision Nate is what game day experience you want? I spent the first two seasons in GA near the active area for the atmosphere and noise for my kids. They just loved it. As my son grew to understand more about the game and wanted to observe the tactics, passing and matchups, I moved up the wing where you definitely have a better view for this. He loves analysing the game and we both enjoy discussion about how we are set up. Also, it's far less frustrating watching the offside decisions from the wings!

This is not meant to be a facetious question (and apologies if asked before) but how long does an injury have to last to allow us to promote an injury replacement? If Novillo has a grade 2 hamstring then that's four weeks on average. Throw in a marquee with an injury record last year, an ageing centreback into the squad and an ageing goalkeeper likely to be signed, I think there's a pretty high likelihood one of our visa players will be down at various stages for most of the season ? Can we keep him as a serial injury replacement? Handy player to have around.

Agree with Murf above. I'm curious to see if Kisnorbo loses the captaincy with this signing. I can't imagine we can play two really old CBs without pace (which is how he is described on both QPR and BHA fan forums). From these forums it doesn't sound like the idea of him playing as a fullback is great either again due to lack of pace, so I don't think you can reliably have him paired with Kisnorbo in any way. And if he's there as a squad filler/backup, then I just shake my head. VISA signings need to be on the park - we've all been screaming this for years. At first sight this signing has me perplexed. Happy to be proven wrong, but we've been down this path before.

If anything this probably recommends him. Aloisi couldn't spot talent let alone utilise what he had when he was with us.

Not sure if this has been raised but the round of 32 for the FFA cup last year commenced on July 29 which is not far away. Having said that if the format is the same as last year (and I havent heard otherwise), our win against Wellington should put us in Pot A meaning we shouldn't play another HAL team in the round of 32 unlike last year. It also means our first round match will be in mid August if we follow the same formula as last year. Has anyone heard of format change or know when we should be playing?

I think Niko we are seeing players in the A league with technical deficiencies unfortunately who need some improving. I don't think the talent pool is deep enough to ensure everyone who arrives at the A league is a finished product. I agree it "should" have happened earlier, but it's not always the case. Williams first touch and Ramsays right foot spring immediately to mind as well as Murdoccas shooting. Throw into that decision making and game smarts - a great deal of raw talent arrives that needs work. Under JA everyone went backwards.

Well to quote Seinfeld "I'm speechless........I'm without speech!". This is a perplexing decision at best. The greatest indictment against Aloisi was that not one player as an individual improved during his tenure. The whole squad went backwards as a team, but pretty well every individual did too - an incredibly poor reflection on his ability to coach technical skills and match development. This is a core skill for any coach at any level, be it juniors or professionals. With his history as a player he should have been able to pass on knowledge gleaned over his career. He failed miserably. I hope Brisbane know what they're in for.

To counter Murf re Chapman: 1. His first games were a long time ago and people have had plenty of time to work him out. 2. He's been skinned multiple times over the last three weeks - even on the weekend against Wellington. I just think he's out of form. Simple as that.

I'm going to put it out there, but I think Jaliens should replace Chapman in this game. Our best run of form and meanest streak in goals shipped this year coincided with the Kisnorbo-Jaliens CB pairing. This is a game that requires experience under enormous pressure and cunning. Chapman to me has failed especially in the Perth and Adelaide games recently and I just think the occasion as well as the opposition warrants consideration. I'd keep Germano back and let Retre keep his spot. I think cockups and brain fades are more of a risk than lack of speed. I'm normally pro youth but this is a big game under the spotlight. Will be interested in your comments Tesla.

To add to that, Tando now has an equal A League clean sheet high of 9 clean sheets this season (equal with Janjetovic from the smurfs). finals game or not, surely Tando is in with a great shout as the a league keeper of the season. Wouldn't surprise me if the smurfs have paid someone off so Janjetovic has it but still .... ooooooh, I love me some spooky FFA x Sydney conspiracy theories But seriously, it's just as bad as some of those WA folk who believe everyone to the east of them has some sort of vendetta against them. But we do have a vendetta against them! Didn't you get the memo?

"Crucifixion party by the left........wait for it, wait for it.........!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I will be staggered if Ben Williams doesn't decide this result. Trigger happy on the whistle and the card run has just begun. If he is meant to be this country's best ref on his world cup selection then the stocks are seriously thin if not empty.

I'm just curious to know if anyone has ever filled out a survey, the results published and fed back, an action plan outlined, and then the action plan is actually carried out? This is called "closing the loop". I don't know how many surveys I've filled out over the years with many sources, but even getting the results is an anomaly. Surveys are a modern management tool to make people think something is being done, without anything actually being done. Sorry for the cynicism, but "Yes Minister" had this pegged in the 70's.

Mixed feelings about starting Chapman. It was against WSW that he got the red and not sure if the Wanderers lads know how to really get under his skin. They are a niggly team with a lot of lip. Whilst I understand the idea of getting back on the horse, Jaliens and PK have combined pretty well in the last few matches so if it ain't broke...... We can't affor another snap - this is one of the more winnable final games. Will be interesting to see the team selection.