mattyh001

get the feeling that the crowd should be above 13k since the memberships are so much up on last year, but who knows. just hoping we get a good start and actually take a solid lead in to half time for once given all the chances we tend to make first half. as average as Newcastle were last week (and given the way CCM played, saying Newcastle were average isnt really saying much) i don't think people should write them off so easily. not a big fan of the Sunday games, mostly though living over 500kms away - makes it kinda hard to balance getting home after 1 in the morning after a 6 hour drive (particularly with all the 5 pm kickoffs) and at having to start work by 8-8.30 the next day. what shits me with this though is both Sydney teams have 8 of their 13 or 14 scheduled home games on a Saturday (WSW have fewer now though only because they made the ACL final). far too convenient for a Sydney based FFA to be an accident. the figures dont count when either team plays as an away team in a derby so you can bump those figures to effectively 9 or 10 home games on a Saturday strangely so do Perth (8 of 14 games), which is kinda shitty in itself too since a 5 pm kick of our time is only 2 pm there (after all, Western Australia doesnt even do daylight savings so would have thought they would have been prime candidates for sunday arvo games).

These are rather Irregular Stats if you ask me. I wonder if anyone will understand... You did Mr Malloy... im probably way way off but I was thinking of 'flying high' unless its just me, i cant believe those graphs make 3.1k Wellington fans equal to 7.1k at Newcastle. mind you there dollar is cheap so hopefully there is something in it ....

a work in progress and probably way to long, but to Green Day's Holiday See the sight of his midfield reign Coming down like an Armageddon flame The man Will leave you in a world of pain He now plays at City’s heart With a style that will tear you all apart He bleeds So we can win the game today We beg to dream and differ from your hollow lies He has the talent that you simply can't deny Our PAAR-TA-LU

yeah I'm torn i get the feeling some will / may want to wear the one of the old kits, particularly since one is the new "away" kit. i always wore the old sash away kit so for me its gonna be a bit weird / torn at first

Wow!!!!!

down for the event + 1.

Good graph showing how the membership take up this year was significantly higher in the early months than last year but, while still probably greater, it has tapered off. We have had a noticeable drop of since the beginning of August - except for the two "blips" when we got members after the Ballarat and Bendigo games. The rate of membership take up seems now to be about what it was last year at this time. If I knew someone who was good at graphs I would ask him if we could have a comparison one on the weekly take up rate. Up to 7421 after being 7426 overnight. If sitting 60% above last year is tapering off (when we never were more than 30% up on 2012-13 at the same time last year iirc) then I'd think management would believe they are shitting gold with how they are advertising the club So eager to see how much growth comes when Villa arrives.

He hasn't had all that much game time at wsw or in England. Neither has he been the main man for his club. Milligan has, plus posta previously managed milligan. Kruse has played well for Australia when called up and played well in Germany when picked. Mooy will get there but he needs to prove he can boss an a league game on a consistent basis. Which Ai am sure he will this season to be fair to Ange, he has gone 14 from 20 from Europe in a squad playing in Belgium on Sept 4 (2 weeks from now). then there is Tim Cahill, and then there is an Auusie based in Korea (Robbie Cornthwaite) - both of which are mid season. given our league doesnt play until October (where as most European leagues are underway / just about are) i dont see how there is so much hype here. and for the blokes from the A League, Milligan was at the WC whilst Juric and WSW are currently in the ACL - both should have decent fitness. to be worried about Valeri and Antonis is to make a mountain out of a mole hill. Ange has never coached either at senior club level. as far as i'm concerned, he would be wanting to see where most of these guys are at 4 months from the Asian Cup. plus, why the fuck would you drag a significant number of A League players half way around the world for a friendly while the A League is still quite well and truly outta season? Ange might as well test the waters with those in Europe.

Fucking hell!!!!

as (for what i see as a combination here) what are they going to do to bring existing active supporters (and for what its worth other members) back into the fold both short and long term whilst (1) keeping them there long term and (2) building the new "City" identity? would hate to see existing members punished in any way, shape or form. overall (and maybe me just maybe me being me), i didnt really feel like the club really pushed to make existing members to be part of this "new" experience. it seemed like the club changed over and they thought it was one and the fucking same (pardon the bluntmess).

for the early 2000s' i think you could find a dozen Aussie players who rank quite well. Skoko, Okon, Viduka, T. Vidmar and Bresciano, with a take your pick between Bosnich and Schwarzer to name a few. to say those who only saw him post 2006 means to forget those who (for arguments sake - please remember i dont mean to say Emerton didnt have his moments) saw the Emerton 20m chip over a Kiwi keeper in the 2004 OFC cup as pure class (sadly could not find it - please find it if you can). after all, the guy has played many times for the national team - you dont do that as a complete muppet. thing is that (from past posts) Emerton was never really the type to drag a team through a tough game to the point his game could be isolated as the difference. call it what you will, but for me it is chalk and cheese in comparison to guys who do (ie Cahill, Kewell, ADP) think about the fact that Ryan Nelson (captain or NZ team at 2010 WC) was seen as the captain ahead of Emerton at Blackburn. what does that say?? to say Emerton was completely and utterly useless was probably over the top given no real context. by all means, any player that makes the EPL has to have something going right in the first place. just think that people might have over evaluated his role, particularly since he was brought back as a Marquee.

the fact that he had done a full preseason with Blackburn in the EPL and would have stayed on there (and with decent game time you would have thought) had the offer from Sydney not come through says to me that his body wasnt too bad in terms of his first actual season - there after who knows.

spot on. was the sort of player that added 10-20% to the teams he was in, but not the sort you would expect to be the one who made the team work when they had the backs up against it.

I'd take him under the cap. Agreed. Lol, who do you guys expect to be the Australian marquee? There aren't really many better players available. And if we sign Kennedy, since he'll only be here for half a season, we can probably put him under the cap. Haven't rated Wilkshire in years. Certainly good enough to be a starter here, but I don't like him, and wouldn't spend big money on him. TBH, would think he is better than most in the A League at the spot, certainly better than our current starter and can play further up the right channel so i think he would be alright. afterall, you dont get so many caps by being shit (even with Osciek and Verback in charge). only concern i have if (and only IF) he was the Aussie Marquee is that Wilkshire is not the sort to really star. way too similar to Emerton in that sense - the club might be able to find a more appropriate Marquee worthy of the Marquee spot.

seems to be a decent pick up. would have thought with the money CFG are pumping into New York that they might have gone a bigger name but Koren should be a solid performer. has a proven winning history in the Championship and has proven leadership skills in a EPL season so sounds like he is someone they can build success on.

There's plenty of parking at the ground. I understand that but Im also concerned as this game will attract a lot more people than that friendly FWIW the ground is in a pretty suburban area. there will be plenty of off street parking within a five minute walk (no different really to parking at AAMI) if need be.

dont understand why people are getting soooooooooooooooo pissed off that the game is out of Melbourne. by all means, playing games in Melbourne to go with the need to get the rebranding component out and about in Melbourne is something that important. totally understand that as a factor that should play a feature of any decision. personally, the game probably should be in Melbourne / at AAMI as it gives the club a great opportunity to open the FFA Cup with a bumper crowd. but to make the regional element the main point of frustration (or at least that it comes across as) seems against what other factors the club should consider. come October when the season starts proper, very few will give two shits where and when the team has played since the vast will see all the lead up as a preseason (of which for most this would include FFA Cup games). the amount of air time that has been given to the team immediately prior to each season in the past and the extra marketing drive that will be added by the club ( given to the rebranding) will help build the club in Melbourne. for me more than anything, this game only has significance in terms of where we play since we actually drew a fellow A League side. if this had been a state side, i doubt that most on here would be as pissed off as they are since we drew Sydney. in any case, perhaps many on here dont get what its like to follow an A League team while living in a regional area - yet it is something that many of you should. the time, the travel, the associated costs, etc., makes it all a long day out each and every time you go to a home game. for those of you residing in Melbourne that think this game is just that bit too far away given family commitments, etc. - just remember us regional members go through that every time the team plays in Melbourne. sure, we choose to follow, but the fact we go through this every second week should indicate the odd "home" game you have to travel isnt that bad in comparison. For something so early in preseason I wouldnt think this is the worst thing in the world the fact that it is something that can target areas around Ballarat (along with only being an hour or so from both Geelong and Bendigo) should help bolster both good will and supp in Western Victoria. as far as i'm concerned, bt50 hit the proverbial nail on the head - if the club wants grow support in regional areas (particularly regional areas in Victoria), it must be willing to show that it actually cares about those regional areas.

Get what you're saying and mostly agree, my only thing with the meetings at the Imp is that they only suit people who live in and around Melbourne and can make those times easily outside of work. If you want to set a time and place in mildura (know plenty of good drinking holes for it) then be my guest but chances are the 6 hour drive would kill the idea since most couldn't make it - something you shouldn't be begrudge those who couldn't for any meeting as it's not really a lack of intent that stops them Same must go the other way. Some of us just can't feasibly make it. So the poll is good. Some will look to abuse it yes, but at least you give some a say. Doesn't have to be final either - just something for the core to think about when they decide. By all means if some other means of getting involved pops up then great. Yeah can see what you're saying, i don't really know how large the support is for city in country towns but at the end of the day the majority of our supporters live in and around Melbourne so you can only please so many people. However, this doesn't stop someone who lives in a country town to PM one of the new terrace leaders and ask to have a say in naming the new terrance or ask on how they can be more involved in the new terrance. Maybe even if someone could set up a Mildura branch of Melburnians and report back to the new leaders on ways to improve the terrance? Just floating some ideas. i think we are largely on the same page. all i was getting at was that the forums (and any polls) are a great way for those outside of Melbourne to get involved. like you say, sometimes it about floating different ideas through avenues to get a best fit. will definitely run the concept past the lads in Mildura, there are a couple who meet up at a pub for games.

Get what you're saying and mostly agree, my only thing with the meetings at the Imp is that they only suit people who live in and around Melbourne and can make those times easily outside of work. If you want to set a time and place in mildura (know plenty of good drinking holes for it) then be my guest but chances are the 6 hour drive would kill the idea since most couldn't make it - something you shouldn't be begrudge those who couldn't for any meeting as it's not really a lack of intent that stops them Same must go the other way. Some of us just can't feasibly make it. So the poll is good. Some will look to abuse it yes, but at least you give some a say. Doesn't have to be final either - just something for the core to think about when they decide. By all means if some other means of getting involved pops up then great.

this love it

for a little back ground i'd imagine there would be a few like me that pre Heart / City days, the Visitors got some support because they were the only option available. I, like many others, left not quite soon enough (since we had to what the shit) because they played / acted like shite and stood for nothing else. i get the feeling that those leaving now have either (a) been slow on the uptake - something that goes without saying given the topic , (b.) have finally clicked on that there is a feasible alternative, and (c.) didnt want to admit their misplace support was for nothing. in a way it is unfortunate that it has taken us a rebranding and a couple massive foreign signings to finally see the visitors suffer for how shite they really are, but at least its happening. as hard as it is to fathom any support for the visitors, i do have a few mates that have supported them. and after years of slagging each other off i can say that almost everyone of them is coming around - many have started to see that the Heart / City actually plays and intends to plays football (something that many of them couldnt understand at first) and something that i put down to them not understanding that football is more than kicking the shit out of the ball and goal mouth action that Muscat and Merrick always went for cant speak for all, but the only knobs that still carry on are just that - complete and utter knobs.

Timed to join just as Villa is leaving? Makes sense to me... this. Villa doesnt have to play up top in the lineup (just look at the Spanish game against us where he was on the left) but he would be so far better than anyone else that he would kill it. plus we have so many wingers that Villa would best suit the lead forward. hence, Kennedy coming in half way through is great as a means to fill the void

Hamill has played very little football since he left us. In fact I can't readily think of anyone who has done so well after leaving us that we've looked stupid to let them go. Beauchamp had a couple of reasonable seasons with WSW, perhaps Craig Goodwin - but I can't think of anyone else. Quite a number have pretty much come to a dead stop after they've left us. would have thought, barring that injury to his hammy, that Curtis Good was (pardon the pun) good to make the WC squad.

19:30 AEDT kickoff Suncorp stadium Get around it. In already.

can't make it but want to help where possible. being from Mildura it might a bit harder in terms of a presences during the week but let me know where i can help