Imperial Pints

Remember when Davutovic said he'd be far superior to Engelaar? Haha he was really lapping up the cfg propaganda.

Either way he's taking the elevator straight to the basement when he leaves this earth.

He's over 30 and has a calf strain. They're always 6 weeks- minimum. Dunno why the club can't communicate this sort of stuff from the get go but I can't say I'm surprised.

This. The guy helped foster a culture of bad tackles, intimidating referees and crowd inciting behaviour by Muscat, Archie etc. Any coach with balls would've given Muscat an absolute bake when he maimed Zahra then proceeded to abuse the ref yet Merrick just stared blankly into space. F#ck the C#nt, do not want.

We have a history of rushing guys back from injury, I really hope their conditioning is up to scratch.

If Milicic hadn't been involved at our club in the Heart years I'd say he'd be a strong candidate...experience under Poppa & Ange looks pretty good on a cv. However, it'd be like taking a step back to go forward and we're crying out for someone fresh with no Heart baggage.

Once the solarium lid is slammed shut on the tanned one I think we'll find out pretty quickly there isn't too much wrong with our squad.

Agree. This Adelaide game has 3-0 loss written all over it. It's hard enough to win away from home with everyone united & focused.

A-League talking points: Melbourne City fail another test of character Leadership, resilience and a never say die attitude – character traits that were sorely missing from Melbourne City’s second half performance on Friday Jonathan Howcroft The 1956 FA Cup final is remembered for Bert Trautmann’s heroics. The Manchester City goalkeeper made a string of late saves despite dislocating five vertebrae in the 75th minute. Was it ignorance that made him continue? Stupidity? Sporting mythology being what it is, Trautmann’s pain threshold has entered legend as an enduring testament of character. Across town, the greatest individual performance in Manchester United’s modern era was delivered by Roy Keane when he dragged his team past Juventus in the 1999 Champions League semi-final despite knowing he would be suspended for the showpiece. “I did not think I could have a higher opinion of any footballer than I already had of the Irishman but he rose even further in my estimation at the Stadio Delle Alpi,” wrote Sir Alex Ferguson in his first autobiography. “The minute he was booked and out of the final, he seemed to redouble his efforts to get the team there. It was the most emphatic display of selflessness I have seen on a football field. Pounding over every blade of grass, competing as if he would rather die of exhaustion than lose, he inspired all around him.” Leadership, resilience and a never say-die-attitude; character traits missing from Melbourne City’s second half performance on Friday night against the Newcastle Jets and arguably absent from the club since Melbourne Heart first took the field in 2010. The post match assessment of Steve Horvat, former Socceroo and now ABC pundit, is hard to dispute following City’s implosion from a 2-0 half-time lead to a 3-2 home defeat. Horvat suggested that the Jets’ gutsy display showed “the type of character that you build a club on”. He added in a series of tweets directed at City that, “money can buy you a lot of things, but it can’t buy a soul”. As the tide turned slowly but surely City’s callow midfield was overrun. Industrious in the first half Stefan Mauk and Jacob Melling spent the second chasing shadows. Aaron Mooy, the league’s best player, wandered aimlessly. Ahead of them John van ’t Schip’s substitutions backfired. Behind them Paulo Retre was turned inside out by Enver Alivodic. A game firmly in City’s grasp was prised off them with meek resistance. There was no character, no leadership. Youth and inexperience are obvious retorts to Friday’s disintegration. City have a long and credentialed injury list, but the spine and guts of the team is not on it. The players of character a coach would turn to in times of trouble just don’t exist at the club. As both Heart and City they have never had an abundance of character. When the going gets tough City can expect to be found wanting. For a club conceived as Heart there has always been a lack of ticker. Now in its sixth season, with the riches of the City Football Group behind it, this consistent oversight reflects poorly on the coaching and recruitment staff. Scanning City’s squad, outside of a clutch of competent defenders there is only the 20-year-old Melling who shows any appetite for the muck and bullets approach required to dig out results when the chips are down. There are no abrasive mavericks to jumpstart a flatlining contest. Van ’t Schip is not and has never been spoiled for choice over the selection of a captain. If he sees out the season the Dutchman will become the fourth most experienced coach in A-League history. He currently has a win ratio of 32%, the lowest of any manager with more than 100 appearances on the competition’s touchlines. The club he built and re-inherited has always been neat and methodical but lacking drive and a cutting edge. He has had enough time and resources to identify and remedy these inadequacies. This column endorsed Scott Miller’s Novocastrian revolution last week and at AAMI Park the league’s youngest coach outperformed his vastly more credentialled opposite number with one half-time teamtalk and a single innocuous substitution. Mark Birighitti spoke afterwards in glowing terms of the “bollocking” Miller had given the Jets during the interval. Jason Hoffman celebrated Miller’s instinct in bringing on Cameron Watson, a defensive midfielder, despite trailing 2-0 and seemingly out of the game.

Don't go near the merri ck, the chemicals in that water will turn you into a ninja turtle!

Saw the new kits at rebel today, away kit had a silkier & less abrasive finish and looked to be made from the same material as the man city kits. Home kit seemed to be made of similar material to my 2014/15 away kit. Not sure why they differ, both are made in Thailand. In terms of minimising fraying I always wash football kits inside out on the gentlest setting.

Acid Vision

Cardiff fans didn't accept their kit change, Tan eventually wilted and the fans got their blue home kit back. We don't really have to accept anything. Buy the red & white merch-not the blue, wear red & white to the games and tell cfg you won't renew your membership if they ditch the Heart colours for good. Cfg said they'd preserve the Melbourne Heart FC colours & history...this is how to hold them to account. Every member that explicity states their dissastisfaction and fails to re sign sends a clear message to the suits that we don't want to follow Man City Lite. As of right now they need all the members they can get.

Clint Dempsey?

Jeez...following this club really is akin to torture. Can envisage a support group bobbing up in a few years. "Hello everyone, my name is Dave and I'm a Melbourne City supporter". Support group: "Hello Dave".

You must have binoculars for eyes dylan, I find it hard to make out the badge on a kit when I'm at the ground but each to their own I guess...

I'm not of the opinion that our kit clashes with Victory's, I just think it would be nice to see the team play in red & white in our own city. As it stands I'd have to fly to Sydney or Wellington to see them play in the away kit, IMO it's a real kick in the guts to Heart fans who've supported this team since day 1 and who still make up the majority of the supporter base. A little nod to our history here & there would be nice...

As long as our red & white kit is marketed as an 'away' kit I'd like us to wear it for ALL AWAY GAMES v non red wearing teams, NOT SIMPLY AS A CLASH KIT. That includes away derbies at Etihad you cheeky history re-writing cfg fuckers.

5 day break after going to Perth & back after a derby. This will be tough, if we get up I'll honestly rate it as one of our best wins...

Apparently the battery life and sound quality of the 5X is poor. It's becoming a common theme with Nexus phones. Disappointing.

Return of the Hoff. May we serenade him with his sweet song yet crush those jets like the weak paper cups that they are.

Wouldn't be surprised if this slogan is pinned up on the dressing room wall. Get this cancerous f#ckwit out of our club asap

EFA

Myki? Jvs & Myki...making Melburnian's lives miserable since 2010

Fwiw I've never seen a 2 week calf injury sustained by someone 32+ years old. We won't be seeing Koren 'til December. Déjà Vu