citymad

mariners for me. they have a greater number of inexperienced players who may not be able to back up after today's game. Adelaide are so hard to beat away at coopers. We have had more success agianst CCM. and if we we do not win, i hate to say that, but i would prefer CCM to go through as i hate Adelaide for the FFA cup slaughter last year. It would also be good for the CCM region and club build given new owner etc. C'Mon City Boys!!!!

I agree, premiers plate and positions achieved on the table has confederation level significance. The Grand final has no bearing on anything outside our competition. It is a trophy, a gold A league icon on the strip for the next season and bragging rights. The sooner they move to a full extended home and away season the better. the results of a full year of toil is a better measure of the resilience of a team and management by coach. The grand final is a short knock out comp. i don't even think the players get team bonuses for winning the grandfinal, unlike other competitions.

i am concerned that we will come out of the ACL tired and carrying a few injuries and knocks etc - even if we qualify, which would be great - so confidence might be high but tired bodies. This puts the two final games at a bit more of a risk. I hate hoping for other teams to help us to the premiers plate because i think we should be in control of our own achievements, but I am sure CCM and AU will really push WU and maybe do us a favour along the way.

You mean the player who was heavily marked, got 3 Tobin points, had 4 shots, 12 duels and completed a 93% passing accuracy??? That Metcalfe? Or is there another one i'm not seeing? I think you have a man crush on him you talk about him that much 😄

Cola is off contract at the end of the season and after his game last night and the reaction when he was necked , i'd say he will leave.

Yea i realise he is contracted and has rights - but he doesn't look at all happy or settled to me from the facial expressions on game day . I am hopeful that he suddenly gets an opportunity and steals the show but if he doesn't,i hope we can release him.

A-League Men and Women play catch-up after COVID havoc - FTBL | The home of football in Australia - The Women's Game - Australia's Home of Women's Sport News (thewomensgame.com) from this article it sounds like 2 games per week through Feb. this will be a test and PK's subs policy must change. Subs quality and experience seems like it may determine the overall league results to me so i think we could do OK. Great for a solid dose of games though considering how much momentum has been lost through the COVID shutdowns and disruptions.

surely those off contact players will be sorted soon and we will get announcements. We don't have a No 2 goalie sorted for next year. Sutton might depart? maybe bring in another higher level goalie to push tom Glover a bit more. Seems to me like he would thrive if there was more of a threatening No 2. If Pucciarelli doesn't start this game against WU i say absolutely has to be let go.

when are these game going to be played?

It tough ATM for all players and coaches. i think we are in for an even rougher time during the international window when the mid week 'magic rounds' will also be an issue. returning players from Internationals will also be out of form. IMO draws are keeping our head above water and other results are helping. The Covid fatigue is evident in a couple of players for sure and now likely that subs are affected. what else can we do? i know we need a win desperately and i think it will come soon.

Postponed. It's so hard to get any momentum for performance improvement with these disruptions. Very disappointing.

Do you have any insider info you can share?

So you think Metcalfe will stay, is that what you mean? he is obviously rated by PK and city so maybe a contract extension announcement for him soon.

Read on the FTBL forum that Metcalfe has 'multiple OS offers'. We would struggle in the mid field if he went IMHO. Nothing about which clubs etc but hopefully European.

Boss is a LB, Hall and Stokes are CB's. We need another RB.

predicting 2-1 win. I am not saying there isn't room for improvement on the game against WU, but i feel the team will respond with a fast start and a much better performance all round. This is the game we need before the derby. I don't like that we have a long lay off before the game against the Tards (10 days) as our momentum will drop. Having said that though, Atkinson and pucciarelli and Griffo should be back to fitness. We do also need to get Leckie off the mark. hopefully once he gets a taste for scoring and running at players again he will add more to the game.

2 goals in two games- good start. I think the Metcalfe / Leckie left flank arrangement will reap goals this season. It also seems like Tilio and Metcalfe work well together also so more joy after an interchange also. If i remember correctly Metcalfe was Player of the Season from this forum last year - someone should award it to him.

for me Atkinson does not have the first touch to be able to play in a midfield role. He cant receive with his back to goal turn and release well. Atkinson looks best attacking from a wide position. I think he might push Nabbout out of his RW position but my prediction is Nabbout will get an injury before the competition between the pair has to be judged on this seasons form. Galloway offers more at the RB position for mine.

Ok thats good. About time TBH. I feel we are a bit underdone with our friendlies during this pre season.

do the COVID rules permit us playing these sides?

IMO Metcalfe is better than Genreau and Devlin as a midfielder and they have done Ok so far. Metcalfe will have at least 85 Pro games if you include ACL and FFA cup before the end of the season so i think he is ready to have a shot OS. other players such as Duncan have also done well (barring the ACL injury). There is always a risk of course but i believe he should take it.

I guess that means more money for players inside the cap.

It made perfect sense for the management in a Salary Capped league such as ours, and is the entire point.I think it is a bad thing especially when it affects young players.I am just saying that Young players can be caught in a bind via a long contract that in the first instance seems generous and full of promise of playing reward. They should be permitted to seek other options but the HG status trumps player preference.

I think you are definitely wrong on the text in bold. Genreau for example, wanted desperately to leave but was forced to sit out his entire contract. His value of course was that he was a Home Grown player. Metcalfe, Atkinson and Colkovski are also Home Grown and therefore outside the cap. So that is a whole lot of $ made available inside the cap for visa players or the high profile locals. City will not permit these players to leave until their contract ends. Rostyn would likely be on a loyalty circumstance also given he is in his 4th year. The only signed scholarship players who have been permitted to leave as i see it, were all U18 and considered minors. BTW this is the SFC model of salary management. SFC promise the world to aspiring 'youth' of 20 - 22/23YO just to keep their bench and depth littered with 'older more experienced youth'. Some of these players would be starters or bench on match day in other AL clubs. - Think Swibel, Van Der Saag (still on a scholarship as i understand!) Zuvela, (i am sure their are plenty of others) who are still on Scholarship, or HG low ball contracts. Now i am stuffed if i know why these players stay at SFC as for some their careers will be exhausted before they are given a real chance, a chance that is clearly available at another club in the A league. But maybe the SFC contracts are long and pretty watertight, for their own benefit. consider a Young player that at 19YO signs a 4 year contract only to never play., or play a bit part for ACL or FFA cup. Sydney reap all the salary cap benefits with no genuine desire for the players development. It is just a means to allow them to stack their Ist team with more experienced higher cost first XI players. With us, we a have Metcalfe and Atkinson as bolted on Ist team players, with Cola as a fast approaching possibility. This means a cap saving of around 600K on first team players. which is probably Nabbout and some left over for the new Italian guy. So IMO No way in hell do City let players depart 'if they really want to'. SFC have clearly demonstrated the benefit of this strategy as evidenced by their trophy cabinet. I obviously beleive that our Youth development concepts are far more genuine than theirs, but a contract is a contract. So if you are 18 and older and have signed with City for a fixed term. IMO you could expect to serve it in full. i think Atkinson and Metcalfe will only be with us for this season before going OS BTW.

So Partaluu is avaialble according to A League Hub having left Bengaluru FC in India. Bengaluru FC and Australian midfielder Erik Paartalu have parted ways by mutual consent. [ @bengalurufc ] Any body else think he could be a decent Defensive mid CB backup option? he re tweeted and commented on one of his goal memories from 2014 City posted on twitter Do we have room or is he affordable?