fensaddler

City Blue looks like it's $280. From memory that's a $20 hike.

He's not here as a potential coach. But his input over the next month could be very useful. I rate the guy. He wasn't successful everywhere, but he was in enough places to suggest he knows what he was doing. And whilst those performances in finals for England were poor (he's not alone there), they were preceded by very strong qualifying campaigns.

Are you staying next season? Please. And what needs to change or improve for next season to make us real contenders to win the plate? Who would you love to see join us next season? Which players in the A league do you really rate highly, apart from your own team mates? Who do you really hate to come up against (team or player)?

Our defence was pretty porous last season. It was just bailed out by about the best attack in A-league history...

No it wasn't. We were still marginal in defence. Since which time we've lost Chapman to Korea, Jakobsen to injury and our supposed marquee left back to poor form. The only plus has been the discovery of Tongyik. We were always foolish to rely on Malik as a central defender. Brattan was also in form at that point, so we had something akin to a functioning midfield.

Thanks for a very thoughtful contribution. I rather hope you don't withdraw from this discussion because you've made an excellent case and given the number of likes you've struck a chord. Yes, emotions are running high. This has been a season which promised much, but failed to deliver, and in particular started sliding away very early and is dribbling away to a whimpering conclusion. I'm long enough in this game to have seen plenty of seasons like this. Not sure where the hype has come from, but there certainly has been a deal of expectation that CFGs arrival would bring success. I suspect there was an unwritten Faustian pact between the owners and the supporters that we would put up with changes to colours and names if it delivered growth, good football and success. Whilst that success fails to materialise, fans become more aware of the loss of what they used to have, and gave up. I've no idea how many matches I'll be watching next season, but that has as much to do with changing circumstances in my life as it does with footballing matters. I certainly won't be 'leaving' or changing my allegiance. Unfortunately football clubs are for life... I'm really hoping that the close season delivers a real change, not least in who we appoint as manager. There may be limited scope for squad change but I'm hopeful we'll address some of the glaring weaknesses and build on the developing strength of our youth program. That's where CFGs long term approach does appear to be paying dividends.

I'm on record as being an optimist on this issue only a couple of weeks ago, and unfortunately I think you're right. We've fallen apart just as we needed to keep it together, and credit to WSW and Brisbane, they've done the opposite. I'm at the point of wishing this season over and consigned to history, with the hope that the close season brings some serious reflection (perhaps even public acknowledgement?) and some structured response to address obvious problems in tactics, squad structure and leadership.

Two out of two for the Tigers and our local rugby league mob are going like a train.

Just prolongs the inevitable I suspect. The way we're playing we won't win against Adelaide, and we'll get stuffed by Perth. I'd suspect Brisbane will accumulate at least four points in their last three matches, and if they don't, Western Sydney will have overtaken the lot of us anyway...

Honestly, it would have been more fun watching Mariners this season. No expectations, a team of kids, bags of passion, and some unexpected victories. I can live with no success, as long as there is passion, belief and hope.

Classic example of over promising and under delivering, rather than the opposite. Don't come in with all this bollocks hype and then deliver tripe. Absolute 101 on how to piss off your customers.

It's gone once Brisbane beat the Mariners today.

Sort it out or we won't be back next year.

The squad is part of the problem!! Two big problems, we never recruited enough quality central defenders, whilst we are overstocked and unbalanced elsewhere. Second, several players are either not good enough or have underperformed. Both of those are fundamental problems with the squad. Add to that poor tactics and motivation, and you end up with the shambles we've had this year.

We're not even playing beautiful football. We're just playing badly and getting stuffed.

I really have given up now. Please don't ask if I'm renewing. I might utter foul oaths, followed by off.

Last nail meet coffin. That's our season done.

Love to see Genreau picked to start on Saturday. The Bundoora Platini.

In rugby league it often seems it's something way back in the sequence of play that gets a try chalked off, so there is a chance we could have arguments about something that happened halfway up the field. Every goal will end up contested back to the last stoppage, and every dubious tackle and contact subject to arse numbing scrutiny. Will be horrible.

Great stuff. Let's bring the talent through. They won't be pricey so leaves room elsewhere in a capped squad to spend the money where we need it.

Are you suggesting pegasus pills?

I'd take Rojas, but for a marquee, we can surely aim higher than Troisi.

And I will respectfully disagree with you. The one rugby league match I saw live was ruined by video reffing. At every score the crowd celebrated then stopped, waiting for the video judgement. It destroys any spontaneity.

I'd be looking at Genreau too. Need some energy in midfield.

Time and again the sheer ineptitude of our defensive recruitment and retention is underlined. Of all our problems this is the biggest. Any squad needs four specialist, competent central defenders. We have one who is permanently crocked, and a rookie. We're then relying on an incompetent defensive midfielder and a howler prone full back. And to cap it all we sold our only other specialist centre back having frozen him out, and didn't replace him. Of all the facepalm stupidity which has shaped this season, this for me is the quite the biggest and dumbest. Elephant in the room obvious, and never fixed.