fensaddler

Part of our problem is the lack of a consistent defensive selection. Defences work as a unit, and need to be familiar with each other. In an ideal world, when fit, three of our best four defence pick themselves - Jakobsen, Tongyik and Franjic. Playing Colazo at LB would then for me be the best solution, though it does mean we lose him further forward, where IMHO we're picking Fitzy because Kamau is not at the races right now.

Indeed. I suspect Chapman is on his way, and Sorensen may retire. We desperately need defensive reinforcements.

No great hopes for this. Will depend on whether we have anything approximating to a defence, and whether we have a reaction from players and management to the recent result. We've also got to work out effective tactics against Perth. So all in all we're stuffed. Our plummet down the table continues.

No surprise. Most of the problem was the formation not the players. Back three is a crap idea.

Tongyik for us. Given a suicide pass of a job to do, but did a good job. Did a sound job in a patched up, under strength defence, looks good on the ball and useful at set pieces. Cracking young lad and a real find. Build central defence around him and Jakobsen, but for pity's sake find a third central defender who isn't always injured and/or crap, so that we've got some cover.

Yup. Next.

My instinct during the game was that we did better in the second half, but got less out of it. Having said that, we were very lucky to be in contention after the first half.

How far does this problem go back? At least to the recruitment in the close season, when we failed to secure enough depth and talent in defence. It takes us to have two players injured and we're playing a back three, one of which is an out and out rookie, and one of which is accident prone at best. The front half of the pitch was overloaded but still couldn't win the ball or use it when they had it. Kamau is woefully out of form and needs dropping, and suspension might do Bruno some good, and he might have a chance to go and look where his form is hiding. And if Chapman can't get a game when we are this much down to the bare bones, get rid and get someone who we're prepared to pick. In one sense we lost this game when the team was picked, but in another, we lost it in the close season when we built the squad.

Inter City Front? British hoolie gang in the eighties. Can't remember which club.

Mindful of proximity to Christmas and the disruptions on public transport, I'd be hopeful of a crowd around that, but not surprised if it fell a bit short. Victory fans will probably turn out in better numbers than for the cup match, but they can be a bit fickle if they think they are going to get a hiding.

I like the 4-3-3 version of that with Colazo playing in the attacking central midfield role. That is a strong team with talent everywhere. I do feel safer with a back four, particularly as Victory have all their best attacking options back and in form. We are going to need to keep it tight and organised.

Franjic appears to be OK, which is a relief, but Malik still out of contention? Given that, I'd fancy Tongyik to keep his place. Generally a strong squad, the work will be in putting together a formation which makes the best of the talent on offer.

Cheers JW. Thinking of driving in. Gather the MCG parking is open from Punt Road. Is that Yarra Park, or is that somewhere else?

I've re-read it again. It's definitely happening. Lilydale, Belgrave, Alamein, Glen Waverley, Pakenham and Cranbourne lines all disrupted. Going to be absolute chaos outside Richmond station - no way is there space for all the fans from the match who will be waiting, and very concerned they won't have enough buses running to cope.

So did I.

Yes, that's where I was looking. I commute daily on the Belgrave line so I'm regularly checking out what's up. Saw this just checking whether there were any disruptions to my journey home. And yes, it is completely ambiguous. Maybe my note to PTV will get it sorted....

Pretty simple. It would be a judgement by the ref and if necessary the MRP whether the reaction was proportionate.

Good on them, he needs seeing to. I'm British, football has always been my game. I hated simulation in the UK and I hate it here. However, I suspect there are many countries where the expected and accepted norms are different. Australia does have a choice, at this point, about the culture it wants to adopt on this. There is no universal norm.

Amongst all the crap spouted by Aloisi about North, I seem to recall he actually said it was wrong, even followed by a big but. I'm not sure we're even getting that half hearted condemnation. I really don't like it, and it's bringing the game into disrepute. Ideally I want it dealt with by referees and the match review panel, and backed up by the clubs with internal discipline. But, JVS is right on this, referees must do more to protect creative players, and deal with the subtler forms of simulation, such as the dive that won Sydney's penalty.

I do hope you're right. Close reading of the PTV site provides replacement bus timetables for the whole weekend, but then there is some unfathomable sub clause suggesting that the replacements only apply to night buses. Since everything else seemed to point to complete replacement I took the majority decision. For now, all is noise and confusion, like our defence on a bad day.

You learn something new every day. Thank you BT50...

I'm not sure I understand what you're suggesting TBH. If my City Blue reserved seat isn't occupied by me, no one else gets to buy it, because until I physically turn up and sit in it, no one knows whether it will be occupied or vacant. Same for any reserved seat membership. On a different note, some Muppet has decided to close all the rail lines to the eastern suburbs this weekend between Parliament and Camberwell, so it is going to be absolute freaking chaos outside Richmond station where thousands of fans from both teams will be trying to get on three knackered buses.

And JVS needs to tell him clearly, rather than making public excuses for him. In the end he is endangering his team mates and undermining the potential success of the team. The frustration is that he doesn't need to do it, he's already a brilliant player. The footwork that preceded the dive was wonderful, and exactly what makes sexy football.

The other consequence is that the story in the media this morning is Brandan's simulation, not Bobo's crude challenge, and the fact that he should not have been on the pitch to win and score a soft penalty. And the Brandan story should have been his goal, not his dive.

And there are two consequences beyond this. Our best players, particularly Bruno, will get little or no protection and will struggle to perform as a result. And serious fouls and resulting injuries will be more likely, and will be missed or go unpunished. Would Bobo have been sent off if simulation hadn't been in the minds of officials?