Dean Bouzanis

[Jovan]

All this assuming Sorensen doesn't miss any minutes. At 39 he is much more vulnerable and longer in recovery. Second question does anyone know which J League club he is moving to and if he will be the no 1 keeper. If he goes there to sit on the bench then that's just stupid.

[malloy]

15 minutes ago, Jovan said:

All this assuming Sorensen doesn't miss any minutes. At 39 he is much more vulnerable and longer in recovery. Second question does anyone know which J League club he is moving to and if he will be the no 1 keeper. If he goes there to sit on the bench then that's just stupid.

Not if he is getting paid more. If you are gonna sit on the bench you might aswell make sure you get paid well for it.

[Nate]

Tando is also half-Japanese so doesn't use a J-League visa spot and maybe he speaks the language, idk

Sorenson has been great for us this season admittedly but he won't be around for much longer, I thought Tando was shaping up to be a great long-term proposition for us but you can't blame him for wanting to leave and test himself coming off such a great 2014-15 season

...also, Bouzanis is a steaming pile of shit

[Heart of Melbourne]

55 minutes ago, Nate said:

Tando is also half-Japanese so doesn't use a J-League visa spot and maybe he speaks the language, idk

Sorenson has been great for us this season admittedly but he won't be around for much longer, I thought Tando was shaping up to be a great long-term proposition for us but you can't blame him for wanting to leave and test himself coming off such a great 2014-15 season

...also, Bouzanis is a steaming pile of shit

So was Redmayne. Look at him now. Change of environment has done him wonders. 

[n i k o]

Redmayne is proof that our coach simply can't stop other teams scoring against us no matter who's in goals. Even with Sorenson keeping really well we're still conceding way too many. Sack JVS. 

[jw1739]

9 hours ago, n i k o said:

Redmayne is proof that our coach simply can't stop other teams scoring against us no matter who's in goals. Even with Sorenson keeping really well we're still conceding way too many. Sack JVS. 

So right. Last season after 13 rounds we had conceded 22 goals. This season after 13 rounds we've conceded...yes, you got it, 22 goals.

The difference is in the number of goals scored - 32 so far this season, only 20 at the same stage of last season.

We would expect that a better GK would have a better record than a poor GK, but the numbers suggest that it's the way we play and defend that also goes quite a way to determining that "goals against" number; it's not just the GK himself.

Edited January 5, 2016 by jw1739

[R410]

The answer to all our problems

[Jimmy]

35 minutes ago, jw1739 said:

So right. Last season after 13 rounds we had conceded 22 goals. This season after 13 rounds we've conceded...yes, you got it, 22 goals.

The difference is in the number of goals scored - 32 so far this season, only 20 at the same stage of last season.

We would expect that a better GK would have a better record than a poor GK, but the numbers suggest that it's the way we play and defend that also goes quite a way to determining that "goals against" number; it's not just the GK himself.

I love this stat so much. 

Keepers are so unimportant in relative terms. 

[Tommykins]

4 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

I love this stat so much. 

Keepers are so unimportant in relative terms. 

Worth looking at the saves stat, to compare what Redmayne and Tando did last year vs what Sorenson has done this year is laughable.

[Embee]

3 minutes ago, Tommykins said:

Worth looking at the saves stat, to compare what Redmayne and Tando did last year vs what Sorenson has done this year is laughable.

Spot on.

Claiming keepers are unimportant based on the presented statistic by jw is flimsy at best.

Does that statistic take into account what would have happened if Sorensen didn't make that goal-line save right at the end vs Sydney? What about if Sorensen hadn't made all those saves in the derby? There's probably more examples I could give but those are just the first two that come to mind.

Quality goal-keepers can often be the difference between teams being an also-ran or a title winner

Edited January 5, 2016 by Embee

[Kiro Kompiro]

47 minutes ago, jw1739 said:

So right. Last season after 13 rounds we had conceded 22 goals. This season after 13 rounds we've conceded...yes, you got it, 22 goals.

The difference is in the number of goals scored - 32 so far this season, only 20 at the same stage of last season.

We would expect that a better GK would have a better record than a poor GK, but the numbers suggest that it's the way we play and defend that also goes quite a way to determining that "goals against" number; it's not just the GK himself.

OF COURSE ITS JVS!  Its always been JVS.  Even when we had Good and Hamil we had moments of comical defending.

He simply cannot coach a cohesive, organised defense.

 

4 minutes ago, Embee said:

Spot on.

Claiming keepers are unimportant based on the presented statistic by jw is flimsy at best.

Does that statistic take into account what would have happened if Sorensen didn't make that goal-line save right at the end vs Sydney? What about if Sorensen hadn't made all those saves in the derby? There's probably more examples I could give but those are just the first two that come to mind.

Quality goal-keepers can often be the difference between teams being an also-ran or a title winner

If sorenson hadn't made those saves the season would be over.  That is not the point.  The point is the defence is so poor that the guy has had time and time again make those saves.  Its never a good thing when your keeper is your best player on a regular basis, and even then we have conceded a shedload of goals.  

[Embee]

7 minutes ago, Kiro Kompiro said:

OF COURSE ITS JVS!  Its always been JVS.  Even when we had Good and Hamil we had moments of comical defending.

He simply cannot coach a cohesive, organised defense.

 

If sorenson hadn't made those saves the season would be over.  That is not the point.  The point is the defence is so poor that the guy has had time and time again make those saves.  Its never a good thing when your keeper is your best player on a regular basis, and even then we have conceded a shedload of goals.  

I don't disagree.

My point was that it's likely a lesser keeper doesn't make those saves/put on those kinds of performances. So regardless of the issues leading us to defend as badly as we do, (and I agree with JVS being a massive factor) to claim that keepers are unimportant based on the fact we're still leaking goals is shallow analysis of the situation.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Embee

[Jovan]

For me, and I'm a simpleton in terms of soccer. But if you have the best keeper and best striker in the league your basically 90% on the way to winning a title. Now what has put the spanner in the works is our tactics/structure/formation which is after the Mariners worst in the league.

[n i k o]

10 minutes ago, Embee said:

I don't disagree.

My point was that it's likely a lesser keeper doesn't make those saves/put on those kinds of performances. So regardless of the issues leading us to defend as badly as we do, (and I agree with JVS being a massive factor) to claim that keepers are unimportant based on the fact we're still leaking goals is shallow analysis of the situation.

No doubt Sorenson has saved us from conceding more and with any of our past goalkeepers we probably would have. This shows that our defence is even worse than last year then no? Fact that we have conceded just as much and our keeper has had to perform amazingly says everything. 

[Embee]

2 minutes ago, n i k o said:

No doubt Sorenson has saved us from conceding more and with any of our past goalkeepers we probably would have. This shows that our defence is even worse than last year then no? Fact that we have conceded just as much and our keeper has had to perform amazingly says everything. 

I think the on-field blame should be evenly proportioned across the back 4 and the midfield to be honest. Good teams defend as a unit, and clearly we don't do that very well.

But yes, it's a serious indictment on the team that we have a keeper who's playing out of his skin and we're still finding ways to concede.

[Jimmy]

I never said that they're unimportant, I said they're unimportant relative to other positions. Every position of the pitch is important, just some more so than others.

The fact that Sorenson has made more saves than Tando but has still conceded the same amount goals, coupled with the fact that we've scored the most goals by a mile and yet are still a long way off top of the table shows that a good defense is still the most important thing about a team and that a solid back four makes the keeper a lot less relevant.

If we weren't letting a million shots in for Sorenson to make these saves and  still concede these goals we'd be top of the table. If we had a quality VISA center half on good coin that was playing every game maybe we would be.

7 minutes ago, n i k o said:

No doubt Sorenson has saved us from conceding more and with any of our past goalkeepers we probably would have. This shows that our defence is even worse than last year then no? Fact that we have conceded just as much and our keeper has had to perform amazingly says everything. 

Exactly. The fact that he's saving us so many points is sort of the problem. There's no doubt he's a great shot stopper.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Jimmy

[SF33]

I'm not sure we could expect to get a better keeper than Bouzanis, when it's obvious that anyone that we sign will be riding the bench, unless there's an injury. I'm not sure about Sorensen's injury history, but given his unusual preseason, my guess is he'd be as fit as any other GK in the league.

The only other option would be to take a punt with some teenager, as an established goalie would just go to a situation where he had more opportunities for playing time, as Tando is doing.

[Embee]

Just now, Jimmy said:

I never said that they're unimportant, I said they're unimportant relative to other positions. Every position of the pitch is important, just some more so than others.

The fact that Sorenson has made more saves than Tando but has still conceded the same amount goals, coupled with the fact that we've scored the most goals by a mile and yet are still a long way off top of the table shows that a good defense is still the most important thing about a team and that a solid back four makes the keeper a lot less relevant.

If we weren't letting a million shots in for Sorenson to make these saves and  still concede these goals we'd be top of the table. If we had a quality VISA center half on good coin that was playing every game maybe we would be.

"If we had a quality VISA center half on good coin that was playing every game maybe we would be."

But if Sorensen wasn't making the saves he was we likely wouldn't be in the top 6 at all. Would one quality central defender make all the difference? Hard to tell but I'd suggest not if the overall defensive system is broken which I believe it to be. One great central defender in a crocked defensive system can only make so much difference, he can't patrol the entire defensive half of the pitch and snuff out every threat.

However, whilst playing in front of a shite defensive unit can make his life much harder, a quality keeper can have that individual impact on the game via making saves. They have a smaller area to operate in and constantly direct impact on that area, if you understand what I mean.

[SF33]

Is it the system, or the available personnel?

Heading into the season, I think most would have pencilled in Zullo, Franjic and two of Kisnorbo/Hughes/Chapman. How many games have we started with four of those five? Pretty sure it's only the once.

edit: sorry zero. It will be once if Zullo and Hughes start this week and Franjic is back.

Edited January 5, 2016 by SF33

[Jimmy]

8 minutes ago, Embee said:

"If we had a quality VISA center half on good coin that was playing every game maybe we would be."

But if Sorensen wasn't making the saves he was we likely wouldn't be in the top 6 at all. Would one quality central defender make all the difference? Hard to tell but I'd suggest not if the overall defensive system is broken which I believe it to be. One great central defender in a crocked defensive system can only make so much difference, he can't patrol the entire defensive half of the pitch and snuff out every threat.

However, whilst playing in front of a shite defensive unit can make his life much harder, a quality keeper can have that individual impact on the game via making saves. They have a smaller area to operate in and constantly direct impact on that area, if you understand what I mean.

That's the whole point I'm making. Sorenson is very good and is saving points in more games than not and that's very bad and I doubt we'll win anything like that. 

I think it's the fault of both the farmer and the cattle personally, but at the end of the day it's kind of irrelevant. If we had a better defense we'd have top spot. It's undeniable imo.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Jimmy

[n i k o]

1 minute ago, Jimmy said:

That's the whole point I'm making. Sorenson is very good and is saving points in more games than not and that's very bad and I doubt we'll win anything like that. 

I think it's the fault of both the farmer and the cattle personally, but at the end of the day it's kind of irrelevant. If we had a better defense we'd have top spot. It's undeniable imo.

Whatever way you look at it its JVS problem. Either he's brought in the wrong players or he simply can't get them to defend in a way that stops us conceding goals. 

[JC22]

I think our defense will be fine and good enough to win the title if we can get Zullo, Franjic, Kisnorbo & Clisby/Hughes all on the park together with some time to gel.

Having said that, someone like Malik or Wilkinson would make a huge difference. Although Malik is off the table now unfortunately.

Edited January 5, 2016 by JC22

[Jimmy]

1 minute ago, JC22 said:

I think our defense will be fine and good enough to win the title if we can get Zullo, Franjic, Kisnorbo & Clisby/Hughes all on the park together with some time to gel.

I'd be incredibly surprised if those four played more than a game or two together this season.

 

3 minutes ago, JC22 said:

Having said that, someone like Malik or Wilkinson would make a huge difference. Although Malik is off the table now unfortunately.

This is crucial and the club know it. We need some quality injected into the central defense. Malik would have been perfect as he's better than anything we have there at the moment.

Pleased the club are trying to fix the issue mid season, this along with not allowing January sales shows they're serious about winning something this season.

[Deeming]

Done.

Wednesday, 6 January 2016 -

@MelbourneCity

 Comments

Melbourne City FC can announce goalkeeper Tando Velaphi has been released to pursue an opportunity overseas, with stopper Dean Bouzanis joining the Club from Western Sydney Wanderers as a direct replacement.

Velaphi, 28, departs after featuring 21 times for the Club’s Hyundai A-League side across the past three seasons, while Bouzanis, 25, commences his career with City effective immediately until the conclusion of the Hyundai A-League 2015/16 season.

Velaphi secured an A-League high 9 clean sheets from 19 appearances last season and made an important contribution as the team reached the A-League Semi-Finals in May 2015.

City Head Coach John van't Schip said Velaphi has been a great professional both on and off the pitch for the Club, but understood the player’s desire to pursue another opportunity.

"Since arriving at the Club, Tando has been a model professional and has developed into a mature and talented goalkeeper,” van’t Schip said.
 
“Tando was a popular figure not only in the change rooms but with the fans and I'm sure they will join with me in wishing Tando all the best for the next challenge in his career.”

Bouzanis commenced his career in Sydney at the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) before earning a youth contract with English Premier League outfit Liverpool, where he featured for the under-18s and reserves side. 
 
The talented 'keeper then enjoyed spells with Accrington Stanley, Oldham Athletic and Carlisle United before returning to Australia in 2014, signing with the Wanderers.
 
Bouzanis will be eligible for selection against his former team in Melbourne City FC’s Round 14 A-League match this Saturday 9 January 2016 at AAMI Park, kick-off 7.30pm.

Read more at http://www.melbournecityfc.com.au/article/city-release-velaphi-sign-bouzanis/1wsqqdyb3ogeq140rfurrwm39f#rOVwE1ucBJl1Q8qk.99

[Jovan]

Don't like it. 

Good luck to Tando.

If he's warming the bench I'll be pissed.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Jovan

[Deeming]

Look how excited he looks!

[Jimmy]

Well, people's theory about the green Tando learning from Sorenson for two seasons and finally being ready to take over as a first choice keeper at the youthful age of 30 went well.

[n i k o]

I thought I'd have a look at a comparison between Tando last season and Sorenson this season. 

2015/2016

Sorenson:

13 games

1 clean sheet

average saves per game 4.15

22 goals conceded 54 saves made

 

2014/2015

Velaphi

19 games

9 clean sheets

average saves per game 2.47

21 goals conceded 47 saves made

 

There's a lot to look at here. The most obvious is that Sorenson has been far busier than Tando ever was. It's also obvious that the type of saves Sorenson has been making have been arguably on a more difficult level on average compared to Tando.

If we have a look at last season we were much better, shown by the fact we held 9 clean sheets. But I also remember we made a very obvious tactical change before mid way through the season after conceding many goals, we played as a team much deeper. This was when Paddy K went on his fantastic defensive run. The style of play suited him much better. So I feel our tactical setup was the biggest contributor to our defensive strength last season. This is further proven when we consider we had Retre, Chapman, Kisnorbo & Clisby defending, essentially similar to this season. 

So the fact that if anything we have strengthened our defence with Franjic (not counting Zullo or Hughes due to injury) joining the ranks, and being similar personel to last year, means that our tactics are exposing our current defensive unit once again. For whatever reason the personel (and this is looking from midfield through to defence) we have are not able to defend well enough within our current tactical setup. 

Like I said either way you look at it JVS is primarily responsible and it's mostly his fault we are conceding this many goals. Unless he makes a tactical change to the team I think we can expect to keep conceding goals. Hopefully Sorenson keeps performing well. 

 

[Davy21]

I miss Tando already :'(

[Tony999]

Will he be there for the WSW game? The Tando Velaphi chant would be nice to acknowledge him.

[n i k o]

 

Dedication to Tando 

[SF33]

18 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

Well, people's theory about the green Tando learning from Sorenson for two seasons and finally being ready to take over as a first choice keeper at the youthful age of 30 went well.

Did people really think that?

I was under the impression that the plan was that Sorensen and Tando would split the #1 duties something like 60/40 or 50/50, unless there was an injury. Sorensen has played and been great, but not sure why the plan changed, as the club would have been expecting Sorensen to be great from the beginning, right?

[Dylan]

We will win the league with this signing. 

[Embee]

3 minutes ago, Dylan said:

We will win the league with this signing. 

The youth league?

Because that's where Dean will likely be plying his trade just about every week.

[playmaker]

Can Bouzanis play mid field with Koren?

This may be the master stroke seeing as Mooy is out.

 

[Jimmy]

8 minutes ago, SF33 said:

Did people really think that?

I was under the impression that the plan was that Sorensen and Tando would split the #1 duties something like 60/40 or 50/50, unless there was an injury. Sorensen has played and been great, but not sure why the plan changed, as the club would have been expecting Sorensen to be great from the beginning, right?

Of course they did. Read it on here plenty of times. This was despite the bloke coming off half a season where he was already close to the best keeper in the country.

[Thrillhouse]

well, atleast it's not brad jones

[Dylan]

4 minutes ago, Embee said:

The youth league?

Because that's where Dean will likely be plying his trade just about every week.

Metro League 5 North West

[Deeming]

22 minutes ago, SF33 said:

Did people really think that?

I was under the impression that the plan was that Sorensen and Tando would split the #1 duties something like 60/40 or 50/50, unless there was an injury. Sorensen has played and been great, but not sure why the plan changed, as the club would have been expecting Sorensen to be great from the beginning, right?

I think the club deliberately gave the impression to the fans and to Tando that the starting keeper spot wasn't decided when signing Sorensen but in reality it really was.

[Jimmy]

1 minute ago, Deeming said:

I think the club deliberately gave the impression to the fans and to Tando that the starting keeper spot wasn't decided when signing Sorensen but in reality it really was.

Imagine how stupid it would have looked if Sorenson on good coin and occupying a VISA spot was warming the bench for the cheaper aussie in Tando. Tando didn't have a hope.