Manchester City vs Melbourne City - Saturday July 18 at CBUS Super Stadium, Gold Coast

[mattyh001]

my opinion probably isn't so far away from everybody else to be honest. He's a no 2 left back right now.

in regards to positioning, he was certainly exposed but Navas made life very difficult for him to position well. Fullbacks are expected to sit tight enough to support the central defenders but still keep an eye on their man. Navas sitting high and wide made this pretty much impossible. Now if he goes and stands with Navas he leaves a massive hole inside him (disaster against that side) plus in any case he is 1v 1 against a much better player, which is asking for trouble. If he takes up a position wider he risks doing neither job. An experienced left back would be able to reduce the potential damage by finding just the right balance, but Navas was way too much for Jack.

So we opted for the best strategy for a side that was heavily out-gunned. Keep it tight in the middle and crowd them out - and that largely worked for 85 minutes.

IMO harsh criticism of any of our players is unwarranted for the first preseason match. Granted I only watched the first half and the final 10 minutes, but from the 5-minute mark or so we were playing really well and stretching them with our attacking moves. Mauky will have nightmares about his miss and Harry N. almost scored as well.

Based on the stream I was watching, people complaining that some of our players were invisible are not being fair. Most of the time our boys were ignored by the commentators, who were busy wetting themselves over the Manchester players. 

No, with signings to come and players to return from injury we should not be disappointed.

this. i can see the short comings where others feel the need to vent at Clisby, and would be extremely worried if Clisby actually was our first / main option for LB

i just get the impression that there is more to Clisby's game / role at the club than people are letting on.  

i heavily suspect Zullo was chased / signed because the club knew we needed a dedicated LB.  its something we havent done well since Behich left the first time - his second spell was awkward as he was low on confidence so he experienced some highs and lows every week in his game.

for me people need to remember Clisby, having not featured significantly for Perth, came in mid last season to replace two largely inconsistent / injured / non existent fullbacks in Garrucio and Ramsay (after all Garrucio is going to take time to play that role given (a.) he is still new to it, and (b.) doesnt exactly get much time there on a regular basis)

the fact the side improved with Clisby at LB, even with all the nervous moments, says that Clisby cant be that bad.

add to that in last nights game where the team played a very central defensive style, Clisby was always going to get a hard night against Navas whenever Navas drew Clisby wide to win back possession.

and yes while Clisby struggles with the position at times and has been found out on a number of occasions (IMO because he is a natural CB), he came in as a short term fix as a best of a bad situation - with many hoping Clisby would go on with making LB his own - that hasnt occurred but at least we know where we stand.

given Clisby will be playing for the club on the cheap as a supporting / back up, i think we are in decent shape.  

ultimately, what A League club has two quality players in every single position capable of being a starter in a championship side in their own right?

[Murfy1]

Only saw the full match after watching the Roma v Real Madrid game, and I gotta say I found our match much more entertaining and enjoyable.

 

I was pretty nervous upon seeing the lineup with so many youth players and triallists, but the team ended up playing a very good game and can hold their heads up high.

 

To start with the not-too-good things first, I agree Clisby's positioning was pretty off. However at the same time I don't think the harshest criticisms of him are warranted. I believe he proved last season that he can be a useful LB, and given that Clisby will likely be our no 2 LB behind Zullo, I'm happy with Clisby's spot in the team.

And even though there was a bad bobble prior to Mauk's shot, that doesn't excuse his miss and he'll have bad memories about that. Otherwise though I thought Mauk had a tidy game, and it should be seen how he goes in the remaining matches of pre-season before sweeping judgements are made about what he can offer for next season.

 

I'm definitely not a fan of Koren, but IMO he had a fairly good game. He showed a fine passing range, and he did produce the killer ball that gave Mauk the gilt-edged scoring opportunity. If Koren can produce a pass that good that creates a big scoring opportunity each game, I won't be able to fault him. Still a disappointing marquee in my book, but there's a chance that Koren could be better next season and could be a useful player in the team.

 

The clear positives were just about every other player in the team. Novillo was a real livewire and gave his defender all sorts of grief, and it's looking like he can have the real big season predicted of him if he does have a full pre-season. Velaphi was excellent, despite having the additional pressure of being mic-ed up. He's putting forward a real case for being our no 1 next season. I thought Chapman was very solid, akin to his best performances last season. And I saw some good composed play from Aaron Hughes in the first half.

Also, I thought our young players were excellent overall. They added a real freshness and vibrancy to the team. Hopefully Retre gets a good amount of minutes next season because he's becoming quite the player. And if the likes of Dekker, Symeoy, Espindola, Zinni and others are our depth for next season, I believe the team is in a very good position. 

 

So all up a very good first match of pre-season, especially when the opposition and our absentees are considered. The only thing missing was more of a cutting edge, and I'm pretty confident Gameiro, and hopefully a new striker or two, will complete the team and give it the cutting edge to seriously compete for honours next season.

Edited July 19, 2015 by Murfy1

[KSK_47]

Jesus. So many excuses for Clisby on here it sounds like a John Aloisi press conference.

Of course there were abnormal  circumstances, etc but last night he was shit. I dont know why people cant say this. Nobody was commenting on his performances last season or when he played for Perth or his usual role in the team or anything else. 

In the game played last night (the one were were discussing) Clisby was standout crap. I dont see how anyone could find that an unreasonable statement 

[n i k o]

Jesus. So many excuses for Clisby on here it sounds like a John Aloisi press conference.

Of course there were abnormal  circumstances, etc but last night he was shit. I dont know why people cant say this. Nobody was commenting on his performances last season or when he played for Perth or his usual role in the team or anything else. 

In the game played last night (the one were were discussing) Clisby was standout crap. I dont see how anyone could find that an unreasonable statement 

But there's nothing wrong with bringing up last season because he was poor during it as well.

[jw1739]

Jesus. So many excuses for Clisby on here it sounds like a John Aloisi press conference.

Of course there were abnormal  circumstances, etc but last night he was shit. I dont know why people cant say this. Nobody was commenting on his performances last season or when he played for Perth or his usual role in the team or anything else. 

In the game played last night (the one were were discussing) Clisby was standout crap. I dont see how anyone could find that an unreasonable statement 

I don't see the realities of a situation as necessarily being excuses. Given that Manchester City didn't score until the 85th minute I think I can mount a reasonable argument that our defence was adequate for that period, and as part of that defence I wouldn't be bagging Jack Clisby as hard as some obviously want to. It seems that once certain players receive a certain label no-one can see anything good about them at all. It's not so long that Paulo Retre was deemed by some as unworthy of a contract, but now he's almost a darling of the forum.

[KSK_47]

Again. I am not commenting on anything apart from last nights performance and last night he was out of position regularly and as a result put us under pressure. 

He was poor.

[Dylan]

Id say that having Trifiro on for nearly the whole game says that we are probably going to sign him 

[Tony999]

Spoke to Dekkers girlfriend this morning....apparently he isn't training with the youth anymore and only training with the senior squad atm. Based on what I saw last night, looks like he will be good to have as a back up striker. Held his own against Vincent Kompany.

That's a scoop. Green line for you.

[belaguttman]

Jesus. So many excuses for Clisby on here it sounds like a John Aloisi press conference.

Of course there were abnormal  circumstances, etc but last night he was shit. I dont know why people cant say this. Nobody was commenting on his performances last season or when he played for Perth or his usual role in the team or anything else. 

In the game played last night (the one were were discussing) Clisby was standout crap. I dont see how anyone could find that an unreasonable statement 

He was shit against Jesus Navas. Plenty of better left backs than him have been shit against Jesus Navas

Id say that having Trifiro on for nearly the whole game says that we are probably going to sign him 

Both Trifiro's actually played for Heart in the Hawaii tournament a few years ago, I was surprised that we didn't sign them then.

[Red or Dead]

Id say that having Trifiro on for nearly the whole game says that we are probably going to sign him 

Murdocca 2.0...was even wearing the same number yesterday.

[HeartinHobart]

Murdocca 2.0...was even wearing the same number yesterday.

Trifiro clearly offers more on an attacking sense then what Murdocca does.

[cadete]

Trifiro clearly offers more on an attacking sense then what Murdocca does.

So he can pass it six metres rather than four then?

[silva10]

Again. I am not commenting on anything apart from last nights performance and last night he was out of position regularly and as a result put us under pressure. 

He was poor.

I disagree with you

He was tucked in alongside the centre halves to keep things tight at the back. If he had played tight against Navas. Two things would have happened. He would have got beat for pace and there would be gaps between him and Hughes for City to exploit.

They allowed Navas to have the ball wide. Which wasn't as dumb as it sounds, because City played without a central striker and most times when Navas had the ball he had to cut it back as there wasn't anyone to cross it to.

When Celtic beat Barcelona in the UCL a few seasons ago. they did the exact same thing. Allow the ball to go wide because they knew they could defend any crosses that may come in.

 

[KSK_47]

I disagree with you

He was tucked in alongside the centre halves to keep things tight at the back. If he had played tight against Navas. Two things would have happened. He would have got beat for pace and there would be gaps between him and Hughes for City to exploit.

They allowed Navas to have the ball wide. Which wasn't as dumb as it sounds, because City played without a central striker and most times when Navas had the ball he had to cut it back as there wasn't anyone to cross it to.

When Celtic beat Barcelona in the UCL a few seasons ago. they did the exact same thing. Allow the ball to go wide because they knew they could defend any crosses that may come in.

 

Well I think we will have to agree to disagree here. I think it is as dumb as it sounds. It allowed Navas to just stroll into the box a number of times. And had it been on a day where they were more switched on things could have been worse.

Yes. I understand its Navas, so you are kind of damned if you do, damned if you dont. But inviting Navas into the box with space is the worse option IMO. Granted it did crowd the goal mouth, but I dont like the tactic of inviting pressure.

Edited July 19, 2015 by KSK_47

[n i k o]

Well I think we will have to agree to disagree here. I think it is as dumb as it sounds. It allowed Navas to just stroll into the box a number of times. And had it been on a day where they were more switched on things could have been worse.

Yes. I understand its Navas, so you are kind of damned if you do, damned if you dont. But inviting Navas into the box with space is the worse option IMO. Granted it did crowd the goal mouth, but I dont like the tactic of inviting pressure.

Spot on. 

[Paulski]

Ok, pretty happy I made the decision to head up for the game. 

1. We played well and weren't embarrassed.

2. Saw a world class team live.

3. My 7 year old son was presented with a Melb City top after the game (even if it was from a sheepish Mauk)

4. Got away from Melbs crappy weather.

[Tony999]

Ok, pretty happy I made the decision to head up for the game. 

1. We played well and weren't embarrassed.

2. Saw a world class team live.

3. My 7 year old son was presented with a Melb City top after the game (even if it was from a sheepish Mauk)

4. Got away from Melbs crappy weather.

Good stuff! Glad you came back with a smile on your face. What was the official attendance? To be honest, I thought it was a great attendance! Especially the fact that it was played in a small city miles away from Melb City fans.

[Nate]

4. Got away from Melbs crappy weather.

It's actually been sunny

[Tony999]

It's actually been sunny

Yep! With it's COLDEST MORNING IN 18 YEARS

[Paulski]

Ha, they were complaining about their cold snap up there, seemed pretty nice to us! The crowd was good, just under 22k I think. Saw a few Melb supporters up there. The crowd was subdued, but as the game went on they were clearly supporting the underdog. We missed Mauk's stuff up, were taking a piss, didn't know about it till we read the paper the next day. Was great my boy got a top even though it doesn't fit him - my size,  but fuck me I spent $90 on my first one just 3 days earlier!

[Kiro Kompiro]

I had a closer look at Mauk's miss.  Looked as if the ball took a bounce at speed and ended up hitting him higher on the shin than he intended.  I've seen that happen to better players, so I'm not going to dismiss his ability on one miss.

[belaguttman]

Remember also that the guy missed almost all of last season as a result of injury so its a long time since he played a competitive game

[Tesla]

Jesus. So many excuses for Clisby on here it sounds like a John Aloisi press conference.

Of course there were abnormal  circumstances, etc but last night he was shit. I dont know why people cant say this. Nobody was commenting on his performances last season or when he played for Perth or his usual role in the team or anything else. 

In the game played last night (the one were were discussing) Clisby was standout crap. I dont see how anyone could find that an unreasonable statement 

You should be well aware by now how massive the bias is towards young/younger players.

Clisby is certainly not first 11 material, and that's based on last season's performances not just a friendly.

Edited July 20, 2015 by Tesla

[NewConvert]

You should be well aware by now how massive the bias is towards young/younger players.

Clisby is certainly not first 11 material, and that's based on last season's performances not just a friendly.

IIRC Clisby supplanted Ramsay as a LB until he got injured or suspended. So can I deduce that you preferred Ramsay at LB? Surprisingly, I didn't think that you were a Ramsay fan.

[kingofhearts]

Clisby is fine as a back up LB. thats all we've signed him to do so i don't know why people are getting so critical of his performance as a starting LB against an EPL team?

[KSK_47]

Clisby is fine as a back up LB. thats all we've signed him to do so i don't know why people are getting so critical of his performance as a starting LB against an EPL team?

For the last time, a few people (myself included) mentioned in passing that he was shit on Sat night - which he was. And suddenly everyone is jumping to defend him.

It was just an observation while watching the game.

[n i k o]

Pre season

 

Edited July 20, 2015 by n i k o

[Tesla]

IIRC Clisby supplanted Ramsay as a LB until he got injured or suspended. So can I deduce that you preferred Ramsay at LB? Surprisingly, I didn't think that you were a Ramsay fan.

Just because Clisby isn't a first 11 LB doesn't mean Ramsay is. That's exactly where the problem lied. 

[Nate]

For the last time, a few people (myself included) mentioned in passing that he was shit on Sat night - which he was. And suddenly everyone is jumping to defend him.

It was just an observation while watching the game.

close the forum, no observations are allowed

[NewConvert]

Just because Clisby isn't a first 11 LB doesn't mean Ramsay is. That's exactly where the problem lied. 

A problem lied? or is that lay? or perhaps was?

The real problem is that once the season begins then the teams are stuck with the players that they have. There is a smaller opportunity in the January transfer window where a player may be persuaded to move on, perhaps retire or due to a long term injury they can be substituted but ultimately the team you begin with at the beginning of the season is what you have to work with. When Clisby arrived  in January he was meant to be a replacement for a non-existent LB since up to that stage the club had only makeshift players in that position (Garrucio and Ramsay). I was critical of JVS during the winter recruitment window for not doing enough to provide a proper defense with a bit of depth. At this stage it seems that our defense has now been improved. Clisby will provide useful depth if a starting XI player gets suspended or injured at LB or in CB as well as (hopefully) provide some competition for those positions.

 

[Shahanga]

Agree with you that it's bad enough having problems, but when the bastards start lying to you, well they really have to go.

whilst I'm being a pedantic comedian, I could have sworn it was summer last January. bloody climate change, got me all confused.

[Torn Asunder]

http://m.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/liverpool-v-adelaide-how-did-brisbane-melbourne-adelaide-stack-up-against-epl-opponents/story-e6frf4gl-1227450028564

[Kiro Kompiro]

just watching City v Roma.  Lets just say they went really easy on us.

[Jun]

Interesting that Coco water is their sleeve sponsor

[Luke]

Interesting that Coco water is their sleeve sponsor

Signed a global partnership 

[Jun]

Signed a global partnership 

Didn't realise that. I guess these games will be the only chance they get to be on Man City's shirt