Reflections on the season

[CityWildcat]

6/10

reducing to 4/10 if Bruno was elsewhere.

New manager, please.

THANK YOU and GOOD LUCK, Mooy,.

 

[mattyh001]

Positives:

Scored 63 (27 more than last season) this season in an effort to be more attacking

Only conceded 3 more than last season despite attacking mindset and large number of injuries to defenders over the season

Finishing the season on 44 points (9 points better than last season and most ever)

Rising two positions on last season (only got 5th last season instead of 6th because Perth got thrown out of finals)

Fornaroli being a beast

Mooy smashing it

The ability to make a game of it when trailing / conceding first - the team would always give up in the past

 

Negatives:

An inability at the club to understand that defences win leagues, attacks only win you individual games. Even Fornaroli can't win us every game.  The fact we still need to get a consistent central defensive pairing will kill us time and time again until fixed

Having to come back from 2+ goals down too many fucking times to count / no longer care anymore.   Proof we still can't play out games from the start.

An inability to constantly smash the shitter sides. 3 loses to Wellington and Newcastle was a disgrace.

[rass]

5 hours ago, GreenSeater said:

1 - SORENSON: After a shaky start he ended up being immense towards the back end of the season. His passion and professionalism is unquestionable and I love him for that. The question now is whether he is past it or not? Heart says no, head says probably.

2 - WILKINSON: Only came in halfway through the year, but was sensational in his short time at the club. A level-headed, smart, talented centre-half that we'd been craving since day 1 of Heart. Don't think he'll be with us next year which is a massive shame.

3 - HUGHES: Possibly the worst signing in club history. Sat on the bench wasting a visa spot all year long for no return whatsoever. Loved him in his Newcastle days, but is long passed it. See ya later.

4 - CHAPMAN: A frustrating year for Chappy. Missed long periods through injury and then lost his spot to Wilkinson. That being said he was solid when he dis play and I think he has a great future at the club.

5 - FRANJIC: What a disappointing season. Was hyped up big time when we signed him as he was a starting 11 Socceroo and had just returned from Europe. Injuries meant he missed most of the season and when he did play was very inconsistent. Hopefully we'll see better from him next year.

6 - PAARTALU: Was pretty poor for the first half of the season. Was dropped by JVS and eventually left for Korea. Was collossal last season, but I think Malik is a slight upgrade.

7 - GAMIERO: Started the season injured and finished it injured. Will be interesting to watch if he ever gets his body right as he has massive potential.

8 - MOOY: The king. Our best player ever. Took his brilliance to another level this year, and will be missed for a long time. Hope he dominates in Europe.

9 - NOVILLO: A real rollercoaster season. Missed the start of the year with injury and took a long time to get back to full fitenss. Once he did though he was phenomenal. His comination with Mooy and Fornaroli was incredible to watch. Then came the domestic incident. After that it all fell to shit. Will be interesting to see if he's back next year. I hope he is frankly because he has a lot of talent and passion and I would hate to see him at another club in the A League.

10 - KOREN: The worst marquee in A League history. Disgrace of a player. Terrible recruiting. At least we can all remember that Newcastle game.

11 - ZULLO: Spent more time on the physio table than the pitch. When he did play he was reasonable. Not great but not bad. I don't expect him back next year. 

14 - BROWN: Never stood a chance. So long mate.

15 - WILLIAMS: As the clubs leading appearance maker and second highest goalscorer now, seeing him leave was sad, but definitely for the best. Was very poor this season before he went to Hungary.

16 - TRIFIRO: As a squaddie he was never going to be a world-beater, but he was still serviceable when called upon. 

17 - DEKKER: A young kid with some talent. Great first game, but that's about it. Injured by Mauk, will be out of him and Marino for that young striker spot.

18 - RETRE: After a breakout last season, he was quite good when called upon to replace the ever-injured Franjic. Decent season.

19 - GARUCCIO: A very average year at left back. Moved to wing at the end of the year and failed to impress. Can see him joining Mauk at Adelaide next year. 

20 - VELAPHI/BOUZANIS: Tando so unlucky not to get the number 1 after last season. Can't blame him for leaving, but will go downn as a cult hero for sure. Bouzanis played once and kept a clean sheet, so not bad.

21 - MAUK: Breakout year for Stefan, he was fantastic for us before being traded for Malik. Who got the better of the trade? Hard to say. But Mauk turned out to be a cunt so there you go. 

22 - CLISBY: Probably our most improved player this term. Still has a long way to go,  but has proved a handy squaddie who works his arse off. Definitely deserved his new contract.

23 - FORNAROLI: The best striker the league has ever seen. Far too good for us. Throw the cash at him for next year. Club legend. 

24 - KISNORBO: Captain fantastic looked done and dusted at the start of the year, but showed his strength towards the back end of the season. Would love him to go one more year. 

25 - MELLING: Spent a lot of time injured, and never reached the heights of his first season at the club. Deserved his new contract, and has a lot of potential and desire. 

26 - MARINO: After spending most of the year injured he came back and showed some of his promise. Will be out of him and Dekker for that young striker spot. Personally think it should be Marino.

27 - FITZGERALD: Wasn't happy to sign him at first, but he proved me wrong and provided a lot of spark for us. His decision making and lack of confidence are his biggest downfalls. Think he should be retained.

28 - KUZMANOVSKI: Mr. Stepover himself. Talented at tricks, but just not a good footballer. Hopefully will be moved on.

29 - CACERES: Brought in half-way through the season, has shown a lot of potential, but I'm still not 100% sold on him tbh.

33 - MALIK: A step-up from Paartalu, showed a lot of steel defensively, but his passing let him down big time. Was he worth traded Mauk for? Time will tell I guess. 

JVS: That semi-final vs Perth in the cup should have been his last game as manager. No excuses for throwing away silverwear. Needs to be gone next year. 

 

Overall a waste of a season given the players we had. Big changes are needed next year.

Out of likes, reckon you're all over it mate.

[Rasputin]

We had the best 2 players in the league (Mooy and Bruno) and another high up there (Harry) who got us up the table.  These 3 broke all sorts of records and were a pleasure to watch combining going forward.  It's a shame we will never see them play together again.  Besides these 3 we are very ordinary.  Without them we would have finished near the bottom.  There are many players on our list that should never play A league.  We must be active in the off season and have a lot of work to do especially if all the 3 amigos leave which is a real possibility 

 

[jw1739]

I think what people are missing with the Mauk-for-Malik trade is:
- the original deal proposed was Williams-for-Malik, so the Mauk offer was second in line;
- we wanted to fill, and improve on, the gap left by Paartalu, and first Williams and then Mauk were seen as secondary players in their respective roles (forward/mid-field) and could be dispensed with.

I also suspect (no proof whatsoever but based on the Mauk/Dekker and Mauk/Sorensen incidents) that Mauk may well have made a few enemies in the City squad.

[NewConvert]

After watching the semi-final between BR and WSW - it pummelled  on me how far below expectations this season was. WSW released 18 players plus their assistants coaches - in effect almost a new team, yet they continually were hovering around the top and are now playing in the GF. BR were served with legal notices regarding non-payment, did not have a training ground and one of their best players, Luke Brattan, walked out on them yet they finished above city and lost the semi-final 5-4. Neither side had Mooy who according to Ange is the best Australian player in the A-League, nor did they have Fornaroli. WSW's marquee player was also a flop and their Australian Marquee, Vidosic had an injury prone season. Yet they were far superior to MC.

It does pay to hire players that are not injured and it also shows how far behind is JVS.

[HEARTinator]

1 hour ago, NewConvert said:

After watching the semi-final between BR and WSW - it pummelled  on me how far below expectations this season was. WSW released 18 players plus their assistants coaches - in effect almost a new team, yet they continually were hovering around the top and are now playing in the GF. BR were served with legal notices regarding non-payment, did not have a training ground and one of their best players, Luke Brattan, walked out on them yet they finished above city and lost the semi-final 5-4. Neither side had Mooy who according to Ange is the best Australian player in the A-League, nor did they have Fornaroli. WSW's marquee player was also a flop and their Australian Marquee, Vidosic had an injury prone season. Yet they were far superior to MC.

It does pay to hire players that are not injured and it also shows how far behind is JVS.

Look at what's happened over at AU. Gombau comes in 2013/2014, starts a rebuild of the team based on a Spanish influence and they finish 6th and then 3rd in 2014/2015. Amor steps in this season and they grab the premiership plate and now are in contention for the toilet seat. That's a 3 year rebuild to get their hands on silverware while we have failed in 6 years to build success. This season, with all the financial and football support that CFG have provided, we failed to perform when it was most important. There can be no other way to put it. What we need is a new coach ASAP and for that person to run their eye over the players we have and start making changes for next season.

[NewConvert]

8 hours ago, HEARTinator said:

Look at what's happened over at AU. Gombau comes in 2013/2014, starts a rebuild of the team based on a Spanish influence and they finish 6th and then 3rd in 2014/2015. Amor steps in this season and they grab the premiership plate and now are in contention for the toilet seat. That's a 3 year rebuild to get their hands on silverware while we have failed in 6 years to build success. This season, with all the financial and football support that CFG have provided, we failed to perform when it was most important. There can be no other way to put it. What we need is a new coach ASAP and for that person to run their eye over the players we have and start making changes for next season.

In hindsight, the fact that Gombau rebuilt the foundations at AU with almost the same playing list is even more remarkable. Yes there was some turnover but not to the scale that we have had since CFG took over.

[mjake1234]

1 hour ago, NewConvert said:

In hindsight, the fact that Gombau rebuilt the foundations at AU with almost the same playing list is even more remarkable. Yes there was some turnover but not to the scale that we have had since CFG took over.

So it took Adelaide 3 years, well next year will be 3 years of CFG. Hope this time-scale works out

[playmaker]

My Reflections are that we had a incompetent manager, that's why we played the way we did, maybe not the most incompetent though.

Aloisi's failure to defend a 3 0 lead is one of the most incompetent things I have ever seen. Oh hang on he  used to be our manager!

Can CFG please give us someone that can manage, pleeeaaassse.

[n i k o]

I really thought we had turned a corner back when we lost to WSW 3-0, and I think we did but for some reason it didn't last. Just for comparison both Adelaide and Wanderers seem to have a very good team culture however we don't seem to. Not to their level anyway. Our team chemistry seemed to be up and down throughout the whole season. Koren clearly wasn't happy which wouldnt have helped, Paartalu definitely wasn't happy but appeared put his differences aside and work through it (whatever 'it' is), Mauk obviously had issues when he was at the club. Even the way some of the players negatively react to each other on the pitch were things I haven't noticed watching, for example Adelaide games.  

I know when I played a few years ago when we won our division the coach was huge on the team bonding, making team dinners compulsory, going to the clubhouse after every game etc. All these little things add up and I know it definitely helped us, especially since there were a lot of players that didn't know each other. I don't know what JVS and co have done to make the team bond inseparable. As much a Mauk has given us the shits the last few weeks his comments about the team culture at Adelaide rings loud and clear. There is a clear difference between whatever culture is at their club compared to ours. It seems that while we continue to build the club to be better and better, what with the standard of player signings, training fascilties etc. we stll cant create a fantastic team culture. An environment where the team is like a family, where they play and put themselves on the line for each other, where the players find that extra effort to play for the coach and where the players and the coach plays for the club, for the badge.

And in the end no matter what this all comes down to the coach. Its his job to build this team environment. For too long I've had this feeling that JVS doesn't really care enough about the club or the fans. And for too long his attitude has been a reflection of what we have seen on the pitch, of what we have seen through the team.

[Torn Asunder]

We got to see a genius in Bruno, who scored world class goals for fun ... and goals that I will never forget, Mooy came of age and blossomed into the Socceroos key player and we threw away points against piss weak opposition costing us big time.

What pains me the most is ex players and a certain manager who were all cause for our past suffering have had highly successful seasons... with Mauk the icing on our cake of dread.

CFG must get a full quota of foreign players next season, and they should all be starters and have the ability to control and win games. JVS needs to be moved on ASAP

[playmaker]

Agree totally with the above.

Anyone want an example of what team unity and all the characteristics what @n i k oo is mentioning, just look at Ranieri and Leichester city, all the attributes of what a successful team is. Compare this to our team and the problems are obvious.

What's more I watched the game last night and all I saw was one fortified unit, one team in perfect harmony, led by a master conductor. 

Unity is what MCFC needs, 

A  Shepherd to lead the sheep into order and the unity of one flock.

 

Edited April 25, 2016 by playmaker

[HeartOfCity]

16 hours ago, NewConvert said:

After watching the semi-final between BR and WSW - it pummelled  on me how far below expectations this season was. WSW released 18 players plus their assistants coaches - in effect almost a new team, yet they continually were hovering around the top and are now playing in the GF. BR were served with legal notices regarding non-payment, did not have a training ground and one of their best players, Luke Brattan, walked out on them yet they finished above city and lost the semi-final 5-4. Neither side had Mooy who according to Ange is the best Australian player in the A-League, nor did they have Fornaroli. WSW's marquee player was also a flop and their Australian Marquee, Vidosic had an injury prone season. Yet they were far superior to MC.

It does pay to hire players that are not injured and it also shows how far behind is JVS.

This needs a green line.

[n i k o]

23 minutes ago, HeartOfCity said:

This needs a green line.

Aren't green lines given for accurate predictions either via guessing, Greek construction workers, an obscure sauce etc. 

Edited April 25, 2016 by n i k o

[HeartOfCity]

14 minutes ago, n i k o said:

Aren't green lines given for accurate predictions either via guessing, Greek construction workers, an obscure sauce etc. 

I thought it just went on how many likes a comment has had. 

[malloy]

4 hours ago, HeartOfCity said:

I thought it just went on how many likes a comment has had. 

You thought wrong.

[Torn Asunder]

I DON'T CARE!" Harry yelled at them, snatching up a lunascope and throwing it into the fireplace. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!"
"You do care," said Dumbledore. He had not flinched or made a single move to stop Harry demolishing his office. His expression was calm, almost detached. "You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it.

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

[haz]

5 hours ago, Torn Asunder said:

WE DON'T CARE!" the Melbourne City players yelled,  giving away penalties by shoulder charging players. "We've HAD ENOUGH, WE'VE SEEN ENOUGH, We WANT OUT, WE WANT IT TO END, We DON'T CARE ANYMORE!"
"You do care," said JVS. He had not flinched or made a single move to stop Adelaide demolishing his Team . His expression was clueless, almost detached. "As long you had fun and tried your hardest"

Melbourne City Fc , 2015/16 Season

Fixed

[NewConvert]

Since you guys dragged Harry Potter, after last Friday's game I have been listening to one of my teenage years songs: The Buzzcocks' "Ever fallen in love"

Ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't have is the classic line, here is a link:

 

[malloy]

4 hours ago, NewConvert said:

Since you guys dragged Harry Potter, after last Friday's game I have been listening to one of my teenage years songs: The Buzzcocks' "Ever fallen in love"

Ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't have is the classic line, here is a link:

 

Quality tune. 

[CityWildcat]

Buzzcocks played Melbourne recently.  Only Shelley and Diggle remain.  Struggling on.  Bah. Bore-DUM

They were my life at one point circa 1978/79, along with the rest of the first wave from UK..

On topic: we have yet to have a season as good as "Another Music in a Different Kitchen;;

 

 

[bumpyknuckles]

And so the long off season begins...

[Deeming]

Quote

Someone at Melbourne City made a huge mistake by not bringing in a replacement for Robert Koren, writes Matt Windley

April 27, 2016 12:00am

MATT WINDLEY360 VIEWHerald Sun

THAT Melbourne City could finish the season without an international marquee player is inexplicable.

The player didn’t have to be one of the world’s best. But with Asian leagues not starting until February-March, there would surely have been at least one suitable, high-calibre candidate running around in Japan, China or South Korea — let alone in Europe during the January transfer window.

If it was the City Football Group chiefs who opted not to make funds available for the club to bring in a replacement for Koren, then coach John van’t Schip and the club’s fans have the right to ask serious questions.

Is van’t Schip being given the best chance to succeed?

Why does New York City get players such as David Villa, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo and Melbourne is not appropriately star-studded?

But if it was van’t Schip’s decision not to bring in another big name, then the coach has made a serious miscalculation of his side’s depth.

The fact is that City, backed by its wealthy Manchester owners, is the richest sporting club in Australian sport, let alone the A-League.

All looked good when City climbed to the top of the ladder after its Round 25 win against Wellington.

And sure, van’t Schip can’t be blamed for injuries to Michael Zullo (toe), Ivan Franjic (hamstring) and Harry Novillo’s suspension.

But when the trio were sidelined, there was little left in the cupboard to call on.

In bringing in a big name midway through the campaign, there could have been a risk of unsettling the dressingroom.

But considering the amount of list turnover there was in January, there was plenty of upheaval anyway.

What position the player would have filled is an appropriate question.

Aaron Mooy had the No.10 role locked and Bruno Fornaroli is clearly an adequate striker, but another winger, even another box-to-box midfielder, would not have gone astray in the final weeks.

The fact is that City, backed by its wealthy Manchester owners, is the richest sporting club in Australian sport, let alone the A-League.

It may be unfair to say that means it has a responsibility to have a big-name marquee player.

But when lowly Central Coast was able to splash the cash to bring in a marquee player in January, albeit an ageing Luis Garcia, something is amiss when City’s quota has not been filled.

Other than the great understatement " Bruno Fornaroli is clearly an adequate striker" this is pretty spot on

[n i k o]

Won't be the last time a journalist will write an article about Melbourne City and not know how the club operates. 

[Torn Asunder]

When Koren was not replaced, supporters of this club were cheated. And it no doubt cost us this season. 

[Tommykins]

I'm not sure buying what was available in January was a good idea to be honest. Would rather the club made better decisions with the marquee position.

[rass]

33 minutes ago, Tommykins said:

I'm not sure buying what was available in January was a good idea to be honest. Would rather the club made better decisions with the marquee position.

It was a free hit to bring in an extra player for the rest of the season. It would have bolstered the squad for the run to the finals.

We didn't take it. Unforgivable imo. 

[NewConvert]

Sorry to rain on your angst but Murfy reported that the FRG meeting held in February, the club stated that no further monies would be forthcoming and that the squad was in their view adequate to win silverware. Now it may well have been JVS's belief that he had the squad but the monies are not under the control of JVS. I don't think that you can fully pin this one on JVS.

The question should we have brought in an extra player is for further debate but the forward line was working but the defense was leaking. In came Wilko and that did a lot of shoring up, Malik also came in and he had a bit of an up/down half. What was needed were better quality LB/RB and how many people would have those positions as marquee spots? As for the midfield, JVS could not get Koren and Mooy working together (when Koren was fit), why would he have had Mooy and anyone else working together?

Also the general consensus on this forum is that it was JVS's quality as a coach that was lacking. Yes there were holes in the side but so does every team in the A-League because of the player and salary cap restrictions.

Finally, I would add that WSW marquee player, Pivorocco (or whatever his name is) did not work out at all and AFAIK he still remains on their books. He may as well not have been there.

[Tommykins]

39 minutes ago, rass said:

It was a free hit to bring in an extra player for the rest of the season. It would have bolstered the squad for the run to the finals.

We didn't take it. Unforgivable imo. 

I'm not sure what kind of player we were expected to bring in for a six month slot who would have been appropriate? 

[Deeming]

1 hour ago, NewConvert said:

Sorry to rain on your angst but Murfy reported that the FRG meeting held in February, the club stated that no further monies would be forthcoming and that the squad was in their view adequate to win silverware. Now it may well have been JVS's belief that he had the squad but the monies are not under the control of JVS. I don't think that you can fully pin this one on JVS.

Well someone got that wrong. Heads need to roll.

1 hour ago, rass said:

It was a free hit to bring in an extra player for the rest of the season. It would have bolstered the squad for the run to the finals.

We didn't take it. Unforgivable imo. 

Yes. Needed to sign a winger or an impact sub. Surely could have found someone looking for a 6 month deal with someone currenly out of favour somewhere looking to fill a gap between European seasons

[KSK_47]

11 minutes ago, Deeming said:

Well someone got that wrong. Heads need to roll.

Just one head. JVS. 

Again, i completely disagree that the squad was not capable of winning silverware but that is irrelevant anyway.

CFG saying they are satisfied with the squad may not have necessarily meant they felt the squad was as good as it could be. It probably meant more "we gave you a generous budget by HAL standards and these are the players you picked. You have every position covered so make it work. We are not giving you any more money". And they are right to. No matter which way you spin it, its JVS who is at fault.

Anyway. I saw in the paper this morning they had a report card for Melbourne City. Anybody read this? Anything interesting?

[Deeming]

1 minute ago, KSK_47 said:

Anyway. I saw in the paper this morning they had a report card for Melbourne City. Anybody read this? Anything interesting?

Nothing that interesting nothing we didn't really know. Gave us a 'B'. Too much chopping and changing of the squad.

JvS likely to see out his contract was the disappointing prediction

[rass]

1 hour ago, NewConvert said:

Sorry to rain on your angst but Murfy reported that the FRG meeting held in February, the club stated that no further monies would be forthcoming and that the squad was in their view adequate to win silverware. Now it may well have been JVS's belief that he had the squad but the monies are not under the control of JVS. I don't think that you can fully pin this one on JVS.

The question should we have brought in an extra player is for further debate but the forward line was working but the defense was leaking. In came Wilko and that did a lot of shoring up, Malik also came in and he had a bit of an up/down half. What was needed were better quality LB/RB and how many people would have those positions as marquee spots? As for the midfield, JVS could not get Koren and Mooy working together (when Koren was fit), why would he have had Mooy and anyone else working together?

Also the general consensus on this forum is that it was JVS's quality as a coach that was lacking. Yes there were holes in the side but so does every team in the A-League because of the player and salary cap restrictions.

Finally, I would add that WSW marquee player, Pivorocco (or whatever his name is) did not work out at all and AFAIK he still remains on their books. He may as well not have been there.

I get the whole not spending money thing, i do.

But in the end, whoever made the decision on the squad,  it cost us a premiership and a championship and more than likely, some good players and memberships.  It backfired and simply, someone needs to be accountable. 

[Dylan]

On 22/04/2016 at 10:55 PM, kingofhearts said:

Yeah thats fair enough mate, sorrry, didn't want it to seem i was having a go at you.

So many people at the pub tonight i over heard were saying shit like "at least we finished higher then victory, at least we got to see bruno score goals blah blah blah" just so many people just not seeing the bigger picture!

Basically says they should have replaced Koren. But I completely agree with what you said. 'If you dont win, its because of you, not the resources we gave'

[Dylan]

Quote

 

Chewing The Fat: David Davutovic and Matt Windley discuss what went wrong with Melbourne City

GOALS galore, class across the board and the ‘keeper of the season. Melbourne City looked set to claim its maiden title until they fell apart in the semi-finals.

DAVID DAVUTOVIC: Melbourne City deserves credit for recruiting a record-breaking goalscorer and the keeper of the season, yet they still couldn’t surpass last season’s semi-final effort. Why?

MATT WINDLEY: I said it at the start of the season, last year’s semi-final effort was a bit of false positioning considering the Perth expulsion and the win over an out-of-form Wellington in the playoffs. I think then there was an increased expectation that they had to go one step further this season when in actual fact they really have improved. That said, to not win in a season where Bruno Fornaroli and Aaron Mooy tore the competition to shreds is an opportunity lost.

DD: Agree, and missing out on the Asian Champions League was a huge blow. Too much chopping and changing, the team couldn’t settle.

MW: The mid-season squad upheaval unsettled them for a while. Then the team came good. Then there was a few injuries again. It’s hard to get a read on whether or not the squad was actually improved or not.

DD: Squad better than a year ago, not sure it’s better than mid-season. Releasing Erik Paartalu was a mistake - the midfield was starting to gel while he was a constant threat (four goals) with Aaron Mooy’s delivery. Osama Malik was a good acquisition but trading Stefan Mauk? Disappointing on many fronts, especially for a club trying to build a fan base, at times City’s squad feels like a transit lounge with City using 32 players this season (equal record with Central Coast). It also underlines City Football Group’s commitment to Melbourne, as they’re splashing the cash.

MW: I also can’t believe this club, of all clubs, finished the season without an international marquee.

DD: Looking at City’s team in the semi-final collapse, I’m still to be convinced Robert Koren wasn’t good enough to be among the subs. But once he was axed, John van’t Schip clearly felt his squad was good enough to challenge.

 

MW: The FFA Cup semi-final was also disastrous. An opportunity to get in to the final of a competition for the first time and a below-full-strength line-up is sent to Perth. Not good enough. So, overall, are we giving the season a pass mark?

DD: It’s fair to say CFG officials raised eyebrows when they saw the teamsheet for that FFA Cup semi-final. This season’s definitely a pass mark, they have improved each year since the takeover, but make no mistake, expectations will be sky high in 2016-17.

MW: The merry-go-round has already begun. Alex Wilkinson out, Manny Muscat in. Assistant coaches Ivan Jolic and Luciano Trani also depart. What else is to come?

DD: They’re discussing as we speak but Adelaide’s Bruce Kamau, who tore them up last week, could be on his way.

MW: Next season, no excuses. Absolutely none. Grand final and Asian Champions League qualification an absolute minimum requirement. Van’t Schip in the last year of his contract too so the heat is on everyone at the club.

 

[KSK_47]

Can you imagine what would happen at a club like Victory or Western Sydney if the best the club had managed in 6 seasons was 1 week on top of the ladder? Best finish was 4th? 

Next season, no excuses?! Lol. Why is everyone so soft on this club?!

[Embee]

The ownership clearly aren't going to pump in money every 5 minutes to make up for (what I'm sure would be percieved by them) the mismanagement/poor construction of the squad.

I think there's a lot less micromanagement here than some may believe, sure the club have access to Scouts, finances etc ect but there's clearly a budget in place and we're not going to bailed out every time we fuck something up.

As has been said numerous times by numerous people, the squad we had, even without Koren, was MORE than adequate to deliver a minimum of one trophy this season, or at least Asian Qualification, and it didn't.

Sack the fucking coach. 

Edited April 27, 2016 by Embee

[thisphantomfortress]

5 minutes ago, Embee said:

Sack the fucking coach.

I made a TL;DR of the season from your post

[Jovan]

The problem with our Marquee Koren was well before the January transfer window. He was well out of favour during his first season and should have been replaced last pre season.  Whoever decided to continue with him was at fault.