2014 AFC Champions League

[sydmariner]

Credit to PP and his sidekick.

who? cheeseguy

 

[rbakersmith]

Really? Wow.

It's true

 

[dibo]

So if we get a draw and Seoul win...

 

[eenfish]

It's true

I love being wrong sometimes.

 

[rbakersmith]

So if we get a draw and Seoul win...

From what I can make of it, if we win we go through regardless (I think a Beijing win would actually put us in first place); if we draw then a Seoul win or a draw would still put us through ahead of Beijing.

I get a headache trying to figure out what happens if we lose...

 

[Roy Law]

How Did that Happen?​

I really don’t want to write anything about this game; I wish I had writer’s block. The clichés keep popping up in my head: from champagne football to flat beer; from penthouse to basement; from rooster to feather duster; pride cometh before fall. How did it come to this?
Phil Moss made the expected changes, Sterjovski, Simon and Kim started with Hutchinson back as captain. Bosnar was still carrying an injury so Griffiths kept his spot. The bench looked full of attacking ambition. The Mariners started well, playing good confident football; there was no sign of the often mentioned gap in technique between Australian and Asian football.
Seoul jolted us out of our comfort zone when a sharp break caught out the Mariners but the well-struck shot went wide. Rose got us on to the edge of our seats as good approach work had him free in the penalty area; his shot was dropped by the keeper, his follow-up shot was blocked, and then a header. Somehow Seoul scrambled the ball away. A beautifully weighted free kick from Kim had the keeper desperately clearing from the oncoming Griffiths; Simon had a tame shot spilled by the keeper.
The approach work was sophisticated and intelligent and when Seoul got forward the Mariners covered and recovered well. All was looking good. And then Seoul stunned us as another lightning break down the right saw a shot hit the bar so hard it almost knocked it out of the ground; Reddy was nowhere near the ball, it moved so fast. Reddy did much better a few minutes later with a smart full length save. Rose almost put Simon in with a ball across the face of the goal but the big man could not get a touch and then Simon again with a header after more neat approach work but he didn’t get any purchase on it.
Kim played a clever pass to Caceres who was needlessly fouled; from Kim’s excellent free kick Hutchinson placed a chance wide with his head. It was a great opportunity wasted. As the half came to a close Griffiths showed us that Bosnar isn’t the only player with a booming left foot as his shot from 35 metres forced the keeper to dive full length to save and from the corner Anderson’s looping header had the keeper scrambling to turn the ball over the bar.
The Mariners had played quite well in the first half, Seoul had kept us honest with some smart breaks, and we looked forward to a lift in tempo. Unfortunately it was Seoul who lifted.
Matt Simon, whose first touch had the ball bouncing off him as if off Rebound Ace, was finally booked by the patient referee after yet another clumsy foul. He had spent most of the game kicking opponents, hacking them from behind, and barging into them like an out of control dump truck. Hutchinson, already on a yellow, should have received his marching orders when he deliberately ran his studs down a Seoul player’s leg. It was ugly football as the Mariners became frustrated at their own failings.
Rose brilliantly defended in his penalty area and determinedly and skilfully brought the ball out of defence. It was a quality highlight in a game that increasingly felt as if the Mariners would not score.
Seoul then embarked on a remarkable and very generous series of misses; in five minutes they had three great chances to score. When the fall broke kindly and set an attacker free, one-on-one with Reddy, he bottled it and passed to another attacker who also delayed and Reddy was able to save with his right foot. Two minutes later they should have scored but Reddy again got in the way, this time with his left hand. Finally, a header, an open goal with no defender in sight, over the bar. It was as if Seoul was doing everything they could to not score.
As the fans in the stand tried to lift the team with chants of “Mariners! Mariners!” Seoul missed another, placing the ball wide. Reddy angrily claimed offside but I am not sure he was right.
Bernie Ibini was now on, replacing Sterjovski, to be joined by Mitchell Duke who replaced Kim. It didn’t make much difference; neither saw much of the ball as Seoul were calling all the shots. When Ibini did make a run he trod on the ball and lost it and then when he fashioned a chance he wildly blazed it high and wide. Rose fired a half chance over the bar; Trifiro came on for Griffiths who seemed to jar his leg in a tackle. Hutchinson moved to CB; it was to turn out a fateful move.
The Mariners were now resorting to long and hopeful balls, which was a quite hopeless tactic; they had run out of ideas of how to score. It seemed as if it would play out as a 0-0 draw. So it was a real shock to the Mariners, and a surprise to the wasteful Seoul, when Hutchinson, who seemed to get angrier by the minute, sliced a cross into his own goal to give Seoul a deserved but seemingly unwanted victory. It was a disappointing end to a game in which we all had high hopes; the Mariners simply were not good enough on the night.
Reddy performed heroics all game and is my MoM; Roux and Rose did well in the first half when Kim and Caceres were controlling the play but few players will be happy with what the delivered on the night.
And somehow we are still alive in this competition!

 

[Gratis]

Bosnar and Seip both injured which is why neither were on the bench, Mossy not to blame

hoping everyone is fully fit for sat

 

[Muppet]

Last nights game did my head in. Sooooo frustrating to watch. Thanks God for Reddy. Griffiths does not deserve a contract. Utter garbage. I lost count in the amount of times he was caught out of position or passed to a Seoul player. I am sure there are better players running around in State League sides. Likewise Matty can move on as well. Offers absolutely nothing except the ability to give away a fee kick and earn a card.

 

[scottmac]

Matt was frustrating last night. Ok, your isolated up top & is going to be a hard game for you, but for f**ks sake play the f**king ball & not the man.
At least he's out next game. Forces Moss' hand really on team selection with the cards recieved last night.

 

[Wombat]

who? cheeseguy

Stocky guy with a bald patch.

 

[gull]

Seemed to me that we had the same formation as the Brisbane game with Monty dropping back to the centre in defence, but we couldn't break anywhere near as quickly without the speed out wide. We then were just pinned back more and more as the match went on.

Caceres just doesn't work at AM. This has been shown many times this year, and it's odd that he was there when we had Kim on the field...

We did have chances in the first half, and it's ironic that Hutcho misses with a free header from a corner, then buries an own goal. Shame as for mine he had a great game.

 

[Wombat]

Chant of the night to the somewhat dodgy ref...."your worse than Barry O'Farrell"

And then when he finally gave us a free kick...." Nice one Barry, nice one son, nice one Barry, lets have another one".

 

[BrisRecky]

I heard that chant Wombat...it was a cracker...wait, that was us...
thank f**k for Reddy...cause after 15 minutes, most of em went ni-ni's....apart from Rosey and occasionally Monty and AC...NOW...to Rostyns brother, I know it aint your doing, but give back Zwaanje's shirt, there aint no way you earned the right to wear #6...matter of fact, quit, take up sports commentary or something.
e
The boys seem to be going one week on one week off don't we....crap against Glory, beat Roar, crap against Seoul..SO...using that piece of mathematical genius we should wallop Adelaide...maybe, if they think their still playing the Scummers

 

[yellowcake]

From what I can make of it, if we win we go through regardless (I think a Beijing win would actually put us in first place); if we draw then a Seoul win or a draw would still put us through ahead of Beijing.

I get a headache trying to figure out what happens if we lose...

Lose = gone
Draw = 2nd if Seoul win or draw at home (which show how valuable hanging on and getting the scoreless draw would have been in the circumstances - even a loss next week may not have seen us out)
Win = at least 2nd and if Seoul was to lose - 1st

 

[Big Al]

Great start & you could see Soul had been playing like crap for a few weeks. When Rosey's goal mouth scramble didn't go in it was going to be one of those nights.

Kim was great for first 20mins as well great soft touches, flickes, good crosses & free kicks - After that didn't know he was still playing until Trifiro took him off

After the first 20 they worked us out & grew in confidence because we didn't put them away. How sweet was that shot that cannoned off the crossbar in the first half. Some times a shot looks better when it his the post as the power in it is more visable.

Game was pretty fierce in the middle of the park in the 2nd & we couldn't get any flow. They not only cut off the 1st pass but the 2nd then the 3rd. They were right there pressuring us & getting the turnover 9/10 times.

Bernie & Rose both should have done better with the only kicks that remotely looked like shots towards the goal in the 2nd half.

Got to remember they lost last years final to GE on away goals I think & they tore last years team (much better than our current team) a new one.

Whats worse is the point we lost would have had us still in 1st & draw good enough in Japan & a loss potentially still enough had the other drawn.

Ahh well still a chance for the WSW/CCM rd 16 game

Was surprised to be playing Monty Hutch & Caceras for 90mins pre sat. Didn't seem to work either IMO

Very good crowd due to school hol's - 4100

Highlight of the night for me was the 10 kids in the western stand doing who do we sing for.

 

[gull]

Highlight of the night for me was the 10 kids in the western stand doing who do we sing for.

That was fantastic!

 

[sydmariner]

Great start & you could see Soul had been playing like crap for a few weeks. When Rosey's goal mouth scramble didn't go in it was going to be one of those nights.

Kim was great for first 20mins as well great soft touches, flickes, good crosses & free kicks - After that didn't know he was still playing until Trifiro took him off

After the first 20 they worked us out & grew in confidence because we didn't put them away. How sweet was that shot that cannoned off the crossbar in the first half. Some times a shot looks better when it his the post as the power in it is more visable.

Game was pretty fierce in the middle of the park in the 2nd & we couldn't get any flow. They not only cut off the 1st pass but the 2nd then the 3rd. They were right there pressuring us & getting the turnover 9/10 times.

Bernie & Rose both should have done better with the only kicks that remotely looked like shots towards the goal in the 2nd half.

Got to remember they lost last years final to GE on away goals I think & they tore last years team (much better than our current team) a new one.

Whats worse is the point we lost would have had us still in 1st & draw good enough in Japan & a loss potentially still enough had the other drawn.

Ahh well still a chance for the WSW/CCM rd 16 game

Was surprised to be playing Monty Hutch & Caceras for 90mins pre sat. Didn't seem to work either IMO

Very good crowd due to school hol's - 4100

Highlight of the night for me was the 10 kids in the western stand doing who do we sing for.

They were trying 2 get us 2 sing it not the other way round

 

[MagpieMariner]

Have not been impressed with Kim in general - he does some nice things, but not enough. Gets pushed off the ball too easily as well. I can see why we got him from Korea. We have made a huge mistake preferring him to Marcos, assuming his knee holds up after the reconstruction.

 

[true believer]

Stocky guy with a bald patch.

wombat were you wearing a brownish vest last next ?

 

[Jaundice]

​

Matt Simon, whose first touch had the ball bouncing off him as if off Rebound Ace, was finally booked by the patient referee after yet another clumsy foul. He had spent most of the game kicking opponents, hacking them from behind, and barging into them like an out of control dump truck.

Ive defended Matt many times from his 'enthusiastic' play but last night he was just a grub, and a loud mouth really dislikable one that the ref had every right not to tolerate.