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Heart V Mariners

Insertnamehere

Well-Known Member
But can they actually do it will be the question? City can play that way with their attacking quality knowing they have the mids and back line to handle losing the ball playing aggressively. Can Brisbane or Adelaide do it as confidently? I dont think so and it will create space for us if they press.

I think we can bounce back from this one and work on those issues so we're in a better spot going in to the back end of the season. Big chance against Victory at home to rebuild confidence if we turn up and send a message. Shit weather should be behind us then too.
I think the 5 other teams in the 6 could absolutely. I think its more a question of which teams couldn't. Jest and whatever numpties Milicic is running.
 

Big Al

Well-Known Member
We have been at our hungriest with Koul and Simon on together harassing from the top. The energy from the front has gone.

There is also a disconnect from the mids and strikers when we have the ball.

We are trying to go long way to often and without any direction.
Koul runs angles so you can put the ball into space and he will get it but Matt is more aerial. He won’t make the angled runs and urena is better dropping back to collect the pass than chasing through balls. He can but not all day.

There was a point in the first half when Olli was dribbling looking for a pass halfway in our own half and he had Urena about 2-3 meters in front with a simple pass and Urena could turn and maybe put on a through ball. Olli ignored him and then turned the ball over. Urena cracked it and rightly so.

Hopefully just a very poor night. Why are we so bad in Melbourne
 

Ancient Mariner

Well-Known Member
I'm away from Sydney and only just got an internet connection. Do not know how long it will last. All I know of the game is what I am reading here. I may get to see the game replay on Sunday.
Anyway it sounds as if we had a Barry Crocker and many think they saw it coming. I am not surprised, we came out of the blocks flat out, and shocked other teams, but it may be that the hectic schedule is catching up, especially to our senior players who are sounding tired. We may not have played 3 games in a week for a while, but that, and the travelling all accumulate. Probably time for some intelligent use of rotating some players with full game rests.
There have been many surprise results this year with some form teams getting hammered. We are not Robinson Crusoe.
I suspect some here have got carried away with our position on the table. The season is not yet half over and there are more quick turnarounds to come. The A-League squads are smaller than Euro ones and will be harmed by a hectic schedule. There will be many upsets before the season is over.
I think back to before the start of the season. The optimists here were predicting a top 6 finish. Most were predicting to finish off the bottom hopefully with 2 or 3 teams below us.
Time for the reality check.
I will be satisfied with a top 6 finish at the end, which I think is achievable (hopefully top 4).
We may go through a bad patch, most teams do, but I think we are a long way yet from doom and gloom.

The most serious issue is that the power of the curse of the Ancient Mariner has failed.
 
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Capn Gus Bloodbeard

Well-Known Member
I think back to before the start of the season. The optimists here were predicting a top 6 finish. Most were predicting to finish off the bottom hopefully with 2 or 3 teams below us.
Time for the reality check.
I will be satisfied with a top 6 finish at the end, which I think is achievable (hopefully top 4).
We may go through a bad patch, most teams do, but I think we are a long way yet from doom and gloom.

This. Even if we drop off at this point and slide a few spaces - that's still a massive, massive win.

It's amazing how much our perspectives change isn't it?

We've gone from 'I'll simply accept 2nd last at this point' to 'dropping off first place is unacceptable!!'
 

Tevor

Well-Known Member
I also thought Balard did look a little nervous, but then grew into the half towards the end, slightly surprised he was dragged at half time.
Janota has to start out wide against victory, we need that added high quality on the ball. We have to make a statement that we won’t give up top spot. Victory are awful and we have to put them to the sword.
I think that was Balard's third appearance so you can be critical of Staj in a way that he hasn't been giving these young players a bit more time on the pitch against lower teams. I feel for Balard as it was a huge task and he did have some good moments but he was clearly nervous and when Luna came on it all fell apart. Pulling him was the right thing to do and I think an acknowledgement by Staj that he might have got that one wrong, I thought Janota looked lively the whole second half so fitness is less of an issue now. I can seen Janota maybe starting soon especially if Stens remains out and at best Stens is probably a sub on Saturday night or maybe out again. Was good to see Hall and he has suffered the same fate as Balard and not given many minutes so far but they are potential future players so it will come.
 

Allreet?

Well-Known Member
I thought Hall showed confidence and a bit of promise. He can hardly do worse than Nigro who's been out of form for weeks.

Felt sorry for Balard, that wasn't the game to start him. Should've been the team Staj went with second half.
 

Ancient Mariner

Well-Known Member
I think that was Balard's third appearance so you can be critical of Staj in a way that he hasn't been giving these young players a bit more time on the pitch against lower teams. I feel for Balard as it was a huge task and he did have some good moments but he was clearly nervous and when Luna came on it all fell apart. Pulling him was the right thing to do and I think an acknowledgement by Staj that he might have got that one wrong, I thought Janota looked lively the whole second half so fitness is less of an issue now. I can seen Janota maybe starting soon especially if Stens remains out and at best Stens is probably a sub on Saturday night or maybe out again. Was good to see Hall and he has suffered the same fate as Balard and not given many minutes so far but they are potential future players so it will come.
It is all a balancing act. Give youngsters a run, get minutes into your imports who are lacking match fitness, resting your old experienced players who are long in the tooth, while at the same time getting wins. All the time maintaining confidence in the squad.
Who wants to be a manager.
Staj may not get the balance perfectly right, but he is definitely good enough for me.
Extend his contract now.
 

booney

Well-Known Member
Outplayed,outcoached and out enthused by a very good City side.Apart from Birraz and Rowles none of the starting team had a good match( DDS did try hard but lacked support from the midfield and forwards).Nisbet looked lost particularly in the first half,Bozanic was being monstered and turned the ball over too often.Ballard's inexperience was evident but no shame in that.

Simon was too slow and Urena tried too many tricky flicks and passes which resulted in more turnovers.Clisby had a below average match though Nabbout also was having a so so game.However Noone definitely had the measure of Nigro.Tongyik overcommitted at times but this City strike force is very good.Rowles was my MOTM and Birraz made some great saves.

Janota added some stability to the midfield in the second half.Kuol was innocuous with no real service and Bouman did some good things in attack.Hall looked a bit better than Nigro but needs game time to see whether he is really first team standard.

Certainly the return of Stensness is vital.Oli was possibly distracted by Ballard's presence and as a result his game suffered.

City are entitled to be favourites to win the title this year.Have talent,strike capability and grit.Rostyn Griffiths was excellent for them particularly.
 

Allreet?

Well-Known Member
Simon was too slow and Urena tried too many tricky flicks and passes which resulted in more turnovers.Clisby had a below average match though Nabbout also was having a so so game.However Noone definitely had the measure of Nigro.Tongyik overcommitted at times but this City strike force is very good.Rowles was my MOTM and Birraz made some great saves.
Seriously, what game were you watching?

As a Mariners fan I was cringing.

As a Socceroos fan I was blown away. Nabbout was unbelievable last night.
 

booney

Well-Known Member
Nabbout made some poor decisions close to goal which if he had pulled the right rein would have meant more chances and goals for City.However I might have been a bit harsh calling him so so as in his previous two games he was outstanding.I agree that he would look good in the Socceroos on his present form
 

Allreet?

Well-Known Member
Yeah, he made a couple of poor choices in front of goals (thank fcuk) but he was the one who tore us a new one.

Fantastic player.
 

Huddo

Well-Known Member
I hope I don't come across as too supportive of other teams.

I am 100% a Mariners fan but I will always appreciate skill on the other team, especially when they're Socceroos.

Nah I think we can all say that our pants were pulled down last night, And there is alot of quality in that team. But that being said we did have positives, we just need to be aware of the weaknesses and to have contingencies with them, I think alot of us are forgetting alot of our team are new to this part of the table and as such we just need to keep learning from the losses to maintain our position.
 
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true believer

Well-Known Member
Seriously, what game were you watching?

As a Mariners fan I was cringing.

As a Socceroos fan I was blown away. Nabbout was unbelievable last night.
nabbout was good but on his resent form was down . he was a 8/10 .
the previous 3 games he was 9.8 .

clisby had a better game than what he's being given credit for and when they go over the film clisby won't be a highlight except for the lack of support he received . leading up to he second goal.

ratings
birrza 8.5 would have been 6 blot without him
clisby 6.5 hardest job on the park .could walk in and look the coach in the eyes
rowles 8 best game of the year for him
tonyik 6 loose with the ball .
nigro 5.5 simply overwhelmed due to midfield failures
nizzy 6 not in the game .
ballard 5 the jump in class against that level of quality was to much . we should have started janota
olli 6 played out of the game by $ity and so were ccm once they achieved that
dds 7 out gunned and no time or space .
urena 6 ineffective .with hind sight we should have played 451 to hold the midfield with marco in the centre
matty 6.5 tried hard like and old greyhound hound running 7th


these ratings probably need a bit of wombat harshness


nizzy , dds and ollie missed stens . stens job is the hardest on the park .till he's back .it's time to start janota there and wear it .
 
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Big Al

Well-Known Member
Both goals were conceded from turnovers and us not being able to track back and cover. It’s been a major problem for 5 yrs and we still look weak when being countered.
Need to tighten that back up which we have done reasonably well this year but we are alot looser than earlier in the season. Stens seems to be the only change player wise which is very interesting to see how good he was playing and important his combo with Olli has been
 
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booney

Well-Known Member
Many seasons ago when Jedinak was playing as a DM we had a very good first half of the season but in the January transfer period he went OS.We struggled for the rest of the season and limped into the finals but did not progress very far-I then realised how important he was to the team.Stens is now approaching similar importance to the current line up so if he can return with his early season form the team will be more settled.
 

Corsair

Well-Known Member
I can't wait to be wrong about Janota...

Weirdly parts of his game remind me of Melling. Obviously a much better player but i haven't seen him create much and i think the cocky loose style is going to get caught out at some point. As a holding mid he makes me nervous. But from a distance he looks like a reasonably big lad and we're missing some physical prescence.
 

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