R2: Sydney FC v CCMFC

[Wombat]

Paolo in the press

“My mindset right at the moment is we wanted to win the game and I thought we came here tonight very brave, we dominated possession,” Okon said. “It was 80-20 at one stage and for most the game it was 70-30 but we conceded four goals.

“That’s the way we want to play football, I’m happy with the team but of course if you’re going to make school boy errors against any opposition let alone a team who’s in form and playing at home you’re going to concede goals. It’s an area we need to work on and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

“I think we were the better side tonight and I challenge anyone to disagree with me, someone needs to explain to me the handball rule because that’s two in two weeks. That would have made it 2-1 if we scored, if O’Donovan’s finish goes in it’s 2-2 and maybe we’re talking about something different.

“We never gave up, we continued to play our football and we will get better at it and I’m confident that we will win football games.

“Bobo’s a big boy and to knock him over it takes more than the wind, from where I was sitting, very soft.

“I don’t think the style of football costed us four goals tonight, it almost scored us a couple of goals so that’s the thing. Tonight the focus will be on the four goals and not on our style of play and the way we will score goals and the way we should have scored goals tonight. That’s my vision and it aint gonna change, we just need to be more resilient.

“When we’re in possession I think we can hurt teams, it’s about being a bit more brave and we’re working on it.

“The goals we scored last week and the opportunities we created last night are not by chance, they are what we work on.

“We’ve got someone up top that we want to give opportunities because we know Roy’s a goal scorer,” Okon said.


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He is delusional.
We were shit.
How many chances did we create?
How many shots did we have?
How many saves did Danny have to make?

We were very lucky it wasn't a 5 or 6 goal flogging.

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

He is delusional.
We were shit.
How many chances did we create?
How many shots did we have?
How many saves did Danny have to make?

We were very lucky it wasn't a 5 or 6 goal flogging.

He has a game plan and something to build towards, Tony simply didn't. He lost with a team he didn't sign and is doing his best. Hammering our already low on confidence players won't help encouraging them will. When we stuck to the game plan and didn't make horrendous errors (by players not signed by Okon) we were more than in the game.

 

[Wombat]

I'm not slagging Okon but he sounds like Moss tonight. We got smashed.....we will get better.

 

[pjennings]

I'm not slagging Okon but he sounds like Moss tonight. We got smashed.....we will get better.

I think when he goes back and looks at the game he will not be so happy with the performance. When I watched the first half last week - minus the goals we weren't bad. This week was a step backwards.

I think Roy was unlucky - Ryall got a slight touch just before it got to Roy and he had no time to react.

All up - not many positives to take out of the game.

 

[Stoxxo]

Same shit different day OKON OUT!!!!

Feel like adding any substance to your thousands and thousands of shit posts you have delivered or is that beyond you?

 

[Forum Phoenix]

If by substance you mean "add more emoticons"?

SFC are good. Too good for us across the entire park. Quality finishers, high quality service, and very strong defence. They're the best team in the HAL at the moment, so I think we have to view our defeat and intention through that lense.

Agree with most posts. Our defence needs work and we MUST show more adventure in attack. If teams want to trap us because of our mandate to play out (as I feared Arnie may decide to do - and so I'm sure will others) then in our half we must drop the shoulder and look to dribble past more often, and play diagonal balls over etc feeding our forwards - exactly what Rowdy said: we must turn them around.. This is critical. Anyway, Sounds like Okon is onto this - except maybe playing over the top at times...

I know it sounded borderline insane and moss-esque, but I also kind of liked his absolute pig headedness about our approach and possession stats. Moss had no stats in his favour to be basing his delusional opinions off. But that said, definitely pretty weird when SFC were clearly the better side. Oh and his ref rage was great, was warranted and edifying imo. Very biased officiating today.

Finally what's up with no Fab? Foxing on his return or a possible fall out?

 

[Ancient Mariner]

He is delusional.

My first thought, but I think when he watches a replay he will see the problems.

He is trying to follow Ange's style when he was with Roar. Basically the technique is to hold possession and stop the other team from playing whatever game plan they have through starvation.

Part of that plan is for the player with the ball to be supported by multiple team mates with lots of off the ball movement and players getting in good position. While our back 4 plus Tavares held the ball reasonably well not enough options were provided by midfield movement to provide them with outlets to go forward whilst still maintaining possession without playing just hopeful passes and giving it away. The other part of the plan is to be in the oppositions' faces and to hassle them into giving up the ball by making hurried decisions and errors. SFC players were too good for us to be able to do this.

It is a style that takes a team time to perfect and a style which requires the right players and quickness of thought and movement in the midfield.

I would say he was probably happy with the discipline shown in keeping the ball.

First steps in a long journey.

 

[true believer]

Well that's another 90 minutes I'd like to forget :-(

While it seems everyone wants to rag us .
I thought we looked alot better than last year .

Sydney clearly ,like melbourne have no salary cap . With simon ,bernie , dimatravich and brosque on the bench.

we had problems penerating , but
Our ball movement at times was pretty good . as was our reacquisition once the ball was lost .

Its hard to lose , but not as hard as last year .
Stay with it paulo , i see the light at the end of the tunnel .

 

[true believer]

Wombat said
He is delusional.
umm no
We were shit.
we were better than last year . against a side thats has basically two A - league squads
How many chances did we create?
a few , but we can't afford to have 3 strikers not even take the field
so much for the A-league supporting Australian talent !

How many shots did we have?
double negative
How many saves did Danny have to make?
he didn't have to worry about a penalty either

We were very lucky it wasn't a 5 or 6 goal flogging.
the toilet seat isn't won in october

 

[dibo]

He is delusional.
We were shit.
How many chances did we create?
How many shots did we have?
How many saves did Danny have to make?

They're not the only ways to measure progress.

As a coach, he wants process over outcomes.

Get the process right and the outcomes will follow in time.

Chase outcomes now without the process and any future success is effectively accidental.

 

[Big Al]

It's the possession for possession sake that worries me.

Playing around with it in your own half is not controlling the game. Sydney were, they let us do that all we wanted as can't score goals from there and they blocked the path of the passes out.

When we get to half way between the attacking box and half way and turn around and go back just to hold the ball frustrates me. You give up the hard work you did to get there. Much rather an attempt at a through ball or cross and turn it over as there defence might make a mistake.

 

[Big Al]

When 50% of that 70% possession is in the attacking half we will be happy with possession football.

Strong base and as people are saying there is a plan and will take time and better players to execute.

 

[nebakke]

Finally what's up with no Fab? Foxing on his return or a possible fall out?

They touched on it at the start of the game... Said that while he's back in training, the club had opted to not risk him just yet... I took it to essentially mean that it's likely he'll be back next week.

Thing is though... Unless he can take on the #10 role, that's not really where we need the change... I think the team has the potential to be great, but out defence lets us down, again and again - as has already been said.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

Just thinking about the match....Okon recognises that schoolboy errors cost us the match so I don't think he's blinkered. SFC were the better team....but not by 4 goals.
But looking at the goals....
- One was a penalty. I don't disagree with the decision, but perhaps a little unlucky. Sometimes they're given, sometimes not. But it was stupid defending
- Neill's attempt to stop the ball on the first one was the sort of thing you might see an U/14D player do
- Ivan's stuffup. Nothing more to say there
-even the remaining goal, that was a ball that should have been an easy win, our defender had no strength, didn't try to muscle him off the ball, and Ivan's starting to show his biggest weakness (not coming to the ball).

4 goals, but would I be delusional to say that SFC didn't really earn any of them?
Don't get me wrong - one thing that always separates the top teams from the bottom is ability to capitalise on mistakes and that's still a plus for SFC there, but even so.....

I

 

[Tevor]

My tip for the HAL this year is plenty of goals and to beat last seasons record, three games this round and twelve goals already. I have a feeling it is not going to be uncommon to see teams concede 3 or 4 goals in a match this year which is what we have seen so far from us, Victory, Perth and WSW. I'm going to back Okon and his plans for at least two years because that is what he needs as a minimum. He is head and shoulders above the last two.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

Given he's dealing with somebody else's squad and a few years of ordinary recruiting I also would want to see how he performs next season after the chance to influence recruitment.

Of course, we've seen in the past when a coach made the same mistakes each week due to apparent stubbornness rather than responding to the team's actions, and while its early days I don't feel like Okon is going to do that. I'm optimistic for him, but we could have another long and difficult season ahead of us. Though we will get more wins on the table this season.

In response to earlier concerns about posession for the sake of possession - I suspect Okon knows that possession is simply a means to an end. Playing it to the back is fine if you have a team that's well drilled in building from the back but also capable of pushing forwards when the opportunity presents itself. We're not there yet (and what's to say that's even his end goal).

 

[FFC Mariner]

My worry is that he is imposing his system on someone else's players. Albeit only 2 games and it's looking like they aren't good enough to implement it
He complains about silly errors but thats what poor players do.
He may need to find a system and style that tries to mask the inadequacy of most of our squad rather than the Roar /Socceroos 4231

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

My worry is that he is imposing his system on someone else's players. Albeit only 2 games and it's looking like they aren't good enough to implement it
He complains about silly errors but thats what poor players do.
He may need to find a system and style that tries to mask the inadequacy of most of our squad rather than the Roar /Socceroos 4231

What this season will be about is seeing which, if any, players can play his style. I think he will assess who is up to it and who isn't by half way. I doubt his style is possible with our current squad but he might manage it. If not we may need to simply play the style that suits this squad best with a hint of Okon flavour.

 

[Wombat]

“I think we were the better side tonight and I challenge anyone to disagree with me"

I strongly disagree Paul and I think anyone in their right mind would disagree. However, I like your positive mindset.
While we are on the subject of positives......i'm positive we need some new players!

 

[Timmah]

It's worth noting Fabio and Rosey are still to return to the lineup. Not world-beaters but certainly both walk-up starting players.