AFC Cup

[priorpeter]

Don't forget we've got a player in this team who is the third highest scorer in our history, Torres on 13.

Just checking for my slightly neurotic brain, but you mean third highest scorer in a single season yeah? 😅

 

[Wombat]

Edmo will be a different striker once Torres leaves. If he had Urena, Tulio or Cummings beside him it'd be a different story.

I'm already excited to see how the recruitment for next season goes.

I had the same discussion with a well known East Gosford business owner today......but i wasn't a 100% sure my words would come true. I called for Alou and Edmo to play up top with Niz feeding them from the Midfield. I couldn't tell if Doka was going to make the grade and he did happily so i'm hoping Edmo does the same.....tbh Edmo is more likely to than Doka was 6 weeks in.

 

[true believer]

Elephant in the room is the strikers.

I'd rate them

1. Alou
2. Big Ed
3. Jing
4. DWH

I would like to see Alou and Ed play together and drop Niz back to midfield

and play alou at 10
100% with this

 

[true believer]

Edmo will be a different striker once Torres leaves. If he had Urena, Tulio or Cummings beside him it'd be a different story.

I'm already excited to see how the recruitment for next season goes.

sort off yes . but edo doesn't get into position well .

 

[Stoxxo]

While Kant is only 750m above sea level, playing regularly there may have given them an advantage; maybe not a dramatic increased red blood cell count but more acclimatised to it than the sea level Marin

While Kant is only 750m above sea level, playing regularly there may have given them an advantage; maybe not a dramatic increased red blood cell count but more acclimatised to it than the sea level Mariners?

How worried are we to be clutching at blood cells?

 

[Stoxxo]

Edmo will be a different striker once Torres leaves. If he had Urena, Tulio or Cummings beside him it'd be a different story.

I'm already excited to see how the recruitment for next season goes.

The elephant in the room is Edmo a 10-15 goal a season striker? I like your optimism.

 

[Meerkat]

Getting really far ahead, but is it a possibility the next AFC cup finals will be affected? Not just for us but all teams having to travel?

 

[pjennings]

The elephant in the room is Edmo a 10-15 goal a season striker? I like your optimism.

I think he is - just like McBreen was. He did it once - for us - in a long career. If you have the right setup he will do well.

 

[Big Dog]

This is exactly how you win premierships and what Monty introduced. Goal threats from the whole team, fear all of us.

Agreed. But it’s not us, yet. Cummings was a big part of the whole team threat. Our strikers are the elephant in the room.
When you look at all four I’d say Edmo and DWH are the most clinical but Alou and Reece the more athletic. We need to sort it in the off season

 

[Ancient Mariner]

I had the same discussion with a well known East Gosford business owner today......but i wasn't a 100% sure my words would come true. I called for Alou and Edmo to play up top with Niz feeding them from the Midfield. I couldn't tell if Doka was going to make the grade and he did happily so i'm hoping Edmo does the same.....tbh Edmo is more likely to than Doka was 6 weeks in.

I hope you are right. I was always confident that Doka would be ok and would fit in. I am confident that Edmo knows where the back of the net is and could be a very efficient scorer he is still not fitting in. He possibly needs a Urena style #10. It is essential he clicks soon.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

After watching Steel battle with the left back position I would be tempted to swap he and Tapp. I seem to remember Tappy having a successful game as a fill in CB at Gosford before his injury.

 

[Hello Sailor]

I agree Stoxxo. But we've also been blaming travel and the pitch. Frankly I thought Kant was a far better team on the night. Their passing and pressure were impressive while we turned over the ball far too often. I think Kant deserved at least a point and we were lucky to get away with one.

 

[Huddo]

I don't know why you wouldn't blame the pitch and travel.

The players played Saturday night in Melbourne, woke at 2, were on a plane at 5 and on flights or in airports for 28 hours arriving on Monday mid-morning. I'm pretty sure we were in economy, I'm pretty sure there would have been turbulence, All that would have be required to kill us even more is one unsettled baby.

We get to Bishkek, and we can't even train on the field, because of its state. To a team that has played on the field the whole way through the AFC so understands it.

Sure Kant outplayed us on the day, but for solid chunks they didn't threaten. It was Kant games plan to retain posession and press us because we were lethargic. It worked but we still walked away with a point.

Let wait and see what happens on Wednesday before we start getting all gloomy.

 

[Corsair]

After watching Steel battle with the left back position I would be tempted to swap he and Tapp. I seem to remember Tappy having a successful game as a fill in CB at Gosford before his injury.

Good idea

 

[Corsair]

Olyroos lost last night. If they don't beat Qatar on Monday then I think the boys will be coming home.

 

[FFC Mariner]

Olyroos lost last night. If they don't beat Qatar on Monday then I think the boys will be coming home.

Good. Should never have been taken away mid season

 

[Corsair]

The elephant in the room is Edmo a 10-15 goal a season striker? I like your optimism.

He has been in the past.

 

[Hello Sailor]

I don't know why you wouldn't blame the pitch and travel.

Travel perhaps, but both teams had to deal with the same pitch.

 

[Huddo]

Travel perhaps, but both teams had to deal with the same pitch.

We had never played on it..... They have played all there AFC games on it.....

 

[Ironbark]

Edmo is smart and athletic. Agree he just needs the right service and set up. He does make great runs that go unseen or ignored, particularly by Torres, and we've seen him with a turn of pace and can pull off powerful and technical shooting under pressure.

Kant are a well coached side who know how to play. They are also fast. They went for it at home, and we had the worst conditions to contend with. As much as Kant pressed relentlessly and at the right times we barely put 2 or 3 successful passes together which is very unlike us. The pitch and travel played a massive part in that.
In the end they barely threatened for all of their possession, they pressed and hacked and copped 5 yellows - 2 of which could easily have been reds due to studs up. They were definitely the better team on the night but needed all this in their favour to be so.
I'm still confident we win the return leg 2 or 3 nil. Jacko will have learnt a lot about them too.

Pretty happy the AU game was postponed. I was already genuinely concerned about injury after such a grueling run, never mind the impact it might have on the title race. Another silver lining is that we might have Faz back to torture the land Irukandji and Kuol to rotate the strikers