ALM semi first leg v Smurfs away

[Tevor]

Watched the replay as what else is there to do after that performance and it’s a wet day.

I really liked Theo’s performance, I think he is our enforcer and he disrupts teams. A SFC fan said they hate him so he is doing a good job IMO. Struggles for pace but keeps improving and over the last few matches he really plays his role in the team well. He is as hard as nails. Takes hard tackles and hands them out as well.

Jacko out coached Talay this time so it’s still Talay in front 2 to 1. I can see why Talay wanted to press us into submission then put on his attack later in the game. Our shock factor was we came out firing for the first 20 minutes and I can’t remember when we last did that this season. This shocked them and their gamble didn’t pay off and it’s why they looked better when Burgess came on. I also get why we started Kuol, his pace was good at keeping their backline on their toes, the Nix showed SFC struggle against pace and he was perfect and ran himself into submission. Kuols flick ons for a roaming Nizzy were great.

Next game will be a cracker again, pretty sure they are going to come at us with everything they have and try for an early goal. Can’t wait to see how we counter them again. We have some great coaches who came up with a nice change up so let’s hope we can do it again.

Nervous week ahead, I’m not overly confident yet as beware the wounded. But this team has amazed me beyond belief, truly a special bunch including those from the last two seasons who started what we are experiencing now.

 

[Meerkat]

Yes agreed. Ronny was poor after two brilliant halfs against Scum and the Lebos.

He was also struggling big time to stay on his feet. Like literally.. wrong studs?

 

[FFC Mariner]

Caceres will never be a player I admire because of who he is not what he is (we remmber)
He knew it was a pen, watch the replay, the hand goes up straight away.
Lovely ro see those assholes held to the same standards as the rest of the league, must have come as a terrible shock to them.
The 1st red was a career ending one. How did the ref only give a yellow to begin with? VAR must have said "you sure champ?" We were 75m away and knew it was a terrible foul
On the second red, McBreen said "its not an elbow its just a foul" .Even if it was, he impeded a player who was thrpugh = yellow.
The entire post game narrative has been about how Sydney were robbed. Cry harder.
Talay knew - after the game he simply shook the refs hand and walked away, didnt blow up at him at all.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

The 1st red was a career ending one. How did the ref only give a yellow to begin with? VAR must have said "you sure champ?" We were 75m away and knew it was a terrible foul
On the second red, McBreen said "its not an elbow its just a foul" .Even if it was, he impeded a player who was thrpugh = yellow.
The entire post game narrative has been about how Sydney were robbed. Cry harder.
Talay knew - after the game he simply shook the refs hand and walked away, didnt blow up at him at all.

The first one, ref was out of position. Any ref knows that you want a side-on view of challenges. He was directly behind which gives a terrible view (probably hard to tell if the studs were that high going in, or if the foot just came up after the foul which often happens too)- and may have been obscured by the player himsef. But, it's not a case of the ref being unlucky - you can see him sidestep into that position when the SFC player was running in, while he should have stood still. A momentary poor positioning decision lead to missing a clear red card.

As for the second - was it my imagination, or did the entire commantating panel suddenly go REALLY pro SFC in the second half when they realised SFC might lose? The way they talked about that foul was the most biased, ignorant garbage since Bozza picked up a mike. You can see the elbow go straight up towards his jaw - it should have been a straight red. Though, 2nd yellow is better for us as at least they haven't appeal it.

Complaining about SFC being robbed is just dumb. It's definitely a pen, though just one of those unfortunate mistimed things. The reds are clear as day. Despite the overall poor refereeing, the 3 single biggest decisions were correct. Though, still think their goal should have been disallowed.

 

[true believer]

Caceres will never be a player I admire because of who he is not what he is (we remmber)
He knew it was a pen, watch the replay, the hand goes up straight away.
Lovely ro see those assholes held to the same standards as the rest of the league, must have come as a terrible shock to them.
The 1st red was a career ending one. How did the ref only give a yellow to begin with? VAR must have said "you sure champ?" We were 75m away and knew it was a terrible foul
On the second red, McBreen said "its not an elbow its just a foul" .Even if it was, he impeded a player who was thrpugh = yellow.
The entire post game narrative has been about how Sydney were robbed. Cry harder.
Talay knew - after the game he simply shook the refs hand and walked away, didnt blow up at him at all.

nailed it

 

[booney]

Watched the replay as what else is there to do after that performance and it’s a wet day.

I really liked Theo’s performance, I think he is our enforcer and he disrupts teams. A SFC fan said they hate him so he is doing a good job IMO. Struggles for pace but keeps improving and over the last few matches he really plays his role in the team well. He is as hard as nails. Takes hard tackles and hands them out as well.

Jacko out coached Talay this time so it’s still Talay in front 2 to 1. I can see why Talay wanted to press us into submission then put on his attack later in the game. Our shock factor was we came out firing for the first 20 minutes and I can’t remember when we last did that this season. This shocked them and their gamble didn’t pay off and it’s why they looked better when Burgess came on. I also get why we started Kuol, his pace was good at keeping their backline on their toes, the Nix showed SFC struggle against pace and he was perfect and ran himself into submission. Kuols flick ons for a roaming Nizzy were great.

Next game will be a cracker again, pretty sure they are going to come at us with everything they have and try for an early goal. Can’t wait to see how we counter them again. We have some great coaches who came up with a nice change up so let’s hope we can do it again.

Nervous week ahead, I’m not overly confident yet as beware the wounded. But this team has amazed me beyond belief, truly a special bunch including those from the last two seasons who started what we are experiencing now.

Sorry can't agree about Theoharous.Tapp and Balard are our enforcers and how well they do that job.Theo does work hard admittedly but loses possession too easily and often runs himself into blind alleys.Also he did not seem to be very effective in helping Farrell cope with the dangerous Burgess when he came on .Burgess stepped past him effortlessly on two or three occasions.

He did suck Caceres into the tackle resulting in the penalty so that did show some football nous .He infuriates me as I can see a talented player there who doesn't fully utilise his abilities.At least he has stopped doing the pointless and stationary step overs.

Kuol started well though he should have done better with Roux's pass.At least he had made the run to nearly be in the right position.However he let that dickhead Brattan unsettle him .Good on him for giving the Brat a sharp dig in the ribs but the Sydney captain made sure he milked it drawing the ref's attention.After the yellow card he became subdued and did not run as hard at the defenders when called upon to press them.

Hopefully Theoharous can prove me wrong next week and hit a scorching shot bulging the back of the net as he did several weeks ago.Also Jacko needs to tell Kuol not to be sucked in by Brattan's niggling and verbal harassment.

 

[FFC Mariner]

Apart from being involved in 2 big moments I thought Theo's overall game was really poor. Continually chose the wrong option and it was as has been said earlier, an early season game.
Dan's passing was a bit wayward at times too which is very unusual.

Agree with the commentary - I watched the replay and they were very pro Sydney.

But we dont care

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

Yeah the commentary turned very strangely pro Sydney. Simon Hill is normally relatively good at being unbiased and Macca is normally fairly balanced even possibly biased to us.

But they turned rabidly Sydney in the second half, Rodwell's tackle is an indefenceable challenge and Hollman's was at minimum a yellow just for catching someone with your elbow, regardless of intent.

I reckon they might be worried/have been told about what will happen to their jobs if there is a Mariners vs Phoenix Grand Final and it gets stuff all ratings.

Not that it should ever matter, but that's the only reason I can think of why someone like Macca, who is usually quick to tell other commontators off for bias, would turn so quickly against us.

 

[Tevor]

Yeah the commentary turned very strangely pro Sydney. Simon Hill is normally relatively good at being unbiased and Macca is normally fairly balanced even possibly biased to us.

But they turned rabidly Sydney in the second half, Rodwell's tackle is an indefenceable challenge and Hollman's was at minimum a yellow just for catching someone with your elbow, regardless of intent.

I reckon they might be worried/have been told about what will happen to their jobs if there is a Mariners vs Phoenix Grand Final and it gets stuff all ratings.

Not that it should ever matter, but that's the only reason I can think of why someone like Macca, who is usually quick to tell other commontators off for bias, would turn so quickly against us.

Hard to explain, they even tried to talk down Rodwell’s challenge when it was being reviewed. Macca on the Hollman decision is not unexpected as I listen to his pod and he thinks the game is soft now and head shots shouldn’t be punished like the good old days.

Not sure they are worried about their jobs, what shocked me was how small the crowd was. They were playing the Premiers in a Semi so no excuse also the majority of the seats are covered. Will be great if we beat it which we should, also both Vuck and Nix crowds will beat 14k.

 

[Ads]

There is lots of calls that Kuol challenge on keeper when playing for the through ball should have also seen red.

Does anybody have still shots, good video of it?

 

[turbo]

There is lots of calls that Kuol challenge on keeper when playing for the through ball should have also seen red.

Does anybody have still shots, good video of it?

Clutching at straws. Don’t recall anyone saying it before Sydney copped theirs

 

[MrCelery]

There is lots of calls that Kuol challenge on keeper when playing for the through ball should have also seen red.

Does anybody have still shots, good video of it?

50-50 ball. Definitely risky for the goalie, but he didn't complain. Credit to the Grey Wiggle.

 

[MrCelery]

Bratten is such a whinger.....Good to see Alou standing up to his dirty tricks.

‘He punched me’: Sparks fly after Mariners clinch semi-final advantage

May 11, 2024

By Vince Rugari (SMH)

Sydney FC captain Luke Brattan has accused Olyroos striker Alou Kuol of gut-punching him behind play in their sometimes spiteful showdown with the Central Coast Mariners, who are now just 90 minutes away from securing a historic home grand final in Gosford.

The Mariners kept their treble hopes on track with a terrific come-from-behind 2-1 victory in the first leg of their A-League semi-final on Friday night, barely three days since their return from the AFC Cup final in Oman.

Two red cards to Sydney FC’s Jack Rodwell and Corey Hollman helped the Mariners’ cause, reducing the Sky Blues to nine men in the second half, but Central Coast were perhaps fortunate to have finished the match with their full complement of players, if Brattan’s account is to be believed.

Kuol, who scored the match-winner in the AFC Cup final, was again hugely influential at the point of Central Coast’s attack and was involved in a running battle with Brattan, which threatened to boil over.

The 22-year-old was yellow carded for a lunging tackle on Brattan, but it wasn’t their only coming together in the first half. Earlier, Brattan appealed to referee Ben Abraham to punish Kuol for an alleged off-the-ball hit in response to a shirt pull. Kuol seemed to argue he only struck him with an open hand, not a closed fist, and while no action was taken, the pair continued to clash verbally.

“He punched me in the stomach,” Brattan said when asked to explain what had gone on between them. “I’m not trying to get anyone sent off, but I grabbed his shirt and he punched me in the stomach, and apparently they looked at it and there was nothing.

“That’s no problem. The game’s not about the referees. We didn’t do what we were meant to do, and we’re down 2-1 now, so it is what it is. It’s all good. That’s part of the game. Nothing in that.”

Brattan admitted Sydney’s much-vaunted high press did not function correctly – and when it did, Kuol’s aerial presence and hold-up play enabled the Mariners to get out of trouble and attack.

Rodwell and Hollman will now be suspended for next Saturday’s return leg at Industree Group Stadium, while there is concern about Jake Girdwood-Reich, who came off with a corked thigh in the first half and could join star winger Joe Lolley, already ruled out for the rest of the finals series, on the sidelines.

“We’re not in a great situation,” Brattan said. “Our backs are against the wall with this, but we’ve got a great group and great coaching staff and they’ll prepare us well and whoever comes in will know their role and do a job. [The Mariners are] a fantastic team, they’ve won what they have for a reason, so it’s going to be a tough game, but it’s definitely not over.”

Fears that the Mariners would be physically spent after their long-haul travel – having flown more than 100,000km this season in pursuit of their Asian title – proved unfounded.

“So everyone should be talking about the travel. It’s tough,” Mariners skipper Danny Vukovic said. “To think we played a game on Monday at 2am, and now we’re here, winning against Sydney FC … massive effort.”

Mark Jackson’s men now have the ultimate incentive to finish the job against the Sky Blues after the mid-week announcement that, if they earn hosting rights, the Mariners will play their home ground final at their actual home ground. In 2008, Football Federation Australia deemed what was then known as Bluetongue Stadium had insufficient capacity for the A-League’s showpiece event. This time, the Australian Professional Leagues had pencilled in Parramatta’s CommBank Stadium but relented after protests from the club.

“That’s huge incentive for the club and the players,” said Vukovic, who was infamously sent off in that 2008 decider after hitting the referee’s arm in frustration. “It’ll be a huge occasion for the Coast if we can get there. But obviously, there’s a lot of work to be done.”

The Mariners have played 41 matches in all competitions this season compared to Sydney’s 34. Perhaps their biggest challenge, after such a packed fixture, will be adjusting to a regular seven-day break before the second leg without a midweek game.

“Something about this team … the more we play, it’s better for us,” Vukovic said. “I think we had 10 days off one time, and we probably had our worst game. These boys are incredible the way they back up. I think being young helps them recover.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have concerns about this season with playing in Asia – I’ve done it before and it’s not easy. But somehow we’ve just managed to turn up and compete and find ways to win games.”

Jackson, meanwhile, warned his players not to underestimate the Sky Blues despite their advantage.

“Sydney are a formidable team, they’re a dangerous team. And you know what people say: beware of the wounded animal,” he said. “We’ll do our homework, we’ll prepare the players physically, and we’ll be ready, but we expect a tough, tough battle.”

 

[MrCelery]

 

[priorpeter]

“He PuNcHeD mE 😭😭😭” what are you, 12? Grow tf up Bratten.

 

[Huddo]

I'm sure if Bratten was punched by Kuol, Ben would have heard about it.

 

[Stuartmcateer]

Let's be honest. Who doesn't want to punch Brattan?

 

[Insertnamehere]

There is lots of calls that Kuol challenge on keeper when playing for the through ball should have also seen red.

Does anybody have still shots, good video of it?

I think if Alou clipped him its possibly a red. He was showing studs.

 

[Josho Howe]

Watching the replay, Brattan could not stop whinging at the ref all game, soon as Rodwell went through Theoharous with an awful tackle, he's trying to shield the ref from our complaints.

If there's a queue for wanting to punch this c**t, l am joining it right now.

 

[Insertnamehere]

Watching the replay, Brattan could not stop whinging at the ref all game, soon as Rodwell went through Theoharous with an awful tackle, he's trying to shield the ref from our complaints.

If there's a queue for wanting to punch this c**t, l am joining it right now.

Bratten defs got in Abraham's head