GAME DAY FINALLY GRGvCCM

[dibo]

Sounds like some blaming of the officials going on.

http://www.insidesport.com.au/fourfourtwo/news/walmsley-officials-cost-us-432448

They're reasonable complaints. The AR got it wrong. Twice. And there was a decent shout for a penalty (and red card) in stoppage time that might have yielded an equaliser and forced it to extra time.

But the simple act is that we shouldn't have been in a position where it mattered.

 

[Myzer]

But the simple act is that we shouldn't have been in a position where it mattered.

This basically what I feel. While the officials gave two wrong decisions, we should never have been in a situation where that would matter in the first place.

 

[ballantyne]

Well I was pretty happy with that.

Despite the poor refereeing we didn't deserve to win - I loved how we weren't in it really at all in the second half bar about 5mins.

It's also great how we showed fairly little grit and very little in the ways of structured plays. It was fantastic watching that to think that another A-League team would have butchered us.

My favourite bit is how we've managed to turn the tables - we used to continuously win against the odds but now we continually lose against the odds.

Things I'm displeased about - Powell looked the goods as did Necevski.

Overall good times, good times.

It wasn't against the odds though. GG were in better condition, playing at home and very motivated. The run-on team has a strong record of failure, is chronically rubbish against set pieces and high pressing, and has tactically naive coach.

 

[Luca Brasi]

Disappointed, embarrassed but not suicidal.
Makeshift team in what is atm a glorified pre season match.
Would rather we lost and focussed on the issues rather than paper over the cracks courtesy of a scrappy win.
You learn from your losses. Learnt that Ascroft is not a right back, Monty is not a centre back. McGing, Berry, Bingham & Appiah are all squaddies. Neill and Rose need an experienced spine to guide them. Depth is better but will still be an issue this season.
Coaching staff have a lot of work in front of them but at least still have 9 weeks to do it. Question is are they up to it?

 

[BrisRecky]

Disappointed, embarrassed but not suicidal.
Makeshift team in what is atm a glorified pre season match.
Would rather we lost and focussed on the issues rather than paper over the cracks courtesy of a scrappy win.
You learn from your losses. Learnt that Ascroft is not a right back, Monty is not a centre back. McGing, Berry, Bingham & Appiah are all squaddies. Neill and Rose need an experienced spine to guide them. Depth is better but will still be an issue this season.
Coaching staff have a lot of work in front of them but at least still have 9 weeks to do it. Question is are they up to it?

Learn from this loss? The jibbering idiot hasn't learnt anything from last year's losses and looks like he never will

 

[ballantyne]

Learnt that Ascroft is not a right back, Monty is not a centre back.

Learnt that after 60 seconds of the last A-League game of last season.

 

[pjennings]

While I am not resiling from the fact that we were awful and there have been serious questions about our team selection what it highlighted was the real need for some quality backup

You have to assume that Faty and Tavares are not match fit, Poscoliero was injured and Storm was still coming back.

Our other choices at RB were Rose and ???? and at CB Rose and ????

TBH I didn't think Monty was too bad at CB but would have preferred him at DM and the whole team would have been better balanced. The midfield really didn't seem to want to play

 

[dibo]

Learn from this loss? The jibbering idiot hasn't learnt anything from last year's losses and looks like he never will

For what it's worth, I don't think this is true.

We defended much better from the front yesterday, and if anything we got a bit caught up in the game being a scrum rather than a football match. There was at least some effort and some structure to the defence (for the most part).

The base of midfield missed Monty though, and we're still too weak at CB.

Ascroft was out of position (which really can't be helped, given issues with Roux and Posco).

What was massively improved was the effort out of the front 4 without the ball. We looked like there was at least some semblance of a plan there, whereas last year we were frankly hopeless there. That also tells me the 'entertain or bust' mantra is dead - that really acted as a licence for attackers to do nothing in defence, where now there's some effort.

With the ball, we looked better once we got the ball out of the back line. McGing had a shocker on a lot of fronts, but with ball at feet he was very poor, as was Ascroft. This is basically where our trouble started, because we had Necevski, Monty, Rose and Neill making the right sort of moves for a pretty stock-standard playing out from the back pattern but the execution from McGing and Ascroft was appalling at times. That encouraged GG, who could see value in pressing high and they were very nearly rewarded a few times, but for some good scrambling defence.

Having this trouble getting the ball from deep meant that the rest of the attack struggled until we got past halfway. On the other side of halfway, we were frankly guilty of over-complicating things at times, and incredibly poor crossing at others.

The heavy and bobbly pitch wouldn't have helped with any of this. There were lots of individual skill errors that I'd never expect to see on a dry, flat pitch. That said, our side committed individual skill errors every game last year that you'd never expect to see on a dry, flat pitch...

I still don't think we've got our selections right though (though I've not been at pre-season games or training, so I've no idea who's otherwise playing/training well and who's playing/training like a busted arse) and our signings are uninspiring. How much of this is TW, how much of this is MC and how much of this is just the general pattern of everything is a clusterf**k I really don't know.

 

[Rowdy]

Did anybody actually watch the game?
..... (actually, anybody been watching our preseason games at all?)

Yes & yes.
Re-read the thread, many of us took the time to post what was going on for those unable to watch

I have Foxtel, but seriously considering whether I want to add the sports pack on this year again.

Do you drink ... smoke ??
Because for the cost of a schooner of beer - $5.70 per week extra, on top of the fact you've already got Foxtel is an extremely cheap price to pay for watching your beloved Football team.

In fact the whole A-League, some EPL, Championship, SPL, La Liga, Bundisleagia, Eredivisie etc etc for that price.

 

[dibo]

All I can say is I hope TW and others read some of this, and maybe stick things up on the walls of the dressing sheds. They've gotta show us some fight. They've got to win us over. They've got to give us some reason to believe this year is going to be better, because at the moment the evidence is scant.

 

[FFC Mariner]

All I can say is I hope TW and others read some of this, and maybe stick things up on the walls of the dressing sheds. They've gotta show us some fight. They've got to win us over. They've got to give us some reason to believe this year is going to be better, because at the moment the evidence is scant.

Im not so sure he will. TW isnt answerable to anyone in Australia - he reports direct to Storrie and ultimately MC.

You would hope that there has been an "awkward" teleconference but I suspect MC wont press the panic button just yet. If he was prepared to sit and watch last season, he wont give a toss about last night.

Sadly

 

[midfielder]

Compare the two starting lineups we might have put out.

The actual:

Necevski
Ascroft McGing Montgomery Neill
Rose Berry
Ferreira Powell Bingham
O'Donovan​

Bench: Izzo, Appiah-Kubi, Pain, Faty, Tavares

​

The potential:

Necevski
Ascroft Faty Rose Neill
Rose Montgomery
Ferreira Powell Pain
O'Donovan​

Bench: Izzo, Appiah-Kubi, Bingham, McGing, Tavares

Take the game by the scruff, win it in the first 45 minutes and get the f**k out of there, pride intact.

Instead, we get the shit-show we had last night.

One note also - Tavares looked underdone and Appiah pointless. If Faty is as far off the pace as those two then we're going to struggle.

Pain looked OK and Necevski a decided improvement on Izzo, so there are at least two positives.

This is a huge part of the issue dummies like us can see the bleeding obvious.... he put the wrong team on the park FFS how basic is that.

Remember this is the same coach last year in a match started Garcia as the front striker left Pasco on the bench and started Mickey Neil ..

Given when we signed Faty and Tavares why were they not match fit enough to be in the starting side ..

Some big sums to be done... Cost in crowds and memberships in keeping TW against the cost of replacing him.

A client who is well connected to the Mariners says the replacement coach is difficult because of MC's requirements.

 

[dibo]

This is a huge part of the issue dummies like us can see the bleeding obvious.... he put the wrong team on the park FFS how basic is that.

I'm not sure that's the case - the players left out might've been left out for a good reason. But it's hard to know from the outside.

 

[Rowdy]

Green Gully were far fitter than us & rightly so, considering they're nearing finals football in the VNPL & f**king Walmsley should have factored that into the game plan by trying to take some legs out of GG - by passing and switching from flank to flank constantly, for very little effort from our boys pre-season legs.

"Let the farken ball do all the work"

This opens up the middle for Junior to go forward, threading through balls &/or 'creating' attacks into the front third.

but NO !
Walmsley wanted tiki-taka,
on the sidelines,
in tight triangles,
in compressed areas - which was a component to his 'Entertainment' style last season at times ..... which more often ended with the same results as tonight & drives me insane.

Then I read this from TW's post match:
- "Walmsley also was concerned how deflated his team looked for the most part of the second half and the display dished up by the Mariners was poor against a semi-professional side.

“The concern for us wasn’t how dangerous they looked, but how we were performing. We weren’t composed enough in possession, we didn’t move the ball quickly enough from side to side,” he said.
http://www.insidesport.com.au/fourfourtwo/news/walmsley-officials-cost-us-432448

REALLY TONY ? go figure !

The fact that he recognised that his team weren't switching play AT ALL and more importantly didnt DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT ! only resolidifies my thoughts on him as a Coach.

As I posted this straight after the game:

I really question TW's skills in deciding on 'tactics' and more importantly his reactive abillities when those tactics aren't working.

Why the FCUK is he not getting off his arse and barking at the players what NEED's to happen, when clearly his above statement shows he knows whats wrong BUT sits there frozen watching a car crash in slow motion.

He needs to lose some of his 'nice guy' persona, for at least during 'the 90' - because his future is well & truly on the line - but imo I really don't think he's capable of taking that on.

So when ....... because it's not a matter of if he 'gets sacked' - do we really want a guy like this involved with the Academy side of things ?

Where the bloody HELL has the passion gone, that ran through the veins of players past that wore the Yellow & Blue ???

Liverpool and the likes instill that passion in their kids, as soon as they get their 8-10 year olds, the catch-cry's are written all over the walls at their Academy.

Last nite's display was bereft of anything resembling passion !

 

[pjennings]

To put it in perspective we are early in pre-season. Do you think Juve, Spurs as well as Torres and his mates are as devastated after a pre-season loss to a minnow of world football as we are. I really wanted us to make a statement in the FFA Cup but we didn't.

It was not good enough - we need to be better - we must be better - but now is not the time to slit our wrists. There will be time for that in a few months

Anyway - enough of that - I'm now in preparation for the Matildas match at 4am tomorrow!!

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

Jus saw the highlights.....wow, Gully's first goal. Just....wow. AR must have been off grabbing a souvlaki or something. I'd expect an AR at any level to pick that one up

http://www.foxsports.com.au/footbal...s/news-story/4624d64ad7171d35f2c4c4a255e9d58e

Fox Sports kind enough to show the 2 decisions. Roy's goal was definitely onside. Disappointing, although if we don't deserve the win I'd rather lose than fluke a win at this stage - gives a more accurate reflection of Walmsely.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

Do you drink ... smoke ??
Because for the cost of a schooner of beer - $5.70 per week extra, on top of the fact you've already got Foxtel is an extremely cheap price to pay for watching your beloved Football team.

In fact the whole A-League, some EPL, Championship, SPL, La Liga, Bundisleagia, Eredivisie etc etc for that price.

Yes, but what you're forgetting to budget for is the fact that if I watch CCM, I'll need to drink more

 

[Wombat]

Dibo's summation was pretty good.
Ascroft and McGing were terrible. Ascroft is terrible at RB....3 games there, 2 of them woeful.
Monty, Ivan and Powell went well. Monty is not a CB and we missed him in the middle
The rest all failed.
I think we are over-reacting (We should have won) but it does raise a massive red flag.
The selections were stupid and TW does need to manage/coach/organise during the 90 mins of a game.

 

[Big Al]

I thought Connor Pain looked to be carrying a few extra kgs than what he was when with Victory.

Brice better whip him into shape if were to see his pace as an advantage this season.

My wife said same thing

Commentators also said Neill is promising and she said don't say that, that means he'll go to Melbourne

 

[Big Al]

Commentators said they'd talked to the Mariners and they were nervous.

Sideline interview with Papus half way through first half. We can definitely see some weaknesses we can exploit.

Tony says post game he wasn't happy how poor we were.

Fox should have had to show TW going off because it was so bad, but no he looked more pissed he had to be out in the cold then what was going on in the game.

Have no confidence in him what so ever.