R8 away @ Nix

[Michael]

So if Mulvey is going to give some of the younger boys a go next week, probably just Shabow start and maaaaaybe MacDonald start, then Kekeris off the bench.

He needs to ditch the wing backs, it worked slightly for a couple games but has quickly become stale. Go back to basics. Plan C is now needed.

Classic 442, throw it at us mike. Because f**k me.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

It`s a sad state of affairs.
The worst start to a A League season ever.
I`ve been saying for years that we always seem to have a shit preseason and this year was no different.
We need to recruit early, get our players super fit and have strong opposition preseason.
That way we get some momentum from the getgo and not have to hope for a win to kick start a season when we`re on the bottom 5 -6 points from second last

Agreed. It starts in preseason. We need to take the FFA cup seriously, for one.
I mean, our first XI hadn't played together once before Rd 1 this season, unless somebody knows something I don't.

We need a coaching team to light a fire under their arses at training. We NEED to be the hardest working team in the cop right now at training.

If we're not, then fire the coaching staff and find somebody who will enforce that. Nothing else should be acceptable. I don't even see how that can possibly be negotiable at this point.

Every single player out there needs to have their job on the line - and they need to know that. And playing for your position doesn't just occur 90 minutes a week - it should occur the other 5 days a week at training.

It sounds like MM is benching people and bringing youth through - but what we're seeing is that there's really no plan. This is a 'hope this works'. I'm not criticising the approach, but it's a reflection of our situation.

And hardest working isn't necessarily fitness - technique and tactics is hard work too.

I think having no fitness coach for most of the season so far is going to kill us for the rest of the season. How does that happen? Especially when we didn't have a team until just before the season so we didn't have the preseason fitness training that everyone else did.

And next season, we NEED to have the hardest preseason training of any team in the comp.

If our squad is the worst on paper (and it is), then we need to find our advantage elsewhere. We used to know how to do that. We haven't for years.

Also, enough of this 3 in the back line rubbish. You need top quality defenders to make that work, and a high level of fitness with defence and midfield. We lack both.

 

[Rowdy]

Please and this is not just you.

No one ever use MMM again.

It’s undeserved

Thanks

Beat me to it, as I've been thinking of posting the exact same thing for over a month BUT didnt want to berate those that use it.

NOTHING magical about NOT WINNING IN 8 GAMES !

 

[Rowdy]

I think you could hunt up 11 players that are still around that we have let go over the last few years and they would rip yesterdays team apart.

Liam Rose for one.

X10 times the player Melling is, & a brain in his head.

Showed he could even cover at CB when the cupboard was bare, despite being a DM as well as AM.

Stupid to let him go.

 

[shipwreck]

Liam Rose for one.

X10 times the player Melling is, & a brain in his head.

Showed he could even cover at CB when the cuoboard was bare, despite being a DM as well as AM.

Stupid to let him go.

FMD I forgot about this poor little buggar....agreed.

Shows how far we have fallen

 

[Offsider]

It`s a sad state of affairs.
The worst start to a A League season ever.
I`ve been saying for years that we always seem to have a shit preseason and this year was no different.
We need to recruit early, get our players super fit and have strong opposition preseason.
That way we get some momentum from the getgo and not have to hope for a win to kick start a season when we`re on the bottom 5 -6 points from second last

The only problem with that is the short arm deep pocketed owner.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

I don’t believe the first two were good plans at all nevermind being lined up to start. There was talk of rebuilding the culture but we effectively dumped Simon and didn’t McGlinchey sue us? Can’t imagine either was super keen to come back but it’s better than early retirement.

Ross seemed opportunistic but then we never worked out how to use him and when we played him at 10 his outlet was Simon not someone like Murray.

Gameiro was always going to be a longer term prospect and probably cheap but I don’t think MM expected such a poor start to the season, if we were sitting in 8th no one would be worried about when he was ready because we would have done something right. Same for Aspro.

Cisse has been hot and cold and Golec needs to find a way to get back to his form from last year, it wasn’t perfect but it was better than this.

The worrying thing is I (like others) don’t see a way out at the moment. It sounds like we’re going to throw shit at the wall and see what sticks which is desperation. Charlesworth won’t want to spend on a write off season like this but if he doesn’t how does MM and the fan base recover for next season? Keep going the way we are and you’ll start losing even the most patient supporters.

Agree with most of what you said, especially the throwing shit at the wall bit, but I think it was pretty clear that weemac and Matty were both positively enrolled in the new vision when they came. In fact I think everyone bought in. That part seemed to be working. Mulvey identified the cultural issue and sough to redress it.

Problem is, you still have to do it on field. If Matty had banged in a goal every other game and Weemac was holding possession and laying off sublime balls etc. ie; both leading by example on field. Easy to see how it could have worked.

But when the players that you’re supposed to be looking up to and are supposed to be leading the way are instead proving not up to it on field... you now have three issues. Two key players under performing in your starting 11, the awkwardness of that fact as they’re supposed to be the leadership, and then a leadership issue if you drop them, because now your team balance is screwed.

Which though I think we have to bring in youth is my next fear. We’ll just switch to another bridge too far scenario.

My other concern is I think our best depth lies in our attacking mids. We have Pain, Oar, Kekeris, Hoole, Shabow, McDonald, Murray (though he’s not a true RM I think). Weemac, Nisbet.

But our starting 11 has been 5 backs and two DM’s. Leaving only 3 truly attacking players on the park.

So now out of form defenders, and average players like Melling are our starting players, meanwhile Hoole and Shabow is on the bench, and talent like Kekeris isn’t even getting on the bench.

There’s no easy fix imo.

We have no 10, no fit goal scoring striker, and currently 8 players on the park who are between poor to nothing special.

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

 

[Wombat]

Liam Rose for one.

X10 times the player Melling is, & a brain in his head.

Showed he could even cover at CB when the cuoboard was bare, despite being a DM as well as AM.

Stupid to let him go.

Agree and disagree.

Rose is a better technical player than Melling but was soft. Letting him go was the correct decision imho.

What is unforgivable is selecting a Melling or a Liam Rose in front of Tommy H.

 

[TysonP]

Agree and disagree.

Rose is a better technical player than Melling but was soft. Letting him go was the correct decision imho.

What is unforgivable is selecting a Melling or a Liam Rose in front of Tommy H.

Soft? He got thrown in CB for majority of Okon’s first season and still got 3rd in Mariners Medal. Tackled pretty well from memory and actually kept the ball when he won it. Letting him go for Melling wasn’t wise because Melling constantly turns over possession in dangerous areas.

 

[Wombat]

Soft? He got thrown in CB for majority of Okon’s first season and still got 3rd in Mariners Medal. Tackled pretty well from memory and actually kept the ball when he won it. Letting him go for Melling wasn’t wise because Melling constantly turns over possession in dangerous areas.

Neither of them are starting 11 players ( if you want to win a game) so its a pointless discussion really. Mulvey made as bad mistake (or was poorly guided) in his decision to select Melling at the expense of Tommy. Selecting Liam at the expence of Tom would be equally foolish.

 

[tim...]

Newcastle doesn’t have that much more population to draw from and I’m not sold on them having so many more corporate connections either. There’s no reason we can’t pull 5 figure crowds or close to it on a regular basis if a new owner was to invest in the club and really push the community angle. We’ve got just as much opportunity to develop and sell players as any other team as well.

We don’t need to be the top team but we do need to be competitive and more often than not finish in a respectable position.

Newcastle isn't limited by its geography like we are, and have the NNSW junior audience captive. It's taken them a while but they've latched onto it better now.

Otherwise I don't disagree with what we need to be - I'm just not sure how much opportunity we have when it comes to potential buyers

 

[TysonP]

Neither of them are starting 11 players ( if you want to win a game) so its a pointless discussion really. Mulvey made as bad mistake (or was poorly guided) in his decision to select Melling at the expense of Tommy. Selecting Liam at the expence of Tom would be equally foolish.

I agree with both of those points. Tom over both of them of course but I would rather Liam over Melling as the third option. Mulvey dropping Tom was his 2nd major mistake for me. Keeping Kennedy after watching him concede 8 and laugh about it with the opposition was the first.

 

[Wombat]

Keeping Kennedy as a reserve keeper (due to the Okon clause) would have been liveable. To not buy a 1st choice keeper was simply absurd.

Nash, is obviously clueless but Mulvey and Pikey must have rocks in their collective heads.

Such abject stupidity deserves the results Mulvey is currently enjoying.

 

[turbo]

https://www.a-league.com.au/news/gr...s-major-changes-after-another-mariners-defeat

Some lads unfortunately get a little bit gripped by fear.

“It’s part of this club. For the last five years, since they won the title, there’s been very few games that they’ve won as a whole club over the last four years.

“Maybe that goes a lot deeper than I actually imagined before I joined the club.”

————
That may not be reflective of the full thing but I don’t like the way that’s being pushed on players and the club and not owning the tactical and recruitment failures.

 

[Rowdy]

The dark art of 'deflections' ... 101

 

[Rowdy]

The question was about posting wooden spoons - that PO Box is absolutely correct. The physical address changed, PO Box did not.

Joke's on you pal !


Re-read between the sewer-lines.
- they & 'us' may all end up at the same place

The C.O.E (Centre of Effluent)

 

[TysonP]

https://www.a-league.com.au/news/gr...s-major-changes-after-another-mariners-defeat

Some lads unfortunately get a little bit gripped by fear.

“It’s part of this club. For the last five years, since they won the title, there’s been very few games that they’ve won as a whole club over the last four years.

“Maybe that goes a lot deeper than I actually imagined before I joined the club.”

————
That may not be reflective of the full thing but I don’t like the way that’s being pushed on players and the club and not owning the tactical and recruitment failures.

I’m not sure that excuse works when you just cleaned out the squad and brought a lot of your own signings in.

 

[Offsider]

Newcastle isn't limited by its geography like we are, and have the NNSW junior audience captive. It's taken them a while but they've latched onto it better now.

Otherwise I don't disagree with what we need to be - I'm just not sure how much opportunity we have when it comes to potential buyers

Newcastle has an enormous mining industry, an enormous Port and assoc industry not to mention the airport and Raaf. How much smaller in economic advantage do you want to be ??? ........ all attractive to chinese investment money.

Central coast economy was started on holiday homes and now retirement villages and caravan parks as prominent contributers to population growth..........

With the deafening silence from things phelan ............. it worries me that his vast experience might expose more disadvantages than mc was aware of and with the failed “culture / npl / mm” brain fart he might assess mc’s investment as a non event.

Gorman and co’s football dream has stagnated and now evaporated with all other clubs overtaking the failed coe. The game appears to be over and mc is left without a chair when the music stopped.

Of course this “vomit of conjecture” could all be set aside with a positive management comment about the future jan transfer window plans for mm ....... other than platitudes and cliches.

 

[Insertnamehere]

Newcastle has an enormous mining industry, an enormous Port and assoc industry not to mention the airport and Raaf. How much smaller in economic advantage do you want to be ??? ........ all attractive to chinese investment money.

Central coast economy was started on holiday homes and now retirement villages and caravan parks as prominent contributers to population growth..........

With the deafening silence from things phelan ............. it worries me that his vast experience might expose more disadvantages than mc was aware of and with the failed “culture / npl / mm” brain fart he might assess mc’s investment as a non event.

Gorman and co’s football dream has stagnated and now evaporated with all other clubs overtaking the failed coe. The game appears to be over and mc is left without a chair when the music stopped.

Of course this “vomit of conjecture” could all be set aside with a positive management comment about the future jan transfer window plans for mm ....... other than platitudes and cliches.

Can we chant zlatan for 90 mins at home games??