For Want of a Round 10 Review
Before I even start, congratulations to the Matildas. Does this competition have a webpage like the AFC Youth Championship (thanks James for this link)? If so I'd appreciate it if someone let me know, as it is appears all but impossible to follow the Matildas as yet. I knew the game against the Netherlands was on today but could not even establish what time it was on. Anyway, well done girls! It would be bloody brilliant if someone televised the next Matilda game against the USA. Please note that this has nothing to do with 'supporting women's football' or something. I just think that the football will be bloody brilliant to watch.
Given the heading, this is already turning out to be a scatty post. More of the same is to come.
My deepest apologies to my massive regular readership for failing to post a 'Round 10 Predictions' post, which I did intend to do as a minimum, and still intend to continue despite this lapse. For my own part, I did make predictions over at Oz Tips, so I'm on record as prophesying that Melbourne would beat the Knights (der), wrongly believing that the Jets would draw with United (I thought that was an ambitious vote of confidence in the Jets at the time, but clearly was not ambitious enough!), wrongly believing that the Roar would beat the Mariners (though a perusal of the statistics suggests they bloody well should have), and finally predicting correctly that Sydney and Glory would draw.
I'm not counting any points for this toward the Down Under Football competition of course. I will note here that Drsimmo gets one of his bonus points for Round 9, because almost all of his 'extra predictions' were correct. He only fell down in the prediction that in Roar vs Newcastle, Newcastle would score first but Queensland would dominate. Unfortunately the latter part of that failed to be true. But well done Drsimmo for your general success. I'll do the proper wrapup and update when I post Jacob's and my Round 11 Predictions.
Now getting to the very important matter of reviewing Round 10. For the real thing, as usual I'd recommend that people keep an eye on the Round Ball Analyst, the single best A-League analyst in the country (I may be unaware of one out there, but I am not being facetious). If Tony is regular his wrap up and 'Team of the Week' will be there in a couple of days. But my inadequacies in this area - not to mention that I don't even watch all the games - never stopped me before.
Re: the Melbourne vs Knights walloping, I didn't watch the game, but there are no surprises. It is tempting to say something very clever and cutting about the Knight's form, and how they're the easy points of the competition, but I have to be careful of the hubris factor because Roar, who are clearly not out of their shaky patch, have to face the bastards next week. So let's just say, "well done Victory."
As for the rest, the Roar are bloody lucky.
Jacob and I did watch the first half of Adelaide vs Newcastle at the Muddy Farmer (we get kicked out at 9pm because they're only licenced to have kids around until then). We were going for Newcastle for the expedient reason that if Adelaide won it would put 2nd place on the ladder out of the Roar's reach this round. Meanwhile it was really entertaining stuff. Both of these teams have come into form, and it was the sort of game that gives me hope in the A-League. Newcastle is not going to stop surprising us I reckon, and I still think the ex-coach Theo had a lot to do with it. This game is rich with ironies. I simply know sweet-jack about the new interem coach of Newcastle, but I reckon the key for him, which he seems to be on to, is to continue to follow Theo's game-plan. If he tries some new way of playing, Newcastle will fall, in all likelihood.
Saturday night we went to Suncorp Stadium (Roar vs Central Coast) for some beautiful football. Another very entertaining game though with 59% possession, 27 (vs 9) attemps on goal, 11 (vs 20) fouls and 12 (vs 1) corners it was, as Jacob pointed out, a bit of a shadow of the home game against Adelaide where we drew 0:0, but dominated like hell. Frustrating stuff.
We were there, for the record, with Jacob's good mate Stavros, also a West End Terrorist, and Misha, a girl fresh from Germany who was staying a few nights at my place. The irony for the latter, who I talked into going, was that this was the biggest football game, and even the biggest stadium, that she had ever gone to. For a German to come to Australia to watch a professional football game is a little odd. At least we don't have rioting here. Please, to all of the saints of football and Australia, please let us avoid that crap in Australia. For that we must promote good sportsmanship, at every level, from the top. Anyway, I digress.
Should have left Zhang on. That's my only comment to Miron. He had a goal in him. I find this, "Give Zhang a few more games and he will be a hit" stuff from Miron a bit incongrous with reality meanwhile. Zhang is a hit. He has already shown his class. If he's fit, like Miron is saying, let the man play. I love him. Reinaldo was in form as well, and his goal was text-book. Zhang and Reinaldo were bouncing off each other well in the first half and, all respect to Simon Lynch, I wouldn't mind seeing this forward combination given a bit of a chance to develop. Hell, even if it doesn't work, it's bloody entertaining. And it just might work.
Anyway, even with a draw that was a fun night. Afterward, unlike the week before, the throngs were in good spirits.
And finally, Sydney failed to beat Perth, keeping them from equaling Adelaide and Queensland in points. The argument about whether Sydney coach Butcher should be sacked goes on all over the place. I'm personally not for him, but it's not because of results. It's because he's very arrogant and seems to respond to failure by flailing and yelling at his team, rather than being introspective and constructive. Although he showed a distinct change of pace after this match by actually philosophically praising his players, when they really clearly should have won on their home turf, I don't know what he means by once again saying they need to be, "more ruthless." Don't they need to play better? With a better formation? This need from Butcher for Sydney to be "more ruthless" is becoming tired as well as ugly. Sure Sydney has some brilliant players. But this is not like a careful, plodding strategy that needs time to come into fruition (read: Theo's Newcastle). This seems to be just a drive to be harder, meaner and uglier. Anyway, enough said there from me.
And enough said all round. I have rambled, and all I really have to say is that although I have become far too busy to regularly blog, I still love this football stuff. Cheers to our great game.
Good night.
Given the heading, this is already turning out to be a scatty post. More of the same is to come.
My deepest apologies to my massive regular readership for failing to post a 'Round 10 Predictions' post, which I did intend to do as a minimum, and still intend to continue despite this lapse. For my own part, I did make predictions over at Oz Tips, so I'm on record as prophesying that Melbourne would beat the Knights (der), wrongly believing that the Jets would draw with United (I thought that was an ambitious vote of confidence in the Jets at the time, but clearly was not ambitious enough!), wrongly believing that the Roar would beat the Mariners (though a perusal of the statistics suggests they bloody well should have), and finally predicting correctly that Sydney and Glory would draw.
I'm not counting any points for this toward the Down Under Football competition of course. I will note here that Drsimmo gets one of his bonus points for Round 9, because almost all of his 'extra predictions' were correct. He only fell down in the prediction that in Roar vs Newcastle, Newcastle would score first but Queensland would dominate. Unfortunately the latter part of that failed to be true. But well done Drsimmo for your general success. I'll do the proper wrapup and update when I post Jacob's and my Round 11 Predictions.
Now getting to the very important matter of reviewing Round 10. For the real thing, as usual I'd recommend that people keep an eye on the Round Ball Analyst, the single best A-League analyst in the country (I may be unaware of one out there, but I am not being facetious). If Tony is regular his wrap up and 'Team of the Week' will be there in a couple of days. But my inadequacies in this area - not to mention that I don't even watch all the games - never stopped me before.
Re: the Melbourne vs Knights walloping, I didn't watch the game, but there are no surprises. It is tempting to say something very clever and cutting about the Knight's form, and how they're the easy points of the competition, but I have to be careful of the hubris factor because Roar, who are clearly not out of their shaky patch, have to face the bastards next week. So let's just say, "well done Victory."
As for the rest, the Roar are bloody lucky.
Jacob and I did watch the first half of Adelaide vs Newcastle at the Muddy Farmer (we get kicked out at 9pm because they're only licenced to have kids around until then). We were going for Newcastle for the expedient reason that if Adelaide won it would put 2nd place on the ladder out of the Roar's reach this round. Meanwhile it was really entertaining stuff. Both of these teams have come into form, and it was the sort of game that gives me hope in the A-League. Newcastle is not going to stop surprising us I reckon, and I still think the ex-coach Theo had a lot to do with it. This game is rich with ironies. I simply know sweet-jack about the new interem coach of Newcastle, but I reckon the key for him, which he seems to be on to, is to continue to follow Theo's game-plan. If he tries some new way of playing, Newcastle will fall, in all likelihood.
Saturday night we went to Suncorp Stadium (Roar vs Central Coast) for some beautiful football. Another very entertaining game though with 59% possession, 27 (vs 9) attemps on goal, 11 (vs 20) fouls and 12 (vs 1) corners it was, as Jacob pointed out, a bit of a shadow of the home game against Adelaide where we drew 0:0, but dominated like hell. Frustrating stuff.
We were there, for the record, with Jacob's good mate Stavros, also a West End Terrorist, and Misha, a girl fresh from Germany who was staying a few nights at my place. The irony for the latter, who I talked into going, was that this was the biggest football game, and even the biggest stadium, that she had ever gone to. For a German to come to Australia to watch a professional football game is a little odd. At least we don't have rioting here. Please, to all of the saints of football and Australia, please let us avoid that crap in Australia. For that we must promote good sportsmanship, at every level, from the top. Anyway, I digress.
Should have left Zhang on. That's my only comment to Miron. He had a goal in him. I find this, "Give Zhang a few more games and he will be a hit" stuff from Miron a bit incongrous with reality meanwhile. Zhang is a hit. He has already shown his class. If he's fit, like Miron is saying, let the man play. I love him. Reinaldo was in form as well, and his goal was text-book. Zhang and Reinaldo were bouncing off each other well in the first half and, all respect to Simon Lynch, I wouldn't mind seeing this forward combination given a bit of a chance to develop. Hell, even if it doesn't work, it's bloody entertaining. And it just might work.
Anyway, even with a draw that was a fun night. Afterward, unlike the week before, the throngs were in good spirits.
And finally, Sydney failed to beat Perth, keeping them from equaling Adelaide and Queensland in points. The argument about whether Sydney coach Butcher should be sacked goes on all over the place. I'm personally not for him, but it's not because of results. It's because he's very arrogant and seems to respond to failure by flailing and yelling at his team, rather than being introspective and constructive. Although he showed a distinct change of pace after this match by actually philosophically praising his players, when they really clearly should have won on their home turf, I don't know what he means by once again saying they need to be, "more ruthless." Don't they need to play better? With a better formation? This need from Butcher for Sydney to be "more ruthless" is becoming tired as well as ugly. Sure Sydney has some brilliant players. But this is not like a careful, plodding strategy that needs time to come into fruition (read: Theo's Newcastle). This seems to be just a drive to be harder, meaner and uglier. Anyway, enough said there from me.
And enough said all round. I have rambled, and all I really have to say is that although I have become far too busy to regularly blog, I still love this football stuff. Cheers to our great game.
Good night.
Labels: A-League
posted by Hamish Alcorn at 6:30 pm
1 Comments:
you can always check betting sites for kick off times for games
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