Rump Steak and Footy with Jacob
I had everything set up to 'watch' this Newcastle vs Melbourne game in the best way possible. I had the A-League 'live' site up as well as the SBS live scoring site, and had Melbourne radio playing live meanwhile.
Jacob walked into my room. Neighbours had finished. He said, "Let's go."
"What?"
"Let's go to town. This game decides the fate of Queensland man."
"Ok, we'll be late, but let's go. Put your shoes on."
We caught the train, and when we arrived at the Pig & Whistle, we had missed half an hour but it was still nil all.
I'd expected maybe a lot of Roar fans as the Pig & Whistle always play A-League games and I think is one of the official Roar fan bars. We could mostly only spot obvious Sydney supporters.
After the first Newcastle goal, I asked one of them (we were about one foot away from a whole table of these black shirts), "Who do you hope will win?"
"Melbourne."
"I actually hope Newcastle will win. You see I'm a Roar supporter." I stopped myself, in courtesy, from saying, "I really want Queensland to be the ones to knock you guys out of the competition!" So I probably didn't quite make sense.
"But if Melbourne win, then Roar are safe as well as Sydney."
"Yeah," I said, "but it will make it a cracker of a game tomorrow."
The bloke went back to his iced chocolate.
What? A bunch of young male Sydney fans drinking coffees and iced milk drinks?
No...
They did look very uniform. I noticed their shirts weren't actually jerseys, but collared shirts, with all the sponsors upon them, and they all had matching track pants as well. They weren't drinking, and then one said, "I'm going to go for a massage. At 8.30 we can get a massage."
I turned to the bloke again. "You aren't the team are you?"
"No."
How silly of me. "Are you playing for the Cove in the curtain raiser?"
"No."
"Um, it's just that you all have matching track pants, and, um, none of you are drinking."
"Ok, we're the players."
"What's your name?"
"David."
"David who?"
"David Carney."
"Oh."
I'll only make one real note. These guys clearly wanted Melbourne to win. They were noticeably stunned as Newcastle walked over Melbourne. In their eyes - each and every one of the eight or nine of them there - was, "Oh fuck, we might not make the finals." They did not look confident to me. As Jacob pointed out, maybe there were a bunch of Roar players somewhere looking the same way. The only certainty is, this one tomorrow night is really going to be a cracker.
As they left (as soon as the fourth goal was scored), I said to David Zdrilic, "May the best team win." He said, "Thanks mate," and I reckon that was about as much as either of us could have expected from the other.
I meant it though. May the best team win. I reckon the Roar are the best team, but in under twenty-four hours, we'll all know.
Jacob walked into my room. Neighbours had finished. He said, "Let's go."
"What?"
"Let's go to town. This game decides the fate of Queensland man."
"Ok, we'll be late, but let's go. Put your shoes on."
We caught the train, and when we arrived at the Pig & Whistle, we had missed half an hour but it was still nil all.
I'd expected maybe a lot of Roar fans as the Pig & Whistle always play A-League games and I think is one of the official Roar fan bars. We could mostly only spot obvious Sydney supporters.
After the first Newcastle goal, I asked one of them (we were about one foot away from a whole table of these black shirts), "Who do you hope will win?"
"Melbourne."
"I actually hope Newcastle will win. You see I'm a Roar supporter." I stopped myself, in courtesy, from saying, "I really want Queensland to be the ones to knock you guys out of the competition!" So I probably didn't quite make sense.
"But if Melbourne win, then Roar are safe as well as Sydney."
"Yeah," I said, "but it will make it a cracker of a game tomorrow."
The bloke went back to his iced chocolate.
What? A bunch of young male Sydney fans drinking coffees and iced milk drinks?
No...
They did look very uniform. I noticed their shirts weren't actually jerseys, but collared shirts, with all the sponsors upon them, and they all had matching track pants as well. They weren't drinking, and then one said, "I'm going to go for a massage. At 8.30 we can get a massage."
I turned to the bloke again. "You aren't the team are you?"
"No."
How silly of me. "Are you playing for the Cove in the curtain raiser?"
"No."
"Um, it's just that you all have matching track pants, and, um, none of you are drinking."
"Ok, we're the players."
"What's your name?"
"David."
"David who?"
"David Carney."
"Oh."
I'll only make one real note. These guys clearly wanted Melbourne to win. They were noticeably stunned as Newcastle walked over Melbourne. In their eyes - each and every one of the eight or nine of them there - was, "Oh fuck, we might not make the finals." They did not look confident to me. As Jacob pointed out, maybe there were a bunch of Roar players somewhere looking the same way. The only certainty is, this one tomorrow night is really going to be a cracker.
As they left (as soon as the fourth goal was scored), I said to David Zdrilic, "May the best team win." He said, "Thanks mate," and I reckon that was about as much as either of us could have expected from the other.
I meant it though. May the best team win. I reckon the Roar are the best team, but in under twenty-four hours, we'll all know.
Labels: A-League, Melbourne Victory FC, Newcastle Jets FC, Queensland Roar, Sydney FC
posted by Hamish Alcorn at 9:46 pm
8 Comments:
Hamish, Melbourne's first away loss of the season means that Queensland Roar has to win to be in the finals and that match is the 'final before the final' if I may say.
As you say rightly say 'may the best team win' but I just can't wait to see events unfold tomorrow night.
Cheers.
Hamish,
Quite agree with you. As a semi-Roar supporter, I want Queensland to get themselves into the final. It's not half as much fun if someone does it for you.
I'm feeling awful again today - went to the pub to watch the game with some MV forumites, and I have to apologise for my yelling the whole match. We were crap yet again.
Should set up a cracker of a match tomorrow. May the best team win, and may that team be the Roar.
-Cecilia
Great post Hamish, may the football gods be with you - hey no yellow cards tomorrow night, ok!
I am a little bit suspicious of the Newcastle result. Melbourne wanted two things to happen:
1. Get Sydney out
2. Get Adelaide out of second place
This is now possible with a Queensland Roar win and a CCM win by a margin of just two goals or a simple 1-nil win.
Would have liked to touch base, but sadly have been out of town with no internet access! We'll have to pray for victory, then we can meet at our finals game!
Just for future reference, my email is jecc_56@hotmail.com.
If you do happen to read this before the game, my family and I sit in 301, and I too will be wearing orange. Shirt and headband. If not, no worries. Some other time hopefully
Crickey Hamish - what you see when you don't have a camera eh?
Top story. Should send it to 4-4-2.
Still pity the best team didn't win. Clearly Sydney only wanted a draw and where prepared to do what it took. Bolton should have been sent off for time wasting. Rudan should have got at least one maybe two yellows - Reinaldo was taken out of the game. by Rudan. I am going to watch a replay today - when I've finished my reno part 1.
John, mate, it's great to be a one-eyed supporter at times :-)
I don't quite understand where you get this idea that the best team didn't win. Is that because it was your team? Firstly, the statistics do not suggest Sydney were playing for a draw: they had more attempts at goal for one thing. Secondly, you cannot be awarded a red card for time wasting unless it's your second yellow.
As for "should have been a yellows" - I can't comment on whether Rudan "should have" received any, but I though Reinaldo was lucky for a studs-up attempt in the 2nd half that collected Clint Bolton late. Fair enough he was trying to score, but a studs-up slide? See, I can be just as one-eyed :-)
Overall, a very exciting game, a fantastic crowd (I wish Sydney got crowds like that this season!) and probably a fair result scoreline wise. It would have been great if Queensland made it into the finals this season, but I'd like to point out that Farina waited far too long to bring on Simon Lynch. He should have been on as soon as Talay was red-carded IMO.
But yes I am one-eyed. Isn't that the point?
Agree. I thought Bolton deserved two separate yellows.
Rudan did a massive studs-up and won a throw in.
I saw Milicic hit Bolton's foot but not Reinaldo. Bolton used it as another time wasting opportunity.
Plus Talay stopped a Dario Vadosic shot with his hand in the 60th minute.
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