From all reports Jurman is looking good and has improved his game markedly, if he starts it is likely that Colosimo will move to the DM role and the heart & soul of Sydney, Terry McFlynn will become more of an attacking player (an area he has certainly improved on recently), moving Musialik out of the starting team, probably a good thing considering his recent form & attitude.

md
no use using rugby analogies with us Southerners – we haven’t got the foggiest idea of what you’re talking about!!

Now if you want to talk about enforcers, winning the hard ball gets, and feeding it out to the outside runners – that we can understand!!

LOL Pip will threaten to quit again and the refs will pick on MV.

But the squad can play as a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2
Celeski’s form as DM has been excellent which is the reason Lopez has gone back to Costa Rica.

md – you are being cheeky again.

the best way to improve the image of the A-League is to stop SFC supporters from sulking.
Not a good look

I note that you haven’t labelled our mids in the way you labelled Sydney – which points to one small isse that we had even last year for much of the season – and that was getting our midfield structure spot on – there was a lot of experimentation and we only got it right towards the end of the season.

Looking at the four you have included – they are mostly interchangeable – which is good – but we clearly dont’ have a specialist holding mid, and Celeski filled in in that role well at the end of last year – but I’m not sure whether he is the long term answer.

One other general observation – we have a reasonable spread of ages, but not too much at around 20, and maybe a bit too much around the age of 30 and above.

Sydney have concentrations around the age of 20 and 30+, but not a hell of a lot in the middle.

By the way – who is this Jurman bloke I keep reading about in these threads – he’s the only one that I don’t know anything about.

I can only see Sydney winning if Lavicka gets his tactics right. On paper MVFC look stronger.

keeper – toss up, necevski just
right back – casey ahead of prentice
centre back – colosimo
centre back – jurman
left back – byun ahead of cole
right mid – kisel
holding mid – mcflynn
attacking mid – corica
left mid – gan
striker – aloisi
striker – brosque

GK – Moss or Langerak
Surat
Vargas
Muscat
Kemp
Celeski
Pondeljak
Ward
Hernandez
Allsop
Thompson

Bench – brebner fabiano berger

Colosimo and Jurman as starting centre-halfs? Colosimo’s a very versatile player but he’s not really a defender. Jurman I haven’t seen a lot of but I would have thought a team thats hoping to win the title would need some more experience back there.

McFlynn’s a decent holding midfielder but none of their full back options are noted for their defensive work, so I don’t think they’re going to get the cover they might need.

Of course, missing from Tony’s list is Ryall, who will be very important if and when he gets over his legal problems.

Jimbo, Thanks for that .

Pip South of PNG, North of Tassie, East of Perth, West of Fiji … you should find it now no worries..

Also good have a couple of dead ball options as the moment too: Kisel, Byun and Cole all hit them pretty well.
Cheers
md

Aside from my initials what does GTS stand for..

Season 5 its MV’s turn to miss the finals again.

Sydney is a great city for sport and entertainment but the Sydney sporting public can be fickle and like winners. The Swans and the Bulldogs [Cantebury that is] and the Rabbitohs have found that out.

If Sydney do well then it will be good for SFC and good for the A-League.
You can’t discount their pre-season form, their renewed enthusiasm, professional approach and increased skill and fitness.

Despite not having conceded a goal in pre-season, one of the negatives from what I have seen of them is in central defence – Colosimo is very injury prone and Jurman is very inexperienced – they need to buy an experienced central defender to fill their final player spot.

They could also use another marquee striker like Henrik Larsson and if they managed to get him success is season 5 would almost be assured.

SFC is to Carlton beer like MV is to blue vein cheese!

Better still have a weekend away with the wife and kids near summer.

When are you and the shit Mexicans coming to Bluetounge so I can bye you a beer.

If nothing else, you should know Carlton from the Skyhooks song (but maybe you’re too young for that).

Tony – fair call on Sydney – to my rather brief post on flogging the players pre-season (in the case of SFC, it’s like flogging a dead horse), one thing I had in mind was this – bring in the expert coaches from overseas, by all means, but surely if there is one thing an Australian coach should be able to manage on his lonesome is to get his players fit!!!

Getting back to the Mexican shit – well guys, it’s a little bit like this – occasionally on The Flog it would feel like me and all these Sydney blokes were talking a different language, but here on the Roar, there are some with whom I can have a meaningful dialogue – it’s such a refreshing change.

We are all better off understanding the secret of MV’s sucess – we’re not successful in spite of being in an AFL heartland – we are succesful because of it!!!

You are making life difficult for me.. let me explain first I hate the Choppers and the little smurfs… but then you come in and spoil it with that Mexican shit … now I don’t mind slipping in the boot to the Smurfs but having to side with Mexicans GEE WIZZ mate you make it tough … maybe I can hope when you play each other 10 players sent off and 10 carried off ARRRRRRR I can but dream…

Further to that, what in the hell is a blue-bagger?

Pipps,

I must refute a few of your comparisons between SFC and ‘Carlton’ (Is it meant to be Carlton beer? please explain it to me, ‘cos I’m dying to know.)

Both slump into an ignomonious period of humiliating results after a period of success.

We’ve actually been fairly consistent, I would argue that it is the Tards that can’t string together 2 successful seasons

Both can’t hold onto a coach for more than a season.

Can’t argue with that

Both appeal to a narrow band of inner city dweller who has a liking for Kylie Minogue.

I may be an Inner City Dweller but I resent being lumped in with my Kylie Minogue loving neighbours. Can’t stand her, or her ilk.

Pippinu, flogging the team in the pre season mightn’t seem the most newsworthy thing, but sadly for Sydney it is, as evidenced by Corica’s words at the bottom of this piece this morning;

http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/build-a-blues-team-for-the-future/2009/06/28/1246127430206.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2

Agree with the ‘professionalism’ sentiment Millster.

Vincentin, thanks for the link, some interesting stuff. Good to read the players are embracing it and moving with the times. I think they would be loving the fact they are in great shape.

md, lavicka has chopped and changed, but trying to read between the lines, and not including bridge for now, in a 4-4-2 it would look something likes this;

keeper – toss up, necevski just
right back – casey ahead of prentice
centre back – colosimo
centre back – jurman
left back – byun ahead of cole
right mid – kisel
holding mid – mcflynn
attacking mid – corica
left mid – gan
striker – aloisi
striker – brosque

bench – bolton, musialik, grant, danning, payne, prentice, cole, golec

Things are looking pretty good so far, the young guys re coming through well, Kisel looks the goods, McFlynn, Brosque & Colosimo seems to have settled in to The Bench’s system quite well and we are yet to add a solid Centre-Half as our final signing. The only other team I see doing some actual improving is Perth. GCU look OK, but I’m yet to see them play. If Saturday night is anything to go by NQF will fail spectacularly and Fowler will probably walk away by week 10, provided he isn’t still or again injured.

It’s to be expected that the Tards will have another horrible season, predictable predictable Tards.

What’s a Carlton?

I love the braggadocio, but be fairly warned: SFC look the goods this year. No bollocks, and after last season, sights have been lowered, but just quietly, they might just surprise a few people who think the standard of the A-league has plateaued and are planning their campaigns and signings accordingly.

Cheers
md

(it’s a guilty laugh, seeing that I’m from Footscray)

It’s the Lygon St set!!!

That is why I enjoy going to Carlton games more than any other AFL game.