SFC … to me look like they have FINALLY become the team we all knew they should be… They are a well coached team of players going around Sydney in a quite way promoting football…the new owners have appointed an excellent coach … and have taken away that feeling from the team that they had to be the biggest club in Australia… To date full marks to them… I have taken the word Choppers away and if they keep up like this may soon take the Flying Circus tag away as well.

HHHMMMMMmmm yes we played very poorly in the ACL… the lost of Jedi was huge… our matches where sorta planned around him.

However I protest a little when people say we always played long ball football… Our midfield two seasons ago was Jedi, Hutch, Tommy P & Grumps, yes this was no where near as creative as the current midfield but Tommy P & Jedi along with Hutch where also a excellent midfield grouping… trouble was Tommy P was often out injured and Grumps had fitness issues…

But this years team is just to hard to ignore … we have the following players very comfortable on the ball, Doig, Travis, weeMac, Corwell …. this has helped Hutch a lot … also Matty Simson touch and turn is getting better… having Doig in the backs has made Wilko’s job easier as well…Also Huke who has recovered from injury is excellent on the ball & Elrich again returning to form and appearing hungry again is good on the ball…

Ponder a tho if Travis & weeMac & Corwell had come from South America I wonder if their talents would be more talked about…

Meaning I guess that we have four players very comfortable with the ball at their feet… with Huke & Elrich on the bench… also very good ball players …

KB … my reading of SBS current coverage… very different to prior years … also the first time Fox gave them highlight package rights… also with some clubs experiencing crowd issues I think Les knew it was about time to pull the reins in a little..However I will not complain and accept that the coverage has changed and Australian football is now the main part of the TWG show ….

The return to form of Danny and Heff (after Kossie and his gang) has been aided by having people around who are good with the ball at their feet.

My biggest concern is it will be difficult to retain Travis & weeMac once they play a season as they both had their careers stalled by injury and both I guess wanta get back to Europe…

Now you have to admit that, if they had produced the same football, the same quality, and the same attitude, when they went into the ACL fixtures, results may have been different.

They let themselves down and lost a great chance of making Football history in NSW… I know I was disappointed and many others were as well… For what they are doing on the park now, is a 1000 times better; who knows where they may have ended up, so much sharper and a yard faster then last season in the ACL fixtures…

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KB

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KB

Tony maybe you will start to believe me when I say we have the best midfield in the league just need to produce it more times…

Pip there are fibs, and whopper’s … The Mariners couch couch big and burly and those little Melbourne people…

Look at our midfield, Travis, Hutch, Lewis (an have we been hiding this kid) great début Pedj, even those injured or on the bench, Elrich, Huke, Corwell, weeMac aside from Corwell they are all tiny. The fouls where MV 8 Mariners 5, Mr Clean stiff armed honest Matty Simon in RL it would have been a send off .. even Fozzie said it was a red car… then poor old Hutch at least he has had his first Kid …

Tony back to you I am not Hutch’s greatest fan … but he played with lots of guts and did a lot in the centre of the park.. I think weeMac & Travis suit his style of play and with an effective defensive centre mid he is free to play his more natural game..

In fact I think this is his best season with us to date.. This creates a dilemma as I see it…

Assume Travis as a roving right mid, weeMac in the centre, Crowell as the defensive mid .. leaving Hutch as the roving left mid….

My dilemma is Matthew Lewis had an outstanding game as the roving left mid …

It’s hard for me as I said I have never been Hutch’s greatest fan .. but I admit this year he is playing very well… So how do we leave a talent like Lewis out of the side and not develop him into a great player …. on the other hand how do you drop a player who’s natural game suits the midfield we have…

Actually all mid field positions are under pressure … assume the first team midfield… Travis, weeMac, Corwell, Hutch…. now the second midfield … Elrich, Pedj, Huke, Lewis…. and of course Porter as a wide roving mid for either the first or second midfield…

However I feel on form and with the heart he plays how do you drop Hutch… dilemma … how do you leave out Lewis young speed to burn a natural leftie…….

KB .. wonders will never cease … Fozzie two weeks in a row had something positive to say about the Mariners… Can hardly wait to play the Flying Circus (note I have left off the Choppers your new coach has earned it) .. will stick it to the Flying Circus as well..

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KB

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KB

When CCM scored the 2nd – the game was effectively over and Victory heads dropped.

I still think that MV will finish above CCM but Merrick really has some work to do in regards to his defence, dm and goal keeping positions. Victory are leaking way too many goals.

Let us quote the experts.

This is what Michael Lynch writes in the Age today:

Melbourne is also one of the smaller sides in teh competition. Merrick likes to recruit skilful, fast players with good techique and quick feet. For the most part, that has worked well, as those players have engineered sufficient goal-scoring chances to usually ensure a Victory win.

But against tough, physically strong and well-organised opponents such as the Mariners – who also have small skilful men – Victory can look lightweight.

That is what happened on Saturday Night…

Vargas: We just got bullied out there, we had no fight and we threw in the towell.

In their premiership year, very early in the season, it may even have been the opening game against SFC, CCM scored the winner off a triple nutmeg hit from outside the box!!

An absolute world record!!

There’s @rsey – and then there’s CCM.

(Credit to our good friend and football afficionado, Vicentin, for coining the phrase: triple nutmeg)

Maayte – six the best – the @rsiest goals I’ve ever seen in my life!!

was it me or did it seem like there was a big disconnect between the melbourne front third types and the defensive mids / defenders?

Your mention of Sutee reminds me why SE Asia has so much trouble producing consistent goal scorers.

Melbourne forced Vuka to produce at least two wonderful saves, but the turning point came when another golden opportunity to score was presented after plenty of close in work with the ball, and with the defence at sixes and sevens, and Vuka off his line, Sutee only needed to tap in first time with his right foot on a slight angle – surely bread and butter for a professional player??

No – for some inexplicable reason, he decided to take a touch that actually made it an even tighter angle, and gave CCM that split second to re-group (and it was a woeful touch anyway).

In professional football – it’s all about split seconds!!!

Fail to act at the right moment, and it’s gone.

By my reckoning, that’s six @rsey goals CCM has scored at the Dome in the last two matches.

The other pleasing aspect of last Saturday night’s game was to see so many gold and blue merchandise right across the park now being worn, which indicates there is a very good 5k GCU hard core supporter base building that will turn up for all of the home fixtures from here on end… GCU FC’s first historical HAL season, on the Gold Coast, where there has never been a professional football culture before; this all points to a good football future in the years ahead.

Now that the cap dramas are over; the GCU FC supporters can now only wish that something can be done with the disgraceful playing surface, which has plagued the ground since the start of the season…

The groundsmen at Skilled Park need to get working fast to fix the pitch that has been making the ball bubble at crucial moments during the game, detracting from what has been achieved so far this season’s good entertainment…

Please fix the playing surface groundsmen..!

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KB