Managers holding A-League back, not players

Lavicka, essentiall y a very average lower-middle level European manager has imroved Sydney FC out of sight. They're not the most interestig side to watch still, but he's recruited well, uses the youngsters well and has gotten decent value oout of players who looked well past it last season like Collosimo and Aloisi. If a manager who was pretty much a failure at top-level managment in a 3rd tier European league, and hardly an unmitigated success at his other ventures at that level can bring such professionalism to the A-League then surely we should be after more of the same. Nobody is saying bring in a Dick Advocaat, Paul Le Guen or Gerard Houllier, just better than Terry Butcher :)

Keep fishing. SFC are still ranked second. Most definitely their wost game of the season so far, but still playing much better football then last year.

More violations of the golden rule I see. Do the words of Brian Clough and Tommy Docherty resonate to you? And nobody was complaining when Ajax were overrunning most teams in the Netherlands and Europe for that matter were they?

Managers jobs are to win matches first and foremost, not play attractive football. Sure it would be nice win while playing attractive, but it's not a requirement. Also, to blame the quality solely on the managers is a bit of a stretch. Managers can only do so much. A lot depend on the quality of the players. The article mentions Bleiberg. Brisbane (formerly Queensland) under Bleiberg played some very nice football, but won crap all. If you want excitement, end-to-end stuff, may I suggest basketball for you?? As for me, I'll take a boring 1-0 win over a 3-3 thriller any day.

In most football games the vastly superior team wins, Not just a sydney problem :)

I would just like to come back to my previous point with my original post with Robbie Fowler (FURY) and Charlie Miller (ROAR)... Tonight we saw to perfectly executed goals hit on the volley by two of the oldest players in the HAL... Until our managers recognise that our young strikers need to practise more with first time strikes on goal; we are not going to have games, with the free flowing Football style we are craving for; incidentally they were from two very good long balls ... However, in saying that, its been pretty good stuff so far, but we can definitely improve even further when you see to great old heads hitting the target with two great goals, which were really world class.... ~~~~~~ KB

Many great wingers had little to no pace but that never hindered their ability to cross a ball and change a game did it?

There's something about Sydney that makes them lose to these sort of teams.

Oh let's not forget that Rangers reached the UEFA Cup Final playing very poorly, and deservedly beaten by a footballing side in Zenit St Petersburg. Gamba showed what we should try to achieve. The whole J-League does.

Let's not forget that they convincingly beat a team led by Zico. Particularly when said team were fielding some quality players, such as Asian Player of the Year, Server Djeparov. Adelaide had an extremely successful run throughout the tournament, and a final shouldn't erase the games from the earlier stages. Especially when it's so easy to take an aggregate score as if it were the one game.

Ripper goal from Fowler tonight to set the "new look" SFC back a bit. But honestly - did anyone truly believe all that "new look" hype?

Yeh - Cassio is comfortable anywhere on the left, from full back to mid - but I too wouldn't call him a winger as such - probably doesn't have the pace.

Wouldn't call him a winger. Wide midfielder. There is a difference. Zullo is a winger.

The reason your remember the goal, David V, is cos that was about it for Carceres, unfortunately. He needed to score lots of goals.

Yeah, sad but true. One of those "nearly but not quite" players. In the end, Carceres run a lot but not much came of it. Bit like Hernandez but without the killer pass and the killer shot. Which doesn't leave a lot.

The bigger question is whether Vidmar has Van Egmond syndrome. Both men have had their degree of success, and no little luck, but when things go wrong their deficiencies really are showing due to their inflexibility and poor man management.

Ummm... Tony Barton won the European Cup with Aston Villa, but everyone remembers it as the team Ron Saunders built. Barton lasted two more years, but then Doug Ellis broke up that team! Jupp Heynckes won a European Cup with Real Madrid. Guess what, he got sacked because their league performance wasn't good enough! Considering the quality of teams in the ACL, and the fact we tend to overestimate Asia's qualities, it's not such a grand achievement and luck plays its part in cup competitions anyway. And when it really counts, against Gamba, United were still outclassed.

There's a difference between domestic cup competition and continental competition Any manager who has won a European Champions League is generally considered an all time great or at the very least a excellent manager. The ACL is the Asian equivalent of the ECL and therefore performance in the ACL is the pinnacle of what a manager can achieve in the Asian club region. It's not a miracle but it is still a very good achievement. Vidmar does deserve credit for making it to the final.

I think Cassio is a decent albeit an inconsistent winger Throughout the ACL campaign. It was his crossing ability that got Adelaide to the ACL final where he then flopped for two matches. In any case he is probably the best left winger in the A-league.

Yep, he tended to use Caceres in more of a no.10 role. He did have some good games, and that fine goal against Adelaide United.