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As much as I don’t want to spoil the harmonic atmosphere surrounding the opening round of the A-League, so called ‘experts’ and ‘fans’ need to pull their head in if they really believe what was dished up was satisfactory.
I can understand why many ‘fans’ and ‘experts’ prefer to cover up what was a purely awful display of football from many of these so called professionals considering it would be embarrassing for the code to admit the standard didn’t live up all the pre-season expectation.
This opening round certainly didn’t live up to my expectations, and yes I know each game drew a crowd of over 10,000 and that’s fantastic, but sustaining those numbers is not going to be easy if the technical skills on display do not improve. How many times does this simple message need to be said?
Am I watching the same game as some ‘experts’ who applauded the Central Coast Mariners for the way they pressed their opponents?
Who are they kidding? The heavy touches on display were unbearable at times. Over and over again the same old bloody mistakes, and please don’t blame the weather.
Yes, pressing is your opponent is important but I know what the fans pay there hard earned to watch and it isn’t a game where first touches from players roll 2 metres wide.
I thought we were trying to improve the technical side of our game and from what I’ve seen over the years only two coaches have honestly tried to not only display a type of football that would be regarded quite highly overseas but more importantly help provide a foundation for other coaches to follow on.
The amount of turnovers, yes it’s a basketball term, which was on display throughout this opening round was just a disgrace. I counted about 8 in under a minute in one of the games. What exactly are these players doing during training?
Possession of the ball is such a crucial element of a good football team and all I continue to watch is fundamental key errors made time and time again.
There are some great young players in this league, whom I honestly believe can go on to bigger and brighter things and this makes it at times enjoyable to watch but that alone isn’t going to help a league that is craving an identity after eight seasons.
Can we really expect 14,868 Newcastle Jets fans to go back to Hunter Stadium to watch their team play again? It was one of the most awful displays from a team I have ever seen in this league. Countless long balls, which would have made Emile Heskey think he had signed for the AFL, were more favoured for a marking contest than a chest volley.
God forbid those people watching this weekend’s Sydney-Newcastle game in Italy. I am expecting an increase in paracetamol sales after the game if Stoke Mark Two continue to show the same flare they showed last week.
I want the A-League to succeed in Australia, but it is becoming something I gravely expected. It is now full of many players who are average at best that don’t have the skill to sustain fan momentum for 27 rounds. Only time will tell if this is a matter to be concerned about.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.