Veteran Western Sydney goalkeeper Ante Covic claims the bond between the A-League club’s players and supporters hasn’t been damaged despite Shannon Cole’s altercation with a section of the crowd last week.
The defender was involved in an angry exchange with fans after last week’s 0-0 draw with Central Coast Mariners at Pirtek Stadium, a result that stretched the Wanderers’ winless streak to 11 games.
Just two months after winning the Asian Champions League, Tony Popovic’s side are anchored to the foot of the table and remain the only side in the A-League without a victory.
Former Socceroos keeper Covic admits it’s the worst run in his career but believes the passion demonstrated by Cole shows how much the players care about the team’s dire situation.
Covic said he is happy for fans to voice their opinions.
“I don’t think it was nasty at all,” Covic said.
“I went and spoke to them, Shannon went over as well. Everyone wants to say there was a battle between us. But it was just the players being disappointed and the fans being disappointed.
“That is healthy because inside (the ground) and out on the playing field we are not happy with the situation. If people are happy with where we are sitting then there is something wrong.”
High-flying Melbourne Victory visit the Wanderers on Tuesday and Covic is under no illusions about the difficulty facing his side against the league’s top scorers.
However, he’s confident a win is not too far away despite being in a situation he has never experienced in his long career.
“In 18 years, I don’t think I’ve never won in the first 11 games,” the 39-year-old said.
“It’s not a position I want to be in, but I know the character of this team and the coaches and we are not throwing in the towel and saying the season is over.
“We are creating chances and I am sure a few of those will start going in soon.”
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Yes, without a relegation system, we need some incentive for teams that cannot make the Top 4. With the current system (from memory) in most seasons right until the final 4 rounds, every team mathematically has a chance of playing in the post-season knock-out competition.
AZ_RBB
Guest
The FFA may argue that a two legged system doesn't have the same impact as a sudden death series. There's also the risk of games involving teams out of contention for top 4 to hold little or no importance which may affect attendance and ratings.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Currently, with Top 6, we have 5 matches played over 3 week-ends during the play-off series. We could just as easily have a Top 4, with 2 leg play-offs to qualify for the Grand Final. Week 1: 4 v 1, 3 v 2 Week 2: 1 v 4, 2 v 3 Week 3: Grand Final
AZ_RBB
Guest
Cut the final series down from 6 to 4 teams and the FFA loses significant revenue. If someone finds a way of having a 4 team finals series and the FFA is able to recover the revenue elsewhere, then I'm sure they'll think about it. At the moment the final series is too lucrative to downsize.
britesparke
Roar Rookie
Unfortunately, the six from ten qualifying rule for the HAL finals rewards mediocrity. The Wanderers can put a string of wins together in the second half of the season and still make the finals. This is a team that has not won from 13 starts so mediocre is a compliment to them!