Brisbane‘s A-League finals chances were dealt a crippling blow on Wednesday night in a 4-1 defeat to lowly Western Sydney.
In front of a season-worst crowd of just 6813 fans at Suncorp Stadium, a hugely depleted Roar outfit – missing eight first-choice players due to injury and national team commitments – were put to the sword by the Wanderers, who lifted themselves off the bottom of the ladder with the surprise victory.
Unable to maintain their usual grasp on possession and lacking serious spark in the final third, the reigning A-League champions face a mountainous task if they are to make something of this season.
Their top-six hopes will effectively go on the line Saturday night at AAMI Park against Melbourne City, who sit five points ahead of the Roar in sixth position having played one more match.
But the physical cost of tying in their Asian Champions League campaign appears to be hitting home, with a sluggish Brisbane repeatedly beaten for pace by a Western Sydney outfit led by the brilliant Kerem Bulut and Romeo Castelen.
With Jade North (groin), Luke DeVere (Socceroos), and Corey Brown and James Donachie (Olyroos) all unavailable, Roar coach Frans Thijssen had little choice but to improvise with his defensive set-up.
He rolled the dice on midfielder Luke Brattan and right-back Jerome Polenz, thrusting the out-of-position pair into the centre of his makeshift back four, which was put under extreme scrutiny by the Wanderers in the early stages.
The visitors burst out of the gates and had a series of good chances – including two in the space of just a few seconds, when a Bulut shot was saved and Labinot Haliti’s follow-up was cleared off the line by Brattan – before the inevitable breakthrough came after 20 minutes.
Nikita Rukavytsya capped off a rapid counter-attack from Western Sydney, guiding home a well-weighted Haliti cross from the left with a classy first-time finish to make it 1-0.
The Roar equalised in the 41st minute, with a perfectly placed corner from Brattan trapping young Wanderers defender Jonathan Aspropotamitis into conceding an own-goal off his thigh.
But just moments before the break, Western Sydney snatched back the lead when a cross-field ball from Haliti picked out Castelen in acres of space and with flat-footed fullback Jack Hingert scrambling to catch up.
Castelen dribbled into the box and played a cut-back ball for Bulut, who converted with ease from point-blank range.
Any chance of the Roar clawing back into contention for a second time evaporated in the 58th minute, when Castelen thundered a shot into the underside of the crossbar and in, while Bulut snared his second goal two minutes from fulltime.
j binnie
Guest
Waz - no wish to answer for Ian but Mike himself stated quite openly his best signing for the club was Ron Smith !!!!!!! jb
Waz
Guest
It is, when all's said and done, it just is :)
Ian
Guest
I agree Waz - we need to, but its difficult. its emotional being involved with a football club.
Ian
Guest
Thanks jb - I've never been 100% if MM actually got funding to go overseas or not.
Waz
Guest
Nice summary. If I may mix my metaphors "if you're buying a second car for the wife and you have a strict budget you're not buying a BMW are you". so I get the levels he's at, mind you "bad" is too strong a word alas he's certainly not proving to be a good signing and yet I think back to the Red Wings game and he saved us then but other than that he had a relatively quiet night - The reality is he only has a good game when our defence plays well. He though (I would hope) is not the main focus for the Roar coaching team who have a few problems to resolve ahead of next season and I wouldn't object to young bring resigned on the basis - like you say - he remains work in progress and if coaching gets him to the required level by the time Theo retires/goes all's good. I wouldn't like to Predict though.
Bondy
Guest
Also just in an observation sense Young does not have a goalkeeping frame he looks like a Rugby player ...
j binnie
Guest
Waz- I was only asking if you had some knowledge in assessing goalkeepers.However I did like your little reference about telling the chef his food is rotten.Shades of MKR. Young's "pedigree" is nothing unusual.Wiki will tell you he was picked 8 times for various England youth squads under goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence of Liverpool and England fame.He was playing for Reading at this time where there were 2 international goalkeepers in front of him in the pecking oredr ,Marcus Hanneman,a USA international and of course Adam Federici who was often in Socceroo squads.at that time.After struggling to oust this pair he elected to move to the lower leagues to get game time and played 120 games for Aldershot before that club,like many others were put into Administration.By this time,Young who is a serious minded student had furthered his education at universites and with the demise of his club elected to return to Australia where his mother and father still reside.As he had yet to finish his studies it was at this time he played a few games with various club identities around where he lived simply to keep his hand in at a sport hr enjoys. That is what led me to bringing Jason Kearton into the discussion. I for one would admit Jason knows much more about goalkeeping technique than I do and I would hope he was consulted by management before Young was signed However you appear to continue to rate him a "bad" signing and it could be that Theo and Acton have better "pedigrees". I'll leave that to the reader, cheers jb.
Dan
Guest
Many believe the continued issues around the over-use of Suncorp mean a new stadium needs to be built (with or without government money). Many people believe Roar are poor relations at Lang Park after League, Union and Concerts and I get that, it's a commercial entity so we take our place in the pecking order. I think we deserve better and the city of Brisbane deserves better. And I'm not alone, The Den are United on this. See the following story: http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/second-class-tenants-roar-fans-demand-action And now Chris Fong the Roar Chairman agrees change is needed and speaks up and supports a second rectangular stadium: http://m.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/soccer/brisbane-roar/boutique-stadium-needed-roar-chairman-20150327-1m9jyp.html So if you're happy with the status quo do nothing but if you're not, if you think this City and this club is deserving of something better (they're going to spend $100m in Townsville on a new stadium to replace the good one they've already got - lets get real on this, Football is being taken for a mug!!) then sign the petition and share it with your mates! The petition is at: https://www.change.org/p/queensland-government-brisbane-city-council-build-a-second-rectangular-stadium-in-brisbane
Waz
Guest
I'm not sure I agree with that sentiment either for Mariners or the Roar - any coaching set up needs local knowledge but that surely can come through the assistants if the head coach doesn't have it. Surely the priority is a good coach regardless otherwise the likes of Stubbins and Moss will keep getting recycled?
Waz
Guest
That is correct - there was a feature article on his trip in the Mail before he went. At first I wasn't sure who he'd see at EuroDisney but as the season went on it all became clear lol
Waz
Guest
Glenn – on an earlier thread we got on to the subject of player signings and lack of success there. I asked the question “who was Mike Mulveys best signing?” – certainly none of Young, Kurtishi, Sarota, Petratos and Lustica …. not meaning to be flippant but was this Mulvey's Achilles heel? Who would you say his best signing was, am I missing someone?
Waz
Guest
Ian - on an earlier thread we got on to the subject of player signings and lack of success there. I asked the question "who was Mike Mulveys best signing?" - certainly none of Young, Kurtishi, Sarota, Petratos and Lustica .... not meaning to be flippant but was this his Achilles heel? Who would you say his best signing was, am I missing someone?
Waz
Guest
jb - I can't claim superior knowledge on goalkeeping I'm afraid ... like many football fans I can tell the chef the foods off but for gods-sake don't ask me to step in to the kitchen ;-) Two signings last year stood out badly - Kurtishi and Young, both had questionable pedigree and both looked to be lacking in basic skills and raised the question "how did they get here?" Young unfortunately got stuck in to a team at the wrong time and my opinion was Acton should have started the season for us until Young at least learned the Roar system which he didn't appear to understand let alone have thd distribution skills to support. There's always been a question in my mind as to why we signed a new GK/Young? Theo is 35 next season which is by no means beyond it for a keeper so if he's planning on hanging around for a few more seasons what was wrong with Acton? If he's not hanging around then was Young the heir-apparent and if so what did they see in him that we're not seeing on the pitch? .... and why was he only signed on a 1 year contract? Recruitment at Roar has been plane awful with (for whatever reason) Kurtishi, Young, Soreta, Petratos & Lustica all disappointing and yes, Mike Mulvey carries the can but as you alude to - surely there is management oversight to this? Thinking about it as I write this - who was Mike Mulvey's best signing for Roar? I can't think of one ...?
j binnie
Guest
Waz - Re. your comments on the inherent weaknesses in Young's game have I to take it you have some deep knowledge of goalkeeping and what is required in making a 'good' one. After all Roar have a goalkeeping coach in Jason Kearton who has had extensive experience in playing the game at all levels in England,here in the NSL, and from what I read is also the pwner /operator of a goalkeeper coaching school,so one has to assume he is qualified in the genre. One would also have to assume that his opinion would have been sought before Young was signed to a professional contract with Roar. Do you happen to know if this was done for if it wasn't, it is again.a questionable attitude for a management group to take. jb
j binnie
Guest
Ian - Just a little reminder. MM did travel overseas ,ostensibly on a scouting mission one would have thought, but it appears he returnrd from that trip empty handed. Maybe that did not help management in their decision making. jb
Paul
Guest
NRL crowds were down 3% last year and have started out this year at a 12 year low, Super Rugby crowds are also down this season, and SFC aren't pulling in flash crowds either and they're near the top so there's a bigger picture in all this
Paul
Guest
Why ding they kick off later - 7 PM is way too early for most people to get home from work and get out again?
Bondy
Guest
The Mariners need somebody who knows football in Australia .
j binnie
Guest
chopper - I would have thought that whoever was scouting,or assessing potential signings would have "noticed" whether a potential professional footballer had the ability to kick a ball with both feet. If that is done there is no need to deduct anything.?jb
Waz
Guest
That's what I was thinking. Was hoping to see him at Mariners as well