Fit Melbourne Victory out to take next step

Just need to explain why Muscat was worried about player on 4 yellow cards gaining a fifth yellow card in last game of regular season. That seems to contradict FFA rules.

I'm calm hombre "The report that I read on SBS called it a ‘loophole’." That shows you how incompetent and diabolical sbs have become. It's a non story. Don't you find it strange that they've known about this since troisi was here and that they chose to run the story now? “they exploited tax loopholes” Is part of the dictionary definition of the word loophole.. It's an example of it's correct usage. "But of course it’s not legal now, so I think they were lucky, to do it while it was still legal." Again, nothing to do with luck. Where does luck come into it? If MV field 11 players or play for 90 mins are they lucky?? No. They are simply following the laws.. Rather than calling MV lucky, it's more apt calling Brisbane and the 8 other teams unlucky that their admins are inept. "why did they change the rules?" I guess FFA changed it because they want to shoot themselves in the foot and stop another troisi coming to the HAL. Gallop has done some good things but this is NOT one of them.

1. My mistake. I was using "manager" in the broad meaning. It's not just tactics & drills. Recruiting is a huge part of the manager's role. 2. Arnie had a full preseason with SFC in his first year. Muscat took over in R4 last year because the FFA poached our coach. That was NOT Muscat's team last year. It was Ange's team with Muscat having an Assistant role during preseason & recruiting. I think SydFC are MVFC's biggest threat. They've got canny attackers in Janko, Brosque and Smeltz who will pounce on any mistake; and MV tends to make mistakes in the defensive 1/3rd. Having said that, SydFC's defence is even more prone to defensive blunders & disorganization, which is very odd for a team coached by Arnold. NIX have been very good, but fading now. AUFC can turn it on but also have lost their rhythm lately. I don't rate Brisbane or MelbCity but I also realise it's a knock-out comp and anything can happen over 90'.

“they exploited tax loopholes” Where did those words come from? The report that I read on SBS called it a 'loophole'. 'It was perfectly within the laws of the game.' Of course - did I say, or even suggest, otherwise? But of course it's not legal now, so I think they were lucky, to do it while it was still legal. If it was no loophole, and the FFA intended that it happen, why did they change the rules? Horto, calm down.

Again I mentioned great recruiting, again I didn't say Muscat wasn't a good coach. You read things that are not there. Ange changed the way MV played completely, Merrick won 2 doubles. Arnie's work with CCM was superior to Muscat's work this year, Arnie's work SFC in his first year was superior to Muscat's first year, SFC was not that far off MV this year, though as I have written I have congratulated MV & declared they are the best team this year. Poppa won the Championship in his first year, made 2 GFs & won the ACL all his first 2 years. I didn't NOT rate Muscat as a coach, I rate him highly, I just rate others both within MV (for now) better & in the A-League as well. Yes everyone knows CCM are the poor cousins of the A-league even with the salary cap & Poppa had to build from scratch & had to take other team's castoff in his first year.

Lionheart "Apparently they were lucky last season with the salary cap discounting key loan players (Troisi and Rogic), but can’t blame them for taking advantage of a loop hole." Wow someone had to go there didn't they.. Let me explain something to you. It was no loophole: loophole ˈluːphəʊl/ noun 1. an ambiguity or inadequacy in the law or a set of rules. "they exploited tax loopholes" synonyms: means of evasion/avoidance, means of escape, escape clause, escape route; It was perfectly within the laws of the game. There is nothing ambiguous or lucky about it, MV admin is intelligent and is aware of the laws regarding the league they play in.. Just because your admin was too inept to utilize it doesn't mean it magically becomes a loophole or that MV were lucky and Brisbane weren't.. Good try though :)

We never used that extra visa spot.

So Justin, how do you spell 'interruption' again? Honestly, if you think MVFC has had an interrupted season you are simply not following the A League.

MV supporters: Congratulations for supporting your team in such good numbers, and the vibrant atmosphere you create . A comp without MV? Would be pretty drab in the stands. I wish my home team Sydney FC had been able to build such support on a consistent basis. MV the benchmark !

Oh snap you beat me to it with your most recent post re defense :)

@fuss "This is, by a long way, the best quality football I’ve ever seen from any MVFC team." No lie. Same here. The only thing id add to your otherwise perfect post is our resolute defending. We conceded only 31 goals all season.., league best!

Forget the front 4. Muscat has transformed MVFC's defence from conceding the 2nd most goals last year to a defensive set-up that conceded the fewest goals this year. Nothing to do with Ange. Nothing to do with Merrick. All Muscat. FBK, Valeri, DelPierre, Georgievski key players this season... All Muscat. And, yes our attack was superb. MVFC reached 50 goals in a season faster than any team in ALeague history - 24 matches. PS: What are you on about "shoe string budgets"? You realise the league has a Salary Cap? All teams have the same budget apart from marquees. What Arnie did at CCM is superb. Poppa was given an extra foreign visa for 2 yrs. When that was cut, Poppa's team started losing... coincidence, or causation?

I think you're right Ian, but fans comments aside, you have to admire their roster, their results and their crowds. In that regard they are setting standards, I think so anyway. Who else has a roster to compare? On paper, you would expect them to have won by a bigger margin. Points that irk me a bit, aside from the appeals to the refs that I evidenced above, are that it all seems a bit contrived, the fan songs and the media lauding 'the biggest club under pressure with the greatest expectations', and the outbursts from Muscat on the sideline. Apparently they were lucky last season with the salary cap discounting key loan players (Troisi and Rogic), but can't blame them for taking advantage of a loop hole. It's results that count, and they've done well, so you can only congratulate them.

You didn't say he wasn't a good coach, but plenty of other people seem incapable of recognising that fact an prefer to stick with the lame and outdated "muscat=thug" thinking. Muscat has the best personnel because HE recruited and re-signed the key players. Bes, FBK, MDP, Valeri, Georgie, Finkler, Archie etc etc. A squad can only go so far without a decent coach. Muscat has them scoring more, conceding less, and entertaining the fans to boot. One just needs to look at the way he has used Berisha this season to understand this. A few less goals than at Roar, but 9 assists! That's down to coaching, not the player. With that said, Ange's fingerprints are more on the way Muscat approaches the game then the squad he left behind. The desire for entertainment was always something Ange emphasised and Muscat has picked up and followed through on that philosophy. Otherwise we might have a dour-ball Poppa-like coach on our hands. More with less re Poppa and Arnie? Well a guy can only work with what he's got, and Muscat has achieved the best possible outcome so far with the cattle he has at his disposal. What else can he do? (Well, he can hopefully win the championship, but we'll see).

So happy. I have literally never missed a MVFC home match in any competition or a ticketed friendly since the club was born. Not one. No exceptions. The early years and trophies were tremendous, but this is the best for me. All we've had to overcome this last 18 months. Coach poached by the governing body, egregious refereeing decisions in various competitions and the constant interruptions caused by having so many players playing international football at various levels for so many nations. People will argue that they get bad calls, that they have international players. This is true, but for me it has been the scale of this interruption to our re-building cycle that makes silverware so rewarding this time. More so than our inaugural double and the one that followed two years later. In respect of the football. Absolutely we can be vulnerable. Only Sydney FC can beat us though in my opinion.

Where did I say Muscat was not a good coach? Muscat has had the best personnel in the A-League this year, that front 4 has to be the envy of all clubs, now that is great recruiting, if Muscat didn't win something with this lineup, you would be asking why. I rate Arnie at CCM & Poppa at WSW, who has achieved more with less, neither Poppa or Arnie had that front 4, both did with shoestring budget & no marquees apart from Ono at WSW. What did Ange achieve for Victory? If you need to ask me, you are not looking very hard Moss.

Tell us more about that 'stand by me' song you sing pregame in a poor copy of YNWA. And that music that blares out - is it only after a win - that sounds just like an AFL club's song after a game. Hmmm.......inspiring. Let's sing it.......1...2.....3.... Lionheart - remember if you say MV aren't the all time best whenever they step on the field you must be bitter in their entitled manner. MV fans talking about Brisbane Roar even after winning a trophy. Good to see their priorities.

What did Ange achieve for Victory, exPunter? Muscat is now 3rd on the % wins list for ALeague coaches who have coached for more than a season, winning 50% even of all his games. Ange is on 50.89% and Arnold on 52%, well within reach. Of course Ernie has a special place in our hearts, but Muscat is Number 1 at the moment. And I love the fact that other teams hate the idea of Kev being a really good coach. hahaha.

You missed 16 wins by Brisbane Roar and 15 wins by Melbourne Victory And that the teams that finished 8th 9th and 10th this year actually acquired 24 less points than the bottom 3 last year. The gap between top and bottom was far more pronounced than last year.

Lionheart "a penalty was given right in front of me that was a pretty bad call, " And why don't you talk about the offside goal you were awarded 4 days earlier.. Hmm...pray tell.. As I keep telling all the other bitter Brisbane folk.....Get over it. Now c’mon sing Horto Magiko with me… a 1,2,3 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=enudaXE4TZE