The pre-grand final barbs have come thick and fast from north of the border and finally Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat has hit back.
Kind of.
Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold loves the pre-match mind games and has aimed all sorts of shots towards his A-League grand final opponents ahead of Sunday’s decider.
Arnold has claimed his Sydney FC side, who finished second to premiers Victory in the regular season, are the best in the league and that they’re the happier to be playing at Melbourne’s AAMI Park than Victory are.
The grand final venue is Melbourne City’s home ground and Victory’s “training ground” according to Arnold, whose side has gone the entire season unbeaten on the road.
On Thursday morning, Muscat took to Melbourne radio to suggest Arnold was wasting his time trying to win a war of words.
“I’m not going to make it about me, unlike Graham Arnold,” Muscat told SEN.
“I’d rather leave it to the players, they’re the ones that have ultimately gone out there and worked the hardest.
“I’m not going to make comments that detract to what the players have done this season.”
The tit-for-tat is unlikely to get either man hot under the collar.
Off the pitch, the pair are good friends after playing and working together in various Socceroos teams over the years.
Sunday’s A-League decider is their most high-profile clash, with Muscat boasting of a perfect preparation for the final because of Victory’s Melbourne derby semi-final.
“You can’t try to convince people that it’s just another game, it’s simply not,” he said.
“Last week, the fact it was Melbourne City … that lead up seemed like a grand final.
“It’s going to be an unbelievable night and one we’ve prepared for.”
Muscat wasn’t prepared for veteran striker Archie Thompson’s call for a new contract on Tuesday, saying he wasn’t going to discuss it before the decider.
“Me making comment on it would contradict what I think … it’s team first,” he said.
“What we ask people is to have an influence on the game and he’s certainly done that this season.
“From that perspective he’s playing his part.”
Victory and Sydney have shared three draws this season, setting the stage for another fiercely-fought grand final.
Victory midfielder Carl Valeri predicted Sunday’s match would be won by the hungriest side.
“It’s the team that’s willing to work the hardest, the team with the most desire normally gets you through it,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter what you do tactically or any strategies, it’s just down to battles.”
Midfielder
Guest
Big Al My home is water front on Brisbane waters across the road is a semi tropical national park and it takes me 7 minutes to drive to my office when I walk out the door I overlook Ettalong Beach ... its a great live ... be happy in a crowed city with the rats, cockroaches traffic jams ... my cousin from Adelaide came for a visit and said its live living in a resort this is paradise ... Be happy in the Melbourne smog or Sydney smog where every you live and enjoy the traffic and the haste ... for me as the great Banjo said .. I somehow rather fancy I like to change with Clancy and take a turn a droving as the seasons come and go but I doubt he suit the office as he faced he cash book and the journal Clancy of the overflow....
The artist formerly known as Punter
Guest
AR is the King of spin, takes a snippet of information & spins it as fact to formulate his agenda. He does this every time.
BigAl
Guest
Honestly, why would squillions of Chinese travel all the way to Australia to see a replica of something that they have at home ?
BigAl
Guest
Wow! Beaches, beaches, beachez, beachezz, zzzzzzzz...
Midfielder
Guest
Batou I am simply saying what the builders of the theme park are saying ... they expect mega numbers of Chinese tourists ,,,, Aside from the theme park look at what else there is... https://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1527&bih=841&q=central+coast+nsw&oq=central+coast+nsw&gs_l=img.3..0l6j0i30j0i5i30l3.1967.8498.0.9790.17.15.0.2.2.0.210.2352.0j12j1.13.0.msedr...0...1ac.1.64.img..2.15.2362.x_h711tnLLg
Batou
Guest
More international tourists than the opera house? Middy, I know you're passionate about the central coast but that is one of the more fanciful ideas I've heard recently. I'm sure that the developer would be happy if that were the case, but that doesn't mean that it is going to happen.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
It's interesting that Broxham mentions Libba because they are roughly the same height, but after knocking around in the lower grades for years (he actually won an U19 best an fairest, and two reserves best and fairests before he broke through for the Brownlow in 1990), Libba finally found a niche in the sport is an in-and-under onballer and tight tagger, although it has to be said, for a left-footer, he was an atrocious kick. Luckily his son, Tom, is taller and a much better kick (also a left-footer, which is always welcome). What Broxham fails to mention that in a dribbling contest during the 2010 world cup, Daisy Thomas and Harry O'Brien (both with the pies at the time) actually beat him.
Bondy
Guest
Midfielder Here's Aussie Rules making the connection with football they love this type of thing , we cant have a GF without Aussie Rules imposing . (http://www.news.com.au/sport/football/a-league-grand-final-melbourne-victory-star-leigh-broxham-glad-he-chose-soccer-over-afl/story-fnk9a3dc-1227357249984) ..
Bondy
Guest
In watching Ch10's evening sports bulletin last night HAL fans have been warned that violence, standing on seats and flares are barred and people will face police prosecution if they do as such there wasn't any other meaningful story to the GF ....
Horto Magiko
Roar Rookie
"cops acted reasonably by discharging capsicum spray." AR with his authoritarian apologist attitude. Hardly surprising. Speaks volumes about his character..or should I say, lack of character. And by character I mean cojones. "I didn’t *choose* to believe footage." No you chose to formulate a negative and ill informed opinion based on evidence that is completely out of context and then berate and deride actual victims and eyewitnesses. Top bloke that AR guy. A real class act.
Horto Magiko
Roar Rookie
Wow mid. Interesting stuff!!! Yeah I agree there's a poster or two that fit that bill. I didn't think the idea was all that far fetched when you first mentioned it..now it makes complete sense.. Props to all those involved in removing the scourge. There's too many of us football fans for that ploy to work now..If anything when suss posters chime in on the football tab comments start going off the meter (with all of us football nuts defending the sport) which can only serve to benefit the roar anyway., (unless they were employed by the roar, which i am not implying ofcourse!! :) )
cm
Guest
I saw some interesting footage this morning of North and bomber fans punching on after the game last night. Strangely, even though it was in landscape, it's been deleted from Facebook and is not on the front page of the sun or in the news or getting any comments from the police commissioner.
Midfielder
Guest
Yep they plan to totally re build the Hidden City tis said when finish you will be able to see the entrance from miles away... Has had the tongues wagging all over the Coast... Some links http://www.traveller.com.au/fullsize-forbidden-city-gates-replica-planned-for-nsw-theme-park-2arzc http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-ideas/chappypie-china-time-chinese-theme-park-coming-to-nsw-central-coast/story-fnjpja3r-1227023096713 http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/travel/australia/wyong-embraces-chinese-proposal-for-a-500m-cultural-headquarters/story-fnjjv02f-1226801063437
Midfielder
Guest
Peter Very clever to pick one thing out of many and say this applies to me ... I doubt you have any understanding what I am talking about ...
AR
Guest
Cheque's in the mail Mr Cotton.
Midfielder
Guest
Bondy My client his son at the time a final year under graduate student at ANU school of communication Journalism major ... We each had our views my personal view was they wanted the site to fail... and I openly at the time approached three club forums I was know on and asked could some people just click and post if they had time... they were the Mariners, MV Forum and SFC ... What gave it away was when the person identified as a paid poster posted in one month just over 50% of the sites total posts... please understand it was essentially a Union site that had been expanded for other codes and aside from Union and Football not much other discussion took place... The poster tried to down play every achievement, and attack with the view to chasing people who posted away ... there was a French guy who moved back to France who was a huge SFC fan who has never been surpassed on this site as a poster and this poster hounded him... his name was Millsnar or something like that ... The overall objective of this poster was to not in the spirit of what this site is about and huge credit should go to Zac who I spoke to on the phone and by email a few times ... Zac no idea if he is still at the Roar but he was the big boss and he and the ANU students who got assistance from the ANU It students traced this poster down to be the employee of a organisation that everyone believe was funded by consultancy work by organisations wishing to use their services... I can not stress enough the professionalism and determination the Roar management showed especially Zac in ridding itself of the problem.
cm
Guest
For real? Sure beats the dinosaur park...
Bondy
Guest
Just wondering if Lordbrucie's gone over the development plans he'd be horrified ....
The artist formerly known as Punter
Guest
Payment comes in all different ways!!!!! The buds will be coming your way.
Bondy
Guest
Midfielder What was the overall intent of the/se posters to keep individual or some sports in a positive light or try to drive genuine posters away from the site or I assume both ..