Western Sydney Wanderers vs Brisbane Roar highlights: A-League scores, blog

Thanks JB, I'm reading this a few days late. I agree too. Can not figure out what Holman's role is, and much the same with Oar. Too many good players in a couple of positions, but the good point is we are not being hammered.

Yes, I agree with you. We have to admit that the Roar is lucky again. If Theo is not in best form, Roars lose two consecutive matches. Few years back, Brisbane Roar kept playing attacking football with many clean-sheets. However, now (especially last night), even playing defense-and-counter-attack, they lost a goal. That means to say they cannot defend real good. Reluctant to mention for a while, Devere is very good in marking and destruction to offenders' attack. However, he cannot be constructive in counter attacks. His passing are not good. At the end of the first half, he made a mistake again, almost conceding a goal as a result consequently. Both Devere and North are very good defenders. However, they have weaknesses. The coaching team should keep trying to find good tactics for the Roars to play.

Cheers, j binnie.

Cameron - As you must appreciate stats are subject to "peaks and troughs" but the answer to your question is that in ADP's first season at Sydney FC which was season 12/13 the attendance for 36 matches played was 514,267 for a game average across the league of 14,285. In his second season 13/14 the figure for 36 matches had attracted 539,281 giving a match average across the league of 14,980. By season 2014/15 (the peak), probably affected by WSW's successful run,the 36 game figure topped to 589,867 averaging out at 15,942 per game. Last season we saw an almost horrendous drop back to a 36 game total of 474,185 giving a match average of 12,816 and it this figure I am comparing when I say this season so far has seen an 11%increase. Hope this is of some nterest jb ps my f igures do not include finals matches.jb

Nemesis- As I said "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" but if I was a die-hard WSW fan I would have left that game last night wondering -----what went wrong???? Being a Brisbanite I certainly did find myself questioning how or why the game progressed as it did,and I won't mince my words ,I thought Roar played some rubbishy football Where I think you and I differ is that we both have totally opposed thoughts on not only what makes a good team but also a good player. Last night the little Argentinian was playing football at a higher level than any of those around him and I think I've made myself clear before,the day we see 10 Australian born players playing football the way he can I think we may just have "arrived" Cheersjb.

J binnie, I'm glad to see such improvement, but how does it compare to the seasons in which ADP played, more specifically the first season?

j binnie, for sure the name of the game is to score goals. But, for me, the beauty of the Game is in the passing and movement to create the opportunity to score the goal. For instance, the WSW goal last night is what I call "the perfect goal". There is nothing spectacular about the end result - it's just a tap-in. But, the movement and 2 passes that create the tap-in? Wow. That's a thing of beauty. That's the sort of goal Brisbane regularly created under Ange when we all agree Brisbane transformed the way Aleague is played. Yes, the GKs job is to stop the goals. The defence's job is stop the opposition creating chances that make the GK work. If a defence does the job to perfection, their GK never faces a single shot on target or never has to come out to intercept a cross or pass in the box. If the defence is not doing the job, then the GK faces constant attacking threats. It's no different to any "war game" strategy. If you have a castle to protect but the guard on the door of castle is having to stop the enemy from entering, it means the people employed to defend the territory are not doing their job well since the enemy is regularly breaching their defensive formation. It thought yesterday's game was a show piece. Why? Because it was a tight, riveting contest for 90 mins. Even though Brisbane was poor, they actually looked more threatening on the few occasions they had swift counter attacks. In fact, Tommy Oar should have won the game for Brisbane right at the death. That's football.

I certainly don't disagree that teams are putting in some good performances against Brisbane. However, WSW were more of a continuation from the previous week where they recovered from what looked like defeat and gained some confidence that carried into last night's game. In all honesty, I thought at one stage we were watching the same sort of performance from Brisbane that they gave earlier in the season against Newcastle although they never quite stooped to those depths. There were times when they just appeared to be disinterested in going forward and were simply going through the motions. A sharper forward line than Wanderers would have put them to the sword last night although they did come alive again in the last 10 minutes. As for the penalty, well if /tyson didn't commit the foul then it certain looked as though Aspro had his arms and legs tngling around Mclaren so it was hardly surprising when we saw the ref point to the spot. One word on the assistants this season. They appear to have forgotten the golden rule about staying in line with the second last defender. Last night on the eastern side that appeared to be the case on numerous occasions.

Lionheart. Last week John Aloisi went public. When asked what had caused the exceptionally poor play in the first half,against Sydney, he very honestly admitted "he didn't know". Last night there were disturbing signs that the problem had not been cured for Roar's complete subjugation in midfield cannot surely be put down solely to the loss of Kristensen. Allowing teams "space" on a field is a known tactic ,but one that has to be extremely tightly poliiced if it is to be successful . Last night Roar were facing a team with a very poor "goals for" figure,9 in 8 games, and they did not improve on that last night mainly due to the performance of Theo. So what is this problem that faces JA despite their position on the table.?That is not so easy to answer but the number of unforced errors in turning the ball over in critical positions has to be a huge part of the problem. Also there appears to be some doubt in the mind of JA into the form of some players and last night was no exception The 2 WSW fullbacks had the freedom of the pitch to raid on their respective wings while being faced by two veteran play-makers in the Roar team,one actually enjoying his first start,while two more, better conditioned wingers, Petratos and Oar were warming the bench. Even the Fox commentators noted this problem but it took nearly the whole game to change the "status quo" and then ,with those substitutions, Roar almost sneaked the 3 points with a genuinely created chance which Tommy Oar should have "buried". JA surely has a problem with the make up of this team.There are some good signs during a game but this falling back ,falling back ,falling back, is surely going to be punished soon unless the problem is righted. Cheers jb

Nemesis- This is rather a cynical look at a game of football,with a goalkeepers performance being held up as a measure as to how a team's defence played. What is a goalkeepers job if not to stop goals being scored.??? Conversely you also praise WSW for their "scintillating football" but there are better football "brains" than you and I will remind you that the aim of the game is to score goals and therefore the measure to be used when analysing a team's performance has to be "married" to the number of goals scored by that team. The game last night? I watched it too and was equally unimpressed by the number of Roar players who turned over possession during the game as I was of WSW's inability to turn some sterling work by two or three players into meaningful counters. Was what I watched unexpected??? Form so far from both teams show a poor lack of performance in their scoring departments. In 8 games Roar have scored 8 goals , while in 8 games WSW have amassed 9.Not what one would say is outstanding scoring. While talking "defence" in those same games Roar have conceded 9 goals while WSW have conceded 15. So lets be realistic about last nights game,it wasn't a showpiece ,there were some good individual performances from a few players but I am quite sure neither coach would have been "over he moon" at the overall play of both teams (for differing reasons)as spelled out above.. That brings me back to what one classes as a "good" game. There are certain factors to be considered more than a few of which are supposedly in the minds of the respective coaches. There are some great games in my memory that have fInished 7-3 and also 0-0 but to be honest these games were played at a much higher standard of play than we witness in the HAL. and that is not a "putdown" on our football it is simply a fact of football life. Always remember ,"beauty is in the eye of the beholder" Cheers jb.

The referee was soft on Brisbane as well. Brown and DeVere both should have got yellow cards for persistent fouling. I was sure the Brown actually should have got a straight red for a studs up tackle as well. At least MacLaren was kept to one goal for penalty which should not have been given. Tyson got a piece of the ball and the Brisbane players did his best to fall over so in my book is simulation. Let's see if Fielding gets dropped next week like Gillett (no games this week) and Beath (fourth official only) On goalkeeping, Tyson 3 saves, Theo 10 saves.

ac - If you are interested in such things. Up till last night ,36 games played, the HAL had drawn 513,974 people to the 36 games played. This calculates to a game average of 14,277. Last year the same amount of games played had resulted in 474,185 attending for a "game average" of 12,816. This means the "average " is showing an an increase of just over 11%. With 3 potentially good gates to come from matches this weekend this figure may well increase, but if the trend to improvement continues I am sure the "suits" will be quite happy with 10% improvement. Cheers jb.

What concerns me as a Brisbane boy is that everybody seems to have their best game of the season against the Roar - well, three in a row: Adelaide, Sydney and now WSW. I'm not sure what it says about Brisbane's gameplan but it sure seems to suit the opposition. The thing that makes me happy is that although they have played their best game of the season none of them have managed to win.

AZ Tough game Football you were by far the better side and a draw seemed unfair ... and the pen ... BTW stay await from our Roy in the transfer window...

Wow where did that performance come from. Yes, we only managed 1 goal and 1 point. But some of the football was top notch. The conditions were just perfect for it as well. Dry and cool. I'm really happy with our defending. Our midfield is working ok. Nichols and Martinez the stars, Jumpei playing his part as well. The problems in the final third remain but even there we've improved. It was a good game of football and overall great night at Homebush. Small crowd but easily the loudest the place has been since the move. The fans choosing not to come are really missing out.

They coped well Nemesis. The WSW goal was nice but a rare lapse for Roar defence. Other WSW shots on goal were from a distance mostly. Roar were not good, but they never looked desperate, and they got a point. But hey, my reply to your post is tongue in cheek. No offence meant, Roar needs to do better.

A comment from theroarforum "Gone are the days of playing nice football, we are stuck with sitting deep, booting it long and hoping for the best. Cant pass, literally can not pass the ball 2 metres without turning it over. Some of the players I would honestly be happy to see the back off after these few games." Pretty much what I'm saying.

Fair enough. If you think Brisbane defence coped with the WSW attacks you have low standards. I'm sure Theo would prefer to have a defence that protects him better.

Disagree. If Roar defence was "rubbish" as you claim, Wanderers would have won by two or three. I think you might judge your game on your FIFA computer game experience Nemesis. When you get out on the park you'll find things are a bit different. WSW didn't dominate so much as Roar stood back and invited them in. At no stage were WSW really dominant to scare me as a Roar supporter, despite their possession and balls in the box stats given by Fox. Their sole goal was the only real lapse in an otherwise fairly decent defence (apart from Arana). Not a particularly entertaining game, but a draw for Roar away is better than a loss. For WSW, like so many other wanna' be clubs, the more they can get their ex Roar players on the ball, the better they look. (and for all you non Nemesis people, please excuse my tongue-in-cheek reply here)

11,201 at Spotless tonight.