City hold on for 2-1 win over Brisbane

Waz- In a league being once again dominated this season by Sydney FC we have to look at last years's figures compared to this year's. Last year despite Sydney being in an untouchable position at this stage of the season (game 94), Roar were still pulling 14,580 average to every home game. This season at game 94 they are pulling 9,130. That is a drop of 37% and it is to be hoped the new appointment as Football Director,who apparently has worked in financial analysis for the FFA, can take steps to reverse this situation which I suspect you know as well as I do, is what would be termed "Fatal Haemorrhaging" in any normal business sense. In lost revenue that is now nearing $1,500,000. for the season so far and I put it to you that one of the main reasons for the "drop" or "loss" is how the team is performing on the field. Agreed? Cheers jb.

Ah c’mon jb We’ve both been around football long enough to expect such a drop off. They’ve lost 7 out of 10 Suncorp games scoring 11 goals in the process. The crowds are good considering - 9,150 beats how many of Adelaide, City and Jets crowds this season? A few from memory.

SN - and with a season long average crowd now nearing the 9000 mark, (after 11 home games), it is becoming obvious these fans you speak of are voting with their feet. Not good.when one considers that last season ,after 11 home games ,that figure stood at 14,580. jb

It’s not age. How else do you explain SFCs success with an aging squad? On Friday they put out a team with six players over thirty and only two under 25 (both aged 24). If a players is good enough and fit enough then they can’t be too old or too young.

It’s as if Aloisi sacrifices the midfield. The 4 and 2 DMs are there to defend, the 3+1 are there to attack and the midfield gap is bridged by the long ball forward. Simple but ineffective.

It was good to Skapetis get on the scoresheet after coming on as a substitute. Obviously playing at the pointy end suits his game better than out on the wing.

Thing is Lionheart, the biggest barometer at a football club is fans. They turn up week in week out, they get the feel of the team, good and bad, nobody else can know more about whats happening on the park. Part of that is faith and fans put their faith in the coach and the team. Aloisi doesn't engender faith either, at times he looks like little boy lost.

I've given the coach benefit of the doubt up until now. We have had a lot of injuries and more than half the team was underdone. But now the doubt has gone I'm afraid. Even prepared to overlook the change in club culture as we'd been told it hadn't changed at all. But no more, there's no doubt. The coach has to cop the blame for the demise of our team. And I don't have faith in him to rebuild either, after some of the duds he's brought in and some others he's let go.

Further analysis of this season's home form compared to the last two demonstrates a team that has gone from a never say die attitude/winning culture to a team that now has a losing culture. As I said in my previous post, BRFC has scored first in three HAL games at home this season, and gone on the lose the match. They also did this in the ACL disaster. Compare this to the previous two season. At home in these seasons, BRFC when scoring first in the match have won 15 times, drawn twice and lost once. When they have conceded the first goal at home, they lost twice, but managed to come back and snare a draw four times as well as getting a win on four occasions. BRFC were a champion team that hung in there and pulled off a number of excellent comebacks. They are now a team that can look ok early, before eventually tiring out and giving the points away to the opposition.

Bottom line, the Aloisi combo is not up to it. Roar are now in their best position ever in terms of training facilities and the ability to keep producing quality youngsters, or even better quality through their new academy. Add to that new fitness coach plus football director, it begs the question are the Aloisi's the best people that the Bakries can find to take the Roar forward(lets not worry about whether the Bakries are, that's a seperate issue IMO). Players on the bench who shouldn't be, players on the field who shouldn't be, worse number of losses at home, no oomph in midfield(and its looked the same all season IMO), coach being out manouvered by other coaches, time to put the sharp Italian suit to better use in a TV studio John. Ross well I wont go there.

I agree jb Matt Mackay went missing throughout the game and Kristensen who is not fully fit was covering for him on the left when Arzani broke through for City's first goal. FBK was on the bench after a one match suspension so it was not a fitness thing with him and Franjic I would prefer him at right back because Hingert is another out of form.

That's three losses at home after being the first to score now (plus this happened in the ACL as well). Once a season doing that is too many. To put that in perspective, Roar only lost three times at home total in the previous two seasons combined. This statistic speaks to any ageing squad, that while talented enough, is not a Championship winning team. Championship teams win almost all of the time after scoring first at home, and then draw most times outside of that.

That's three losses at home after being the first to score now (plus this happened in the ACL as well). Once a season doing that is too many. To put that in perspective, Roar only lost three times at home total in the previous two seasons combined. This statistic speaks to any ageing squad, that while talented enough, is not a Championship winning team. Championship teams win almost all of the time after scoring first at home, and then draw most times outside of that.

Waz -- As I have said to you before there is not a lot wrong with this Roar team,it is simply the way they are put together that is the problem. In every game they play they show flashes of "what might have been", or "what could be", but it is never quite enough to get what could be described as "peak " ,90 minute, performance. Yesterday was no exception. Roar were totally out -gunned in mid-field,not only due to the system being employed by their opponents but more so because of the players selected by Roar to perform in these positions. Matt Mackay has been struggling for form all season and yet still appears to be the first name on the team sheet with others added all around him. Instead of "helping" Matty, we see a horribly underdone Kristensen given the back up role in midfield where his "pace ", or lack of it, is being exploited to the full by opponents.Add to this mix the "go everywhere man" ,Holman, and what are Roar left with to win back the ball in the engine room. Very little, as is evidenced by the amount of defensive work having to be done by "target man" Macaronne. What adds dis-belief to all this apparent weakness in midfield, is we have 2 international class players sitting on the bench who could perform perfectly well in midfield roles, Khalfalla and Franjic, and yet they are not used until "desperation point" has been reached. In today's game a team needs "grafters" in midfield, and good players around them, to continue their "good' work,and that is just not happening this season at Roar. Injuries???? If a player is fit enough to be on the bench he is fit enough to play. The sad story continues. jb.

For once JA is probably right, Roar could have, should have, but didn’t get a point. There was nothing wrong with the players available to him, a strong enough side for sure. But tactically out played, with no midfield which was again surrendered to his opponents, and looking to long balls to create openings this was a performance that was not pleasing on the eye. Arzani looked excellent albeit a bit impulsive, he gets the ball and looks to go forward at every opportunity. great to see. It’s now Roars worst ever number of home losses in a season. What next John, what next?

At the ground it seemed to me that Kristensen set up City's first goal and tried to assist with others. Some extremely clumsy defence let in their second. Maccarone is not marquee striker standard. I was at the other end of the ground and it was obvious which way the keeper was going. In fairness, City defence was all over him all game, with their hands and all ok by the ref. I don't get it, but he goes down far too easily and invites the ref to overlook the real fouls. Talking about going down easily, Arzani needs to tidy up that aspect of his game too. Hard to tell from the stands, but he seems to have some issues with his temperament. Disappointing for Roar fans. I thought they played ok in the first half and would go on in the second, but they were poor after the break. Really need to sort out the midfield. But let's hear it for the Roar women. Premiers and deservedly so. Great team with a great attitude.

Arzani is the brightest prospect in 20’years. Send him to Russia