Matt Simon is to Adrian Mierzejewski what motor oil is to a magnum of champagne, yet it was Simon who truly terrorised the Wanderers defence yesterday.
For 70 teeth-rattling minutes, former Mariners man Simon showed his full range of abilities against a suitably harassed Wanderers defence in Sydney FC’s 3-1 derby win in torrential rain at Allianz Stadium.
There were flying elbows and misplaced passes, niggly fouls and backchat aplenty – but there were also a few key moments that Simon’s army of detractors will no doubt have missed.
Firstly, he helped win the free-kick that led to Sydney FC’s equaliser after the intended recipient of his one-two, Milos Ninkovic, was fouled.
Secondly, he set up Mierzejewski’s second with a comical assist that cannoned off his chest after he literally thighed the ball into himself.
Lastly, he almost had a hand in a third just before the hour mark when Bobo ran on to Mierzejewski’s pinpoint through ball – after Simon had drawn Michael Thwaite into his space, forcing Brendan Hamill to gallop back frantically in defence.
Later, a tired Wanderers defence gave the ball away to Ninkovic, who promptly set up Bobo to kill off the game.
Why does this matter? Because with so much focus on their foreigners, Sydney FC’s critics often forget that the Sky Blues are more than capable of winning ugly.
And that’s bad news for the rest of the A-League, given that no one has truly worked out how to beat the defending champions.
The other good news? The fact that more than 25,000 fans turned up in absolutely abysmal conditions to watch the final Sydney Derby before Allianz Stadium is knocked down and rebuilt.
For all the pre-match talk about poor ticket sales, the derby still managed to put a couple of rival sports in the shade at the box office.
And A-League fans who complained so vociferously about a Sunday night kick-off could probably do with a dose of perspective.
Know what other big games kicked off on a Sunday this weekend?
Only the League Cup final at Wembley, Manchester United–Chelsea in the Premier League, Roma-Milan in Serie A, Leverkusen–Schalke in the Bundesliga, Feyenoord–PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie and Paris Saint-Germain–Marseille in France’s Le Classique.
Heck, even Kashima Antlers managed to fill the entire away end at a sold-out Nihondaira Stadium against Shimizu S-Pulse yesterday, following a 300-kilometre journey that would have required a Shinkansen trip, a local train and then a bus ride to Mitch Duke’s picturesque home ground.
Want to know why the J.League gets big crowds? Because people show up at the games.
And that’s something we need more of across the board in the A-League, and not just for derbies.
Still, those who did turn up in wet weather this weekend deserve plenty of credit – even if Brisbane Roar fans must have wondered why they bothered.
Of all Football Federation Australia’s perception problems, they have an increasingly serious one in Brisbane, where fans are more and more convinced that the FFA don’t care about what happens to football in the city because it’s not Sydney or Melbourne.
Case in point? Nikolai Topor-Stanley’s clear foul on Avraam Papadopoulos in stoppage time of Brisbane Roar’s 1-0 loss to the Newcastle Jets on Saturday.
It should have been a penalty, but neither referee Stephen Lucas nor – farcically – the VAR saw fit to award a spot-kick.
So that’s another two points dropped by a Roar side that has had countless refereeing decisions go against them all season.
Of course, if Brett Holman had just lifted his shot over the goalkeeper – like the underrated Bobo did for Sydney FC – then the Roar might have snatched a point anyway.
They deserved to on the balance of chances alone.
But that’s been the story of the A-League season to date. Plenty of hustle and bustle, but only Sydney FC have got an Adrian to go with their Simon.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
If you are going to try and deride me again at least get YOUR facts right. "The National Soccer League (NSL) began in 1977. Sydney City Hakoah was the most successful team on the field in the first ten years of the NSL, and Frank Lowy was president of the Hakoah Social Club for much of that time. The Social Club and its wealthy members bankrolled the football team. Sydney City won the championship four times, finished top of the home and away leagues on six occasions and played some of the most entertaining football in the history of the league. But it could never attract a crowd to match its playing ability. The demise of Sydney City, or Sydney Slickers or Sydney Hakoah was a long time in the making."
DH
Guest
Winning ugly is more art than science, an art that Simon excels at. Wasn't much of a spectacle this time around, but looking forward to Newcastle match. Horrible stadium in a horrible location. Pity there's no room or suitable accessibility around Sydney to genuinely start from scratch with their stadia. Existing conditions are bad, future conditions not much better....
tomas
Guest
A-League regular seasons have historically had Sunday twilight matches beginning around 5pm, not Sunday evening matches beginning at 6:30 or even 7pm which was when this match was originally scheduled so Fox could have prime time content. the later 7:50pm kick offs on friday and saturday are awful too because they end up being 8pm starts due to fox delay, with matches ending close to 10pm. as i said, the A-League isn't in a position to dictate to their followers when they should attend the football. gallop and fox turned the NRL into a television sport, and the A-League is going down the same route. Difference however is that one time A-League followers are turning away from the game rather than just staying home and watching it.
Post_hoc
Guest
pation
Post_hoc
Guest
100% Chris, more people need to acknowledge it. I think part of the issue is the short turnaround cycles people expect these days. News report last night about one of the last 2 Video rental stores closing, one person commented that it was sad, as it drew people outside made them mingle in their community, but now they just download and watch it at home by themselves. It was 'too much' effort or took too long to get up go down the road and get something, everything needs to be now. There is no antici
chris
Guest
PH its amazing that ppl actually think that the A-League is in danger of folding or whatever. Yes it's had (and will continue to have) issues and problems etc. But the trend is growth. Clubs wanting to enter the league, more money coming into the game and grass roots growing even from a huge base. We need change no doubt about that. That will come and potential will be realised.
Post_hoc
Guest
In June, the Wanderers Academy opens, 12 dedicated fields $16 million, they spoke a little about it on the fox podcast yesterday, how the academy players don't play in the red and black hoops, how you have to earn that jersey. Clearly the Wanderers owners have no fear that the A league is not going to survive. The Owners have paid for the academy as they see that as establishing the future of the club long term. The owners, the board and the management all have long term vision for the club, not all the fans have it. I've said it before, more than happy for these bandwagons to leave, when we go to the new stadium my foundation membership gets me better seats that I can hold onto, when the long term vision pays off
Nemesis
Guest
"My Kitchen Rules" and "I'll Marry Anyone" are stronger competitors for A-League than AFLW. Both these programmes actually run for more than 7 weeks.
Post_hoc
Guest
All the comments were about how disappointing the Wanderers end crowd was. But wasn't a surprise with the two that were in the commentary box.
Post_hoc
Guest
Mr Highkicks in short pants, the AFLW is not the competitor to the ALeague, sorry I know you so want it to be the case, but it simply isn't. There is no body that is in two minds about watching the AFLW or the A league and picks one over the other. Now I think that is 2 or 3 posts on this thread, at least 2 of them about the AFL, once again i ask why are you here?
chris
Guest
Yeah that walk is a real pain up the hill.
chris
Guest
PH is that what they were saying about the crowd? i don't get what the problem is. There were over 35k tickets sold and 25k turned up at the leaky SFS. I don't see the issue there?
Post_hoc
Guest
Juvenile gesture no, but a gesture, I believe Away tickets for the active section were $50, sorry that is just plain wrong. I was getting rather frustrated (not surprising) but a few of the comments by the Fox Sydney FC love in commentators, in describing the crowd and how the Wanderers were not providing the supporters. Really? It was a Sydney FC home game, they have been the dominant force for 2 years, lost 2 games in two years, and yet it is expected that the mid table away team is supposed to fill there stadium? Home games at Spotless Wanderers get grief for fans not turning up, never a word saying gee isn't disappointing that the Mariners Fans have not turned up (sorry midfielder not having a go just using it as an example), Commentators never say that, but it was 'Wanderers' fault on Sunday night.
Grobbelaar
Roar Guru
The Women's AFL is the A-League's newest sporting competitor, especially through Feb and March, so it's natural that we would use it as our yardstick (not just me, even 442 dedicates a number of threads to making such comparisons). That we managed to stay within 1k of a women's AFL game featuring GWS is a pretty good result in my humble opinion.
nachos supreme
Guest
The walk to Central station if you can't be bothered hopping on the free bus is just soooo onerous. Agree that driving is a hassle but it's not like the train station is a long way off is it?
Will
Guest
If the author is celebrating a performance of a player who has a limited skill set who is known for putting the odd flying elbow onto a opposing defender rather than his football ability. Then Australian football has a serious problem, talk about the quality of Ninkovic and Adrian please they make the difference not a lumberjack who hasn’t scored a goal in over 2 years. This is football not rugby!
Realfootball
Guest
I tried to change the first sentence of that post because when I read it seemed to denigrate the women's game. This was not my intention, and my expression could have been improved. I am sure that AFLW does have a future, and I support women playing any sport. But at the moment, attendances are being funded by the AFL through free tickets and ratings have a high novelty component that will erode over time. Support for AFLW is, in my view, an unsustainable bubble, and your use of the stats to denigrate the A League is disingenuous to say the least. And with than, I think, it's time I took a holiday from the forums until I can recover my optimism.
Realfootball
Guest
There is no doubt the figures are deeply concerning. However, AFLW is little more than a novelty trick, paid for by the tv rights to the men's game. We'll see what the figures look like in two years. Thing is, Grob, you appear with these pronouncements like a stuck record, and you need a new shtick. Or a new hobby, Something to occupy your time constructively. Be happy with your code. It may be a diatom in the ocean in terms of importance; it may be something that no one cares about anywhere else on the planet; it may be an untidy, rather brainless game so lacking in discrete skills that rugby players can be roped into to play it at elite level; it may of only marginal interest outside the southern regions of this small (in terms of population) nation. It may be, and is, all of these things, but be happy in your myopia, and, please, go somewhere else to occupy your down time. Assuming that you do have any other kind of time, of course. And remember: its all only grown men chasing ball around a flat bit of grass. Just leave the football tabs alone.
j,binnie
Guest
CC- Just part of a myth that deserves correction, The Sydney City/Hakoah Eastern Suburbs/ Hakoah club you refer to was not "bankrolled by the Lowy family" as you state, but by the Hakoah Club which at the time was based at Hall Street, Bondi. Frank Lowy and Andrew Lederer (Uncle of WSW 's owner), President and Vice President of the football team were both instrumental in trying to keep the team in the NSL,but were over-ruled by a new board that had been elected, led by a man called Bernie Jacobi. , The team left the NSL after one game in season 1987. Just to keep the history correct. Cheers jb.
Buddy
Guest
Love the picture you conjure up there. It is laughable that you might need a special outfit to cope with the weather though. I have been to plenty of games in really cold weather but t least you dress appropriately. I’m not sure what advice you could give to anyone attending yesterday so we will go with your very blue layered bin liner look.