Elsey Send Off Sends Off 2018 With Draw

10 hours ago, Swarth said:

so just how is babbel better than gombau? stats wise he is worse and he had an actual pre season

 

but he is german so he has to be a football genius right?

Babbel's players want to play for him, the players had no respect for Gombau whatsoever.

Last year was a shambles...its better talking about how we fell short rather than how we were never in it...

We got a draw with Adelaide in Adelaide with a 3rd string keeper making his debut, we would of taken that before kick off so take it and move on.  We lapsed for 10mins at the start of the second and the last 10min when the crowd got into it at the end but we also played some pretty good stuff.  That period before the first drinks break we looked very good.  Elseys send off might of been harsh but the second was a definite yellow and why do that if you are already on one.  Bacchus got a yellow that was a cheap one as well so it wasn't all one way and when they score their second he made the decision not to take a foul because he was on that yellow, probably cost us a goal but that's football.  Isaias goes down fast than a hooker with a mortgage and is a blight on the league.

18 minutes ago, scarcev said:

We got a draw with Adelaide in Adelaide with a 3rd string keeper making his debut, we would of taken that before kick off so take it and move on.  We lapsed for 10mins at the start of the second and the last 10min when the crowd got into it at the end but we also played some pretty good stuff.  That period before the first drinks break we looked very good.  Elseys send off might of been harsh but the second was a definite yellow and why do that if you are already on one.  Bacchus got a yellow that was a cheap one as well so it wasn't all one way and when they score their second he made the decision not to take a foul because he was on that yellow, probably cost us a goal but that's football.  Isaias goes down fast than a hooker with a mortgage and is a blight on the league.

Suman didn't concede off a set piece. First goal a deflection for a tap in and the second a rookie error. Not bad for an 18 year old in his first professional game.

1 minute ago, Paul01 said:

Suman didn't concede off a set piece. First goal a deflection for a tap in and the second a rookie error. Not bad for an 18 year old in his first professional game.

Was also good to see the young bloke yelling at senior players in the wall when they weren't doing what he asked as well.

I don't think you can fault anyone for first goal. Risdon closed down wide player and our defenders held the line which is what they should do. Freak deflection bought them all undone, can't see how they could have prevented it. It's football - it happens.

Second goal was a give away which caught us open, neat bit of skill and classy through ball by isais exposing tarek's lack of pace and a well hit first time shot. It's easy to say keeper should have had that because it's straight at him but they are tough to stop. Sometimes you just have to credit the attack.

As some have rightly pointed out - where we lost the game was not creating any good chances after the kamau goal vs 10. We really lack threat in wide areas - that + a DM is where we need help in january imo.

1 hour ago, SBW said:

Babbel is completely frustrated and feels perplexed at how his team reacts to certain situations and their inability to finish the game off and to be fair, this has been the issue for the last few seasons

 

I think this is typical of Australian football teams, all the way up to the national team.

We are lacking in confidence. No conviction in the final 3rd. We are just not expecting to score.  It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. It runs then throughout the team. Not getting to 2nd balls etc.  Two years of poor results.  Not sure how to fix. Massive overhaul, new stadium, run of good fortune?

Riera is symptomatic. For a marquee striker he is just not finishing with any belief.

Was good to see Kamau smash one in 

2 hours ago, scarcev said:

Babbel's players want to play for him, the players had no respect for Gombau whatsoever.

Yeh.... about that. 

We all agree we created nothing after Kamau, was very clear to see, yet surely that’s when the coach earns his pay & makes changes to personnel or structure? He did nothing but sub a CM for a more defensively minded CM.

We had options, he just didn’t use them. 

34 minutes ago, Bellby said:

We all agree we created nothing after Kamau, was very clear to see, yet surely that’s when the coach earns his pay & makes changes to personnel or structure? He did nothing but sub a CM for a more defensively minded CM.

We had options, he just didn’t use them. 

 

What options are these? 

1 hour ago, Bellby said:

Yeh.... about that. 

Always something isn't it.

Coach doesn't like the players

Players don't like the coach.

Maybe one day we'll see a WSW where that doesn't exist.

14 minutes ago, hawks2767 said:

Always something isn't it.

Coach doesn't like the players

Players don't like the coach.

Maybe one day we'll see a WSW where that doesn't exist.

That's football

48 minutes ago, StringerBellend said:

What options are these? 

If you’re a man up, you want to stretch the game & make use of the extra space/player, I don’t think Roly can offer that as a winger, So either straight swap Roly for Fitz or take off O’Doherty for Fitz & play Roly centrally which should give you further penetration in the middle of the park.. but he wouldn’t do that because he’s already come out (after a month) & said Roly cant play CM despite playing his whole career there. 

Or go to a 442ish formation & play Roly or ABJ (maybe that gets him more space) directly behind Riera.

I completely understand we dont have a a Honda or Goodwin or a Castro etc sitting on the bench but I’d rather have a crack then roll over like a dog when we’re a man up. We took zero risks structurally, came out of it with a point, & then had the manager come out & criticise the players. Again. 

The less Fitzgerald plays the better people seem to think he is 

I thought up until the first drinks break we were solid and after that it went quickly down hill 

many poor decisions and at times horrid passing 

How you bring on mahazi ahead of Fitz when you are chasing a win is ludicrous, we extra player he could have sacrificed O’doherty And not replaced him 

babbel didn’t do anything different 

I always says give it ten games and New Year’s Day is ten games But as it stands we are no better than last year 

hopefully the players who want out can leave we need at least 3 players to change what’s going on 

21 minutes ago, Bellby said:

 & then had the manager come out & criticise the players. Again. 

I know some here have expressed appreciation of MB coming out and publicly criticising the players, or even expressing disbelief at what they are doing, but I'm with Bellby and others who don't like it.

It might work with a highly talented group of players who are being lazy, or who are disregarding/defying  the manager's instructions, but in a group with no self belief/no confidence, it is unlikely to work. It PLAINLY hasn't worked over the weeks he's been doing it. It doesn't suggest to me good "man management" skills. Sure Gombau's approach was wrong, but this is approach is not confidence inspiring either.

He is basically saying quite openly something not far off,  "I don't know what's going on, and I don't know how to fix it."

Well, that's how it comes across to me.

I find it almost painful to look at Riera atm - where the lack of confidence can be read on his face. To me - his penalty expressed lack of confidence - fear almost..... and his face, after the actually scored - well...he looked like he was going to cry. It seemed like disbelief.

IDK....but as others have observed, the group psychology of the players has to be managed with more finesse than is apparent at the moment - IMHO.

5 hours ago, sonar said:

He may not be winning games but he certainly is winning in the fashion stakes....I'm fully expecting a full on fashion parade the more we slide down the ladder....lol......

i hope we do win best dressed coach, we really deserve that award, i want to see him with a top hat eventually

if he never wears a top hat

babbel out

17 minutes ago, Bellby said:

If you’re a man up, you want to stretch the game & make use of the extra space/player, I don’t think Roly can offer that as a winger, So either straight swap Roly for Fitz or take off O’Doherty for Fitz & play Roly centrally which should give you further penetration in the middle of the park.. but he wouldn’t do that because he’s already come out (after a month) & said Roly cant play CM despite playing his whole career there. 

Or go to a 442ish formation & play Roly or ABJ (maybe that gets him more space) directly behind Riera.

I completely understand we dont have a a Honda or Goodwin or a Castro etc sitting on the bench but I’d rather have a crack then roll over like a dog when we’re a man up. We took zero risks structurally, came out of it with a point, & then had the manager come out & criticise the players. Again. 

This is what baffled me as well. We never seemed to try and use the numerical advantage we had. Adelaide totally owned us after the Kamau goal. They pressed every time we had the ball and used their pace up front to break us down.We were lucky not to lose. I get that Babbel would of been pissed of....the majority of fans are. Not tough enough,not mentally strong enough,not desperate enough.

15 hours ago, Swarth said:

so just how is babbel better than gombau? stats wise he is worse and he had an actual pre season

 

but he is german so he has to be a football genius right?

I guess at least you moved on from blaming popa for everything haha 

4 hours ago, SBW said:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/dec/27/markus-babbel-frustrated-by-inconsistent-wanderers-after-adelaide-draw

“(I said) they will come out to try and change the result and we were not there,” he said.

“For me, I don’t understand this. For me, this is what I have to learn.

“If you stay strong like it was in the first half, then the chance is big to get more chances to get the second goal.”

The Wanderers equaliser seemed to spark United into action and the hosts looked the more likely to score once parity was restored.

This was not lost on Babbel, who felt the Reds could have snatched all three points had the game gone longer.

“Adelaide deserved the point,” he said.

“Maybe if the game is 10 minutes longer I have the feeling we lose this game.

“So, now I don’t know what to say; I’m happy to get a point or I’m angry that we don’t get three points.”

Babbel is completely frustrated and feels perplexed at how his team reacts to certain situations and their inability to finish the game off and to be fair, this has been the issue for the last few seasons

 

that is what i like about babbel apart from his close to perfect fashion sense, he has a similar outlook to most fans i really hope he can bring his own team in soon

2 minutes ago, Swarth said:

that is what i like about babbel apart from his close to perfect fashion sense, he has a similar outlook to most fans i really hope he can bring his own team in soon

 

He was positive on Suman.

He didn't have Bridge, Grozos or Sotirio for this game.

8 minutes ago, Paul01 said:

He was positive on Suman.

He didn't have Bridge, Grozos or Sotirio for this game.

that is true, i mean a team he made most of the signings, so hopefully January we have a few more of his signings

13 minutes ago, Paul01 said:

He was positive on Suman.

He didn't have Bridge, Grozos or Sotirio for this game.

You know things are at rock bottom when we are regretting not having Sotirio available.

1 hour ago, StringerBellend said:

The less Fitzgerald plays the better people seem to think he is 

How would anyone know how good he is, he’s got about 40mins all year. Started v Brisbane, played well, never seen again.

You asked for options, I gave them. Amazingly they involved the only attacking player we had on the bench.

27 minutes ago, Bellby said:

How would anyone know how good he is, he’s got about 40mins all year. Started v Brisbane, played well, never seen again.

You asked for options, I gave them. Amazingly they involved the only attacking player we had on the bench.

Sorry didn’t mean to offend

I agree Babbel could maybe have changed it up 

6 hours ago, lloydy136 said:

I don't think you can fault anyone for first goal. Risdon closed down wide player and our defenders held the line which is what they should do. Freak deflection bought them all undone, can't see how they could have prevented it. It's football - it happens.

Have to disagree here mate. Risdon did jack 5hit defending for the first goal and actually gifted it for a tap in when trying to do...something with it as it went past him?

https://twitter.com/AdelaideUnited/status/1077882662360993793

1 hour ago, Bellby said:

How would anyone know how good he is, he’s got about 40mins all year. Started v Brisbane, played well, never seen again.

Perhaps the 150 or so a-league games he has played might give a hint or two

The idea that fitzgerald is being offered up as a solution (and you are right he was the best available option) tells you everything you need to know about where we are at.

These are our wing options.....

- roly (not a winger)

- majok (possibly worst 1st touch in history of a-league)

- kamau (ok but often wasteful)

- fitzgerald (career squaddie)

- sotirio (no explanation needed)

All while we have a striker who can head a ball if he gets the service. It is horrendous.

How we let ikonomidis escape to perth i have no idea.

Punt whoever we need to (ideally llorente) and bring in a visa winger in january or 8th will be the best we can hope for imo

18 minutes ago, StringerBellend said:

Sorry didn’t mean to offend

I agree Babbel could maybe have changed it up 

All good mate, we’re both just sick of losing by the sounds of it!