I'm still in NZ and very pleased I didn't drive down from Bay of Islands to Wellington to watch the game cause I would have been pissed. 
Agree with what has been said. There seemed to me to be no killer instinct in that game. And Gillesphey seemed disinterested at times?????
nix just wanted it more. Steve Taylor's save outstanding and showed a level of desperation that is lacking in Roar. 
Everyone saying recruits are crap, and that may well be, but it's hard to believe a player of RF experience has made such a blunder.
 O'Shea looks decent tho. Inman has his moments and I was surprised AH was subbed at half time when he had done far more than ROD, in my eyes. 

It’s a coaching issue imo. 

Roar had had a sound defence and were creating plenty of quality chances over the first four games. 

Over the last last two games the defence has suddenly become very poor while the creation of good quality chances has slowed dramatically. 

How McGing gets dragged off in the first half last week but starts this week is astonishing ... he must have compromising photographs of Robbie lol. 

Meanwhile DWH must have run over the club cat, either that or RODs got his own set of compromising  photos? 

It’s not a player of RF’s experience that has recruited poorly, but a coach of RF’s inexperience. And while O’Shea has his moments, he drifts in and out of games and his first touch is poor sometimes.

It's time to get real and call a spade a spade.
Roar had their best ever preseason.But they played mainly NPL teams.
It's six games in with one desperate win against the odds.
We have not played one whole game the way we played in preseason.
We dont have an active press like in preseason.
We were probably the fittest team.Now that advantage has gone.
Our defence was only good because everyone was defending.No even that is suspect.
When we defend with lots of people behind the ball we look like a desperate NPL side.
We consistently miss lots of chances.But poor sides generally do that.
We only play football when we are behind.
At the start of the season ,the bookies had Brisbane as a bottom three team and FIFA's computer had them as the bottom team.
These are the facts.

Unfortunately when predicting the most likely outcome you have to consider the facts.
In every game this year Brisbane has not been the favourite to win.Even yesterdays game WP were favourites.
Next week will be interesting.Because CCM have a new striker and DDS back.
If BR arent favourites for that game ,then the reality is Brisbane will be near if not at the bottom of the ladder next year.
So it's time  to change things.Because doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is ....insane.

9 games and three months is enough time to assess Fowler. That’s coming up now:

CCM (H)
SFC (A)
WU (H)

followed by a bye which takes us up to Christmas. We then have Jets and WSW both away which takes us to Jan 2. 

Thats the window to act if BRFC have the balls. 3-5 games. If he goes, put Moon in, early January allows him to do what (little) he can in the window, and then he has 4 months to show what he can do. 

I dont think the Bakries will have the balls to fire him, which would show they learned nothing from the Aloisi saga.

Alternatively, RF could wake up tomorrow and smell the coffee and make wholesale changes and save his coaching career. If he can survive to January then he could make 1-2 signings and finish the season strongly with enough evidence to suggest he can get stronger the following season.

This is now as much a test for how the Bakries run this football club as it is Fowler himself. 

Robbie has been making changes in games.

He has yet to find where success at training melds with real play but he is looking every game; for small changes initially but more heavy handed as his forst attempts don't give him what he wants to see.

He is not a static manager and I do not think he is a lazy or bad manager.

He is an inexperienced manager and he is finding out that what works off field does not necessarily make it intact on field.

I have not seen him at a loss yet (challenged but not lost) - he has put something different into play each time - but from inexperience what he expects to work may not be as quick a solution as he expects it to be.

Now he shows what he has learned and what he has inside him as a manager.

A quarter of the season has gone and that’s the time to start seeing improvement. As I said below, the trends are the wrong way with things getting worse, not better. 

There are several examples now of where Fowler’s not afraid to back himself. 

McGing last week was sacrificed in the first half, that’s demoralising for most players but RF wasn’t afraid to select him yesterday. Unfortunately it didn’t work out and it will be interesting to see how he goes with him next week. 

Same with ROD. Fowler backed him for one more game and he got a hat trick last week. Genius then, not so this week. 

Its rapidly turning in to a baptism of fire that’s for sure. 

Mells. DWH,O’toole 

A quarter of the season has gone and there are 2 points between 11th and 6th. One extra win would have put anyone puts anyone in the top 6.

There is a hop to breach the top 5, but not insurmountable for any team who gets their act together.

I have not compared previous years, but this seems like an unusual season in terms of the ladder. Given the number of teams so close I would also say that this cannot be a simple competition to unlock for any of the bottom 6 coaches - new or experienced.

It is also a bastard of a season for working out real ladder position with 2 games more played by some teams.

I do agree - this far into the competition we are starting to see who has their machinery in gear and who is struggling, but we have seen top teams stumble in the last 2 weeks too.

Do I think we still have the squad and ability to get firmly inside the 6? Yes, I do.

It is all with Robbie as you say.

I think he had to revert back to a 4 man backline. It's fine playing with 3 centre backs as long as you have 3 decent cbacks and I don't think we do. We barely can manage 2.

with the 3 cbacks you would expect your wingers/ wbacks to constantly be getting in behind as I see it.....that's the point of having that system I imagine. And I don't see that happening as often as it should....and they often cross way to far out. 
so change to 4 man back line and get forward when you can and let true wingers do the getting in behind work in a 433 or 442.

You can play with 3CB’s but that’s not normal. A back three typically has one CB and a RB and LB (which is what Fowler is deploying).

The improved defensive capability comes when these three play as a unit meaning they can normally overwhelm 2 strikers and deal with 3 easily enough. 

The trouble is whether you have 3 at the back or 4, it makes no difference if your defenders don’t jump and meet the Ball as Bowles and now Gillesphey prove. 

Hes got got some serious thinking to do that’s for sure. 

Just watched the CCM V WU game , got to say if roar don’t flog CCM by at least 4 I’ll be very surprised .
absolute rubbish game with 2 very average teams.

No. We simply don't have players of the necessary quality. 

Yep.

British Roar are a train wreck.

I don't think we have played a single good game yet. We've had games where we were the team on top for maybe 20/30 minutes, but there has been nothing that would make me think "that was a good game", or think that we were the better team. Given where we are in the season, I don't expect i'll say or think that any time soon. 
Certainly feel like the foreign recruiting has been very disappointing. ROD and Gillesphie the worst in my opinion. O'Shea, Aldred and AAH have been okay, but probably only at the level of an okay Aussie player, not what you would expect from a visa player. I stand by my previous comments that ROD should be dropped. Yes he scored 3 last week, but only one of his own making. He didn't win the pens, either, so my opinion hasn't changed. Australian recruits are okay, without being anything amazing.
Agree that we should look at changing our formation, as it just isn't working. The back 3 are too slow, and not good enough to make it work. Also should start playing more youth. 

                 Crocombe
Neville - Aldred - Reardon - JCP
                    O'Neill
              O'Shea    Mauk
DWH              AAH              Inman

Quite disappointing also after RODs post match comments about how the team are only good when they are going after it and taking the game on, that Fowler chooses to stick with the defensive, passing it backwards tactics. That to me is not on. 
I think the best thing Fowler could do is own it. Rather than throwing his players under the bus. He needs to take responsibility, as that is what good managers do, and also probably accept that his visa players aren't cutting it, so be brave and drop them and bring in the youth. 

I agree with this. RF has not ever looked overwhelmed, he constantly shows that he has a solution to whats happening on-field. but we have not put one good game together yet. we have had one very good second half against city, and a couple of good second half periods, concerningly we have had 2 very poor games in Victory and WP and every game has had a poor first half and we do not look like we are improving. the city game could have turned things around RF stuck with his guns and played (pretty much) the same team in the same formation the next week and we were poor. 

He now has to change things up. he cant keep doing the same thing because it just inst working. Roy has scored 1 goal from open play not good enough, needs to be dropped, Mcging needs to be dropped, Gillesphie needs to be dropped. 

Roy has 2 from open play - PG and the through ball v MC - though he has missed several sitters. But yes, he needs some pine. The other problem has been our midfielders haven't picked up the slack. Mauk's first shot on target against WP and he gets a goal. Inman was scoring during pre-season. O'Shea hasn't really looked like scoring. Roy hasn't bought others into scoring to nullify his own lack of goals. Unfortunately, DWH doesn't strike me as a set up player. A-H fits this bill, but hasn't had a decent run. Lets see what happens against CCM.

@Mello-D
Agree we haven't gone close to a good 90 minute game yet.

@sirhcdobo
Gillesphey is our weakest link and I have not seen anything (including pre-season) that keeps him there. Great long range left foot passer and until the last couple of games I thought a solid highball defender, but too slow to be relied on and you can't fix that. McGing did do well in pre-season when we were pushing our fast fluid attacking system - if Robbie fixes the back maybe McGing can pick up where he left off in preseason (or maybe not).

ROD has not come good (yet) but watching him play he works hard to be in the right places - is he getting the service he needs? I have seen plenty of awfully placed passes not going where he was running or when he was making a run. Broich may have had him firing but we don't have a Broich and won't get one. Maybe the net result has to be benching him for the first 60-75 until (if) we get a combination that works with him in it.

One thing though - when you say "he can't keep doing the same thing because it just inst working" and others quote the definition of insanity (do the same but expect different results) - we are not talking fixed points here. Team play is such a complicated dynamic. If Robbie has seen enough in training and preseason, and has genuine faith in his players, game plan and system, then continuing to do the same thing <u>while the team shows improvement</u> and expecting a different outcome is not stupid or insane.

This last game was the first that I would say we went backwards in compared to previous games. I can give one bad game to any coach or team without drawing too much from it (and the Nix did play a harsh pressing/fouling game that totally threw the team off - no excuse but an observation of cause and effect). CCM will be another big game for our evolution. But it is an evolution I am watching and following - not an instant win team.

@Waz
Just in general, I think teams have worked out now where other teams' strengths are and countering them just as much as other teams are getting fitter and levelling the field.

Agreed

Bowles, Aldred, and Gillesphey have all failed to address the Ball in the air recently, resulting in goals conceded.

This is not a difficult skill - most players have been able to run and jump in the general direction of the Ball since their teen years - if it’s not a skill thing then it’s team instructions not working. Why would that be my question? 

Id be tempted to stick with 3-5-2 for now. 

Courtney-Perkins in for Gillesphey wouldn’t be a bad idea, but that then leaves a problem at wide left with O’Toole unable to play that role. Pepper or Hingert could cover it. 

ROD now has to be moved to the bench - he’s not right and a hat trick didn’t fix it. So DWH and Holloway up front would be my starters. 

In the middle Mauk also has to be dropped. Inman has proved effective there so he plus O’Neill and O’shay in the middle.  

The central three aren’t committing to the attack in the way they should. No one plays DM in this set up so while Peppers done all right there it’s no coincidence our two worst games have occurred while he’s there. 

Hingert, Powel or Reardon would do no worse than Gillesphy.  I think O'Toole has had a fair chance and looks very one dimensional, not sure I would be giving him a start just yeat

I dont think it is possible to argue that we have been getting better, and i do think now we have gone backwards since the start of the season. the second half against city could have been a turning point but the WP game shows that the second half of city was an aboratation not a sign that were improving. I think our first halves have been getting worse and worse. we started out with fairly solid defensive performances with the possible single laps in concentration allowing chances that some would count as lucky, we were still creating chances at the start. the last 2 games we have been absolutely dominated and not created anything, overall we have seen a general decline in first half performances. our second halves were generally good think SFC, and CCM ffa cup games, and perth to start the season. the city game could have shown that things were on the improve but the WP showed this was not the case we were possibly worse in the second half than the first. i would say generally steady slightly declining now in the second halves. 

Our defensive performances has been on the decline as shown by the goals against, and excluding city second halve our goal scoring and chance creation has been steady at best, and declining at worse. 

this was not one bad game this is systematic failure. Even if you add up every good period of play we have had this season we would not have 1 good complete game that is not good enough. and something has to change. 

Lol.Did you see us play?
I imagine CCM fans will be saying the same thing.

Three at the back has failed us again.When will the coach realise and admit he was wrong?
Cuttting your losses and admitting you failed is one of the hard lessons of life.But the sooner you do it the better.Otherwise you risk catastrophe.
Thats in front of RF now.
4231 is probably the safest bet.Except we dont have real pace on the wings,except for Ingham.
Put AON and  Mells as DM screeners.
JOS in front of them.Then take your pick of AH,Mauk,JI,ROD ,BI,DWH and youth.

Nix was our worst game without doubt, 85 minutes of shite and five where they looked like they at least cared. But the first 45 vs City weren’t far behind. 

All the other games have just been inconsistent and on another day Roar have 10-12 points on the board and sit in the right half of the table instead. 

But they dont, and they now look like a team lacking in confidence. The one thing I’ve never liked is to see players lacking in confidence kept in the team too long, it’s contagious and/or other players try compensating for them causing their own performance to suffer. 

So theres a lot of talk about changing formation but why would you - if Inman and ROD has been in form over those first few games they would have won plenty. 

6 games later though and we have question marks over defensive players Aldred, Gillesphey and Crocombe instead who, in the first four games, were solid enough ..... it’s a funny old game football; the strikers stuff up and it’s the defenders that fall apart 🤪

I blame the FFA

Three at the back hasn't failed, the players have failed.
RF knows what he wants but players cant execute, his fault for signing these players though.
Get Akbari in there.

You are wrong - I can and do argue that we have been getting better :)

As you say, the City second half could have been a turning point - which means you would concede to some degree that we may have been heading in the right direction and were close to arriving. At this point I choose to look at the Nix game as the abberation - to be confirmed or proven wrong next game by how the team recovers from a stuff up. I would not be surprised to find that every Roar player thought we were a shoe-in against the winless, bottom of ladder Nix based on the high of the previous week's comeback. They were given a lesson by the Nix that will not pass unfelt.

As a team we have gone backwards from preseason, but I do not think we have gone backwards since season start - just had a single game where it was hard to find anything positive to hold onto other than a few minutes of something shiny at the end.

Our defence seems to be weakening but I see that as teams learning how to unlock us easier. Most of us counted our slow backs as our problem - we have seen some hesitancy and confusion in the last couple of games though with players we thought we could rely on effectively leaving the defensive play to a team mate rather than taking personal responsibility. That is the point Robbie is making to our defenders - don't leave it for someone else - make the call and commit - it is what you are in the team for. I think they will get that commitment back quickly.

Our defence was solid to start with and goals did not flow - so Robbie trusted that to remain constant and moved more of the focus forward. Unfortunately that exposed more of our weakness at the back which was not compensated for by the forwards scoring. We score and the opposition has to hang back further and we can score more. We fail to score and the opposition maintains a press and fast attack and we get more vulnerable.

Robbie has a lot of options. My hope would be to shore up the back and tweak the front end more. Preseason and for the games before the Nix I saw plenty of exciting, creative and skilful play by us in noticeable sections of our games. Not moments - real periods of games that showed what we can do when we get our act together. Those periods include Inman, O'Shea, ROD and Holloway creating dangerous and sustained attacks, with Mauk chiming in on a more random basis to my eyes. So get those players on the park from the start and create the pressure in the first half that we have been missing since preseason.

Next game is the next step in our evolution and development - but last game did not wipe everything we have been working towards so far. It is enough to have us question everything but that is a reaction to hopes and subsequent disappointment. A proper win this week with the skill coming back through the midfield and front third and we are back on track.

Depending on what Robbie now tries to fix what is not working, a positive loss would not have me writing the team off though. I just want to see thought and effort at resolving our problems and commitment by Robbie to continue looking at what might work.

It's finally happened.
Roar are   favourites for the first time this season .
They are strong favourites to beat CCM,having not lost to them for yonks.

I mean, maybe because it isn't working? Or because there might be better options out there? Sticking with this formation is meaning we are playing people out of form and out of position. I think Fowler needs to be able to identify which players are and aren't up to standard, and work out a way to get the best players on the park. 
Also, Inman and ROD being in-form and scoring some of the chances they have missed doesn't fix the fact that we haven't looked like a cohesive, well playing side for 80-90% of the season. 

The squad was recruited for 3-5-2 so no one is being played out of position unintentionally. 

And if players are out of form in 3-5-2 they’ll be out of form in 4-4-2 or any other formation 

confidence and self belief are fragile things in football and that now seems to be part of the problem.