NO, NO, NO Jessesdad; Lloyd did not get us home

Stop defending that useless player

Dear Adelaide,

Thanks for that.

Kind regards,

Melbourne

Dear Melbourne,

You're welcome.

See you next week,

Adelaide

cant see leckie being in the reds colors after the january transfer opens

just hope he goes to england not some asian team or oil tycoon

442 442 442

Don't make the mistake that Sydney fans did by thinking one swallow makes a summer. Leckie is a good player who's progressing well. He's signed for two years and he'll need them to get to a point where he knows and everyone else knows whether he's really a step up on most other players. Burns was magic and he's languishing in the lower leagues (albeit on good pay no doubt). Leckie to stay and shine and see Adelaide through a lean time. So far he's close to the signing of the season.

It's a team game, krijoz, and I'm not one to choose a player to hate. I know you don't rate him. He got a boot up the arse last night from Viddie and Cristiano. Let's see how he responds. When he came on (and Cassio) we got back some attacking threat, which we needed for the last few minutes after having gone back into a very defensive and vulnerable strategy during which Sydney scored. I still have hope for Lloyd and I have resigned myself to receiving polite letters from you every time I mention his name. :p

totaly understand what you are saying i have been a long time adelaide season ticket holder
and seen alot of burns djite etc

it is just a feeling i have with leckie i dont think we have seen the best yet neither i hope he stays for two years and helps to make our club stronger

------eugene
fyfe flakes ruden jamo
------reid sarkies
dodd----------leckie
---christiano/owusu


Edited by bindiboy: 17/10/2009 09:45:33 AM

I personally agree with jessesdad we showed that he just wont walk onto the pitch. also whent christiano came off and alemao came on the side went into camp mode causing emense pressure due to sydneys defense smashing in crosses. when cassio and owusu came on it stopped sydney from pushing up so far. although owusu seems to like sitting in offside possitions then cracking it when they dont pass it

Sad but true! Mind you, he's not alone in this. We had a great chance last night when Alamao was on the ball but Leckie and Owusu were both offside and he couldn't pass the ball. Ended up turning around and going back.

But who cares now!! \:d/

Now that I've actually let the win settle into my system, I can have a look at the game objectively:

- Leckie is still such a promising character in the game. I was showing my mate the Iniesta "La Croqueta" move on my iPod touch before the game, and lo-and-behold, Leckie tries one of them near the touchline on the Western grandstand side late in the 2nd half. It didn't execute very well, but we chuckled a bit and heaped more praise on the kid.

- Cristiano! How good was he in his first start since the Wellington game? :D He chased the balls down, he got into positions and he had another mobile forward to work off of with Leckie being there alongside him. He seemed to do everything with his head last night! I've always supported Cristiano, and when he puts in the hard yards and it pays off, my faith in him is renewed.

- Hughes and Sarkies. I was actually quite impressed with the both of them last night. Sarkies has shown in the last couple of weeks that he actually does know how to play football. Hughes is still around, and it seems he annoys the opposition as much as he annoys the AU supporters! :p Let's hope they both improve.

- Reid. Our rock in the midfield is back! What a statement he made when he came back into the squad last night. He helped control the midfield by directing the others around the park just like what a decent leader does. We've missed him, and it's good to see him back at full strength.

- Fyfe was actually pretty decent as the game went on, but early in the game it seemed he hesitated quite a bit when he got the ball in RB, and he never really created any chances by pushing up. Jamieson on the other side of the pitch was the complete opposite. I think it might be worth Viddie's while to consider Mullen (who played a very good game against fellow Young Socceroo, Kofi Danning, in the Youth League game) or Marrone to slot back in here. Even Alemao with his versatility could probably fit in here. I just don't think Fyfe knows what to do on the right there.

- Jamieson did what Jamieson does best! His crosses last night were pinpoint accurate and assisted both of Cristiano's goals. With the one less player in the midfield, he pushed up quite a lot, and got into very good positions.

- Big RED man Rudan!! Loved both his tackles to deny Brosque those two clear chances in both halves. His partnership has firmed up with Cornthwaite, and both are doing a very good job in central defence.

- EUGENE! He saved our asses again last night. Poor guy must be lamenting the fact that all he really wants is a quiet day at the office. With Sydney's many forays into the penalty box, our captain for the night was always there to make sure the ball never touched the back of the net - albeit Aloisi DID score, but that was off a VERY awesome save from Galekovic and the crossbar. No wonder this man is the A-League's best keeper.

- Barbiero... oh young Fabian, what are you doing? You still had 83 minutes of the game and you pulled out that ridiculous shirt tug. He could have made up the ground with plenty of space between Bridge and Galekovic, but it wasn't the case. All I can do is sigh...

- What of our subs? Alemao's entrance caused a bit of a defensive mindset like what everyone else has said, but I agree that Cassio's introduction was a bit more attacking. Owusu still hasn't won me over completely. I like the guy, but unfortunately he has to do something awesome soon...

- Sydney FC. Maths suggest that they should have won. Whether they had the desire to win or not is a completely different issue. I love their passing skills and they way they move the ball around - actually made me feel nervous watching them move into attacking areas. Decent game they played, but decent is just not good enough I guess.

- Crowd. Very vocal crowd once we scored. 10.291? Yeah, it looked about that. Once the rain started to come down, I was worried that people would leave, but I'm glad they didn't and when the rain stopped we turned on our A-game. We must be pushing around 8k-9k members this season as the crowds are staying at around that mark - a very good figure. Proud to be Reds supporter!

And that's it for now. Let's discuss this win throughout the week and hope we can back it up against Melbourne next week. :D

Exactly!! The man's so under-rated.

Hughes? Still lost on me. What position was he playing. Actually, what was the 4-4-2?

first thing leckie seen that move nearly did come off split second chance plus it did hold up the ball as he was the only one forward my man of the match. lucky he didnt get injured from a couple of those tackles i would have smashed that ref if he did. potential socceroo in the future if he keeps commited and doesnt get ahead of him self loan him out in the off season overseas if we can

sarkies three weeks in a row think he has really taken a liking to the dm role while reid has been injured and with reid back should still play the role with him and reid taking turns on attacking could be one of the strongest partnerships if aloud to flourish

hughes still a bit on the fence think he doesnt know his role you watch him sometimes and think if only he tried a bit harder he would have got to that ball bring out the mongrael not to much dont need red cards and i think he will be a gem

reid welcome back next captain of the reds well big fight with eugene for that spot
i think reid being back gave vidmar the comfidence to play 442 even with a man down
legend

fyfe same as hughes needs some mongrael to come out good player our defence is only getting better

in closing good game but one game doesnt change the season
on the bright side we have a real fight for positions i cant see who to drop next week maybe hughes for dodd and cassio for barbiaro

I read in the 'Tiser today - ( Sat ), and yes I succumbed and bought the rag to read about United's heroics - that some guy from Baker & Young is thinking seriously about ownership of United.
If this is so - fantastic news. However those stockbroker types tend to watch their pennies very closely, but are also very shrewd, so new signings for the ACL may be very good, * crossess fingers, arms and legs *

Also have you noticed how Rudan has become the player spokesman - ( both electronic & paper media )?
Dodd and Pantelis will not lose their positions as el capitano & deputy this year but I sense there could be a slight shifting within the personnel.
How much guts was shown on Friday night? Was it because of Hugene being captain, I wonder? mmmmm

Reid for captain, Eugene for vice-captain. Travis to get back and play like a demon. Rudan can talk as much as he likes if he keeps making tackles like that! :)

It may well be that, now Viddie has made a few changes, more will follow.

Edited by Jessesdad: 17/10/2009 06:05:44 PM

Maybe I should grace this thread more often with my wishes and predictions ;)

Next week, I'd really like to see Owuso recalled with three up front...or something...

Seriously, Paul Reid is a huge player for you guys. Keep him on the pitch as much as possible. Also, bindiboy, no room for Cassio in your best starting line-up?

Cassio is still a huge player for us at the momment i cant see what position he will play in the 442 in a 451 it is different but he is not a forward as such but he has so much skill he could become one huge super sub same as barbiaro, pantelis the best thing now that we have some players back we can actually do some switching around. who would you drop to bring in cassio

Based on Friday night's performance and if Dodd comes back next week, I want to see us be a bit more adventurous and try a 4-3-3:



Even if Dodd and Leckie sit slightly back a little, this will still provide run along the wings, which we know is what Adelaide like to do. Push Mullen and Jamieson slightly forward a little when required, and we've got a pretty decent looking formation.

I was thinking of trying out Shin and Monterosso in the line-up too, but after watching them in the Youth game, they still didn't look to have complete control of their game. Mullen impressed however, so I'll slot him back into the starting XI. Shin does look lost a lot of the time, made some good runs, but didn't know what to do with it after getting possession. Monterosso will get more confidence when he scores more in the Youth League.

Edited by RedsUnited: 18/10/2009 11:13:30 AM

Sounds good but I'd interchange Cassio and Jamo.
I agree that Shin still looks lost, the killer through balls and pace he displayed in the pre-season vs Perth must have been an aberation 'cause he has shown neither during his NYL stint.
Monteroso is slow, but his awareness in the box is great, that goal against Sydney was pure class. Unfortunately for him Leckie is quick with good ball control, so is above him re selection, but Owusu needs to become a real menace otherwqise Frank will superscede him.

Good point about the swap of Jamieson and Cassio. That nearly slipped my mind after seeing Jamieson's awesome display the other night. :D

Saw this article in the Advertiser today:


I seriously hope Cristiano shows us how awesome he is again for the next couple of matches, and then we'll re-sign him for another 2 years. Last thing we need is someone who is actually scoring goals to jump schip... :lol:

Do you think someone emailed a link to our little thread to Viddie? I mean seriously we played on Friday night the way we have been advocating and almost with a line up we have wanted.

I was worried about starting Leckie - but my goodness didn't he show how good he could be! Still can't think of him as a striker, but as a Ronaldo-esque floating winger/striker - perfect!

Reid showed exactly why he should be the team captain. Huge game from him, huge.

My faith in Rudan has been repaid, he worried my with his poor form to start with. But he could be another Og monster for us the way he is playing. He will be vital in the ACL.

Fyfe needs to be benched in favour of one of our 3 actual right backs. Seriously he worried me, wasn't closing down players, caught ball watching too often. I was sitting behind a couple of blokes who were yelling some very sage advice at him ;)

Cristiano had a huge game. Looks like Viddie's 'little talk' paid off. Guess it was what he needed, now the rest of the team needs the same. Show you want to play, play with passion when given the opportunity, take your chances.

Sarkies has convinced me he should be in the first XI - it has taken him a long time to do so, but these last few games have been great.

Hughes was better... bench still could use a bit of warming.

Shin2 & Monterosso need a bit more baking. Shin2 lacks the confidence to step up to the HAL, Monterosso is too similar a player to Owusu and Cristiano to threaten them - he is a totally different player to Leckie and Dodd.

Shin1 looks so comfortable next to Rudan, he must feel like he is playing with the Og monster. Great to see him.

Hugene, dead set legend. What more needs to be said? Pure class.

Alemao was great in the time he had on the pitch. The way the energy of the team changed was because he is a defender, and our attackers left on the pitch were spent.

Owusu gave us back some energy, he needs to step up big time - Cristiano showed him up in a huge way, hopefully got the competitive juices flowing.

Cassio, I think he is right - put him into left back and Jamo into midfield. We have been calling for that for a while now.

Jamo, huge game - big heart, great engine - spot on with his dead balls and crosses. Stepped it up to the 100%, BU has been right he was playing at 80% out of fustration.

Barbs, what was he thinking? He brought down Bridges because he was worried about re injuring himself as far as I am concerned. He could have done so much more.

In closing: That was the AUFC team that needs to be on the park every week. They were immense! SFC looked like they were the ones playing with 10 men, not us. SFC were frankly abysmal, not because they were playing badly - but because AUFC were so totally in the zone.

Anytime, how about we do it again this week? :lol:

I have little confidence in the board re-signing a lot of these guys.
I just hope United get an owner soon and renew contracts for Cristiano, Alemao, Reid, Hugene, Flakes, Rudan and Jamo - he can have Sarkies and Fyfe - shit we could even throw in Hughes

Edited by redcup: 19/10/2009 11:33:43 PM

Well said General. Well said. =d> =d> =d>

I have little confidence in the board re-signing a lot of these guys.
I just hope United get an owner soon and renew contracts for Cristiano, Alemao, Reid, Hugene, Flakes, Rudan and Jamo - he can have Sarkies and Fyfe - shit we could even throw in Hughes

Edited by redcup: 19/10/2009 11:33:43 PM[/quote]


Hmmm... Sarkies may have turned the corner redcup. The way he shut down Corica on Friday night was impressive. If he can keep this up we may just want to keep him around.
:d

Sarkies has been superb this season playing holding midfield. My criticism of him has never been that he can't play, but that he's no more than "neat and tidy". Playing in a position where that's all he needs to be has done him a world of good. I'm glad he's starting to get the credit he has deserved for his performances this season (and, to be honest, he still owes us a few).

My take on Barbs' red card was a bit different. Not the cleverest thing to do but it was a totally selfless act. He knew full well that pulling Bridge down meant a red card, but he was prepared to take that for the team, in the knowledge it meant he would miss virtually two whole games because of it. Again, I think it was the wrong option but it was definitely an act, in his mind, of putting team first.

Welcome home abignumber! Missed your comments on the forum mate.

I agree that Sarkies can be a good player, it is just a shame that he is one dimensional - however with the option of Reid and Barbs then I have no problem with him sitting in front of the defence.

Do you know what, form wise I actually would like to see something like this against MV:

Alemao ----- Shin1 -------- BRM ----- Cassio
----------------- Sarkies ------------------
--------Reid ---------------- Barbs --------
--------------------------------------- Jamo
----Leckie ---------------------------------
------------------ Cristiano ---------------

Do we really have room for Dodd? Or Pants? It is going to be an interesting week on the training ground for Viddie!

You are right General - Viddie sure has an interesting week ahead. If fit, it will be a big call for Viddie to leave our captains on the bench - however based on our last game our captains need to warm the bench a little. We need them to be itching to get back out there and play. We need them to be angry that their spot has been taken and we need to them to know that no passangers will be tolerated from here on in.

We have now shown Dodd that we have played our best game this season without him. The message is clear - bring consistency, leadership and focus to your game or step down to let the others step up.

As for Pantelis, he doesnt deserve a starting position. For me, he should be our supersub - coming on at the 60th to 70th minute to try and snag a goal. He gets shut out of games too easily and based on the quality we have currently to draw on in our midfield he should be more than happy with the supersub role.

As for this weeks starting line up - Barbs won't feature due to the self sacrificing red card.

For the Victory game I would like to see this:

.............Galaka
Mullen...Cornflakes...BRM...Jamo
.............Sarkies..............
Alemao........Reid......Cassio
......Cristiano.....Leckie

With that mouth watering line up, the Victory boys will have to fight hard for the 3 points. It won't be the same team they walked over at Hindmarsh. Muscat will target Leckie (studs in the ass anyone?) but lets hope the ref has his eyes open.

Edited by Big Unit: 20/10/2009 10:30:20 AM

Sorry BU, got carried away and forgot about his silly card. Sadly I think we will get Hughes in the line up, or Dodd ;) OK I will relent and Dodd can have Barbs spot in my line up!