We played quite well against Newcastle compared to games prior Friday night.
I'm predicting a 3-1 Win against the Roar who are coming off a nice win.
If Adelaide were playing at Suncorp I'd predict a 1-1 scoreline at best.

Predictions?

we may be given a lucky break there

A few injuries at the Roar may help us on friday - two wins is all we need and I dont give a rats tossbag how we do it...thats to worry about when the finals start

I see Ago declared himself fit again - he could be the X factor come finals time if he does stay fit! p

Shame to see Sarkies injured - he was just starting to find his feet! Alemo to play where Dan would of been and Marrone elevated as injury cover

Hi UnitedGal -probably just a slip up but the roar game is Weds night not Friday - would hate for you to miss it!

Surely we can win 2 out of the next 3.

I think Ago is a good option - it could be the fairytale ending we and he is looking for. He cant do any worse than Younis and the youth games would have done him some good. IMO he should start against the roar.

Marrone would be a good cover for Mullen but are you sure we can use him?

I reckon Viddie might bring Costanzo back in and push Cornflakes into Mullens spot.

If Alamao comes on, it would be more than likely in the midfield as a sub.

..............Galaka.......
Cornflakes...Costanzo...Ogga...Jamo
...............Reid................
Dodd....Barberio....Pantelis...> (subbed at 70 min mark for Alamao)..................Ago (with Critiano subbed on at 60 min mark)

Hopefully he is brought in as injury cover, and is on the bench. I agree with Ago if he stays fit and he partners christiano up front then hopefully we will become more dangerous going forward. Especially seeing as we have no problem scoring from the midfield.

As for the injuries as i posted before they have 2 more, but dont forget the other 2 first choice players out.

We definately can elevate NYL players to cover injuries, SFC has fielded about 35 different players this season! I would love Ago to have game time, what I want though is to have Cristiano start along with Pantelis, Dodd & Cassio. Then sub off Pantelis and Cristiano for Ago and Younis. We cannot have Robbie as WB, he just gets owned in that position - better to have Alamao (even though he can get lost).

Alamao was brought as a WB and last time he was asked to play there

Keep Robbie in his best possie and bring Marrone up

Anywhoo Ive got a question - IF we are good enough to be top we get to choose where we play the two games. Normally everyone would be play the first game away and then play at home BUT If we do that thats 3 away trips (Welly, CCM, Mel/Qld) after playing 5 games in a space of a couple of weeks (last CWC followed by 4 a-leauge games).

Do we still play the first final away? Or do we bite the bullet and start home game first

Edited by UnitedGal: 13/1/2009 10:35:48 AM

Thats a fucking good question and one I will need to dwell on, thanks UG right in the middle of lunch...

hey guys - surely we need to play the second game at home. We play like a different team at home and there is too much to risk. 3 games away? one game per week? after this year thats a peice of cake!

We have a weeks break between the last minor match and the first final match. I think we need to play away first, hopefully get a good draw or away goal at a minimum. Then come home and dominate.

I didnt know we had that break - never the less our player managment skills are going to be tested

Good evening fellow Reds supporters. Finally, a place I can express my fanaticism for the club. :D

yeah reds its a great place - doenst have the morons that infest our so called 'supporter forums'

Something that is missing in many places.

OK after ruminating on it I think we will have to let prevailing wisdom come to the fore and play away first then at home.

On another note: Tonight is going to be huge!

Also Monday is going to be a big day when Pim anounces his squad: I will be devastated if we haven't got at least 4 players in the squad.

I didnt know that we had a week between the CCM and first week of finals

I would make sure theyd have that week off and get them back fresh for Monday

As for the game - Im soooooooo not going to miss this! :D

Edited by UnitedGal: 14/1/2009 09:16:02 AM

Sunday 25 January 2009 - match vs CCM
Semi Finals (1st Leg) - Friday 6 - Sunday 8 February 2009

Cant wait for tonight, lets just hope we see the pumped up reds and not the uninterested ones come out to play. If we are on song i cant see us losing

Tonight will be awesome - cant wait.

UnitedGal - I know you mean about our own so called Reds forum. Its sick, negative and populated with haters. Much rather be on here in good company. :-)

What is the 'official' Reds forum? I have pretty much just made 442 my home now as most other football forums don't actually have any football on them.

http://forum.adelaidereds.com/

However, this is really a mainly negative forum and most seem to be constantly bagging younis, shin and viddie. For shame

So it's really a vent your spleen forum for the armchair experts and teens suffering from hormones... (that was a pretty harsh general comment, not all armchair experts are wrong - look at us!, and not all teens are suffering from their hormones... but!)

Hey im a teen, well 20 so late teens.

Some people on there are alright, but alot do think they know better than everyone.

That is what my rider was for, am well aware there are a lot of teens on forums - look at manchester12, he is only 13 or something!

OK, after last night we are in Trouble. You all know I wasn't there but had to listen to it on the radio. I knew how bad the game was because Alby and what's his name spent about half the match talking and not commentating - and that was because nothing was actually happening on the pitch.

I think the key to our inept play last night was our bench. No Ago? We had 2 defenders on the bench in Valkanis & Salley and 1 striker in Cristiano. I posted elsewhere that when it was obvious we were going pear shaped that we needed to make a change. We should have taken of Barbiero and put on Cristiano. As we brought Cristiano on for Younis (which was probably the right thing to do) we then needed to improve our midfield. The only choice I could see that would have stifled QR's attack still and given us more of an attack was to bring on Salley for Barbiero. Park Salley in front of a back 3, push Alamao up the park in behind Cristiano and have Reid play further up the park. Alamao would have stayed to the right of centre to crowd out QR's left wing and force them to play down their right wing which was being well stopped by Jamo. This would have moved the focus of play from an arm wrestle in the middle of the ground to slightly into QR's half, and targeted that dickhead porter hopefully resulting in him getting sent off for a 2nd yellow (which he should have gotten anyway).

Article from Val:

VAL MIGLIACCIO
January 15, 2009 12:30am

ADELAIDE United coach Aurelio Vidmar said the minor premiership was still there for the taking, despite the Reds embarking on what he described as the toughest road trips in the ALeague in the next nine days.

"Nothing's disappeared," Vidmar said. "Once again we don't have a lot of time to recover and repair but once again I give ourselves a decent chance. Sure they look fatigued but the endeavour was there. I'm not too fussed."

Vidmar's men will play their fifth match in 15 days when they meet Wellington on Sunday in New Zealand. Experienced campaigners Angelo Costanzo and Paul Agostino again played in the youth team last night, while Gyawe Jonas Salley was introduced to the fray for the final minutes to a rapturous fans' reception.
Vidmar said he might use the trio to freshen his side up on Sunday. "Everyone is up for selection," he said.

Queensland Roar coach Frank Farina said the sense of duty was on Adelaide to come out and attack at home rather than play a defensive game. The former Socceroos boss said he was surprised by United's negative tactics. Farina said it most probably would be one of the most dour matches this season.

"It was a big game and Adelaide obviously came up with a game plan of sitting back and playing us on the counter," he said. "I don't think the onus should have been on us to force the game. But we did, we tried to win it, we could have and most probably should have with the chances we created."

I think Frank was a bit one eyed, each team could have won it with the chances they created.

Viddie needs to be a bit more fired up I think - he has taken a page out of Neil Craig's book with his response.

Is that right? - bloody hell thats a lot of games. Impressive really to get the results we have then.

Cristiano has won FIFA goal of the tournament...


http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/australia/cristianos-goal-best-of-cwc-162898/

Bit late on that one, was done a few weeks ago.
They have both already been nominated and voting has started on the FIFA goal of the year

It was a lovely thought though JT. :D

Yes JT, your always welcome around here mate.:d

Haha thanks guys, the World Game had just put it up so I thought it mus've been new. Guess TWG are just behind in news eh?

Yep, unfortunately TWG site just isnt what it used to be. This site kills it for keeping us up to date.