I will hear no bad words spoken against our Pancho.

Well said, even for a NAFC supporter ;)

We aren't the Premier league and we never will be.
If people want to watch people they have never heard of there are far better ones on display and you just have to roll over and change the channel to Fox Sports or SBS.

I sat at Hindmarsh last Friday night and I turned to my sister and said something like "you know what? I feel nothing for these players. I have no connection to them whatsoever with a few notable exceptions. If I wasn't a tragic why would I be here?

She couldn't answer either.

anyways, I'm starting to sound xenophobic and that wasn't my intention. I love the fact it's the world game and foreigners bring flavour and excitement and our talent pool means we will always have sydney boys etc and we have always had plenty of each of those.

I dunno, maybe it's coz we look so insipid out there. Maybe we are just shit and Im scrabbling for answers that aren't there.

If a team is winning and winning well the punters tend to not mind but let's face it they don't really catch on we are doing well till very late in a season so what makes them want to show up each week come rain or shine?

I dont know the answers and I am clearly rambling but something seems amiss.

That's what I mean though if i wasn't clear sorry
Love the guy

Oh and thanks Stephen for keeping us up to date.

Nice to hear we aren't the only ones passionate about the club and all it's trials and tribulations. Not that I have yet had cause to really doubt the new owners etc either

Also it helps to hear how hard the people that ARE left at the club are working and despite the fact we bitch and moan i know I for one appreciate every minute of their time and dedication.

i only have to show up 3 hours a week and I get a hell of a lot out of it

Thanks for taking the time to post.

A pleasure. All part of the club and the fans working together.

While it looks experimental, I don't doubt it is probably our best eleven. Teeboy has good pace and should develop nicely. Barbs shows the highest level of commitment of all AUFC players (except maybe Ramsay recently) and Dilevski looks much better at RB than DM. One thing though - has Barbs changed his name? :P

Thank you for mentioning the W-league at the meeting

I know how that feels like to be given multiple jobs without any help have the same prob in my job.

Win lose or draw I'm there at hindmarsh every week and as a season ticket holder and member want to see the team survive and thrive rather than struggle.

Keep up the good work

Thanks for the update Stephen.

for me i go to see the team play rather than the individuals that make it up. I don't care where the people come who wear our shirt as long as they wear it with pride and show effort and commitment. Something that i don't see atm.

I would love for the club to turn out a team totally made up of locals if they are good enough but it's not something i care about a great deal.

Thanks for the update. Looks like the TV deal will give the club some financial breathing space. Anything in the way of sponsors? I know the new owners have signed up quite a few already but surely they'll be looking for the big one.

I know exactly how you feel.

Players I like and feel a connection with:
Cassio (injured)
Ramsay
Mullen (minimal game time)
Boogaard (yes, Boogaard)
Susak
Barbiero (minimal gametime)
Usucar (not a first choice DM)
Djite
Van Dijk (these two simply shouldn't play together though - make them compete with each other for their spots in the team)
Galekovic
Malik
Vidosic
Caravella (only just)

Players I like but don't feel a connection to:
Watson
Levchenko (has a great pedigree but has MUCH to prove - I really want to like the guy)

Players I would like to see dropped and EARN their spot to play for MY team:
McKain (looks unfit)
Dilevski (looks unfit)

Unsure:
Ricardo (though I'm sure he'll capture my heart)

I can guarantee you the team would be playing greater football without all of McKain, Dilevski and Levchenko in the eleven. I'm not doubting their abilities but I don't think they've had to prove them to any of the coaching staff.

Obviously with Cassio injured, we'd need Susak at LB, bringing Mullen to partner Boogaard at CB and having Watson at RB. Holding midfielders should be Malik and Usucar; I'd like to see Barbiero start on the right wing but Caravella is more likely to be picked, though he may be shifted centrally to cover for the loss of Vidosic (I'd actually like to see Ricardo given a chance in the playermaker's role; Ramsay DEFINITELY on the left (has been by far our best player this season); Djite and Serg to fight it out for lone strikers role.

If Coolen insists on playing Serg AND Djite, he must use a different formation - 422 diamond midfield perhaps (41212)? - but he's Dutch, so he wont.

Also, why is everyone going on about Teeboy? Have we actually signed him? Is he training with the squad and in the frame for selection?

Mate, they're scouring the world I think. If you know someone....

One big sponsorship would take a lot of pressure off.

Oh I totally agree
The part I highlighted pretty much sums up what I mean
We aren't seeing that at the moment and people are getting disillusioned with our mini revolution.
I was more echoing what I hear around me at Hindmarsh and as i say scrabbling for answers.

It's just hard to believe local lads, or at the very least people that have been here though all the horrible losses with us like Cassio and Eugene etc, would show less fight that what is on display now.

But yeah, its just desperation on my part

Dilevski im unsure about him he looks unfit and clumsy but is one of the only people scoring and setting up chances for us. he is defiantly not our worse like people are trying to make out.

K here's a few dependent on injuries and opponents
surely if you go back a few pages we have all posted plenty this season anyways
This 1st one is what I wouldnt mind seeing(yeah i know Cassio is injured)

............>Eugene..............

Dilevski...McMain..Boogard.....Cassio

.........Pancho..Barbiero............

.Vidosic.......................Ramsay

..........Djite...VanDijk..........

or maybe(still havent seen panch and lev TOGETHER in the CDM possies)

..............Eugene................

Mullen.......Susak...McKain......Cassio

.............Pancho...Lev............

Vidosic.........Caravella.........Ramsay

................Van Dijk

Hmmm...BUT...now with injuries I think we will see either Susak or Panch set to the Left back role and Boogard is now suspended so perhaps Friday night we will see


.................Eugene

Watson......McKain....Susak........Pancho

..........Dilevski....Barbiero

Caravella........................Ramsay
...............Djite
.................Van Dijk

(that is if Serj is back...think he is isnt he)

Oh right, I think Levchenko may be back too. So swap him there above for Barbiero unfortunately

Rini seems to think Dilevski and levchenko are our best starting CMs

Edited by davide82: 30/11/2011 10:54:01 AM

Man, when you look at ANY of those 3 line ups above we should NOT be anywhere near the bottom and struggling to even score a goal should we

Teeboy is a NYL player for us to clarify the situation; he can only be promoted as an injury replacement - however he is the only other out and out right winger we have on the books.

Dilevski looks like a dogs breakfast in midfield, but out on the right in either the right mid or right wing back role he looks class.

I have been thinking about McKain a fair bit. I actually would prefer him to move into midfield when we play BR next as he has many qualities that Jedinak has.

Hey, interesting you say that.

Can anyone correct me or not but didn't he play in the CDM type position for Wellington for quite a while before being moved into CB alongside Durante where they totally bossed opposition as a pairing.
Think he was dent in the role too if memory serves...
Interesting to hear a Welly supporter's opinion I guess

I think this would qualify as easily our strongest XI.

Another interesting line up. Its not such a bad option to perhaps give Dilevski a run higher up on the flank to be honest.

Even though we all know Rini likes Caravella there for whatever reason when he is clearly a central player

I also failed to put Pancho and Caravella in CM together in any of my examples which is one I would like to see to be honest.

As i said though, we can shuffle the board all we want here but the fact is with the players we have in our starting line up even WITH injuries etc we shouldnt be playing like we are.

Like you I can shuffle our team around a huge amount and still be putting out a solid formation. The only 2 players I can't move around much (or at all) are Cassio & Ramsay. What is even worse is we have literally no one to like for like replace them.

Exactly. It worries me a great deal with Cassio gone.
That I fear takes a lot away from Ramsay's game without Cassio behind him...

We shall wait and see I guess

Cheers guys. Really what I need though is what Rini himself is most likely to choose in his XI. Say it was grand final day and everyone was fit, what would HE choose?

Edited by cbowden9000: 30/11/2011 12:20:39 PM

AHJAHAHAHAAAAAA fine. Going by the first 7 weeks of the season we would see


...............Eugene.................

Oh hang on, thats right. Barely anyone has been able to work out how and why Rini has done what he has done for the first 8 weeks

ok ill start again. I think this would be very plausibly WHAT RINI would do based on what we have seen this season


.................Eugene................

Watson......McKain...Susak........Cassio

.........Dilevski.....Levchenko

Caravella.......Vidosic..........Ramsay

..............Van Dijk

Seeming he likes to play everyone out of position........




I might try this one on Football Manager :)

Haha thanks for that! Very helpful :)