Entries Tagged 'Central Coast Mariners' ↓

Matthew Trott must be the unluckiest goalkeeper in the country. When Danny Vukovic was sent off against Sydney FC, Trott came on to defend the Mariners 2 – 0 lead.

By the end of the game, he’d let through five.

And then it happened again. Four Melbourne Victory goals in the first half and a fifth in the second. After spending 16 rounds at the top of the league this season, the Central Coast Mariners have relinquished first place in spectacular fashion. Continue reading →

Central Coast Mariners 2, Melbourne Victory 5

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moQklwIsfuk[/youtube]

When my friend called me on Monday evening and asked whether Melbourne had won, he was astonished: “5-2?! You’re kidding me!”

After only winning three games all season, an overwhelming victory against the league leaders was surprising – to put it lightly.

This week’s poll: What made the difference? 

I’ve come up with four possible explanations:

1. Nick Ward’s introduction to the squad.
2. Luck.
3. A poor performance by the Mariners.
4. Lack of pressure, with a finals berth all but impossible.

Which one of these best explains how the Melbourne Victory was able to surge to a 5-2 win over the Central Coast Mariners? Or was it something else altogether?

Vote in the sidebar and leave your comments below! You can pick more than one answer.

The Melbourne Victory may have little to play for in terms of this season – other than finishing dead last -, but the Queensland Roar’s win over the Perth Glory ensures that, for the Central Coast Mariners at least, this is a critical game.

The Mariners and Roar are completely level: 30 points each, 24 goals each, 17 goals against each. A loss to Melbourne would see Lawrie McKinna’s Mariners slip to 2nd spot.

For the Victory, it’s also a critical game. The Phoenix launched themselves closer to the top 4 by beating the Newcastle Jets last night. While finals football is all but impossible, Melbourne players will undoubtedly be hungry to turn around their 8-game streak without wins. And with the Asian Champions League looming ahead in 2008, it’s important for the Victory to have some good form to take into their campaign. Continue reading →

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKkrxNGODkc[/youtube]

I’m not usually one to post non-Victory matches here, but this one deserves to be watched. Check out the Football Tragic for the match review.

With the A-League starting its final 7 rounds this week, it’s a good time to take a look at how Melbourne’s fate is panning out alongside its competitors. I’ve heard plenty of pessimistic talk from Melbourne fans recently, but a cursory look at how other teams are performing should give Victory supporters plenty of cause for hope.

It’s a very tight league.

1. Central Coast Mariners
Four points separate Central Coast from the Queensland Roar. It’s a strong, but breakable, lead. From a strictly statistical point of view, the Mariners’ strength has been their defense, which has let through only 9 goals this season. But with strikers like John Aloisi and Sasho Petrovski, and scoring midfielders like Tom Pondeljak, Adam Kwasnik and John Hutchinson, opposition teams will have their work cut for them all across the park. The Mariners are a lethal team at the moment and I would not bet against them finishing top of the ladder. Continue reading →

Central Coast Mariners 2, Melbourne Victory 1 (our report)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfqXg3-8PUs[/youtube]

Another unfortunate loss for Melbourne, and yet, this time the positives are plentiful. By all accounts, Melbourne put on a master display, led by none other than Archie Thompson. Assisted by a classy performance from Hernandez, he pressed and pressed and continually showed up the lacking Mariners defence.

The early red card was undoubtedly deserved, although it could just as easily have gone the other way if the timing had been different – both players committed equally to that challenge.

What followed for the next 60 minutes though was really Melbourne’s best performance of the season. Continue reading →

With the 3 other matches in round 11 now complete, what’s at stake for Melbourne is even clearer. Both Adelaide and Newcastle failed to win their matches, leaving Melbourne with an ideal chance to get back into the top 4 and on even points with the leaders. The Mariners for their part have a chance to regain a real lead at the top of the table. It’s an opportunity neither teams will be keen on missing. Continue reading →

Some interesting news from other A-League clubs over the weekend:

• Branko Culina has been fired by Sydney FC. David Mitchell, who is currently the Perth Glory’s assistant coach, appears to be the most likely candidate to replace Culina. (The World Game)
• John Aloisi has been signed by the Central Coast Mariners. This is after negotiations with Sydney FC, Wellington Phoenix (where he could have played alongside the wrong… err… Ross Aloisi), Queensland Roar and Adelaide United. But, I hear you wonder, how can Central Coast afford a player like Aloisi without breaking the salary cap? The Football Tragic explains.