Entries Tagged 'Newcastle Jets' ↓

Central Coast Mariners 0, Newcastle Jets 1

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

So Mark Bridge’s glittering goal has made the Newcastle Jets Australia’s A-League champions. A phenomenal goal, and in my opinion the Jets had the edge on the Mariners throughout the game.

But that last corner will hurt Mariners fans for a long time. Video replays show it as clear as day: Newcastle’s James Holland nudging the ball along with his hand. The Mariners should have received a penalty. But, in what was a bitter end to the season, referee Mark Shields didn’t see it – nor did his assistant. How many times has that happened this season?

And for Danny Vukovic, who apparently struck Shields, that fateful final minute could have a very detrimental impact on his career, with a one-year ban or life suspension not out of the question.

For a more complete analysis of the game, read The Football Tragic’s ode to the Grand Final, fittingly titled: Sorry End.

The Newcastle Jets are pissed.

They’ve finished the A-League season in excellent fashion, landing a spot in the top two – and guaranteeing a double shot at reaching the Grand Final.

But they won’t get the Grand Final at home, whether they win against the Central Coast Mariners or not. The FFA has decided that neither Central Coast nor Newcastle have a stadium large enough for the Grand Final.

And so the Grand Final will be played in Sydney.

And so the Jets are pissed.

Continue reading →

Melbourne Victory 1, Newcastle Jets 3

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jdXEYCna6U[/youtube]

The Newcastle Jets are the only team to beat the Melbourne Victory at home this season. They pulled off that victory in a round 10 encounter that was dramatic for all the wrong reasons: a send-off, a penalty not given, and a verbal assault on Joel Griffiths.

Melbourne fans came away from that game feeling hard-done by, as their team dropped out of the top 4.

The stakes are much higher this week: The Victory have to win if they are going to stand any chance of making it to the finals. With just 5 matches left to go, Melbourne needs to win at least 4 of those encounters.

Even if Melbourne don’t end up making the finals, a win on Sunday night is very important for the club. Attendance was notably low last weekend and this time there were no election parties keeping people away. After this Sunday, Melbourne has just one home game left. Finishing the season on a positive note will hopefully encourage more Melburnians to show up for the Asian Champions League matches in 2008. Continue reading →

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 →

Melbourne Victory 0, Newcastle Jets 2 (our report)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGSxG3Rob-o[/youtube]

A disappointing night, no doubt about that. Melbourne got off to a cracking start, with some dangerous attacking play that looked to really be setting us up for a good night. Unfortunately, it just didn’t last. Newcastle’s first goal from the free kick was made possible after Adam Griffiths pushed Allsopp to the ground to get a better view of the ball. Interesting that that went unnoticed. A lot went unnoticed tonight it seemed. Continue reading →

There is absolutely nothing separating the Melbourne Victory and Newcastle Jets as they meet tonight for their second clash of the season. Both teams are sitting on 14 points (a tantalising 3 behind first placed Central Coast Mariners) and both have won 3, lost 1 and drawn 5.

When they met in Round 5, Melbourne went down 2 goals in a “woeful” first half. But thanks to goals from Archie Thompson and Adrian Caceres, they were able to pull back and come out with a draw.

Tonight, I hope that a surging Melbourne Victory can pull of their third win in a row at Telstra Dome. And with the return of Kevin Muscat (who ushers Kaz Patafta out of the squad), Ernie Merrick has more or less a full squad to pick from. Ljubo Milicevic has still not recovered from a knee injury, so he won’t be in the squad, despite having had his suspension lifted earlier this week.

Last Sunday’s game against the Perth Glory was, as far as I’m concerned, Melbourne’s finest so far. To be more precise, the first half was the best 45 minutes we’ve seen Melbourne play. After a dismal performance the week before, Grant Brebner’s return seemed to solidify the squad. But it made me wonder whether Brebner’s improved presence had something to do with Muscat’s absence. Are the two midfielders choking each others’ style?

Jets coach Gary van Egmond has to do without star-signing Mario Jardel, but enjoys the return of Adam Griffiths. Newcastle have only picked up a single win in their last 5, while they have lost 1 and drawn the rest. They will understandably be looking to pick up their second consecutive win at Telstra Dome (they beat Melbourne 1-0 last year in the teams’ only game at the Dome).

As always, it’s a tough one to predict. But, being the eternal optimist I am, I’m tipping a solid showing from Melbourne:

My tip: Melbourne Victory 3, Newcastle Jets 1

Your tip?

Newcastle Jets 2, Melbourne Victory 2 (our report)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD8avkOyGZU[/youtube]

It seems strange that yet another draw would end up being a relief, but tonight it was. After a truly woeful first half performance, everything hinted at nothing other than another beating at the hands of Newcastle. But thanks to a timely first-of-the-season goal from Thompson and an equaliser from Caceres with only minutes left on the clock, Melbourne managed to steal back a point. Strange as it may sound, this match actually ended as somewhat of a morale booster. Coming from 2 goals down, away from home, is no mean feat and to be on the ascendancy at the end of a game is a definite positive. Not that there won’t be some serious reflection going on during the week ahead.

In particular, the roles of some of Melbourne’s key players have to be brought into question. Brebner and Muscat in the midfield looked less than convincing, with some very wayward passing. Perhaps fitness is still an issue for Brebner as he really has looked far from his best this season. With a few talented midfielders lining up to fill a gap, it is a wonder that he has managed to get so much game time. For his part, Muscat had a forgettable evening tonight or at least a forgettable first half. I for one am not entirely certain that playing a broken arm doesn’t have something to do with it. When you’re the assistant coach as well as the captain though, it is admittedly very hard to be taken off. And his influence on fellow players is arguably enough reason to keep him there.

Melbourne’s highlights were performances from Joe Keenan (anyone care to guess why he was subbed off?), Caceres, Love and Broxham, although Broxham didn’t quite show the keen nose for goal we would have loved to see. Archie scoring is definitely a good thing, as he is (and always has been) key to our success. But, for my money, man of the match was Michael Theoklitos (again). What a legend he proved to be for Melbourne. There is no such thing as an easy opportunity against him it seems and some of the saves he pulled out tonight were class. Thank you Theo!