Entries from August 2007 ↓

The Melbourne Victory’s form at the Telstra Dome may not have been its best (the Victory had a better record away than at home last season), but this hasn’t done anything to dampen the spirits of what is bound to be a record-breaking 20,000 members. Perth may not be the most glorious (pardon the pun) opposition, but expect BIG crowds tomorrow night.

That crowd, undoubtedly, will be hoping for a repeat of the last time we played Perth at home: a decisive 1-0 victory thanks to a stunning Grant Brebner goal.

And frankly, the Victory ought to top that effort. Don’t get me wrong: the Glory have some fine talent in the likes of Leo Bertos and Nikita Rukavytsya. But their squad is thin at the back and the front, with defenders David Tarka and Hayden Foxe out due to injury. The absence of those two will probably see Jamie Harnwell return to his customary defensive role, leaving behind the attacking position he’d taken on in recent matches.

Ernie Merrick, of course, also has a few injury-related headaches to deal with. Ljubo Milicevic is set to be out of the squad for four weeks at least, while Archie Thompson is also somewhat doubtful. But Melbourne has what Perth doesn’t: depth. With Milicevic out, expect to see Matthew Kemp return to the first 11 and Steve Pantelidis find some game time. Leandro Love has also been added to the squad, and I would expect him to come on for Archie.

My prediction: Melbourne Victory 2, Perth Glory 0

What’s your tip?

With Adrian Leijer’s move to Fulham and Ljubo Milicevic’ injury, picked up in the first half hour against Wellington, the need has become clear for another defender in the Melbourne Victory squad.

And what do you know, along comes Sebastian Ryall.

Ryall has been touted as the replacement of Leijer. He’s a tough, hardy central defender with some impressive caps under his belt. He captained the Australian Under 20s during the Weifang Cup, helping lead the Australians to 4 wins. Earlier this year, he also played his first game for the Under 23s, in a match against China. This is an 18 year old with an impressive CV.
Continue reading →

The Melbourne Victory has just finished signing Sebastian Ryall, a young defender who is the captain of the Australian Under20s side.

The Sydney lad joins us from the Australian Institute of Sport. Ernie Merrick had this to say about the 18 year old:

“We like his leadership skills, he’s physically well built and he’s technically a very gifted young player who has been a performer for the AIS and the Qantas Young Socceroos.”

Sportal

Expect a full profile in the next few days.

Wellington Phoenix 2, Melbourne Victory 2 (our report)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRcm8i24c2k[/youtube]

It could have been three points. It should have been.

But a late surge from the Wellington Phoenix turned a two-goal advantage into a tight draw where the Victory struggled to defend against an onslaught of Phoenix attack.

It was a disappointing result, but Melbourne’s performance was far from disappointing. The three pronged attack of Hernandez, Allsopp and Archie finally seemed to click. Hernandez isn’t a runner like Fred, but his skilled passes can dissect defences in seconds – this was made abundantly clear yesterday. Melbourne could have had more than two goals. Then again, so could the Wellington Phoenix, who missed a penalty in the 1st half and came painfully close to scoring a winner in the last 10 minutes.

Continue reading →

And here’s my tips:

1. Melbourne Victory
2. Queensland Roar
3. Central Coast Mariners
4. Adelaide United
5. Wellington Phoenix
6. Sydney FC
7. Newcastle Jets
8. Perth Glory

Perhaps I’m biased. But poor pre-season form aside, I firmly believe the Melbourne Victory can top the league again. Much has been made of Fred’s departure and Hernandez’ ability to slot into his role, but I think Fred’s contribution has been over-emphasised. Yes, he was a key in the Melbourne machine. But guys like Brebner and Muscat in midfield, Leijer and Vargas in defence, and Archie and Allsopp up front were also central to last year’s success. This is a reshaped team, but enough of the core is still there to take out another premiership.

Other bloggers have been doing a great job covering this year’s A-League squads, so if you want to read up about the Victory’s opposition, check out some of these links:

• The Football Tragic
• Football in the Capital
• Fox Sports Team Preview
• The Round Ball Analyst
• A Girl’s Guide to the A-League
• Victory in Melbourne

The A-League kicks off tonight (thank heavens, it’s back!!) and, as is usual when anticipating such an event, it is time to make some educated guesses about the outcomes. Well ok, maybe not educated, but definitely guesses.

I don’t picture Melbourne enjoying the walk-in-the-park season that we did last year. But that’s not stopping me tipping us to finish on top. This is what my predicted outcome of the regular season is:

1. Melbourne Victory
2. Newcastle Jets
3. Sydney FC
4. Perth Glory
5. Adelaide United
6. Wellington Phoenix
7. Central Coast Mariners
8. Queensland

There’s not necessarily much to read into these “predictions” – a bunch of wild gambles really.

Just a few more hours before the A-League begins!

Are you excited?

This is just a quick reminder to head over to FoxSports’ A League Fantasy competition and get your team up and running. You can compete against the blokes behind MVFC Blog by joining our league. The code to get in is 8681-1239.

Another post yet to come today, with our humble predictions of how this season is going to pan out.

Leandro Love has been cleared to play. Apparently, his short 2nd half stint several weeks ago against the Wellington Phoenix cost the Melbourne Victory $5000. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot.

But alas, the good news today is that all the necessary red tape has been completed. Gary Cole sounds relieved and frustrated about the whole debacle:

“The notification has come through. Bloody unbelievable. As long as you keep working hard, things eventually come through.”

This is, of course, good to hear. But with hardly any game time under his belt in the past month, you have to wonder how Leandro is going to fare come Sunday. It’s hard to imagine him starting against Wellington, but will Archie’s injury concern force Merrick to throw Leandro into the deep end?

Archie Thompson needs no introduction.

In his two years with the Melbourne Victory, he’s scored 23 times.

Five of those goals came on February 18, 2007, in the 6 – 0 thrashing of Adelaide United.

An equally memorable occasion for the striker came in April, 2001, when Archie became the world record holder for goals scored in an international match. He scored 13 goals that day, helping the Socceroos to a 31 – 0 win.

His place in Melbourne Victory history is established.

Continue reading →