Entries from November 2007 ↓

We’re well and truly into the tail end of the season, with just nine rounds of the regular season remaining. The Melbourne Victory sits perched on 6th spot, while their opponent, the Queensland Roar, enjoy a flattering position in 2nd place. But such is the tightness of the league that a win for Melbourne could push them into the top 4 and see the Roar drop a spot (or two).

It goes without saying that it’s a critical game for both teams. Continue reading →

When Melbourne signed Steven Pace a couple weeks ago, I’m sure many of you did a Google search for “Steven Pace”. Which would have returned a certain Dr. Steven Pace from the University of Central Queensland as the top result. Handy, no?

In order to give ourselves (and you) a better way to find A-League related stuff, we’ve built a Custom A-League Google Search. This means it only searches through selected blogs and newspapers, so that you end up with Steven Pace the footballer, not the lecturer.

The search form is on each page of MVFC Blog, and has its own dedicated page on the A-League Search page. Bookmark it. Or, if you’re into Google, add it to your Google homepage.

Here are the sources the A-League Search currently searches through. Let me know if you have any other suggestions:

Major news outlets:

• The News.com.au network
• The World Game
• The Age

A-League Blogs and Websites:

• Round Ball Analyst
• Pint Culture
• Part-time Pundit
• Foxsports Blog
• Football in the Capital
• Football Down Under and Beyond
• Confessions of an A-League Junkey
• A Seat at the A-League
• A Girl’s Guide to the A-League
• The Football Tragic
• MVFC Blog
• Victory in Melbourne
• Happiness for Sale
• Matt Winter’s Football Blog

Melbourne Victory 0, Sydney FC 0

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-XysLyvprU[/youtube]

Last time we saw John Kosmina at Telstra Dome, he left us with his charming “dark forces” speech after his former team was destroyed by the Melbourne Victory in the Grand Final. Tomorrow night, he returns, this time at the helm of Sydney FC.

Whether it’s Kosmina’s prowess as a coach, or Michael Bridges prowess as a striker, something/one has renewed Sydney FC over the past fortnight — ever since Branko Culina was shown the proverbial door. With consecutive wins under their belt, Sydney will be insistent on making that three out of three, a win which could launch them into the top 4.

And yet, Sydney have never won in Melbourne, a record the Melbourne Victory will be keen to sustain tomorrow night. But they must do so with a dramatically re-arranged squad. 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 →

The Preston Lions must be patting themselves on the back. Steven Pace is their second player this year to pick up an A-League contract, after Isyan Erdogan joined Adelaide United at the start of the season.

Pace joins the Melbourne Victory as a replacement for defender Daniel Piorkowski, but he has played the majority of his career as a midfielder. The 24-year old was selected by Ernie Merrick years ago for a scholarship with the AIS, a stint he followed up with periods at South Melbourne and Essendon Royals, before joining the Preston Lions. Along with the move to Preston came a move to defence, which paid dividends: the Lions went on to become minor premiers and win the Grand Final in the Victorian Premier League. Pace was named 3rd Best and Fairest for the club.
Continue reading →