Hulk Smashes Wanderers ACL Hopes

Shanghai $150M - WSW $3M maybe. Reality is we can't compete with that.

Since the 4+1 "Asian Marquee" rule is being applied in a few seasons time, I'd be watching majority of the ACL games just to see what kind of talent could be available when the time is up for the club to sign for an Asian marquee.

Would be impressive if we signed some good Asian talent on the cheap so then we have extra money to spend on other foreign players.
 

Wrote this reply to a post on the other thread.

On 2017-3-1 at 0:57 AM, Taurus said:

Shanghai $150M - WSW $3M maybe. Reality is we can't compete with that.

 

 

Wrote this reply to a post on the other thread.

 

 

Australian sides have conceded 18 goals in 4 games

 

WSW  = 9,

Roar = 6,

Adl = 3

 

and scored 1

 

Something is not right. Our league surely is not that bad.

 

Anyway...Still going to watch us hopefully win on Saturday against Adelaide.

 

 Well... apart from the Roar near the top end of the A League ladder, it isn't as though it's been the best of this season's A League offerings vs these Asian  teams.

 

Just saying...

 

wendy, I understand what you are saying, but the 3 teams were also semi and grand finalists last season. Adelaide were Champions,  WSW were runners up, and Brisbane were semi finalists.  just saying.

Just watched it this morning - overmatched but disappointingly lacking commitment.

Defending so poor.

Borda is a social media tantrum away from passing Saba as our worst ever visa player. He is terrible and he cbf - winning combination.

White man's burden. At least false hope wasn't part of the score. If you thought that was bad wait till Saturday when we unleash our A team

From our perspective it will be an almighty relief when this competition ends. It perhaps truly shows how bad our squad depth is, and why we are struggling in the A-league.

I feel some perspective is required. There wouldn't be a team in the HAL capable of matching SPIG last night. It's not a justification, but you'd be hard pressed to think a liga 1 or similar euro second league side would have tested them last night.

Since the 4+1 "Asian Marquee" rule is being applied in a few seasons time, I'd be watching majority of the ACL games just to see what kind of talent could be available when the time is up for the club to sign for an Asian marquee.

 

Would be impressive if we signed some good Asian talent on the cheap so then we have extra money to spend on other foreign players.

 

The issues (and why I'm against the 4+1 rule for the a league, is Asian sides pay way more money, why is a top Asian player going to come here? The lure is the other way, with the likes of spira going there for money.

We just get Asian stars such as Jumpei.

Yes I know we got Ono, but I'd say that is the exception

I feel some perspective is required. There wouldn't be a team in the HAL capable of matching SPIG last night. It's not a justification, but you'd be hard pressed to think a liga 1 or similar euro second league side would have tested them last night.

I would stretch the comment to  "there would never have been a team in the HAL capable of matching SPIG last night".

Yes, we were totally out classed, their movement and power up front was too much for the likes of Borda and Hamill, but they struggle in the HAL so it was always expected really. 

Just don't have the squad to compete this year, if we manage to avoid finish bottom of the ACL group that will be an achievement in itself. 

As good as Shanghai were we were equally poor, dwelling on the ball, cheap turnovers in critical areas, Dimas strolling around like he doesn't care. I can accept that we lost to a much better team awash with money, some individual performances from us not good at all, but then we know they are not good enough and poor recruitment has exposed them perhaps to situations that they should not be in.

Some of those goals reminded me of the first derby. We've got the numbers yet the one or two players they have in the box are completely free.

Popa should cop plenty of flak but that shouldn't absolve some of our players. Disgraceful.

Geez. Luv the media this morning. Woeful Wanderers, etc. Meanwhile the roar got reamed by a 3rd division Croatian. Let the media fairytale continue.

Its was always going to be tough wasn't it with the team's form at the moment. Were not even close to competing with any of the ACL teams. Reality  apart from Nico our foreign contingent is not really helping and Dimas isn't nearly as effective as when he had Andreu next to him. Jumpei is a confidence player and then Pinatares and Borda I mean wow these 2 have really become a liability and I feel another clean out will happen at the end of the season. And then the team in general isn't well balanced either need to get rid of the dead weight.... I'm looking at you Lustica 

 

Since the 4+1 "Asian Marquee" rule is being applied in a few seasons time, I'd be watching majority of the ACL games just to see what kind of talent could be available when the time is up for the club to sign for an Asian marquee.

 

Would be impressive if we signed some good Asian talent on the cheap so then we have extra money to spend on other foreign players.

The issues (and why I'm against the 4+1 rule for the a league, is Asian sides pay way more money, why is a top Asian player going to come here? The lure is the other way, with the likes of spira going there for money.

 

We just get Asian stars such as Jumpei.

 

Yes I know we got Ono, but I'd say that is the exception

 

Ono was on the outer in Japan when we bought him, I believe he had a number of injuries that plagued his career in the year or so before he joined us and at the time was seen as at the end of his career in Japan / Asia. Popa took a punt and it paid off massively, not onyl did he remain injury free he found the Indian summer of his career and thrived and regained form from his peak period. Ono remains the most skillful and gifted player to pull on a WSW jersey or to grace the HAL.

What we wouldn't give for an Ono now to pull the strings, or NTS - Beauchamp centre back pairing that know instinctively where each other are, what I wouldn't give for a player like Bridge to hold things up in the middle and put in shift after shift.......miss those days when we had a rock solid side that was hard to break down.............sigh.............

Geez. Luv the media this morning. Woeful Wanderers, etc. Meanwhile the roar got reamed by a 3rd division Croatian. Let the media fairytale continue.

Its only because were in Sydney your lucky to hear anything about the HAL teams and if you do its usually for Sydney. Media in Sydney don't care about teams outside Sydney pretty sure Roar are getting similar stick in Brisbane

This year has surely been critically damaging for Popa's marketability. I just hope we don't get to a point where he gets punted - what he did in the first couple of years was incredible.

Well at least I've streamlined my support of Arsenal and Wanderers into one thing. 

This year has surely been critically damaging for Popa's marketability. I just hope we don't get to a point where he gets punted - what he did in the first couple of years was incredible.

Important game this weekend coming up, the high from the derby fizzled out almost instantly thanks to following results and the 'other issues'.

It is going to be a wet night at SoP, lost 3 in a row and been outplayed massively in each, been unrest off the pitch with fans, playing the side that is dead last on the table and don't look like lifting...............

All points to an Adelaide win lol....nahhh we got this.........I think...........maybe..........I dunno anymore lol

 

 

Wrote this reply to a post on the other thread.

 

 

Australian sides have conceded 18 goals in 4 games

 

WSW  = 9,

Roar = 6,

Adl = 3

 

and scored 1

 

Something is not right. Our league surely is not that bad.

 

Anyway...Still going to watch us hopefully win on Saturday against Adelaide.

 

 Well... apart from the Roar near the top end of the A League ladder, it isn't as though it's been the best of this season's A League offerings vs these Asian  teams.

 

Just saying...

 

 

wendy, I understand what you are saying, but the 3 teams were also semi and grand finalists last season. Adelaide were Champions,  WSW were runners up, and Brisbane were semi finalists.  just saying.

 

We're not the same side from last year - ADL aren't the same...Brisbane...well

Look in retrospect, it wasn't our best side and it showed in our passing and our shortcomings up front are blatantly there for all to see when you play sides that you absolutely must take your chances...look at their crosses compared to ours..perhaps if we had Santa, Antonios, Aspro, Vedran, and Conflakes on it might have not been so bad on the scoreboard, but you cannot deny the class they had - but when your dealing with a side that is spending many many MANY times your cap, its hard to be objective.

With their strong front 4, you'd think Popa would choose a strong back 6. But he didn't, and we were punished for it.

They won the front 2 thirds and that was the end of it.

When we tested their back third, it showed they could be broken through. But it was too little, too late when they were so clinical in attack against our inept defence.

but none were  Tyson's fault. He is an angel...

really nice guy.

i'd shake his hand, but he clearly doesn't have any.

Eh, we made some mistakes but I can't blame the players for that result. If anything it made me lose faith in football watching that. 3 blokes carrying shanghai, 2 of whom should be playing in Europe at the very least. The gap between rich and poor has never been so evident as it was last night.

Eh, we made some mistakes but I can't blame the players for that result. If anything it made me lose faith in football watching that. 3 blokes carrying shanghai, 2 of whom should be playing in Europe at the very least. The gap between rich and poor has never been so evident as it was last night.

Europe is no longer the Mecca of the game. Players have a shelf life, and the $ available in the glorious Communist nation of China are irresistible.

Shanghai are a very well drilled team,  even without hulk and Oscar, they still would have beaten us. It didn't take long for them to figure out how we play and they were able to sit back and get us on the counter.

Tyson had a **** game

Borda, Dimas, Griffiths and hamil are just **** useless

Nico was very quiet, he was easily closed down.

Clisby couldn't contain the runs that hulk was making at him

Only 2 players that put effort in were baccus and nichols 

Borda is a social media tantrum away from passing Saba as our worst ever visa player. He is terrible and he cbf - winning combination.

That title belongs to adeleke.

Our first ACL campaign we were able to beat these teams with ticker and dodgy refs. Even dodgy refs can't carry a gutless outfit, club is looking very weak at the moment

Our first ACL campaign we were able to beat these teams with ticker and dodgy refs. Even dodgy refs can't carry a gutless outfit, club is looking very weak at the moment

Thought the ref last night did a fair job, except he's clearly not an MCU fan..the last one was a pen for sure (the other 2 weren't)...an A-league ref would've awarded all three....and probably red carded Borda and Neville

Your points are valid tho - first ACL run had teams with alot of heart

First post here. I have been lurking on the forum since the beginning and have experienced the highs and lows of being a wanderers fan. It is however hard to remember a point in our history as low as now. 

The Asian Champions League. Essentially the absolute pinnacle of a footballing tournament we can participate in. We are the previous champions. We are the representative of Australian football in Asia in such a prestigious competition where the money involved is high and ability to showcase your abilities as a manager and footballer to the Asian market is heightened. To even get there, we have to go through a gruelling season and finish in the top 2 and possibly 3 of the A-league.

Now to field the sides that we have over the past 2 games along with our mentality and the performances we have shown is nothing short of a complete and utter disgrace. I personally don't understand how the HAL is more important than the ACL, but as fans we deserve better the best possible chance to win in the most prestigious competition we can play in. The agony people had to go through to get to and from Campbelltown only to watch a NPL team be absolutely butchered is a pure degradation of to our fans. 4-0 at home and 5-1 away is not acceptable, even more so however the board and manager's approaches.

I'm sorry but the likes of Hammil, Borda, Lustica, Griffiths, Sotirio, Dimas (to an extent) and Jumpei etc are not anywhere up to standard. Griffiths was a panic buy just to the appease the fans and he might as well pick up his pension payment tomorrow from Centrelink and get lost. Yet some fans calling for us to give him a chance? The problem is deeper than that. Why are we as fans accepting the signing of a NPL3 level 35 year old journeyman playing in Hong Kong? We were not long ago the Champions of Asia. Why are we accepting mediocrity? Why did the board get us in this position and why aren't we doing something about it?  On another note, Sotirio is by far the most talentless player to ever play for our club, and most likely in the A-league. Sotirios footballing talent and brain is so so low, I doubt he could even perform for lower end NPL clubs. But it is okay because "he works hard". I can work had as much as I want, devote my whole life even to becoming the 100m champion, but it won't happen. Sotirio is a useless ineffective winger, never ever ever ever beats his man, poor touch, no end product or vision. If you're a winger and can't offer anything offensively, become a fullback or in Sotirios case, it would be best to find another career. The worst of all is he constantly hides away from receiving the ball, constantly picked by Popa and if I am not wrong, he has the longest contract in the club. Disgraceful to think of the talented youth we have let go but keep hold of Sotirio. So many questions to be asked. Why has Dimas been given the captain's armband? I surely don't want him being the captain of the club. Why does Dimas still take set pieces even if the old grandmother that sits close to me can tell he is horrible at them yet Popa can't? Why is Jumpei in the team when he would be bullied off the ball in our under 13's training sessions? Why are Hammil and Borda called defenders? Why are they being payed to play football? 

In essence Popa is the one who selects these players, and if he constantly selects talentless deadweight like Sotirio, Griffiths, Hamill, Borda, Lustica, Jumpei etc, surely some blame has to be centred on him. I have stood by Popa for a long long time, but I don't know how I can defend him anymore. Our "Rotation policy" worked so well that we lost 3 games in a row, conceding just 11 goals (This is decent given we had Hamill and Borda together for two games). What baffles me even more, is if he is rotating (which the way in which he does I disagree with) why is Neville and Clisby playing all 3 games, especially as in our untouchable 4-2-3-1 philosophy, those two probably run the most distance? On that note, any team we play, FFA cup semi-professionals or Shanghai with Hulk and Oscar we play 4-2-3-1? What is up with that? If we can't financially match other teams, can't we adjust our tactics to play into the weaknesses of the opponent? Maybe it would or wouldn't change the previous results, but the stubbornness shown by Popa is just indefensible.

Essentially I feel humiliated by the club. Embarrassing ourselves in the prestigious competition we can play by playing dead weight players who show no passion for the badge is a nothing short of a disgrace. Yes we can't compete with the money other teams are spending, but that isn't a reason to disrespect our ACL history, fans and opponents by playing a weakened side that don't attempt to show any passion along with the inept club management and tactical approach. I understand Lederer has most likely limited the financial spending Popa has, but no money can buy effort.  

Apologies for the long rant, but I just couldn't accept papering over the cracks anymore.