Wanderers Draw Again

 

I'm sorry, but there wasn't 6500 empty seats there tonight.

Looking at the game on TV later tonight, there were plenty of spare seats.

 

Replace the empty seats with people, and empty the filled seats. The crowd wouldn't be 6500.

Good tifo what of sabas performance did people make?

I think Saba has a long way to go into finding how he can best play in our team and I'm not talking about his position number 10 but it's the positions he takes up on the pitch and how he links up with his team mates. It's just quite not coming off, whether he is taking the best options with the ball or he just can't impose himself on the game for sustained periods (more like short sharp bursts)

A gane I think we should have won, created chances but we are not getting enough players into the box when we attack their final 3rd, we get maybe 2 or 3 players at most in the box will our midfield sit deep.

 

And also we gotta try going through the middle a lot more, sabas dribbling attracted defenders and at times have left tomi in open space

It's the way we are set up, our two defensive midfielders sit deep and prepare for the counter attack rather than get forward and provide an option further forward. Popa believes that the front four have enough skill and ability to score the goal in the final third. We aren't too far away from goals either but it is frustrating to watch. RE saba through the middle, refer to Saba finding his best position on the field that he can be most significant.

Simply not good enough to only get two draws and score one goal in the last two games. We should be beating those sides at home.

When was the last time Popa hooked someone at half time? (Or was Alessi hurt?)

Ruka and Castelan were great.

Why didn't one of Poljak/LaRocca pick up Flores'?

Saba needs to do more. Shows glimpses but drifts out of games.

We miss Mooy.

5th or 6th is the best we can hope for IMO.

- Agree frustrating that we aren't putting away teams that will end up bottom of the table

- Alessi had a shocking first half, defensively very soft and poor decision making, shame because he had a good game vs Perth

- Yes, was frustrating that nobody picked him up and if it was based on a zonal marking system then one of the CB should have picked him up but they were ball watching!

- Refer to my comment regarding saba above

- If we kept mooy, chances are that we wouldn't have picked up ruka under the cap but we definitely haven't adequately replaced him

 

i think we cant start ruka, romeo, saba and juric together, we need at least one of them on the bench to come on as a super sub, bridge & haliti just don't cut it as super subs IMO.

 

that tifo was awesome, great work to all involved.

 

bring on the smurfs

 

We need to drop one of Poljak or La Rocca. Preferably La Rocca. Doesn't look interested at all and we need more attacking intent that playing with 6 defenders.

 

Castelen I thought had a pretty poor game compared with Wednesday.

 

Ruka was awesome until he was cut down so crudely yet didn't even get a foul. He's going to clean up defenders with a consistent run.

- Our best XI includes poljak and la Rocca, the problem is that Popa has not replaced a ball playing CM like Mooy with anyone of note (Baccus maybe but only injury replacement) so hard to bring on someone like him to change the game from CM. I think that both of them are doing the best they can do based on there strengths but not enough when we are looking to turn the screws. I also feel that without the competition for places it doesn't force our DCM's to another level like when they had Mooy wanting to play every week.

- I thought Castelen had a wonderful game, but I think he is not selfish enough in front of goal and not getting enough service in advance positions for us. It seems like when he gets the ball, he always has to try and create something with it but usually he is used to team mates doing the providing in his past playing career.

 

I'm sorry, but there wasn't 6500 empty seats there tonight.

Looking at the game on TV later tonight, there were plenty of spare seats.

 

blame the poor timeslot 5pm on a saturday during a heat wave weekend....with around 50 away fans there 14,000 odd was not bad....if the away fans would turn up we'd be looking at 16,000 for each of these two games. which means around 2000 members failed to show for whatever reason.

I've sat through a few 5pm matches facing the sun without protection. Wellington both in S1 and S2 come to mind, and Heart with Kewell in S2. It wasn't fun, and I do understand why some people would stay away from the Eastern Terrace.

that tifo looked amazing but was confusing

 

on how we played, i think we played pretty well, created plenty of chances were unlucky to not score a few(unlucky and we need to improve our finishing) i was relatively happy with our performance

 

The Jets had more supporters on the bench than in the stands. The squadron must have parked itself at Bankstown airport. The Victory will bring more supporters than The Mariners and Jets combined. Our form so far in the A League will make our run into the GF even more incredible.

There was a group of 10 Jets supporters in Bay 44, and a few smaller groups dotted around the Bay. Bay 44 seems to be a place they chuck non-active away fans. Most home games have a couple of groups of away fans there.

 

i am bay 45 so this annoys me

 

 

I'm sorry, but there wasn't 6500 empty seats there tonight.

Looking at the game on TV later tonight, there were plenty of spare seats.

 

blame the poor timeslot 5pm on a saturday during a heat wave weekend....with around 50 away fans there 14,000 odd was not bad....if the away fans would turn up we'd be looking at 16,000 for each of these two games. which means around 2000 members failed to show for whatever reason.

 

 

 

On another note......... my brother walked up and bought tickets for himself and his son at 4 pm, so this game was never a sell out.

 

 

 

The Jets had more supporters on the bench than in the stands. The squadron must have parked itself at Bankstown airport. The Victory will bring more supporters than The Mariners and Jets combined. Our form so far in the A League will make our run into the GF even more incredible.

There was a group of 10 Jets supporters in Bay 44, and a few smaller groups dotted around the Bay. Bay 44 seems to be a place they chuck non-active away fans. Most home games have a couple of groups of away fans there.

away team family and friends allocation bro.

I did not know that. All makes sense now. Makes it even better that these groups are always treated with respect and nothing worse than light banter. Keeps the area fun for everyone.

 

unless they are total ****s who deserve a good head kick in

 

 

 

I'm sorry, but there wasn't 6500 empty seats there tonight.

Looking at the game on TV later tonight, there were plenty of spare seats.

 

blame the poor timeslot 5pm on a saturday during a heat wave weekend....with around 50 away fans there 14,000 odd was not bad....if the away fans would turn up we'd be looking at 16,000 for each of these two games. which means around 2000 members failed to show for whatever reason.

 

 

 

 

 

On another note......... my brother walked up and bought tickets for himself and his son at 4 pm, so this game was never a sell out. When I entered the ground at 4.45 pm, the ticket windows were still open yet no one was buying tickets.

We need to get the word out there that tickets are still available on game day.

Edited November 22, 2014 by Wanderboy

On a side note, where were all the po po cars heading after the game down o'Connell street? Saw at least 7 cars heading that way.

 

 

It appears a fracas had taken place in the swimming pool car park.

By the time we got there it had finished & the fuzz were talking to a couple of Jets fans, who looked to have been on the receiving end.

...

 

It's Union, not League. Surely I can get a pass on this one... the winters are long in Canberra, so I need something to keep me occupied!

lol to be fair i think most people are just taking the piss

Seen a few comments on the referee, nothing to do with our draw but just the general performance was pathetic. He got maybe 50% of decisions right but gee he was just bloody hopeless! Some of those free kicks were just baffling and yes some tackles that weren't carded left you scratching your head. You have to be happy that the referee is not going card crazy giving yellow cards for every tackle, but it's like he made the decision that he wasn't going to give out any cards which again seems baffling!!

Seen a few comments on the referee, nothing to do with our draw but just the general performance was pathetic. He got maybe 50% of decisions right but gee he was just bloody hopeless! Some of those free kicks were just baffling and yes some tackles that weren't carded left you scratching your head. You have to be happy that the referee is not going card crazy giving yellow cards for every tackle, but it's like he made the decision that he wasn't going to give out any cards which again seems baffling!!

i totally agree, i wondered if he left his cards at home

I think the most frustrating thing for me today was that we just didn't do enough to get over the line. There have been so many times over the past two seasons when we haven't played well but we somehow didn't manage to score 1 or 2 to win the game. I'm happy to be patient but would like us to create more meaningful chances rather than just dominate the play. Again, frustrating but I'm happy to be patient while our team gets better and better but I want us to build on these performances each week, improve for longer periods of time and yes, put away the chances we are creating. I've broken down the game like this:

 

1. In the first 20 minutes before the goal, we created some really good opportunities and could have scored 3-4, the goal was a good reward for the persistent pressure.

2. After scoring, we let Newcastle have the ball and attack, putting pressure on us. Why couldn't we hold the ball, take the pace out of the game and not invite that pressure on ourselves? They had one chance from the Cole mistake, one chance off the Flores shot which magically appeared at his feet before cannoning off the post and then the Flores goal.

3. Rest of the first half, the game was really open but both teams didn't really do enough to score

4. Second half was WSW dominating the play without creating clear cut chances in the 20 minutes. Yes we had the balance of play, we had the corners, we had the possesion, we had the shots (on/off target) and we were the better side overall but that counts for nothing if you can't actually test the keeper or put regular shots on target. Newcastle were run ragged, they just were out on there feet by the end of the game (as per the 5/6 players who went down with cramp) and deserved the point.

5. In the last 10 minutes we lost our ways, long balls to saba? Never going to work. Weren't penerating deep into there half and we're just disappointing in that last few minutes. You had to think whether the bridge/Haliti substitution for Castelen/Ruka were the right subs to be made, should he have kept our two most dangerous weapons on the park? Could he have replaced Tomi after two 90 minute games in a few days and could have Baccus have made a difference in the DCM role for us?

 

 

Seen a few comments on the referee, nothing to do with our draw but just the general performance was pathetic. He got maybe 50% of decisions right but gee he was just bloody hopeless! Some of those free kicks were just baffling and yes some tackles that weren't carded left you scratching your head. You have to be happy that the referee is not going card crazy giving yellow cards for every tackle, but it's like he made the decision that he wasn't going to give out any cards which again seems baffling!!

 

i totally agree, i wondered if he left his cards at home

Oh and 4 minutes of injury time? Shold have been closer to 7-8 with the amount of time wasted on cramps suffered by Newcastie players, great tactic to really take the sting out of the game and just slow things down.

There were some good points and bad points in this game. I thought the first 20 mins we were great and we could have wrapped up the game. At times we miss Santalab who does a lot of donkey work like pressing defenders, chasing lost causes and softening up defenders for Tomi to come on later in the game. A bit disappointed we sat back after the goal. I know you cant press all game especially in that heat but we seem to do it less and not as effectively.

 

I want to see quicker ball movement of the ball and more player movement. Simplify our football. Look for the simple ball, one two's, wall passes. Cruyff said it best, football is a simple game that is difficult to play simply.

 

Dissapointed with our crowd numbers, we are all flat as well. No cheering the boys off after 90 minutes even though the effort is there. Just think about how much joy this team has given us this year. They want to win as badly as us and the effort is always there.

 

I want to see passes played in front of players better so that they can run onto the ball. Too often we lose that momentum with a bad pass. Play the ball to Saba's feet everytime and give him the ball often. He is our "playmaker". To Ruka you need to play the ball in behind the defence. Make him chase a ball, he will run it down and get it. The referee had a very poor game, especially that tackle on Ruka.

 

Just be patient. We will get some wins. We probably need a season like this where we a struggling just to sort out who actually wants to support the team. Other than that Goooooooo Wanderers.

We are picking up points. The team is starting gel.

 

Unbeaten in 2 now and this is with a hectic schedule that still has not let up.

 

Well done to the fans. You have carried these exhausted boys on your shoulders the past two games and together we have got results.

 

One big family!

 

Big one next week with the derby. ESFC will as always have the ref and dumb luck on their side - play shitty still fet results - so we need to be at our best.

We are picking up points. The team is starting gel.

 

Unbeaten in 2 now and this is with a hectic schedule that still has not let up.

 

Well done to the fans. You have carried these exhausted boys on your shoulders the past two games and together we have got results.

 

One big family!

 

Big one next week with the derby. ESFC will as always have the ref and dumb luck on their side - play shitty still fet results - so we need to be at our best.

Is it byo ref next week? paging KGJ! paging KGJ! We need to score first and then score another 3 can't see them pegging back 4-0 Edited November 22, 2014 by wsw2154

i thought we were OK. created enough chances to win the game.

 

But.....

 

need to move the ball quicker - i have said this a few times but we are missing that direct ball to the wing early out of defence to transition. at the moment that doesn't happen. we win possession and slowly move the ball amongst the back 6 giving opposition that are mostly set out to defend too much time to get men behind the ball. we then end up either punting it long to tomi or hitting hopeful crosses into a box with defenders having everything comfortably in front of them.

 

i think we need to start spira in central midfield - he has the passing range and is prepared to move forward with the ball to try to speed up that transition.

i thought we were OK. created enough chances to win the game.

 

But.....

 

need to move the ball quicker - i have said this a few times but we are missing that direct ball to the wing early out of defence to transition. at the moment that doesn't happen. we win possession and slowly move the ball amongst the back 6 giving opposition that are mostly set out to defend too much time to get men behind the ball. we then end up either punting it long to tomi or hitting hopeful crosses into a box with defenders having everything comfortably in front of them.

 

i think we need to start spira in central midfield - he has the passing range and is prepared to move forward with the ball to try to speed up that transition.

 

I think at times we did try to move the ball a bit quicker and you could see we were trying to recreate that quick transition play from season 1 & 2 that served us so well. I don't think Casta and co and on the right wave length at the moment as a few times they did get the ball early but breaks down far too easily either through poor distribution or lack of support.

 

We miss the Ono / Mooy combo as much as anything at the moment. Something that can pull a defense out of shape a little with a defense splitting final ball or someone who can try something that little bit different creativity wise. Maybe pushing Spira forward is the answer.

 

I thought Ruka took another step forward yesterday, he will be good but about the time he will reach his best will be about the time the CWC starts! Saba looks like he is struggling with Popa's game plans a little, drifts around and doesn't look totally comfortable with where he should be and when, he will learn. 

Edited November 22, 2014 by WSWBoro

I enjoyed the Asian Champions chant... Would love that to get picked up by the stands.

Look, when you play shite teams they tend to drag you down to their level...Next Saturday I believe you will see the real Wanderers v ESFC..big game, big win..must win game against these pricks..

 

 

i thought we were OK. created enough chances to win the game.

 

But.....

 

need to move the ball quicker - i have said this a few times but we are missing that direct ball to the wing early out of defence to transition. at the moment that doesn't happen. we win possession and slowly move the ball amongst the back 6 giving opposition that are mostly set out to defend too much time to get men behind the ball. we then end up either punting it long to tomi or hitting hopeful crosses into a box with defenders having everything comfortably in front of them.

 

i think we need to start spira in central midfield - he has the passing range and is prepared to move forward with the ball to try to speed up that transition.

I think at times we did try to move the ball a bit quicker and you could see we were trying to recreate that quick transition play from season 1 & 2 that served us so well. I don't think Casta and co and on the right wave length at the moment as a few times they did get the ball early but breaks down far too easily either through poor distribution or lack of support.

 

We miss the Ono / Mooy combo as much as anything at the moment. Something that can pull a defense out of shape a little with a defense splitting final ball or someone who can try something that little bit different creativity wise. Maybe pushing Spira forward is the answer.

 

I thought Ruka took another step forward yesterday, he will be good but about the time he will reach his best will be about the time the CWC starts! Saba looks like he is struggling with Popa's game plans a little, drifts around and doesn't look totally comfortable with where he should be and when, he will learn.

I honestly believe to defend well it must happen from the front third...we are gifting opposition midfielders and defenders plenty of time to distribute and build up a passing rythym without pressuring them into mistakes or rushed passes. (see esfc now and our old defensive pressure from season 1,2) The mariners and jets were smothering us in midfield and putting plenty of pressure on our defenders into just hoofing it clear and pushing non event passes (see cole) when we played the ball out wide to ruka on the left we were giving the jets right hand side defence something to think about and we got in and behind the defence on that side multiple times with great attacking opportunities and looked great. When we got to the point of exhausting all our attacking options without gaining anything we resorted to long aerial balls to no one and were pushing stupid passes as we were being contained well by the opposition and frustrated into a bog style game. Like i said in earlier posts we need to start playing fast passes and be smart about our attacking options and go out wide early more often to stretch the opposition... we need to lay on better crosses as well and i also think either one of poljak or la rocca needs to be dropped as there is no point in starting both in the side as they are both very defensive type players. When we started yesterday there was a crispness about the passing, movement and shape and it honestly looked like our a-game but once our midfield became non-existant ( which it has now fizzled out during games for over a month) and flores and co gained the momentum and control they were able to grind us down. Another thing id like to see is first time crosses the amount of times a player takes an extra touch to try and beat 3 defenders is not going to work (castellen) unless your suarez or messi...just whip the ball in first time. id like to see us meet these crosses back post as well there was alot of space out there yesterday but we insisted on taking 5 touches to walk into the 6 yard box for a shot. We can easily fix our issues and become a top of the table team again but if we continue to give the opposition time on the ball etc in the middle of the park they will hurt us. The team i fear playing the most soon is probably adelaide with their current form atm as they have the potential to rip us a new one if we afford them lots of time and space with the fast paced style they play.

The problem with first time crosses in many situations is that Tom I is outnumbered 3/4 to 1 most times.

The problem with first time crosses in many situations is that Tom I is outnumbered 3/4 to 1 most times.

Should use tomi as the diversion and have someone attack from the back post.

our defence is good and we have plenty of players to cover...no worries. our attack is getting better with tomi, ruka and romeo improving with every game. With saba i'm not convinced. so from reading all  the posts it appears that the mids may be the issue, two deep, not direct and not ball playing. I agree la rocco and pojak is just not happening. this propbaly needs to change. I cant under stand that baccus has been on the bench for every game. I agree the dynamic needs to change. trif has been given a chance but not taken it. Surely it must be time for Perkatis is step up just to see how he has developed since the last game again Brisbane two years ago. . something needs to change. our schedule will be more difficult over the next 2-3 and this is barring and injuries and cards. I sing for WANDERERS.

The problem with first time crosses in many situations is that Tom I is outnumbered 3/4 to 1 most times.

 

That's what happens when you play 6 at the back.  When teams sit back as they all will now, we're neutered.  Drop La Rocca and put another forward in.  **** or bust.

Ever since I saw Hamill make that mazy run down the wing from CB in the Victory game I was hoping Popa would try him out at fullback and he looked really good. Popa never puts a CB on the bench so I'm assuming it was always the plan to play him there.

 

With that in mind I see a potential best XI as:

Covic; Adeleke, NTS, Spira, Hamill; Poljak, La Rocca; Ruka, Saba, Castelen; Juric. If we need to attack to chase a goal or if the other team is parking the bus, take off Poljak or La Rocca, put Cole on at RB where he can overlap and provide a threat, push Hamill into CB with NTS and push Spira into midfield. Then when we have the ball Spira can push on as we wouldn't want two holding defensive midfielders in that situation.

Seb Hassett commented on his Twitter that wanderers players looked exhausted post match and some could barely keep eyes open.

Seb Hassett commented on his Twitter that wanderers players looked exhausted post match and some could barely keep eyes open.

 

perhaps training friday took it out of them.

We are picking up points. The team is starting gel.

 

Unbeaten in 2 now and this is with a hectic schedule that still has not let up.

 

Well done to the fans. You have carried these exhausted boys on your shoulders the past two games and together we have got results.

 

One big family!

 

Big one next week with the derby. ESFC will as always have the ref and dumb luck on their side - play shitty still fet results - so we need to be at our best.

I'm sorry but this is clutching at straws. We just had our two easiest games of the year, home games against CCM and Newcastle and came away with the equivalent of less than one win. We need results at home against this kind of opposition, and with every miss the catch up job gets harder and harder, especially considering how difficult things will be come Feb/March with catch up games and a new ACL campaign.

 

Agreed with the rest of the post. We need to be just as passionate, helping the side out even if we don't win our first 20. As supporters, we need to set ourselves apart from the rest of the competition in this regard. Win or lose ...

Good tifo what of sabas performance did people make?

I think he gets better with every game. In my view he controlled mid-field much better than he has with more consistent clean feds to the front boys.

 

The one who I thought struggled was Castellan. He is targeted every game, which is a testament to his perceived skill but he will have to figure out a way to get around that, like releasing the ball quicker rather than trying to weave/beat his opponent whilst he's on the ball. He got caught out quite a few times by a Newcastle side that is clearly not head of the pack. In my mind, he needs to do better. He's got the talent for sure.