BoyFromTheWest

Fitz definitely training with the team on Tuesday - he's in the photos on the web site.

Unless I'm mistaken, Popa probably had one of the most expensive squads before he left. Riera and Cejudo were not cheap. I vaguely remember $1.5-2 million mark?? He had the squad he chose and probably the most expensive he ever had - he can't complain about that! It was a naive and ultimately stupid decision to go to Turkey and he probably thought he might be better than he really was. As others have commented, Popa has either convinced several Aussies to come to Perth for 'nothing' or they are employing more creative accounting. Perhaps they learned from last time and won't be easily caught this time???

'Self-Belief' - thatwas Popa's mantra - we/I have belief. Gumby's was philosophy and MB's is mentality. I confess I had enough of Popa's weekly 'belief' even when we looked like a very ordinary outfit going nowhere (eg his last season). As for the sum of the parts being greater than the individual bits - sure and we have had that several times but the greater than the whole performance only lasts for 70=80 minutes because injuries, inexperience and a thrown-together side can't sustain the pressure that a team of seasoned pro's and hard players seems able to do. Listen to what the players say of Babbel - Tate Russel for example gives a resoundingly positive response. All we are hearing is one bit of honesty in a 6-7 minute presser, taking a few comments out of it (that commentators and most everyone else either agrees with or is saying) and making that Babbel's only means of working. DO the players even listen to a Presser? Do they care what he says outside the training ground? How does he work with them day in, day out? For mine, we have as has been expressed endlessly a less than competitive squad. Everyone has said this from day 1. Added to that are injuries to the most experienced players and the need to field some very young and inexperienced players and squaddies who aren't starting quality. Baccus Senior had a crap attitude and junior has shown his own ill-discipline. Baccus Junior has played at National Team level for junior teams and signed a senior contract in 2017. He should have more discipline and if he doesn't show it very soon he will be like his brother and become a solid squaddie but nothing more. Babbel's job has become sorting out the mess and trying to find a group of players who have some character (his word, mentality) and put them to work next season with a decent spine with some experience and guts. I actually don't find his words 'negativity'. Nor do I interpret your words as 'negativity'. Nor do I think my response is negativity. There is a difference between social media whinging about everything and a forum where we are trying to have an honest conversation about what we are seeing and experiencing. Like a few others I really find Babbel's honesty refreshing because we all think it and see it and wonder if the club recognises it. I never listening to Popa's Pressers because he never said anything except 'we have belief' and I sometimes wondered what he believed in. Gumby's were worse - largely because of his English and repetitive use of philosophy... Anyway, I appreciate the discussion and suspect we will see things from different perspectives, which is fine and Babbel will do what Babbel does because, as he says, 'it is what it is'.

So Wendy, you are saying that the team is crap, aren't good players, are hopeless and a lost cause this year??! Isn't that pretty negative? Or is it the truth? Shouldn't we follow a different example of responding to the players than MB is accused of? He calls it as it is. He talks to the team through the week - numerous times, according to hi Presser. He explains why he says what he does. He sets a level of professionalism and expectation that is higher than most HAL players have been used to. Some will not like it and others will lift. Quite frankly, people on this forum do not want sub-standard players turning. We want WS ethics in our team - players who work their guts out on and off the field, who play with grit and and tough. I understand your comments re: encouragement and being positive... But I also feel the frustration that professional footballers need to be treated with kid gloves. When MB quoted the press and 'experts' early in the season it was to ridicule them, not his team. He also made some very real assessments of HAL that just about every person on this forum has agreed with or stated at some time. HAL has too many restraints and keeps things average but that doesn't mean we can't raise the bar and set higher standards for ourselves. Popa tried, with mixed results across his 5 years. Gombau was sacked for a whole range of stuff he did in the background, in the dressing room - not in public. It was less about results and more about crap, abusive team management. Take Roly. Gumby told him he wouldn't play. Roly asks what he needs to do to improve and play Gumby's style... Gumby says 'Nothing - its personal!' MB says ROly is a good player but is is loose and so I have put him on the wing to cover that. Roly has been very good these past weeks - playing in the centre. He has largely given what we hoped and expected - after MB challenged him. That is the response a mature player (or one who wants to learn and improve) will give. No player, so far has come out and stated that MB is terrible, abusive, lacking... They seem to respect him - unlike Gumby. Sorry - enough rant. Continue normal programming.

Unfortunately, bringing this into the light of day I fear will give some of our players (and potentially CCM and BR) ideas that they haven't tried or quite mastered as yet!!

Kamau has moments where he is excellent, breaks through and runs at players and offloads a great pass. He has set up a couple of good goals and can occasionally shoot. My frustration with Kamau is he runs with his head down and runs too far before passing most of the time. He doesn't always make good runs for the ball inside and when he does runs away from players. Interestingly this is an area Sotirio seems to be improving on - running into space. The end product isn't always great but nor is Kamau's. They are the same age - Kamau turning 24 and it is time both lifted to the next level. He is pushed off the ball far too easily and when compared to someone like Isaias (a similar size) doesn't have the skill level of holding and protecting the ball, aggression and stability to hold it or get it back. I'm not convinced. Majok is like a giraffe and is just as clumsy sometimes. Then there are the moments he runs with the ball and does some great stuff. Can he improve further in the next couple of years than Kamau is at (and will Kamau go to the next level or just float along with slight improvement like Baccus Senior)?

It was never a football stadium (nor AFL for that matter). It was/is a showground designed for horses and animals and other Easter Show crap - not football. And it shows!

I don't want us to be like SFC over several years who had a string of managers who were sacked as soon as the Cove ranted (whinged) enough. It didn't help the club. We have to hang in with Babbel and at least get a balanced squad on the park next year, hopefully with a few really strong players who have passion, leadership and can read a game of football, tackle and, oh yeah, trap and kick with both feet!

I agree with some others that it isn't specifically money spent on players... that is the actual problem but how we recruit and how we get that info. Popa was notorious for doing it all his way and it seemed hit and miss. Arnie has built well on his Dutch (in particular) contacts. Not sure who has been responsible for the last 15 months or so for recruiting - probably Gumby plus who? It is a whole area that needs to be fixed and we need to develop the right formulas for ongoing building of a team. Vics and SFC seem to have that right for the moment. Popa actually did it well this year but we will see if he has learned from the past and what happens at Perth next year. Players like Ikon were on loan and went back to their clubs. I don't know what transpired after that. Babbell has no clue, being very new to Oz, who is who in this zoo but he is hopefully a very quick learner. On Babbel press conferences etc, one of the things i am wrestling with is the language/cultural thing. His words and speech are more direct and we aren't used to that. Is that because it is German culture/language/thinking then translated into English? What is he like with the players? All the interviews with players have them positive and learning a great deal under him (not always sure it shows). Unlike last year there doesn't feel that there is change-room negativity or hostility. I hear him more making generalised comments about playing in Oz and player attitudes that beating individuals over the head. I didn't see his interview with Fox directly after the game on TV but understand he said he was shocked at the way players were little affected by a hard loss than in previous generations. 5 minutes after they are in the change-rooms they are paying with phones and carrying. Apparently Kossie and others all agreed that this is a big issue for this generation of players and a major problem. It is interesting. I've said it before but I am constantly surprised by the lack of WSW culture that seems to exist in the team at the moment. After 2-3 years of strong culture the following seasons with huge overhaul of players has changed things and gradually diminished what we had. This combined with the off-field crap of FFA and poor fan relations, Soulless/SOP dampening down any spirit has left things pretty bland. RBB battle hard every week to try and make things better but they are up against it. Sadly, I am not sure what Popa's legacy really is. What has he left us - or did he just leave? Perhaps too much was around him? He cut most of the players who had memory and last year did the rest.

No but now Brisbane have outdone us - we haven't been able to lose from 3 goals up. We've done 2 a couple of times - drawn and won - but never 3. We have the challenge ahead of us now and this week CCM will be challenging us for the biggest and best way to lose. Neither team will want to take the lead. Perhaps it will be an own-goal fest???

I can't comprehend the bottom three teams - everyone of us has found ways to lose games that we should have won! Perhaps I am feeling just a little better that we aren't the only team to give away leads and lose to brainsnaps. We aren't the only team creatively losing. Doesn't say much for the bottom of the table this season. It will be interesting to see who tries hardest to creatively lose on Saturday. We might be in for a real challenge against CCM??

It's been a few years and I have no problem with it for the very young. When my son was playing u6's and 7's they didn't know what goals meant. It was fun. One day several players from both teams were delayed due to car accident on a main road. Kids from both teams were playing together having shots at goal and didn't know any better. I'm not sure when it changes and I kind of don't mind there being 2 forms of the game where those who really aren't interested or capable of competitive football play a more social form and have fun. There are other kids who need to be pushed and challenged to bring out their skills and toughen them up. They need to lose big a few times and have seasons that are full of struggle. They need a level of desperation to drive them to be better. We don't ahve too much of this in the A League. It is, as Babbel has discovered and said, an easy league where players can drift along pick up a decent pay check and not suffer for losing or not really putting in. Popa got players off side when he wanted more from them. Thing is, I think our first group of players had a sense of desperation and desire to prove themselves - and were glad for 2nd and 3rd chances. They were, by and large, cast-offs from other teams, rejects who wanted to prove themselves and there was fight in them. We saw it with Nabboutt who was dropped from Vics and went into Asia, worked his butt off and proved himself - a good story. Otherwise too many players coasting along and we have too many of them! It is a professional sport and requires hard work but whow will put in??

Horrible stuff last night. I don't know if Babbel has it or not but we have him and he seems to be weekly confronted by the brutal reality that is the A League and the downward cycle of the club - for several years in reality. I do think we, as fans, got too much success far to early. It was an exhilarating ride with more than our fare share of luck. We were the underrated underdog that played a simple block and chase style that worked back then. We had some fast outlets, some solid defenders and 2 enforcers in DM. It was a simple set up (and no youth, interestingly). We surprised teams and frustrated them into submission. We played carefree and fearless, worked hard and all was good - too good. Popa wanted to progress the style but from season 3 when we lost our way after the ridiculous cycle of 300,000 km of road trips across the planet. He got rid of players seeking a new style, an evolving way forward but it never really worked. We did make a grand final but we struggled across the line into 2nd place instead of blasting our way through into first, which should have been straightforward. We lumbered and were not the team we had been. Popa's last season was awful and then he bailed after another huge turnover. Gumby was a 3rd choice desperate selection who ought to have been much better for his A league experience but really had not ever set the world on fire and reports suggest The National Team were not unpleased to let him go. It was a disastrous year and the recruiting took us further backward. Kamau, for example, isn't a first team player. He still runs with his head down and runs into aimless space where he is easily defended. SBW's post above actually reveals his lack of awareness of where his team is. The ball was hoisted forward quickly and long and that is partly why Newcastle were in better positions and we were catching up. Kamau slowed up and ran into the corner. Petratos would have run straight at goal with determination. I tried hard to think of who in last night's performance would even make the bench of the top 6 and couldn't think of anyone really. Merrick said it in his PC - Newcastle dominated the midfield. WSW had no midfield. Tokich and Baccus were not in the game. If we are to play the expansive attacking football that characterises teams in the better leagues (such as Bayern and other German teams) then it is the second ball we need to be prepared to defend. If we lose the ball high up, then the midfield HAS to stop the play and try to intercept. SFC do this very well. If they can't get a tackle they commit a professional foul - and get away with doing it all game. It gives them a chance to regroup. In tight defence Newcastle belted the ball up field or out and regrouped - we gave it back to them in mid-field. Baccus and Tokich don't have this capacity. Merrick knew that all he had to do was bypass the mids and belt the ball into space and we had no pace. I think he was surprised that we won't tackle either. A lot of this falls on Babbel, of course and he has to react. It probably won't mean much this season - it is gone and he has who he has. I am not sure that the racist comments about Lederer etc are helpful, nor the sentiment that the owners, JT, Babbel etc don't care and are only in it for business. You don't own an A League Club to make money and they have forked out substantial sums to fund the future. They are doing the right thing re: accepting young players from Western Sydney and doing it without charging fees. These things are good and will take time to filter through. They now have to put a strong focus back onto the men's and women's teams. We need a huge turnaround.

I was talked into coming to Melbourne for this game - a few days away... I was wondering why through yesterday whenI realised who would be on the pitch and especially after our last effort against City. We were very pleased with how the boys did. They put it in and really gave everything. Being at AAMI and close to the action (unlike SOP) you could see and hear the effort. Elrich constantly shouting to the defenders. Everyone worked their guts out and 5 of our players had less combined HAL experience than most of the individuals on City's team. We were shorter and smaller by a mile. It was a credit that we didn't concede off more set pieces because they were head and shoulders above our boys (except Tass and Majok). If that City team are genuine 4th place then our NYL team plus a few squaddies were better for most of the match in terms of effort and pushing then they were. Baccus is a worry. My problem with the 2nd yellow was that he was on a yellow. I wanted to see that earlier and harder. If he'd done the job right then the arrogant piece of work (Shenken...) would not hav ebeen on the park to score the last goal. Suman was way to slow off the mark to stop the firt goal - he seemed to watch de Laet and then react too late (it was a shocking pass). The boys really defended well for much of that last half but size, speed, experience and pressure lost the game. Take out de Laet and City would not have won. It was a really, really good effort by a team who are so weighed down by injuries and despite losing they were good. The future is bright - even if the present is grim. I would also have liked for our boys to niggle Baccus and get him to lash out. We really do need an experienced, big and commanding DM. That would ahve bene a big difference last night.

Apart from the impact of the truly awful officiating on WSW - then fans, the players... - there is another element. Perth and Adelaide gained 3 points that they neither deserved. Sydney and Victory were impacted by Perth's result (I am therefore caught between our struggle and keeping SFC and Vics further from the top position) and Newcastle and Pheonix were impacted by Adelaide's result (City perhaps as well). Hoffman's sending off tonight was another blight on the game and further impacts Newcastle and of course SFC benefit (things don't go against them too much, do they?). The point is that stupid, incompetent decisions do not only impact the team that receives them (usually us!!!) but the whole table is affected when teams secure points they do not deserve. The officials are playing with all of us and they are the lowest common denominator of the whole competition. Unfortunately we are the team receiving some of the worst decisions. I wonder if they even care? Did KGJ duck out for a beer or a pie last night when the off-side goal was given??