The Nix Fix: Only way is up
Heartbroken
Last weekend the Nix looked on track to pick up their first points of the season. They dominated the visiting Sydney FC throughout the first half, twice putting the ball in the back of the net only for the offside flag to deny Michael McGlinchey and Roy Krishna from celebrating scoring the first Nix goal of the season.
The offside flag was raised again towards the end of the second half when Kosta Barbarouses snuck through to go one on one with the keeper. His frustration was clear with the officiating as he kicked the ball away in anger.
Just as the match looked to be heading to a goalless draw Sydney FC managed to break the hearts of Nix players and supporters with a Milos Ninkovic goal in injury time.
It leaves the Nix at the bottom of the A-League table as the only club yet to register a point after the completion of 3 rounds. While the argument can be made that the team is playing good football, the need to score goals and register points remains a concern.
The 1-0 scoreline makes it the fourth consecutive A-League match the Nix have failed to score in, dating back to last season and the seventh consecutive A-League loss.
Melbourne Victory
The Nix play a rare Monday night match this coming week, travelling to Melbourne to take on the Victory at Etihad Stadium. They enter round 4 on the back of a FFA Cup midweek fixture against Melbourne City which they lost 2-0.
The match will be especially significant for Finkler and Barbarouses as they make their first appearance against their old club. It will be interesting to see how the crowd reacts. I’m predicting a chorus of boos.
Considering how rarely we travel to Melbourne and get a result over the Victory, there is a very real possibility that we are going to end up with four losses to start the season which is obviously not ideal.
Second New Zealand Team
Once again the idea of a second New Zealand based team in the A-League has popped up again. Speaking on his visit to Wellington, recently appointed A-League boss Greg O’Rourke has floated the concept of including another NZ team if the league were to grow to 16 teams.
While it’s nice to hear that another NZ team could be on the agenda in the very long term plan, the current focus from a NZ point of view should be ensuring that the Phoenix is doing well both on and off the field. If as a country we can show that professional football is well supported then perhaps a second NZ team could become a reality.
Realistically the only two locations suitable for a second team are Auckland or Christchurch. The Nix have taken matches to both these cities in the past and although Auckland has previously had unsuccessful professional football teams, a decision whether to return to the City of Sails shouldn’t be based on those failed attempts many years ago.
Google+