Brisbane Roar – 2012/13 Fan Review
My League Expectations: Top 2 finish – finished 5th
My Finals Expectations: Make the Grand Final – Semi-Final
As the 2012/13 season of the A-League slowly approached, it was hard to ignore the enthusiasm and optimism for the coming season that the Brisbane Roar supporters still carried, after winning double Championships two years running, and playing some of the best football the A-League had ever seen.
Anticipation built over the off-season. The loss of Ange Postecoglou seemed a mere scruff of the boots to Roar fans –
“Nothing can stop our Championship winning team, right? Besides, Rado was the brains behind Ange – we’ll be better off without him anyway.”
This was certainly the mindset among a lot of fans, including myself, even after the anti-climax of the 1-0 loss to Perth Glory FC in the season opener the optimism still seemed high – the opening loss was only a glitch in what would be another dominating season for the Roar, surely.
Round 2 approached quickly, and the game so eagerly awaited did not disappoint Roar fans. A 5-0 hammering of Melbourne Victory and more importantly; Ange Postecoglou – who was no doubt was feeling the pressure after losing to bitter rivals Melbourne Heart in their season opener. This was as good as it gets for Roar fans – and it was as good as it got for a long time.
Draws and losses followed and it didn’t seem to stop. At first it appeared that Brisbane simply weren’t getting ‘the rub of the green’, but that soon was replaced with the deflation of admitting something was wrong, missing or gone. With the sacking of Rado Vidosic, the club seemed to have lost its identity. The football suffered; and with it the fans. It was painful to resign to statements like, “We’re not the same team without Ange,” and “Bring Ange back.” Just hearing these comments seemed to succumb Brisbane into a punctured mentality – and they were sinking.
With the appointment of Mike Mulvey brought about skepticism and uncertainty in an already ruptured team. After only a couple of games, “Mulvey Out” looked to be a growing theme. However, this may have been due to a small amount of Brisbane’s Chelsea FC supporters fan base. But one thing was for certain – nothing was certain in Brisbane Roar’s future.
The business end of the season drew close. Mulvey had begun to silence the protesters with decent results and snippets of exciting play. Brisbane would be fighting for fifth or sixth spot to make finals yet again. Two home games stood between the Roar and finals football; and this is where it all changed for Brisbane. Mulvey voiced that the team were already in finals mode; that every game from now on was a finals game. Something reappeared in Brisbane’s game that hadn’t been there all season. With two top draw performances, Brisbane stamped their authority of fifth place; the reward being, once again, among the top six, and a chance to make it three times in a row.
It was no secret that this finals series would some what different to what the team had been previously accustomed to, as no home advantage would be given – they would be the visitors; they’d have to win every game from now on away from home. First was a trip to South Australia to face Adelaide at Hindmarsh.
Confidence was with the team and the fans. Brisbane approached the game offensively, and fell into the first halve break with a comfortable 2-0 win; summed up by an exquisite volley from outside the box from Brattan, coupled with some poor reaction defending from Cassio, for the first goal of the day. After the break the tempo of the game eased, maybe a slightly complacent Brisbane, wasted numerous chances on the counter attack, and it seemed warranted that Adelaide should capitalise through Dario Vidosic with less than 10 minutes remaining. A desperate end to the game had Roar fans on the edge of their seat, feeling indignant about all of the missed chances. But the team held out. A 2-1 win at Hindmarsh meant that Western Sydney Wanderers waited for the highly anticipated Semi-Final clash at Parramatta.
Game day arrived quickly. Brisbane in a good run of form, confidence was already back flowing through the veins of the club and its fans. As a fan, I wasn’t sure that Brisbane could beat this intrepid Western Sydney Wanderers team, who had already taken the premiership in a record-breaking season. But as always in football, I sat, I watched, I wished, I dreamed.
The game lived up its title as a huge semi-final clash between two of the best teams in the A-League. An early goal from Kresinger and a second halve stunner from Ono was enough to end the Roar’s dream of a third straight Grand Final appearance. Brisbane weren’t without chances, but simply not good enough anywhere on the field against the well organised Wanderers club.
Once Ono’s strike penetrated Theo’s net, I sat back, watched the game from more a neutral position with a content focus. Brisbane was not good enough to win; they didn’t deserve to win this – Western Sydney did. I was not mad, sad or apathetic, but pleased with the Roar. I was pleased because I knew this was not the end; there would be a next season. Brisbane had made a Semi-Final appearance against all the odds; and because I believe in Brisbane Roar.
Jase Quelch (@JaseQuelch)
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