Five Things – Round Seven
Brisbane starts the sack race, Gombau stock soars, and the Wanderers drought continues – this is five things we learned from A-League Round 7
Move over Mike
Ange Postecoglu summarised the requirements to be a modern day coach perfectly Sunday on Foxsports. No longer is it simple enough to coach a squad of players and rely on results. You need to manage and satisfy four key relationships – the players, the board, the fans and the media. Chairman Chris Fong, technical director Ken Stead and managing director Sean Dobson all had their issues with Mulvey. Liam Miller’s sudden departure, combined with the Stefanutto-Young bust up can be viewed as evidence of an unhappy dressing room. If Mulvey thought a championship would give him ultimate power, he was way off the mark. Common consensus said that he got too big for his boots. For Mulvey’s sake, he should heed Ange’s words before filling another pair of boots in the future.
Time is now for Gombau
It is the opinion of this column that Adelaide is the team to beat this season. Their 2-0 win over the Mariners was far from dazzling, but Pablo Sanchez’s quick fire brace showed all in sundry that the reds can go another gear where others can’t – particularly Central Coast. With rumours circulating about J-League interest in Gombau not going away, the Spanish coach has a decision to make. He is building something very special in the city of churches. It would be great for the league to see Gombau remain in place to fight for the title, and also carry them into Asia.
Winning culture eludes City
Shortly after Graham Arnold donned the DJ headphones and talked tactics with the lads at Foxsports, he saw weakness out wide, “we know their fullbacks always bomb forward.” Ibini and Boijc on the right, and Abbas and Gersbach on the left hit City on the flanks with aplomb. John vant Schip is in a very delicate position of needing to implement a philosophy from those up high, as well as integrating a new set of players into a squad that won the wooden spoon last season. City had enough momentum in the second half to win the game, had they not been so defensively naïve in the first. If City continues to be this predictable the better teams will pick them off.
White Wanderers still draw a blank
Changing kits did nothing to change the fortunes of the Wanderers, who could only share the spoils at home to a struggling Newcastle. The novacastrians responded to last week’s horror display, with Marcos Flores giving the Jets a focal point to start attacks. But Western Sydney’s inability to get a win on the board is a fact that is hard to escape for the Asian champions. A home derby should be the tonic to deliver a performance worthy of their status, but time is running out and the gap to the top six is widening.
Independence D-day looming
Mike Cockerill’s piece (http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/ffa-and-aleague-owners-headed-for-showdown-over-tv-rights-dollars-20141123-11s4k2.html) in Fairfax this week is a talking point that has flown under the radar. With the City Football Group in Abu Dhabi investing in Australian football, they are looking to use their money to influence how the A-League is run. The EPL model is being touted, giving all clubs full autonomy from the governing body. How far such talks are from actually happening is beside the point, because they will be happening. Money in football can be a wonderful thing – investing in new stadia, youth teams, community programs etc. But if supporters are disconnected from ownership and clubs become vanity projects for billionaires, it is hard to reverse that cycle.
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