In A-League of its Own 9 (2011/12)

 


Tom’s weekly outlook on the A-League

The festive period in the A-League has brought colossal changes across the league. The main one was clearly the sacking of former Melbourne Victory manager Mehmet Durakovic, and the subsequent appointment of North Irishman Jim Magilton. The sacking came after a string of poor results for the Melbourne-based club over December, and the final straw was a loss at Central Coast later that month. Kevin Muscat took over for the weekend’s match against Newcastle, where the Victory was able to get a 2-1 win over the Jets. Magilton will get his first crack with the squad this Friday at home against Adelaide, who has started well under new manager John Kosmina.

Melbourne Heart has just dropped off the pace of the top 2 following a couple of poor results in their past games. Their 1-1 result with Gold Coast on the weekend was fortunate in the end, as for much of the 2nd half the Gold Coast dominated Heart. Another negative for the Heart coming out of the game is that captain Fred is out for up to 6 weeks with a groin injury.

The Perth Glory has made their way off the bottom of the table following a win over Wellington at the Cake Tin on Sunday. In some of the worst conditions seen in the A-League, the Glory was able to snare a goal deep into injury time from a set-piece. The result leaves Wellington clinging on to their spot in the top 6, and puts the Glory in a positive position heading into the 2nd half of this season.

Sydney FC’s poor run of results have continued into the new year, with a loss to Central Coast at the SFS on Sunday. Oliver Bozanic made the most of a rare start with the game’s only goal just 9 minutes into the game. Sydney’s fragile defence was often held together by keeper Danny Vukovic, who enjoyed a good game between the sticks. And Adelaide United has been able to climb back up the table following some good results under the management of John Kosmina. In torrential rain at the Hindmarsh on Friday night, the Reds were able to get a draw against defending champions Brisbane. Issey Nakajima-Farran opened the scoring for the Roar 58 minutes in, but Sergio Van Dijk got the equalizer with a well taken penalty 15 minutes before time.

This Friday night catch Jim Magilton’s first game in charge of the Victory at AAMI Park against Adelaide United.

About Tom Riordan

Tom Riordan is in his second year of a Bachelor of Journalism at Swinburne University. He loves all sports, and plays for Brunswick Cricket Club. He supports the Western Bulldogs and can be found on weekends among half a dozen others in Q38 on the top level of the MCC.

Comments

  1. Peter Baulderstone says

    I heard a replay of a Jeffrey Archer talk on the radio this week. It included this story (abbreviated version).
    Caesar and Brutus are always bickering about their respective warrior deeds. Caesar tells the Roman Senate that he is off to conquer France. He returns 6 months later announcing his triumphs and that he has killed 50,000 Gauls. Brutus tells the Senate that Caesar is exaggerating his claims, and that he will visit France to check.
    Returning he mocks Caesar’s claims in the Senate, telling them that Caesar could not have slain more than 25,000.
    Caesar responds “Yes, but away Gauls count double in Europe.”

  2. John Butler says

    PB, what can I say? :)

    Very interesting times indeed at the Victory Tom.

    How many coaches will Harry go through before his contact’s up?

  3. The Perth goal celebration was a classic

  4. Interesting times indeed… And I wonder how much a goal is worth – scored on ‘home’ soil by former Europe star, Harry Kewell? Double?

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