AFC Champions League 2013

[midfielder]

1 all ....

 

[Wombat]

Maty is having a shocker.

 

[MagpieMariner]

I don't believe this dropping 2 goals in 2 minutes.

 

[nebakke]

I do... We never really looked in control of it and FFS Pellegrino has less ball control than I do... And I have NONE!

 

[morrijo]

Leave pelles in china
Hopeless

Were hoping for a draw and we were in control and fell appart

 

[morrijo]

So are we still a chance for progressing this group stage

 

[nebakke]

I know the commentators keep saying that we were in control, but I just don't see it... I think it was just that they looked much less like they were in control ... Not that we were managing them... Look at how many poor passes and defensive holes we showed at times... Pretty disappointing.

 

[Golly]

Sorry pellergrino is a real top bloke
But is deadwood

 

[Gratis]

I thought we were fairly comfortable until the last 10mins, they just threw everyone up front and bombed them in and unfortunately we didn't seem to have the experience in there to cope.
just wish they'd subbed pellegrino for mcdonald waaaay earlier. I genuinely think that would have made all the difference

 

[MrCelery]

I thought we played very, very well for the most part. Just a little more firepower up front and we would have won comfortably.

In particular I thought Griffiths was excellent value. Rose will be looking over his shoulder.

Duke and Matty - not their best.

Amazing run by Bernie, but the service to him was poor considering he had the fresh legs.

Pellers - Master of the wrong option. Worked hard all night, but vision was ordinary. Did not work well with Duke.

Credit to the Chinese, they never gave up. Nice goal from the Serbian(?)

 

[true believer]

f'k the ffa .those duds got a week off . we got f'k'd but the ffa
how half arsed

 

[Gratis]

we didn't play on the weekend either.? not sure what you mean maybe...

 

[true believer]

In particular I thought Griffiths was excellent value. Rose will be looking over his shoulder.

in your dreams . griffiths isn't a quality bench player

Credit to the Chinese, they never gave up. Nice goal from the Serbian(?)

they were shit ,they would finish last in the A league.

pelle is a f'n joke and should be sacked on return.
arnie should have replaced him in the 1st minute with mcdonald.

 

[Gratis]

Bosnian

 

[scottmac]

I just dont understand how Arnie thought leaving Pellers in the side was doing us any good. He made so many poor choices. He may be a funny guy but f**ks sake he is a shit football player.
McDonald should have been on at 60 for him

 

[Phish Phart]

A couple of mysteries. What does Arnold see in Pellegrino that he continues to use him? He must be outstanding at training because, from what I've seen from him this year, it surely can't be his on-field performances.
Also what was the point in waiting to sub him off until the game was already 99% lost?

 

[pjennings]

I didn't like the way it fell to pieces at the end - a couple of older heads were probably needed. However, the proof of the value of taking such a young side will be proved on Sunday. If we win on sunday and go on and win the Grand Final then I doubt many will question the decision.

What you have to remember was that was essentially a NYL side - the only over 23 players of the 13 that played were Hutch, Pellers and a 24 year old Olly.

 

[bikinigirl]

. That hurt ... Still does

. Very sombre on the bus back to the hotel

. Thought the kids did pretty well ... But it only takes a couple of moments in this league ... We had a couple that we couldn't convert and they took theirs

 

[Roy Law]

Six Cruel Minutes​

Six cruel minutes; not the cruellest in the history of the club, but deeply cruel nonetheless. A magnificent brave confident effort undone at the death.
When I saw the team that Arnie selected I thought we would get a pasting, I thought that the quality of Guizhou would be too much for this young team. I was wrong. The young Mariners stood up to be counted and deserved better than to lose.
Right from the start the team was organised and composed, it was if the game against Melbourne Heart had been a dress rehearsal. There were mistakes, the midfield occasionally gave up the ball too easily, and Ryan once seemed confused by a back pass he wasn’t expecting, but the team always regrouped and resumed playing good football.
It took 25 minutes for Guizhou look dangerous - a sharp move down the right – what the Asian TV commentator described as a ‘give and go’ – provided a great chance but the attacker horribly screwed up his volley; five minutes later great scrambling defence blocked another attempt.
The Mariners opened the scoring after Caceres unlocked the defence with a skilful dribble past three defenders, setting up Bozanic for a cross to the box (one of the few Ollie got on target). Duke fell, the referee decided he had been pushed, and Duke converted the penalty.
In the second half the Mariners looked as if they could go on with it; Pellegrino had a dig from distance; Duke, who had a great battle with Jonas Salley, harassing him all night, had a chance after a terrific run from Bernie (on for Fitzgerald) and Bernie had a chance from Duke but too close to the keeper. The Mariners were playing good positive possession football and, backed by Australia’s Julia Gillard PM, key funder of the Centre of Excellence, they looked good value for a surprise win.
Then came the last fatal six minutes; in truth for the last 15 minutes the young Mariners had ceded control and were no longer in possession of the game. Pellegrino had an ambitious try from distance and from the goal kick Guizhou swept the ball forward to Muslimovic. The brawny veteran, who had spent the whole game giving us his full repertoire of forward rolls and back flips, showed great skill to elegantly glide past the hapless Morton and hammer the ball past Mat Ryan. Even then I thought we would get a draw – and I would have taken that before the game – but when a conga line of Mariner defenders couldn’t quite clear their lines a Guinzho shot hit the post and from the rebound Qu Bo scored the winner.
Every Mariner player stood up to be counted tonight; the club, the coaching staff and the fans can feel genuine pride in this brave display but pride is a hollow feeling when victory had been so close and defeat is the bitter result.
On a lighter note the sending of the animated Chinese coach to the stand was a highlight. As he was ordered off he gestured that he thought the referee had taken a bribe – this alone offers plenty of irony with a representative of the world’s most corrupt country accusing someone of taking a bribe but it carries extra delight when you think of money bags Central Coast Mariners bribing match officials. Doesn’t he know that the only reason the club can afford half-time oranges is because Fruit 4 All provide them?

MoM: Mitch Duke who worked his socks off, scared the brutal Jonas Salley, and wasn’t afraid to stand up for his team

 

[Roy Law]

. That hurt ... Still does

. Very sombre on the bus back to the hotel

Feel for you, girl.