A-League

[Dakink]

And the ladder,

Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1. Adelaide United FC 10 6 2 2 13 10 3 20
2. Sydney FC 10 5 2 3 17 16 1 17
3. Melbourne Victory FC 10 4 3 3 16 9 7 15
4. Central Coast Mariners FC 10 4 3 3 15 11 4 15
5. Newcastle Jets FC 10 4 2 4 14 13 1 14
6. Perth Glory FC 10 4 2 4 14 14 0 14
7. Queensland Roar FC 10 3 4 3 10 9 1 13
8. New Zealand Knights FC 10 1 0 9 5 22 -17 3

[Steelers]

And the ladder,

Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1. Adelaide United FC 10 6 2 2 13 10 3 20
2. Sydney FC 10 5 2 3 17 16 1 17
3. Melbourne Victory FC 10 4 3 3 16 9 7 15
4. Central Coast Mariners FC 10 4 3 3 15 11 4 15
5. Newcastle Jets FC 10 4 2 4 14 13 1 14
6. Perth Glory FC 10 4 2 4 14 14 0 14
7. Queensland Roar FC 10 3 4 3 10 9 1 13
8. New Zealand Knights FC 10 1 0 9 5 22 -17 3

QLD Definately deserve to be higher than they are. Those 4 draws haven't helped one bit.

[The Original Idiot]

The problem with Queensland is that they have no experienced guy up there helping the youngins along. Adelaide have Veart, Sydney have Zdrilic, Perth have Mori and so on. If Bleiberg had just shut up and got a marquee player instead of ranting and raving how they have no positive effect, the Roar would be a lot higher.

[The Original Idiot]

2-0 to Sydney. Far from impressive. Yorke is good but seems like he is trying to do something brilliant with every touch. The whole team gives that feel. Especially Corica

If they'd just use Alejandro Salazar...

[Dakink]

Yep Salazar I though should have been used....

I think Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne will be the top 3, after that all the teams bar NZ are in the mix for 4th. I think a full strength Newcastle will take 4th spot. Though I am hoping the Roar can get there!

[Dakink]

PArdon my slackness,


Milicic treble fires Jets
Friday, 4 November, 2005 - 8:03PM

Aaron Lawton, Sportal

Ante Milicic
Ante Milicic
The Newcastle Jets have secured a sensational 4-2 victory over the New Zealand Knights in their Hyundai A-League encounter at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland.

It was Groundhog Day for both clubs, the scoreline reflecting shades of the 4-0 drubbing the Jets dished out to their opponents when the sides met last in round four.

The first half belonged to the visitors, the 3-0 display effectively shutting down the Knights' hopes of a turnaround in form.

The Knights had early chances but their inability to break the Jets' defensive line soon proved decisive, Jets striker Ante Milicic displaying brilliant skills inside the Knights' box in the sixth minute, a Danny Milosevic save narrowly keeping his shot out.

However, the Jets' frontman ensured more accuracy with his next shot on goal, a superb cross by midfielder Nick Carle in the 19th minute brushing past the Knights' defence and onto the boot of Milicic, who easily pushed it around the Knights' stranded 'keeper for a 1-0 lead.

Moments later the Jets were in again, this time it was Milicic passing across the goalmouth, the cross baffling Knights defender Danny Hay who swung and missed the crucial clearance, leaving Matthew Thompson to secure a 2-0 lead with a sterling shot into the top left-hand corner.

In a patchy home performance, Knights rookie Kris Bright proved a breath of fresh air up front, his unsuccessful - but heart-stopping - strike from 30m in the 24th minute proving to be the Knights' best chance to get on the board in the first half.

When Milicic found the back of the net for his second in the 27th minute, the night seemed all but over for the New Zealanders, the goal created by another defensive error from the home side after Jets midfielder Jobe Wheelhouse easily slid a pin-point cross past three Knights defenders.

While the Knights began the second half with a little more mongrel, it was again the Jets who shone on the scoreboard, Milicic bagging his hat-trick in the 55th minute with a deft chip over the head of a bewildered Milosevic.

However, the 'keeper soon made himself the home-town hero a minute later with a mercurial save from a Milicic penalty, earned when defender Cole Tinkler was penalised for a hand-ball in the 56th minute.

Yeo looked to have nabbed a consolation goal 10 minutes later after a tidy cross from midfielder Zenon Caravella, but it was not to be the striker's night, his shot spraying wide of the net.

However, in just his second A-League game, young New Zealander Jeremy Brockie finally gave the 2,500-strong home crowd something to cheer about, running onto a cross from Bright to slide a wobbly shot past Jets 'keeper Liam Reddy in the 70th minute.

Six minutes later the youngster was in again, finding a hole in the Jets' solid defence to give the Knights their second goal of the night.

However, Brockie's injection into the game proved to be a case of too little too late, the Jets taking the important three points from their away game.

Knights manager John Adshead was left to lament another big loss and had little positive comment to make, despite the side appearing to respond to another half-time rev-up.

"It's your worst nightmare isn't it? I thought for the first 15 minutes we played the ball a little bit better than them," he said.

"Your worst nightmare appears, you make three unbelievable errors at the back and they put a shot in on every occasion and over the next 10 minutes you're looking at a 3-0 scoreline."

"I said at half-time that we were light-weight, there was no passion, there was no tenacity out there and we weren't getting in their faces and asking questions."

Milicic was happy to have bagged his three goals, but was still shaking his head at the penalty miss.

"On a personal level I am happy with the hat-trick but disappointed with my penalty miss, but the main thing is we came here for three points, we got the three points and that's the bottom line for us."

New Zealand 2
(Brockie 72, 76)

Newcastle 4
(Milicic 19, 28, 56, Thompson 21)

Crowd: 2,500 at North Harbour Stadium


A predictable result, though this makes me happyer..

Roar's Olympic feat
Friday, 4 November, 2005 - 9:57PM

Bren O'Brien, Sportal

Matt McKay
Matt McKay

Queensland has leapt above Melbourne on the Hyundai A-League ladder, after securing a 1-0 win over a nine-man Victory at Olympic Park to record its fourth win of the season.

Queensland coach Miron Bleiberg said the result went some way to righting what he said was the 'injustice' of the team's position on the ladder.

"I think everybody sees the quality that we have been playing and I think it was a complete injustice that we came here as second from bottom," he said.

"We have all the ingredients, I think," he said. "We are now the team which has conceded the least goals, we have six clean sheets out of 11 games, we have more shots at goal, by close to 40, and we still were second from bottom."

Melbourne, in the middle of a four-match home run, lost its third-straight match since a 5-0 win over Sydney, and will be without stars players Archie Thompson, who will be on international duty, and Kevin Muscat and Geoffrey Claeys, who were both sent off in the second half, for next week's match against Newcastle.

Coach Ernie Merrick said that he was proud of the way his remaining players battled on and with a bit more luck, his team may have come away with the points.

"We created a lot of scoring chances and the result seemed to be determined by a rebound of the chest of our goalkeeper," he said. "We nearly scored a late equaliser. We played very well with ten men."

It was a fast and furious start to the match, with both sides missing excellent chances inside the first eight minutes. Royce Brownlie seized on a defensive error from the home side and forced a reflex save from Eugene Galekovic before the Victory's Richard Kitzbichler delivered an awkward cross which bounced into the path Thompson, but the Qantas Socceroo, one-on-one with goalkeeper Tom Willis, headed it over the bar.

Queensland then stunned the home crowd on the quarter-hour after a clever turn and shot from Alex Brosque only prompted a parry from Galekovic and McKay was on hand to slot it home. McKay had started the movement from midfield, picking out Spase Dilevski on the wing, who was able to free up Brosque for the initial shot

Melbourne had two great chances to level within three minutes of the goal, with Thompson and Danny Allsopp both thwarted by the keeper. Steve Pantelidis also found Willis impossible to beat when he leapt to meet a Kitzbichler free kick on 23 minutes.

Queensland continued to play the better football on the break, and it could have been 2-0 on 35 minutes when Brosque out-paced the Victory defence but put his shot into the side netting. Andy Vlahos was then set up for a close-range volley after a beautiful pass by Thompson, but could not trouble Willis. His frustration showed when he was booked for a two-footed tackle on Massimo Murdocca soon after in the last meaningful action of an eventful first-half.

Hyuk-Su Seo's 30m shot got the second half off a bright start for the visitors, with the ball sailing narrowly wide. Brownlie then went over the bar again after a clever cross from Dilevski, before Remo Buess went into book for a challenge on Muscat. From the resultant free kick, Thompson could have equalised after Willis spilt the ball from Kitzbichler, but he steered his shot well above the bar.

Muscat was then given his marching orders after two bookings in quick succession for tackles on Murdocca and Seo. Referee Mark Shield had no hesitation in sending the skipper to the sheds, leaving the Victory with ten men for the last 30 minutes of the match. Shield had the yellow card again out minutes later when Dilevski brought down Thompson on the edge of the box.

The players began to concentrate on the football once more, and the end-to-end nature of the match resumed with Thompson forcing a scrambling effort from Buess on 70 minutes. Vlahos could have also scored, but was thwarted by Josh McCloughlan, who was injured in the tackle and was replaced by Jonty Richter.

Melbourne's hopes were dealt a final blow when Belgian defender Claeys raised his foot high and connected with Jordan Simpson, who had just come onto the ground. There was no shade of yellow from Shield this time and a red card saw the Victory down to nine men. Queensland had all the running, but couldn't find a second goal and extraordinarily, the Victory could have secured a point had Allsopp slotted a one-on-one shot with Willis in the fourth minute of extra time.

Melbourne 0

Queensland 1
(McKay 15)

Crowd: 13,239

[Dakink]

Sydney 5 def CC 1

Perth 4 def Adelaide 1

Sydney's result I think was expected but Adelaide forgot to turn up. In Adelaide too.

[Dakink]

Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1. Sydney FC 11 6 2 3 22 17 5 20
2. Adelaide United FC 11 6 2 3 15 14 1 20
3. Newcastle Jets FC 11 5 2 4 18 15 3 17
4. Perth Glory FC 11 5 2 4 18 16 2 17
5. Queensland Roar FC 11 4 4 3 11 9 2 16
6. Melbourne Victory FC 11 4 3 4 16 10 6 15
7. Central Coast Mariners FC 11 4 3 4 16 16 0 15
8. New Zealand Knights FC 11 1 0 10 7 26 -19 3
P = played | W = wins | D = draws | L = losses | F = goals for | A = goals against | GD = Goal Difference | Pts = points

Notice Melbourne's plumet. Is tight with just 5 points from 1 to 7 and only 2 points from 3 to 7.

[The Original Idiot]

Perth 4 def Adelaide 1

Sydney's result I think was expected but Adelaide forgot to turn up. In Adelaide too.

NO! WHY CAN't YOU JUST WIN AT HOME! WHY MUST WE HAVE SUCH AN INCONSISTENT KEEPER? CAN'T WE JUST HAVE A BORING ONE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE?

[Titanium_BD1103]

Go Sydney FC... WE ARE ON TOP.. and lovin it.... .. what a good victory 5-1 against the coast.. a great game too.. good atmosphere..

[Dakink]

NO! WHY CAN't YOU JUST WIN AT HOME! WHY MUST WE HAVE SUCH AN INCONSISTENT KEEPER? CAN'T WE JUST HAVE A BORING ONE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE?

lol A boring keeper would be an advantage wouldn't it?? That was a bad miss that gifted Mori one of his goals.

[Steelers]

QLD are still in the hunt

[Dakink]

My bad....

Perth 4 def Adelaide 2. I most have looked away when Adelaide actually got near the Perth goal.

[Dakink]

Current A-League Table;

2005/06 Australian A-League
Pos Team P W L D F A Diff Pts
1 Sydney 12 7 3 2 23 17 6 23
2 Adelaide 12 7 3 2 17 15 2 23
3 Perth 12 6 4 2 21 16 5 20
4 Newcastle 12 5 4 3 18 15 3 18
5 Melbourne 12 4 4 4 16 10 6 16
6 Qld Roar 12 4 4 4 11 10 1 16
7 Central Coast 12 4 5 3 17 18 -1 15
8 NZ Knights 12 1 11 0 7 29 -22 3


Top 2 will be safe - as for the other spots Im still leaning Melbourne\Newcastle or Melbourne\Perth.

Both Newcastle and Perth have found some form lately. Melbourne is having scoring troubles at the moment - but they should have to much power in the coming rounds.

[Titanium_BD1103]

GO SYDNEY FC.. we are ontop of the table.. yay..

As for the performance against the roar.. yawn.. that was so lacklustre... I know the boys tried their best, but last night was an off night for them... I thought Zdrillic played well though... but yeah.. we will need to improve next week to win against Perth...

As for Kazu.. he was solid and looks like a good player and asset..