We Are The Reds

I think we were the second best team all night but it's interesting how key moments can change games.

If we don't concede that extremely soft third goal and Konst drags it back to 2-1 with 10 to play it's all of a sudden a salvageable game.

Much better second half however we need more experience on the park for the away games.

Pray for no injuries, because 2 injuries in this squad means down to bare bones. Are we replacing triosi sometime?
Roar well deserved winners

Brisbane Roar 3-1 Adelaide United

Game over.

I dont really know what to say about AU ths season, home and away is jekyl and hyde but more significantly, I just see AU falling away from the better teams as the seasons goes on largely due to a paper thin squad filled with scholarship players and kids. Too many kids and our experienced players are not high quality. Mauk, Elsey, Kitto are all average and occasionally above-average A-league players, Jako is good but old and already looking gassed , Javi looked good but is injured a lot already, Hallaron is quality but off his game so far, Marrone in decline for last 2 seasons and Juric is quality but too soon to say.
Then there is nothing but kids who look promising but inconsistent, + Strain who is young but showing good signs.

IMO the squad is way inbalanced and not capable of finishing top 4 (the 6 may be a stretch too) and definitely not a title contender. The words from Bruce on club ambitions to be a top 4 team do not look like being fulfilled again, especially based on the away games indicating we will struggle away from home.
Im really disapointed that we lost some of our best players and have brought in Juric and Lopez to replace - McGree, Troisi, Izzo, The Norwegian, Mileusnic, the rest being replaced by blokes like Dukuly and Calletti who are kids or discards. Thimotheu should be good but he has not played much and who knows how sound his body is given his history.

For me, SFC, Western United, City, Brisbane look the best,
Then its a gamble on the rest - WSW, McArthur, CCM, AU, Perth and even Jets and Nix, MV. So realsiticll we could finish anywhere from 5th to 12th!

Anyway, if the next away game is as bad as the first 2, I'll invest the time on something else moving forward as it really is unwatchable and unacceptable- kids or not, its a professional league and not a youth comp where the main aim is development.

Yeah I don't disagree Claw.

Away form is worrying. The decision to start Abetew over Marrone was bizarre, there needs to be a balance with the youth.

I liked Yengi's game, thought he had more presence than Juric. Caletti looked better in a 442 than a DM, but without Mauk and Lopez we look very average, just too inexperienced.

Would be great to bring in a VISA signing or Amini to cover Troisi, the middle of the park we are really struggling.

Im at peace with our bare bones squad heavily weighted towards youth.

The reality is the club and leagues future is not certain given the volatility going on around us at the moment which will likely be a constant for a season or two yet. Though this is a reality in every top tier league around the world.

With that in mind what a great opportunity it is to take a financially conservative long term approach and give the kids a run particularly given we seem to be having a bit of a "golden generation" developing at the club.

As a fan the short term struggles are frustrating, though I am thankful Piet and Bruce have a long term "big picture" view.

My only gripe about this approach is less aimed towards the club and more awards the nature of the salary cap, as the cap in its current form totally leaves us hamstrung in preventing them being poached by other aleague clubs prior to them making moves abroad. A more progressive cap that allows local players salaries to be scaled rather than be poached would be immense.

On the park we are really only missing an experienced midfielder and we could be quite an exciting top 4 team... Im having trouble differentiating James Troisi from Ivan Ilyich but each to their own and the choices they make Mr Troisi

The salary cap is designed to reward our home grown players, if Mr Van der Pol is willing to out his hand in his pocket....

Homegrown Players – A Club can spend an unlimited amount on 4 Australian Players aged 23 or younger that have come through the Club’s youth system;

Loyalty Players – A Club can spend an unlimited amount across any number of Players that have given 4 or more consecutive seasons of service to the Club. A portion of a Loyalty Player’s contract value is excluded from the Salary Cap based on a progressive scale;

Scholarship Players – Each Club can contract up to 9 under 23 Australian Players on the national minimum wage. Any payments above the national minimum wage to these Players are included in the Club’s Salary Cap;

Salary Cap Banking – Each Club can access a specified value in Salary Cap Banking for the 2020/21 Season



(Oh and a million points for the Ivan Ilyich reference, that kind of stuff is why I hit this forum!)

The salary cap is designed to reward our home grown players, if Mr Van der Pol is willing to out his hand in his pocket....

Homegrown Players – A Club can spend an unlimited amount on 4 Australian Players aged 23 or younger that have come through the Club’s youth system;

Loyalty Players – A Club can spend an unlimited amount across any number of Players that have given 4 or more consecutive seasons of service to the Club. A portion of a Loyalty Player’s contract value is excluded from the Salary Cap based on a progressive scale;

Scholarship Players – Each Club can contract up to 9 under 23 Australian Players on the national minimum wage. Any payments above the national minimum wage to these Players are included in the Club’s Salary Cap;

Salary Cap Banking – Each Club can access a specified value in Salary Cap Banking for the 2020/21 Season



(Oh and a million points for the Ivan Ilyich reference, that kind of stuff is why I hit this forum!)

Nice! I was not aware there was a loyalty player program that was that far reaching other than the junior marquee and 5 year player rule eugene was on. Totally applaud these changes!

Your right in that this can only be successful if we actually choose to scale their salaries in order to keep them from going to other clubs. I would imagine we have earned a large amount of salary cap credit this season.

Hi 5 for noticing the Tolstoy reference

Carl Veart post match.

Look absolutely awful away from home. Not sure on veart formations.


I don't want to see caletti in our strip ever again!! You cant be a dm when you're 5'3, have no muscle and cant tackle. He should not be starting!!! I'm wondering if he's vearts love child because he brings nothing to the side besides backwards sideways passing.

Delianov, time for a spell on the bench son. Starting to let in clangers, give gauchi a go for a few games.


This is how we should line up given no injuries and an attacking 4-3-3


Gauchi

Strain, abatew, timotheu, Smith

d'arrigo, mauk

dukuly

A toure, Juric, m toure


The elsey/Jakobsen partnership needs to be broken up, they make too many mistakes. Both should be moved onto greener pastures. Halloran should be sold purely to line our coffers. Tough choices need to be made or we will be too adrift of the 6 soon

I like the 4-4-2 set up. But it was naive to think that the opposition would not prepare accordingly, particularly after it was effective last week.

IMO it was a waste having Halloran and Kitto playing what were essentially babysitting roles for the inexperienced central midfield next to them, and full backs behind them. Particularly with Juric out of the side.

It would have been wiser for at least one of the wings to have an experienced player in the defensive role and let the player in front of them provide more attacking width. or a more "experienced" player like Konstandopoulos in the middle.

I like the 4-4-2 set up. But it was naive to think that the opposition would not prepare accordingly, particularly after it was effective last week.

IMO it was a waste having Halloran and Kitto playing what were essentially babysitting roles for the inexperienced central midfield next to them, and full backs behind them. Particularly with Juric out of the side.

It would have been wiser for at least one of the wings to have an experienced player in the defensive role and let the player in front of them provide more attacking width. or a more "experienced" player like Konstandopoulos in the middle.

Agreed. I think this is why Halloran has looked so poor this season. Has to defend a lot more, particularly when playing RM as opposed to RW.

Look absolutely awful away from home. Not sure on veart formations.


I don't want to see caletti in our strip ever again!! You cant be a dm when you're 5'3, have no muscle and cant tackle. He should not be starting!!! I'm wondering if he's vearts love child because he brings nothing to the side besides backwards sideways passing.

Delianov, time for a spell on the bench son. Starting to let in clangers, give gauchi a go for a few games.


This is how we should line up given no injuries and an attacking 4-3-3


Gauchi

Strain, abatew, timotheu, Smith

d'arrigo, mauk

dukuly

A toure, Juric, m toure


The elsey/Jakobsen partnership needs to be broken up, they make too many mistakes. Both should be moved onto greener pastures. Halloran should be sold purely to line our coffers. Tough choices need to be made or we will be too adrift of the 6 soon

I can't say I agree that wholesale change is helpful, however Caletti for D'Arrigo at DM and giving either Dukuly or Niyongabire a run as the creative type may have merit, not least as the latter two have show creativity out wide in spades. I'd like to see Niyongabire given a chance as when he has come on he's played some very intelligent balls.