Newcastle Jets v Adelaide United Match Day Jamboree!!!©

[RedTide]

I reckon that this was our most complete performance of the season so far, with a team that has perhaps half the personnel that CV would choose as his first choices. Given that we have played (at times) our third choices in most of the outfield positions, to have about half the side back and firing is something indeed.

Playing well away from home is a sure sign of a team's true form. We always play well at Coopers, because the crowd and the atmosphere lifts the whole team - which is wonderful, but it does not give amateur pundits like me a true gauge as to how well the team is performing. Away wins are the best measure of how well or poorly a team really is doing.

From last night ... all the Clough haters must be feeling quite embarrassed now. All he needed was for the backroom staff to get his body right, which has taken the bulk of the season. Now CV can work on extending his match fitness and we have a ready made box-to-box midfielder.

Similarly, D'Arrigo has started muscling into contests. With Isa screening behind Clough and D'Arrigo, we now have a potent and robust midfield, which we have lacked all season. This has taken a vast amount of pressure off our backline and the opposition's goal scoring opportunities are therefore drying up. Some of Isa's through balls were redolent of his glory days of 15-16.

Ben Halloran had to be pulled at halftime. At one point in the first half, we had a 4 - 3 overload in the Newcastle box, Halloran had the ball at his feet and he had the choice of 3 red shirts to pass it to ... and he passed it metres behind all 3 of them. He is badly off form and needs some time to recharge and reset. I am a big fan of Ben's and I know that he will come good again.

The kids are coming on incredibly. Nothing further needs to be said about Irankunda ... but it's the other kids who are really impressing alongside him. Cornflakes wrote an interesting piece in the national media this week about AUFC being the team that always pushed the kids into the firsts whenever we can ... and we are now second in the league and the in form team. As he noted, the two facts are very closely related.

As I said, this was our mot impressive match of the season, because it was an away match, with plenty of absent first choice players and it was in Newcastle, which means a flight to Sydney and then a 3hr coach trip to Newcastle. The stadium itself is ugly, deeply uninspiring and not a pleasant place to linger, let alone relax and watch a game of football (much like the city, come to think of it). To win there is difficult enough; to win well is a sure sign that we are a really good side and on the improve.

[Jumbinho]

I don't mean to be overly negative after what was a very good performance, but every time I watch Louis D'Arrigo it absolutely infuriates me that we wasted 18 months having him ride the pine behind two almost 40 year olds.

[EdDog]

I don't mean to be overly negative after what was a very good performance, but every time I watch Louis D'Arrigo it absolutely infuriates me that we wasted 18 months having him ride the pine behind two almost 40 year olds.

He's certainly performing a lot better after a good run of games in the middle.

[sevengoals]

I don't mean to be overly negative after what was a very good performance, but every time I watch Louis D'Arrigo it absolutely infuriates me that we wasted 18 months having him ride the pine behind two almost 40 year olds.

He's certainly performing a lot better after a good run of games in the middle.

And he looks to have beefed up somewhat across the shoulders.