A-League Week 11 With Ze Phibber
Week 11 has all finished and it brought some upsets I'll tell ya. It was nice to see the week finish with no red cards, and it appears the Captain's Curse (if you can call idiotic moments a curse) has been lifted for the mean time anyway. Will see when the suspended captains return next week.
The opening game of week 11 was between Adelaide United and the Newcastle Jets and boy was there a bit of an upset here. Newcastle notched up their first win of the 2014/15 season defeating third place United 2-1. Goals to Scott Neville (New), Craig Goodwin (Ade) and Jeronimo Neumann (New). I think the short turn around really effected Adelaide and they struggled to back up after winning the Westfield FFA cup on Tuesday. They are still sitting in third place however the mighty Nix are hot on their tails. Andrew Hoole receives the Knob Of The Week this week. Firstly for missing a pretty straight forward header and then for blocking the rebound shot and stopping the ball from reaching the net, you're lucky your team managed to get up and win the match otherwise you would have been given so much shit in the clubhouse.
The second game of the week was the Melbourne Derby, and boy did it not disappoint! It was not the one sided affair that everyone thought it would be. The Melbourne Victory were strong favourites going into the match, but in a derby there is always the classic case of the underdog getting up and seizing the moment, and that's exactly what happened when Erik Partaalu got up and sealed the win for Melbourne City in the dying stages of the match. The game finished 1-0 with Partaalu's valiant header being the only thing that could split the two sides. It was a cracker of a match and both teams had an absolute stormer, especially Nathan Coe and Tando Velaphi who both pulled of some brilliant saves. In terms of aggression the match did not disappoint either with a total of 6 yellows being awarded and a little scuffle which could have easily resulted in at least one red card. Very stoked that no one was sent off though, there is nothing more embarrassing as a footy supporter when you have to explain to your non footy mates why that guy got a red card for glancing his elbow against the guys face. Kudos to the ref.
The third game of the week was between the Perth Glory and the Central Coast Mariners. Perth showed once again why they are siting nice and snug up top with a very convincing 4-1 win. Goals to Chris Harold (Per), Andy Keogh (Per), Matt Simon (Cen), Daniel De Silva (Per) and Chris Harold (Per). Perth definitely deserved the win and they showed there class. Keogh was outstanding, he created chances, he took chances, I think there is a chance he is the best player in the league. The Mariners played really well for the first half of the match and were actually the dominant side. They were still competing after going a goal down but after giving away a poor second goal they were basically out of the game. They did manage to get a goal back, but by then Perth had them by the throat and were not gonna let them go. Goal Of The Week was hard to award this week, I have awarded it to Perth. What's that? I can't award it to a team? It needs to be a player? Let me explain, there was no real one players goal that stood out, maybe De Silva's but that was more bad goal keeping than anything. The reason I have given it to Perth is the first goal they scored was just great all round footy. And the flick on from Keogh got me going. Great footy.
The fourth and final game was between the Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC. All I can say is Burns, Burns, Burns, what a champion he is! It looks as though he is catching the eyes of the Aussie selectors too! Good on ya mate. The match finished with the Nix taking the win 2-0 thanks to a brace from Nathan Burns (Wel). Sydney were definitely the dominant side for majority of the match but Wellington showed that it's not the chances you make, but the chances you take that decide the outcome. Glen Moss had an absolute pearler of a match pulling off some saves that left me gobsmacked. This result saw the Nix leap frog Sydney on the ladder and they are now sitting inside the top half of the table in 4th position. My manager at work was giving me shit this week telling me how Sydney were gonna pump the Nix. I'm so gutted it's the Christmas break I would have loved to have turned up to work on Monday taken my shirt off and swung it above my head and given him absolute shit. Probably would have earned me a trip to HR but would have totes been worth it. Well done Nix you made me weekend!
Next week's matches should bring some crackers, it is slightly harsh that the teams have to play Boxing Day, that means not too many beers Christmas Day and no Boxing Day races or Boxing Day beers and cricket. It's a hard life being a professional sports player isn't it. Never the less I will drink enough beers for the Nix come Christmas Day! Still pumped from the weekends win. Well don't boys!