Ernie! Shooting Down Jets #Terrorist
The Wellington Phoenix did what we hoped they would against the Newcastle Jets. How they went about it was perhaps not quite how we envisioned, but in the big scheme of things it was a pretty impressive display.
Not that this was the Phoenix playing at their peak against a Jets side who kinda suck. Instead it was a road win, a 'Do whatever it takes to get the W and get the hell out of there' kind of win. Which is weird as the Nix won it 3-1, but it's not as though they were the classy, dominant, free flowing side of our dreams. Sure, the Nix and Ernie are closing in on the systems and team dynamics that will see them be one of the better teams in the A-League, but it was pretty tough viewing for a lot of the game before they went bananas.
Which type of display is more encouraging? I reckon what they showed on Saturday puts the Nix in a fantastic position. They have always struggled on the road and they looked like they were gonna take the same route in Newcastle, but they hung in and then fought back. The Nix's first away win of the season. Despite the odd chance to take the lead - Wee Mac missing a sitter - it was Newcastle that scored first, but the Phoenix fought back in the second half. The impact of that fight back was immense with goals coming courtesy of Nathan Burns, Michael McGlinchey and Roy Krishna all in a matter of minutes. Football, simply put, is played at its best when defenders do their job and hold the fort while attackers create opportunities and take some of them. That's what we saw from the Nix. When was the last time Ben Sigmund made a commentator squeak with a dramatic, risky decision? Exactly.
Last week Roly Bonevacia got his skates on to offer a threat bursting forward, this week he laid a delectable pass down for Burns to scoot on to. Brilliant pass. With so much grit in our midfield, the attacking work of Roly gives the Nix some impact up the guts. I still haven't seen the best way for the Nix to attack, maybe they've shown glimpses of it but they just haven't really executed. Having McGlinchey in front of goal, receiving passes from Burns and Krishna only to fluff the chance ... heck he even nearly fluffed the goal he scored.
This might all be part of the plan, but wouldn't you rather have McGlinchey roaming around serving up the goal scoring chances? It comes naturally though as Krishna's pace out wide means he creates mayhem and Burns is in slick form so he's getting himself in great positions, McGlinchey benefits from it but he needs to tap-tap-tap em in for the Nix to go up a gear.
On the other hand, Nathan Burns seems to have solved his early season troubles with one on ones. These days there's no delicate chip or drive at the keeper. It's run around the bugger and slip it in unobstructed. Aaaand now he's top of the Golden Boot standings.
Who Are Ya? Hola, me llamo Alex Rodriguez Gorrin. But you can call me Alex. I'm a 21 year old Spaniard who played for the Sunderland academy but now helps hold down the midfield for the Nix. It was a bit of a mixed impact as I settled in but now I've got things figured out. Good on ya, Alex. Rodriguez was all quality in scrapping in the midfield and linking between Albert Riera and the defence, and the front trio. Until he was forced off with a head knock.
Nek week we welcome the Central Coast Mariners. They're coming off of a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Melbourne Victory and sit 3rd off the bottom of the ladder, 2 points above the Jets. One could assume that this should be a walk in the park for the Nix, who will host the Mariners in Auckland, boom. It's all about momentum and the Nix have a sniff at the moment but they need to kick on and really show that they can pose a bit of a threat to the top dogs. It's definitely possible, but we've all been here before.