Nostalgia at North Sydney Oval

The Central Coast Mariners’ trip to North Sydney has caused somewhat of a controversy over the past few weeks. In seeking to expand the catchment of one of the A-League’s smallest clubs, the Mariners owner, Mike Charlesworth, has risked the relationship with existing fans on the Central Coast, annoyed Sydney FC – who see North Sydney and its surrounds as their territory – and raised questions as to whether A-League matches should be played on cricket pitches. In this regard, Thursday night’s catch-up Round 6 clash against the Wellington Phoenix was always going to be something of a dry-run for the Mariners. The gate of just under 7,000 fans might not have broken any records, however the atmosphere at North Sydney Oval suggests the Mariners might have a future at the prettiest ground in Sydney. Just one day after its launch at Bondi, the evening match at North Sydney Oval was a perfect way to begin the Summer of Football.

The highlight of the night, of course, was the presence of a gaggle of Northern Spirit fans in attendance, supporting the memory of a now-defunct National Soccer League club that was born at North Sydney Oval in 1998. Dressed in their Northern Spirit shirts, the fans were in full voice, chanting “we don’t even have a team” before playfully goading their old NSL rivals, Sydney United, with a rendition of “we still hate the Croats.” Standing behind the old “Arnold Out” banner, and with more than a touch of irony, they serenaded each other with “please don’t take my Spirit away.” There is something very Australian about watching a football match with a group of fans heckling a team that isn’t even playing, displaying banners for a coach who is in Japan, and chanting for a club that no longer exists.

Newcastle Jets play to their strengths

The Newcastle Jets are not necessarily fashionable, but they are getting the job done. As Richard Parkin noted in his recent tactical assessment of the Jets, Gary van Egmond’s midfielders are more of the heavy lifting types rather than the precious geniuses, or the “wilful, temperamental dreamers”, as Richard Williams calls them in The Perfect 10. However, as Van Egmond admitted in the post match press conference on Friday night, “I would still like to control more of the game at times, but you’ve got to play to your strengths and respect your opposition.” Respect Brisbane they did, conceding a great deal of possession and territory, however they also played the spoiler role very well and were smart in transition. With Emile Heskey and Nathan Burns both missing, Van Egmond will be rapt that substitute striker Joey Gibbs got on the scoresheet, and that his side have managed to take three points off the league leaders for the second time in the space of five weeks.

How much longer can Aloisi last?

Sixteen games without a win. Four points from the first 11 rounds of Season 9. Rock bottom on the ladder. How on earth has John Aloisi managed to keep his job? Is his penalty-kick legacy really that great? Perhaps he has incriminating photos of Scott Munn or John Didulica taking selfies in Melbourne Victory jerseys from the pre-Heart days? Or is it that the board at Melbourne Heart have fallen for their own #HeartBelieve advertising campaign? Considering the standard, Aloisi is leading a charmed existence at the lamest club in the competition. Lord knows coaches have been sacked for a lot less. Witness the shambles at Perth Glory this week.

After Saturday night’s loss in the Melbourne derby, and the usual laundry list of reasons why the world has wronged Melbourne Heart, it got to the point where Fox Sports pundit Mark Bosnich asked Aloisi whether he would consider resigning. Really. Of course, that won’t be happening any time soon. With only 10 teams in the A-League, coaching gigs don’t come up regularly, and once a coach gets in with the big boys, the natural instinct is to hang on like grim death. Somebody at the club, however, should put Aloisi out of his misery.

The Phoenix rise from the ashes

Considering they had received just four points from 10 rounds, perhaps Wellington Phoenix have gotten off a little easy in terms of criticism. Ernie Merrick certainly hasn’t been put through the ringer like Aloisi, Josep Gombau and Frank Farina, for example. But then again, they are the A-League’s afterthought. The general attitude from the rest of the competition is that they are just there to make up the numbers. Nobody looks forward to playing them, but equally nobody hates them. They just exist. In this context, it was nice to see them defeat Sydney FC to end their 10 game winless streak, especially considering the short turnaround after their game against Central Coast on Thursday.

Under Merrick, the Phoenix have played some decent football in patches, primarily through the masterful Carlos Hernandez in the middle of the park. Although they weren’t brilliant against Sydney, they did create plenty of chances, and unlike Sydney, actually made one count. The victory, however, comes with the sad news that Paul Ifill, one of the most enjoyable players to watch in the A-League, will likely be out for some time with what appears to be a ruptured achilles. Popular with the punters at the Cake Tin in Wellington, Ifill is also well liked by opposition fans. Indeed, on Thursday night at North Sydney Oval the Northern Spirit fans poked fun at him as he warmed up behind the goals, before breaking out into the “there’s only one Paul Ifill” song. In a competition stacked with triers who perhaps lack in creativity, Wellington, and indeed the A-League, will be worse for his absence.

The calm after the chaos

Such is the subculture of the A-League that on occasion it feels as if there is more drama off the field than on. The Christmas season is supposed to be a family affair, but in the past fortnight in Perth and Adelaide, it seems the football family has been starting the Festivus ‘Airing of Grievences’ early. First, Gombau took on a reporter in Adelaide, before Alistair Edwards was ousted by player power in Perth following charges of nepotism. Perhaps they just make them crazier away from the Eastern Seaboard. In any event, Sunday’s match between Perth Glory and Adelaide United was a meeting of two sides in turmoil. However, it was a snoozy affair in Perth, with the match finishing 0-0. Interestingly, Perth Glory’s newly appointed interim coach, Kenny Lowe, chose to start Cameron Edwards, the son of Perth’s recently sacked manager. Lowe assures us that he has a good relationship with Edwards’s sons, but perhaps it was a political move to show that the young men will not become collateral damage. There were, of course, no such concessions from Gombau, who did not start Val Migliaccio’s son in goals.