Queensland Roar 2 Central Coast Mariners 2

The Roar brought their season to a close with a good draw against a decent Central Coast side, who, although unheralded, play to their strengths sufficiently well to have made the final four.

Which can't be said for Queensland, sadly, and the word on the street is that Bleiberg is going to pay the price. He ought to. As I've been noting almost all season, unless you have good reason, 442 remains the best way to play football. So it's proved for the Roar. The players look more comfortable with it and do not find themselves pulled all over the pitch, struggling to work out where exactly they're meant to be.

The Roar played bright football to begin with and grabbed an early goal. Their play deserved more and would have had it but for the woodwork and some very solid defending by the Mariners. They scored a decent equaliser but the Roar could count themselves -- once again -- unlucky, having had far the better of the play.

Up to that point, I thought I might for the first time have a referee to applaud. He'd handled the game well with an unfussy approach. The Mariners are robust but not out-and-out kickers in the Melbourne mould. However, the referee didn't let me down, sending off Dilevski, who had been having a good game on the left wing, for a nudge that wouldn't even start a fight in the pub. O'Sullivan outraged the crowd by flinging himself to the ground and giving a performance that would give pork products a bad name. He was rightly booed for the rest of the match. Fans will not tolerate simulators. We know when someone isn't really hurt and in this case the gap between nudge and collapse was wide enough for O'Sullivan to have had a good think about whether he really was all that hurt. And to have a cup of tea while thinking about it. The referee lost it after that, afraid to take the correct measures against players who transgressed: McClaren can think himself lucky to have seen out the match, and Beauchamp could have been dismissed for raising his hands to Buess.

Still, it didn't deter Queensland much. They didn't retreat into their shell but kept pushing forward. Their football became a little more direct and suffered for it but they gained the deserved reward of another goal. They tired as the second half went on and Central Coast probably deserved the equaliser. Certainly they looked a decent sort of side, nothing flash, but willing to play nice, constructive football.

Several Queensland players had good games. The standout was McKay, who ran himself ragged making up for the lack of a leftsided midfielder. Murdocca also had another good game. Seo was his customary excellent self, although his distribution lacked a little. Richter tried hard, as did Baird when he came on for the second half. Reinaldo was disappointing, mostly off the pace and surprisingly ineffective in the air, where he's previously done well. Central Coast had a couple of tall, strong centre backs though, so maybe credit is due to them, particularly to Beauchamp, who looked solid throughout the game. Brosque flattered to deceive but you can't really knock a striker who scores.

Exciting prospect David Williams took the field towards the end and showed some very nice footwork in a couple of runs. This guy must start games next season. He is a star in the making. His touch and intelligence stand out.

So there are pluses for Queensland. We have some outstanding players. Dilevski and Brosque have both been called up to the Socceroos squad for the Asian Cup. We should be trying to hang on to Brosque. A better coach would have used him more wisely. Seo is excellent, McCloughan and Buess also among the best in the league in their positions. Gibson is flawed but even so, a good player. McKay is capable enough in the centre of midfield. He could do with someone to pass to who can use the ball, because it's not his forte. Up front, our problems have solved themselves, if a coach is bold enough to pick the right players. A combination of Reinaldo and Williams would be lethal. It's the classic big target man, quick fox partnership. Brosque has laboured away as a second target man, only really looking effective when he's dropped deep. A good coach wouldn't make the same mistake next season, if we hang on to him. Reinaldo must learn not to be lazy, to chase and harass, and must compete for everything. With a quick, clever partner, he'll be more than useful. Brosque, who has not been able to feed from Reinaldo, could and should play in midfield. I've often thought that he'd be effective on the lefthand side but if Dilevski is played wide left, Brosque could take a creative role in midfield. He'd probably grab just as many goals.

So this week's best player was McKay, who definitely left it all out on the pitch. Best player for the Mariners, despite his simulation, was O'Sullivan, who was bright and effective all over the pitch, particularly down the righthand side, having a hand in both goals. He wasn't the only Central Coast player to mug the referee, who had a shitter.

posted by Dr Zen @ 1:28 pm