Melbourne Victory

[wimberga]

What has gone wrong this season?

Is it Merrick, or some other staff? Is it the players? the board? were the off-season signings not suitable?

lets hear your views

I believe that Merrick is a bit of a hypocrit in his nature. He talks of rewarding players on form, such as Vasilevski and Brebner more so last season, yet Archie has been a one man strike force for the last few weeks with Allsopp virtually non-existant, and yet no talk is made of a change? Rewarding good form should be just as prominent as replacing bad form.

[Chops]

I could go on all day here.
1. The loss of Fred. A very good A-league player. One out of 3 Brazilian options that worked. We replaced him with one player who isn't that bad but isn't half Fred.
2. Allsopp and Thompson are out of form and aren't getting the supply the got last season.
3. Players bought to give them width they lacked haven't worked. Kemp is a dud and Keenan isn't much better.
4. Muscat is regularily missing, through being sent off, suspended or struggling with injury.
5. Brebner is half the player of last season. His passing yesterday was woeful.
6. Panta isn't week in and out centre back. Question Merrick there, when you have a centre back on the bench and another not selected.
7. Can't drop a midfielder and replace him with a defender when you are struggling to create.
8. The reserves are useless. Caceres and Patafta.
9. Little or no system of play. Hoof it long is not a system.
10. They lose the ball with little or no pressure.
11. We look better with 10 men than 11.
etc etc

[Bulldog1954]

Players that were very very good last year (Archie, Allsopp, Brebner) haven't backed it up this season. Guys like Patafta, Kemp, Keenan and Love who were bought in this season are all bordering from poor to complete rubbish

[Chops]

You are right B1954. That and a number of other things.
I'm not a fan of Merrick but the bye bye stuff is a little silly.
The guy led the team to a championship 10 months back, now he is a dud?

[wonnydog]

Bare in mind you were beaten by a very good display by a Newcastle team with plenty to play for also, and Joel Griffiths was in unstoppable form.

[Chops]

Bare in mind you were beaten by a very good display by a Newcastle team with plenty to play for also, and Joel Griffiths was in unstoppable form.
Newcastle aren't that good, Queensland and Central Coast are better. Melbourne are just woeful.
Griffith is a prat but not a bad player.

[hujsh]

Players that were very very good last year (Archie, Allsopp, Brebner) haven't backed it up this season. Guys like Patafta, Kemp, Keenan and Love who were bought in this season are all bordering from poor to complete rubbish

Patafta has been OK but has never really played. I don't like Kemp but his form is better.

Also I have liked Caceras from the little i have seen of him so far. I've only watched one full game so go easy on me

[Lantern]

Um.. What does everyone think now that the team has won the last two games?

The defending of the team as a whole (with one or two exceptions) was still relatively woeful (but par for the A-league over the last several weeks, for some reason) but Hernandez, especially, seems to have found some semblance of form.

Rody for the Socceroos!

[hujsh]

Well they look like a real chance to cause some damage during the ACL now. It will be hard to fit Thompson Allsopp Hernandez Patafta Ward Caceras and Brebner in the team. I think Patafta is likely to go to another club even though he is loved in Melbourne.

[Chops]

Um.. What does everyone think now that the team has won the last two games?

The defending of the team as a whole (with one or two exceptions) was still relatively woeful (but par for the A-league over the last several weeks, for some reason) but Hernandez, especially, seems to have found some semblance of form.

Rody for the Socceroos!

Now 3 games.
They are red hot now but the were woeful not that long ago and its likely to cost them a finals place.
Hernandez form is better but still not at the great stage.
The difference is the midfield. Dropping/injury to Brebner, move of Muscat deeper, Broxham into the holding role and the addition of Ward has worked wonders.
The problem they have is Muscat. Where to hide him cos he is a liability at times.