Posts Tagged ‘vidmar’

Smeltz heads Adelaideover the edge

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

If there was one moment when you just felt certain Adelaide United was going to record a shock away win on the Gold Coast, it arrived in the 47th minute.

When Jet-heeled teen star Matthew Leckie sprinted from deep in the Reds attacking half to tackle Jason Culina five yards out from the Adelaide goal, not only did it deny the Goald Coast skipper a certain goal, it set a bar for the rest of the team to aspire to.

From then on Adelaide looked REASONABLY comfortably and fully deserved to win, but ultimately it was the same old story, an inability to score, and the Reds have one more chance to keep themselves in play-off contention.

Dodd had chances, so did Leckie, Cristiano and others, but as we have seen this so often this season none were converted and Adelaide paid the ultimate price

Travis Dodd’s goal so nearly made the difference, but its construction also demonstrated the regards Matthew Leckie is held in.

In supplying the pass for Dodd to score his first goal from open play this season, three Gold Coast defenders were drawn to him leaving Dodd unmarked to angle his shot past van Stratten.

It would have been easy to imagine Adelaide just shutting up shop from there but after rather comfortably negotiating to remainder of the first half, Aurelio Vidmar had time to plot the expected onslaught from the home team.

But aside from Culina’s chance there wasn’t really much of an onslaught.

 Not only did Vidmar cope with the loss of Iain Fyfe just four minutes into the second half, but he also nullified the Coast wide men and as a result the pressure on the United rear-guard was managed ALMOST to perfection.

 Just a little space was all Jason Culina needed to fire in a wonderful cross for Shane Smeltz to head home from a tricky angle deep into injury time.

The effect that goal has on the Reds remains to be seen but providing a crumb of comfort is that the Mariners are on a shocking run and won’t be fancying the trip to Adelaide on Friday night.

That said, the Mariners also need a win and know that United’s confidence is fragile at best.

At this early stage, Fyfe looks likely to miss the crucial clash, and Reid may force his way back in, but based on what we saw there’s no real need to change much more.

Dodd, Leckie, Cassio and Marrone looked confident up until Smeltz’s killer goal and Rudan and Mullen look good enough at the back.

So bring on Friday, because until the numbers say so Adelaide can’t give up, but based on what we saw on the Gold Coast, Smeltz’s equaliser may have been the fatal blow.

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Blah, blah, blah

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Blah, blah, blah, on the track.

Blah, blah, blah, during the game.

Better lines of communication, blah, blah, blah.

Much better movement and finishing, blah, blah, blah.

Rock bottom.

Talk is officially cheap at Adelaide United after yet another frustrating and impotent performance by the Reds left them bottom of the league with just 11 games to play.

Well at least the only way from here is up, but hell, how many different things can the club say they are trying in an attempt to end this slump, before we all conclude that they actually don’t have any new ideas in the locker?

A few weeks ago Aurelio Vidmar said he had one more thing he was going to try.

It would be a new approach to try and “change the culture, change mentality, change the whole thinking behind our club.”

Shortly after saying that, Vidmar chuckled it was all a wind-up, and there was actually nothing new, it was just some fun to have with the media.

Well how we all laughed, just as we did at his Saudi Arabia heads-off gibe.

Well who is laughing now, except all the teams and rival fans in the league laughing at Adelaide’s situation?

Bottom of the league after 16 games.

Hilarious.

After playing 16 games last season Adelaide was top with 27 points, 25 goals scored and 18 conceded.

Those eight wins, three draws and five losses would be good enough for second right now with an attack ranked second and a defence ranked third.

Instead, with four wins, five draws and seven losses, 14 goals scored and 20 conceded, United is bottom and has the worst attack, but somewhat bizarrely the equal fourth best defence.

This week we were told that “as a vote of confidence“ the starting 11 would be the same as the previous game for the first time since Round 9.

 

This week we were told that the lines of communication had been opened so that senor players could offer feedback on training sessions and other issues of importance, (except selection) in an attempt to improve on-field leadership and thus performance.

This week we were told that this football “perestroika” had already had an effect on the training track.

Well, after the 2-1 defeat in Townsville, where is the evidence that any of these ideas paid dividends?

Where were the leaders of this new democratic Adelaide United?

Where was the sign that this group of 11 players was motivated by the vote of confidence so publicly given to them by their coach?

Where was the sign that there was even motivation by fear?

United knew that defeat coupled with other results would see them drop to the bottom of the table, but that seemed to provide no extra motivation.

While the admirable Barbiero did charge into the net when Cristiano scored the Reds (deserved on the 2nd half performance) injury time consolation goal, where was the anger, or outward sign of passion when McBreen and Fowler scored?

What comments have you heard or read from an Adelaide player or official that can only be interpreted as an expression of real anger or deep pain at the club’s dismal position?

With Sarkies, Owusu and Cristiano all apparently leaving in January and rumours that Cassio and Aleamo will follow them, maybe no one cares about this season anymore.

One shudders to think what might happen in the ACL if things don’t improve.

Of the team that won in Perth in United’s 16th game of the 2008/9 campaign, eight finished on the field against the Fury; Galekovic, Cornthwaite, Cassio, Sarkies, Dodd, Barbiero, Cristiano and Jamieson.

Ogenenovski, Reid and Mullen were the other three.

So the personnel is largely unchanged, and really only Reid hasn’t been adequately replaced given Rudan and Fyfe are not dissimilar to the Og monster and Mullen.

Taking all this into account it’s hard to work out what, if anything Aurelio Vidmar can say at this week’s press conference(s) that will be any different to what we’ve heard over the past couple of months.

Is there even any point in fact in having a pre-match chat to the media except to say what players might be in or out?

No, there isn’t.

So maybe Adelaide should cancel all media commitments this week because from now on, only actions count.

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where there’s life

Friday, November 27th, 2009

 

While Aurelio Vidmar’s two match suspension could not be more poorly timed as Adelaide’s season lurches towards the edge of the cliff, just maybe something good could come of it.

Normally, in Travis Dodd’s words, the players just do “what the coaches tell them” so taking this season in isolation that ain’t working, why not try something new.

And this week they have with the players being encouraged to speak out more not only during review sessions but also during training.

 The hope of course is that it will lead instantly lead to crucial three points against North Queensland and then many more in remaining dozen or so games.

 The theory is that feedback sessions will lead to a more collective sense of leadership on the field.

 This in turn might help produce more 90 minute performances, and not just the 20, 30 or 40 minutes which have typically summed up United’s frustrating 2009-10 campaign.

Travis Dodd, still by his own admission growing into his captaincy role will appreciate the extra vocal support although he admitted the idea is something that will take time to get used to.

But if Aurelio Vidmar is to be believed then just maybe it has worked.

If it’s possible, training has again been better, with better movement, better quality finishing in front of goals and a higher intensity to the routines.

Of course it’s all about translating training ground routines into match play, and so far United have essentially failed to do that.

But as the Reds mount the latest attempt to resurrect their season, at least they are going to a place with happy memories.

Townsville is where the A-League’s latest starlet Matthew Leckie scored his first goal, United’s second in a two-nil win.

As United fly in to try and the repeat the result, Leckie will be boosted by that memory but also the vote of confidence given to him by Vidmar who this weekend looks set to name an unchanged 11 for the first time since Round 9.

Vidmar said he doesn’t see the point in chopping and changing each week especially after an encouraging performance against the Gold Coast which he said demonstrated United’s “fighting spirit.”

So we will get to see whether the partnership of Dodd and Leckie continues to develop, although Vidmar insists there is no pressure on Leckie.

“We’re not hanging our season on Leckie…He’s got attributes that not many others in the league have, but there’s no pressure on him, he’s an 18 year-old kid.”

 That may well be the case but it’s a different situation for the team which simply must return with three points.

Most United fans will be watching from afar, as will Vidmar, somewhere in the stands and unable to communicate with the bench for the next two games.

He’ll certainly get a different view, but with consecutive home defeats on the cards, Fury coach Ian Ferguson will be determined to ensure it’s not a happy one.

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It was the same old story

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

 

You can’t argue with the numbers.

Nineteen shots on goal to four, six shots on target to two, 40 (yes 40) penalty box entries to 20 and 12 corners to five.

Throw in 62% possession in the first half which included 68% in the opposition half, and playing for an hour against 10 men and you could be forgiven thinking that one team thrashed another in a game of football.

But think that and you’d be wrong because it was the same old story for Adelaide United.

So much possession, so many shots, so little reward.

A point was better than nothing and there’s no way Adelaide deserved to lose, but they also could not afford to not win.

Two more points dropped and despite changing the team around, you have to ask is Aurelio Vidmar any closer to knowing what his best 11 is?

Leckie and Dodd aided by the recalled Cassio, Pantelis and Sarkies caused massive problems for Gold Coast in the high intensity first half.

But by their own admission United knew they couldn’t play like that for the entire 90 minutes and so there must have been some disappointment that the first half was scoreless especially with the Coast down to ten men from the 34th minute.

More about that later.

Predictably Adelaide lost its way a little after half time and sure enough conceded a  goal.

Credit to them that they didn’t give up, but for how long can they rely on a 19 year old to save them?

For how long can Lloyd Owusu be kept in the Youth League?

And for how long can Vidmar say he is satisfied with a performance  when once again his team has not put a score on the score-board that the statistics suggest they should have done?

No pressure, Vimdar says, insisting it goes with the turf when results are not going their way.

And it’s clear, the rub of the green does not favour Adelaide at the moment.

Those lose balls you see pinging around in the penalty area are not falling kindly for Adelaide, and opposition players are not being sent off when they could easily be seeing red.

You could argue that the Kristian Rees was unlucky to be sent off as he did get a foot on the ball, but if that offence warranted a red card then how come debutant Zac Anderson didn’t follow him down the tunnel?
You could day referee Chris Beath got it wrong on both counts.

Either way Adelaide couldn’t capitalise and needed an injury time goal to rescue a point.

And disturbingly you could see times when the players did not know where to run or how to play in their position.

Why?

Because each time Vidmar changes the line-up and formation in his search for a winning combination, the player’s understanding of what to do during a game can suffer.

Seeing Alemao bawl out Matthew Leckie late in the second half as the youngster tried to find his place Adelaide switched to a 3-4-3 formation showed that the player’s are not all on the same wavelength.

Based on that, how can Adelaide progress this season when trying to work out what it’s best 11 is and what formation is best to play?

Vidmar remains convinced that eventually the luck will change as long as the effort is there.

He may be right but the fact is the games are beginning to run out.

Something has to give.

Let’s hope for the sake of Vidmar’s head that on-field fortunes are the first to change for the better.

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The same old story?

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

 

Aurelio Vidmar says he’s not feeling the pressure, and neither for that matter are his players.

He also says the only way to silence the fast growing number of critics is to start winning games.

And with just six home games left, that means starting on Friday night against the Gold Coast.

But how many times have we said that, that Adelaide has start wining games now?

Probably about as many times as Aurelio Vidmar has said something like, the team has had a great week on the track; it’s just about taking it into a game.

This was what he said today:

“The last couple of weeks we’ve changed it up a little bit and got them a bit more refreshed and we’ve worked quite hard on finishing and making sure we’re doing that under pressure and it has worked quite well. Now it’s about making sure we translate what we’ve done at training onto the pitch.”

It’s a familiar comment from the embattled Reds coach but one that sounds less convincing every time he says it.

Vidmar didn’t sound too convincing either when asked whether he and the team are under pressure.

It was a one word answer, “No,” but the half giggle which accompanied it suggests there must be some doubts in Vidmar’s head.

 And if that unconvincing response doesn’t suggest he’s feeling the pressure, then his latest verbal gaffe might do

After all, it’s not the first time.

From the “pissant town”rant , to rather publicly bollocking certain players, (Sarkies & Bajic to name just two), Vidmar today when questioned whether he was too soft on players, responded with a suggestion that maybe instead he should chop off their heads “like they do in Saudi Arabia.”

 Vidmar later apologised for his latest case of foot in mouth disease, but  with the AFC Champions League draw just around the corner, he will be hoping that United doesn’t end up facing a team from there.

Of course that could only happen if United got through the group stages, which on current form is not looking likely.

But apology or not this gaffe, and the way the exchange with the journalist was handled suggested Vidmar is feeling the pressure.

And why shouldn’t he be?

John Kosmina has put his oar in this week saying that the punters are getting restless on the terraces and the team is “lacking direction”.

Direction of course comes from the top

In response Vidmar says everyone is entitled to their opinion, and rightly so, but it’s not like he is a 20 year veteran of coaching.

It has to hurt a little.

And what will hurt more is knowing that all the good performances in the world won’t change anything unless the goals start going in.

And that will be difficult if as it appears the player’s are not doing it for him on the park.

 As Vidmar has said, he can’t score the goals, so what can he do?

But that’s not the question, the question is, why aren’t the players doing it for him?

Are some of them not motivated to do so?

Or are they just bereft of confidence?

Talk to a few people and they will tell you the players will play when they want to play.

They motivate themselves, and seemingly don’t go out into a game inspired by what the coach has told them.

There’s even talk that if new owners come in then Vidmar will be gone.

Of course it will be some time before new owners come in and by then Vidmar may have turned the team around.

So it’s just one step at a time, starting with the Gold Coast.

It won’t be easy, but the first step never is.

Either way in 24 hours we’ll know whether it was the same old story.

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