Official Melbourne Victory Thread II [R]

well never say never and if we win all 3 games we could really be in the finals and a danger to the other teams in the top for to win.

our next 3 game if we win then will give us 29 points and pretty much that what we need to get in.

 

Victory to stick with winning formulaThursday, 3 January 2008


Carlos Hernandez Melbourne will welcome back midfielder Carlos Hernandez and defender Steven Pace into its squad ahead of the do-or-die clash with Queensland on Saturday night.

The pair returns at the expense of injured duo Joe Keenan and Grant Brebner who both have groin injuries.

Although the Victory squad has undergone a slight alteration for round 19, the starting 11 will almost certainly remain unchanged following the side's remarkable 5-2 win over league-leader Central Coast on Monday.

"(There's) a very strong possibility it'll be fairly unchanged (after) winning 5-2," Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick said after training at Gosch's Paddock on Thursday.

"I'm confident we can (get a result against the Roar), we've got the team to do it."

Understandably, Victory midfielder Rody Vargas said his underperforming team has received a lot of confidence heading into its match with Queensland after producing the stunning effort at Bluetongue Stadium earlier in the week.

"Playing the top team and to go away from home and score five goals, it's a massive boost for the boys," he said.

The match will be the Victory's second consecutive match against the top side and Vargas says Melbourne is looking forward to once again pitting itself against the competition's best team.

"It will be a good way to end the season, playing first, second, Sydney who's third and Wellington who's on top of us," he said.

However, with three matches left in the Hyundai A-League season, Merrick has all but confirmed that Melbourne is now looking ahead to its inaugural foray in the Asian Champions League, despite still being a mathematical chance of figuring in this season's Hyundai A-League finals series.

"In football, everyone's so interdependent on each other, so getting used to how your team-mates play and the type of passes you can expect and getting them in their positions (is important), (we're) very much preparing for the Asian Champions League," the championship winning coach said.

"I'd love to scrape into the finals, I just can't see us doing that, I can't see Newcastle or Sydney losing that many points."

Merrick confirmed that the Victory will look to bolster their playing list ahead of the regional club tournament which kicks off in March.

"We would like to do that, we've certainly been doing that for quite a while and that was why we signed Nick Ward… he's just proving to be a great player," Merrick said.

"We've been looking at quite a few others, both locally and overseas, but we've had no success to date."

 

it always good for victory to be always on the look out for good players locally and oversea. however I can not stop to think about the young aussie players like kaz who has the ablily and always gets pushed back in the line for other players ie Ward. could the reason be that this is happening due to the fact that kaz is a loan player and could be gone at anytime and that others players like Ward, broxham for example are not loaned players and victory must play them in order to keep them. otherwise they will serch for other clubs who will play them like sarkies who went to adeilade.

 

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,,23005546-5000940,00.html?from=public_rss

Ernie's Asian recipe
By Grantley Bernard
January 04, 2008 THE F word - finals - has been replaced by the M word - momentum - for Melbourne Victory's last three games of the A-League season, but achieving the latter could realise the former.

Still mathematically in the finals race, Victory probably needs to win against Queensland Roar (away), Wellington Phoenix (home) and Sydney FC (away), while relying on a few other results to fall their way for them to sneak into the top four.

Victory coach Ernie Merrick is not focusing on mounting a late run to the finals, preferring to build momentum for Melbourne's Asian Champions League debut on March 12.

"It's all about winning games and getting results and building momentum," Merrick said.

"I'd love to sneak into the finals, but I just can't see us doing that.

"I can't see Sydney or Newcastle losing that many points to give us the opportunity to get in. But we want to do well for Asian Champions League.

"But wouldn't it be fantastic if it came down to the last game between Sydney and Melbourne to see who gets into the finals."

That scenario might come to pass, but the odds remain stacked against Victory overcoming a mediocre season to make the finals.

Fortunately, Melbourne has an Asian Champions League campaign to soften its A-League fall.

"When we go to Osaka (to play Gamba Osaka on April 23) there will be 60,000 Japanese fans and it will be a very aggressive crowd," Merrick said.

"I'm tipping a big crowd in Brisbane this week, so we have to get used to playing in front of that kind of crowd.

"This is probably the best preparation we can have for the Asian Champions League."

For only the second time this season Victory will take an unchanged starting 11 into Saturday night's game against the first-placed Roar at Suncorp Stadium.

But there will be two changes on the bench, with Costa Rican Carlos Hernandez and defender Steven Pace coming in for injured pair Grant Brebner and Joseph Keenan.

Both Brebner and Keenan, who were on the bench in the 5-2 away win against Central Coast, are suffering groin problems and the preference will be for them to be fully fit and recovered in time for the first of at least six games in the Champions League.

The Roar will be without a trio of important players with goalkeeper Liam Reddy (broken thumb), defender Craig Moore (suspended) and midfielder Danny Tiatto (hamstring) sidelined.

 

can victory make it 2 straight wins this week. i not saying it going to happen but the roar have 3 important players out in reddy, tiatto and moore out. with these players out roar could have an open defence which ther victory could really destory if every victory player is on ball and playing 100%.

 

http://www.theage.com.au/news/soccer...949987374.html


Thompson in strife for backing fans over Telstra Dome

Michael Lynch
January 4, 2008

MELBOURNE Victory has carpeted striker Archie Thompson for speaking out in support of fans' opposition to Telstra Dome crowd policies which, they say, are ruining the atmosphere at the domestic game's most successful A-League venue.

Thompson was called in by Victory chief executive Geoff Miles for a please-explain after telling radio station SEN that Victory should listen more to its fans as without them there would be no club.

"It's tremendous for us to go into a stadium and see all our fans there. The supporters are doing a great job for the A-League," Thompson said.

"I hear all this Telstra Dome stuff, and to be honest, I think we should play somewhere where the supporters are happy to come and support us. If they are not happy supporting us at the Telstra Dome, then let's bloody well move … I'm sort of over hearing about the Telstra Dome.

"To be honest, the supporters make the club. If the supporters aren't happy we have to do something about it.

"I'm probably gonna cop it for saying it — the supporters are the ones that build this club and pay (for) their tickets and if they aren't happy then we have to do something about it."

The Dome issue has been bubbling for most of the season, with Victory's hardcore fan groups frustrated at what they believe are calculated attempts to prevent them creating the kind of frantic, emotional atmosphere that made a trip to the Dome the No. 1 ticket in town last season.

Fans want to stand on level three, but Telstra Dome management has ruled this out on health and safety grounds.

The Latrobe Street end of the stadium — traditionally filled by Victory supporters who like to stand behind the goals — has been ruled out-of-bounds to home fans and delineated as an away-supporters area, despite attracting a few hundred travelling fans at best for almost every fixture.

Last season Victory supporters behind both goals created an electric atmosphere with their chants from either end of the pitch — something that is now missing. Fans have protested by staying behind to demonstrate after games and by staying outside to watch the matches on the big screen at the Dome concourse.

Miles said the club was next season hoping to "work through some of the issues with our supporters and the venue" which could produce a compromise, perhaps on the behind-the-goal issue.

On Thompson's comments he said "We have briefed our players … and given them background. We have spoken with Archie on that background."

 

well it looks like making the finals for us is now over with sydney winning last night and also the Jets. sydney has a huge chance of finishing on top is melbourne beat the roar tonite.

 

hernanderze was great last night. hit the top bar twice and could of scored a hat trick last night but was not to be.

kaz good as well even though he was given 15 minutes of play but at least he scored his first goal in the a league.

archie is just a work horse. never stops trying and always works for the team. he didn't score but without him there is no flare and no attack.

what a night is was and the old victory of old we all fell in love with is back. 3 win from 3 can we make it 4. hard to say because sydney is no wellington fc. they are alot harder to break down and going to be more diffiuclt to score against....

 

we do have some very good players but if just very hard playing them all at the same time ie kaz, ward and harnadaz

 

in Elasi and out LOVE though nothing has been said yet about love

 

also on the paper today lubo (spelling) is not going anywhere and is going to stay the full year his got left on his contract thou i doubt his going to play any games for us.

 

http://www.neoskosmos.com.au/080126/nkew/sport/sport_index.shtml


Greek touch for stadium launch

One of Greece's big three teams could be set to open Melbourne's new stadium in 2010, according to reports from Greece. Either AEK, Olympiakos or Panathinaikos have been assured, and the Victorian Government is also looking at other European giants such as Real Madrid.

Greece's Sports Minister Ioannis Ioannidis has given his assurance to Victorian Minister for Major Projects, Theo Theophanous according to sources close to the Minister. The matter was also reported in the Greek press, following Mr Theophanous' recent trip to Athens, during which he was the guest of Sports Minister Ioannidis at the Athenian derby between Panathinaikos v AEK.

The two also met several days later to discuss the proposal in further detail and Neos Kosmos understands that Mr Ioannidis welcomed a proposal put forward by Mr Theophanous, to have one of the "big three" in Melbourne for the launch of the new stadium which would coincide with the completion of next season's Greek Super League.

In the 2007 off-season, AEK travelled to New York for a high profile friendly match against Portuguese side Benfica, following a visit to New York by AEK's President, Demis Nikolaidis. It is understood that Mr Nikolaidis is keen to travel to Melbourne to potentially pursue developments with the proposed tour.

Reports in Greece's main sports newspapers also suggest that representatives of Panathinaikos and AEK Athens may also travel to Victoria this year to take a closer look at the construction and plans of Melbourne's new stadium as they prepare to build new stadiums of their own in Athens.

Mr Theophanous examined the possibility of Real Madrid visiting Melbourne, during his trip to Spain in 2007, with Victorian Government officials keen to pursue the matter with representatives of the Spanish super club.

The official football launch of the new stadium is expected to take place in June of 2010, with talk of a four-team, pre-season style tournament that will feature either the Australian national team or Melbourne Victory against three visiting international club teams.

Grocon has commenced early works at the site of the State Government's new rectangular stadium at Edwin Flack Field in Punt Road. The new purpose built stadium will host football, rugby union and rugby league matches and will have a capacity of 31,000 and a cutting-edge Bioframe design with a geodesic dome roof which will substantially cover the seating area.

The $268 million stadium will be completed by the end of 2009. Neos Kosmos will be speaking with the Minister for next week's edition regarding the proposed stadium launch.

 

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/69255,roos-v-victory--live.aspx

Roos 1 Victory 1 FINAL SCORE

72: ARCHIE SCORES. PIORKOWSKI HOWLER. Socceroos 1 Victory 1.
The Victory defender's back header easily picked up by Archie who rounds Langerak and slots home.

Roos for second half: Vukovic, A Griffiths, North, Milligan, Thwaite - Colosimo, Burns, Bridge, Pondeljak - Brosque, Archie. Looks like a 4-4-2 with Brosque just behind Archie.

HALF TIME ANALYSIS:
Not the greatest 45 minutes of football by either side - playing in an empty stadium obviously doesn't help but it's a valuable exercise for seeing how various combinations work. Joel and Aloisi haven't gelled too well but Musky and Burns in midfield have. Dodd wide right has often looked dangerous as has reportedly Mariners-bound Caceres.

5: Goal to Victory! Caceres score off a cross from Berger after good lead up work from Patafta.
1-0 Victory

The Socceroos have begun the game as Covic, A Griffiths, Moore, Vargas, Thwaite - J. Burns, Muscat, Troisi, Dodd, J.Griffiths and Aloisi.

Victory: Theoklitos, Panta, Kempy, Allsopp, Patafta, Caceres, Love, Vasilevski, Broxham, Berger, Ryall.
Victory have a number of trialists on the bench (Sivic, Hatszikostas, Dilizia)

 

the only players that would deserve to be in the team would be archie and vargas the only two players that proved they have what it takes. archie has score in both pratice game come off the bench.

disappointing to see that australia lost to the olyroos and lucky to draw against the victory.