I always have felt that the fireworks before the game are a waste of time and money, but tonight they were the best part of the evening at Suncorpse.
The STRIKERS more or less held their own for 20 or so minutes at the start of the match, without actually threatening to score, apart from a very good long range drive from Gwynne which whizzed along the turf and just missed the right post with Anastasiadis nowhere. The spectacle then degenerated into a very poor imitation of the beautiful game. Carlton were not exactly eye catching on the park and the home side were even worse. In previous matches FF has stated that he was pleased that we had manufactured chances. Not so tonight. The STRIKERS showed no plan or purpose whatsoever, gave the ball away time and again, had no mid-fielder to put any authority on the game and never got behind Carlton's defence once to my recollection. There seemed again to be no football nous on show. Set pieces were apparently unrehearsed and I can't see us scoring from a corner this season unless something changes radically. A friend with me told me that the overall score rate from corners is one in nine. I wonder what the STRIKERS is so far this season? Nil from lots. One usually looks on corners as a potential scoring opportunity. When we get them now I feel they are as threatening as a goal kick for our opposition! A loss of possesion in the mid-field and the inability of our defender to prevent Vlahos turning lead to his scoring the only goal of the game, and it must be said he took it very well.
What about individual players tonight? It pains me to say it, but perhaps Frank and Brownie are on the slide. FF just ain't got that zip of previous years (I hope his knee is the problem rather than anno domini) and Brownie spent a lot of the night rising to flick on Clint Bolton's long range kicks to.......no-one. I thought the Cranney kiddies were ordinary and the CC was lost in the despair that pervaded yours truly. Gwynne is one who should be able to hold his head up, but I thought Chay Hews had a poor match. Frank was marched yet again and it was bad to see an old pro like him allow himself to be provoked by a defender who gave him no room, niggled and shoved him all night until he retaliated. This is our coach! Sad to say, the loss of Frank seemed to make absolutely no difference to the STRIKERS performance, which is a reflection on how he was going before the red was shown. Andy Harper was played behind the front two and sometimes drifted to the right wing. It made no difference. He seemed to achieve very little in the full 90 minutes. I don't know if Knipe is injured again, but he wasn't even on the bench. As a matter of fact, after he was sent off neither was FF. Perhaps he was watching from the players' tunnel. I hope so, because if stayed in the dressing room because he was sent off that is bad news. Every cloud has a silver lining. Frank at least will have the chance to sit and watch from the side line now and perhaps he will be able to pick what has changed so much since last season. Good and experienced though the three who retired last season were, it is hard to accept that their absence can be the sole cause of the deteriorition that has clearly occured in the team since the Grand Final.
For Carlton (who, though not pretty on the park, defended as well as they needed) I though Vlahos and Marusic had good games. I was a bit disappointed with the new, slim Santa and so must Eddie have been as he subbed him ner the end.
On the way out I think you could have picked up a season ticket at a bargain price. Five thousand plus turned up tonight. It will be interesting to se how many front in three weeks' time.