Melbourne slips another one past sleeping Sydney

acker says:

10:11am | 08/03/10

Melbourne also know they are under the pump to use it or lose it (some supporters) with another Melbourne team “Melbourne Heart” due to join the A-League next season.

http://www.melbourneheartfc.com.au/Default.aspx

SLF says:

10:14am | 08/03/10

Was a cracking game for the neutral yesterday, with some fantastic goals. Robbie Kruse’s was worthy of winning any game.

Despite what all the soon to arrive knockers will say, the A-League is improving each year although the crowds need looking at particularly in Sydney and Brisbane. Plus the new teams have added extra excitement to the competition and had decent first seasons.

Time for the FFA to stop tinkering with the format and just let the game bed in and continue to grow.

Macca says:

10:37am | 08/03/10

Disagree David. Sydney crowds are fickle, and hosting games at the SFS, a fair travel for many fans from the western suburbs, is never going to win fans. (Thinks the Rabbitohs hosting games at the deplorable Stadium Australia)

I think the Sydney Rovers (expansion club) will see pretty solid crowds in a few years

Dave says:

12:09pm | 08/03/10

I’ve heard a bit of this stuff this morning, but the truth is Muscat caught Sydney napping. Aloisi admitted they knew about this tactic but they lost concentration for a second and paid the price. Knowing you made a mistake just makes all the more painful.

Mick says:

02:10pm | 08/03/10

Ref stuffed up. Quick free kicks should be taken immediately or everyone waits for the whistle. It’s logical, sensible, fair and actually in the FIFA directives in the law book. But it happens all the time and allowed the rightful team to win on the day, sobeit. Kruse (no matter how much of a wally the bloke is, and he is) scored a cracker of a goal that far outshone the VERY soft penalty. Entertaining game.  Hope Wellington put up a big fight next week to give the comp some momentum leading to Melbourne for the big one. Well done Newie for having a crack too - sad that it wasn’t meant to be.

Aitch B says:

02:21pm | 08/03/10

@s y d N E Y

It was a free kick, not a penalty. There are dubious free kicks paid in every game every week, so it’s standard fare. If the Sydney players weren’t switched on enough to cover the possibilities then I’m sorry but that’s their fault and your cause for pain. It appears that you also have an ‘anti Melbourne’ mindset, so it’s pretty obvious where you’re coming from.

Xavier says:

03:59pm | 08/03/10

Melbourne’s crowds have obviously been the standout of the competition, though whilst the crowd in Sydney was disappointing, I should point out that only 18,000 or so showed up for the first leg in Melbourne. The match was hardly promoted and played on a Thursday night, so the FFA is going to need to lift its game (as does Victory, again, and Sydney FC).

I’d expect 50,000 to cram into Etihad for the Grand Final though, provided Melbournians are aware it’s on!

S.L says:

04:33pm | 08/03/10

As Sydney media are very pro rugby league at the moment (read always) yesterdays game was only mentioned as an after thought in the sports section. Waaaaayyy behind Brendon Fevolas photography skills and the pharmecutical industry in Newcastle. But at least the game gets some column ink. Go to Melbourne and you hardly have a hope in hell of anything other than AFL on the sports pages which is a real shame. The outside world (Britain, Europe and Asia) know of the A league and are aware the “Big One” is up soon. Whether many are interested or not is irelevent, the point is they know of this competition. In a perfect world local soccer would get some free to air coverage to complement Foxs efforts.
As far as the games concerned the penalty was as clear a foul as I’ve seen. How can you defend a push like that? Kruses goal was the best I’ve seen in the A League for quite a while! Goal of the season? It’s up there!
As for Archie Thompsons effort, WAKE UP FC HEEELLLOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Mariners!!!!!!!............

Daniel says:

07:33am | 09/03/10

Whats going on Sydney City has become a slum and now were losing soccer matches?

NSW are chokers says:

11:18am | 09/03/10

Remember a month or so back when Sydney beat the Victory and the whole state of NSW carried on as if they’d just won the world cup? Ha. Idiots.

Grant says:

02:34pm | 10/03/10

You know our media is in a dire state when the front page is about the Clarke-Bingle-Fev fiasco -serioulsy, who cares! - and yet not one so called sports writer can tell us if Muscat played by the rules or the ref got it wrong.
It’s a pity that what little football coverage we get in the press comes from numpties who know little about the world game (yes, News Ltd, that means you).
And unless someone of effnic background chucks a flare the free-to-air TV kids aren’t interested. Serioulsy, where would the 6pm TV news be without boat people, dole bludgers and those wretched soccer hooligans from the ‘burbs.