Earlier this week, Newcastle Jets coach Branko Culina got hit with a $3000 fine for saying his team still had a chance of making the finals “because all the teams around us are pretty s**t as well.”
But that pain in the wallet won’t be so nasty after the Jets mugged Sydney FC 3-1 yesterday afternoon at Sydney Football Stadium.
The fact that the team in ninth place can hand out such a heavy defeat to the second-placed team illustrates the A-League’s great strength and biggest weakness.
It creates a fantastically competitive environment but also means there is no consistency to any results, giving the competition a random energy. Will your team win on the weekend? Well, that depends… It might come down to the stars being in alignment, a Mayan prophecy, maybe someone’s shorts are too tight, or perhaps a bit of gas from sucking down a footlong Subway before the game.
That’s not to say even an ancient civilization that could predict the end of the world would have any idea how the hell the self-confessed s**tty Jets could beat Sydney 3-1 at home!
What have we learnt from this? 1. Branko Culina shouldn’t have been fined for being honest. 2. Sydney FC aren’t as good as everyone seemed to think they were. 3. Don’t put a $100 accumulator on A-League results unless the only thing you really want to win is a raised eyebrow and patronizing shake of the head from your better half…
Goal of the week: Archie Thompson’s second, Melbourne fourth. Real quality from the champions.
Talking point of the week: It’s Branko again. He was honest, he was funny and he got the game in the papers. Why did FFA feel the need to fine him?
What to say to sound like you know something about the A-League: “If Perth Glory can’t score with a full-strength team, how will they fare when their Socceroo hopefuls take off?”
Game to watch this week: Wellington v Melbourne. The Phoenix are hard to beat at home, Victory are really hitting their stride.
And the EPL in a sentence: Everton in 16th, Liverpool in 7th; a Merseyside derby has rarely looked grimmer onfield.
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Greece makes the final and Ireland gets in on a golden ticket. How awkward and embarrassing. Love it. #sbseurovision
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