R11 v Adelaide United | Sat 5th Jan 2019 | 7:35pm | Hindmarsh Stadium

Thought they were fine. I like Ned Zelic. He's rather drool.

Other guy was obviously some local Adelaide guy, who yeah was a bit biased - but no more so than Sky's team.

Commentators annoyed me when they got really obsessed that we were passing the ball backwards too much.

Leggy I hate a victim complex as much as anyone but it's clear as day - was watching with two Vic fans and they almost got up and left, such was the quality of the commentary. Found out that Dom Rinaldo is an Adelaide local so it's not too bad but I'm perplexed how people still have a single ounce of respect for Ned Zelic, that's two games in a row he's been embarrassing. Watching the Aussie vs Jordan game now - commentators (Andy Harper and someone else can't recall the name) are fantastic, so not everyone's a bad egg.

Cracked up when Ned started complaining about passing back when the Nix couldn't find an opening once, it's called playing football Ned you dolt

Ned Zelic is a buffoon. Adds absolutely nothing by way of competent analysis. He’s the worst of a poor lot. Andy Harper reasonably competent but the rest are hopeless.

Kurto and Taylor making team of the week for their troubles. Good on them!

I only got to see the highlights, but WTF has happened where Vinnie Lia got multiple goal-scoring shots? Has he flourished that much back at RAdelaide?

That's reminiscent of 2009/10, when we were known as "draw specialists" for a while

I'll happily take good well fought draws over defeats any day of the week.  We're not going to win every game as it's still a work in progress, but the progress is there for all to see. I'm happy with what i'm seeing thus far.

Certainly progress in getting a point from a game that we probably should have lost, but I'd have to say our performance was a regression from the previous 4 games. Tomorrow's going to be very interesting. I think we'll miss Mandi a lot.

Agreed, this is where the squad will earn their pennies / cents. We've not been tested as squad as of yet, so i'm interested to see how we cope. Hopefully well.  Given the size of it and the frequency of games over this period, i'm not surprised to see a degree of performance dropping, but a good team knows how to get  result regardless.  I'm hoping it's just that.

Agree, shows in the expected goals stats for the match (expected goals weights the probability of finishing a chance). We rode luck & poor finishing in that one, even before the RC.

Though we were poor before the red card, though defended well all game. The team looked leggy, which won't be helped by Mandi getting a dumb red card and guys like Cacace probably edging into the red zone.

Fielding unchanged team over the last few games had its advantages, while the fitness / injury / suspension / factors allowed.

Having said that, Rudan brought enough "travelling squad" with him to Oz for these two games to account for these situations. 

Endorsed by mistake.

To me Zelic's commentary through the game wasn't "disgustingly biased" at all. More reflecting a neutral who was bored with how the game was going. To be fair it was a poor game, and not a great advert for the A League. 

He comes across as somewhat so laidback, as to be horizontal. Not everyone's cup of tea I guess. He was just frustrated by a game that until the sendoff, as a neutral was very dull. Don't think he has any obvious dislike for the Nix, probably just like most football folk in Australia, he doesn't think about them much at all. That won't change until Phoenix win a title, or as a minimum make a final. 

Zelic has strong European ties. Croat heritage, 9 seasons playing in Europe (incl 7-8 years in Bundesliga). Probably a bit of a Euro snob, he may never even have visited NZ. He was unavailable for the Socceroos for lot of his career.

Unlike most pro footballers, he has a uni education - so doubt he's a complete buffoon.

Plenty of complete buffoons graduate from uni

:raises hand:

still yet to see you post anything that's not negative or vitriolic (leggy, not mrsmiis) 

University education counts for diddly squat when it comes to the job that he is hired to perform. He gives every impression that he has no idea what he is going to say before he speaks and I’ve yet to hear him add any relevant technical content. He is totally biased towards the Australian terms but that’s not the issue. I well remember a game last year when he used the word ‘ intensity’ about three thousand times to the exclusion of anything else. Rubbish . . . deserves a red card. Give the mike to someone who can analyse the game and comment intelligently. Sarah Gregarios . . . get over there! I always pick up something useful when you offer an opinion.

Undoubtedly so. 

Not the be and end all for sure, but certainly assists with being more accurate utilisation of the English language. Bosnich for instance mangles the Queens English, to a fingernails down chalkboard level.

Don't see Zelic as overly biased for the 2 Nix games I've heard him commentate this season. Again most of the Aussie football public, pay little or no attention to the Phoenix. Just a general sense of apathy or indifference, obviously not helped by Wellington being shark for the last few years.

Michael Cockerill (RIP) was the only Oz football pundit, who had any real interest in NZ football.

It's an Australian football competition with Australian commentators, who generally won't give a toss about a poor performing small team, in a different country, in a different forgotten about tinpot confederation that they couldn't wait to leave. The truth hurts sometimes.

The only way too change perceptions is on field success.

More on the topic of the game, I did not think Galloway improved much after leaving us and joining the Reds.

In contrast, Lia looks to be evergreen (the studs-up challenge is a separate story).  I wonder if Rudan would have got the best out of Lia the way that he managed to get from some of our players.

Exactly, objectively it was a pretty average game. Zelic get a wound up bout the same issues and argues with his Co commentators, but he's not biased against us. He was really complementary in the previous round

Our guys are cheerleaders, so not sure we can complain about biased commmentary

I like Zelic

Correct. In the game against Victory, Zelic was full of complements for the Nix, Cacace especially.

Zelic is a fudgeing idiot judging by his twitter comments (Trump supporter etc, just generally has bad takes about everything) but I don't think he's biased against us. He was just bored sharkless by the game, like most of us were until the hectic last 20 or so.

watching this cold and kinda for the first time  (was working at game time though I snuck looks), just finished the first half and that was Adelaide. They were strong kept good shape, shut Cacace and Singh out. Mandi seems to do an enormous amount of work and Adelaide could have had a pen- couple of plausible half shouts and a couple of good half chances. 1st half commentators were fine IMO.

Mandi incident. Good new view to show all the VAR angles. Feel he could have pulled out and not made the tackle, probably justified. 

Cacace targeted tactically, but still sprinting back at 95 minutes. Hes a big unit. 

We offered nothing going forward- I couldn't understand why at 0-0 with a good attacking free kick we didn't make some attempt to win the game. 

I wonder if Burns might have given us a bit more?

Adelaide dominant, but really only half chances. We were very tough to break down. 

Izzo was sweeping high.

Commentators were fine.

Be interesting to see what Rudan does away with a depleted line up.

coyn

This was a defensive game for us, and Rudan proved that he can set up a team not to lose a game.

I thought perhaps Rudan considered Burns a potential weak spot against a hard-pressing, physical side like Adelaide, and wanted to minimise turnovers which Burns is prone to.  Burns is a better bet against teams where there is open, flowing play (like against Victory).

Anyone thinking the 0-0 draw against AU was a poor result  hopefully at least saw the highlights of their win over Melbourne Victory last night. Isiais put on a masterclass in the midfield. I'm thinking Graham Arnold would have appreciated having him at the Asia Cup had his citizenship come through earlier. We did very well to hold onto a draw with ten men.

Agreed. Adelaide are a good side who just lack a proper striker.

I just watched this game again with a cooler head and logical thinking. Yellow card at most. Reckless but the ball was there for the kicking. Total over reaction from commentators, match officials etc.

Through yellow and black eyes. Put Singh or Roy on the deck would put money on you changing.

It was defintely a red card.

100% a red card, every day of the week. The right decision was made by the MRP in reducing the ban length.

Definitely a red, though the three week ban was harsh. Revised ban is perfect for me. Was certainly going for the ball while simultaneously not giving a fudge about Lia's safety, may have even been a red if ball wasn't hooked away