R16 vs Newcastle Jets | Fri 24th Jan | 7:15pm | RoF/SS7

Don't agree with that. We conceded 14 fouls to their 7

Thought Payne had his qwordt game in a Nix shirt, but that's not difficult considering the standard of his other performances. While I'd like to see Elliot get minutes Payne doesn't deserve dropping.

I thought the main reason we struggled last night was Wilson personally (not his fault that he isn't Matti Steinmann) he played alright on the ball. While the team as a whole weren't great he was out of position consistently defensively and we left far too big a hole between our central defenders and midfield - so probably some blame on DeVere and Taylor not stepping up quickly enough as well. Neither Devlin or Wilson is a true 6, both like to be more advanced so I think that's where we missed Steinmann and why Rufer made such an impact.

Their 3-5-2 sets up really nicely against the 4-4-2 shape we play and they were able to use that to overload the midfield and stop us playing the vertical balls that we love. 3 CBs is always nice to have vs a 2 striker set up as well, left Boogard/NTS free to sweep up everything. We didn't deserve 3 points, but I'll take em. 

that has a lot to do with the refs blowing the whistle or not.

Those are the facts not speculation.

facts yes - they are the tally of when a ref thought some indiscretion was worthy of blowing his whistle, how many "play on" calls were there when a potential foul could have been called in our favour?

So what you are saying is the ref was crap.

no not crap, just suggesting that he let some of the physical challenges against us go.....

Great turn out there by the CHCH fans. Well done guys!

I would say our strongest line-up of the season so far was the one against WUN in RD 12. Not just because of the scoreline, but also because how we passed and dominated the match. Reno showed good combination with McCowatt while Ball and Davila were lethal up front.But as of now, I don't really see McCowatt as a starter. He is more of a impact sub which he showed against WSW in RD 9. As for Hoops, he needs to become fitter. Yes, he has shown glimpses of his EPL experience and A-league potential, but I don't blame him for his lackluster performances in the past 2 games. He joined us late and basically had to restart during the season. This will take some more time and for that all he needs is mins. I would like to see him higher on the pitch instead of having to drop deep. 

I'm in love with Cameron Devlin.

What happens with the midfield when Rufer is fully fit, this is a great problem to have.

Yeah man, that's going to be a big headache for Uffie.

Unfortunately Rufer will have to fight his way back into the starting XI by biding his time, coming off the bench, and performing on the pitch when he gets the chance, much like what Devlin had to do in the early part of the campaign. 

Injuries are always a cruel blow, and it's unfortunate for Rufer that we were just getting into form when he went down against WSW. But to be fair, Devlin has made every post a winner and overall has been excellent since coming into the XI. Good for the team too in the sense that there is genuine competition week in, week out to retain your starting spot. Hopefully this pushes Rufer to strive for a higher level, and in saying that, I thought he looked pretty sharp when he came on against Newcastle on Friday after a decent injury layoff. Still going to be hard to dislodge someone who's been playing so well though.

Good problems for the club to have!

If Devlin keeps playing the way he is... he may not stay with us for too long past this season!

Good thing he's on a 2 year deal with us. But I get what you're saying, bigger leagues with more resources and cash will be taking notes and potentially circling or making enquiries.

Potential suitors, get your chequebooks out!

No headache re Rufer - Devlin is automatic first choice.