What a game! One of the best football experiences I have had recently, and there have been a few good experiences. I have a book, Fever Pitch, which states the seven things that make for a really enjoyable games, and it ticked 6 of those categories.
(1) Lots of Goals 6-0. It can seem lopsided, but when it your own team, at home, you don’t care too much. The first, by Archie, was the thing that tense football is made of, as he stepped forward and awkwardly slotted the ball toward the far post, we all stood from our seats to cheer, only to drop instantly when Valkanis stretched his foot on the line to clear the ball. The commentator stirred us from our disappointment “The linesman is signalling it was in. Goal to Melbourne Victory – another roar, and we were dancing on the spot. A brilliant individual effort - Five goals by Archie Thompson, a wonderful individual effort, but we all know without the passing of Brebner, Fred and Muscat, they wouldn’t have happened. After being subbed on at 89 minutes though, the best goal in my opinion goes to Kristian Sarkies, who ran the ball down the left side, pulled back around one defender,, and then from outside the penalty area curved a ball, past two defenders, and beat the keeper to ricochet the ball of the top of the far post and into the back of the net.
(2) A noisy crowd. The several supporters groups from Melbourne have been great all season, bringing the terraces alive. They keep the chants going throughout the whole match, providing massive entertainment and support.
(3) A terrible refereeing decision – usually best when not in your favour, but boy did it stir up trouble when three Melbourne players were offside and Archie received the ball to run on and score his fourth
(4) A Red Card, in this case a second yellow to Adelaide captain Ross Aloisi, the first for a bad tackle, this one was for a blatant hip and shoulder around the head of Grant Brebner who had already released the ball. There was no doubt in the validity of the card, and Adelaide were down to ten men.
(5) Rain, a greasy surface. The rain that began to fall late in the first half slicked up the right side of the pitch beautifully, with the ball sliding cleanly over the grass, and when a boot was applied properly, it was magic
(6) Unpleasantness or silliness: Nothing could have been more silly than the behaviour of the Adelaide squad. Not particularly gracious in defeat, Veart calling the refs 3 blind mice, Coach John Kosmina (already banned from the pitch for abusing referees) claiming that ‘Dark forces of the universe conspired against them’. Basically no-one was willing to own up that they were played off the park before the first 20 minutes was up, letting alone a full 90.
One of the most enjoyable games I've ever watched, and it was a great way to cap off a season of record-breakers - average crowd of 30 000, two games with 50 000 spectators, Archie getting player of the year and player of the grand final. Oh, and final mention of respect goes to Sarkies for kissing John Howard on the forehead in celebration.
Melbourne Victory, A-league Premiers 2006-2007
Melbourne Victory, A-league Champions 2006-2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
but what's the seventh thing???
Left off for lack of relevance.
I'll give a can of coke to person with first correct response.
Post a Comment