Asunto: »[Cup] S21 Australia Cup

Thanks Achmid. I just finished watching the match - it was painful. The first 10 minutes really summed up the match. The whistle was blowing every couple of seconds. Both our offside traps killed the match engine. Play was going across the pitch, rather than end-to-end. This was one game where defenders needed to have good technique, PM, and passing.

All of those skills my defenders have reasonable amounts of, so from that aspect I was happy with how it started. I was even happy at half time when scores were locked at 0-0 because I thought I'd score sometime as I had a free wing and had created a few decent chances in that first half that hadn't been taken.

My aim I suppose was to shutdown your midfield early before it allowed you to use width to keep knocking the ball around the field to stretch my defense. I thought I'd get past your defenders and keeper as I have done in past encounters so I assumed I'd hold you out at the other end if I could stop your high wingers and for a while I thought it was working. Form hurt in the 2nd half once players started tiring and Aktimuroglu and Makitan made a few costly mistakes.

I think your team is ready for the A League now though, that was just about (form excluded) my best possible team on the field. Possibly switch Lesado with O'Donoghue and it would have been my strongest side for that formation.

As I said before good luck for the cup final, I hope you are able to win it and I look forward to future challenges when the time comes for you to promote to the A League. I'll be ready ;).

I must say I found it funny that both losing managers say they should have won, when in fact, it would have taken them to score another 3 goals, which is more than either team actually scored, to win it.

I could understand it if it was a 1 goal difference, coz sometimes there's a flukey shot, or if it was a draw, but needing an extra 3 to win seems a bit much.

Anyway, I know as well as anyone, how the ME can make things pretty messed up, and without watching the games can't say much more.


Perhaps you should have watched the games then. Or perhaps not have bothered with your post :P

Based on our match, I think I will happily make a deal with other managers for both teams not to use such a ridiculous offside trap. Didn't you find it a rather stop-start game to watch? Defenders were punting the ball around the back (or out of bounds), and midfielders didn't know what to do with the ball, since they were so cramped for space. And I was a little surprised to see a 3-man line in front of your 5-man defence!

Thanks for the well wishes, I do hope I win the Cup, because this is my best opportunity. If I wanted to be competitive in teh A-League, I think I need to sort out my training, but I gave up on the transfer market ages ago.

Perhaps you should have watched the games then. Or perhaps not have bothered with your post :P

But where would the fun be in that?

Based on our match, I think I will happily make a deal with other managers for both teams not to use such a ridiculous offside trap. Didn't you find it a rather stop-start game to watch?

Yeah but when it's still the most effective way of cutting out chances it's something you have to deal with.

If I drop back and you don't, I'm gone
If you drop back and I don't, you're gone.

Kind of works out that both press.

Rationally, I can't sit back in a game like that where you use 2 wingers and a striker, all of which require a minimum of 1 player marking them all the time. By dropping back it enables your midfield to stretch my defense until I concede a goal. So the best way for that is to force your defenders to have to hit your wing men instead of your usual strikers.

Similarly had you sat back, I would have created countless more opportunities through Bowen and Erdogan, and would have chopped off any attack you tried with ease. So your best option was to do something similar.

From my perspective what I played was about the only way I could have given the form of a lot of my players and it still wasn't good enough :).

Congrats on the Cup win Tong. Maybe we'll see you in A-League soon.

Yeah, despite a few chances to Maras and Wirrpanda, Krayzees were not good enough to contain Tong FC. Congrats on your first major Australian title jkhtong and with a bit of luck, Andreasson will put us in a position so that you qualify for the CC next season which will be a good experience for you.

Good luck with II.01 and I expect to see you challenging the A Leaguers in the not too distant future. You've beaten 3 of us along the way so you're not far off.

Good one, tong... a well deserved result.

Fantastic acheivement Tong. Congrats.

Congrats Mr Tong. Great run through the cup this season.

I lost to the overall winner as predicted :)

Well done Tong and thanks for proving me right!

Thanks everyone. It was a good opportunity for me, and I managed to grab it with both hands. Now my name is etched on the cup, along with previous cup winners like vivski, cometer, FG7, tigers x 2, etc. :-)

In my opinion, I felt I created a lot of chances and should have scored more goals, especially shooting from close range. By the

Edit: Interestingly, after my cup run, I've gone from being ranked outside the top 16 at the start of the season, to number 6.
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