Melbourne Heart

By: Plotty | Add Comments

Heart continued their run of poor form today going down to Newcastle Jets by a whopping three goals to nothing, a score no one can say they expected.

Only a week ago Heart looked to be back (well somewhat) to a form we witnessed earlier in the season, but that was definitely not the case, and goals by Brockie, Griffiths and Bridges (yes, Bridges, grandpa Bridges) left Heart with their seventh game without a win.

Searching for three much needed points we went into the game as optimistic as always, and well we played alright, up to that 20th minute mark. That’s when our structure and tactics, basically everything, turned to mush… Then BANG, out of no where we were down, Brockie scoring a header he shouldn’t have gotten near in the first place.

The gap between the two team’s shots on target summed up the match pretty well, we deserved to lose 3-0 because we weren’t ourselves on the field. It was something I wasn’t used to witnessing with Heart; hopeless long hoofs, turnovers in defense, countless square balls, horrible inaccurate passing… Yes, you would see glimpses of this in a lot of our games, but never for the majority of the match. This is why I personally consider this our worst performance to date, and yes, I know we lost to Brisbane by four goals last year but we lost with that little bit of pride, we played some good football. But nothing was worth noting today, it’s best to move on and forget everything from this performance and revise on how we can replicate last weeks game, because at least we were hungry.

Time to move on to our next game, because it’s certainly a must-win.

Our next game is at home against Gold Coast, Friday night 8pm.

Follow @HeartOffside on Twitter!

By: Plotty | 3 Comments

First of all, I will apologise for my lengthy absence from The Offside. Exams overtook my life for a few weeks but I’m finally done.

Well, let’s see, Heart now sit 8th on the ladder – a slight improvement – but with a table like this seasons, a finals spot is anyone’s for the taking.
The games I missed (writing about):

• Sydney at home – After a messy but deserved goal in the 84th minute by Maycon we were up 1-0 and looked to have taken the points, but no, it didn’t finish like we wanted. A controversial corner was given to Sydney and resulted in a Nicky Carle goal through a messy Heart defense. 1-1 was the final score, lots of fans left unhappy.
• Adelaide away – Adelaide shaken by a 7-1 loss to Roar the week before, were also looking for their first win with a forgettable start of the season. A brilliant solo run and long-range goal by Hamill gave the traveling Yarraside fans something to scream about, but the lead was again lost when Shime was red-carded and Adelaide were rewarded a free-kick which they capitalised on through a deflection off Bolton. This game also ended 1-1.
• Newcastle at home – With Shime out, the defense was questionable, but from kick-off the connection was there. Thompson and Hamill were extremely comfortable moving forward with ease. The first half was quite average, but that changed in the second. 3 goals in 20 minutes sent the fans in to ruptures as the fans finally got what they deserved, the much needed three points.

Next up we have Gold Coast at Skilled Park where a win will send us flying up the table to third (for the time being) and extend our undefeated streak to five, doesn’t sound too bad, does it? With the Gold Coast game only hours away we have quite a few ins and outs so we may see a completely different team to last week.

In: Rutger Worm (promoted), Kristian Sarkies (promoted), David Williams (promoted), Curtis Good (returns from international duty)
Out: Aziz Behich (international duty), Jason Hoffman (international duty), Mate Dugandzic (international duty), Alex Terra (injury)
Unavailable: Alex Terra – Hamstring (2-3 weeks), Nick Kalmar – Back (4 weeks), Kamal Ibrahim – Ankle (3 weeks), Kliment Taseski – Foot Fracture (long term)

Gold Coast knows how it feels giving away points in dying minutes and both teams are determined to capitalise on getting in a winning position before the last chapter of the game. This will test Heart and Gold Coast and both teams need the win, let’s just hope Heart come out on top.

By: Plotty | 2 Comments

I felt like the only person in the stadium with a beaming smile at the end. Yes it ended nil all, but no, it was definitely not a ‘bore-draw.’

The only in-game disappointment within me, was our lack of finishing. That was taken over by the way we played, something very enjoyable to watch.

A large portion of the crowd went to the game to watch some football – and that’s what they got – but majority of this group couldn’t see past goals, for entertainment and quality. I will agree, it might have been a night to forget for Victory fans, but to say you didn’t jump out of your seats once or scream and shout for your team, is a big fat lie.

Heart were the true winners in the stalemate, dominating almost the whole game despite a small portion just after the break. Our team finally looked like a team for a full game and we can thank our mature-aged recruits for that – Bolton and Colosimo were profoundly missed in the first two games, and at the derby, showed exactly why. The phenomenon which was our defense stole the night, the partnership between Colosimo and Good looks to be a real prospect, and a rare sight for us Heart fans. The link-up and challenges were world-class and the build-up to midfield was something worth noting.

I was very happy  we played Thompson in a more natural position in midfield seeing immediate changes, we were attacking from the first whistle, something which we usually struggle with. Keep him in the midfield JVS!

Ex-Victory Mate Dugandzic, the clear stand-out in the attacking third, how many nut-megs were there? two, maybe three? Hahaha, that’s besides the point, he just owned the night. All eyes were on Harry Kewell but did he duly deliver? Nope, but he gets the money from my ticket and the pie I bought; great. Birthday boy Mate stole the show, with some very attractive link-up play with Marrone, sending in some beautiful dead balls (which we never took advantage of) and just pure dominance of the right wing.

Jason Hoffman, impact. Maycon, played well. Carlos Hernanadez, no impact. Harry Kewell, gone missing.

It’s quite disappointing that hardly any credit was given to Heart for the stand-out performance, after just 6 days from last weeks dismal effort. In my honest opinion, I feel that much of the negativity of the game was spoken out by fans who were just focusing on Harry Kewell or Victory because they had HK.

Things to keep note of for next week:

• Don’t change a winning team, I know we didn’t win, but the way we played should of guaranteed us goals, Ante Covic was Victory’s main catch of the eye, and many other goalkeepers would have let some of our shots in.
• Colosimo and Good – so far, so good great. Real marvel to see a perfect partnership in defense.
• Don’t get complacent, still a lot to fix. If we can conjure that display up in six days, what can we do in another week?

On a personal note, a bit contradictory, but I wanna see Eli Babalj get some game time soon.

By: Plotty | Add Comments

7000 disheartened (may I say) supporters witnessed one of Melbourne Heart’s worst games to date.

Yes, the score line might not reflect that, but boy oh boy what a demoralizing sight it was.

It’s fair to say last week we deserved some credit, the movement was much more fluid and the build-up in the midfield actually flowed (at least a bit). Our first home game, was not much to be happy about – practically taking every bad aspect in last weeks game and transforming that in to a dismal effort in front of a home crowd.

What do I mean by “bad aspects in last weeks game”? WELLLLLL…

• Too many square balls in defense – leading to turnovers in possession
• So many back-passes which all ended with a helpless Roganovic hoof or turnovers, using Perth’s second goal as a major example.
• High, long and aimless balls to a very small compact forward line.
• Maycon – really has had no impact so far in the competition. Though in the Perth game the team gave him no chance. We’re not highlighting his abilities reverting to long balls. He can be a very good player when played right, and that was evident in small samples – he is clearly a lot better at moving the ball on the ground and showed that with some good distribution. I’m praying for him… And his credibility – come derby day.

With such a fast team, where was the pace? Our build-up in defense was way too slow and passing to midfield was almost always overdue. The passing at the back gave the opposition too much time to man-mark and position themselves, taking advantage of any mistake or miss-pass.

I think playing Thompson at center-back is a mistake, and especially when playing with an inexperienced player, namely Good. Good’s man of the match performance highlighted just how much potential he has.

Does anyone else think Marrone was made for a right midfield position? I guess we have too much cover in that position already, so just ignore that. Marrone again showed why he almost signed a contract with a team in one of the best leagues in the world, the Italian Serie A. Easily one of our most consistent players, Marrone made long strides down the wing and was one of our only revenue’s in attack – losing our creative midfielder Fred early in the first half. Although Marrone did lose some flair to the end of the game, and gave away the ball to easily.

Let’s not get carried away with everything bad about the day – in fact it was quite a nice day!

First of all, our moments of brilliance in the game showed loads of potential and it’s only a matter of time when we can extract that and put it to good use. Williams’ goal sent the crowd in to raptures, and it was awesome to experience that atmosphere again. The attendance was commendable – a strong  and loud crowd of just over 7200 made their way down to AAMI Park on a lovely day.  Yarraside were awesome, as always, and the fanzine “Schip Happens!” showed how great our supporters are.

Let’s move on now and hope JVS has something up his sleeve for the much anticipated derby!

P.S. Get better soon Hoffy, we missed you!

By: Plotty | 4 Comments

“We gave it away” cites JVS. Samples of how dominant Heart can be in the attacking-third were scattered through 90 minutes of goals, controversy and bitterness in an entertaining opening match where Jets stole the points in injury time: 3-2.

A healthy attendance of 12,467 saw 7 debuts in the Heart side – Roganovic, Good, Germano, Fred, Mate, Williams and Maycon started the game giving the team a whole new look in comparison to last years first choice squad.

Roganovic, had a shaky start to his A-League career – the transition of difficulty and level from VPL to A-League clearly took him off guard  and was evident with some nervous clearances. Fair to say two of the three goals conceded were near impossible to save though. I like the look of Roganovic and he will continue improving.

Good, ironically, wasn’t very good – he showed some glimpses of what he’s capable of but reverted to amateur tactics making simple mistakes which put Thompson under a heap of pressure. Still very young and learning fast, he’s a very handy asset but not ready to be a regular first team player just yet. In my opinion Hamill to start the next game if Colosimo is deemed unfit.

Germano, defined by the word “hard” was just that – a very direct player who knows how to challenge for the ball, but today wasn’t his game. Too many mistimed tackles let him down, and ultimately led to the first home goal – but credit to Griffiths with an absolute peach of a free-kick that left Roganovic stranded. Calls of a push in the wall were turned down – not enough in it and I don’t think it was worthy of a re-take.

Now the attacking players. What a delight watching them link up so well in the final-third. Captain Fred had an excellent understanding of both wingers and his precision passing just shows critics he is no where past his prime. Fred has an amazing ability to read the play and set-up goals, shown through Heart’s second-half equaliser, striding in down the wing and sending in a floating cross inside the 18-yard box, served on a plate for Mate to tap in.

Williams was also set running early on through a beautiful pass by Fred which saw a clear spot-kick waved away by referee Ryan Shepheard.

Hoffman has made the step from preseason to league by starting off his 2011/12 campaign with a world-class assist beating Newcastle Jets new center-half Tiago and sending a low cross for Mate to poke in.

Terra added nothing to the team in his late introduction and Melbourne Heart’s attacking flair was all but gone when Fred limped off with a cramped up leg. Maycon, didn’t do it for me – but I want to be proven wrong and I hope he stands up in our first home game against Perth Glory.

Just like a disenchanted Fred said, “Heads up, and keep working.”

Melbourne Heart’s next game is at AAMI Park, where they will face Perth Glory.

By: Plotty | 7 Comments

The longest preseason in A-League history is winding down to an end  and we can definitely say Heart have come a long way. With the addition of Mate Dugandzic from cross-town rivals Victory and former Victory star Fred the league calls for a MASSIVE Melbourne Derby which will dominate the third round. South American’s Maycon and Jonathan Germano are added to the list along with former AIS captain Curtis Good and rising star David Williams. But in the process we left some big names – Sibon, Aloisi and Skoko topping the list. Beauchamp moved to a revamped Sydney side, Heffernan transferred to Perth only to sign a contract in the Chinese Super League and Zois has reclaimed his position as Goalkeeper coach.

But that’s not all! Fred was announced captain. Which caused a stir in rumors and a formal request for ex-captain Shime (Simon Colosimo) from rivals Victory which has been played down, Heart will not let go of a key-player in an already thin defense.

Adrian Zahra is steadily regaining fitness but looks set to miss a few games.

With two sleeps until the much anticipated first round, Heart are optimistic about their first game of the season. Niggling injuries are keeping Heart from their strongest 11, and reliance on the youth will be a key factor this season.

Shime looks set to miss out on the opening round – regaining fitness after a calf injury, although this all depends on his fitness come Friday. Srhoj will also have to prove his fitness before the season opener.

Goalkeeper and inaugural player of the year Clint Bolton was set to start the season, claiming he was 100% fit but a groin injury at training yesterday is set to put him on the sidelines for at least two weeks – Nikola Roganovic stepping up in his absence. Roganovic joined Heart after a 4th VPL championship in as many years.

Our squad will look something along the lines of this. Germano will slot into Srhoj’s defensive midfielder position and Good will cover Shime at the back. Good, currently in front of Hamill in the pecking order has had a lot of preseason game time, although Hamill already has valuable A-League experience playing in a handful of games last season. If Terra who is still overcoming some minor injuries doesn’t start as a striker we’ll see Brazilian forward Maycon debut in the forward line. Dugandzic and Williams will continue their fine form from preseason out on the wings, giving service to the striker but also to make opportunities for themselves.

My prediction for the weekend is a 2-1 win – with goals from Fred and Williams both on debut.

By: Nathan | 16 Comments

tumbleweed.jpg

Obviously with the Heart not playing in the finals it’s been fairly quiet around here – it’s about to get worse. I’ll be in Thailand for he next 15 days and therefore not on here. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Nathan | 2 Comments

Well the club has kicked off its 2011 signings with Australian Institute of Port captain Curtis Good. There is almost zero information about Curits on the internet. We do know he was born in March 1993, making him 18 next month, is left footed.
and has played in defence so it;s safe to rpeusme, for now, that he’ll be holding up the backline in our youth team to start off.

An A-League article about AIS prospects had this to say:

He epitomises the modern day centre half, good in the air but also confident and solid with the ball at his feet. Having already been training with Melbourne Heart’s first team this season, he’s expected to be snapped up before the end of this campaign

I’d like to welcome Curtis to the club, you are now officially a Heart.

There will no doubt be much more activity to come and obviously you can find it all here

GO HEART!

By: Nathan | 1 Comment

I wasn’t able to go at the last minute last night, which I am still absolutely shattered about. However I offered my tickets for free on twitter and this was taken up by fellow Heart supporter The Angry Planner. In exchange he has written the below prose. Enjoy. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Nathan | 1 Comment

I’m All Heart.

It may not have the same ring as Barcelona’s ‘mes que un club’ (more than a club), but it’s a comparable statement and our club is painting a similar story. Read the rest of this entry »