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!

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.

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.

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!

“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.

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.

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. In that time the A-League final will be played (surely Brisbane’s year) and if you believe the rumors we’ll at the very least secure Mate Dugandzic as one of our new forward options.

I’ll be back to regularly scheduled programming mid March and even provide a little summary of what happens while I’m gone.

Until then.

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!

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.

Firstly, it was great to see so many people interested in voicing their opinions and concerns, the room was packed and MCC ran out of chairs for the assembled masses. In short, as a Heart fan I found I had few grievances to air with panellists such as Lyle Gorman, which were different to the MVFC cohort who seemed to have their own agenda.

Here are a few of the main things we got out of last night:

- The one city one team model hasn’t worked (Brendan Schwabb)
- North Queensland Fury are pretty much gone, if you take into account the lack of funding they will receive from the QLD State Govermentt since the floods and cyclone Yasi. (Lyle Gorman)
- We must synthesise the best parts of ‘old sokkah’ and ‘new football’ if we want the game to move forward. (Mick Lynch)
- Victory are contracted to play blockbuster games at Etihad (aka the Car Park aka THEIR home ground ) into the foreseeable future – Trent Jacobs (MVFC CEO) wouldn’t elaborate on how much longer though.
- A lot of recommendations from the Crawford Report have not been followed up, but we all knew that anyway!
- Security company Hatamoto’s contract has been extended by the FFA.
- Injury replacement players will be gone as soon as all clubs have a Youth League team.
- Lots of concern from MVFC chaps about Home End Membership making it difficult to introduce new people to the game. I wouldn’t say this is much of a concern for Heart – at the moment – but will need to be reviewed constantly.
- Ticket prices; the gallery were all of the opinion that a review of ticket prices needs to take place.
- The FFA’s handling of the ‘Fan Made’ TV campaign at the start of the season. More disenfranchised Victory fans asking why promote the use of tifos and pull overs on TV if they’re not allowed to create them at games. This is a stadium issue, apparently, and tifo displays are banned due to the previous lighting of flares underneath large pull overs. The MVFC advertising chap was very strong on stressing that flares are not, and should not be part of the Australian sporting culture. I got the feeling that a lot of people in the room were silently disagreeing with him.
- FFA Cup to begin in March 2012, finish on Australia Day 2013. Structure is yet to be finalised but it’s pretty much locked in. (A win for football in general as far as I’m concerned – Nathan)- Western Sydney to enter the competition in 2012-2013 (Season 8). This is more or less locked in.

As far as the panellist themselves were concerned:

- Trent Jacobs: Lots of management spin, was howled down by the Victory faithful for referring to ‘Melbourne Victory footy club’. Most people would prefer it to be ‘football’, it would appear.
- Scott Munn: Wasn’t subjected to much, aside from getting asked if MHFC crowd numbers are predominantly ex-MVFC. Scott’s response was quite satisfying, noting that internal research of members suggested that only a fraction were previous fans of MVFC. Most are people new to football in Melbourne.
- Brendan Schwabb (PFA): Nice and eloquent, was a calming influence quite often. I can’t for the life of me remember too much about what he said.

All in all looks like I missed quite the night. Sure not everything was answered and apparently some structural issues are to be ironed out but the fact that this is even on and attended by those panellists is just magnificent.

The FFA have today announced an email to contact them direct, which is a start and a move in the right direction.

Footage of the night will be up on The World Game tonight.

Feel free to comment on your thoughts of The Planner’s review or the night itself if you were there or have watched footage since.

A huge thank you to FFDU and everyone involved.

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.

2010 was a huge year for me personally for many different reasons, but for the club it was historical. Our first year in A-League competition. Our first wins. Our first losses. Our first game against an English Premier League team. Our first derby. Our first derby win. Our first derby loss. Our first derby draw. Our first legends retired.

A year for firsts.

In the first few weeks of the season many conversations centred around one question – why? Why did you choose to become a heart supporter? Why don’t you support the other Melbourne team? If you used to, why did you make the move?

For me, and for many others, part of the reason was to do with what this club was offering – more than just your usual Aussie soccer team, this was to be a club, our club.

A different playing style, a different way of support, the camaraderie, the new stadium we would try to make our fortress – the Red and White was something we were ready to get involved with, to get passionate about and from now on standby through the good times and bad.

Now this involves as many different aspects as there are club members. For some, it’s the lure of standing with or near Yarraside and feeling part of something, chanting the club and players names all game long and bouncing.
For some its throwing on some team merchandise, sitting on the wings watching some good – and sometimes not so good – football and really being part of your team.
For some it’s the extras – the after match functions, the futsal days and the family function.
For some it’s the feeling of being part of something, to be able to say I am Red and White, I am Yarraside and defend your colours against the travelling support.
For some it’s the game itself, an offering of good football on home soil. We as lifetime football fans can finally attend a great standard of game on our weekends, analyse and dissect every part of it, have a drink or two, share some banter with those sitting around us. We can celebrate when we win and discuss why we lost.

For some its being able to be involved in something from the start. My fiancée and I joined with a B-reserve seat early enough to ensure we got the view I’ve always preferred to watch games from, slightly in to the wing from the corner and high enough to see the whole field but close enough to the pitch to hear the refs tell the players off. We can keep these seats for life. One day tell my kids I sat in this very seat when Sibon scored the first Heart goal at AAMI Park against Perth Glory, when Kalmar scored the only goal in our first home win, when Worm made that brilliant cross for Terra right in front of us for him to poke home the winner against the Victory in the first derby When Aloisi scored his final professional goal Yarrside end. That I joined Red & White Unite at The Imperial when we watched our first ever away game. That I travelled to Adelaide and saw Worm head in the first Heart goal from a Heart player in a 5 goal thriller on a cold night at Hindmarsh. The foundation members and supporters. The inaugural season. We were there.

Really though, these are really just by products of a bigger picture. Or maybe they’re just the features that make it up. The foundation, though, is in the Heart shield. This club will, over its very long future ahead, see players come and go, see sponsors change and kits altered, see the youth players grow and leave for greener pastures, see our elder statesman move on after leaving their mark… and sometimes going on to join our staff behind the scenes.

But the supporters, the true ones with Heart, we stay supporting. We’ll see some great wins, we’ll be on the end of some shocking losses, but we’ll forever be there, forever Red and White.

And that’s really why we’re here. We love this sport and we have fallen in love with our team.

All Heart? I am.