Reader 'Happy' put us on to this. They miss a few of our chances, and the video's not much chop, but it's better than nothing I suppose.
Showing posts with label Albirex Niigata (S-League). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Albirex Niigata (S-League). Show all posts
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Sunday, 12 June 2011
South out of 2011 Singapore Cup - Albirex Niigata 3 South Melbourne 0
Everything I am relating is from the info gleaned via the radio broadcast.
South Melbourne fell at the first hurdle of their second Singapore Cup campaign, going down 3-0 to the S-League's Albirex Niigata.
Albirex seemed to control the tempo of the game, and were the better organised throughout the contest, as well as making fewer mistakes. Their superior fitness certainly came across as well.
Albirex took the lead in about the 24th minute, after South had apparently matched it with the White Swans up until that point. Thereafter Albirex seemed to dominate, and it was thanks to Zaim Zeneli in goal that the score didn't blow out earlier than it did.
Despite this, South still had its moments, in the early parts of the game and after withstanding a lengthy bout of pressure in the second half, where Stephen Weir and Jesse Krncevic in particular had chances to score - the latter hitting the post from a corner which would have made the score 1-1.
Eventually, needing to push numbers forward, South was left exposed, and conceded two late goals. It was perhaps no more than Albirex deserved however, and not being able to hurt the home side on the scoreboard meant that increasingly South would be on the backfoot.
For South, Daniel Vasilevski seemed to be controlling the early parts of the game, but then faded out; Jesse Krncevic had his share of chances but couldn't capitalise; Sebastian Petrovich continued his poor run of form; Junior de Carmago also seemed to struggle; Zaim Zeneli seemed to spare our blushes on quite a few occasions; Carl Recchia seemed to be involved in much of the play, though his effectiveness was unclear; while most of the other players seemed to not feature too much either negatively or positively.
After managing to impress last season in both the first round and quarter finals, this was a bad loss, and one that sadly felt inevitable. Partly this was due to our poor domestic form; partly due to being so ill-prepared squad wise; and partly due to running into a better opponent this time around.
Having not won a domestic title since 2006, one wonders if the entire concept of a Singapore trip will be looked at in a lesser light next year. Sure, there was and is a buzz in getting away from our own dead end league and playing in another dead end comp overseas, but if it's come at the expense of local trophies, people will rightly ask if it's worth it. No doubt something to ponder for all concerned.
The promise of a radio broadcast was fulfilled, however there were several issues with that service. It seemed that several people using the live streamed service had that cut out and were unable to regain it. More problematic for those who were able to maintain access was the difficulty in assigning commentary duties.
The press release made the claim that the commentary would be in English, with periodic Greek updates; what actually happened was that the commentary seemed to change every ten to fifteen minutes between an English language commentator (George Triantos), and a Greek language commentator (3XY's Kosta Paterakis).
This came across as just plain confusing to people who could understand both, such as myself, and utterly disorienting to those of our fans who don't understand Greek. Somehow I felt we would have solved these issues by now, but I now realise I've been kidding myself. It was better in the second half, as Triantos did more of the calling duties, but still, Pateraki performed extended bouts of commentary duties.
All in all, a disappointing night, capping off a disappointing week. A huge match coming up against the Oakleigh Cannons at 'home' on Sunday. Despite everything that has happened so far this season, we are somehow still not far behind the VPL leaders. If anything positive is to come out of this disappointing week, it'll be that we have no more distractions and nothing else to aim for but a VPL title.
South Melbourne fell at the first hurdle of their second Singapore Cup campaign, going down 3-0 to the S-League's Albirex Niigata.
Albirex seemed to control the tempo of the game, and were the better organised throughout the contest, as well as making fewer mistakes. Their superior fitness certainly came across as well.
Albirex took the lead in about the 24th minute, after South had apparently matched it with the White Swans up until that point. Thereafter Albirex seemed to dominate, and it was thanks to Zaim Zeneli in goal that the score didn't blow out earlier than it did.
Despite this, South still had its moments, in the early parts of the game and after withstanding a lengthy bout of pressure in the second half, where Stephen Weir and Jesse Krncevic in particular had chances to score - the latter hitting the post from a corner which would have made the score 1-1.
Eventually, needing to push numbers forward, South was left exposed, and conceded two late goals. It was perhaps no more than Albirex deserved however, and not being able to hurt the home side on the scoreboard meant that increasingly South would be on the backfoot.
For South, Daniel Vasilevski seemed to be controlling the early parts of the game, but then faded out; Jesse Krncevic had his share of chances but couldn't capitalise; Sebastian Petrovich continued his poor run of form; Junior de Carmago also seemed to struggle; Zaim Zeneli seemed to spare our blushes on quite a few occasions; Carl Recchia seemed to be involved in much of the play, though his effectiveness was unclear; while most of the other players seemed to not feature too much either negatively or positively.
After managing to impress last season in both the first round and quarter finals, this was a bad loss, and one that sadly felt inevitable. Partly this was due to our poor domestic form; partly due to being so ill-prepared squad wise; and partly due to running into a better opponent this time around.
Having not won a domestic title since 2006, one wonders if the entire concept of a Singapore trip will be looked at in a lesser light next year. Sure, there was and is a buzz in getting away from our own dead end league and playing in another dead end comp overseas, but if it's come at the expense of local trophies, people will rightly ask if it's worth it. No doubt something to ponder for all concerned.
The promise of a radio broadcast was fulfilled, however there were several issues with that service. It seemed that several people using the live streamed service had that cut out and were unable to regain it. More problematic for those who were able to maintain access was the difficulty in assigning commentary duties.
The press release made the claim that the commentary would be in English, with periodic Greek updates; what actually happened was that the commentary seemed to change every ten to fifteen minutes between an English language commentator (George Triantos), and a Greek language commentator (3XY's Kosta Paterakis).
This came across as just plain confusing to people who could understand both, such as myself, and utterly disorienting to those of our fans who don't understand Greek. Somehow I felt we would have solved these issues by now, but I now realise I've been kidding myself. It was better in the second half, as Triantos did more of the calling duties, but still, Pateraki performed extended bouts of commentary duties.
All in all, a disappointing night, capping off a disappointing week. A huge match coming up against the Oakleigh Cannons at 'home' on Sunday. Despite everything that has happened so far this season, we are somehow still not far behind the VPL leaders. If anything positive is to come out of this disappointing week, it'll be that we have no more distractions and nothing else to aim for but a VPL title.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
South announces squad for Singapore Cup trip
Despite hitting a new low, there's little time for recriminations. While most clubs will be enjoying a weekend off, South will be traveling overseas to once again take part in the Singapore Cup.
The club has released details of the squad set to travel to Singapore on Friday. The boys will be playing the J-League club Albirex Niigata's S-League based feeder side. There's no Fernando (hamstring), no Payne (also hamstring) and no O'Dor (final law exams) - and only one goalkeeper. There are also injury concerns over several of the key personnel heading over there.
I'm not sure what to expect to be honest - our form has been poor for a few weeks now, and our opponents are an unknown quantity to me. The boys are apparently raring to go, so hopefully that counts for something. As usual, the entirely foreign weather conditions - a beyond stifling humidity in particular - will be just as big an obstacle to overcome.
The game is on this Sunday at 9:30pm Melbourne time (which is 7:30pm Singapore time), and the club is apparently looking to once more provide a live internet radio broadcast. South of the Border wishes the club and everyone heading over there all the best, and hopefully it's not two cups exited in the space of a week.
And can we at least not humiliate ourselves to a club with a mascot resembling Plucka Duck dressing up as a Japanese schoolgirl? Thanks.
2. Thomas Matthews (Defender)
5. Daniel Vasilevski (Midfielder)
6. Steven Topalovic (Midfielder)
8. Carl Recchia (Midfielder)
10. Kliment Taseski (Forward)
11. Jesse Krncevic (Forward)
14. Steven Weir (Forward)
16. Trent Waterson (Forward)
18. Marinos Gasparis (Midfielder)
20. Daniel Dragicevic (Forward)
21. Zaim Zeneli (Goalkeeper)
23. Sebastian Petrovich (Midfielder)
25. Kyle Joryeff (Forward)
33. Bobby Russell (Midfielder)
80. Meyer Carlos De Camargo Junior (Defender)
The club has released details of the squad set to travel to Singapore on Friday. The boys will be playing the J-League club Albirex Niigata's S-League based feeder side. There's no Fernando (hamstring), no Payne (also hamstring) and no O'Dor (final law exams) - and only one goalkeeper. There are also injury concerns over several of the key personnel heading over there.
I'm not sure what to expect to be honest - our form has been poor for a few weeks now, and our opponents are an unknown quantity to me. The boys are apparently raring to go, so hopefully that counts for something. As usual, the entirely foreign weather conditions - a beyond stifling humidity in particular - will be just as big an obstacle to overcome.The game is on this Sunday at 9:30pm Melbourne time (which is 7:30pm Singapore time), and the club is apparently looking to once more provide a live internet radio broadcast. South of the Border wishes the club and everyone heading over there all the best, and hopefully it's not two cups exited in the space of a week.
And can we at least not humiliate ourselves to a club with a mascot resembling Plucka Duck dressing up as a Japanese schoolgirl? Thanks.
2. Thomas Matthews (Defender)
5. Daniel Vasilevski (Midfielder)
6. Steven Topalovic (Midfielder)
8. Carl Recchia (Midfielder)
10. Kliment Taseski (Forward)
11. Jesse Krncevic (Forward)
14. Steven Weir (Forward)
16. Trent Waterson (Forward)
18. Marinos Gasparis (Midfielder)
20. Daniel Dragicevic (Forward)
21. Zaim Zeneli (Goalkeeper)
23. Sebastian Petrovich (Midfielder)
25. Kyle Joryeff (Forward)
33. Bobby Russell (Midfielder)
80. Meyer Carlos De Camargo Junior (Defender)
Monday, 16 May 2011
South in Singapore Cup in 2011
Well this year the lead up to our possible participation in this tournament has been very quiet. Nevertheless, our friend PoHui at the Bolasepako blog, and a recent comment by a reader known as 'Happy' have shown us that the draw has been made, and yes, we are in it once again.
Our first round opponent for this season is Albirex Niigata - no, not the J-League outfit, but rather one its Singapore based feeder team. Typically they've been a midtable finisher, and only one occasion have they progressed further than the quarter finals in this tournament. Still, it'll be a test for the lads again who must travel over there to the heat and humidity from the early hit of winter weather we've had this year.
Defending champions Bangkok Glass are not returning to defend their title - another Thai side, Pattaya United, has been invited however. The Young Lions, a sort of Singaporean youth development side that plays in the S-League, have opted out of the tournament due to conflicts in the schedule in the lead up to the SEA Games.
Their Malaysian counterparts, the Young Tigers, have taken their place it seems. In total there are five foreign sides (not including the foreign teams who play in the S-League), with Phnom Penh Crown also taking another stab at the tournament and Burmese side Okkthar United also playing. The draw does seem suspiciously slanted towards ensuring that a local team at least makes it to the final.
Still, that's not for us to worry about so much, as getting past the first round is the main thing. Our participation in this tournament however does bring up the matter of mid-season transfers. There've been rumours circulating that South's about to splash the cash around when the transfer window opens, with several VPL big names being linked to us.
If true, it is a chickening out of giving youth players a go? Probably. Wouldn't be the first team to have ever done that, but every time it does happen it just makes the youth development/new direction line seem hollow. Desperate attempt by Eddie (or by the people who hired Eddie, or the alleged real coach Joe Montemurro. Who is the actual coach?) to dig themselves out of a mid-season hole? Or could it be blended in with going for reinforcements just as this cup came along?
What do I know anyway? The first round kicks off in the week of June 6th. The date we play though is not confirmed at the time of print, as Singaporean football tends to have a game a day throughout the week.
Our first round opponent for this season is Albirex Niigata - no, not the J-League outfit, but rather one its Singapore based feeder team. Typically they've been a midtable finisher, and only one occasion have they progressed further than the quarter finals in this tournament. Still, it'll be a test for the lads again who must travel over there to the heat and humidity from the early hit of winter weather we've had this year.
Defending champions Bangkok Glass are not returning to defend their title - another Thai side, Pattaya United, has been invited however. The Young Lions, a sort of Singaporean youth development side that plays in the S-League, have opted out of the tournament due to conflicts in the schedule in the lead up to the SEA Games.
Their Malaysian counterparts, the Young Tigers, have taken their place it seems. In total there are five foreign sides (not including the foreign teams who play in the S-League), with Phnom Penh Crown also taking another stab at the tournament and Burmese side Okkthar United also playing. The draw does seem suspiciously slanted towards ensuring that a local team at least makes it to the final.
Still, that's not for us to worry about so much, as getting past the first round is the main thing. Our participation in this tournament however does bring up the matter of mid-season transfers. There've been rumours circulating that South's about to splash the cash around when the transfer window opens, with several VPL big names being linked to us.
If true, it is a chickening out of giving youth players a go? Probably. Wouldn't be the first team to have ever done that, but every time it does happen it just makes the youth development/new direction line seem hollow. Desperate attempt by Eddie (or by the people who hired Eddie, or the alleged real coach Joe Montemurro. Who is the actual coach?) to dig themselves out of a mid-season hole? Or could it be blended in with going for reinforcements just as this cup came along?
What do I know anyway? The first round kicks off in the week of June 6th. The date we play though is not confirmed at the time of print, as Singaporean football tends to have a game a day throughout the week.
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