Sydney Should Steer Clear of Arnold

It is probably too late - it seems that Sydney FC have pursued Graham Arnold for months, and the Mariners' exit from the A League finals will loosen Arnold's ties to the Central Coast.

But for what it's worth, this is a plea to the club - do not hire Graham Arnold.

The case for Arnold is simple. The former Socceroo player and manager has led an unfancied and cheaply assembled Mariners outfit to a grand final and a Premier's Plate in two seasons. He has promoted several young players who have blossomed into budding stars. Arnold's Mariners have mostly dominated the Lavicka-led Sydney FC. And while Arnold's A League coaching record is second only to Ange Postecoglou, Arnold is the better-credentialed coach as he is a rare Australian-born manager with international and Asian experience.

With Postecoglou either Melbourne-bound or staying in Brisbane, Arnold looks like the obvious choice. But he is not the man that Sydney need.

Even if all that an Arnold era promises came true - if Sydney FC won the league - they would win ugly. And winning ugly is a pass mark in the A League's toughest market.

Viteslav Lavicka was respected for his acumen and decency, but his style of football saw the club shed members when losses mounted. Even the premiership season was witnessed by an average amount of fans.

With Lavicka heading home, the A League limping into an off-season and Sydney rudderless at front office, Sydney FC need success. They need an inspired choice who will commit to playing attacking football, not a man who plays the admirably dogged Daniel McBreen at number 10 and whose tactics attract 7,500 fans to an elimination final.

Sydney need someone who can communicate with the city and seduce those former members who have severed ties. Graham Arnold has strengths but communication is not one of them.

The final factor is less obvious but no less important. Sydney FC is a club diametrically different to the Mariners in culture, profile and expectation. Sydney FC have Socceroos and marquees where the Mariners have a small-town ethos (and Arnold's record at managing Socceroos is aging, but not encouraging). Sydney is the bling football club in a city that ignores domestic football, while the Mariners are the only fish in a much smaller pond. And while Mariners fans delight in surpassing expectations, Sydney players are slowly boiled in them.

Graham Arnold has proved himself as an excellent coach and his achievement at the Mariners is undoubted. But football repeatedly shows that success at one club does not guarantee the same elsewhere.

Winning ugly is the minimum that Sydney demands and a pass mark will not do it anymore. Sydney FC have bled fans since season one, and while the club's immediate future is assured, it is time for Sydney to strive for success.

Sadly this devilish dilemma comes at the worst possible time. Sydney's acting CEO Stefan Kamasz is caught in the vice. He needs to find a coach so the roster can be filled before Western Sydney and other clubs sweep up the best Australians. But if he makes the wrong appointment, Sydney will suffer a worse fate - for every coach or CEO that departs, members decide their dollars are better spent elsewhere.

Former CEO Dirk Melton had a hit list lined up but one wonders if Kamasz has had the time to look overseas. I have no suggestions for him. But the club should look further than Arnold.

Mariners Rattle and Roll Over Sydney

Sydney FC's Socceroo-laden side was out-muscled, then out-hustled, and finally out-played on Saturday night. Central Coast were good value for their 3-2 win and Sydney FC must ponder some hard questions if they are to challenge for the title that "Football's Capital" surely deserves.

When Terry McFlynn left the field, perhaps succumbing to injury, perhaps to a tactical decision by Viteslav Lavicka, promising 17-year-old Terry Antonis was left to mind Daniel McBreen and a fierce Mariners outfit. Graham Arnold's side allowed Sydney a measure of harmless possession, then sharked at Mark Bridge whenever he received the ball at his feet.

The Mariners' winning goals were born from textbook transition play and when Arnold subbed McBreen for the wily Musti Amini a tiring Antonis was overwhelmed and eventually hooked. The youngster may have been overworked after Young Socceroos duties. Maybe he just had a shocker. Neither explanation should be surprising at Antonis' age, but Hiro Moriyasu might have been brought on earlier to stem the tide.

Antonis was far from Sydney's worst on a fairly forgettable night. Star marquee Brett Emerton endured a pretty average first half and was unable to shrug off Central Coast's disciplined defensive pattern. Like Antonis, Emerton should improve after a week's rest.

Michael Beauchamp was schooled by Matt Simon. Beauchamp was once selected for the Socceroos for his strength in the air and immovability on the ground. He was unable to win a header in the second half and his list of errors is starting to lengthen. Seb Ryall might start to fancy his chances of a recall at centre back, though that would leave a short Sydney team even more susceptible at set pieces.

Chris Coyne and Terry McFlynn did the dirty work, but Coyne did not take strong options with the ball at his feet and some of the passing from Sydney's "water carriers" was woeful. McFlynn was missed in the second half, particularly when the second goal was clipped in from the spot while Antonis was nowhere to be seen. Sydney will hope their captain can recover quickly - he provides the muscle that an A League competitor seems to need.

Mark Bridge seems to pop up in all the right places and then butcher all the best chances. He has never scored prolifically and is as likely to balloon a simple chance before playing an exquisite pass. Bridge failed at 10 last year and is, so far, failing at no 9. Bruno Cazarine is a man of slow feet and heavy touch but backs himself to score. Bridge fits better with Sydney's aspirations of play, but Bruno has scored 10 goals in 28 games. Bridge has 27 in 116.

Liam Reddy and Scott Jamieson built on their strong campaigns so far. Nicky Carle continues to impress but still seems more comfortable when he has more than one passing option in front of him. How to fit Carle, Emerton, Kisel, McFlynn and Antonis into a midfield diamond remains Lavicka's biggest dilemma. Right now he has decided to play his two marquee men out of position. Such a decision could be described as "courageous".

Game 25 - Sydney FC 1 vs Melbourne Victory 1 - 15/01/11

Melbourne had three of the five clear cut chances in this enthralling match but Sydney should have dominated a contest so full of hope and despair that Juho Makela's equalizing goal was, for a good two seconds after it hit the net, too good to be believed by half the crowd.

Sydney raced back to the halfway line ball in hand and buoyed by stunned supporters, somehow believing that after failing to score for 91 minutes, they could thrash one into the net in 90 seconds. Too little, too late for Viteslav Lavicka, who will be lucky to survive the week.

Finals football was a forlorn hope after the devastating draw with the Fury back in October's three-game stretch. Last night's failure has cut the cord. Sydney are six points back and have played two more games than the sixth-placed Jets.

The case against Sydney FC is simple. If you can't beat your biggest rivals when they are missing four of their best five outfield players, when you are playing in front of your biggest home crowd, when you have 16 shots at goal in the first half, then you don't deserve to play in the finals.

At halftime I wrote: "The game has the feel of a Sydney FC training run with everyone missing their shots. I fear a sucker punch."

If Juho Makela was fit to start, the Sky Blues would have won the match. If Alex Brosque was fit to play it would have been a rout. If Hiro Moriyasu's shot had slid inside the post, if Dimitri Petratos had even touched the ball...

A title defence should not depend on wishes or sentiment. Sydney have drawn or lost 19 out of 25 games this season. That the Sky Blues have a mathematical chance of finals football is an insult to other sides.

Judging by last night's glorious first half what hurts the most is what might have been. Sydney flew at Melbourne unburdened by the doubts that have crippled this campaign.  Melbourne had the two best chances of the half but it seemed a moot point, such was Sydney's dominance.

The first 45 minutes were encapsulated by one Sydney movement when Nicky Carle rode a challenge then back-heeled the ball to kick off a raid that ended in a shot off target. Carle dominated the first half in the same way that he dominated the opening game of the season. How Sydney have suffered under the poor form of Mark Bridge.

Melbourne were desperate to slow the game down but still had the best chances of the first 45. Stephan Keller inexplicably decided to let a sliding cross roll past him along the six yard box and straight onto Danny Allsopp's boot, and Liam Reddy was lucky to see a feeble header spring from Matt Jurman's last-ditch challenge on Allsopp, whose movement troubled Sydney's back two all night.

By the 35th minute some Sydney players were getting restless. Bruno Cazarine put in more petulance than workrate and Juho Makela's drifting runs were a welcome addition after he came on for Hiro Moriyasu at the 55th minute. If Alex Brosque returns, Big Bruno will be lucky to keep his place. Stephan Keller's 80th minute shot from near the centre circle was selfish, stupid and hardly the thing to invigorate his supporters or his side. Skipper Terry McFlynn should not be allowing this sort of thing.

Nicky Carle deserved his man of the match award but his detractors (and there are many) will quite rightly point out that he failed to place a shot on target and that his cross to Makela may well have been a mis-cued shot. He was also peripheral in the first fifteen minutes of the second half when Sydney's passing was comical at best and atrocious at worst. McFlynn and Bruno, then Byun and Makela made pathetic efforts to attack down the right hand side and Carle should have demanded the ball to restore Sydney's possession.

All that said, Carle played in Petratos for what should have been a certain goal, put the ball right onto Makela's foot for his strike and tore Melbourne to shreds in the first 45. Things are looking up for what will be a very tough Asian Champions League campaign.

18-year-old Dimitri Petratos has played in four different positions: across midfield and as a support striker. He ran himself into the ground last night but looks most at home with players in front of him. The air swing was poor and but hopefully his confidence is shored up strong foundations. Does Viteslav Lavicka have the wherewithal to slot Petratos back into midfield before he has too much time to dwell on his miss? Time will tell.

Which brings us to the boss himself. If the Sydney board show the ruthlessness of their predecessors then this failure - and it is a failure - should be Czechmate for Lavicka.

It depends on the players. If they have lost all confidence in Lavicka then he should be congratulated for last season and retired. The first half performance does not indicate that things have degenerated that far. But Lavicka seems unable to improve the team at halftime which is when a manager should be at his best.

Few managers have enjoyed this much patience from a board. Lavicka has recruited the wrong replacements for the wrong departures, has stuck with the the wrong tactics at the wrong times and failed to shore up the confidence of a previously dominant and swaggering team.

One more game without a win should seal his departure. If the looming "mid-January" board meeting comes before Sunday's game against the high-flying Mariner, Lavicka may not get even that chance.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention was the fantastic contribution from The Cove. They were in amazing form with another brilliant tifo, and here's hoping everyone comes back for the final game of the season against the Phoenix next month. If you missed it, here's a link I snagged from parkingthebus on Twitter.

Game 17 - Sydney FC 3 vs Wellington Phoenix 1 - 02/12/10

The four thousand hardy souls who ventured to the SFS on a wet and windy Wednesday night witnessed the possible birth of a new footballing star.

Terry Antonis only played for half an hour but he controlled the midfield with enthusiasm and daring. He ran at players with the ball at his feet, turned during his first touch despite the bucketing rain, took the initiative with a long range shot and most importantly - passed decisively, elegantly and forwards despite playing in the middle of a veritable monsoon.

Antonis played in Mark Bridge for Bridge's own drought-breaking goal and linked well with fellow super-sub Dimitri Petratos. If those two continue to improve Sydney have a pair of real prospects in their ranks.

Stuart Musialik must be wondering where he fits into Sydney's future as his contract winds down. Terry McFlynn is a defensive midfielder at heart and his status as skipper ensures his selection. Hiro Moriyasu is a box to box defensive type and was recently re-signed. Rhyan Grant has played junior international football and clearly has Lavicka's favour. Brendan Gan slotted in nicely on the right side of the diamond, though still fails to inspire complete confidence.

With Petratos growing into a deep-lying playmaker role and Musialik's selection anything but the sure thing it was last season, we may see Disco Stu head for safer pastures at the end of the season. It would be sad to see him go - at his best he offers far more than McFlynn, who maintains his spot thanks to Sydney's overall lack of aggression.

The match itself was a corker - and thanks to our Harbour City's allergic reaction to rain, I missed the first 35 minutes due to traffic jams. It boasted 26 shots - three of which hit the post - and four goals of high drama, if not high quality.

Bridge looked to be level as Antonis released him for his well-taken goal but Seb Ryall's handball for Sydney's third strike was as blatant as they come. Dylan Macallister's late goal was anything but a consolation as Wellington looked the marginally better side and finished far stronger than Sydney.

The Sky Blues reverted to some familiar bad habits after taking the lead. When opposing fullbacks push forward for a constructed overlap, Bridge in particular will often track back to within metres of a challenge but then not follow his man despite Sydney's left back committing to the opposing winger.

Sydney have been caught out by simple overlaps down the line time and time again this season and Wellington only failed to earn a point due to poor delivery. Kiwi crosses often found a sole Sydney defender with Phoenix strikers lurking to either side. When Sydney did have numbers back their marking was woefully poor and players failed to track fullbacks or close down Phoenix players as they pinged in crosses from deep.

If Sydney fail to cover these areas against the Mariners then expect an aerial bombardment aimed at their physically dynamic strikers. Of course, if Sydney are drawn too wide then Graham Arnold will direct his number 10 to drift into space.

The strikers must take responsibility for closing this increasingly obvious gap in Sydney's defensive set up. Bridge and Brosque need to track back and actually follow their man, not just get six feet behind the ball and wait for the opposition to lose it.

Sydney can take a lot from this match. The celebration with The Cove has returned with some welcome swagger on the ball. Scott Jamieson battled well before succumbing to illness and fatigue. Gan played well, Ryall was everywhere, Brosque and Bridge scored well-taken goals and Bridge in particular put in another impressive overall contribution. Hopefully some of Antonis's enthusiasm will encourage Bridge to pass first-time against the Mariners.

On the downside the delivery from Shannon Cole and Jamieson from wide areas was as rare as it was appalling, Hiro was largely anonymous, Ivan Necevski's distribution failed to improve and only Antonis had the wherewithal to test Mark Paston from distance in atrocious conditions (and did so weakly). But Sydney's inconsistency remains the biggest concern. Sydney take an even contest and find five minutes of beautiful passing football, but remain unable to wrest back the initiative when their opponent has the upper hand.

Sydney are playing below the Mariner's level, will be exhausted after a tough match in heavy rain and can only hope that the Mariner's are still in shock after the Roar savaged them 5-1. It is far more likely that Central Coast will be desperate to beat their rivals in front of their fans and salvage some pride. A point may be a good result.

Game 4 - Sydney FC 1 vs Central Coast Mariners 1 - 28/8/2010

Sydney FC is a club in trouble, but the boss has again sounded the right notes of calm and reflection. Whether he meant to describe his players as "frustrated" and not "frustrating" is another question.

It is too early to abandon talk of a title defence but far too soon for players to lose their heads. Saturday’s (frankly disappointing) home crowd had bought the right to boo referee Matthew Breeze, but the amount of dissent on the field was understandable and not excusable. We pay to sing, cheer good play and occasionally boo bad football. The Sky Blues are paid to play football and should have gotten on with it.

Last season Sydney FC collectively dominated their opponent. Now they bitch and moan, often to each other, and did so long before Breeze’s latest bungle spoiled Saturday night’s emotional derby against Central Coast.

But before examining Sydney FC, let’s bag the ref. I am grateful to every person who becomes a referee, but as Jesse Fink so rightly put it, for the FFA to honour Breeze’s 100^th game after the final whistle was high farce. How the referee and linesmen combined to miss the Mariners’ handball, award the penalty and send off Liam Reddy must be explained. Obviously any keeper in that situation risks giving away a spotkick but Reddy was far from the last man, Perez was not heading “towards goal”, and it was demonstrably not a “clear goalscoring opportunity” after Perez kicked the ball away from goal and towards onrushing defenders.

To add acid to the wound Sydney will rightfully argue Nicky Carle should have won a penalty for a push in the back just minutes earlier.

The tragic fact is that this game underlined the saddest and most cast-iron convention in football: if you are fouled in the box, you must fall over or you will never win a penalty.

Forget video replays, forget retrospective punishments: give teams a chance to get a spotkick honestly and they might just stop falling over in disgraceful fashion.

Breeze said of his milestone: “Like a player, these achievements are nice at the time and I’m sure I will look back on moments like this with fondness.”

“Like a player”? We can liken Breeze to Clayton Zane, another Australian whose game went downhill after his first sniff of Confederations Cup glory.

As for Sydney: they were soporific. Last season Sydney kept the ball while simultaneously teasing the opposition out of position. This season they seem out of sync with each other, and the old warning bells were ringing as Stephen Keller dispatched numerous long balls to the least likely target on the field, the subdued Kofi Danning. Seb Ryall put in a solid performance and after Keller’s wastefulness on the ball and timidity off it when the Mariners played long, Lavicka must consider putting in Hayden Foxe to improve the side’s direction from the back.

Scott Jamieson looks a promising player but a natural left back and he and Byun are not yet gelling. While Danning looks destined to return to the bench, it will be interesting to see who loses their place to Terry McFlynn and (hopefully) Alex Brosque after Rhyan Grant’s impressive performance.

Stuart Musialik again coughed up the odd cataclysmic error, particularly early on, and though Sydney were not defensively poor and dominated the first half, they are a long way from the imperious performances of last season.

Sydney’s problems really appear when they have the ball. The Sky Blues are being harried and denied the space and confidence to play to their plan. The opening game against Melbourne game now seems to reveal the depths to which both squads have fallen, and not the heights which they will regularly achieve.

Nicky Carle, so dominant in that game, was sorely underused and no other Sydney player was willing to turn on the ball despite the space that was often available. Mark Bridge now seems more likely to score five goals a season than 15 and Lavicka must hope his new Brazilian can supply a bigger threat. Kofi Danning looked like anything but a striker and the Sydney midfield was again full of enterprise and short of ideas.

No Sky Blue seemed to think about testing the Mariners’ 18-year-old debutant keeper from range. No cross seemed likely to find a target or test the nerves of young Matthew Ryan, until Rhyan Grant’s goal, which was celebrated like a 30-yard match winner and not a barely-earned gift. Few passes were delivered with pace or invention and the red card robbed Lavicka of his chance to switch things up in the second half.

Give Graham Arnold his due. He compressed the Mariners around the centre circle and dared Sydney to release Danning’s pace with an incisive pass. When Sydney could not produce it, they took to the air in the second half and the Mariners were more than their match. Perez is undoubtedly an exciting prospect and Central Coast can take their place as a definite finals threat.

Sydney dominated the stats until the sending off, but their only goal was a gift and they threatened through deflections and errors more than purpose and poise.

One of the compensating pleasures for A League fans shorn of world class talent is to watch the game evolve season by season. It appears that this vintage of the A League has moved on markedly and Sydney FC is swinging in the breeze.

Lavicka’s men have been worked out. Their next challenge is: don’t panic.