Pre Season Challenge: Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory Match Thread

[Ray Nolan]

All discussion for the Group A Pre Season Challenge match between Melbourne Victory & Perth Glory may be posted on this thread. It will be stickied until next Tuesday.

 

[ManWithNoName]

This should be good. Our first home game, and hopefully I'll be getting my membership there. Looking forward to seeing the boys first hand, and seeing Kevin Muscat run around in Victory colours for the first time.

 

[weagles_fan]

When is this game?

 

[thewhippersnapper]

When is this game?

SATURDAY 30TH JULY 2005
7pm Kickoff
Pre-Season Challenge
Melbourne Victory vs Perth Glory
Olympic Park
Swan Street, Melbourne

 

[weagles_fan]

SATURDAY 30TH JULY 2005
7pm Kickoff
Pre-Season Challenge
Melbourne Victory vs Perth Glory
Olympic Park
Swan Street, Melbourne

Cheers

 

[Lowie01]

Hopefully there'll be a few thousand there - unfortunately I won't be one of them, but hope to do a double-header Saturday week and see the Adelaide game (can't have them taking over our joint!).

 

[MACDAICOS]

This should be good. Our first home game, and hopefully I'll be getting my membership there. Looking forward to seeing the boys first hand, and seeing Kevin Muscat run around in Victory colours for the first time.

You joined our UNION supporters club yet bud?

www.melbournevictory.net

 

[Dasher39]

Midfield the key for Victory
By Michael Lynch
July 29, 2005

Melbourne Victory will make three changes to the starting line-up that turned in a Jekyll and Hyde performance in its 1-1 draw with Newcastle when it hosts Perth Glory at its Olympic Park home in its first match at the venue tomorrow night.

Skipper Kevin Muscat, the Socceroo defender, will come in at right-back in place of Daniel Piorkowski for his first competitive match with the club.

Carl Recchia, a versatile 20-year-old, will make his first start in the A-League's pre-season cup when he comes in at left-back in place of Chris Tadrosse.

Coach Ernie Merrick has been true to his word and has alternated his goalkeepers, giving Michael Theoklitos a run in place of Eugene Galekovic, who made his Victory debut last Friday.

Much-travelled midfielder-cum-forward Andy Vlahos will also see some action in the second half.

Melbourne allowed Newcastle to take the initiative last week, with its midfield failing to stamp its authority on the game in the first half, losing possession too often.

It was a different story in the second period, when Michael Ferrante and Kristian Sarkies asserted themselves and Melbourne dominated the game.

Merrick is confident that the team will repeat its second-half performance from the start tomorrow night.

"I thought our defence was solid and our strikers looked very dangerous (last week) but we didn't click from the start in midfield," Merrick said.

"This week we are aiming to get it right right from the start. Every game is important from the point of view of getting good practice before the league proper kicks off."

The fact that this is the club's first home game did not add to the burden, Merrick said.

"The pressure is not going to change anything. You are always under pressure to perform. Ultimately results are the most important thing and they are what we are judged on."

Former West Ham player Ferrante and company will have to keep a close eye on the key player in Perth's midfield, Socceroo Simon Colosimo.

The plan will be to deny him the chance to settle and create chances for the visitor's potent forward line that will be led by veteran striker Bobby Despotovski.

"If we play the way we did in the second half, we will win the league," Ferrante said after a training session yesterday.

"A few things clicked, it was the first time the whole team has played. If we play the way we did in the first half, we will come last."

For utility Recchia, the last player signed to Victory's 19-man roster, selection in the starting line-up is a reward for a strong performance off the bench seven days ago when he replaced the injured Daniel Piorkowski at right-back.

Merrick is keen to use the cup games to determine the adaptability of his largely youthful squad. "At this stage the plan is to try players in different positions," he said.

The draw

Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory.
A-League pre-season cup. Group A. Olympic Park, 7pm, tomorrow. Radio: 88.3 Southern FM
Melbourne Victory: Michael Theoklitos (gk); Kevin Muscat, Mark Byrnes, Geoffrey Claeys, Carl Recchia; Steve Pantelidis, Michael Ferrante, Kristian Sarkies; Archie Thompson, Daniel Allsop, Richard Kitzbichler.

Perth Glory (likely team): Milan Jovanic (gk); Jamie Coyne, Ante Kovacevic, Jamie Harnwell, Scott Miller; Simon Colosimo, Hiroyuki Ishida, Billy Celeski; Nick Ward, Bobby Despotovski, Naum Sekulovski.


Today: Adelaide United v Newcastle Jets, 7.30pm

Tomorrow: New Zealand Knights v Queensland Roar; Central Coast v Sydney FC.

 

[GOALden Hawk]

Can't make it this week but will be at the Adelaide game, really looking forward to it. Sent my membership off today.

Question - where are the Melbourne supporters planning to stand on the terraces? The Southern or Northern End?

 

[MACDAICOS]

Can't make it this week but will be at the Adelaide game, really looking forward to it. Sent my membership off today.

Question - where are the Melbourne supporters planning to stand on the terraces? The Southern or Northern End?

Swan St side mate, PM me and i'll tell you where meeting for a pre and post drinks.

 

[ManWithNoName]

You joined our UNION supporters club yet bud?

www.melbournevictory.net

$30? I'm poor!! I'm getting a membership so the money goes into the club (and so I get free admittance). Meh, consider me the unofficial Melbourne Victory.....guy on Big Footy.

 

[MACDAICOS]

$30? I'm poor!! I'm getting a membership so the money goes into the club (and so I get free admittance). Meh, consider me the unofficial Melbourne Victory.....guy on Big Footy.

Fair enough but all the lads are Victory members as well as UNION members. Anyway we will be Swan St side behind goals and will remain there for every home match.

 

[ManWithNoName]

59th minute
Melbourne Victory 0-0 Perth Glory

I'm ********ed I couldn't go.

 

[ManWithNoName]

ARCHIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Victory win 1-Nil

ARCHIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ray Nolan]

THOMPSON GIVES VICTORY UPPER HAND IN GROUP A

Saturday 30 July 2005


Qantas Socceroo Archie Thompson scored his second goal in as many matches, to give Melbourne Victory the upper hand in Group A of the Hyundai Pre-Season Cup. Thompson (pictured right) scored the only goal in the win over Perth Glory at Olympic Park in Melbourne.

The 60th minute winner was beautifully struck by Thompson over the head of Perth keeper Jason Petkovic, who was finally cleared by the Turkish Federation to play in this match.

The victory has given Melbourne the upper hand in its group and now needs just a draw in its final group game against Adelaide to advance to the semi finals. Melbourne is on four points, Newcastle Jets and Adelaide United are on two points, while Perth has one point.

The goal by Thompson was just reward for a dominant second half performance by Victory.

Four minutes before the goal, Thompson set the alarm bells ringing when he struck the post with a shot, while three minutes after the goal, Geoffrey Claeys saw a header cleared off the line.

Perth almost kept the trend of draws in the Group A going, when Henry Fa’Arodo twice had chances in the last five minutes. His first effort, a lob, just sailed over the bar and then the second forced a diving save from Victory keeper Michael Theoklitos.

More than 4500 spectators turned out for tonight's match.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ya beggars, we wanted that 0-0 draw. See y'all in Tardistan next Saturday, winner takes all & we're coming for 3 points!

 

[sainter]

So far so good.

I thought $20 for a general admission ticket to a pre-season match (more than an AFL home and away match) was a bit much. Especially when this is the time that they should be trying to attract supporters to games.

Still, great to get off to a winning start and that will hopefully do wonders for the clubs profile.

 

[MACDAICOS]

Good start by the lad's good support with the union squad in full voice

 

[GOALden Hawk]

Sounds like the support was very good and the quality of the match as well.

Apparently about half the tickets were 'returns' as people were buying memberships, which is a great sign.

Geoff Lord was concerned that mostly Anglo-Saxons were there, but this might take a bit longer. Greeks I can understand but why wouldn't the Italian population get behind Victory?

Anyway, I'm definitely heading along on Saturday.

 

[MACDAICOS]

Sounds like the support was very good and the quality of the match as well.

Apparently about half the tickets were 'returns' as people were buying memberships, which is a great sign.

Geoff Lord was concerned that mostly Anglo-Saxons were there, but this might take a bit longer. Greeks I can understand but why wouldn't the Italian population get behind Victory?

Anyway, I'm definitely heading along on Saturday.

New union site up and running! a little bit of action last last SAT night.
www.victoryfans.com