Roar 2 v CCM 4

The Roar off season focus on attack and neglect of defence has come to roost. A-League teams are usually built from the defence forward.

After two games of domination and no result, the Roar either had to show their striking talent has teeth or face the consequences of an off night. The Central Coast defence was a solid wall. There was no way through for the Roar, and both Roar goals came from spot kicks.

At the other end the Roar defence clearly has some holes to fill. But worse than that CCM played negative long ball counter attack all night and their speed and strength made it highly successful.

For the Roar Sergio Van Dijk is starting to look like a Marcus Wedau style mistake - was there too much of the idea of a Dutch striker and not enough of the reality check of the physicality of the A-league? Strangly I read in the paper that he said that the A-League pays players a lot of money. Well I think the Roar pays him a lot. He just isn't strong enough it is as simple as that. He is too weak in the air. He can't run fast enough.

Meanwhile, Reinaldo and Miller are the Roar's strongest players but have an inadequate target man to bounce the ball off.

Overall the Roar remind of their season one team - not mature enough to win penalties and free kicks when fouled, pushed off the ball when goal bound.

And the defence - young Matt Simon made them look slow and foolish, as did MacMaster.

It will be interesting to see how the Roar respond. We don't want to be left behind with Perth and Wellington as not quite there.

The Emperor's New Clothes

Mark Bosnich is over-weight and finds it difficult to more around the field. Fortunately for Central Coast he was only provided two tests tonight. One a Charlie Miller free kick for which he did not move. The second a professional foul in which he dragged down a Roar striker. Bizarrely, the ref gave the penalty but no card. Frank Farina appeared to query the match referee on that one.

Bosnich is taking the spot of some promising young keepers. Further, he didn't add a person to the game crowd. In my view, he is very unlikely to win any sought of keeping contract in Europe. It seems like we have been sold hype and wind. Through the game he seems hyperactive, constantly leaving his penalty area. Towards the end of the game Bosnich appeared punch drunk and staggered around his box.

He opened up well acting like the star, even changing the match ball for an apparently better one.

What a waste.

Ashes? Adelaide 3 v Wellington 0

Where did the team that came 2nd in the pre-season go?

Wellington joins Newcastle as a team in trouble. Durante and McKain just are not fixing the defensive holes. If fact, in the last two games they have looked worse at the back than last year. And Kwasnik looks like a different player. Does he want to live in NZ? Maybe CCM, and Newcastle in Durante's case, knew something they weren't telling us. And we know the Roar looked closely at the returning McKain. Yet these players are not on journeyman pay packets.

Wellington's other ex-Brisbane Striker Smeltz (born in Germany, NZ nationality) was in bed with the flu. Lailai Gao played a good solo hand but rare combined. In fact Wellington struggled to put 3 passes together and relied on the long ball game without much chasing up front.

Daniel came on as sub but the game was gone by then. The 3rd of Wellington's ex-Brisbane Strikers - Karl Dodd - was also subbed in late - hasn't he put on weight. Fox were rallying around Riki Herbert but something isn't functioning at this club. There seems to be a lack of passion, commitment and any sought of system or even organisation.

I'm not that convinced by Adelaide's performance, just the resistance wasn't there. Yet the two teams that got Asian Champions time look to be doing the work so far.

After tomorrow we may know more as Perth faces a major test against Sydney. Are Sydney as good as Melbourne? I don't think so. And the Roar must prove their potential by beating Bosnich.

Victory 5 v Jets 0

Bremner makes it 5 with his first touch. A drilled muligruber from outside the box. Huge amounts of space allow Melbourne to deploy 4 strikers.

Jets in disarray.

Three Quarter time at the Telstra Dome - Rapant Victory 4 v Jets 0

Allsopp has picked up 2 more. Plus a deliberate hand ball in the penalty box missed by the ref. Jets look Jaded.

Half Time: Victory 2 v Jets 0: Attack Attack

So far its been end to end but Victory look just too good. Thompson came on after about 20mins with an injury to Thwait. And Melbourne look like they are all strikers. Fab and Thompson have scored but it could easily have been 4, with misses from Hernandes (not Nay Fab) and Vargas put a point blank header into Covic's knee.

Zora has been dropped from the Jets starting team. Hakansson also looks disappointing and fighting to keep up.

The Roar are now 'Charlie's boys'

Roar radio promotion has switched to highlight former Scotland international Charlie Miller. For good reason, so far he is a revelation. He brings the same level of class to the A-League that Sydney fans saw in Dwight Yorke.

He always looks like he could score.