I had originally planned to talk this week about Victory's inability to find the back of the net especially in light of their third consecutive 0-0 draw on the weekend but I feel there is another issue which needs addressing. And that is the constant sniping that surrounds Carlos Hernandez and more specifically his weight - an issue that seems to fascinate opposition fans.
To be brutally honest, I shouldn't be responding to this kind of talk but I've finally got to the point where it has annoyed me enough that I feel the need to vent my considerable spleen.
Firstly let's look at some facts, because I love facts and they do tell you a lot. Plus they are much more reliable than the assertions of football fans and people like me.
Fact No.1: Carlos Hernandez weighs 70kg and is a 170cms tall according to his Melbourne Victory profile. That makes for a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 24.2, which is well within a healthy BMI range for a person of his stature. And when you meet in him person, as I did a number of weeks ago, it is quite clear that he is not overweight.
Football is not all being a super athlete as some people like to think and Hernandez is a perfect example of where a huge amount of skill can take you. Being able to run around a lot as a lot does not a footballer make. If that were the case even I would be tearing up the A-League.
Fact No.2: Carlos Hernandez has played 807 minutes this year in nine matches so far this season. Breaking it down for the mathematically challenged out there, it means that he has played all but three minutes of football this season. Compare that to last year where he played 2479 minutes of football in twenty-eight matches for an average of 88.53 minutes per game. Not bad an effort for a guy is "supposedly 5-10kgs overweight".
Fact No.3: Carlos Hernandez has had 40 attempts on goal this season with 12 of those being on target. Compare that to his first season, where in 20 games he had 48 attempts on goal for the whole season. Also of worthy comparison is that last season he had 111 attempts, 46 of which were on target. I'll let you do the mathematics but his lack of goals is not from want of trying.
Last season was one to remember for Hernandez, scoring 13 goals and making nine assists, in the process carrying Melbourne to the brink of a Championship/Premiership double and taking out the Johnny Warren Medal along the way. To put it bluntly it was a phenomenal season, a season worthy of the record transfer fee that was paid for him.
With that in mind it was always going to be difficult for Hernandez to back up a season like that, especially with expectations from Victory fans being so high of a repeat performance. But his performances this season are not down to him being overweight as critics like to point, it's simply a player who is lacking the confidence that he had last year.
A few weeks back I had the pleasure of meeting Carlos Hernandez and after overcoming my severe man crush, we had a brief chat. One of the questions I asked him was whether or not he felt any extra pressure following his exploits of last season. Whilst he himself admitted that he felt no added pressure, it is quite clear from an outsider's perspective, it is definitely having some effect.
Would the Carlos Hernandez of last year have snatched at both those gilt edged chances that he had against Newcastle on Saturday night? I severely doubt it, but the difference is not because he is suffering from being overweight but from the weight of expectation placed upon him. With the absence of Archie Thompson and the settling in period of Ricardinho there is an added expectation for Hernandez to score goals that he didn't necessarily have last year.
So let's all lay off El Zorro and his weight and let's all appreciate what he has and will give to the A-League because as all you opposition fans know, the longer he goes without scoring, the more likely he is going to score against your team.
