IN ANY other reputable league, Kevin Muscat would be serving yet another lengthy suspension.

Sadly, the man and the club that employs him has honed his persecution complex to such a fine edge that the FFA now considers him a protected species, giving him free rein to inject his thuggery into any match as he sees fit. 

Intentionally kicking any player on the ground should result in an immediate suspension from A-League football, as it does in any other code or league that I can think of.  It was the latest sorry act of a sad and pathetic lower league "hard man" that has no place in this or any decent league.

It's now at a stage where Blind Freddie can see it coming.   Unfortunately for whoever Muscat kicks next, it appears that no action will be taken, which is nearly as predictable as the incident itself.

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It's probably not surprising that Kevin Muscat resorted to his usual war-crimes; the devastation that Sydney FC wrought upon the Melbourne team would, in other circumstances, have resulted in UN intervention.  

It was a complete destruction, of the most satisfying kind.

For good measure we then salted their lumpy and oddly shaped ground, with the sweat of men who knew that they could run harder, faster and longer than their opponents.  A comprehensive victory with a shutout to boot.

But I'm not going to talk much about the great goals, the searing pace, the laser like passing or the seemingly psychic intuition that seems to be developing between the crucial cogs of the Sydney machine.  What I like most about Sydney FC at the moment is that all of our players are standing up to be counted.

Every match we play has different heroes; this week Mark Bridge and Shannon Cole played out of their skin.  Last round it was Alex Brosque, Simon Colosimo and Terry McFlynn - all of whom backed up with more than solid games against Melbourne.

Cole in particular was fantastic. The uniformly narrow nature of Melbourne's game gave him the opportunity to bomb forward and support the midfield, which he did with aplomb.  His cross for Bridge's second goal appeared a work of art, but in truth was the product of the hard work he has done and the confidence that work brings.  Given that he only started because Keller was injured, it would have been a particularly satisfying performance for him.

I could say the same of the excellent Bridge and Brosque show upfront, or Steve Corica who worked his socks off as our creative fulcrum and has proven that he is still a 90 minute player (who possibly fills his water bottles from the fountain of youth), or the impregnable Simon Colosimo and Seb Ryall or... or...

Unlike season 1, where the team was routinely the supporting cast for the excellent Dwight Yorke show, here and now Lavicka's team is the star.  And it's still a work in progress, which is a fascinating and compelling prospect in itself.

 

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The next test is a wounded Adelaide - another traditional rival for Sydney FC.  Aurelio Vidmar's team is under fire from all quarters and will feel that beating Sydney would go a long way to restoring their standing.

Another performance like this from Lavicka's team will go a long way to convincing any remaining doubters of Sydney's title credentials.