LAST weekend's performance was simply stunning. I cannot recall the Mariners playing so well for a very long time.
It was a great team performance featuring some quality goals, and very solid defence and organisation.
Significantly, it was ‘attractive' football. Contrary to the general view that the Mariners win through stopping their opponent from playing and then looking to counterattack with unsophisticated long balls (a kind of Wimbledon lite), the Mariners did apply good pressure to the Gold Coast playmakers (Culina and Anderson) and then looked to control possession when they won the ball.
Statistics show they won 52% of possession, Sydney on the other hand in their victory over Newcastle only managed something like 47%. So what can we conclude from this? Are the purist FC fanboys now happy to lead the table despite winning ugly? I suspect they are.
Highlights for the Mariners were Travis, McGlinchey, Bojic and Macallister. As Ange Postecoglou observed on Fox Sports the other night, D-Mac needs to produce this sort of performance consistently. Assuming he stays injury free, and keeps getting decent game time I see no reason why he won't. His inconsistency seems to happen when he picks up injuries, and then doesn't start, or plays limited cameo type roles.
There was also confirmation this week that Altrincham defensive midfielder Matt Crowell has been signed for the remainder of the current season. Crowell is a Welsh youth international, and had previously made 93 appearances for League two side Wrexham.
McKinna has been keen to sign this guy since he trialled in Queensland with the team early in the pre-season, and was apparently quite impressive, however he was still under contract to Altrincham at the time.
So far, the contributions being made by McGlinchey, Travis and Doig suggest McKinna is in a rich vein of form in terms of identifying talent that presents value for money. Again I confess I was a critic of this low profile approach, but McKinna is again proving to be the master at making many of us eat our words.
Wolry Wolfe is the other new singing few of us have seen in action to date, although I understand his performances in the youth team have suggested he is not yet ready.
Two points behind joint leaders Sydney FC And Gold Coast see us really good shape going into the away game v Welly however the competition is very tight.
What has been frustrating is that until last week we have only ever really seen glimpses of what the team is capable of. Even the win v. Melbourne was more about pure determination than football.
The Mariners have now proven that they can be a complete football team.
As with many performances this season though, what dictates the overall quality of football seems to be largely confidence and attitude (not just with the Mariners). Execution relies on confidence as much as technique.
The Roar and Jets self destruction were good cases in point. Both of these teams were uncertain in defence and unable to compensate up front for their profligacy
The Mariners played with confidence last week, and this made a huge difference in playing the ball out from the back. They now need to make sure they temper their confidence, and not fall into the trap of lowering their intensity against Phoenix, who have burned them many times before.
This weekend, the Mariners are on the road against a side that has increasingly become a real bogey team in recent encounters.
English imports Ifill and Greenacre are both hardworking and effective strikers, and they abley supported by the skill and pace of Leo Bertos in attack. There is plenty of starch in midfield with Brown and McKain, and Durante is usually very solid at the back.
I fancy the Mariners will carry their good form on. I don't take Phoenix lightly, but if the Mariners can get near last weeks performance they will be very hard to beat.
