SO who is the best coach in the A-League now?

Lavicka is supposedly the A-League's new coaching maestro. Apparently he has this incredible computer monitoring program in place at SFC, where he doesn't even need to attend training sessions because all the on-field stats and cardiographic data are fed straight into his brain or something. He sits in a bunker deep below Moore Park, where the old zoo tunnels run, editing individualised video clips so his minions can show players exactly how bad they are.

Meanwhile, Miron's working up a sweat, running around the training paddock with a whistle around his neck, rain, hail or shine. He knows his boys like the back of his hand. Lavicka might be a world class coach, but Miron has travelled the world to bring his team together. The difference shows.

They said Miron Bleiberg couldn't recruit quality players. They said he was addicted to attack, and would be found out at the back. They said his off-field 'histrionics' would unsettle his squad. Yeah, they've said a whole lot of things about Gold Coast United, and they have all been proven wrong.

Tactically, Sydney were supposed to put on an exhibition at Skilled Park. With Jason Culina in Korea, all they had to do was cut off the supply to Smeltz. Easy, right?

Instead it was John Aloisi dancing around with his arms in the air, pleading for a pass. Lavicka's midfielders were battling their way through a hornet's nest of gold-striped socks and boots, barely able to raise their eyes towards the goal box.

Even after Joel Porter left the field, Gold Coast's attack never missed a beat. The constant pressure on Sydney's defence was rewarded when Smeltz snapped up Kisel's panicked back-pass. The game was in the bag. Whoo ha!

But then, two goals up, we took our foot off the pedal. They said Gold Coast United couldn't win without Jason Culina, and we nearly proved them right. I can understand the boys were tired, because it takes a lot of energy to play Miron's style of game. But that flat period was where we let Sydney back into the game, and that's where I think Culina - screaming and shouting and leading by example - would have made a difference.

It's also fair to say that a bigger home crowd might have made a difference at that stage, lifting our players when their legs were tiring. But I am not too worried about that right now, and neither is anybody else up this way. There were 35,000 people in Brisbane watching rugby that night, a Lions AFL game was on TV, and the Titans are still waiting for the first finals series. 'Nuff said.

While our eternal critics seize on these minor issues, I'd rather focus on the positives. Our boys have shown a lot of character and team spirit from Day One. They were undefeated in trial games before Culina arrived, and they've shown that founding spirit still burns strong. They have continued winning matches at home and away despite minimal crowd support, and their confidence can only grow as local support builds.

Bravo, Miron, and bravo, lads. Well done!

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Finally, if only to prove I am not a totally one-eyed nut job, let me say two things.

Firstly, nor forgetting the round one fiasco, thanks to the FFA for giving us so few other home games early in the season. At first I thought this was a big negative, but now it looks like a blessing in disguise. By the time we start playing regularly at Skilled Park, the AFL and NRL seasons will be yesterday's fish-wrappings. And we should have a decent surface.

Secondly, Matt Osman. Why on earth did Miron sign this guy? I've tried to be polite, assuming Bleiberg saw something I couldn't see, but now I'm thinking he was the only player we could squeeze under the salary cap. I counted about twenty Osman touches in the first half and at least fifteen of them were terrible. Yes, he put in a couple of good crosses, one of which lead to a goal, but that was it. The rest of the time, he was just giving away possession. Am I the only one who breathed a huge sigh of relief when he was substituted? Prove me wrong, Matt. Please!!!

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PS: The Gold Coast Youth Team, which still has not been officially announced, will be playing the curtain-raiser in Perth next weekend. Expect some mid-week news, and some extra value for your buck on Sunday!