NO-ONE expected Gold Coast Utd to genuinely avoid defeat for the entire season. Dropping three points somewhere along the line was as predictable as the ill-constructed taunts that accompanied the result from certain critics of United.
Even the fact that it was Newcastle that toppled the early pace-setters was no great shock. The Jets might have been last season's wooden-spooners and outside of the fancied few in pre-season predictions but as a team with a talented coach, a strong squad and a generally impressive home record they might've felt rightly confident leading into the match.
The performance was a genuine cause for concern. Bleiberg's men were pressured and hassled and they failed to respond. The previously untouchable attacking forces of Culina, Porter and Smeltz were stifled. No-one stepped up to exploit the defensive focus on the trio. Gold Coast were not only brought back to realistic HAL standards, they were made to look like an A-League team with easily exploitable weaknesses and a general lack of creativity.
Whether there are or aren't excuses for the performance is not an issue. The reality is that all teams will have days where they don't perform. The commonly held belief, however, is that the best teams will get results even when they don't earn them. Gold Coast didn't look like getting any sort of result on Saturday and so for the first time an on-the-field question has been asked of United's title credentials.
Some argue that the loss was beneficial to Gold Coast in the long run. The argument is that the team was getting ahead of itself and starting to believe the hype. The reality check, it is said, will get the side's heads right for the upcoming top-of-the-table clash. While their may be some truth to this, I personally feel that the loss will be more likely to flatten the spirits of the squad than anything else.
Had United won the game against Newcastle despite the poor performance, it could've been a massive confidence boost. Winning a game despite the stars failing to fire would show that the squad is more than the stand-out performers in the team. It would show that the side could overcome adverse conditions and a hard-pressing opponent. It might've been the spark to bring the best out of the second tier players in the side.
Instead, United risk going into the Sydney match feeling like they need to force a performance out similar to those in the first three weeks. Unfortunately, performances like that can't be forced. They have to come naturally. Like an out-of-form batsman in cricket, Gold Coast might find themselves trying so hard to not get it wrong again that they forget to get it right. And on Sydney's early performances, any mental frailties of this kind by United will be seized upon and suddenly Gold Coast will be right back in the A-League pack.
Losing matches is a must for any football team. Recovering from a loss is a must for any football team with a hope of being successful. For the first time, Bleiberg and his side have been offered the chance to prove they have what it takes to recover from a poor performance. Unfortunately - or fortunately - they have the form side of the league to do so. How they view that opportunity might just prove the decisive factor in whether they can actually go out and perform like potential champions. Hopefully a sizeable home crowd can get behind them in what is shaping up to be a critical game in the short history of the club.
