Blog: No Bias Here. Oh No.

IF YOU can’t get your arse down to watch your team that is sitting on top of the table as they take on the defending champions on a beautiful Saturday night then I guess there’s no helping you.

Maybe "The Beach" got blown away in another one of those dust storms, because I can think of no other explanation as to why only 5,000 people would turn up for what was one of the matches of the season so far.

They whined and moaned that they didn't get the first game of the season at home but after the pathetic turnout of a little over 5,000 people to Saturday night's match you would have to think that the FFA got it right way back in Round One.

But I digress; I should be concentrating on the performance of Melbourne and THAT goal. And I'm not talking about the Kevin Muscat penalty - I'll come to that later. I'm talking about THAT Carlos Hernandez goal and I am sure the five thousand that did turn out to see it are probably still talking about it.

Numerous times in the past I have professed my man love for Carlos Hernandez and quite frankly you people out there are probably quite sick of it but when you witness a goal such as that no words are really needed. Stupendous! Golazo! Unbelievable! Amazing! Mindboggling! I guess I lied.

But whilst I profess my man love, in contrast Jess Vanstratten must surely have nightmares about Carlos Hernandez. For the second time in as many clashes against the Costa Rican midfielder, he has been left flapping as Hernandez has let fly from a considerable distance. Here's hoping he makes it three from three next time they meet.

Before I get to THAT other talking point it was also great to see Merrick give some of the youngsters some serious game time in what was a high-pressure situation. And for me, both Robbie Kruse and Mate Dugandzic impressed me with their performances.

There is now the distinct possibility that you can see them both adding that width to our game that every Melbourne fan seems to crave. But as I say, when you've got Hernandez in the middle of the park, the only width you need is his considerable posterior.

Oh and one other thing, before I get to THAT penalty, what was with the ordinary surface at Skilled Park? Surely when you have a team that plays the ball so well on the deck, you would come up with a surface that would suit them. But no, you get a surface that makes Etihad Stadium look lush. It's almost as disgraceful as the crowd figure.

And now finally to THAT penalty. Here are my thoughts on it in no particular order. Yes, Muscat does run the A-League and don't you forget it. No, I couldn't believe Muscat could miss a penalty by that much. Yes, it couldn't have happened against a better team (well maybe Sydney or Adelaide). Yes, Peter Green did get it right. And no, I'm not biased at all.