I'M NOT going to pretend to know the ins and outs of Con Constantine’s reported tirade at numerous members of the Squadron on Sunday, but if the details scribed on au.fourfourtwo.com and newcastlefootball.net are correct, than I honestly fear for the future of OUR club.

I’ll leave it to my fellow blogger Nigel to delve into the dilemma later in the week, but the negative news sure did mar what should have been an enjoyable afternoon out for all. Well, all bar the six or so travelling Perth fans...

The weather was clement, the popular yet usually absent Kaz Patafta got a start and reports heading into the match were promising, with Ante Covic apparently a step closer to re-signing and an enquiry having supposedly been made to cult hero Milton Rodriguez regarding a return to the club.

Yep, the 2008/09 A-League campaign has been miserable. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not mistaking or justifying Sunday’s win as redemption for the painful performances that have preceded it, but the body language of the team showed me there’s still a lingering air of possibility within the side...something that says our ACL campaign could be, well, better (reinforcements pending).

True, there was nothing riding on the match bar a slither of pride, but the youngest side in A-League history showed in patches just what they are capable of. Without the Griffiths brothers, the departed Holland and North, as well as a host of injured players, the spare parts side put in an effort we should all have left EAS feeling proud of. First or last, a win’s a win.

Indeed, the headlines should have all been positive this week.

Fan favourites Matt Thompson and Tarek Elrich have won deserved selection to the National Team for the upcoming Asian Cup Qualifier against Indonesia, and we’re finally going about signing a player the right way by trialling ex-Novocastrian Jon Brady this week rather than snapping him up sight unseen.

Unfortunately, the negative news out of Sunday has and will continue to put a dampener on some of the things we can and should be looking forward to and reading about.

With the ACL fast approaching, question is; just what sort of mettle is this club made from, exactly?

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In the documentary series Height of Passion, a River Plate supporter claims he takes more enjoyment out of seeing arch-rivals Boca Juniors lose than he does watching his own club win.

I don’t exactly concur with this chap – I’d much rather see my team be victorious than any rival suffer defeat (actually, I’d prefer to see both) – but I can see what he’s getting at.

With the wooden spoon secured and nothing really tangible to gain from this weekends final round against Sydney FC away, I doubt there’s anything most Jets fans would rather see than our F3 foes fall foul and out of the four. It’d make most of our weeks (probably seasons!).

So, apologies to my fellow bloggers Julia, Mark and Arabella, but I hope it’s Jason and James from the Kiwi capital who are celebrating come Sunday night.