It's been another bizarre week in the world of Adelaide United.
A vastly re-vamped team managed to scrape together a win over Brisbane up at Suncorp, against the odds and against the stats. For once the planets aligned and the football gods were smiling.
Going into the game though, I certainly wasn't smiling - in fact I was feeling peeved. Football fans have rights and I was feeling that mine had been breached. As a paid-up member of the club I deserved better.
My grievance? The fact that four senior players could be left out of the team without a hint of a proper explanation from the club. Mark Rudan, Robbie Cornthwaite, Adam Hughes and Lucas Pantelis were suddenly gone, dead and buried, with no reasons given.
"Maybe if we gloss over it the fans won't notice that the four are missing". Give me a break.
Quite simply - it's not good enough. The fans deserve better. They are rightfully owed a degree of transparency and honesty, especially when the club is seated on the bottom.
None of the four players in question played in the youth league match either so what exactly was the issue? Were they injured? Did they all need a rest? Was there a disciplinary problem? Are they all part of some strange religious cult that demanded they take the weekend off to engage in a sacrificial ceremony?
It's difficult to imagine they were simply dropped because of form, especially in the cases of Rudan and Cornthwaite. Whilst not setting the world on fire they have certainly been steady at the back. And anyway, many of the problems have been at the attacking end.
I don't have issue with Viddie leaving players out, for whatever reason, in fact I was happy to see him change the squad over a bit. What I have a problem with though is being treated like an idiot and as though I don't matter enough to know the true reasons behind what is a fairly major changeover of players.
So c'mon Viddie - a bit more transparency wouldn't go astray. Treat the fans with some respect.
I have a sixth sense that it's in your best interest to do so.
