"That's football"! It's an expression that gets dragged out more times than rain falls in London. It's a way of saying both, "Shit happens" and, "That's the most miraculous thing I've ever seen".  Football is a game that takes us to the lows and highs, along the way providing many involved with heartbreak and elation.

To suggest Adelaide have had a bad season is probably understating it. From top of the world (almost) last season to rock-bottom last? That's football. I doubt there was a single football analyst who predicted that would happen. It's been a tough year in the Red corner.

But even in the worst of times, there are bright moments. It's an endearing part of human nature to look for glimpses of light and signs of hope even when all seems lost. Adelaide fans have had an education in identifying gold amidst the dross this season.

In the case of Matthew Leckie, identifying gold hasn't been hard. Plucked from the VPL, Leckie has given Reds fans something to smile about.

It's not simply that he's fast, confident and skilful (although he is all these things), it's more to do with the fact that he genuinely seems to want to play football for us. He doesn't ever play as if he's in a losing team and he never stops fighting.

Adelaide's solitary goal on Friday night involved a beautiful layoff from Lloyd Owusu and a sweet finish from the slightly revived Travis Dodd but it was made by the amazing willingness of Leckie to run at players and trust himself. There was an element of luck in it indeed, but it was luck that Leckie had made himself.

Another moment I enjoyed almost as much was when he harried a CCM defender out near the corner post until he finally won a corner for us. Other players might put in some effort but Leckie plays like a red-cordial kid - he simply won't stop trying. It's inspirational to watch and, quite obviously for opposition players, bloody difficult to deal with.

Matthew, thanks for coming to Adelaide. Long may your star rise.

As is the way with the regenerative nature of existence, for every rise there is a fall. It gives me no pleasure to say that after 63 minutes of Saturday night's game my heart broke and I gave up on Viddie.

I know many of you reading this will be amazed that my faith in Aurelio has lasted this long but I'm a loyal fan and will never forget what Viddie managed last year. But enough is enough.  When you're chasing a game and you have your opponent back-pedalling you simply cannot change an attacking formation that is finally looking good and revert to a disastrous defensive mindset that has failed every test this season. Nor can you be excused for bringing on a player (Hughes) who adds nothing and stands to gain nothing more than the added humiliation of his own team's fans booing him.

What that decision told me was that Viddie no longer sees the game clearly. Or that he has given up. Or that his decision making is now so confused that he's a liability. It was the final straw.

Viddie is an Australian football legend and has a CV that most players would kill for. He's a man used to success and maybe that's the problem. Maybe he just can't see how to deal with failure. It doesn't matter anymore. He's lost the team. He's lost the fans. He's lost this blogger.

Too many mistakes, too little communication, too many bad signings, too many incomprehensible teamsheets. Too little faith in his players or his supporters. Too much, too little, too late - as the song goes.

Let me be clear about this. I will never boo Viddie. I will always be grateful to him for the good times. I wish him well. I harbour no personal animosity towards him - but I believe that, for the good of the club, it's time that we get a new manager. ASAP.

One star rises, another falls. The firmament changes but remains beautiful. And ours is the beautiful game.

(Steve Daughtry submits this blog in the hope that it might produce similar results to Shaun Hanns' MV blog of last week that inspired Robbie Kruse's hat-trick. But I won't be holding my breath.)