Another year of expert A-League predictions sees another year of the usual 'Mariners missing finals', 'low table finish' or 'wooden spoon' predictions from the ‘expert analysts'.

Look I know that someone has to come last and someone else has to come second last. However every year it seems to be that all the predictions from the usual suspects tip the Mariners to come last or at best in the bottom three. Yet year after year the Mariners have defied these predictions (well till last year when we had the eighth spot tied up). So why is it that year after year the analysts keep pushing the same lines:

  • Melbourne Victory are going to come top two (okay this is a pretty safe sort of comment so far).
  • Sydney FC are going to come top two (less safe over the A-league history).
  • Central Coast Mariners are going to come last (well so far this has been the most inaccurate prediction).

So given the success of the CCM so far in the short history of the A-League why do so many ‘expert analysts' write them off before a ball is kicked in anger? So far this year in pre-season trials the Mariners have only played the two teams that are tipped as the best two sides by many.

If the Mariners had been flogged (five goals or more in my books) by these teams I can understand some experts tipping the Mariners coming last. If Victory and the sky blues had beaten the Mariners I could understand a mid field finish prediction. However the Mariners drew both games so why are they not being hoisted to a top 4 or higher finish?

Now I have no doubt that the Victory fans and the Sydney fans will come-a-running from all over the FFT forums and tell me that their teams are not at full strength. They will say that this is just a pre-season kick around that means nothing.

But the truth of the matter is that the Mariners were also not at full strength for the games and they also were having a pre-season kick around. However unlike both the Victory and Sydney the Mariners have not only new players to gel but a new coaching staff as well. So given that this is the new Mariners line-up and coaching setup that has managed to draw both games with the top two teams from last season why would you predict a bottom two finish?

So why do the Central Coast Mariners FC administration not go into an overdrive PR campaign with the Australian football media to have the image and opinions about the club raised?

The simple answer is that the tag of underdogs sits well with the Mariners and many of their supporters. At the start of every season the media and punters discount the Mariners and write them off. This allows the Central Coast to get running at the start of the season without the weight of the world on their shoulders. It is easier to play the way you want (and here come the MV and SFC fans yet again to tell us the Mariners are boring and just a route 1 team) if no one expects you to win or even put up a show.

So I hope that yet again as in Season 1 and Season 3, the weight of expectation stays off the Mariners and they can make another run deep into the playoffs and maybe, just maybe get the result we missed on those two occasions.

Maybe the third time's the charm.

Go the Mariners to win the Golden Toilet Seat in 10/11.