BEST

Hindmarsh a City of Churches haven

13,000 under usual circumstances is nothing to write home about. But given Adelaide's striking woes, hit-and-miss form and the ongoing Marco Kurz saga, a close-to-capacity crowd is a decent feat for Reds fans.

The atmosphere that creates at Hindmarsh clearly has a mammoth effect on an otherwise notably underpowered squad - you only needed to take a glance at Ben Halloran chasing down every ball to see that.

It's no wonder either. Hindmarsh is simply a beautiful location to watch football and as a tradeoff to its smaller size, encapsulates a little more character and, perhaps, a little more soul than the likes of AAMI Park.

No contract? No problem

Since announcing he's got no future at the Reds, Kurz has arguably been a better coach. Go figure. 

Sure, you could argue that his squad - which has reportedly been disheartened at the news of his departure - is simply trying to prove the new owner(s) wrong. But if they loved him so much, surely they wouldn't wait until he gets the flick to start rewarding Adelaide crowds?

The facts remain that over the past few weeks, Adelaide has significantly improved defensively. They look incredibly well organised - easily one of the best shut-out teams in the league. If you cast your mind back to a few defensive shockers (that thriller against Brisbane, anyone?) you'll see just how far they've come.

There have also been a few choice attacking selections on the German gaffers' part - the sudden brilliant inclusion of Stamatetopoulos against the Nix, the use of Halloran tonight - almost as if he's finally resigned to his striking outfit and has decided to get the best out of them.

It's cynical sure, and there's no doubt the FFA Cup winner is a quality coach. But here's hoping he's not just pulling out all the stops for his CV. At the very least, we'd love to see his next gig in the A-League.