Concerns - Blacktown City 4-2 Sydney Olympic

Gabbie Stadium is not a place you want to be heading to at the best of times. So having to travel there today without a win to our name this season, made it that much more worse. By the end of the match those concerns were justified, as we conceded 4 soft goals to lose 4-2.

In the 1^st half we started off well and looked OK out there, we were at least looking dangerous with the ball and we were creating chances. Harris Gaitatzis had two very good opportunities to score, but it was not to be. William Angel also had a good chance and Adrian Vranic in his first start for the team, was working hard and looking threatening. With around 10 minutes before half-time, it was with dismay to see Blacktown break down their right hand side and were allowed to deliver a simple cross, resulting in a tap-in goal for them. The rest of the half was fairly quiet and our play seemed to suffer a bit in the closing stages, we were slow with the ball and looked a little disjointed, we looked frazzled.

So, into the 2^nd half and things were definitely not all lost. We were down 1-0 but we didn’t deserve to be and we were creating enough chances to suggest that we could most certainly pull level, at the very least. So it was with bewilderment that only 5 minutes into the 2^nd half the coaching staff in their wisdom, decided to take off our only striker and bring on a midfielder. Within 5 minutes of this substitution we copped two soft goals, again from Blacktown’s right hand side. All of a sudden we were 3-0 down and the match was effectively all over. Defensive lapses had cost us. With around 20 minutes to go we got on the board via nice headed goal from Niko Tsattalios, we gave ourselves a sniff of a miracle. After the goal we made our last 2 substitutions, one of which included the removal of Harris Gaitatzis from the field, which bemused many. 5 minutes before full-time Blacktown scored their 4^th to kill the match off. In injury time we scored a tap in via Mark Cindric to make the score 4-2, and that is the way the match ended.

Firstly, I want to say that we definitely had the capabilities to win this match, in fact we should have. To come away with the score-line looking as if we had just copped a thrashing is concerning. Some of the things I saw from my view in the Grandstand at Gabbie Stadium in terms of tactics and substitutions were nothing short of mind boggling.

Hooking your striker who was having a pretty good debut when the score was 0-1 and replacing him with a midfielder needs explaining.

Taking off one of your main attacking threats when you have just pulled a goal back and looked like a comeback might be on was disillusioning.

Playing somebody at left-back who has never ever played there before and leaving him up against accomplished attackers in this league is puzzling.

Also the sight of people getting in each other’s way throughout the match does not fill people with confidence.

To add to the current negative vibes, we are also losing every week in the 18’s and 20’s, so all round it does not look good for Sydney Olympic at this stage. Yes we are only 3 rounds into the season, but as we all know, the team who finishes last on the Club Championship (a combination of the results of 1^st Grade, 20’s and 18‘s) gets relegated. Do I need to mention Marconi???

I know this blog will sound very negative to many, but I and many other supporters are very pissed off with what we’re seeing, especially what happened out at Blacktown today.

Next week, it does not get any easier with a trip to Seymour Shaw Park to take on the Sutherland Sharks next Saturday night, kickoff will be 6.30pm.