เท่าที่อ่านดูก็ชมทางบุรีรัมย์
แล้วก็ตำหนิทีม Brisbane Roar ว่ายังชนะบุรีรัมย์ไม่ได้
ก็ยังไม่ดีพอที่จะไปประมือกับ FC Seoul, Vegalta Sendai หรือ Jiangsu Sainty
ใครเก่งภาษาอังกฤษก็ช่วยแปลหน่อยนะครับ
เอามาจาก web ของสโมสร Brisbane Roar
http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/02/15/the-a-league-is-not-as-strong-as-wed-like/
Deceiving yourself is easy when you have nothing to compare to. But Brisbane Roar’s ACL shoot-out exit at the hands of Thai side Buriram United suggests the A-League is not quite as strong as we would like.
Going into the match, it seemed few Roar fans were optimistic their team could beat the reigning Thai FA Cup holders.
Even with Buriram being months out of season, the Roar’s most recent morale-sapping loss to Sydney FC left many pondering how they could possibly bounce back against a hungry Thai opponent.
Speaking to former Thai Port and TTM Phichit assistant coach Nathan Hall before the match, he highlighted Brisbane’s need to take the game to their opponents if they were to have any hope of winning.
They pointedly failed to do so, but even the staunchest of Roar fans couldn’t help but have been impressed by the speed and intensity with which Buriram played their football.
From the kick-off it looked like it was Brisbane who were the team out of season, as the Thais constantly kept the A-League champions on the back foot with their up-tempo pressing game and ability to surge forward at any moment.
It was Roar goalkeeper Michael Theo who kept the visitors in the game and Buriram were desperately unlucky not to have sealed victory before the 120 minutes were up, particularly when Swiss-born defender Charyl Chappuis slid a skidding shot just wide seconds before the end of extra-time.
Buriram were the better side throughout and it would have been an injustice to see them lose on penalties, a fact goalkeeper Siwarak seemed to have taken on board.
From the moment he pulled off a Mark Schwarzer-esque save to deny Thomas Broich, Buriram always had the momentum in the shoot-out.
Their spot-kick takers were ice cold but what was most interesting to watch was Siwarak’s joyous, if not rather effeminate, spinning celebration after each penalty save.
It was an illustration of just how different football can be in other parts of the world from a goalkeeper who proved you don’t have to be a hulking giant to be effective between the posts.
And it highlighted that as much as the A-League is improving, so too are most of the leagues throughout Asia.
Granted Buriram, along with Muangthong United, are the most professional of Thailand’s top-flight clubs, but the simple fact is that every one of their players looked as comfortable on the ball as their Australian counterparts.
We talk often about the quality of foreign imports like Broich and Besart Berisha, yet Chappuis and Osmar more than had their measure.
To put it bluntly, Brisbane Roar were certainly no better than the team which finished fourth in the Thai Premier League last season, just like they were no better than FC Tokyo or eventual champions Ulsan Hyundai in last year’s Champions League.
Having said all that, the Roar were dealt a tough hand by the fact last weekend’s NRL All-Star game forced them to concede home advantage to the Thais.
Had it been Buriram forced to endure the long nine-hour flight rather than Brisbane, the outcome of the game may have been different.
Although many fans have criticised Football Federation Australia for failing to accommodate the Roar, the truth is it tends to be on a case by case basis by which various other Asian leagues help out their own teams.
And if the Roar aren’t good enough to beat Buriram in a single-leg playoff, chances are they’re not good enough to beat FC Seoul, Vegalta Sendai or the wonderfully named Jiangsu Sainty either.
On a final note, it’s hard to see Mike Mulvey retaining his job for much longer.
When tasked with the challenge of inspiring the Roar, the end result was simply proof that the A-League is perhaps not quite the standard we all wished it was.
Mike Tuckerman is a Sydney-born journalist and lifelong football fan. After lengthy stints watching the beautiful game in Germany and Japan, he has settled in Brisbane and has been a Roar columnist since December 2008. Follow Mike on twitter @Mike_Tuckerman
The A-League is not as strong as we would like
แล้วก็ตำหนิทีม Brisbane Roar ว่ายังชนะบุรีรัมย์ไม่ได้
ก็ยังไม่ดีพอที่จะไปประมือกับ FC Seoul, Vegalta Sendai หรือ Jiangsu Sainty
ใครเก่งภาษาอังกฤษก็ช่วยแปลหน่อยนะครับ
เอามาจาก web ของสโมสร Brisbane Roar
http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/02/15/the-a-league-is-not-as-strong-as-wed-like/
Deceiving yourself is easy when you have nothing to compare to. But Brisbane Roar’s ACL shoot-out exit at the hands of Thai side Buriram United suggests the A-League is not quite as strong as we would like.
Going into the match, it seemed few Roar fans were optimistic their team could beat the reigning Thai FA Cup holders.
Even with Buriram being months out of season, the Roar’s most recent morale-sapping loss to Sydney FC left many pondering how they could possibly bounce back against a hungry Thai opponent.
Speaking to former Thai Port and TTM Phichit assistant coach Nathan Hall before the match, he highlighted Brisbane’s need to take the game to their opponents if they were to have any hope of winning.
They pointedly failed to do so, but even the staunchest of Roar fans couldn’t help but have been impressed by the speed and intensity with which Buriram played their football.
From the kick-off it looked like it was Brisbane who were the team out of season, as the Thais constantly kept the A-League champions on the back foot with their up-tempo pressing game and ability to surge forward at any moment.
It was Roar goalkeeper Michael Theo who kept the visitors in the game and Buriram were desperately unlucky not to have sealed victory before the 120 minutes were up, particularly when Swiss-born defender Charyl Chappuis slid a skidding shot just wide seconds before the end of extra-time.
Buriram were the better side throughout and it would have been an injustice to see them lose on penalties, a fact goalkeeper Siwarak seemed to have taken on board.
From the moment he pulled off a Mark Schwarzer-esque save to deny Thomas Broich, Buriram always had the momentum in the shoot-out.
Their spot-kick takers were ice cold but what was most interesting to watch was Siwarak’s joyous, if not rather effeminate, spinning celebration after each penalty save.
It was an illustration of just how different football can be in other parts of the world from a goalkeeper who proved you don’t have to be a hulking giant to be effective between the posts.
And it highlighted that as much as the A-League is improving, so too are most of the leagues throughout Asia.
Granted Buriram, along with Muangthong United, are the most professional of Thailand’s top-flight clubs, but the simple fact is that every one of their players looked as comfortable on the ball as their Australian counterparts.
We talk often about the quality of foreign imports like Broich and Besart Berisha, yet Chappuis and Osmar more than had their measure.
To put it bluntly, Brisbane Roar were certainly no better than the team which finished fourth in the Thai Premier League last season, just like they were no better than FC Tokyo or eventual champions Ulsan Hyundai in last year’s Champions League.
Having said all that, the Roar were dealt a tough hand by the fact last weekend’s NRL All-Star game forced them to concede home advantage to the Thais.
Had it been Buriram forced to endure the long nine-hour flight rather than Brisbane, the outcome of the game may have been different.
Although many fans have criticised Football Federation Australia for failing to accommodate the Roar, the truth is it tends to be on a case by case basis by which various other Asian leagues help out their own teams.
And if the Roar aren’t good enough to beat Buriram in a single-leg playoff, chances are they’re not good enough to beat FC Seoul, Vegalta Sendai or the wonderfully named Jiangsu Sainty either.
On a final note, it’s hard to see Mike Mulvey retaining his job for much longer.
When tasked with the challenge of inspiring the Roar, the end result was simply proof that the A-League is perhaps not quite the standard we all wished it was.
Mike Tuckerman is a Sydney-born journalist and lifelong football fan. After lengthy stints watching the beautiful game in Germany and Japan, he has settled in Brisbane and has been a Roar columnist since December 2008. Follow Mike on twitter @Mike_Tuckerman