Super exciting and somewhat stressful
Jan. 26th, 2011 09:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dzurladySo this year I have started following both Melbourne Heart and the league they play in, Australia's Hyundai A-league.
There are six finals spots and the race for the last two is reaaaally close! The fifth to eighth placed teams were all separated by a point, got slightly spread out again, and then came back to being a point apart, where they have stayed for the past month or more (can't remember exactly) with only some slight shifting in the rankings. (ETA: Victory won their match tonight, moving them slightly away from everyone else.)
Here is the current ranking:
5th: Melbourne Victory -34 37 points.
6th: Melbourne Heart - 33 points. <- this is my team. \o/ Heart is a new team and we have done really well for our first season!
7th: Wellington Phoenix - 32 points.
8th: Newcastle Jets - 31 points.
(For context, first is Brisbane Roar, having a cracker of a season with 56 points and currently on 22 games unbeaten in a row (thus equalling the Australian record); last is North Queensland Fury, facing bankruptcy and on 19 points. This really has been a very exciting season. Full ladder here.)
So Melbourne Heart have a chance of getting into the finals, but it will be tough!
For my benefit, a breakdown of the upcoming games for all four teams.
Victory
Four games to go:
1.Last placed North Queensland Fury. (Currently being played; they are one nil up and I will be very surprised if they don't win.) Won 3-0.
2. 4th placed Gold Coast United
3. 8th placed Newcastle Jets
4. 3rd placed Adelaide United.
Victory are pretty well placed; they are currently in the lead and have some reasonable games, although all their opponents are pretty well fired up. But AU and GCU will be strong, with Adelaide trying to get into the top two, and the Jets are out for all the points they can get, trying to reach the finals. They have less games to play than Phoenix and the Jets, which means less chances for points but more time to rest between games.
Heart
Three games to go, including some tricky ones:
1. 1st placed Brisbane Roar
2. 2nd placed Central Coast Mariners (4th Feb, at home)
3. 9th placed Sydney FC (12th Feb, also at home, if anyone wants to come along for the last match of the regular season)
Since Roar are on top of the ladder and need to win this game to get the record for most games unbeaten in a row, I think it is unlikely we will win. On the other hand, one of their key players has just left for the Korean league and another is currently playing with the Socceroos in the Asian Cup. Fingers crossed for a draw. Central Coast will probably be tough; hopefully we will beat Sydney. But anything can happen. We're probably in the weakest position of all teams, since we have less games and some tough opponents, but that does mean we will be more rested when we play.
Phoenix
Four games to go:
1. 8th placed Newcastle Jets
2. 3rd placed Adelaide United
3. 9th placed Sydney FC
4. Last placed North Queensland Fury
Clearly things are looking good for Phoenix.
Jets
Five games to go:
1. 7th placed Wellington Phoenix
2. 5th placed Melbourne Victory
3. 9th placed Sydney FC
4. 10th placed Perth Glory
5. 2nd placed Central Coast Mariners
Not quite as good as Phoenix; more games equals more tiredness, and their games are a bit harder.
There are six finals spots and the race for the last two is reaaaally close! The fifth to eighth placed teams were all separated by a point, got slightly spread out again, and then came back to being a point apart, where they have stayed for the past month or more (can't remember exactly) with only some slight shifting in the rankings. (ETA: Victory won their match tonight, moving them slightly away from everyone else.)
Here is the current ranking:
5th: Melbourne Victory -
6th: Melbourne Heart - 33 points. <- this is my team. \o/ Heart is a new team and we have done really well for our first season!
7th: Wellington Phoenix - 32 points.
8th: Newcastle Jets - 31 points.
(For context, first is Brisbane Roar, having a cracker of a season with 56 points and currently on 22 games unbeaten in a row (thus equalling the Australian record); last is North Queensland Fury, facing bankruptcy and on 19 points. This really has been a very exciting season. Full ladder here.)
So Melbourne Heart have a chance of getting into the finals, but it will be tough!
For my benefit, a breakdown of the upcoming games for all four teams.
Victory
Four games to go:
1.
2. 4th placed Gold Coast United
3. 8th placed Newcastle Jets
4. 3rd placed Adelaide United.
Victory are pretty well placed; they are currently in the lead and have some reasonable games, although all their opponents are pretty well fired up. But AU and GCU will be strong, with Adelaide trying to get into the top two, and the Jets are out for all the points they can get, trying to reach the finals. They have less games to play than Phoenix and the Jets, which means less chances for points but more time to rest between games.
Heart
Three games to go, including some tricky ones:
1. 1st placed Brisbane Roar
2. 2nd placed Central Coast Mariners (4th Feb, at home)
3. 9th placed Sydney FC (12th Feb, also at home, if anyone wants to come along for the last match of the regular season)
Since Roar are on top of the ladder and need to win this game to get the record for most games unbeaten in a row, I think it is unlikely we will win. On the other hand, one of their key players has just left for the Korean league and another is currently playing with the Socceroos in the Asian Cup. Fingers crossed for a draw. Central Coast will probably be tough; hopefully we will beat Sydney. But anything can happen. We're probably in the weakest position of all teams, since we have less games and some tough opponents, but that does mean we will be more rested when we play.
Phoenix
Four games to go:
1. 8th placed Newcastle Jets
2. 3rd placed Adelaide United
3. 9th placed Sydney FC
4. Last placed North Queensland Fury
Clearly things are looking good for Phoenix.
Jets
Five games to go:
1. 7th placed Wellington Phoenix
2. 5th placed Melbourne Victory
3. 9th placed Sydney FC
4. 10th placed Perth Glory
5. 2nd placed Central Coast Mariners
Not quite as good as Phoenix; more games equals more tiredness, and their games are a bit harder.