Beaten Up By The Thugs At Hypocrite United

By: Marcus | February 1st, 2010

I was looking forward to this top of the table clash, it looked to be an interesting affair with Archie missing but what unfolded was a disgrace.
I’m still seething.
A team accuses there opponents of ‘thuggery’ then the next week they are dishing it out. Hypocrites.

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Gold Coast United: 1 (Caravella 76)
Melbourne Victory: 0
Crowd: 7249 at Skilled Park

I’m not going to write a review of the game play, it was a free flowing encounter for opening 15 minutes before Robbie Kruse went out.
What I am going to do is vent my angry over the hacks called Gold Coast United and the stupidity of our captain.

Last week GCU fairly enough came out and labeled Central Coast ‘thugs’ after there match, after numerous incidents where CCM played the man rather than the ball.
In this weekends encounter against us though, you wouldn’t have thought they’d resort to that sort of game play. In a case of pot calling kettle black it took 13 minutes for GCU to destroy our game play with there thuggery.

Former Melbourne defender Steve Pantelidis was the chief instigator putting in several rash challenges in situations where he couldn’t win the ball, but his foulest play was hitting Robbie Kruse in the head before driving him into the turf and injuring Robbie’s AC joint in his shoulder.

The incidents
Gold Coast coach and fans alike came out and argued that Panta was targeted by Melbourne and that Kruse hit him then he retaliated. BULLSHIT. Firstly Kruse didn’t hit him, it was a case of the defence had just recovered the ball and a counter attack had started. Robbie tried to get past Panta who had both arms around him even though the ball was nowhere near them, Robbie tries to push him away and Panta cracks, elbowing him before making sure he hits the ground hard.
The game gets stopped but the referee’s didn’t see anything so there was no card issued, in an incident which should have seen the offending player get a straight red and his team go a man down, almost the opposite happened with Robbie unable to carry on and Melbourne playing 80 minutes with no striker on the field.

The next big incident was Kevin Muscat elbowing United captain Jason Culina in the head. At the time I didn’t think much of it but after the replay I was livid. Seriously Kev WHAT THE FUCK!?!??!?
When your at the business end of the season you would have thought the captain and most experienced player on the team would have looked to the next couple of weeks and thought, ok well even if we lose this we got a chance if we can win the next two games, I need to keep my head and get the team through this.
But no, not Kev. He keeps crossing the line, and this time it might not just cost him but it could cost the team.

The last incident was Shane Smeltz stomp on Langerak’s head. You can’t tell me that wasn’t deliberate, he knew exctly what he was doing and luckily for him he has got away with that cheap shot.

The Punishments
The Match Review Panel has handed out it suspensions to Panta and Muscat, Panta receiving 5 weeks for incident with Kruse while Muscat receives 2 weeks for his elbow.
Five weeks for Panta?!?! lets be brutally honest, that’s a farce. You can get 9 weeks for allegedly spitting in someones direction, but purposely hitting someone behind play and injuring them isn’t that bad.
Muscat, 2 weeks, again lets be brutally honest it is also a farce. If I am correct he picked up his 5th yellow card of the season, so there is a one match ban there, meaning that elbowing someone in the face is only worth one week according to the MRP…bullshit.
Smeltz got nothing, which is understandable. I believe he stomped on Mitch’s face but it can be interpreted at accidental.

The Outlook
Well we have no Muscat for our most crucial games of the season, as much as he is a thug, he will be missed as he is the marshal of the whole team.
Muscat missing means that Leijer and Vargas are going to have to step up, which will be good and give us an insight of how we are going to be defensively next year. I assume (or prayer is probably a better word) that Merrick will field a 4-3-3 for our next couple of games.
The biggest problem to come out of this game is what I have feared for a while. What is going to happen with our striking department? How long will Kruse be out for? Will Archie be back soon?
Who is going to be played as the striker? Carlos showed he is incapable of that role when Kruse went off last match. Do they give Elasi a run?
This is going to be an interesting run into the finals, hopefully we can limp home.