Sydney FC were out-coached tonight. If you couldn't tell by the 0-0 result on the pitch you could tell by Pierre Littbarski's bleating about Newcastle's tactics at the post-match media conference.
The Sydney coach seemed to think Richard Money had something in his contract that obliged him to let Sydney score goals. For the sake of truth, justice and the A-League way Sydney's opponents must come to attack, forego defensive strategies and make Sydney look good.
Money had other ideas. Newcastle were shocked into reality with an embarrassing loss the week before and they needed to do something to secure a spot in the top four.
So they defended diligently for most of the game and with a bit of luck could have jagged a win near the end.
The crowd for the Friday night match was pretty good, considering the heavy clouds and light rain falling.
David Carney and Dwight Yorke received the biggest applause when their names were announced before the start. I couldn't hear who the couple of dozen travelling Newcastle fans favoured.
Newcastle's in-your-face approach was evident from Sydney's kick off. Nick Carle mangled Ufuk Talay. Saso Petrovski almost immediately went hard into Carle. Then Vaughan Coveny was hard in the back of Petrovski.
A long ball for Sydney sent Carney down the guts and Carle took Newcastle forward.
Steve Corica was fouled and Talay found Alvin Ceccoli whose cross was no good.
Sydney crossed from the right after Carney had cut inside and played wide again. Liam Reddy held the ball.
Sydney pushed the ball around as usual for the first two-thirds of the pitch, only losing it when they tried to be too clever. Or were caught offside.
However, Carle, who early showed most enterprise for Newcastle, looked good robbing Carney.
A great long switch from Ceccoli found Mark Milligan who sent Sydney on a threatening foray until Allan Picken made a terrific tackle.
Yorke played a good sharp ball into Corica from the left. Newcastle's defence held and Carney resorted to a soft shot that was deflected wide.
Newcastle had a brief counter and Sydney slowly built again.
Carney went for a run into the right corner where he was finally beaten by the combined efforts of Steve Eagleton and Matthew Thompson.
Carney gave the ball away to Ante Milicic and Coveny alone at the front had to chase a hopeless ball.
Sydney's response twice came to the feet of Yorke who always had two players to beat. A Carney cross from the right was two metres ahead of Petrovski, who for much of the game was a lone frontiersman among Newcastle's tall timber.
In the 21st minute Terry McFlynn hit the first decent shot of the night after Ceccoli on the left centred to Yorke who laid back for the defensive midfielder. The shot went wide, however.
Paul Kohler found Coveny down the right. Jacob Timpano muffed the clearance but Ceccoli backed up and showed a clean pair of heels to Coveny and Milicic.
Talay, Carney and Corica worked well to get a ball in for Petrovski's head ’Ķ but Eagleton got in the way. That was pretty much Sydney's only tactic ’Äì long balls, high crosses and chips into the box ’Äì and that was regularly Newcastle's response: having the players there to get in the way, getting up to the ball first.
Newcastle rarely got anywhere near Sydney's penalty area.
Sydney looked committed; Newcastle looked frustrated without the ball.
In the 27th minute three good touches made room for Yorke to run at goal but Reddy came off his line in time to block him. From a Sydney corner Petrovski volleyed a lob from the top of the box and Thompson played away from his goal.
Ceccoli hit a marvellous cross to Petrovski. But Jade North got in the way.
Sydney again built with care, only to find Yorke surrounded by three players. The home side had all the possession but no ideas in the last third. They resorted to long balls that were easy pickings for Reddy.
Milicic, Carle and Coveny got a break forward. Sydney got seven players back quickly, caught Kohler offside and started to build again.
In the 35th minute Ned Zelic vented his frustration and copped a yellow card.
Corica, who had an outstanding first half, tackled back and won a throw.
Eagleton again reminded Yorke he shouldn't spend too much time on the ball. Then Eagleton fouled Corica, who was making ground in his usual awkward way.
Corica's free kick went to Reddy whose punch clear was wayward. If Petrovski had realised how poor the punch was he might have had a chance.
Corica came through the midfield and supplied Ceccoli on the left. Ceccoli's cross was blocked by Kohler's hand. Corica's 40th minute free kick outside the left of the penalty area found Iain Fyfe at the far post. Fyfe's header was just over the corner of the goal.
In the 42nd minute a sharp through ball found Petrovski just offside.
Another Sydney long ball was too long for Yorke.
Carney crossed from the left. Eagleton ’Äì the shortest player on the pitch -- headed clear from between Yorke and Petrovski.
Yorke then beat Eagleton on the left and took the ball to the line. But Eagleton recovered and blocked Yorke's cross. The half time whistle blew before Sydney could take the corner. Eagleton and Yorke left the pitch arm in arm.
The guy next to me used to play for Apia. More recently he was associated with Macarthur Rams, from where Carney hails. He said he liked the A-League because he and his wife could enjoy the game without being roughed up.
Stuart Musialik replaced Jobe Wheelhouse for the Jets at half time.
Yorke got within a few metres of goal early in the second half but Kohler intercepted.
Carle and North played down the left but North's cross only found the side netting.
Sydney persisted with high crosses and high through balls but Newcastle were still too good in the air.
In the 53rd minute Carney tricked Picken by going right, taking the ball to the line and crossing with his right foot. It was just too firm and high for Petrovski to get his head under it effectively.
Sydney came again and got Carney in space in front of goal. But Carney sprayed high and left.
Yorke got away through the middle after a Musialik shot was blocked. Yorke fed Petrovski on the left but Petrovski couldn't beat Kohler.
Talay won a corner off North and Reddy got up over Petrovski.
Carle worked a one-two with Milicic on the edge of the Sydney penalty area but Ceccoli followed Carle all the way and robbed him with aplomb.
In the 57th minute Ceccoli lost the ball to Eagleton but won it back and struck a shot low on target.
Yorke then sent Carney on goal. Carney got in front of Zelic but Zelic persisted and probably saved the game for Newcastle, spoiling and forcing Carney to push the ball wide.
Newcastle countered with a long shot on target by Thompson.
Milicic had a slight chance in the Sydney penalty area but couldn't pull off the volley required.
Bolton went up for a long, high Newcastle ball but was hurt in a collision with Coveny. The game was held up until Bolton's head was bandaged.
Milicic was playing deeper and Newcastle started to hold the ball a bit longer. The Jets strung a few passes together until Milligan beat North to a header.
Sydney were tiring in the midfield and started to give away possession. But their defence was still sound. McFlynn made a good tackle on Thompson. And Milligan made one on Coveny.
A fine tackle by Eagleton let Newcastle go forward, giving Thomson another chance to shoot on target.
Carney won a free kick on the right. A Newcastle head made contact but Petrovski was able to cross firmly from the left. Reddy punched low.
Talay and Corica were replaced by Andrew Packer and David Zdrilic.
In the 74th minute a Ceccoli cross from the left was headed onto the crossbar by Petrovski and Reddy had to save well at the left post at the feet of Zdrilic.
Zelic was replaced by Labinot Haliti. Newcastle reorganised their backline and Haliti provided more momentum going forward. With another string of passes they won a corner.
Zdrilic, working hard for Sydney, lined up a shot but it was soft and low to Reddy.
Eagleton fell in a tackle on Zdrilic, giving Sydney some space. But Zdrilic's cross sucked.
Eagleton and Milicic combined for Eagleton to have a shot left of goal.
Petrovski took on five players and won a free kick. (As Petrovski wore down a guy somewhere behind me made sure everyone knew he thought the striker was a waste of space.) The free kick went left of goal where Fyfe squared to a wrong-footed Petrovski.
Milicic had a shot of his own. High.
Milligan was punished for a two-footed tackle on Carle. Milicic's free kick was almost bundled to goal. Milligan cleared.
After a break by McFlynn, Packer won a corner for Sydney. Petrovski headed over.
Carney again went down the right. Eagleton and North combined to stop him.
And the game ended before much happened besides Fyfe getting a yellow for a foul on Haliti.
Littbarski was petulant at the media conference, saying Newcastle's negative play and defence of their goal was frustrating. "That' not the soccer I want to see. But at the end they nicked a point here."
He said Sydney had a few good chances in the second half but it was very disappointing.
He described the close marking of Yorke as a "very interesting strategy". Maybe Yorke would be followed home to his apartment, he said. "But they got a point, so good luck."
Ceccoli said the whole Newcastle team defended. "It looked like they came here to lose, but I guess they gained a point and should be happy about that."
Littbarski said Sydney had a lot of possession, a lot of contact in the centre of the pitch, but the last pass was not good: "We had chances but we couldn't score."
He insisted he played with three up front, even though that rarely appeared the case. It was the final pass rather than the system that let Sydney down, he said. "At the moment when I made the decision I think it was right."
Littbarski said he was happy with the performance of Zdrilic and Sydney had another option for the next game.
He said they needed to win against Central Coast to secure second spot.
He said he expected a different game then. For a good soccer game you needed two good teams, he said. "Today there was only one team working and trying to play soccer."
Littbarski said that was not the way to coach soccer, there were no ideas, and he doubted whether A-League supporters wanted to see soccer like that.
Richard Money said, "In the first half we came to do a job ’Ķ Nobody knows how important it was to get a foothold in this game, after last week's result. So we decided to man-for-man Dwight in the first half. I thought our discipline was good but we conceded too much possession.
"At half time, we put Musialik on and I thought we passed the ball as well as they did in the second half and probably created as much as they did. Liam had to make two really good saves; that's what you want from your goalkeeper in big matches. And we got a little bit of rub of the green when the ball hit the crossbar. But apart from that I thought the second half was very even. I can't be more proud of the players than I am now."
He said, "I'm sorry if people think we are going to come here and open the door and play beautiful football and let Sydney put two or three past us. We're in the top four. We want to stay in the top four. It was really important that we got a result tonight. And tactically I thought we were terrific. Players took the game plan onto the pitch and did it to a man."
He said, "If we played with a little bit more care in the final third we might have nicked it."