While yesterday's offering by Enzed and Sydney was crap, this game was much, much better.
From the very start Central Coast signalled their intention to treat it with some gusto....and they certainly did, leaving Newcastle trailing in their wake.
2-0 at half time, 4-1 at full time, and there could have been several more goals for the Mariners - at the death it was a bit like pin ball, the number of balls that were going into the Newcastle box.
Newcastle did have a player sent of for the use of an Uruguayan elbow, but appeared very much second best even before that.
Quite simply Newcaslte lack any leadership whatsoever, and if Ned Zelic was brought along to supply that leadership, then it has been a momuntal recruitment error.
He did little more than patrol his 18 yard box and intercept the odd cross.
I was left wondering if Ned has the hunger for the game anymore, and would not be the slightest surprised to see him hang his boots up after this season.
Nick Carle too, was disappointing.
While he has undoubted skill, he is anything but effective.
In this Newcaslte team I could describe him as beinig.."like a lighthouse in the desert" ie - brilliant at times, but totally useless!
Unlike Andre Gumprecht who was superb for the Mariners, and must go close to being the best A League player of 2005...
Also a special mention for Stewart Petrie.
He may be approaching pensionable age, but he is still a stand out in this league, and his running off the ball created a lot of opportunities for his colleagues.
Petrie who was substituted late on in the game, worked tirelessly in extreme conditions - so tirelessly that I think he'll have trouble getting up in the morning to go and collect his pension.
On the other hand, our Ned should be able to jog to the post office....8-)
In summary a good game in difficult conditions, watched by what we were told was a healthy crowd of 11,500 odd...including 'soccer's number one fan..John Singleton
Something doesn't seem right at Newcaslte and I expect them to now plummet..we'll see if I'm right or not.
I always think that when players take to the field and thei strip is not the same as their team mates that it suggets a lack of professionalism as a whole within the club.
It may be only a tiny thing but Vaughan Coveney was running about in a strip that did not, unlike his team mates, have his name on the back.
A minor thing maybe, but as I say, possibly indicative of a lack of a high degree of professionalism in teheNewcastle set up.
Certainly on tonight's performance, they need to lift their game..on and off the park.