Brisbane Roar v Celtic post match

By: Ahmed | July 12th, 2009

Brisbane Roar was defeated by Celtic FC 3-0 in their Translink Roar Against Racism clash at Suncorp Stadium. We head to our men at the scene, Sleep Wiseman and Boots McGoal for the full match report and their views:

SW: Why thank you and welcome everybody to post match review. Well we saw two contrasting styles of football today. Celtic was fluent and used the ball effectively, whereas the Roar, despite the first 15 or so minutes, was a bit slower and lacked the final punch when going forward. But let’s take nothing away from Celtic and their 3-0 win.
BM: Yes, it was a good win for The Bhoys with 2 goals from kiwi Chris Killen late in the first half giving Celtic a good lead at the break. Koki Mizuno made sure of the points midway through the second half with a great diving header and it was just too tough for the roar to come back.

SW: Despite all that, the Roar started well and had positive moments though.
BM: Yeah they did. Robbie Kruse was very lively and could easily have snared a hat trick in the first half, but Artur Boruc was fantastic in goal. He kept them in the match in the first half and you could probably argue, set up the win for Celtic.

SW: Brisbane looked poor in the final third and seemed to be lacking something. Sergio Van Dijk didn’t have the best game either.
BM: I think this is a point for Frank Farina, the Brisbane coach, will have to address. The creation from the midfield seemed to be there, but that final killer instinct was lacking and the forwards just took too long with the ball. They slowed it down when they didn’t have to and Van Dijk was very very poor up front. It’s an issue and area that Farina will need to work on and he hasn’t seemed to improve much from last season.

SW: Good start for Tony Mowbray?
BM: Yeah very good start I think and hell be happy with the performance. There were times where he was off his seat and screaming orders, but once they hit their stride, they were just fantastic and Mowbray gave most a lot of players a chance and blended the youth with experience very well.

SW: How about the new signings for both clubs, Henrique and Sarota for the Roar and Fortune for Celtic?
BM: Sarota was impressive, getting involved and running around. The youngsters in general were very good for the Roar and their pace will be killer in the A-League season. Henrique had his moments but his decision making seems a bit poor and maybe with a better partner up front than Van Dijk, Henrique wont have to keep backtracking for retrieve a lost ball. Fortune was good from what he did and the Celtic fans seemed to enjoy watching every touch of his, but he wasn’t playing at full strength so well see how things go.

SW: Speaking of the fans, around 31,000 odd were there at Suncorp and were in full voice. It was biggest crowd for a pre season friendly in Australia so far this year, good result for the game here and the Roar?
BM: No doubt the stadium organizers would have been happy to see a huge crowd, but it seemed like a Celtic home game with the huge support they had. They cam from all parts of the globe, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Papua and even interstate, but the atmosphere they provided was fantastic. They could be heard from all areas of the ground and brought a great atmosphere to the stadium and the game. Even the shop at the stadium was wiped out of Celtic gear.

SW: Now it’s not something nice to talk about, but the streakers spoilt the game and not something we like to see.
BM: No not at all. I don’t see what they thinking by doing it but its really poor especially when you have 4 people trying it and all failing and the fines are so heavy. It may be a good idea to rethink the Beer service at the ground, as it may be a factor, but that’s just my view. It was a poor thing by these idiots and I hope they punished with severely.

SW: Final views on the Roar and are in they in good stead for the A-League?
BM: Well their midfield was lively and looked creative and always buzzing. The youngsters very good and always wanted the ball, not giving in. The biggest problem for the Roar would be that final third and the killer instinct. A bit too slow on the ball in that area and Van Dijk was hopeless. They tried too many high balls against a tall defense. Its something that Farina will have to work on. Take nothing away from Celtic, they on a different level and were very quick to track back and defend the goal. The goalkeepers were fantastic for them, though Zaluska didn’t have much in the second half. But all in all a good game with a great atmosphere and things look good the Roar and their A-League campaign.

SW: Well there we have it. 3-0 to Celtic and a game that was very enjoyable with the minor hiccups and the stadium management and FFA wont be too happy with that. But lets not forget the major reason we were here, to watch some good football and red card racism, and I think the success of the event was clear to see. It is no up to the Roar to build on this and see where they go from here.

Thanks lads for that post match report. Pleasing news on a few other areas for the Roar, apart from the result, but its all about looking forward to August 8 and the opener against Gold Coast United. It promises to be a cracker.

Pictures from the game can be viewed at: http://au.fourfourtwo.com/gallery.aspx?galleryID=1358