Certainly not the same old Stallions

Just seen that I started this a month or so ago but never posted it.  Things have changed slightly since I started this post, but the question stands (and is one Tangihaere asked me on Saturday about my goal scoring), what's different about this season?  Very little in terms of personnel, but a lot in terms of results.  Thoughts?

2011: P18 W9 D5 L4 GF32 GA25
2012 (after 5 games): P5 W2 D0 L3 GF20 GA21

A quarter of the way through the season and we've scored two thirds of the goals we did last season but have conceeded more than three quarters of the goals. With more or less the same team, what has been the difference?

Wow

Raiders go down to bottom of the table Marist (who we put 10 against).  Here's their match report:

"Raiders 1 - 2 Marist Inter @ Wakefield.
Well, another game that we could have played better, let's just say that. That's our first loss on the turf this season and we've now given the bottom two teams their only wins. Amazingly we've beaten everyone above us, aside from Wests of course. But hey, we're likely to be no worse than 5th - the other games to finish this round are BNU v Lower Hutt (they're both above us in the table) and either the Clarets or Wainui are likely to go 4th, whomever wins that one.
I hold my hand well and truly up for the loss tonight - had two or three chances with the boot from outside the box and Guy and Iain swung over nice crosses but my heading was off. I think the 'keeper tipped one over the bar. For my troubles I have a splitting headache after their goalie c...ollected me in the second half.
At the moment we're short of a little confidence and last passes and timing (which we had in spades in the opening games) is lacking. People are not putting their foot on the ball and thinking about where the ultimate destination for it is. Too much wellying and low-percentage passes. But you gotta think that we were well off tonight and only lost 2-1, their first goal was pure bullshit.
The Raiders I know will not let two losses and a draw in three games knock us over and we're one half of football away from getting the mojo back. Chins up, let's dig deep to get that sharpness back and give Lower Hutt a good hiding on Saturday."

Fantasy Points as Stallions Hit Six

I'm taking it upon myself in the absence of the Fantasy Points collecter to change some of the rules. I'm not sure if we did it last year but I remember talking about it at some stage that the D should get points if they conceed only 1 and we still win. We decided that they should get 6 points if we don't conceed, and I thought it was 2 if we conceed only 1 but still win. It seems wrong that the D dominated as much as they did against a team with decent strikers and only gets 2 points. So I'm changing it, and if Aaron doesn't like it too bad. He's not fantasy champion anymore, there's a new top dog in town...

Paul - 2pts 60+, 2pts 1 goal win, 1pt 3+ saves = 5pts
Panda - 2pts 60+, 2pts 1 goal win = 4pts
Tangihaere - 2pts 60+, 2pts 1 goal win, 2bp = 6pts
Graham - 2pts 60+, 2pts 1 goal win, 3bp = 7pts
Corey - 2pts 60+, 2pts 1 goal win = 4pts
Spencer - 2pts 60+, 1pt 1 goal win = 3pts (played half game D)
Rob - 2pts 60+, 5pts goal, 1bp = 8pts
Tom - 2pts 60+, 3pts assist = 5pts
Paddy - 2pts 60+, 3pts assist = 5pts
Lloyd - 2pts 60+, 6pts 2x assist = 8pts
Gus - 2pts 60+, 4pts goal = 6pts
Rauru - 2pts 60+, 3pts assist, 16pts 4x goal = 21pts

Stallion = Paul.  Huge save at a critical time in the game.  Would have made it 3-2 or 2-2 (can't remember) and they would have gone into the break with bit more confidence.

Pony = Gus.  Un-Stallion like behaviour.  As a striker who likes a bit of lip though, I can kinda relate.  I wouldn't have dropped to the ground like a pussy like you did to get the guy sent off though.  I only do that when being tackled ;)

Because this is Gus 3rd Pony though, and his last match report was unusual at best, I think Tangihaere should write up the match report since we never got one from him last time and he gave away his 3rd penalty of the season.  A "Heard on the Sidelines" would be "I just wish I smashed him harder!"

Undertakers Undertaken

Gus raises a glass at the post match drinks.

So, the annual trip to Wainuiomata. Cue jokes about slack jawed yockels... ...except this time around it was our own yockel Gus who managed to make the Stallions look like the slack jawed,  forgetting his false front tooth.

Unfortunately the Undertakers were not about to look the Stallions (or "Gift Horses", as we turned out to be), in the mouth. Speaking of Gift horses, the long heralded Stallion stick made its début, with inaugural recipient Tom bringing it out onto the field of play.

The start was all the more auspicious when Spencer pulled up lame during the warm up. Given what was to follow, he'd probably have preferred to be shot than sit though it.

This going was very soft under foot after much rain during the week, so we needed all the subs we could get to push through.

We did dominate the early exchanges, however with Paddy recently recovered from his hamstring injuries and Gus playing a more advanced version of his "Walking Midfielder" role up front, the balls over the top through the middle which have become something of a Stallions staple were not having the desired effect.

Early subs saw Paddy, Robin and Graham all off as the Stallions tried to create something going forward. At one point we did, which almost became a bit too much for Paddy whose high pitched voice had Rob enquiring whether he had injured more than just his hammy in recent weeks.

A slightly bizzare clearance/back pass from Jason was an early candidate for the Pony, as having received the ball forward of his own penalty area and under no pressure at all he proceeded to boot it out for a corner.

However worse was to come, as Graham replaced Aaron in the Defensive Midfielder role and proceeded to  put a big chop on one of their players outside and to the left of our penalty area. It turns out that the player chopped had his season ended by a similar chop in the corresponding fixture last season, but we're glad to report he wasn't so badly affected this time around. The Pony moment then came with Graham at the left edge of the wall, anticipating the ball being struck to his left, moved in that direction, only to see the ball go exactly where he had been positioned. His blushes were partially spared by Paul making a good save, however the lingering impression among some that he had moved to spare himself impact would have to be taken on the chin, as would the Pony paraphernalia.

Wainui opened the scoring when their big centre forward, under attention from both Tangihaere and Graham and with his back to goal, somehow squeezed a pass across the face which found his unmarked strike partner. Paul had no chance with the shot from close range, and the Undertakers were ahead.

We've been full of goals all season, and there was plenty of confidence that the game was there to be won at half time. However, it is fair to say we struggled with the pitch conditions, and were unable to make many chances. There were a few enterprising runs made, however we seemed to get fewer crosses into the box than we managed corners. As the game wore on, we pushed more players up leaving space in behind; it has to be said here that the defence played very well in nullifying their attempts to make use of this space.

It finished 1-0, tragedy turning to farce when we found ourselves waiting in the cold outside their closed clubrooms, only to figure out that they were not coming to open up until after they'd warmed themselves in the changing room showers. We finally gave up and went to the local down the road.

Go Harriet!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=394544030584937

A shame the Stallions have never given Harriet much to cheer about at KP. Though i do recall her laughing when Paddy screwed up once.

Shit day out

Wainui 1, Stallions zip. Couldn't get anything going. A few upsets in the grade too, we lost a chance to make up ground on the leaders.

Stallion: The first time I can remember there was not a single Stallion-worthy moment raised so it went to Tangihaere, who played generally well.
Pony: G-Mann (I'll let you explain this in the match report since there seemed to be so varying opinions on it ...)

MVPs:
3 - Tangihaere
2 - Joe
1 - Paul

Rauru, I think we need a blog post explaining the history and usage behind the new stallion stick.

There will be no fantasy update this week since everybody got 2 apart from the MVPs who got between 3 and 5.

Just noticed that the div 6 ladder has us only winning 2 games this season. Unless I'm wrong we have beaten Inter and the 2 Nth Wgtn sides. Rauru, better get that changed!

Fantasy vs Nth Wgtn Claret

Home on a friday night counting up Rauru's points, very, very sad.

Haven't got that missing assist.
 

Paul	60+, 1 (3+ saves), -1 (2 goals)	2
Tangihaere	60+, -1 (2 goals)	1
Jason	60+, -1 (2 goals)	1
Mike B	60+, -1 (2 goals)	1
Graham	60+, -1 (2 goals)	1
Joe	60+, -1 (2 goals)	1
Aaron	60+	2
Lloyd	60+, 2 assists	8
Robin	60+, 1 bp	3
Panda	60+	2
Tom	60+, 5 (MF goal)	7
Logan	60+, 5 (MF goal), -1 card, 2 bps	8
Rauru	60+, 12 (3 goals), 3 (assist), 3bps	20

That's quite a haul again Rauru, well played Sir.

Here's the top of the table, not quite as close as last week!

Rauru 56
Aaron 38
Logan 35
Lloyd 29
Paddy 25