Forget about Gold Coast United’s horror start to the season – their real test will be from here on in, according to coach Miron Bleiberg.
Forget about Gold Coast United’s horror start to the season – their real test will be from here on in, according to coach Miron Bleiberg.
United’s record thus far makes for sober reading for Bleiberg and billionaire owner Clive Palmer – 10 games, six points and still just the one win.
But the boys from the Glitter Strip showed signs of potential resurgence during Sunday’s hard-fought 0-0 draw with Sydney FC at Skilled Park.
And it couldn’t have come at a better time, with the colourful United coach saying the club will judge their fortunes on how they perform for the rest of the season, forgetting their luckless recent run.
“I told Clive, let’s do our own calculations. Let’s do the second and third round as a separate entity,” he said.
“The black past, forget about it. At the moment, we have one point. That’s how we look at it. We’re mid-table.”
“We’re like tennis players now. The Australian Open is coming soon and you know that I like tennis. It doesn’t matter that we’re 5-0 down in the set. We will play point by point.”
On the basis of Sunday’s result, United have made a steady if unconvincing start to the ‘new’ season.
While there were fewer shaky moments at the back, there was also a distinct lack of sharpness and penetration in the final third.
But Bleiberg said his side took two major steps forward by stopping the rot of their five-game losing streak and by keeping their first clean sheet of the campaign.
“On paper we are cellar dwellers, but in reality we are not far behind the rest of the teams, if at all. It’s cruel,” he said.
“We’re not championship material, we don’t play the silkiest football, we have a bit of naivety in the side – but overall we don’t deserve to be that far away from anybody.”
“I’d like to think at some stage, we’ll close the gap. In this league, you stick two or three wins together and already you’re there. Hopefully, it will come.”
“If not, it will at least be good experience and we’ll have a very good team next year.”
Powerful Dutch striker Maceo Rigters had a forgettable game, spurning some key chances and taking some bad touches throughout.
In fact, the last time the former Blackburn Rovers marksman found the back of the net was United’s last win – against Newcastle in October.
“I’m still learning (about) the guy,” Bleiberg said.
“You can see the talent. It’s a matter of us getting used to playing with him, and for him to get used to playing with us.”
“He had a golden chance to finish the game off today. It will come, one game he will score three or four and everybody will say how good he is.”
“The quality and the strength for him to play with his back to the opposition, he can turn any defender in the league. That’s a big advantage and the more we utilise it, the better.”
