Moss: Time to deliver some Mariners’ home truths

Some home truths will be delivered to the Central Coast Mariners whilst in camp for their AFC Champions League game on Tuesday night…

Some home truths will be delivered to the Central Coast Mariners whilst in camp for their AFC Champions League game on Tuesday night after the A-League title-holders were humbled 4-1 by Wellington Phoenix on Friday evening.

Mariners coach Phil Moss has said his players can do better in the wake of the side’s fourth consecutive A-League defeat.

Last year’s grand finals winners were leading 1-0 at the break before shipping four second-half goals and missing a penalty when the score was at 1-1.

“We have to bounce back and we have to do it quickly,’ declared a straight-talking Moss after the game.

“The trip to Korea (for the AFC Champions League clash) is probably good timing in that we can get away from Australia and we can get together in a camp situation which allows us to spend a lot more time on the video.

“Maybe there will be some one-on-one meetings where some home truths will be told.

“At half-time I was very happy with the way we played in the first half, a great goal from Bernie (Ibini) and we challenged ourselves at half-time to put two good halves of football together for probably the first time this season and that was the end result.

“I’m not going to hide from the fact this it’s not good enough from us, we have to be better individually, collectively and we can’t drop our bundle when we concede a goal.

“That’s the third week now in a row where we have copped a goal within a minute of half-time,’ Moss added.

“Two weeks in a row we coped one just before half-time (against Melbourne Victory then Adelaide), this week it was just after.

“We are the masters of our own undoing by giving away cheap ball, defending our box poorly and just not enough desperation and not enough purpose with the ball in the second half.’

“Behind those walls I will be letting those my players know that is not good enough in the second half.’

The Mariners will also be missing some big names for their first AFC Champions League group clash of the campaign, with Mile Sterjovski and Eddy Bosnar not travelling to Korea with the squad.

Moss will have Nick Fitzgerald, Matt Simon and Joshua Rose available following their A-League weekend suspensions however Moss has elected to leave one-time K-League player Bosnar and former Socceroo Sterjovski in Australia for the match due to both suffering back soreness.

Expanding on the decision Moss said: “I am not going to take the risk with them with the long flight and having to back up there games in seven days.”

“Bosnar hasn’t played a lot of football in the last eight weeks so I don’t want to take a risk with him and he has taken that decision on the chin and the same with Mile.

“Mile has been a consistent performer for us this season and I don’t want to force the issue with him at his age.”