A-League: Brisbane Roar coach John Aloisi stands by ‘anti-football’ jibe he aimed at Melbourne City

BRISBANE Roar coach John Aloisi has no regrets about the “anti-football” jibe he aimed at Melbourne City despite it having the potential to backfire on Sunday night at Suncorp Stadium.

BRISBANE Roar coach John Aloisi has no regrets about the “anti-football” jibe he aimed at Melbourne City despite it having the potential to backfire on Sunday night at Suncorp Stadium.

Five weeks after an irate Aloisi slammed City for their “cynical” tactics in a 1-1 draw between the teams, City return to Brisbane as the A-League’s hottest team.

Since that night, City have won four successive matches – including a 2-1 weekend defeat of champions Melbourne Victory – and scored 16 goals to be sitting only a point behind the second-placed Roar.

“I don’t take back what I said but what I will say is that I’ve enjoyed watching Melbourne City the last four games because they’ve played some really good stuff,” Aloisi told The Courier-Mail.

“I don’t know if they’ve responded to my anti-football comments or not, and a lot of people were probably not too happy about the comments, but I still believe that we’re trying to develop this game in this country.

“People want to see exciting football, they want to see games like the derby, where Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory had a go at each other, and kept on going at it. That’s going to grow the game and there’ll be more supporters.

“Melbourne City in the last four games have shown what firepower they’ve got. They’ve come out and played some entertaining, attacking football, so hopefully the game this week is as good as the derby was.

“We’ll be playing our style and trying to attack them, and I’m sure they’ll do the same to us this time.”

The Roar enter the contest of the back of successive wins but left it late in their 1-0 weekend victory over a defence-minded Central Coast Mariners in Gosford.

Substitute Dimitri Petratos proved the difference with his sizzling strike five minutes from time condemning the Mariners to a fifth successive defeat.

“I like to go into every game with a point to prove,” Petratos said in playing down his omission from the starting team.

“When I came on, I came on with confidence and just did my job, not necessarily for me to end up scoring but trying to help the team with the build-up and for anyone to get the goal.

“I’m very happy to get that result away from home – all the boys are buzzing.”

In good news for the Roar, key striker Jamie Maclaren was walking freely on the team’s return to Brisbane yesterday, having seemingly overcome the shin injury that forced him off the park on Sunday.

However, midfielder Steve Lustica will have scans on the abdominal injury that prematurely ended his afternoon in Gosford.

Originally published as A-League: Brisbane Roar coach John Aloisi stands by ‘anti-football’ jibe he aimed at Melbourne City