A-League On the Attack column: Referees in firing line, Perth Glory’s new owner and Melbourne City’s shocker

The A-League’s missing millions have claimed another victim, with referees the latest group feeling the heat. ROBBIE SLATER and MARCO MONTEVERDE debate the biggest talking points.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 12: Western Sydney Wanderers coach Marko Rudan give instructions to his team during the A-League men's football match between Melbourne City FC and Western Sydney Wanderers FC at CommBank Stadium on January 12, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Damian Briggs/Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Socceroos great Robbie Slater and football journalist Marco Montverde debate another huge week of talking points from the A-League in their weekly column, On the Attack.

LEDERER LUNACY

MM: There was no excuse for the behaviour of Wanderers chairman Paul Lederer last Sunday. His on-field verbal attack of the referees was uncalled for and a terrible look for the game. I’m glad Football Australia came out and said something this week because the way the Wanderers have been carrying on for a couple of weeks has been ridiculous. Their coach Marko Rudan shouldn’t be questioning the integrity of referees.

RS: I agree that it wasn’t a good look from Lederer but I certainly understand his frustrations. He’s human and he’s put a lot of money into the game, and a lot of money into the Wanderers, including building a training centre that he didn’t have to. I feel that Lederer, watching on from the stands, has felt that everything Rudan had said the week before was true.

Wanderers chairman Paul Lederer,

MM: I was still staggered by Lederer’s outburst. It seemed out of character for him.

RS: He’s not that kind of man. He hasn’t got a history of doing this, so that makes you realise how strongly he felt about matters while watching the game. To be fair, I didn’t think the referee had a good game.

MM: I think the referee made the right decision in awarding Newcastle a penalty but I don’t think Tate Russell should have been booked for the foul, and subsequently sent off as it was his second yellow card.

Mark Rudan has a word to the referees earlier this month. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

RS: Definitely. The penalty was enough of a punishment. It was never a yellow card because it was an accident. There was no intent to foul the player. He just got too close to him and stepped on his heel. By sending Russell off, the referee ruined the game as a spectacle. As for the other red card given to the Wanderers late in the game, there was no doubt that the referee made the right decision.

MM: Maybe it’s just some more consistency that’s needed when making decisions.

RS: Yeah, and that includes the goal-line decisions that we’ve seen in the past couple of weeks. With the lack of camera angles and no goal-line technology, it was impossible to say for sure if the shot from Macarthur’s Valere Germain and the penalty from Melbourne Victory’s Bruno Fornaroli crossed the line. Yet Germain was given a goal and Fornaroli. Neither should have been awarded goals. Again we have inconsistency.

MM: Again, that comes back to the millions of dollars wasted by the APL. That was money that could have been spent on implementing goal-line technology or having more cameras at the ground.

RS: The lack of funds is leading to controversy for the referees, and we don’t want that every week.

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CITY SEEKS REDEMPTION

MM: No we don’t, and you can bet Melbourne City doesn’t want a repeat of their embarrassing performance against Brisbane Roar last week when they meet the Victory in Saturday night’s derby at AAMI Park.

RS: Their recent form hasn’t been good and they’re outside the top six, and it’s going to be an even bigger and more intense derby than normal considering both teams are coming off losses.

MM: It’s also the battle of the strikers between City’s Jamie Maclaren and the Victory’s Bruno Fornaroli. Maclaren hasn’t scored in his past six A-League matches. The last time he went that long without scoring in the A-League was 2015, so it’s fair to say he’s due.

RS: The derby provides Maclaren with a big stage to bounce back on. I wouldn’t say he’s copped a lot of criticism, but as you said, he rarely goes this long without scoring.

Brisbane Roar celebrates a goal during its crushing win over Melbourne City. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

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WOOD’S WOES

MM: Speaking of strikers, it’s been a tough week for Sydney FC’s Pat Wood. He’s copped a lot of online flak from gutless online trolls for the chance that missed last Saturday against the Mariners, and he’s been ruled out for 12 weeks with stress fractures in his ankles.

HOW HAS HE MISSED THAT?! 😱

Head in hands moment for Sydney FC's Patrick Wood, who misses an astonishing opportunity from point-blank range 🤦‍♂️

One of the WORST misses we've seen in football 😬

📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUKpic.twitter.com/2896jexvxR

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 10, 2024

RS: That’s a massive shame for him. He’s a talented young player, and hopefully he doesn’t dwell on that miss for too long. You don’t forget things like that but you’ve got to move on from it. He’s not the first and he won’t be the last player to miss a sitter. What he needs to focus on now is his recovery and hopefully being able to play a role for Sydney in the finals.

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ZONAL GIANTS

MM: Well done to the Macarthur and the Mariners for flying the A-League’s flag high in Asia by qualifying for the AFC Cup zonal final.

RS: They are teams that are both in good form, so hopefully it’s a good contest between them at Campbelltown Stadium next Thursday.

Developer Ross Pelligra is believed to the new Perth Glory owner. Picture: Dean Martin

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GLORY DAYS

MM: And congratulations should also go to Perth Glory, for seemingly having found a new owner in Ross Pelligra, who also owns Italian club Catania. They have already started to turn things around on the field, and hopefully Pelligra provides them with some much-needed stability off the field.

RS: That is some much-needed good news, not only for the Glory, but for the APL as well.

Originally published as A-League On the Attack column: Referees in firing line, Perth Glory’s new owner and Melbourne City’s shocker