6 points on Adelaide 0-0 Newcastle

Here is a 6 point tactical analysis on Adelaide's underwhelming nil-all draw with Newcastle. Don't forget to help spread the word about Pass and Move. 

12 points on Heart 3-0 Newcastle

Here are 12 tactical points on Heart's three-nil victory against Newcastle. 

Newcastle 3-2 Heart: Match Analysis

This was an electric and energetic affair between two clubs who were devoted to committing players forward in the attack. Newcastle started the brightest, pressing Heart intensely to prevent their build-up play. Heart eventially grew into the contest as Newcastle's fitness faded, and although it was a fairly even game, on the balance of play, Heart did not deserve to lose; the three goals scored against them were the result of a superb Griffiths free kick from a silly foul by Germano, a mistaken pass by rookie defender Good, and a deflection off Marrone from a Byun shot that wrong-footed the keeper. Conversely, Heart's two goals were absolute marvels; rapid passing while running at pace, clever positional interchange and lethal finishing by Dugandzic.

Newcastle United 2011-12 Season Preview

Well what else could possibly go wrong. Even before the shocking events of the past week; namely the surprise sacking of manager Branko Culina and the attempted termination of the marquee contract for his son, star midfielder Jason Culina - Newcastle have been pegged as battlers for the wooden spoon. This time, PM is inclined to agree with the mainstream media; it is very hard to see how Newcastle can battle its way into Finals contention. Were this a European league, Newcastle would be staring down the barrel of relegation. Is there even a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel?

A-League Pre-Season Form Guide

FourFourTwo AU put together a useful guide to the club's results in offseason. These results should probably be taken with a grain of salt; obviously clubs were still making signings, players were still coming back from injury, and managers were giving some youngsters experience - so it's unlikely that clubs consistently sent out their strongest available line-up, or even played in their preferred style.

Nevertheless, there's still utility in seeing how many games clubs lost, how many goals were conceded, and who has scoring form going into the regular season. It should be noted how notoriously unrealiable pre-season results are as predicators of regular season success; in the 4 seasons in which the A-League held a Pre-Season Cup, only one of the Cup winners went on to become Premiers or Champions. Quick summary below.