Adelaide Utd 2022-23 a season to forget

[scar]

Season 2021-22 finished 3rd
P W D L PTS
14 9 0 5 27

Season 2022-23 finished 8th
P W D L PTS
18 5 3 10 18

Adelaide Utd W-League have sadly gone backwards & in quite a remarkable way this 2022-23 season under Stenta.
At the start of the season I believed we had a squad capable of competing for finals yet we’ve ended up closer to bottom & in our final game it was very embarrassing to be beaten at home by bottom placed Wellington.
Many might make excuses (injury to key players & yes we certainly missed Emily Condon) but I just can not comprehend the weekly team selections especially during the 2nd half of the season. Not to also mention the questionable substitutions Stenta made or didn’t make for that matter during this period.
I won’t go into the deficiencies of our individual players (since there were many) but instead place almost all the blame on Stenta who is the person most responsible on game day with his selections and tactics.

The question I would be asking the Adelaide Utd. hierarchy is where else in any competition in the world can you go ONE win in the last 13 games & are still likely to keep your job next season.

[scar]

The question I would be asking the Adelaide Utd. hierarchy is where else in any competition in the world can you go ONE win in the last 13 games & are still likely to keep your job next season.

Now ONE win in the last 14 games and not only has Stenta kept his job but was this season rewarded with a full-time gig.

[Michael]

The question I would be asking the Adelaide Utd. hierarchy is where else in any competition in the world can you go ONE win in the last 13 games & are still likely to keep your job next season.

Now ONE win in the last 14 games and not only has Stenta kept his job but was this season rewarded with a full-time gig.

Still Sour??

[totsreds08]

United were very good against Canberra. Move the ball around well. Unfortunately a few keeper errors meant they had to settle for a draw but they were good value.

[scar]

On a positive, I believe Hannah Blake will this season prove to be our 'star acquisition' & having already impressed me during the preseason trial game vs the Wnpl Select so I wasn't surprised with her standout performance for Adel. Utd on the w/end.
Meanwhile Stenta really needs to get our defence sorted and he should start by dropping Emily Hodgson who was woeful. The last time Emily was dropped for an extended period of time we managed to discover Charlie Grant's best playing position so who knows which other player in the current squad might seize the opportunity. And please don't be rushing Izzy Hodgson back into the team if it means we have to endure another season of her playing at full back .

[scar]

The question I would be asking the Adelaide Utd. hierarchy is where else in any competition in the world can you go ONE win in the last 13 games & are still likely to keep your job next season.

Now ONE win in the last 14 games and not only has Stenta kept his job but was this season rewarded with a full-time gig.

Still Sour??

Now just ONE win in the last 17 games. Yeah Michael, "Still Sour".

[Michael]

The question I would be asking the Adelaide Utd. hierarchy is where else in any competition in the world can you go ONE win in the last 13 games & are still likely to keep your job next season.

Now ONE win in the last 14 games and not only has Stenta kept his job but was this season rewarded with a full-time gig.

Still Sour??

Now just ONE win in the last 17 games. Yeah Michael, "Still Sour".

a 2-1 loss away from home to Perth whom are on fire.....

[billy the kid]

Not sure what to make of this season. Sitting 2nd to bottom

[In the way]

relying on free kicks to score all your goals won't win you many games, so far only scored one out of the six goals from direct play, all the rest have come from free kicks.
should we have played for a draw in the second half ? away from home against top side, we haven't won in a while , would have come home feeling positive,

[billy the kid]

We've had multiple discussions over the AUFC-W journey however, the same problem exists. LOSSES outweigh WINS. Performances are haphazard.

What my observations have been over the years is that the team is not a team. Made up of a diverse group of players from across local/interstate/overseas competitions. The team is full of individuals who collectively are below par. As individuals they are ok and some excellent. Its' like bringing together a musical group made of session musicians who can't read music and are trying to produce harmony and good music. It will not happen. Same with the AUFC-W team.

What is the answer? Theer isn't one. The coach Adrian cannot fix this alone. Are the intestate teams that good or are they the best of a bad bunch? AUFC-W won't spend the money to bring in quality. They did a few years back but the esteemed head (not coach) at the time quickly tightened the purse.

For mine a review of the whole department is not the answer. Wiping out the team and starting again is an option with some long standing players needing to move on.

Results are the only KPI. Not good

[WNPL Hub]

Comments from a number of ALW coaches recently (not Adrian) around the fact that a 5 week pre-season (which included an international camp for U20s and U23s within it) and a 2 week international break 7 days after the season kicked off have contributed to a large number of injuries experienced across all squads.

Emily Condon, Emilia Murray, Annie Grove, Grace Wilson, Isabel Hodgson, Nano Sasaki, Maruschka Waldus, Katie Bowler, now Zoe Tolland...I'm not sure many squads in mens or womens football would handle having 9 players variously unavailable in the first 4 rounds of their competition.

It is hard to point the finger at what is a clear underinvestment (in the squad) from AUFC either, given all clubs are generally in the same boat. This sits more at the level of the Australian Professional Leagues, who are comfortable to create a World Cup marquee fund (for the likes of Cortnee Vine and Tameka Yallop) but are unwilling to work with the PFA and clubs to raise the minimum wage high enough and extend the season long enough so that many players don't have to play WNPL and then straight into ALW (or work a second or third job to sustain their living expenses).

The ALW is unfortunately not a professional competition in the true sense of the term...the minimum contract is $25,000 for full contract (and $12,600 for a scholarship contract) therefore given players are contracted for 35 weeks they are paid $715 a week ($677 after tax)...there are probably a few NPL players on more than that ironically.

Many things to fix but it is more from a holistic and philosophical perspective.

[Rightside]

Are we any chance to sign Chids? bring her back home for a short stint.

[scar]

Not sure what to make of this season. Sitting 2nd to bottom

Now just ONE win in the last 19 games.
Stenta building some record here but still AU hierarchy appears not concerned ('Afterall it's only the women's team').

[Michael]

Not sure what to make of this season. Sitting 2nd to bottom

Now just ONE win in the last 19 games.
Stenta building some record here but still AU hierarchy appears not concerned ('Afterall it's only the women's team').