Pendles takes aim at 'cheating' Pies

Sharp words ... Scott Pendlebury wasn't happy with his side's efforts. Source: Wayne Ludbey / News Limited

Collingwood acting captain Scott Pendlebury accused his team of "cheating" at vital stages of Thursday's Anzac Day loss to Essendon, a defeat compounded by the likely season-ending knee injury to defender Alan Toovey.

The Magpies came within 11 points of the Bombers early in the final term, but were no match when it mattered most as Essendon stormed home to win by 46 points before the third highest home-and-away crowd in VFL-AFL history.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley also blamed work-rate for the way in which the Bombers were able to overpower his team with six of the last seven goals - mirroring the Magpies' last term collapse to Hawthorn in Round 3.

A frustrated Pendlebury said: "They (Essendon) burnt us pretty badly by playing honest football. We started cheating."

"In the last 15 minutes the forwards and mids ... left our backs with guys everywhere and six guys can't defend nine.

"The alarming thing is how quickly we can get blown out of the water once the game seems to be over. It is not just this year, it was last year in the finals (against) Sydney and Hawthorn."

Buckley agreed with Pendlebury, saying the final-term fadeouts were a "disturbing" trend that would be addressed.

"It looked like work-rate to me," Buckley said.

"If you isolate that last quarter and just looked at the numbers around the contests, at pivotal times when the ball went Essendon's way, we just didn't have enough numbers there.

"We would have had two or three blokes spectating and not working hard enough to get across."

Buckley denied that Collingwood had been too Travis Cloke-centric with their delivery into attack.

But he said the power forward, who kicked 2.3 and had little impact, needed to find a better balance between his best and worst performances.

"I think 'Clokey' spilled probably five or six opportunities that he gobbled up last week," Buckley said.

"You are not going to have career-best games every week, but you have got to find an elevated minimum level."

Buckley lamented the loss of Toovey, who went down after attempting to turn with only five minutes left on the clock.

"Anyway you cut it, he is going to be a loss for us ... the docs are saying it is a likely ACL rupture," he said.

"'Toovs' is a fantastic competitor. Against our values, he would nearly stand No.1 amongst his peers as the guy who is most dependable."

Buckley would not be drawn on two free-kicks to Tom Bellchambers and Scott Gumbleton late in the third term that resulted in goals to Essendon, quelling some of the Collingwood momentum before three-quarter time.

"They were pretty close one-on-one contests that could have gone either way. We lost them - so be it," he said.

Buckley said he would not make decisions about possible inclusions for next week's game against St Kilda until after Friday night's VFL game against Bendigo.

The Magpies' VFL side will include the likes of Darren Jolly, Luke Ball (in his comeback game), Andrew Krakouer, Ben Johnson and Alan Didak.

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NRL takes soft option on Inu

Krisnan Inu ... has avoided a massive sentence for his spear tackle on Greg Inglis. Source: Adam Taylor / News Limited

Reactivity cost David Gallop his job.

If that's the precedent to get the ARLC offside, there should be some nervous types at League Central after the ham-fisted response to Krisnan Inu's appalling spear tackle.

They'll argue a grade four dangerous throw charge is the most serious punishment Inu could face.

One word: garbage.

Like Bulldogs teammate James Graham after last year's decider, Inu should have been tossed at the judiciary panel's discretion on a direct referral.

If a nip to the ear is worth 12 weeks, what price a tackle - and we use the term loosely - that could easily have landed the perpetrator before a much more serious tribunal?

Inu shouldn't be spared from a heavy sanction because his victim was not harmed.

Dumb luck, and nothing more, saved him.

Perhaps Inglis has a strong neck. Perhaps he was pile-driven into a soft patch of turf.

Whatever blessed Inglis with the fortune to emerge unscathed had nothing to do with Inu.

That Inglis played on is immaterial, and yet the NRL - as it so often does - let the result dictate its response.

That's reactivity in its purest form. A simplistic, dangerous and unfair manner to construct policy, because it ignores the process that led to the terrifying moment when 51,000 people thought the worst.

Had Inglis been harmed, the pitch-fork brigade would have demanded that Inu be rubbed out for at least as long as Graham.

If that were the case, you can bet the NRL match review committee would have reacted. 

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Inu takes early plea, cops five

Guilty ... Krisnan Inu takes the early plea for five weeks. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

Canterbury-Bankstown will be without goalkicking centre Krisnan Inu for five matches after the NRL club opted to accept the early guilty plea for his spear tackle on South Sydney's Greg Inglis on Good Friday.

Inu was charged with a grade four dangerous throw following the incident and Bulldogs coach Des Hasler said the club looked at trying to get a downgrade at the judiciary hearing but decided against it.

"We did look at comparables, and we were looking at maybe a grade three,'' Hasler said on Tuesday.

"But we couldn't find anything that was a grade three so it was probably best that we took the five matches.''

Hasler ran the risk of losing Inu for seven games had he fronted the judiciary and lost.

The two-time premiership-winning coach admitted it was too much of a gamble given the reaction to the second-half incident which resulted in Inglis landing on his head.

"This early in the season we probably risked running into the back of public emotion and (seven) weeks was probably a bit risky,'' he said.

"Krisnan didn't mean to do it. He's not that kind of player. He's held in fairly high regard.

"It was a tackle that went wrong. It was fairly black and white. It was a bit careless and a bit reckless and that is the way it goes.

"I think that maybe a month would have been right ... but I can understand why they gave it five (weeks).''

Hasler said Tim Lafai will play at centre against Manly on Friday at ANZ Stadium but was yet to decide who will deputise as kicker for Inu.

Steve Turner, who was the No.2 kicker at the club retired last month and skipper Michael Ennis has endured mixed success with the boot in the past.

"There are a couple who have kicked before and we'll find someone,'' Hasler said.

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Has Osieck got what it takes?

De-brief ... plenty for Osieck to think about heading into June. Source: Craig Greenhill / News Limited

Has Holger Osieck got what it takes to lead Australia to the World Cup next year?

The once unflappable German is engaging opposition coaches on the sidelines, his team isn’t performing and … he’s blaming the team’s youngsters. 

"I had expected a lot more from some of the younger guys that I tried to promote and I showed some good faith in, Osieck told Fox Sports after the game.  

"So, you can see. It is different, when people want to see the youngsters, the rejuvenation, you can see what it does in reality."

Seems as though the pressure is right on … 

Is Holger Osieck still the man to guide us to Brazil?

"Coaches are always under pressure," Fox Sports football expert Andy Harper told foxsports.com.au on Wednesday. 

"It’s a lonely position. 

"Success has a thousand fathers and failure is an orphan.

"He is carrying the can for a team not performing. It’s his responsibility; it’s the business he’s in." 

But blaming the youngsters is a strange option for Osieck. Sure, James Holland struggled immensely alongside Mile Jedinak. Michael Thwaite and Robert Cornthwaite – not youngsters, but relatively inexperienced at this level – were thrown to the wolves.

Had Osieck taken the chance to blood these fringe players and worked on these combinations in friendlies, they may have been better equipped come the big stage. Remember, Lucas Neill started the last friendly against Romania, despite being suspended for this clash. Surely that was the window to road-test Tuesday night’s combination, to find solutions to potential problems? 

"Failure to do so leaves the whole thing exposed," Harper concluded. 

Is it conceivable that the German might not be in the hot-seat in July?

Harper did not want to speculate, but added: "You learn never to be surprised in football. You just don’t know how nervous head office has become". 

"Over the course of Holger’s journey, the results have been good and the results have been better good than bad.

"But there is an alarming three-game hole: the loss to Jordan, unconvincing win against Iraq and the calamity against Oman. 

"It’s not a good trend line, so of course there is pressure on him." 

This time in 2005, Frank Lowy and John O’Neill felt they needed to break a malaise and bring in Guus Hiddink to replace Frank Farina to kick-start Australia’s quest for Germany. This time it’s Osieck’s turn. The No.2 to Franz Beckenbauer when Germany won the 1990 FIFA World Cup is now right in the deep end as a No.1. Is the former Canada, Urawa Red Diamonds and Fenerbahçe boss going to be trusted to navigate through June? Can he? 

"These cycles continue. It’s a hot-bed," Harper said. 

"The huge difference between now and the tumult around Frank Farina is we are in a different confederation.

"It was a lot easier to make a clean decision then because we were still in Oceania and you could focus on the South American qualification because it was inevitable.

"There’s no inevitability here; we’re in the middle of a campaign and the team is of lesser quality than 2005-2006. It will take a long time for Australia to come up with a generation of players like that. 

"It’s a difficult comparison, but people are going to make them."

Let’s look at a little more of the evidence. Two holding midfielders at home. Taking Robbie Kruse off while chasing the game. 

And then there was the lack of cohesion, the stifled movement, the pedestrian start. 

There was criticism for scheduling a friendly before the away game in Jordan, so Osieck has opted for camps since. He had plenty of time to work with his side this time around. What’s the excuse? 

"They looked like strangers and they shouldn’t have," Harper added. 

"We’re not at the sessions (to know what’s going on), but it’s fair to say the time they had didn’t bare any fruit.

"Why the touch was so bad – who knows? 

"The touch was bad, passing was bad. Things never got going." 

When asked what the most disappointing aspect of the play was, Harper, who called the game for Fox Sports, wasn’t short of examples. 

"The lack of combination, the lack of chemistry, the lack of invention, the one-dimenstionality, the massive hole in the centre of midfield, the inability of most players to beat an opponent one-on-one at any given time," Harper said. 

While the way the team lined up was okay in theory, Harper queries some of the tactical oddities and asked why Mark Milligan wasn’t in midfield, why there wasn’t a creative outlet there and why Brisbane Roar’s Ivan Franjic was not deployed at right-back.  

"I would’ve like Bresciano to have started," he added. 

Group B		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Japan	6	4	1	1	10	13
2	Jordan	6	2	1	3	-6	7
3	Australia	5	1	3	1	0	6
4	Oman	6	1	3	2	-3	6
5	Iraq	5	1	2	2	-1	5

"I don’t necessarily want to get into selection, because the players on the field are good enough to have done better.

"There was no plan B to whatever attacking structure was planned. Lump the ball into the box and rely on Timmy Cahill to do something magical. 

"There was no consistent pattern of play, apart from that. There was a massive hole in centre of midfield. We didn’t have a playmaker. Consequently, little play was made." 

Of Kruse and Brosque’s inability to find space, Harper explained: "pushing Luke Wilkshire and Matt McKay so high up is great in theory, but neither are the type to beat a fullback, get to the byline and cross the ball.

"I would’ve thought it would be much better to have held the fullbacks a bit shallower and have Kruse and Brosque playing in the high and wide positions to do something like that."

Have you got faith in Osieck to get the job done in June? Have your say here! 

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Adkins takes over at Reading

Nigel Adkins ... former Saints boss is back in the EPL with Reading. Source: Steve Parsons / AAP

Former Southampton boss Nigel Adkins is to take over as manager at struggling Barclays Premier League club Reading.

The Royals, who have been searching for a new head coach since they sacked Brian McDermott two weeks ago, have offered Adkins a contract until 2016.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Man United	29	24	2	3	38	74
2	Man City	29	17	8	4	25	59
3	Chelsea	29	16	7	6	28	55
4	Tottenham	30	16	6	8	14	54
5	Arsenal	29	14	8	7	23	50
6	Everton	29	12	12	5	11	48
7	Liverpool	30	12	9	9	18	45
8	West Brom	30	13	5	12	2	44
9	Swansea	30	10	10	10	2	40
10	Fulham	29	9	9	11	-4	36
11	Stoke	30	7	13	10	-8	34
12	Norwich	30	7	13	10	-18	34
13	Newcastle	30	9	6	15	-11	33
14	West Ham	29	9	6	14	-11	33
15	Sunderland	30	7	10	13	-9	31
16	Southampton	30	7	10	13	-10	31
17	Aston Villa	30	7	9	14	-25	30
18	Wigan	29	7	6	16	-21	27
19	Reading	30	5	8	17	-22	23
20	QPR	30	4	11	15	-22	23

The 48-year-old had been out of work since surprisingly losing his job with the Saints in January, with his sacking coming after back-to-back promotions.

Long-time assistant Andy Crosby will join Adkins at Reading and the pair will be in charge for the first time at Arsenal this weekend before hosting Southampton.

Reading are currently second bottom of the Premier League, level on points with Queens Park Rangers and seven points adrift of safety from relegation.

Reading owner Anton Zingarevich said the deal with Adkins had been sealed early Tuesday (EDT).

"I am delighted to bring Nigel to our club because he is perfect for us,'' he said.

"He has great respect within the game, his CV speaks for itself and he has many attributes as a manager, he is progressive, he develops players, his teams play attacking, passing football but most of all he knows how to win games at all levels.

"This is an appointment we have made both with the short and long-term in mind and Nigel can take our club forward.

"I know our supporters have been keen to hear news over the past two weeks and I am certain they will join me in saying it was worth the wait.''

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Ferguson takes on alcohol ban

Troubled Canberra centre Blake Ferguson has repaid his club's faith in him by swearing off alcohol for six weeks and starring in the 30-17 win over St George Illawarra.

Ferguson only narrowly avoided the same fate as sacked fullback Josh Dugan two weeks ago after skipping a team rehab session and then posting a photograph of themselves drinking alcohol on a rooftop online.

However the Indigenous All-Stars representative put on a stellar performance at Canberra Stadium on Sunday - including a pivotal try assist minutes before halftime - to validate his late inclusion in the side by the player's leadership group.

"The boys showed faith in me during the week," the 23-year-old said.

"I had a meeting with the senior leadership group and told them my plans.

"Actions are going to speak louder than words now."

Ferguson told reporters he had started a six week plan where he wouldn't drink alcohol.

"The boys have said these next six weeks will be a real turning point for me," he said.

He also dismissed speculation he was looking to quit Canberra.

"As I said on Twitter, I am very happy at the Raiders and there's nothing more I want to do than stay here and rip in," he said.

Captain David Shillington said the leadership group's decision to allow Ferguson to play had been validated.

"I thought he was great and followed through with what he said," Shillington said.

On the flipside, the Raiders' decision to sack Dugan was also validated by a man-of-the-match two try effort by fullback Reece Robinson.

"He's outstanding for us," Shillington said.

"And all his hard work at training pays off on the field. No one trains harder than him.

"When he played fullback last year for us filling in for (Dugan), I think he played six or eight games and was close to man-of-the-match every game." 

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Berisha takes Roar backlash personally

Honest ... Besart Berisha launches a passionate defence of Brisbane Roar. Source: Dave Hunt / AAP

Back off. That's the message from colourful Brisbane Roar striker Besart Berisha to critics of the A-League premier.

Berisha broke his silence to launch what he describes as a "from the heart" defence of new coach Mike Mulvey, club management and his teammates in the face of stinging criticism of the Queensland side's season of controversy, disappointment and discontent.

After months of refusing to talk to the media following a self-imposed ban, Berisha took it upon himself to contact The Australian to assure Brisbane fans he and the players were fully behind Mulvey and that the hunger to make it a hat-trick of championships still burned within him and the rest of the team. "I speak from the heart because I love this club ... it is part of my family," Berisha said soon after completing training on Wednesday.

"The last few months have been very hard for everyone. I haven't spoken to the media for months because I have wanted to focus on football.

"But when my family is hurt then it is important I speak to let everyone know there is still a strong belief in the team, the club, the coaching staff. We are all behind Mike and we are going to fight to the last second of the season."

Roar, sitting in seventh spot and two points out of the A-League top six, have come under enormous pressure after a season that has lurched from one controversy to another.

It started when coach Rado Vidosic, who had replaced dual championship-winning Ange Postecoglou at the start of season, was moved sideways in December and replaced by Mulvey. The club then lost influential midfielder Erik Paartalu to China last month, much to the anger of supporters.

The situation was compounded when Brisbane, the only club to win back-to-back A-League championships, had a shock loss to Thai outfit Buriram United in an Asian Champions League qualifier last week, intensifying the pressure on Mulvey.

However, after being initially appointed as interim coach, it was announced on arrival from Thailand that he had been handed the full-time reins for the next two seasons, sparking a fan protest during Brisbane's 2-0 win over Wellington Phoenix at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

The fans unfurled a sign "Mulvey out" but it was quickly taken down after Brisbane officials ordered security to act.

It was the last straw for Berisha, who felt compelled to act and declare the club is going in the right direction.

"All what's happened has hurt me personally," he said. "I never understand people with this (bad) opinion about the club ... they have never been in the club, they don't know this club, they don't know the people here.

"I am so happy to be at Brisbane. It is family and I have never felt like this at any of the other clubs I've been at around the world.

"It is doing everything to make the team happy, to take care of the players. The coaching staff and the office staff work very hard. It is a very professional club. (Roar general manager) Sean (Dobson) is a good man. He is doing so much."

The Albanian international, who won the Golden Boot last season for being the A-League's leading scorer as well as a string of player awards in his debut season in Australia, is adamant Brisbane has made the right decision appointing Englishman Mulvey.

"It is the right call," Berisha said. "All the boys believe in Mike and respect him ... they see how hard he is working for the players and the club.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Central Coast	21	12	6	3	21	42
2	Western Sydney	21	13	2	6	12	41
3	Victory	21	11	3	7	2	36
4	Adelaide	21	11	2	8	2	35
5	Sydney	21	8	3	10	-7	27
6	Newcastle	21	7	5	9	-7	26
7	Brisbane	21	7	3	11	0	24
8	Heart	21	7	3	11	-3	24
9	Perth	21	6	4	11	-3	22
10	Wellington	21	5	5	11	-17	20

"We are all sticking together, doing things for each other. We can now focus on the rest of the season and move on."

The 27-year-old is just as confident Roar can make it a hat-trick of titles.

"Yes, of course we can do it," Berisha said. "The belief is still very strong. We are only thinking of getting into the top six. But after that, anything is possible.

"You know Brisbane Roar. You know we have the players who can handle the pressure of the finals. Mike has done well to bring in some fresh air with Steve (Lustica) and Stef (Nijland) as well."

Of his own form, Berisha, who has scored 11 goals this season, is happy and wants to be at his best so he "can help Brisbane in its time of need".

"Maybe I haven't had as many chances as last season, but I have been there (on the spot) when needed," he said. "I am working very hard at training and in games because I want to give so much more to the team, to the club.

"I believe so much we can do it again this season, but we need everyone to be behind us, especially our great fans."

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