Fowler fumes as Roar suffer ‘wake-up call’ at hands of ruthless Sky Blues

A disappointed Robbie Fowler says Brisbane Roar’s display in their shellacking against Sydney FC wasn’t acceptable and hopes it will act as a line-in-the-sand moment for their Hyundai A-League campaign.

Roar arrived in Sydney full of confidence after a win over Central Coast Mariners last weekend, while they had also beaten the Sky Blues in the FFA Cup on their last trip to the Harbour City.

But the men in Orange were blown away by a ruthless Sydney FC, with Adam Le Fondre scoring a hat-trick on the way to the biggest win of the 2019/20 Season so far.

“It’s a real wake-up call for us,” Fowler said. 

“When you are playing against top quality players, as we have done (against Sydney), if you’re not on song, then it’s going to be a long night. 

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“We (had) 45 minutes of poor play. I wouldn’t sit here and throw my players under the bus, because I think they’ve given us everything this year. 

“But that 45 minutes shouldn’t be acceptable for anyone, for any manager.”

The heavy defeat means Roar missed the chance to jump back into the Hyundai A-League top six, instead finding themselves in 10th spot and just one point ahead of the Mariners.

It adds great importance to Friday night’s home clash against Western United FC at Suncorp Stadium.

“It’s my job and my staff’s to pick them up and we go again. There’s nothing else we can do. We’ll take this on the chin, we’ll learn from it, we really will,” Fowler said.

“If any player is laughing and joking in the dressing room then they don’t deserve to be playing football.

“It’s a real eye-opener for us. We know what we have to do and where we need to be at.”

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Brisbane Roar are back at Suncorp Stadium, facing Western United for the first time, in Round 10. The match on Friday, 13 December kicks off at 6.30pm local, 7.30pm AEDT. 
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WATCH: All the highlights in Roar's loss to Sydney FC

Le Fondre lavishes praise on teammates

While there’s some serious soul-searching being done by Roar, it’s all smiles for Sydney FC and their hitman Adam Le Fondre.

The Englishman scored his first Hyundai A-League hat-trick in the 5-1 win, also moving to the top of the scoring charts with 10 goals for the campaign.
“It’s all about the supporting cast,” Le Fondre told Fox Sports.
“Obviously Alex (Baumjohann) has put in some great passes tonight and Kosta (Barbarouses) as well and then we’ve got Ninko [Milos Ninkovic].

“So we’ve got an array of talent that is putting chances on a plate for me and I am putting them away at the minute.

“I’m just looking forward to bettering last season like I have said all along from the start of the season.”

The Sky Blues – who have a five-point lead at the top of the ladder - are at home again in Round 10 against Central Coast Mariners at 7.30pm on Saturday, December 14.

Sydney FC are back at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Round 10, hosting the Central Coast Mariners. The match, on Saturday, 14 December, kicks off at 7.30pm AEDT. 
Get your tickets here
Find out more at the Match Centre here

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WATCH: Steve Corica's post-Roar press conference
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This article was originally published on the Hyundai A-League website.
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