retired_milla0225

Monday 10th January Patience is a virtue

As a skill patience had not come easy to Mr DeVilliers. But it was one he had learned and had now come to trust as one of his best weapons. You could usually expect a target to show themselves, to make a mistake, in the fullness of time, and that, of course, would be when he could strike.

But as it was he had been in Melbourne now for over two weeks, searching for Denton Patch high and low throughout the district, putting out feelers, and getting back...nothing. It was like Patch wasn't here, but he couldn't believe that that toerag Colin Milton hadn't told him the truth. You could always see it in their eyes when they were trying ot decieve you and Mr DeVilliers had seen none of that as Milton had swung over the harbour.

So what were his options ? He was sat in a Sports Bar just behind Bourke Street, with a Lime Juice, pondering his options. The bar was showing reruns of the weekend's football. It seemed that local team Melbourne Victory had beaten hated rivals Sydney FC at the weekend and now looked dead set for the title. There was certainly a buzz around the city about the local soccer team but frankly that interested DeVilliers not one bit.

Anyway, back to his options. Either Patch wasn't in Melbourne and never had been or he had been and had now moved on, or his cover was brilliant. DeVilliers thought through the options in turn. Milton quite clearly wasn't lying so either he was mistaken about seeing Patch or Option One was wrong. Option two was possible, perhaps probable.

Option three though was the most intriging. Patch was obviously an intelligent man with a fair deal of the cartel's cash available to him. Besides which though Patch knew he had to run he didn't know who was following him so it made most sense to hide, to get into cover so deep that no one could ever find you and where better to hide than a large multicultural city like Melbourne.

No, Patch was here, and all DeVilliers had to do now was work out a way to find him.

retired_milla0225

Friday 14th January Over the Water

Next up were the New Zealand Knights away from home in beautiful downtown Auckland. I went with an unchanged squad as before and we had the best of an entertaining first half. We should of scored from the penalty spot after Vieri suffered an innocuous looking foul on the edge of the area. Geoffrey Cleays stepped up, and promptly missed, the keeper guessing right and keeping the ball out with ease. We created a couple of chances with Vieri missing a sitter late on in the first half, and the Knights defender Hay got himself red carded for a professional foul that we made nothing of, and it remained scoreless at the break.

I had a bit of go at them at half time and stated the had no excuse for not winning this game, and asked them to go out and attack. We did this and pretty much threw the kitchen sink at them. Chances came and went and though we tried hard the goal simply wasn’t going to come and the game ended scorless.

Final Score New Zealand Knights 0 -0 Melbourne Victory
A frustrating way to spend an evening.

retired_milla0225

Sunday 16th January The title, confirmed

We had done all the maths on the plane home and realised that following that point we were uncatchable at the top of the table, but as league tradition dictates we had to wait until the whole round of games had finished on the Sunday evening before we were officially crowned as champions. I told a journalist from the Age and then a journalist from Channel 9 news that the lads deserved all the credit and that I fully expected us to go on and win the title again next season too.

Apparently I am now in the Australian Manager’s Hall of Fame. I didn’t know they had one of those. Geoff Lord, the chairman, congratulated me on the team’s success and told us to go out and get bevvied with the lads. Neither I nor they needed asking twice.

retired_milla0225

Monday 17th January A sighting

Mr DeVilliers sat in a bar in South Melbourne, his back to the wall, sipping an iced water and keeping out of the sun on what was proving to be a very hot day. He was trying to relax and regroup his thoughts on what was proving to be a frustrating search for the renegade Patch. This was proving to be a bit difficult as the clientele in this Greek owned bar proved to be soccer fans and apparently their team, Melbourne Victory had just won the league title. A fact that interested Mr DeVilliers not at all.

The TV in the corner of the room was on loudly enough to be heard over the general hubbub of noise in the bar. It was badly position as far as DeVilliers was concerned as the sun pouring into the bar reflected off the screen and the Big Belgian had to squint in order to see anything. But failing anything else to do round here Mr DeVilliers sat back to watch the box.

After finding out the club captain was Belgian the TV show went onto interview the successful manager, Bruce Parker. As he squinted at the telly Mr DeVilliers realised that Bruce Parker looked a lot like Denton Patch and then it hit him. Bruce Parker WAS Denton Patch.

Had anyone actually been looking at Mr DeVilliers they would have seen a large smile spread across the usually expressionless face. He had finally found his quarry. He quietly marvelled at the shear audacity of Patch’s deception, but only one question remained now. How was he going to kill him ?

retired_milla0225

Saturday 22nd January Still two more games to go

As it turns out we have won what is known as the ‘minor’ championship and at the end of the regular season the top four will play off in what amount to a rugby league style ‘Premiership’. Keeps the interest going I suppose, but doesn’t ensure that the best team , i.e. us, wins the big prize.

Still two more games to go in the regulation season, the first of which is home to Newcastle Jets. No question of me changing the team, as I wouldn’t want any of the lads I’d need in the big games kicking their heels in the meantime and losing their form, better to keep them up an at them, I reckon.

Olympic Park was rocking with our fans, delighted at our success already this season and ready to cheer us on to more. We started brightly on the back of this support and soon had the Jets pushed back into their own half, but thanks to heroics from Liam Reddy, the Jets keeper, it remained goalless until the 34th minute, when Archie Thompson knocked home the loose ball after a Vieri effort had somehow been kept out by the athletic Reddy. The Jets were rouse dby going behind and produced their one effort of the half, which Theokolitos did well to keep out. But the score remained 1-0 at the break, and the party could really begin in the stands.

And though we probed in the second period and made some good chances, the second goal didn’t come, the crowd didn’t seem to mind and in the end neither did we as we closed out an efficient 1-0 win.

Final Score: Melbourne Victory 1-0 Newcastle Jets
The champions progress

retired_milla0225

Saturday 22nd January Just a face in the crowd

High up in the seast near the back of Olympic Park sat Mr DeVilliers. He wore a Melbourne Victory scarf but blended in about as well as Graham Norton at the Playboy Mansion.

Mr DeVilliers quickly came to the conclusion that tomake an attempt on patch's life here was pure follly. Sure, he could take the swindling buffoon out easily enough, but having done so he estimated that the possibilty of making his escape would be, at best, remote. He would have to find some other way. But at least he was on the b*st*rd's trail now, and nothing would shake him off.

retired_milla0225

Saturday 29th January The final match of the season.

The final game of the regular season was at home to Queensland Roar. These boys lie in 5th, one spot away from the post season and one point behind Adelaide. They would surely be up for this game, the question was would we ?

The ground was again full to capacity with jubilant home fans and I once again kept faith with the same team. Truth was I’d rather face Adelaide in the post season hoo-haa than Queensland, nothing personal, mind. We clearly had the better of a dour opening 45 but the scores remained resolutely scoreless at the break.

Into the second half in much the same vein. We opened the scoring on 56 minutes, Thompson heading home a Kevin Muscat free kick. Queensland came back, trying to claw their way back into a game they must win, but try as they might they couldn’t break us down. We got a second on 80 minutes as Danze broke through a thin defensive screen, drew the keeper and then laid the ball sideways for Vince Lia to slot home. Cue rapture in the stands.

That’s how it finished, Queensland Roar consigned to the history books, for this season, at least.

Final Score: Melbourne Victory 2-0 Queensland Roar
No mercy, don’t want us to take the foot off the pedal at this stage of the season.

retired_milla0225

Saturday 29th January A quiet journey home

As is usual after our home games, event triumphant ones like this, when we all get packed up we get back on the team coach that thakes us back to the training ground where we all parked our cars.

As I climbed the couple of steps up into the bus I noticed that Andrew Vlahos, who had just gone up the steps in front of me, had dropped his mobile phone. As I stooped down to pick it up I heard the loud report of what sounded like a car backfiring, felt something whizz just behind my head and then slam into the padded coach door, making the whole coach rock perciptibly.

I looked down at the door and saw a wisp of smoke rising from a new hole that hadn't been there a minute ago. In that moment I knew I'd been found. I rushed up the remaining steps, took a seat by the opposite window and slouched down as far as I could go. I was one of the last onto the bus and it almost immediately pulled away.

I sat tremeblling but no second shot came. The coach took us the short distance to the training ground where our cars were parked. On the way I tried to formulate a plan, it wouldn't come. Just one thought sat in my brian. They had found me, what was I going to do now ?

retired_jgirl87

I thought that people could shoot straighter than that in Melbourne (if the Victory players are anything to go by).

retired_milla0225

Saturday 29th January Oh Damn !!!

Mr DeVilliers looked down his telescopic sights in disbelief. He had missed ! The coach turned the corner, out of sight and DeVilliers knew that his first, and therefore best, chance had gone. He stood no chance of catching the bus up as he needed to cover his tracks here, so Patch was gone for today.

And what would Patch do now ? Run of course, and DeVilliers would have to find him again, as long as Mr De Smet wanted that.....Oh Sh*t, what was he going to tell De Smet ?