Jan. 21, 2013, 10:53 p.m.
NEVER again will I question why people still go to see The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Eagles - however, I do draw the line at Meatloaf - after Alessandro Del Piero's latest display at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Class and quality are enduring, it seems. You just need the right environment to display your gifts.
There has never been any question that ADP belongs centre stage on a football field and the Wellington defence allowed him to paint a glorious picture of finesse, touch and ice-cold clinical efficiency in front of goal.
We have already been treated this season to his wonderful vision and incisive, inventive passing. We have had glimpses of the pride and passion that burns inside and drives him on at 38 years of age, but on Saturday we saw something more.
Those who were present at the ground will never forget the day the great artist, and the clinical assassin inside the little maestro, appeared in simultaneous harmony.
It was Federer or McEnroe in their pomp - glorious, breathtaking, other-worldly, yet calculated, remorseless and unstoppable at the same time.
A certain Diego Maradona once said he would choose Del Piero over Zinedine Zidane because he looked like he lived, and loved, playing the game more.
As "Jetz Fanatic" blogged earlier in the season: "This is at 38, imagine what he would have been like at 28!"
For those who witnessed his sumptuous offering on Saturday, that might be a mind-boggling stretch, and perhaps we should all just be grateful for the privilege of watching a true genius at this stage of his career.
Speaking of blogging, your columnist had his first taste of the format during a live run of the Jets v Mariners clash on Saturday night. I must confess to cheating here. Herald online editor Eve Nesmith acted as my typist, otherwise I would have seen four minutes of football, as I searched for letters and punched them in with one chubby finger.
It was a fairly hectic experience, but one I enjoyed. It was a pretty decent match, with plenty of excitement and passion. The standard of some of the unprintable half-time jokes relayed by the participating bloggers wasn't half bad either, but I digress . . .
I said on Saturday night in the heat of the moment that I felt it was close to the Jets' best performance of the season, and I maintain that view in the cold light of reflection.
The front page of Monday's sport liftout showed a very fitting picture of acting captain Ruben Zadkovich first to the ball, winning a header, and the headline "335 minutes - that's how long it's been since the Jets conceded a goal".
That fact is noteworthy because of the porous rate of the concession previously, 18 games without a clean sheet. But the Jets, after all their defensive woes, became the first side to record three consecutive zeros in the goals-conceded column this season.
That is an area which we in the media trumpeted as needing urgent attention, and credit must be given to the playing and coaching staff for stabilising the foundations.
Is there a cost involved in such a change? One goal scored (or is it technically two?) in those same 335 minutes might suggest that the opportunities at the other end are not quite so consistently manufactured either. But most football people I know would love to take no goals against and build from there.
That is not suggesting that the Jets are not making chances, or have suddenly become a boring defensive team. Far from it. Their concerted decision to close the gap from front to back, means that, yes, they are compact and hard to break down, but also when they win the ball, the majority of the field players are condensed, and space is at a premium.
Certainly the Jets have the pace to spring forward from those crowded midfield areas, and they consistently exploited the space in behind Pedj Bojic on the Mariners' right to good effect on Saturday night.
Five points and no goals conceded in three pretty tight matches, against decent opposition, is a good outcome at this stage of the season. It's not outstanding, but better than par.
Now comes the important test, the game that form suggests you should win. An away trip to Wellington in previous seasons was a precursor to sleepless nights and horrible lost weekends. But it represents a real chance for the Jets to put one of the six sides fighting for two semi-final spots out of contention.
No doubt the Jets will focus on their performance, and on maintaining confidence and momentum. However, if they bring three points home from across the ditch, they will put themselves eight points clear of the Phoenix, and all but extinguish any play-off hopes for Ricki Herbert's side.
That would be a fair fall from grace for the Kiwis, so, like Jets coach Gary van Egmond, I'm expecting a desperate, backs-to-the-wall Wellington side to fire up, and give the Jets a fight.
Make no mistake, the top four positions are signed, sealed and delivered - it's just a question of the order they finish. So outside them it's a real dogfight for the other six clubs to claim one of the two available spots.
If the Jets remove one threat in Wellington, and the Glory manage to put the Roar to the sword in Perth this Saturday, it will be mightily difficult for either of those sides to climb back into the mix.
Mind you, the Glory are in no great shape themselves, sitting on 19 points, and outside the top six. At least one of last season's grand finalists looks likely to miss the play-offs - which would be a real fall from grace - and Saturday night's clash might just have a major bearing on who that is.
Adelaide, who have suffered some injury problems and struggled on the road in recent weeks, will do well to get a point in their top-of-the-table visit to Gosford.
Western Sydney will be hard to beat at home to the Melbourne Heart, who are talented but without captain Fred. They can also be brittle away from AAMI Park and in the second half.
Sydney FC, with confidence and their goal difference somewhat bolstered, will face a much sterner task when they visit Melbourne Victory than they did against Wellington last week. They come to Hunter Stadium next weekend, so it's a vital game for all concerned.
The Jets will do well to concentrate totally on Wellington. Traditionally, Newcastle sides have done well fighting against the bigger-name teams and struggled to dictate against the lesser lights.
History indicates a point would be a good return, but form suggests the Jets should be aiming a little higher.
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