GC United 'have to make changes'

Coach Miron Bleiberg will wield the axe while his assistant Paul Okon attacked poor
attitudes as an "embarrassed" Gold Coast assessed the wreckage from their record
A-League defeat.

The competition's self-confessed glamour club and one-time high-flyers must pick up
the pieces after crashing to earth with a disastrous 6-0 thumping in Wellington.
After convincingly winning their first three matches to back up billionaire owner
Clive Palmer's boast United would be crowned undefeated premiers in their inaugural
season, the Coast are facing a major test of their character.
The Phoenix exposed a lack of spirit after the outplayed visitors conceded their
second goal just after halftime when reserve goalkeeper Scott Higgins replaced the
injured Jess Vanstrattan.
It was followed by three more in the next 10 minutes.
"They gave us a lesson in attitude yesterday, that if we don't turn up with the
right spirit or the right frame of mind similar results will happen," former
Socceroos captain Okon said.
Bleiberg called off a "torturous" video review session to prevent sapping an already
low confidence, but did warn he needed to mete out some punishment.
"We have to make changes," he said. "We have to make changes first of all because we
were not good enough, second because they were forced by injury and, three, you have
to show people that you lost 6-0 and it's not just `life goes on and you turn up for
the next game'.
"You have to shake the system a bit. It doesn't mean the changes will be forever. I
still believe we have a good team and we will challenge for everything available.
"But when it's unacceptable we have to get punished.
"We have to lift our game."
Both Vanstrattan (back) and Kristian Rees (hamstring) are unlikely to be fit to take
on North Queensland at Skilled Park on Saturday night.
An angry Bleiberg told his players to look at themselves first and foremost after
the whitewash.
"It's not the end of the world," he said. "We lost three points. If we had lost six
times 1-0 it would be worse.
"I told them not to blame anybody, to look in the mirror first: Just shut up and
keep quiet and be embarrassed, that's all, and just think about the next game.
"Watch the video at home and erase this game from the memory."
Central defender Bas van den Brink has been a shining light in United's outfit this
season but was among those who had a game they would rather forget.
The Dutchman didn't see the heavy defeat coming and called for Bleiberg to show
faith in the starting XI and give them a chance to atone.
"It was a horrible loss," Van den Brink said. "We weren't underestimating Phoenix
but this can't be happening in our team.
"We made a lot of mistakes and they did a great job and worked hard.
"They deserved it and we didn't deserve it. Six-nil, it hurts.
"It was one of these game where everything went wrong.
"We just have to be positive and make the best of it and not let our heads hang
down. We have to stand up, work hard and that's the only way. I'm confident."