Billy Harris: a thread of mediocrity
remarkably positive from Billy.....is he back on his noce meds again?
I actually thought he made some good points. Not all of them, but some.
Read that this morning, still negative as anything. The whole 'internationals' argument is completely flawed. Yes, we may have more internationals than any other team, but they are all from NZ, Trinidad and Tobago, Malta, and Barbados, none of which are superpowers in world football.
negative as always but we do have a squad of experienced international players and we are struggling, his point re righters sliping though our fingers doesn't wash - he came, scored one goal and showed little else - the nix said thanks but no thanks.
negative as always but we do have a squad of experienced international players and we are struggling, his point re righters sliping though our fingers doesn't wash - he came, scored one goal and showed little else - the nix said thanks but no thanks.
Thats not how I remember it, more like we didn't have enough doleros in the bank to secure him after promising him good money, so he left
Pretty sure it was because of money? He was offered a contract was he not?
Yep. Wanted much more than what we offered him so he took off.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/5956598/Herberts-A-League-record-not-so-terrific
I can't believe fairfax are paying billy harris to write this stuff
I can't believe fairfax are paying billy harris to write this stuff
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/5956598/Herberts-A-League-record-not-so-terrific
I can't believe fairfax are paying billy harris to write this stuff
I can't believe fairfax are paying billy harris to write this stuff
Some if it is true though.....Coaches around the globe are regularly sacked with a record like Rickies.
Equally plenty aren't sacked with a record like Ricki's.
As Harris pointed out heaps of coaches keep their jobs because avoiding relegation is the main aim of the club, they know they don't have the resources to win their competion. Relegation is not an issue in the A-League. With the salary cap the resource equation is leveled out to a large degree. The aim each season is to win the competition.....not to be satisfied with middle/low table positions. Clubs win the competition by smart recruiting and good coaching. Any neutral observer would agree that the Nix have room to improve on both counts.
I'd tend to agree with Zini, we certainly could be doing better given the way the A league is set up to ensure an even competition.
The NIX greatest success has been what it has done for the profile of the game across the country... this would of happened regardless of whether Herbert was coach or not and it will continue to be the main focus of the game in NZ for the foreseeable future whoever owns / manages / coaches the team.
Harris does pose a good question, is Ricki too big to be fired? He can pick and choose his roles within NZFC and when to join in e.g Olympic campaign etc.His record is not flash in terms of wins and losses etc / finaly positions and he has shown an inability to retain our best local talent (Smeltz / Kosta / Marcos) which i find the most worrying.
It would be hard to fire him after what he has gone through this season with Terry.
Equally plenty aren't sacked with a record like Ricki's.
Wondering who that might be in the A League. Is Ricki the longest serving coach ??
Equally plenty aren't sacked with a record like Ricki's.
Wondering who that might be in the A League. Is Ricki the longest serving coach ??
Yeah, he is. No-one who was coach of an A-League side at the start of Phoenix's life is still coach now, apart from GVE at Jets, who has only just returned after a long time away.
Merrick was coach for longer at Melbourne Victory when he went at the end of last season though.
That is an interesting point TM....is Rickie too big to fire? He certainly has enormous power in the NZ game.
I personally am not that happy that in the off season while other A-League coaches are fine tuning their recruitment, working on their preseason plans etc our coach will be away with the AW's and then a possibly long spell in London coaching the Olympic team. IMO he has too much on his plate. I want the guy coaching the Nix to focus on thet job 100%
I think there is merit to having him focus on the offseason more absolutely. This could be offset with an assistant coach (read not a player/assistant coach).
I also think because of the fact that Ricki's wage is subsidised by NZF then should the Phoenix insist that he not be involved in NZF set up and make up the difference? (playing devils advocate) or conversely NZF have a right to some of his time because they pay for it?
I also think because of the fact that Ricki's wage is subsidised by NZF then should the Phoenix insist that he not be involved in NZF set up and make up the difference? (playing devils advocate) or conversely NZF have a right to some of his time because they pay for it?
I think grading Ricki on his off-season this year is a bit harsh, you couldn't ask for worse circumstances.
I think the biggest test is this coming off-season, he has the resources, the backing, the time and the 12/13 season is his no excuses year.
Ricki is the right man for the job, 100%.
I think the biggest test is this coming off-season, he has the resources, the backing, the time and the 12/13 season is his no excuses year.
Ricki is the right man for the job, 100%.
I think grading Ricki on his off-season this year is a bit harsh, you couldn't ask for worse circumstances.
I think the biggest test is this coming off-season, he has the resources, the backing, the time and the 12/13 season is his no excuses year.
Ricki is the right man for the job, 100%.
I think the biggest test is this coming off-season, he has the resources, the backing, the time and the 12/13 season is his no excuses year.
Ricki is the right man for the job, 100%.
If you read, we were talking about next year. Olympics aren't this year...
I think we might take our Billy Harris banner to Auckland.
Do we need to change the 48 to 49?
Billy Harris is an unhappy man. It really is that simple.
Merrick was coach for longer at Melbourne Victory when he went at the end of last season though.
And he got the shove even though his record is hugely superior to Herby's.
You all might not like what Billy Harris says but he supported his opinion with facts. People on here resort to personal insults. It's what people do when they have lost the argument.
If any of the SACK RICKI crowd ever followed up with "...and replace him with <fill in the blank>", then there would be scope for replying with something other than mockery and abuse. Billy and Sam do nothing more than reproduce the Tall Poppy discourse among NZ armchair football geniuses that "I could do better than Herbert, or at least someone can" but if we can't afford a world-class striker, why do they think we could afford a better coach?
What facts? Only facts he uses is league standings, which doesn't include context around the donkiness of our squad in the first two seasons. That is, we were created so late we had to take everyone else's scraps and it took until the end of the 2nd season to get them all binned.
Merrick was coach for longer at Melbourne Victory when he went at the end of last season though.
And he got the shove even though his record is hugely superior to Herby's.
You all might not like what Billy Harris says but he supported his opinion with facts. People on here resort to personal insults. It's what people do when they have lost the argument.
Not really. People on here throw insults at Harris not because they lack facts to support their arguments, but because those facts are so lamentably obvious to anyone who actually follows the Phoenix that to re-state them would sound inane.
It's not surprising that there is a bit of anti-Ricki sentiment out there. After all, this is New Zealand, where everyone automatically assumes that other peoples' success is not just.
However, if I was Ricki I wouldn't be losing any sleep over Billy Harris and Danny Hay having a pop at me.
No it's not. It's what people do in the heat of an argument.
I'll give him this, it's more accurate than Sam Worthington's piece but again leaves gaping holes in the situation and the facts of Ricki's re-appointment.
With possession of the ball likely to be minimised by the "Barcelona of the A-League", the Nix will have to make every set piece and every chance count if they're to halt their three-match losing run. If they do, Rob Morrison can wax as lyrical as he likes with no chance of overstatement.
Go on Rob. Get the wax out.
Wow. That went well for you Harry.
Merrick was coach for longer at Melbourne Victory when he went at the end of last season though.
And he got the shove even though his record is hugely superior to Herby's.
You all might not like what Billy Harris says but he supported his opinion with facts. People on here resort to personal insults. It's what people do when they have lost the argument.
How about this fact. The Phoenix along with Victory and GCU are the only teams to make back-to-back play offs in the past two seasons.
My god.... Billy Harris actually wrote a constructive piece about the Phoenix today. I bet those words tasted like a warm turd typing them on the keyboard.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/6041863/Phoenix-need-to-find-right-mix-for-Cake-Tin
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/6041863/Phoenix-need-to-find-right-mix-for-Cake-Tin
I had to read that twice. Billy is that really you? This might be the first time that I fully agree and can't find anything to rage against.
(this is why taking the meds is good)
(this is why taking the meds is good)
The last time he wrote about our impending doom against the Roar, we pulled off an amazing draw. He's clearly trying to jinx us today.
Well after that result against Sydney he clearly knows something
Shall we change the thread to "a thread of neutrality"?
Shall we change the thread to "a thread of neutrality"?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/6082408/Phoenix-hearts-now-beating-much-stronger
From the second half of the article: "In short, rugby and league are played by men, while football is infested with cheats and spoilt brats."
From the second half of the article: "In short, rugby and league are played by men, while football is infested with cheats and spoilt brats."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/6082408/Phoenix-hearts-now-beating-much-stronger
From the second half of the article: "In short, rugby and league are played by men, while football is infested with cheats and spoilt brats."
From the second half of the article: "In short, rugby and league are played by men, while football is infested with cheats and spoilt brats."
I really get pissed off when I hear the argument that football is full of cheats and eggball is manly and virtuous. What crap. The only difference is that most of football cheating is out in the open an is easily seen. The cheating in eggball happens all the time. Most eggball games have about 20 to 30 penalties issued....what for? .....cheating. If everyone played within the rules there would be no need for all those penalties. Illegal scrumming, killing the ball in rucks, offside etc....the eggball rule book is 100 times thicker than the football rule book. What for? to control the cheating.
Just when you think that Harris has had a spell of sanity he has another brain explosion.
The article seems more than a bit schizophrenic: '' Yay Phoenix on the way up... wait Football is a cheats game.''
What's going on?
How the does it get published?
What's going on?
How the does it get published?
It amuses me how he portrays as football as full of cheats when compared to rugby, then uses as his example Richie McCaw - a player often accused of being a cheat.