Billy Harris: a thread of mediocrity
That's the headline on the Billy Harris football column in today's Sunday Star-Times. Can't find it online yet but they're sure to post it soon. He's analysed the results of the 100 Nix games and based on 34 wins (35 after last night you prick) 25 draws and 40 losses he reckons we're sh*t. And if we don't make the final (not the top six, the final) the season should be considered a disappointment. Yeah, yeah, away form is crap, but talk about bad timing - the Adelaide game caught him out! The only utter mediocrity around here is Billy Not-Bomber Harris. What a t**ser.
paul thompson/billy harris average journalism at best!
from his fb
"You'll have heard that the Phoenix match with Adelaide on Saturday night was their 100th in the A-League.
For some reason, that information seldom came with a breakdown of wins and losses so, to save you the trouble, I've looked it up and here are the numbers, year by year.
In their first year they won five and lost 11. Those figures were forgiven by a very understanding media and public on the basis that it was the first year, and it would "take time" to build a competitive team.
(This theory has been somewhat disproved by Melbourne Heart who in this, their first year, have made a serious tilt at the playoffs).
In year two, the Nix won seven and lost nine.
In season three, their best, they won 10 and lost seven in the regular season, then won two and lost one in the playoffs.
This year they've gone backwards, and their record before last night's match was 10 wins and 12 losses.
This gives us a grand total of 99 played, 34 won, 40 lost and 25 drawn.
Not particularly inspiring reading, but few would care if the team had continued on their parabola of improvement this time round.
Sadly, they haven't, and with three matches left in the regular season, the Phoenix will have to struggle to end the 2010-11 campaign with even a 50-50 record.
The players and staff will be the first to admit - to themselves at least, because I fear that if they make the playoffs the public line will be that they've had a successful season - that that's not good enough.
They started season 2010-11 as preliminary finalists, and they more than offset the loss of John McCain with the signings of Jade North, Dylan Macallister and Nick Ward.
They now had a squad stacked full of New Zealand World Cup players and experienced, quality Australians.
Coach Ricki Herbert, normally one of the "we'll see how it goes" brigade, like many Kiwi coaches across the codes, felt sufficiently confident to pronounce this year's team could mount a strong title challenge in the A-League.
It could still happen, but nothing short of making the final will paper over the fact that this season, despite the occasional excellent home performance, has been a disappointment.
Here's to the next 100 games."
He was talking about this season when he said that.
Still a t**ser though.
Still a t**ser though.
Still probably lost the least amount of home games than anyone, bar the Roar. And even then it was losses to the two top sides, not the two bottom...
Hes an epic tosser
He is certainly entitled to his opinion.
He is certainly entitled to his opinion.
NZ Knights < Wellington Phoenix
who the hell is billy harris to complain about where football is in NZ? Hes acting as though the Nix have won back to back A-League titles in previous seasons...
The fact of the matter is that only one NZ team has ever made the finals, and only once, which took a decade. and now we're on the verge of making that a back-to-back finals appearance.
And he says we've gone backwards
He is certainly entitled to his opinion.
I reckon he says a lot of things just as a wind up.
He does, but his humour is rather forced and lame.
Anyway I think he and Thommo both have a history of seeing the end of the world in every Phoenix match, despite sometimes throwing the club a bone or two.
There must a be a whole swag of ex-footballers (inc one at the Dom Post) who have whole forests on their shoulders and begrudge Terry, Ricki and the club making things work (and in Wgtn of all places!).
We have other issues too.
We are based in NZ and so compared to Australian clubs we are at a disadvantage in attracting foreign players. Weather wise as a player are you going to go for sunny days lying on the beaches looking at the peaches in Oz or chasing the wheelie bin down the road in another summer galeforce wind in Welly?
No effective B-team/youth set up.
The threat for years of possibly being kicked out of the A league.
Traveling miles and miles to play matches which has had similar negative effects on other NZ sports teams not just us.
A journalist should amass the facts before they write an article unless he couldn't be arsed and just wanted to write a controversial piece with a title, (probably written by a sub), to piss people off and therefore get a few more hits.
If the Phoenix are not a major success then he probably needs to hold his hand up and accept some blame for that too. Has he not been coaching kiwi kids soccer skills since 1996?
here is a link to his site http://www.billyharris.co.nz/ not working? - how professional...
But they're all excuses we really need to stop using,and just get on with it.
Anyone else interested?
YES, AND THEY CAN'T COMPLAIN ABOUT IT, BECAUSE IT'S OUR OPINION.
HAH, LETS DO IT.
We have other issues too.
We are based in NZ and so compared to Australian clubs we are at a disadvantage in attracting foreign players. Weather wise as a player are you going to go for sunny days lying on the beaches looking at the peaches in Oz or chasing the wheelie bin down the road in another summer galeforce wind in Welly?
No effective B-team/youth set up.
The threat for years of possibly being kicked out of the A league.
Traveling miles and miles to play matches which has had similar negative effects on other NZ sports teams not just us.
A journalist should amass the facts before they write an article unless he couldn't be arsed and just wanted to write a controversial piece with a title, (probably written by a sub), to piss people off and therefore get a few more hits.
If the Phoenix are not a major success then he probably needs to hold his hand up and accept some blame for that too. Has he not been coaching kiwi kids soccer skills since 1996?
here is a link to his site http://www.billyharris.co.nz/ not working? - how professional...
Something like this: (excluding GCU & NQF)
Wins
Victory 43
Roar 42
Adelaide 38
CCM 38
Sydney 37
Phoenix 35
Jets 31
Glory 26
Draws
Roar 30
CCM 29
Adelaide 26
Glory 26
Victory 26
Phoenix 25
Jets 24
Sydney 24
Losses
Glory 45
Jets 41
Phoenix 40
Sydney 35
Adelaide 34
CCM 30
Victory 29
Roar 25
Points
Roar 156
Victory 155
CCM 143
Adelaide 140
Sydney 135
Jets 117
Phoenix 116
Glory 104
Thanks for that.
On the ODD occasion we may have played some good football but if many of you were being honest you would have to admit that much of what has been dished up isnt what we expected for this season.
Yes we may have clawed our way into the semi finals,i bet most of you would have expected those to be at home again this season.Yep its great that we will play semi final football,no matter how happy i am with that it dosnt hide the disappointment that we wernt able to give the fans the home games many of us thought we were capable of achieving.
at the end of it it will be a mid table finish
we didnt win the league, we didnt get the wooden spoon
medeocre is what you would call it
That was well put.