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Auckland Pride - Make Auckland Great Again

7579 replies · 1,262,936 views

23 days ago

Ok, watched the replay now.

Dan Hall, what a defensive performance. How this guy is not in the Australian team, god knows. And the guy sang both national anthems. What a legend. He is too good for this league and should be off now having achieved silverware galore but I hope one day when he finishes overseas that he comes back to Auckland.

Woud, he had virtually nothing to do but by god it’s lucky as he looked as nervous as hell and terribly indecisive on two occasions.

Howieson, what a story. His performances this final series has been immense and if there was any doubt about getting a new contract, it’s now gone.

Very fitting after last years semi against Victory that the winner came from a deflected goal!!

Auckland will rise once more

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23 days ago

Did anyone else notice the t-shirt a guy sitting in the crowd behind Steve Corica was wearing? It kept showing up in the first half, but in the second half he was wearing a jacket. Unsure if he was asked to cover it up or if it just got cold.

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23 days ago

Saw that.

Interesting.

Auckland will rise once more

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22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History

loyalgunner wrote:
Did anyone else notice the t-shirt a guy sitting in the crowd behind Steve Corica was wearing? It kept showing up in the first half, but in the second half he was wearing a jacket. Unsure if he was asked to cover it up or if it just got cold.

He was definitely "asked" to cover it up lol.

For those who didn't see, it was a reference to a Tupac Shakur song: "Never Ignorant about Getting Goals Accomplished." And it was a black guy wearing it fwiw.

Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads

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22 days ago

martinb wrote:
imanixsupporter wrote:
Ignoring the obvious examples of success from this year in Adelaide and the Jets, neither of whom are big spenders. Using the Mariners as a distraction doesnt make us any less pathetic.
Were the other clubs pathetic before? The Jets were pathetic losers before this season? Adelaide before?

We were the good news story, ) the Hearts story, sadly, ) before that.

It’s normal in a salary capped league for there to be oscillating runs if success. It’s also normal for the bigger cities to have better supported, more successful teams.

Are Leceister, with a PL title and an FA cup, losers compared to Arsenal or City? Extreme examples in a non-salary capped league, but no, they were overachievers. The little club with the small billionaire that could, even though they’ve plummeted.

I do think analytics could help us identify players and our conditioning.

But also who’s to say Greenie won’t be the next Mark Milligan, break out coaching star? A lot of NZ football folk and Dura and Mossy loved that winner Rudan. He was a false dawn.

I just don’t think this is about the Nix.

"It’s normal in a salary capped league for there to be oscillating runs if success."

Exactly. It is normal for every team to have their moments of success in a salary-capped league, as indeed every single team has had. Except for us. There are no possible excuses, we are losers.

Hard to imagine Greenacre will be the man to change this when he is a club man through-and-through and has been forged in this environment of utter mediocrity. He will probably go into the season aiming for 6th as his biggest KPI and finish 7th and everyone at the Nix HQ will pat themselves on the back for giving it a damn good try.

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22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History

imanixsupporter wrote:
martinb wrote:
imanixsupporter wrote:
Ignoring the obvious examples of success from this year in Adelaide and the Jets, neither of whom are big spenders. Using the Mariners as a distraction doesnt make us any less pathetic.
Were the other clubs pathetic before? The Jets were pathetic losers before this season? Adelaide before?

We were the good news story, ) the Hearts story, sadly, ) before that.

It’s normal in a salary capped league for there to be oscillating runs if success. It’s also normal for the bigger cities to have better supported, more successful teams.

Are Leceister, with a PL title and an FA cup, losers compared to Arsenal or City? Extreme examples in a non-salary capped league, but no, they were overachievers. The little club with the small billionaire that could, even though they’ve plummeted.

I do think analytics could help us identify players and our conditioning.

But also who’s to say Greenie won’t be the next Mark Milligan, break out coaching star? A lot of NZ football folk and Dura and Mossy loved that winner Rudan. He was a false dawn.

I just don’t think this is about the Nix.
"It’s normal in a salary capped league for there to be oscillating runs if success."

Exactly. It is normal for every team to have their moments of success in a salary-capped league, as indeed every single team has had. Except for us. There are no possible excuses, we are losers.

Hard to imagine Greenacre will be the man to change this when he is a club man through-and-through and has been forged in this environment of utter mediocrity. He will probably go into the season aiming for 6th as his biggest KPI and finish 7th and everyone at the Nix HQ will pat themselves on the back for giving it a damn good try.

For mine we came within moments of the title in this era. And we went to extra time chasing a grand final. 9 consecutive weeks at number one.

That’s a period of success and having a successful team. And sure it’s not a title, it’s sure af not mediocrity.

I think we can go again and go a step further. We had our best ever season two seasons ago and we just have to go the same way and further. After all Greenie had all those players: Alex, Rufer, Surman, Old, Hughes and others who were the core of that team.

I don’t think anyone thinks the way you’re making it in the last paragraph .

This Auckland team are a great team. One of the greatest A league teams of all time, especially if they maintain their success and standards.

We’re not currently as big a club as them.

And someone talked about how successful Adelaide were. One title once ten years ago. A great team and a great football stadium, but we’ve been much better than them in recent years. So not losers, because of one title? So we shouldn’t compare ourselves to them or to CC? The Jets had won nothing in 20 years before this season and scarcely threatened and you sure af weren’t predicting a Milligan revolution. A title is a hard earned slog for most and especially us. This is an abnormal Auckland team.

This constant wail is not one of Nix fandom imo. Despair is a sin. And constantly attacking your club and team is despair.

No thinks or talks like your last paragraph. But plenty of players threw in the towel or lost faith in the manager. The Chief years have been grim times, but cliche it up, we go again and look to a new era and a new team culture.

It feels to me like we’re on an upswing. This is Auckland’s day. It’s deserved. This is not about the Nix, except as one of a number of targets for a new team to aim for. We can enjoy it, feel neutral or resent it. But no albino priest assassins please. Or rugby munters, who can only frame one success by talking down on something else, reincarnated as Nix bashers.

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22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History

Yes there is a lot here martinb in what you say that is plain common sense. Inability to recognise success of your competitor and instead get one's kicks from pulling the "successful other" down is simply a small-dick syndrome. There is little difference between insecure rugby heads laughing at the All Whites and their 2010 campaign, and the "true fans" here who are unable to recognise that their northern rival club has done exceptionally well over both seasons of its existence to date.
I acknowledge that this might be my own cultural bias because I was brought up elsewhere (Poland), but man, the insecurity I sometimes witness here is simply suffocating.

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22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History

Got any decent nephews coming along in Poland? We need more of that Zawada/Kurto belief and no BS approach!

Zawada didn’t suffer from insecurity that we could see huh.

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22 days ago

I think calling the nix a "Loser club" can be considered harsh, but I do feel like this should be some sort of wake up call.

Hypothetically if the Nix folded tomorow what kind of legacy are we leaving behind? Finishing 2nd once? Make the semi's twice? Our women making the GF one time? Producing some decent talent from our academy? Being good on occasion?

You have to admit compared to other clubs we really haven't accomplished much.

At the end of the day despite all the negativity we're all gonna show up same time next season regardless of how the season ended. Frankly I think we were left with some optimism thanks to Greeny having that string of victories late into the season. I hope Auckland's success acts as a wake up call and lights a special kind of fire that makes us competitive again.

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obPK

22 days ago

observerfromuh wrote:
Can I ask why so many people hate Auckland FC?

Is it based on Bill Foley?

Probably based on being a football fan. Either you have just discovered football or you are about nine

Founder

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22 days ago

Nah man didnt you hear, hating your rivals is cringe, and the Polish have transcended such petty small mindedness, maybe you need a trip to Krakow for enlightenment

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22 days ago

Feverish wrote:
observerfromuh wrote:
Can I ask why so many people hate Auckland FC?

Is it based on Bill Foley?
Probably based on being a football fan. Either you have just discovered football or you are about nine

Disagree. A rivalry is one thing and the reasons why are obvious and make sense. But some people hate them, or at least speak as if they do. And this happened before we ever played them as well, I seem to remember. That was back when it was clearly a manufactured rivalry designed to draw attention to the team and to get bums on seats. Yet some Phoenix fans seemed hopelessly oblivious to Marketing 101.

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22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History

Hating the JAFAs is not the problem in this thread. Hating ourselves and our club is the problem.

If following the Nix makes you feel ashamed, then I can only say thank you and goodbye, I'm sure it will feel good to no longer give the "losers" your money or attention.

The same goes in reverse for the pathetic specimens in The Port who act like making Wellingtonians feel bad is the best thing about AFC's success. This whole "bragging rights"/relative status thing is cringe on all sides.

Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads

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+12

22 days ago

Being critical of your own club isn't the same thing as hating it

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22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History

imanixsupporter wrote:
Nah man didnt you hear, hating your rivals is cringe, and the Polish have transcended such petty small mindedness, maybe you need a trip to Krakow for enlightenment

I wish that was the case, huh :-)
Nah, Polish fans also have the same worst of the worst among them, as much as some of the football fans anywhere where football is the main sport. Many many decades ago, my (then) Italian girlfriend grandparents were Lazio supporters and the neighbours across the road where AS Roma supporters. Once when Lazio won the derby the neighbours left a dead stray cat on their doorstep. Ah, football.
But what you do not see much - at least in Poland - is the petty hating of one's own club for not being as good as the also hated competitor club.
The origin of the 'Poznan' move (invented by the Lech supporters) was, when watching from behind one's own goal, to turn one's back in disdain during the opposition team's attack, never when behind the opposition goal, never on one's own team attacking.

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22 days ago

Enjoyed the experience of being at a final last night. Probably not the best game but deserved result. Thanks for the tips on parking to those who responded earlier. Went a bit early and managed to park on Neilson Street and walk <15 mins up.

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22 days ago

imanixsupporter wrote:
Being critical of your own club isn't the same thing as hating it

But being unable to find anything good in your own club and transferring negativity about Auckland’s achievements onto the Nix is getting close.

And the monotonous critique of having a losers mentality, in which Domey is the only one to blame, where AucklandPhoenix can pour derision on the GM and then say he has no beef with the owners. Why not?

I’m not embarrassed or ashamed to be a Nix fan.

Part of the Auckland ‘revolution’: they look after their own, on and off the field. As well as this intense competition etc

If they took a beating they certainly wouldn’t witter on about how terrible they were and how their club culture was failing top to bottom and all the players were terrible and how they’d never win. They’d get ready for the next game and with that put the belief and team support right behind the playing group.

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22 days ago

Best story about AFC’s win

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360982954/heartfelt-reason-auckland-fcs-arrival-was-extra-special-grand-final-hero-cam-howieson

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22 days ago

I dont think calling people haters is appropriate. You can criticise something and wish it was better and not hate it. Too many people here are too sensitive.
Football forums all over the world are a forum for supporters to let off steam. The debate on YF is mild compared to what you see overseas. The worry will be if people cant express their opinions they will just give up on YF.
I will always be 100% a Nix supporter and I will cheer their success and criticise they failures. If people dont like that then thats not my problem

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22 days ago

We all hate Sydney more than Auckland right? AFC certainly seemed to have a lot of 2nd club support ! 😅

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22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History

Auckland will rise once more

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22 days ago

martinb wrote:
imanixsupporter wrote:
Being critical of your own club isn't the same thing as hating it
But being unable to find anything good in your own club and transferring negativity about Auckland’s achievements onto the Nix is getting close.

And the monotonous critique of having a losers mentality, in which Domey is the only one to blame, where AucklandPhoenix can pour derision on the GM and then say he has no beef with the owners. Why not?

I’m not embarrassed or ashamed to be a Nix fan.

Part of the Auckland ‘revolution’: they look after their own, on and off the field. As well as this intense competition etc

If they took a beating they certainly wouldn’t witter on about how terrible they were and how their club culture was failing top to bottom and all the players were terrible and how they’d never win. They’d get ready for the next game and with that put the belief and team support right behind the playing group.

You have no idea what AFC fans might say or do if they didnt win anything in the first 20 years of their existence, and of course since they have won multiple trophies in their first two seasons none of us will ever know. Inventing out of whole cloth what you think people might do in a totally hypothetical situation is completely worthless conjecture.

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22 days ago

I'm a bit cognitive dissonant with AFC.

On the one hand pleased to see a kiwi side
A) doing well
B) doing well with a mostly kiwi side
C) pulling serious kiwi football supporter levels
D) beating Aussies

On the other hand disliking
A) their playing style and often cynical play
B) the big money role in their success - and their attempts to deny that was a factor and
C) the new entrant advantages they were gifted vs the challenging entry to the league the Nix had to deal with

I also rather disliked the aussie Sky panel member - not sure who he was - who described the Nix as a side show vs the Auckland real deal.

Best response is beating them. But we'll need some sort of significant reset. Go Greeny and Welnix.

Although Corica has commented on not being able to keep all their current side under the cap, when they have to fully comply - next year, I think?

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brco

22 days ago

Piney and Iffil were speculating about Corica's future on the radio today. They think it is possible he leaves AFC. Probably the smart thing to do, before it goes sour like it did at Sydney, if he has overseas ambitions.

AFC's larger salary cap for the first two seasons is over. And the new cap for the whole league for next season is much more strict and will result in a more balanced playing field for all teams, with less exemptions and loopholes allowing for richer clubs to spend more.

Will be much harder in that context, and on the back of having won the Championship making it harder to motivate the side, to recreate the last two seasons' success, especially after they are likely going to lose players like Hall in addition to Randall.

I certainly won't be sorry to see him go if he does.

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22 days ago

imanixsupporter wrote:
Piney and Iffil were speculating about Corica's future on the radio today. They think it is possible he leaves AFC. Probably the smart thing to do, before it goes sour like it did at Sydney, if he has overseas ambitions.

AFC's larger salary cap for the first two seasons is over. And the new cap for the whole league for next season is much more strict and will result in a more balanced playing field for all teams, with less exemptions and loopholes allowing for richer clubs to spend more.

Will be much harder in that context, and on the back of having won the Championship making it harder to motivate the side, to recreate the last two seasons' success, especially after they are likely going to lose players like Hall in addition to Randall.

I certainly won't be sorry to see him go if he does.

This is all cope haha, Corica will leave and the replacement will probably be a winner too.

AFC have set them up to succeed and I think regardless of the salary cap some of the NZ players will be on not much coin. It'll be fascinating on how many players of there squad we passed on (Howieson does not count).

I see Bev leaving before Corica does and if he wants to go down the Australia route, AFC will let him job share too.

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22 days ago

I wasn't at all predicting AFC won't do well next season, just that it will be a little more of a challenge and Corica would be wise to jump now if he has higher ambitions. I don't want him to leave because he did well so much as I find the guy annoying

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22 days ago

imanixsupporter wrote:
martinb wrote:
imanixsupporter wrote:
Being critical of your own club isn't the same thing as hating it
But being unable to find anything good in your own club and transferring negativity about Auckland’s achievements onto the Nix is getting close.

And the monotonous critique of having a losers mentality, in which Domey is the only one to blame, where AucklandPhoenix can pour derision on the GM and then say he has no beef with the owners. Why not?

I’m not embarrassed or ashamed to be a Nix fan.

Part of the Auckland ‘revolution’: they look after their own, on and off the field. As well as this intense competition etc

If they took a beating they certainly wouldn’t witter on about how terrible they were and how their club culture was failing top to bottom and all the players were terrible and how they’d never win. They’d get ready for the next game and with that put the belief and team support right behind the playing group.
You have no idea what AFC fans might say or do if they didnt win anything in the first 20 years of their existence, and of course since they have won multiple trophies in their first two seasons none of us will ever know. Inventing out of whole cloth what you think people might do in a totally hypothetical situation is completely worthless conjecture.

I’m observing their behavior and that of our clubs, and Chief’s squad management. I can compare their behaviour now.

Uffie used to have a rule that you don’t change a winning starting 11, even if a starting player becomes available.

Chief built up the McCarron era team and then gave up on it. Played Edwards then quit on him after one bad game.

If a player is having a bad game don’t leave them all in their own.

If we want to win we can’t turn on our own mid-season. Once the season has started we’re not doing a major squad overhaul until season end at least.

We need to back our team. Until it’s mathematically impossible, and unless they’re completely trashing the no dickheads rule. If we’ve chosen players to do a job, we support them and the team loudly from the zone.

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22 days ago · edited 22 days ago · History

Can we discuss the "extra salary cap" coping mechanism?

Yes, Auckland were afforded extra salary cap room to make up for not being able to access exemptions for loyal and homegrown players. Importantly though, the number chosen was based on an average of what other clubs were spending. So the exemption was less than some other clubs are spending.

While it does afford a bit more freedom (Auckland can choose from a wider pool of players than those who'd be eligible for loyalty exemptions), there's still risk in every signing. The inverse is that with loyal player the clubs know exactly what they're getting.

Also, Auckland has included plenty of local players who were literally amateur 24 months ago.

So all things considered the league probably got it about right.

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22 days ago

I have wondered why Corica - who has publicly said he has ambitions to coach overseas (outside the A-League) - and with all his success, seemingly hasn't been the subject of speculation of picking up an overseas job, especially from somewhere like Japan who seem to love Australian coaches.

Surely rumours of overseas interest will have to start soon with him now having won the A-League at two separate clubs

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22 days ago

imanixsupporter wrote:
Piney and Iffil were speculating about Corica's future on the radio today. They think it is possible he leaves AFC. Probably the smart thing to do, before it goes sour like it did at Sydney, if he has overseas ambitions.

AFC's larger salary cap for the first two seasons is over. And the new cap for the whole league for next season is much more strict and will result in a more balanced playing field for all teams, with less exemptions and loopholes allowing for richer clubs to spend more.

Will be much harder in that context, and on the back of having won the Championship making it harder to motivate the side, to recreate the last two seasons' success, especially after they are likely going to lose players like Hall in addition to Randall.

I certainly won't be sorry to see him go if he does.

I don’t think the new salary cap is fait accompli, I'm sure it requires the sign off and agreement with the pfa in a new collective bargaining agreement.

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22 days ago

the final $$$ number may not be confirmed for next season, but you can guarantee one thing AFC will be required to adhere to it strictly which will mean paying their current salaries will be impossible. Sure some players are leaving but they arent the ones getting paid the big bucks. Keeping/replacing the imports will be tough.

Queenslander 3x a year.

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mjPK

22 days ago

20 Legend wrote:
Can we discuss the "extra salary cap" coping mechanism?

Yes, Auckland were afforded extra salary cap room to make up for not being able to access exemptions for loyal and homegrown players. Importantly though, the number chosen was based on an average of what other clubs were spending. So the exemption was less than some other clubs are spending.

While it does afford a bit more freedom (Auckland can choose from a wider pool of players than those who'd be eligible for loyalty exemptions), there's still risk in every signing. The inverse is that with loyal player the clubs know exactly what they're getting.

Also, Auckland has included plenty of local players who were literally amateur 24 months ago.

So all things considered the league probably got it about right.

RNZ has a report from this morning:

It's believed Auckland FC have spent nearly twice as much as the Wellington Phoenix on their squad over the past two seasons

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/596237/auckland-fc-to-lose-players-as-a-league-clamps-down-on-salary-cap

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21 days ago

Bullion wrote:
20 Legend wrote:
Can we discuss the "extra salary cap" coping mechanism?

Yes, Auckland were afforded extra salary cap room to make up for not being able to access exemptions for loyal and homegrown players. Importantly though, the number chosen was based on an average of what other clubs were spending. So the exemption was less than some other clubs are spending.

While it does afford a bit more freedom (Auckland can choose from a wider pool of players than those who'd be eligible for loyalty exemptions), there's still risk in every signing. The inverse is that with loyal player the clubs know exactly what they're getting.

Also, Auckland has included plenty of local players who were literally amateur 24 months ago.

So all things considered the league probably got it about right.
RNZ has a report from this morning:
It's believed Auckland FC have spent nearly twice as much as the Wellington Phoenix on their squad over the past two seasons
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/596237/auckland-fc-to-lose-players-as-a-league-clamps-down-on-salary-cap

An interesting note but beside the point about the salary cap exemptions for the last two seasons.

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21 days ago · edited 21 days ago · History

So a salient point in that article.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/596237/auckland-fc-to-lose-players-as-a-league-clamps-down-on-salary-cap

Auckland FC are set to lose several players for next season as new A-League salary cap rules come into effect.

The team made history on Saturday, becoming the first New Zealand side to win the A-League men's title with a 1-0 win over Sydney FC at a sold out Mt Smart Stadium.

They did it in just their second season.

But they appear likely to part ways with a number of their playing squad for next season and they won't be the only club forced to tighten their belts.

The Australia Professional League (APL), who run the A-League, want to set spending limits and reduce the number of players who sit outside the salary cap in a change that executive chair Stephen Conroy has previously said would "ensure a competitive balance and to build long term foundations for growth that helps unlock the full revenue potential of each club".

For the 2026/27 season there will be a hard cap of $A3 million, plus one marquee player whose salary sits outside the cap.

Before the start of the 2027-28 season there will be even more changes, with caps relative to clubs' revenue set to be put in place.

Under the current rules expansion clubs, like Auckland FC, have been allowed to spend more than the cap for two seasons.

This concession was to make up for the salary cap exemptions that new clubs could not take advantage of that were based on the length of time the club has been in the league (loyalty player) or an existing academy (homegrown player).

It's believed Auckland FC have spent nearly twice as much as the Wellington Phoenix on their squad over the past two seasons

Auckland FC likely won't be able to spend as much on players in their third season and chief executive, Nick Becker, told RNZ's Morning Report that while he hoped the "majority" of the squad would remain, there would be some players leaving the club.

"There's always some changes. We know there's Jesse Randall, for example, he's heading over to Dundee United after going to the World Cup with the All Whites. Football is very different to other codes in the sense that there are always quite a lot of change season to season.

"We're now coming into our third season. A lot of the boys signed on for two year contracts right at the start. So there'll be some conversations and some changes. We don't quite know who that is and what that looks like right now, but everyone will go off and have a little bit of a break now and come back on July the 8th."

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21 days ago · edited 21 days ago · History

Would take the radio nz article with a grain of salt. They have said it before and are repeating it again. I have heard that they initially figured that out by looking at transfermarket one day. An actual quote from someone at the club would be more accurate.

Director of football Terry McFlynn told Stuff last week they were spending “nowhere near twice as much” as the figure of AU$3m (NZ$3.2m) that Australian Professional Leagues wants to institute as hard salary cap from the 2026-27 season, with a lone exception for one marquee player.

“I think there are clubs that are spending double the salary cap and more, but I think we’re about fourth or fifth across the league, from what we can understand.”

The salary cap is AU$2.6m (NZ$2.79m) this season, though Auckland were allowed to spend roughly $400,000 extra, because as a brand-new club, they don’t have access to the exceptions for loyal or homegrown players other clubs do.

“The APL’s metric they used was a blended average across the other 12 clubs in the competition and what that spend looked like outside of the cap and that's what we were afforded,” McFlynn said. “It was the same when Western United and Macarthur joined a couple of years ago.”

Auckland have made full use of the exceptions for marquee players (two players whose salaries don’t count against the cap at all) and designated players (two players whose salaries – between AU$300,000 and AU$600,000 – don’t count against the cap).

Auckland will rise once more

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21 days ago

From what I can see off Transfermarkt, AFC only have a small number of players contracted for next season or beyond -

https://www.transfermarkt.com/auckland-fc/kadernaechstesaison/verein/118373
June 2007 - Woud, Pijnaker, Sakai, Elliot, Rogerson, Cosgrove
June 2008 - Brook, Vicelich, Brimmer
June 2009 - FDV

Injured Guillermo May handing out the winners medal post game, had the feel of a farewell for him.
They must be paying overs to attract high quality Aussies like Hall, Brimmer, Brook & Girdwood-Reich (on loan).

They might let both Hall & Girdwood-Reich go, and convert Sakai into a CB? Vicelich also highly promising.

Brimmer has been hot & often cold. They might try negotiate a mutual release with him to free up some salary space. Especially if the rumour is true and Lachlan Bayliss is coming to Auckland. Howieson has really stood up the last few weeks as well. He'll get offered an extension. Fitzharris looks a talent. Finn McKenlay another they probably have hopes can progress to the first team.

Gallegos likely joins May in leaving. Can they afford to offer Verstraete an extension?
They may need to go on the hunt for 3 cheapest undervalued visa players.

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21 days ago

AucklandPhoenix wrote:
Would take the radio nz article with a grain of salt. They have said it before and are repeating it again. I have heard that they initially figured that out by looking at transfermarket one day. An actual quote from someone at the club would be more accurate.

Director of football Terry McFlynn told Stuff last week they were spending “nowhere near twice as much” as the figure of AU$3m (NZ$3.2m) that Australian Professional Leagues wants to institute as hard salary cap from the 2026-27 season, with a lone exception for one marquee player.
“I think there are clubs that are spending double the salary cap and more, but I think we’re about fourth or fifth across the league, from what we can understand.”
The salary cap is AU$2.6m (NZ$2.79m) this season, though Auckland were allowed to spend roughly $400,000 extra, because as a brand-new club, they don’t have access to the exceptions for loyal or homegrown players other clubs do.
“The APL’s metric they used was a blended average across the other 12 clubs in the competition and what that spend looked like outside of the cap and that's what we were afforded,” McFlynn said. “It was the same when Western United and Macarthur joined a couple of years ago.”
Auckland have made full use of the exceptions for marquee players (two players whose salaries don’t count against the cap at all) and designated players (two players whose salaries – between AU$300,000 and AU$600,000 – don’t count against the cap).

Exactly... realistically, it's impossible for Auckland to be the biggest spenders, because the salary exemptions they're allowed are based on an average across the league. An average implies at least some clubs spend beyond that.

If there's any truth to the line about the Nix, that says more about the Nix than it says about Auckland

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21 days ago

coochiee wrote:
https://www.transfermarkt.com/auckland-fc/kadernaechstesaison/verein/118373
June 2007 - Woud, Pijnaker, Sakai, Elliot, Rogerson, Cosgrove
June 2008 - Brook, Vicelich, Brimmer
June 2009 - FDV

Injured Guillermo May handing out the winners medal post game, had the feel of a farewell for him.
They must be paying overs to attract high quality Aussies like Hall, Brimmer, Brook & Girdwood-Reich (on loan).

They might let both Hall & Girdwood-Reich go, and convert Sakai into a CB? Vicelich also highly promising.

Brimmer has been hot & often cold. They might try negotiate a mutual release with him to free up some salary space. Especially if the rumour is true and Lachlan Bayliss is coming to Auckland. Howieson has really stood up the last few weeks as well. He'll get offered an extension. Fitzharris looks a talent. Finn McKenlay another they probably have hopes can progress to the first team.

Gallegos likely joins May in leaving. Can they afford to offer Verstraete an extension?
They may need to go on the hunt for 3 cheapest undervalued visa players.

It's gonna be interesting how it all falls, because no A-league club is going to have much space for good players like Gallegos, May or maybe even Hall who aren't one of each club's 1 or 2 best players.

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21 days ago · edited 21 days ago · History

I also recall Dome saying in a pod, after the first bad Chiefy year, that based upon what they know of where they sit on the salary spend, that they expect finals each year.

That would imply that they would fall sixth or thereabouts.

May and Gallegos definitely will depart. Irrespective of their salary, May hasn’t really lived up to it this year, has lost a bit of pace and has suffered with injuries. Gallegos is 35 and isn’t an automatic starter. Time to refresh those spots.

The two biggest losses would be Hall and Verstrate. You would want to keep both but I think everyone would say they are too good for this league. Japan, the MLS or Europe would be a better level for them.

Girdward-Reich is only on loan and AFC wouldn’t pay a transfer fee.

A lot of the scholarship players signed in year one have flattered to deceive so will be replaced by younger versions who will hopefully kick on (Ashton Burns, Prins etc) Maybe some of the cast offs will end up in next years OFC league.

Brimmer is on a long term contract but has really struggled this year and the fact he couldn’t make the subs bench on final day is telling. He seems to have a bit going on in his personal life so a move back to Australia may suit him and AFC.

So yep, both to refresh the squad and salary cap, there will be a major overhaul.

However, only two big losses - Verstrate and Hall. Simply put they are too good for this league.

I would back the recruitment however to get a good left wing/striker and number 6 with good quality imports. That leaves one import spot which may or may not be used. Possibly not if they are signing Bayliss - who may be more a May replacement then a Brimmer.

Centre back will be more difficult to replace as no local matches up to Hall. It’s however a big call to use two import spots on defenders.

Auckland will rise once more

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coFU

21 days ago

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360983204/idea-title-970-days-how-auckland-fc-made-kiwi-football-history

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