Auckland Pride - Make Auckland Great Again

7579 replies · 1,262,934 views
21 days ago · edited 21 days ago · History
I'd hazard a pretty confident guess that Auckland have used the two marquee players and two designated players, all outside the cap, plus have used the average of the legacy sort of allowances over all clubs.

I'd also hazard a guess that Welnix have spent the cap and not much more. Comments they've made over the years tend to suggest that's about where they pitch their spend. 

If everybody is reduced to simply one player outside the cap, that's three players likely all on $300k plus each that AFC can't retain. $900k of spend they need to ditch.

And I'd hazard a guess we won't need to reduce our spend at all.

That might be a simple but accurate enough way to look at it?

I could be wrong - happy to be corrected - but I'm quite looking forward to seeing if that gives us a much more level playing field against them next year.
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21 days ago
mjp2 wrote:
I'd hazard a pretty confident guess that Auckland have used the two marquee players and two designated players, all outside the cap, plus have used the average of the legacy sort of allowances over all clubs.

I'd also hazard a guess that Welnix have spent the cap and not much more. Comments they've made over the years tend to suggest that's about where they pitch their spend. 

If everybody is reduced to simply one player outside the cap, that's three players likely all on $300k plus each that AFC can't retain. $900k of spend they need to ditch.

And I'd hazard a guess we won't need to reduce our spend at all.

That might be a simple but accurate enough way to look at it?

I could be wrong - happy to be corrected - but I'm quite looking forward to seeing if that gives us a much more level playing field against them next year.
This is the smartest post on the salary cap situation in this thread, but I gather it's closer to $500k each/$1.5m total of spend that needs to be cut in Auckland's case if indeed it goes from four fully-exempt slots (two marquees/two DPs) to one

The other big change proposed re: the salary cap was that scholarship contracts would have to fit inside the cap, which would be another $250k total, roughly
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Endorsed by
mj
21 days ago · edited 21 days ago · History
The interesting part is the following years proposal where salaries will form a percentage of revenue.

It seems rather random to implement a hard salary cap for just one year and then move to this model.

Now most revenue would come from attendances and sponsorship.

Unless some very creative accounting is used by some clubs regarding revenue, that system will greatly benefit  Sydney, Victory and Auckland.



Auckland will rise once more

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Endorsed by
cotheprof
21 days ago
AucklandPhoenix wrote:
The interesting part is the following years proposal where salaries will form a percentage of revenue.

It seems rather random to implement a hard salary cap for just one year and then move to this model.

Now most revenue would come from attendances and sponsorship.

Unless some very creative accounting is used by some clubs regarding revenue, that system will greatly benefit  Sydney, Victory and Auckland.


 

So basically an A-League version of PSR?

Three for me, and two for them.

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Endorsed by
AucklandPhoenix
21 days ago
andrewvoerman wrote:
 mjp2 wrote:
I'd hazard a pretty confident guess that Auckland have used the two marquee players and two designated players, all outside the cap, plus have used the average of the legacy sort of allowances over all clubs.

I'd also hazard a guess that Welnix have spent the cap and not much more. Comments they've made over the years tend to suggest that's about where they pitch their spend. 

If everybody is reduced to simply one player outside the cap, that's three players likely all on $300k plus each that AFC can't retain. $900k of spend they need to ditch.

And I'd hazard a guess we won't need to reduce our spend at all.

That might be a simple but accurate enough way to look at it?

I could be wrong - happy to be corrected - but I'm quite looking forward to seeing if that gives us a much more level playing field against them next year.
This is the smartest post on the salary cap situation in this thread, but I gather it's closer to $500k each/$1.5m total of spend that needs to be cut in Auckland's case if indeed it goes from four fully-exempt slots (two marquees/two DPs) to one

The other big change proposed re: the salary cap was that scholarship contracts would have to fit inside the cap, which would be another $250k total, roughly
And loyalty player exemptions
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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).
Two marquees and two designated players and you're possibly at 80% the salary cap level with 4 players - chuck in the $400k quoted exemptions (for like loyalty players) and you have almost an entire salary cap worth not in the cap. The Nix only have 2 players eligible for loyalty exemptions, Rufer the only one the full 50% (I assume the period where he wasn't renewed and had to trial doesn’t reset the clock) and Payne who was eligible for 20% this year. Even if the Nix used them, Rufer and Payne's deals would be nowhere near enough to get $400k outside of the cap. Its also convenient the calculation allowing afc to spend more was when all clubs were aud$1.5m wealthier, certainly impacting average spend across the league.
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Endorsed by
mj
21 days ago · edited 21 days ago · History
Bullion wrote:
 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).
Two marquees and two designated players and you're possibly at 80% the salary cap level with 4 players - chuck in the $400k quoted exemptions (for like loyalty players) and you have almost an entire salary cap worth not in the cap. The Nix only have 2 players eligible for loyalty exemptions, Rufer the only one the full 50% (I assume the period where he wasn't renewed and had to trial doesn’t reset the clock) and Payne who was eligible for 20% this year. Even if the Nix used them, Rufer and Payne's deals would be nowhere near enough to get $400k outside of the cap. Its also convenient the calculation allowing afc to spend more was when all clubs were aud$1.5m wealthier, certainly impacting average spend across the league.
While the Phoenix's potential loyalty exemptions wouldn't get close to $400k by themselves, once you add in their homegrown exemptions – four fully exempt salaries of under-23 players who have come through the club – which are also part of that figure, they would.
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Endorsed by
mj
21 days ago
Nix fans who said that they wanted AFC to win, here's my feelings

1. They're JAFA's
2. They're in the same league as us and they are our rivals, we need to be above them at all costs and not celebrate their trumps
3, They're JAFA'S
4. Loser mentality in wishing AFC well, no wonder the Nix are saddled with this reputation
5. Good for NZ football, probably, good for the Nix, no way, reflective glory is very sad
6. It's Football, you have an extreme case of pettiness/immaturity/schadenfreude, that's what being a fan is

Also did I mention they're JAFA's
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21 days ago
Please be positive people. AFC have performed well and won the A-League - good on them. At least an NZ team and it has boosted NZ football overall. But we can acknowledge that AFC have had considerably more start-up tailwinds and plain cash than the Nix have ever had. BUT - how do you measure true success? We've kept a viable club in the A-League for almost 20 years when so many others have folded, with so many more headwinds than any of the other teams have had to face, we've got a vibrant Academy with many teams for men, women, boys and girls, that have generated numerous top-performing players, and an exciting Women's team that was just in a Grand Final (and that was after also having to play its first few seasons in greater adversity than others with COVID relocation and Nix-specific VISA player restriction disadvantages).  We've never had to be bailed out by others, and everything that's been done is homegrown Wellington (no overseas billionaires or mega-club patrons). We're still here and one of the most successful clubs in the league - assuming that there is more to success criteria than just winning finals. I, for one, am very happy with the quality of the club that we support. I'd like it if we did win a title, but I also understand that it can only be done by one team every season, and it's very fleeting when it happens. There's more to real success and value than just that. 
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Endorsed by
brcoLGMainland FC+4
21 days ago
Gordinho wrote:
Please be positive people. AFC have performed well and won the A-League - good on them. At least an NZ team and it has boosted NZ football overall. But we can acknowledge that AFC have had considerably more start-up tailwinds and plain cash than the Nix have ever had. BUT - how do you measure true success? We've kept a viable club in the A-League for almost 20 years when so many others have folded, with so many more headwinds than any of the other teams have had to face, we've got a vibrant Academy with many teams for men, women, boys and girls, that have generated numerous top-performing players, and an exciting Women's team that was just in a Grand Final (and that was after also having to play its first few seasons in greater adversity than others with COVID relocation and Nix-specific VISA player restriction disadvantages).  We've never had to be bailed out by others, and everything that's been done is homegrown Wellington (no overseas billionaires or mega-club patrons). We're still here and one of the most successful clubs in the league - assuming that there is more to success criteria than just winning finals. I, for one, am very happy with the quality of the club that we support. I'd like it if we did win a title, but I also understand that it can only be done by one team every season, and it's very fleeting when it happens. There's more to real success and value than just that. 
Of course, this is probably a bit 'woke' for some....... 
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21 days ago
i can do both!
its great an NZ team has won the league - great for NZ footy that is - it sucks as a Nix fan and a Wellingtonian however.
I love auckland's viaduct, but I hate that they have it and Wellington's waterfront is now old and tired - it really annoys me the a series of governments have funder improviements for Auckland and not the Capital!

As for AFC, I despsie them, hate their players, hate their fans! simple they are rivals!
Although I love the Cam Howieson story,

Queenslander 3x a year.

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Endorsed by
co
21 days ago · edited 21 days ago · History
theprof wrote:

I love auckland's viaduct, but I hate that they have it and Wellington's waterfront is now old and tired - it really annoys me the a series of governments have funder improviements for Auckland and not the Capital!
Tbf it's not just central government's fault. Wellington has had an extremely dysfunctional local government since ages ago, with the crucial bloc having apparently decided that the city was perfect in 2003, don't fudge with it. In contrast - in the Supercity Era at least - Auckland's local governments have tried to do something, even Grouchy Granddad Wayne who IMHO is like Trump if Trump were surrounded with sensible people. Len Brown in particular needs a medal for dragging central government kicking and screaming to the City Rail Link

And believe me, I'm not a Viaduct type, I'm a K Road type, and the new train station there will rule

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



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Endorsed by
cotheprof
21 days ago
there is that, never too late to change that though, time to move away from focussing solely on green projects like cycleways and planting trees and get back to making Wellington fun again.

Queenslander 3x a year.

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21 days ago · edited 20 days ago · History
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360983268/auckland-fc-title-sets-stage-all-whites-world-cup-quest-echo-2010

ANALYSIS: The first six months of 2010 were an incredible time to be a New Zealand football fan.

They beat Perth Glory in a penalty shootout in an elimination final, then beat the Newcastle Jets in a semifinal, getting the capital behind them like never before.

They fell one step short of the grand final, when they lost 4-2 away to Sydney FC in the preliminary final.

But football was suddenly front and centre in the New Zealand sporting landscape, on the eve of the All Whites’ first FIFA World Cup appearance in 28 years.

The national team finished undefeated in South Africa that year, drawing with Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay in group F, but failed to advance to the knockout stage.

With five Phoenix players and Ricki Herbert – the coach of both teams – along for the ride.
Wellington Phoenix players celebrate their penalty shootout win over Perth Gory in 2010. Photo: Dave Lintott / Photosport         .............

Sixteen years on, it looks like history might be repeating.

In their second season in A-League Men, Auckland FC have just become the first New Zealand team to win the championship, a year after topping the table and winning the premiership in season one.

If you had tried telling that to a Phoenix fan in March 2010, as they hit heights they haven’t reached again since, they would have looked at you very queerly indeed.
Auckland also had a penalty shootout win in an elimination final – over Melbourne City at the start of the month.


Auckland’s story isn’t incredible, nor is it a fairytale – their billionaire backing rules those adjectives out – but they have had an impressive first two seasons all the same.

After a bus parade down Queen St and celebrations with fans in Takutai Square at lunchtime on Sunday, chief executive Nick Becker called five players to the front of the stage.

Francis de Vries, Callan Elliot, Nando Pijnaker, Jesse Randall and Michael Woud – the club’s five World Cup-bound All Whites.

If you were at Go Media Stadium on Saturday night, or among the throngs downtown the following afternoon, it would have been clear football was having a moment.

On the eve of a World Cup in North America that will be played largely in waking hours in New Zealand – not through the middle of the night.

The All Whites’ group G matches against Iran, Egypt and Belgium are set to kick off at 1pm, 1pm and 3pm respectively, so plenty of people will be watching.
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Endorsed by
FUPK
20 days ago
Doloras wrote:
 theprof wrote:

I love auckland's viaduct, but I hate that they have it and Wellington's waterfront is now old and tired - it really annoys me the a series of governments have funder improviements for Auckland and not the Capital!
Tbf it's not just central government's fault. Wellington has had an extremely dysfunctional local government since ages ago, with the crucial bloc having apparently decided that the city was perfect in 2003, don't fudge with it. In contrast - in the Supercity Era at least - Auckland's local governments have tried to do something, even Grouchy Granddad Wayne who IMHO is like Trump if Trump were surrounded with sensible people. Len Brown in particular needs a medal for dragging central government kicking and screaming to the City Rail Link

And believe me, I'm not a Viaduct type, I'm a K Road type, and the new train station there will rule

I don't think Wellington has an extremely dysfunctional local Govt - you certainly hear about any issues but that is mostly political opportunism/ideology driven.

There is structural advantages to Akl - most major events Akl becomes the centre piece (sporting World Cups, America's Cup, major conferences) that have resulted in central Government spending.

There are also structural, more geological, disadvantages to Wgtn - the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake badly damaged a lot of infrastructure and buildings (many still closed and may strengthened at great cost) that was bad but not bad enough to get significant Govt investment to help rebuild infrastructure (like underground pipes).

I also get a sense of pork barrel politics where there is little political competition so nothing is done to court voters (especially from the right) though that may change with losing an electorate. Of the previous 6 metro electorates 2 were competitive, now 2 to maybe 3 out of 5 - though those competitive seats are more suburban. You will also likely not lose votes by bashing Wgtn - might even gain some. The biggest spend the Govt will be doing in Wgtn is not super popular, basically allowing politicians to get from the airport to the beehive in their ubers quicker, and fits the current govt's car centric ideology. We (even if all metro's joined) just don't have the gravitational mass of Akl to pull the govt like Akl do, which Brown and Brown have done for Akl and reminds me of this: https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/28-01-2016/a-brief-history-of-national-mps-trashing-the-rail-link-they-just-funded
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19 days ago
Just released 3 of Auckland's 5 AWs are of Dutch heritage.
FDV, Pijnaker & Woud.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360973518/full-steam-ahead-24-hours-auckland-fcs-all-whites-world-cup-after-lengthy-league-men-celebrations


On Tuesday afternoon, everyone reconvened at their North Harbour Stadium base for a final team lunch and a parting of ways.

“It was a very sad day," Pijnaker said, "because there's a lot of players that I'm probably never going to see again. This is the life of a footballer – it happens every single year – but we built some very special connections this season and I think those connections helped us win the championship.“

Randall is the only Auckland player whose departure has been confirmed – he is joining Dundee United in Scotland – but Australian centre back Dan Hall is also believed to be moving on, and there is a good chance their three off-contract visa players – forward Guillermo May and midfielders Felipe Gallegos and Louis Verstraete - could all be on their way as well, with the salary cap tightening.

The good news is that while they will be losing one World Cup All White, Auckland are set to gain another in the form of Lachlan Bayliss, who is understood to be coming across the Tasman from the Newcastle Jets.
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Endorsed by
FU
17 days ago · edited 17 days ago · History
Judging by the tone of the thank you on Socials, the goal keeper coach, looks to be moving on.

Seems to have done a good job and can often be seen on the bench for the OFC and reserve teams.

Auckland will rise once more

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4 days ago
Note across the ALM season 2024/25, players under 21 accounted for 18% of total match minutes
AFC defintely an outlier, with almost nil mins going to players U21. But those U21 mins should increase going forward.

U21 A-League Debutants This Season: Oli Middleton, Bailey Ferguson, James Mitchell, Ryan McKay, Luka Vicelich, Van Fitzharris
AFC U21s Minutes in Year One: 64 mins (0.25%) - McKenlay (47), Bidois (9), Coulibaly (8)
AFC U21s Minutes in Year Two: 343 (1.15%) - Vicelich (143), Bidois (111), Fitzharris (48), Ferguson (19), Mitchell (11), Middleton (7), Mackay (4)
Auckland FC won the A-League and then celebrated it like you’re supposed to. There was a parade down Queen Street and everything. Glorious stuff. Then a handful of their players dusted themselves off and jumped on a plane to link up with the All Whites in Florida ahead of the World Cup and attention moved elsewhere. AFC fell short in their first finals run then channelled that into success the next time around. What do you do when you’ve reached the top of the mountain? You go climb it again.

There are some complications though. Most of the contracts they handed out in year one – when the team was brand new and players were effectively taking a leap into the unknown – were two year contracts. Those deals are now ending which leaves AFC with a huge chunk of their squad as impending free agents at a time when the A-League is coincidentally shifting to a hard cap without concessions or exemptions beyond being allowed to sign exactly one marquee player who sits outside the AU$3million limit.

As has been publicised, Auckland were given extra exemptions as an expansion club that are now coming to an end... though that stuff often seems to get misinterpreted. The exemptions they were given, same as every other recent expansion team in recent years, were to compensate for being not being able to access other exemptions like loyalty or homegrown player discounts (seeing as an expansion team by definition cannot have loyalty or homegrown players yet). They were compensations not advantages. RNZ did claim that “it's believed Auckland FC have spent nearly twice as much as the Wellington Phoenix on their squad over the past two seasons” but, like, about 30% of the Nix squad last season were academy grads aged 22 or younger so they weren’t exactly busting the banks over there (although mid-season additions would have helped close the gap – Tuiloma, Singh, Kartum).

Not sure if Hiroki Sakai counts as a marquee player or not, either way he gave everyone at the club a boost back in April when he signed a one-year extension to stick around until he’s 37 years old (at least). That’s one import sorted. Other than that it’s a pretty bare cupboard, to be honest. Logan Rogerson signed a two-year extension before this season so he’s got another. Luke Vicelich was given a three-year scholarship deal in January. Jake Brimmer (two years), Nando Pijnaker (one year), Callan Elliot (one year), and Michael Woud (one year) all have time remaining on their original deals which is fair reward for being the keen beans who jumped on multi-year deals from the outset. Cam Howieson has signed an extension since the season ended. So has Woud even though he was already contracted. Everyone else is up for grabs.

Contracted: Logan Rogerson, Jake Brimmer, Nando Pijnaker, Hiroki Sakai, Callan Elliot, Michael Woud, Luka Vicelich, Cam Howieson
Off Contract: Oli Sail, Francis de Vries, Guillermo May, Louis Verstraete, Felipe Gallegos, Jesse Randall, Marlee Francois, Dan Hall, Lachlan Brook, Jake Girdwood-Reich, Sam Cosgrove, James Hilton, Liam Gillion

We already know that Jesse Randall has signed with Dundee United on a free transfer and will be linking up with them after the World Cup. Jake Girdwood-Reich was only at the club on loan from St Louis City where he has one more year remaining. They might be able to do something there but it’d take some manoeuvring. At the time of writing, there have also been reports linking both Dan Hall and Liam Gillion to situations elsewhere. However it has been strongly reported that AFC are in prime position to scoop up Lachlan Bayliss after he departed the Newcastle Jets following his breakthrough season. His brother James already plays for the AFC Pro League team.

All of their non-Vicelich scholars are off contract too... with Adama Coulibaly and Finn McKenlay confirmed to be leaving. Both played A-League in their first year but weren’t really in the frame this time around although McKenlay did get onto the bench for four of the last six games when injuries struck their midfield (including the first two finals games). Coulibaly’s problem is that he’s so versatile that it’s been hard to nail down a position even as he’s mostly stuck to left-back and centre-back within the AFC system. He did get some OPL appearances late in that campaign but perhaps lacks the size for a Steve Corica backline. McKenlay doesn’t lack size and was arguably the best player for the Reserves in National League... bit of a shame to see him leave, though perhaps he just didn’t want to stick competing for a seat on the bench for another year. Hard to say until we see where they end up. James Hilton was also released in the same announcement, less of a surprise given that he was only a mid-season injury replacement.


U21 A-League Debutants This Season: Oli Middleton, Bailey Ferguson, James Mitchell, Ryan McKay, Luka Vicelich, Van Fitzharris
AFC U21s Minutes in Year One: 64 mins (0.25%) - McKenlay (47), Bidois (9), Coulibaly (8)
AFC U21s Minutes in Year Two: 343 (1.15%) - Vicelich (143), Bidois (111), Fitzharris (48), Ferguson (19), Mitchell (11), Middleton (7), Mackay (4)
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3 days ago · edited 3 days ago · History
Just querying the bit about players off contract.

From all resources I have seen Cosgrove, Brook and DeVries are not off contract.

Cosgrove has one year left, Brook two and De Vries signed an extension a little while ago.

Unless I am missing something about Cosgrove and Brook?

May just announced as leaving. What a legend.

Auckland will rise once more

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Endorsed by
FU
3 days ago
Cosgrove confirmed he'll be back.  Brook has had nothing to suggest his was a one year deal.
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3 days ago
I leave with good memories and two trophies, including the Grand Final. After two years here, I would say it is the best experience of my life
https://aucklandfc.co.nz/news/guillermo-may-departs-auckland-fc/

May has been great. Unfortunately a victim of the salary cap. Will be a great addition to any club. All the best to him.
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3 days ago
And May and Brook both want to operate in similar areas, ideally right? Both good with ball at feet and a stinging left foot shot.


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Endorsed by
AucklandPhoenix
3 days ago
May will have a few AL clubs queuing up to sign him up. Had a cracking first season then struggled season two with injuries. But he came right by seasons end. Class player and a really nice guy as well.
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2 days ago

I feel like it was just a few weeks ago I posted here wondering how long it would be before Steve Corica would attract rumours of going overseas and specifically to Japan (who seem to love a successful Australian coach) - If it were to happen he would be the 5th Aussie coach for Yokohama F. Marino's since 2018
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2 days ago
when does Corica's conract run out with AFC?

Queenslander 3x a year.

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2 days ago
theprof wrote:
when does Corica's conract run out with AFC?

26/27 is the final year of his Auckland contract
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2 days ago
Hay to take over??


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2 days ago
martinb wrote:
Hay to take over??
That was my first thought on Twitter but AV chirped up saying he isn't sure that Hay has the required coaching badges.
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Endorsed by
martinb