So they are Auckland FC, called the Black Knghts, their supporters are the Port and their mascot is a bird. Makes sense!
Tbf that does kind of sum up the ramshackle city that Auckland is! It’s a port on reclaimed land, the uni used to be barracks, there’s a bunch of forested mountains with birds in them and none of it really makes sense…
In the Nix transfer thread this name was mentioned as a possibility and someone said that this would be AFC’s likely number nine instead. Not sure if they were in the know but if not it is not a bad pick.
Fabio Gomes
Really interesting CV and if true this would be the seventh country he has played in, with a stint at Sydney, New York Red Bulls, Brazil, Bolivia, Japan and Portugal. While at New York his salary was US400k.
Since then he has had a spell at Sydney and then won the league with his team last year in Bolivia.
Appears to tick many boxes, massive unit, I would assume English speaking, knows the league, signed by Corica on loan previously and a nice age at 28 yrs.
I can’t recall him at Sydney, but he looks like he did well goal wise, but in the two games verses the Nix had limited minutes.
From what I can see he is great in the air, has pace for a big man and a preety good goal scoring record.
Auckland FC will prepare for their new men’s A-League season with a pre-season match against Dettol Northern League side West Coast Rangers.
The match will be played under lights at Whenuapai’s Fred Taylor Park, a ground shared by West Coast Rangers and the Auckland FC Reserves.
The game will kick off at 7pm on Tuesday July 22, a week ahead of Auckland FC’s first fully competitive match, which is their Round of 32 Australia Cup tie against the Gold Coast Knights.
I said on the other chat that I think he will pop up with a player coaching role somewhere in the lower leagues. He is well respected in the UK so probably has a variety of contacts to draw on.
He's well down the AW pecking order now for CB - Ahead of him I would have...
Boxall, Surman, Bindon, Pinjaker, Tuiloma and Stanger with the likes of Hughes, LKH potentially overtaking him if they get good minutes in this season and perform.
He managed to surf some good waves! Let’s be honest the wave is breaking in Auckland now. There’s a good regular swell in Welly, but Auckland is where the big waves are right now. Seems like he’s done this his whole career. Heh. Though to be fair, it’s something of a drop down from Arsenal and Man City to Melbourne.
He is something of a corporate guy, but the interesting takeaway for me is he admitted the City group failed to engage with the local community. And though he didn’t say that seems to be a big issue with WU and MacArthur too. The A league is a franchise, not a club model and has to earn the local support. That seems to be one interesting takeaway.
He managed to surf some good waves! Let’s be honest the wave is breaking in Auckland now. There’s a good regular swell in Welly, but Auckland is where the big waves are right now. Seems like he’s done this his whole career. Heh. Though to be fair, it’s something of a drop down from Arsenal and Man City to Melbourne.
He is something of a corporate guy, but the interesting takeaway for me is he admitted the City group failed to engage with the local community. And though he didn’t say that seems to be a big issue with WU and MacArthur too. The A league is a franchise, not a club model and has to earn the local support. That seems to be one interesting takeaway.
don't think engaging with the community would help much with heart/city. Like imagine another akl team came in called AFC Akl (or some other lame generic name), wore red and played at go media stadium - top it off owned by controversial ownership group that also owns a club overseas that has strong rivalries with clubs many fans follow here. Going to struggle to engage with potential fans no matter how much effort you put in and success you have.
He managed to surf some good waves! Let’s be honest the wave is breaking in Auckland now. There’s a good regular swell in Welly, but Auckland is where the big waves are right now. Seems like he’s done this his whole career. Heh. Though to be fair, it’s something of a drop down from Arsenal and Man City to Melbourne.
He is something of a corporate guy, but the interesting takeaway for me is he admitted the City group failed to engage with the local community. And though he didn’t say that seems to be a big issue with WU and MacArthur too. The A league is a franchise, not a club model and has to earn the local support. That seems to be one interesting takeaway.
Easy to actually with his refusal to accept blame for some of the issues away fans had.
A truck load of salary of their books. Likely also steadying things up for next year when the cap is more stringently enforced.
Alex P and Moreno would have been on a very decent wedge.
Smith, Galloway and Mata, not bad coin as well.
And they ditched Toomey.
Interestingly only Alex P started against Melbourne so it’s only their bench and depth which will be tested.
Can see them only paying decent money for the new import striker, with a local cheap centre back signed for back up and a scholarship for the left back, back up.
Squad will also likely be a couple of players lighter number wise and they will be demanding more of Brimmer, Howieson and Elliot when injuries hit along with their young kiwi players.
A truck load of salary of their books. Likely also steadying things up for next year when the cap is more stringently enforced.
Alex P and Moreno would have been on a very decent wedge.
Smith, Galloway and Mata, not bad coin as well.
And they ditched Toomey.
Interestingly only Alex P started against Melbourne so it’s only their bench and depth which will be tested.
Can see them only paying decent money for the new import striker, with a local cheap centre back signed for back up and a scholarship for the left back, back up.
Squad will also likely be a couple of players lighter number wise and they will be demanding more of Brimmer, Howieson and Elliot when injuries hit along with their young kiwi players.
good call on lightening their bank balance. I thought Elliot stepped up well last season
The last stop on the planned Northwestern Busway will be quite near Fred Taylor Park, so that might mean getting out to watch reserves (later women's?) games will be doable for me
Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009 This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads
The last stop on the planned Northwestern Busway will be quite near Fred Taylor Park, so that might mean getting out to watch reserves (later women's?) games will be doable for me
Are they having a ladies/women's team now? Someone told me it was being canned.
Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!
Don't think there has been an official announcement yet.
But the news is APL don't have the extra approx $500K needed to spend on travel and accommodation costs, that adding an Auckland team to the ALW would entail.
Hopefully next year's media rights deal for the A Leagues is much much bigger, and the APL have more cash to disburse to the clubs.
+1
