Mark Judan: Family Time

As mentioned above whats exciting about watching from the sidelines as the Phoenix try and get anew manager. Its been along drawn out process in the past why should this be any different.

Except we've been going through "exciting times" for the past 5 years. Dome isnt very good at his job. His version of exciting is putting wasabe on ya sushi or building an Ikea desk without instructions. 

He manages the message but surely that is his job? Most GMs and CEOs in any organisation are in the same spot.

Rob Morrison clearly thinks he does a good job and I don't have any impression that Rob is the sort of person to put up with people who are shark.

Except that there is plenty of evidence over the last five years to suggest that the board don't have a very good grasp on what is and isn't shark in the context of football.

We have to believe that the players want a home final and more. I will cheer for them like always, I want a home final and if it helps I'll do my best, you know fully into that, 100% commited, success driven. We are fully committed. We still can boooh the coach if we loose, he's is gone anyway, perfect scapegoat.

Way to mis-attribute Rudan there. 

His scathing comment was on Barbarouses's comments on the untick in form due to the manager being gone. Not on whether Nix deserved to be in the competition in the A-League. 

You should go work for Fox with that spin.

For Rudan to start bitching about not enough investment by the owners is a bit rich now based on the above and the obvious money and effort spent on the Academy, WeeNix, pre season trips and the like. Does he expect more from the owners when they have no guarantee they will own a license after next season? 

To be fair to the club, this morning's statement and Dome's interview with Jason Pine were pretty good.

On the surface, Rudan's call here is all about his family. We can have views about that given his chosen profession, but ultimately it's difficult to give him too much of a hard time about that.

I still expect him to be given a solid grilling by media this week. And, if all he does is head back to Sydney for a year to essentially wait out his time, he will retain my respect. 

Suit up, then, Mark. You've got a big few weeks ahead of you.

Yes but if he goes to WU and takes Kurto, Williams, Burgess and Krishna with him. How will you feel then.

If that happens, like absolute shark. And, he would rightly be considered a Judas. But, IF we're to believe what we've heard this morning, then Rudan has been working with club to help secure players for next year. Whether that's actually true or not is another story. 

If Rudan goes to Western United then we could be in for some good ol' fashioned schadenfreude when they struggle.

The key message for me is that Rudan had enough after 3/4 of one season, and that his reasons are unrelated to WelNix. These can be genuinely his family matters (which would make me impatient but not angry) or they can be his opportunistic careerist reasons (which would make me both angry and also impatient to see the back of him).

However, ultimately he is exploiting a legitimate 8 weeks notice clause in his contract, a clause which, if you are signing someone that you need for a 2 year contract, is a dynamite under your seat.  This is the best lesson I am sure Welnix will have learned now.  Do we need a clause for someone like Kurz? No, even if he might be less successful for us than Rudan, simply because Kurz has already proven himself as a coach at HAL level, and also because he knows what it is like to be away for a long time from your home country. All of that is however a speculation at this stage.

If Rudan was going to have a year off, he would have given notice at the end of the season, as he would be able to ask for an early release during the off season. By giving us a notice now, he simply indicates he has things to do as soon as our season is over, and therefore I am cynical about his official reasons to go.  I am also in hindsight cynical about his past comments about his commitment to the city and the club.  He reminds me of Mr Toad from The Wind in The Willows, whose commitment to anything lasted only until a new shiny thing came along, and whose commitment was in the end only to himself and his self-image.

If he gave us the notice at the end of our finals run then we might have still seen a good performance over the last two games, against Adelaide and especially the Roar. As it was, the performance from Krishna and Williams in those two games tells me all I needed to know about Mark Rudan's contribution to the Nix season.

Hell of a lot happening. Rudan officially to depart Phoenix at end of season (going to Western United). Connor Pain and Jonathon Aspro also offically departing Mariners at end of season. Both joining western united.— Ray Gatt (@Gatty54) 

Gatt as usual with the inside scoop (2 hours after the Phoenix have announced it).

Hell of a lot happening. Rudan officially to depart Phoenix at end of season (going to Western United). Connor Pain and Jonathon Aspro also offically departing Mariners at end of season. Both joining western united.

— Ray Gatt (@Gatty54) April 14, 2019

Is Western United the Melbourne outfit?

— Alan Hill (@ajhill_alan) April 14, 2019

Yep

— Ray Gatt (@Gatty54) April 14, 2019

If you take that interview at face value, and Rudan goes on to end up at WU as speculated there are only two options.  Rudan is blatantly lying to the Phoenix organisation, or Dome is lying to us.  According to Dome, from my listening to the interview, he is solely leaving to live in Sydney with his family.

Domey: Middle of last week Rudan informed/finalised decision to not fulfill contract.

Rudan: "Everyone knows at the football club what's going on. It was known before...we scored a record number of goals in three games so...it's not an excuse,"

Plenty of people commute regularly between cities, a guy I know commutes from Melbourne to Sydney. Sports people in NZ commute between cities as well for training with the Super Rugby teams, etc.

Melbourne - Sydney is the second busiest air route in the world so there's plenty of cheap flights if he wanted to do it.

Melbourne instead of Wellington is a reasonable tradeoff deal for his family because after a hard week's work he would be home in Sydney for the weekend with the kids... oh wait.

It may suit some, others don't want to do it. Personal choice.

Sydney to Melbourne is not much worse of a commute in terms of time than Sydney suburbs to the city centre really.

Both airports are reasonably central, and Melbourne works even better if you're only going to West Melbourne.

No idea where his home is in Sydney, but you can see how it may not be that much of reach if you're happy to pay for the flights every day.

As understanding as I am with Rudan making his decisions that are best for him and his future, I would absolutely get my schadenfreude on if that happens. 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/11...

Although Rudan had been open in his communication with the club in recent months and did tell a small group of senior players that he had quit, Phoenix general manager David Dome said it was only when news of his departure was revealed by the media on match-day that a definitive answer was given to the entire playing group.

He had to have that discussion three hours before the game, which the Phoenix went on to lose 2-1 in a result that dealt a major blow to their chances of hosting a playoff at Westpac Stadium.

Or you negotiate it into your contract so the club pays for the flights.

Domey is a grade A bullshark merchant.  Honestly, you cannot trust a thing that comes out of his mouth

Does anyone truly believe this is about his family?  

As if Mark Rudan is going to coach for the rest of his career in Sydney (or even in Australia) - every coach knows that you go where the jobs are, so he would have absolutely known what he was in for.  

I think if you believe that, you'll believe anything.  He's wanted out for ages, and he's stuffed us. 

it's what he's paid to do..... Welnix want him to spin the narrative to positive speak.,

Yes, but it takes us for fools.  It's transparently a false narrative

This is my biggest issue with both Welnix and Rudan. they have treated us (the fans) like we are stupid. Spoonfed us and built us up with talk of a legacy and being here for NZ as a footballing country. Calling himself a Kiwi!!!!

What a complete load of bollocks!

Why is it clearly a false narrative?  A number of different sources in Wellington have told me it was the family that has sent him back to Sydney now the official word confirms it

Why would the Phoenix bother making up that and not just put another reason out their. There is nothing in it for them to not be open about it.

I think it undermines his claims of professionalism but I don't think it's a lie.

I think your tinfoil hat has slipped over your eyes JD.

Of course I believe a significant part of his leaving is due to his family. And no, it's not that he is going to coach for the rest of his life in Sydney or Australia necessarily, as his family won't always be the same age. Children grow up and move out. Heck a lot of parents stay in a dead relationship just waiting until kids leave home then go do other things. Many parents will do a lot for their kids.

It's not uncommon for people to find out that living long distance from partners/families is harder than imagined. For some it can be alright, for others it doesn't work. There's nothing particularly hard to believe in the family reason for leaving.

I just wish he hadn't come in all guns blazing and built our hopes up they way he did.......

Went through my anger phase when Matt posted a few weeks back. And tbf I heard warning bells the moment I found out his family weren't coming to Wellington. The WU option may have come up in a response to sounding out for jobs.

How stuffed are we as a club is the question

I thought Dome comes across pretty unprofessionally, he spent the entire interview with Pine referring to Rudan as 'Rudes', and posts this just before on Twitter, he calls Pine a 'GC', which may in fact be true, but for a GM to say it?

Piney didn't really grill him either, would love the likes of Andrew Voerman to go one on one with Dome and/or Rudan.

Something that i cant stand is the BS spoken by Rudan,Dome and Durante that there has been no affect on the team.So Williams who under Rudan has reignited his career has  gone from banging them in for fun to being not able to hit the side of a barn.The last 2 weeks performances havnt been that of a team fighting for a home tie.Yet all 3 tell us the talk has no affect on the team.BS

Yet all 3 guys get handled with kid gloves by the media none seems to have the balls to press any issue.

Yet again its the fans who get kicked in the teeth no doubt at some stage this week someone will come out and tell us we need to get behind the team and turn up.

Voerman pictured earlier: