Mark Judan: Family Time

Has his TV appeared on TradeMe yet?

http://120.138.20.16/WeekOnDemand/radiosport/2019.02.15-07.30.00-D.mp3 from 7:30 for the whole thing - or may I recommend this, where he talks about it more: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12Td0H4yCZgyYTH3uo8h_kSBhoZUX2Tc5-U_S3XHa9Lo/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks, Andrew. Where has that transcription been hiding? That was a terrific, wide-ranging chat you had with Domey. If you conduct any similar Nix interviews in the future, how about steering us to the full thing once they're available? Cheers. 

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

Good on him for having a dig at NZ Football. 

Hopefully some people are listening. Hopefully.

Once again Rudan has made some strong comments about some of the negativity surrounding NZ football. Rightly so IMO. Everyone knows NZF is a basket case.......you kind of wonder if they should outsource the running of the game here to some international body who have some competence. Either that or get some more hard nosed Aussies in to sort it out. Tony Pignata would make a great CEO IMO

in the mean time you can tell Rudan is getting annoyed at the constant negative chipping at the Nix. Welcome to NZ Mr Rudan...we are world class at doom and gloom. In particular one of Voermanns recent articles somes it up...it was about how much trouble the Nix are in. "what if Rudan doesnt renew, what if Haeiwei dont re-sign, what if Krishna doesnt re-sign etc etc" Just a whole diatribe of negative bullshiite...we are doomed doomed!!!!!!

It is crucial that Rudan stays until at least the end of his contract. He has done a remarkable job but the Nix are still very much a work in progress. He has said that things need to improve across the board. The Club has had some deep seated cultural and operational flaws. The on field success has not changed the fact that there is still plenty of work to do. Rudan has said early season that he will walk if he doesnt get 100% support. I hope Welnix, Morrison and Dome are listening

You only have to look at the size of the crowd at Auckland to see the potential of the game here. There is a deep reservoir of interest in football in this country that is largely untapped. 

Tonight to me also shows there is an appetite for watching professional football in Auckland, when you get the location right. 

A real positive NZ Football story for me would be an Auckland A League bid, with all the local clubs pulling together and putting petty selfish squabbles aside. Sure there is a myriad of challenges, but it should be on the table. 

As Rudan alludes to the game has real potential in NZ, but a lack of ambition, plus selfish short sided attitudes keep holding it back.

I hope FIFA extends the CWC to a 4 year cycle. That may force ACFC esp to think a little differently. Dominating the Handy Prem will seem pretty dull after awhile, without the CWC carrot.

Hopefully the cleanout at NZF, brings in some good ambitious people. Maybe foreigners like Rudan, that just don’t care about petty domestic squabbles. 

I’d also like to see Rudan himself (if he stays around) get invited to AWs/U20s camps/games when doesn’t clash with Nix commitments. What young A League coach, wouldn’t want exposure to international football. Again getting NZF working more closely with the Nix. Anyone at NZF resistant to that should be sacked on the spot.

But would Aucklanders show up like that every home game of a season. Let's not get too carried away. Having said that, we could use the local derby argument on the A League. And I'd love to see it happen. Wellington Phoenix v the Auckland Albion.

he obviously is 100 per cent correct 

but the outburst is very strange 

I just can't see how he as coach for a few months has really been impacted negetively by the incompetence of nz football

No conflicting all whites games, no botched fax machine transfers

Two options

He has one foot out the door, doesn't give a fudge on whom he racks up before he goes

He is as genuine as he sounds 

is in this for the long haul and wants it all to work for the betterment of everyone

Definitely B. If you're on the out why would you care to make enemies like that? He wants a chance to take this club to the next level and that means silverware ladies and gentlemen. To do that though, the synergy between club and federation needs a lot of work. It starts at grassroots level, through the regional leagues, the Handy Prem, us and the AWs.

They show up to watch the Warriors - especially when they're winning. Of course there are differences between the sokkah crowd and the league crowd. But I'm told that, 20 years ago, there was a tiny window of time in which it was actually trendy to go watch the Kingz.

I don't think people give the YF itself credit for the ongoing support for the Nix. In an army, or a communist party, you call people like the Fever Elite "cadre" - the people who keep the whole show going when the casuals get bored or distracted. If the fanbase for an Auckland A-League team got itself organised along YF lines even before the club was officially formed, it could be a good start. 

Possibly the 248 Service Crew could be the nucleus of that but my admittedly distant judgment is that they're very very parochial and not outgoing enough. I wonder what Balbi or other people connected to Manukau United and the whole South Auckland football community (who're currently excluded from the HandyPrem) think about this.

News out today that Eden Park looking to cost council 100 mill . They should sell Eden park to developers, get some fantastic apartments in. 

Then focus on a new build - waterfront? Waikaraka park?

Waterfront. Close as possible to Britomart. 

Ideally a 50,000-60,000 plus a smaller 15,000 seater next door. Dreamland possibly, but this is what Cardiff has. 

International football/rugby in the larger national stadium, and then Cardiff Blues club rugby team play next door at the smaller stadium.

Alternatively when knocking over Eden Park, leave EP no 2 as a boutique 15,000 seater stadium, with low one tier stands only. Almost zero parking, relying on public transport for fans, so small as a footprint as possible, surround it with 10 storey apartments, to reduce floodlight problems for local residents. I'm no architect, but there must be some clever designs possible. 

I really really hope he is as genuine/invested as he sounds, and is in for the long haul ie wants the Nix/NZ Football to be the best it can be.

He described himself as a curious fellow when he took on the job. Remember he is an ex football TV pundit, familiar with discussing numerous football issues. What I'm hearing is that he likes to view the bigger broader picture. How can we make the Nix a successful club, and get all of NZ Football behind it. 

He's obviously been talking to numerous different folk already in NZ Football - Declan, Schmid, Semmani (the last two also outsiders) etc. He's heard lots of different stories no doubt, many bad. He's had his own NZ football frustrations like players refusing to trial, seemingly much of NZ's talented football youth not considering the Nix as right for their careers. If he's a positive person as he says, all this negative 'energy' must do his head in at times already.

Nah, no Auckland A League team would ever average 23-24K per game, but 10-15K per game definitely achieveable. Auckland has a bigger football fan base than Welly. As long as home ground is centralish to Auckland, and the team is not a basket case. As Doloras notes forming a supporter group like YF, would also be hugely important. Dome sings YF praises for helping the Nix survive, in his elongated 18 page interview with Andrew Voerman, that AV has posted up here somewhere. 

Again lets not forget last night was 2nd verus 6th. Lots of good press about the Nix, this season, which is as much about them not being a basketcase currently, than any hope to win the league.

Perfect description mate

Were very close to a new waterfront stadium on a number of occasions, most notably 2011 RWC, but the redevelopment of Eden Park took priority and look where that got us. Money drain

He talked to the national coaches then had a moan, probably just voicing what they told him.

I've just had another listen and he is certainly passionate about the subject and that give some hope that he wants to hang around. Otherwise, why feel so passionate about the subject? I totally agree with everything he says, how could you not.

So all the Wellington clubs pull together putting selfish squabbles aside? I thought the Nix were basically the product of two fat egos putting their own dosh into an available franchise license and running with it. As far as Auckland having a professional A-League outfit a) no ego seems to be sufficiently fat and b) there's no licence available anyway.

Um... the 248 crew WERE the nucleus of the fanbase for an Auckland A-League team. Once bitten twice shy I'd say.

I'd agree with that, there's a lot of post-traumatic issues about the Kings, Knights and Wellington having the A League team.

It's been a decade since the Knights folded and 20 years since the Kingz started up. 

I think it's obvious that the status of soccer in New Zealand has changed a bit in terms of popularity - both in participation and the availability of overseas leagues and games. You always, always see a soccer shirt on someone out and about - even if it's EPL or La Liga.

One of the people I was with last night said they were surprised by the diversity in the Eden Park crowd, and I pointed out that with Krishna playing the Fijian contingent will always turn up - and that NZ is the odd one out in terms of popularity of the game in the Pacific.

To have an Auckland team you'd need a higher level of funding than is available via any Handy Prem team's backroom staff - who are all just about keeping their heads above water until NZF decides what the hell it's going to do next. 

But I think it would work if you got the following things right;

- competent administration in the back office (unlike previous AKL teams)

- decent coach, someone who would attract players and supporters in

- recruit at least two of your visa players from the Pacific, AKL'S the biggest poly city in the world - use it

- get the fudgeing branding right. Not Kingz, not Knights. Auckland Athletic. Auckland F.C. 

- sort out that active supporters section and model it on how the Fever works

- link up with the Blues and the Warriors for some cross-code solidarity - Tuivasa-Sheck and SBW in replica shirts, games on subsequent nights that you can get into with one ticket

The new stadium plan has Mt Smart as a 10k venue - that might be handy and transport there is better than it was. Maybe add a temp stand to make it a 15k venue. If the club grows to an Eden Park sized attendance, it's there.

Can anyone shed any more light on what's really going on.

"Yet Rudan revealed dissatisfaction at elements of the club’s direction. He wouldn’t elaborate but appeared frustrated at Wellington’s tight budget. “I’m not going to sit back and rest on my laurels,” he said. “If things that have been done in the past continue in that way, then I won’t be here."

" He also wants assurances that Phoenix management will improve aspects of the team's off-field operations or he will leave with a season to run on his two-year deal."

Totally understand Mark's family difficulties, and that will either be worked thru by the club or it won't. And the chance of leading a start-up club in Oz is obviously more than enticing, especially if he has a virtual unlimited (compared to us) budget to get the marquee players he wants. No doubt from what I hear that his first choice(s) were out of our price range. So is it that ?   

I thought the off field operations had improved ?

We know the club is desperate for more investment, so maybe his timing with the deserved poke at our Federation is because of the Huawei sponsorship uncertainty. NZS's line has always been we're not in the business of helping run a football club, but they're more than happy to see NZ talent being unearthed in Phoenix shirts eg look at Liberato Carace - what a potential star - and beyond the A League.

But the FFA is a mess too. And NZS haven't got the bucks.  

The club need to go public and fill some gaps here. Obviously Morrison's working hard on securing investment partnerships to secure out future, but I'd hate to see all this halt the momentum of this campaign.  

If it took Rudan half a season to see what's wrong with Football New Zealand, it says there is more wrong that people knew. It is bad when an outside can tell you what's wrong and you ignore them. 

One way of diverting questions about his future, I suppose.

In the Andrew Voerman story on our news page about the slow hunt for a new NZF CEO, and how Andrew Pragnall seems to be the new front runner, I found this...

The relationship between the governing body and the country's only professional football club was thrust into the spotlight on Friday, when Wellington Phoenix coach Mark Rudan called on the two to work more closely together while saying NZ Football had to get its house in order.

On Saturday, an NZ Football spokesperson said Pragnell and [Andy] Boyens had met Rudan, were "excited and impressed" by the impact he has had at the Phoenix and were "looking forward to exploring opportunities for greater collaboration between the two organisations in the future".

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/110626830/s...

Which I see as a big positive. 

Please someone ask Rudan about the organisation of Australian football

Is a huge positive. 1. Any effort by the Nix & NZF to work more closely together is good for the game, and 2. Why would Rudan go that trouble, if he wasn't planning to stay at least one more season?

Though to be fair the Nix were training at Albany last week, so not a huge effort to meet with Pragnell, Boyens plus later Schmid.

Don't have a problem with Rudan having a public dig at NZF, and even Welnix (ie that the old ways of doing things weren't good enough) - if helps bring improvements & positive change in NZ Football. Often a bit of media 'shaming' gets faster results.

I don't think we are the odd one out in terms of popularity of football in the Pacific. Rugby or rugby league is the most popular game in many Pacific nations. 

Look at the OFC Champions League - NZ teams barely crack 500, while island teams usually draw much larger home crowds.

I think he made a passing comment about problems in Aussie football at his recent presser. Along the lines of they have problems, too, and there's not enough working together for the overall good of the game. Do I remember that correctly?

Taylor Extends stay in Wgtn

Or it's a move to encourage Rudan to stay? Rudan is obviously bargaining hard with the club and with the family. I'm sure his family are proud of what he is doing. I mean it's probably also a big decision for him personally- does he want to be in this for an extended period? If the club is right for him here and everything around the game is improving, it might be risky to jump into a new outfit where he'd possibly be starting from scratch.

Think he does want to be around following the Taylor extension, said that Taylor was "a big part of his future plans"

Pretty much how I view it too. Can only be a good thing. I'm sure the club are aware of what Rudan wants, up to them to provide it. 

Please stay Mark and please dispell the rumours by saying you want to stay. Domey, get the board together and fly his family over.