Mark Judan: Family Time

Fudge off mate, I wasn't 'stalking' him, I literally just walked past him on the way to sit down. The other post was an obvious joke.

Mark Rudan's Wellington Phoenix Project: In his own words

http://theniche-cache.com/football/2018/8/23/mark-...

An article taking what Rudan has said from his difference press conferences so far about the rebuilding process, team culture, transfer business and Kiwi signings

Rudan has signed Kopy, whom those who've seen him universally rate as not up to it. He can't attract top Kiwi talent. This has all the marks of another disaster season.

I think hes passable A league midfielder. But you expect more than that from an import midfielder, and my expectations of him were much higher than reality has turned out to be. 

Although it is only preseason, so will reserve judgement until he has a couple of A league games under his belt I suppose. 

So he's here on a one year loan deal. Is that right? Can we send him back early if he doesn't work out, or do we have to bite the bullet and live with him, even if he ends up on the bench, or not playing at all. And taking up an import slot.

I liked Paracki. He wasn't a DM, he was an all action player horribly misused and asked to do way too much. The team fell apart around him and he ended up looking like a headless chicken. He needed a holder next to him. I think Paracki leaving was a lot about wondering if we could do better, rather than any disappointment with his effort

100% think we should’ve kept Paracki and Ljujic.

Interesting that Rudan is impressed by Yoo. Made it sound like he's got a good chance of signing on, pity no one on here seems to rate him though. Hope we are all horribly wrong though

I honestly feel the same, I thought we should have kept at least one because there are tons of positives to both of them that would have been shown off had we used them properly. I mean, look at Paracki balling in the Europa League and Ljujic becoming an instant starter in the Primeira Liga - we obviously missed out a lot

And I was right.

Seriously - I am basing my take on people who've seen the games and can see for themselves that Rudan's recruitment is failing.

That was kinda my point. Also was the 'why are we firing Ricki Ernie will be tits'

I think while the season does not appear to be shaping up right now, we are still 7 weeks away and should allow Rudan to set up, before we pre-judge him to failure

Perhaps I am being unfair, but only insofar as WPFC has systematic problems with recruitment that no coach can fix.

I.e. no-one decent wants to come here (not even local players) because of pay/lifestyle/the club's bad reputation.

I think Taylor and what he's posting on social media debunks all of the above.

so this, still, it must be tough to recruit young talent looking to strengthen their career when the club has a noose over its neck. Most players would want some form of security I would have thought and 2 years left on a license doesn't not give that. Hopefully the FFA gets gone and the nix get some gurantees before this season is done.

If you look at it logically, we were balls last season and there doesn't appear to be a heck of a lot to suggest that we won't be balls again this season. There has been change, some for the better, some for the worst and some with a big question mark. There's certainly nothing there for me to suddenly feel optimistic about, it's very much 'while there' life there's hope' as far as I'm concerned.

I'll see your Stephen Taylor and raise you the kind of things that Cole Peverley and Declan Edge have publicly said about the Nix.

Feeling a little more optimistic than that - so far, better players, better manager - but likely better opposition.

From another thread... looking at the 16 signed players (and Smith), the Nix might be better off so far than at the end of last season, e.g.:

Taylor >>Rossi, Williams >>Rogerson, Kurto>Velaphi

Fenton=Parkhouse

Kopa perhaps < Paracki, and Nichols v Ljujic will depend on which Nichols shows up (the 'big question mark'?)

Another question will be whether the last seven or so signings are better than the ones they're replacing (Mullen (Tratt?), Ridenton, Kalu (Soo??), Patterson, McGarry, McGlinchey and Galloway)

This year's manager has a better record than last year's, maybe at a lower level - but rather that than one with a poor record at a higher level.

On the other hand, the other A league teams seem to be shaping up better overall than they were last year, going by the quality of signings.

We'll be right once tonya's big signing is unveiled though

IMO, the main problem with recruitment in the last few years is 1) getting quality across all positions or 2) getting the right players to match the coaches system/improve the balance of the team.

A few wins and a couple of seasons of good finishes, and getting Nichols, Williams and Burns back in Socceroos contention would help 

So far our Aussie contingent is better than last year, jury out on our visa players (though Taylor and Kurto seem to have met immediate applause) and our NZ contingent is weaker. Big year for Rufer.

Declan Edge's opinion on the Phoenix, and how his academy deliberately steers young talented players away from us, is well known and discussed on many threads.

Cole Peverley badmouthed the Phoenix in a Twitter convo with Paul Ifill several weeks ago (it was linked at the time but I don't have it handy). He was basically supporting the unnamed player who wouldn't come and trial with us without a guaranteed contract.

So you have 1 player, that was useful and played at a decent level locally and another that play XXX amount of games in the EPL and MLS...... Hardly comparative

With respect to all 3 parties, Declan should stick to his knitting with his kids because no one is going to be able to convince him he is not the greatest of all time, Taylor is not going to bad mouth his manager cause no player will bite the hand that feeds it but he has been about at the top level and whats Cole done again?

This is just bitchiness and none of them really have comments that should be taken seriously

But you also have plenty of ex Nix players like Boxall jumping in to support the team and deriding the lack of ambition of domestic players.

The Nix are an obvious risk, given the two year lifespan that its got at the minute, the past few dire seasons, for both professionals and non-pro players.

For the aspiring pros - and if you've got a full time job, rent to pay, family to support and supplementary winter/summer football income, taking two weeks out for a possibility to probably earn less overall and have to move house, take your family with you - would you do it for the basketcase that is the Nix?

For the experienced pro, the Nix could be a career ender or a waypoint on the slide down the leagues - how many of our recent (last two seasons) players have gone on to a bigger league? Not that many. Taylor's MLS adventure was brief and injury stricken, he was playing League One (3rd div) last year (and got rekt by a slow striker in the game I saw him in) so obviously he's happy to be back in a top-line league (regardless of where it is). 

If I was a pro footballer, I'd certainly hesitate to sign for the Nix considering we could go up in flames shortly. I know everyone says we have 2 years left, but in my mind - if the FFA Governance crap isn't at least mostly sorted in a year; WelNix will be trying all they can to recoup some of the investment and sell off our license.

you serve your contract and move on, just like 99% of players. 

much bigger risks playing in other leagues, lots of stories of players not getting paid and just leaving for free (or in taylor's case, political instability) - we don't have that reputation.

Because other HAL teams are Australian and aren't facing a long walk off a short pier. If you're a pro and you have a season at the Nix lately, then other clubs reasonably know you've been playing rubbish football - which lessens your negotiating power on the open market.