2014/15 Transfer Speculation

apparently Tim Payne hasn't heard from the Phoenix. WTF?

Probably too similar to gorrin (sp?) and Riera. If you assume that he wouldn't accept a backups wage (and perhaps a backup role) then I don't know if you can really justify signing him. 

Plus he probably have better options (that's not really an excuse, as you should still at least approach him if you were interested). 

 

Neither has a very disappointed Christiano C Ronaldo but thats life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shola_Ameobi

Free agent

Dodgy Hamstring, perfect for us. However, he looked alright from when I saw him playing on TV for NukeArsehole.

yeah but Cambridge United are back

Phoenix not interested in Payne

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/10057663/Phoenix-not-interested-in-sidelined-Tim-Payne

Guess that means Joe Cole it is then

McGlinchey...

This disappoints me a lot.

It's a salary capped league though innit? Hicks will be on the absolute minimum wage.

I've also made this point before in regard to Chris James but don't forget that the club knows a shit-load about the guys in the AWs set-up from the AWs already playing for the Nix.

Some of these decisions can seem a bit strange but you can be sure they are being made with a hell of a lot more relevant info available to the club than to us.

We can't sign every All White... leaves us short when they hopefully play a heap more internationals this / next  year.

A few weeks ago the word from the club was that one of the types of players they were after was another box to box midfielder, now a young All White is available who could probably do that role and they aren't even giving him a trial. I know things have changed with Carlos leaving but why are Hicks, Ridenton, and Rufer adequate midfield cover now when they weren't 2 weeks ago?

We desperately need an attacking mid and a striker and one of those has to be a kiwi or an Aussie, and outside of WeeMac are there really that many better players than Payne who might be interested in coming? Plus from what I've seen/heard Payne is quite comfortable anywhere in the midfield.

The story goes that he wants to come, so its a matter of him convincing CCM, of course that's just a story - so who knows what truth is in it.

Gorrin is box to box and can play AM.

I would rather Payne as a back up than Rufer/Ridenton/Hicks/Lia.

"Alex [Gorrin] is a good, creative, defensive midfielder," Merrick said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/10044502/Phoenix-looking-for-last-pieces-of-roster-jigsaw

It was after the Gorrin signing that the club said that though

 

My impression is that Ernie is after someone more experienced and he knows Welnix is prepared to spend some money on that person.
On the other hand we already have Hicks, Ridenton, Rufer etc who are promising and not very (presumably) expensive, but are still prone to make significant mistakes under pressure.

Fair enough, but my concern is that one of these 2 new attacking players has to be a kiwi or an Aussie, and they've already admitted that McG is unlikely, and there really aren't that many other kiwi or Aussie players who are available and would be willing to come here. History indicates that it's hard to get established Aussies to come here (although not impossible), which leaves kiwis and if Payne is a starter for the AWs surely he's worth a look. If we aren't interested in James, and Smeltz was too old and injury prone then you'd assume that Killen is not going to come (is he even playing still?), Fallon wants to stay in the UK, then who else? Keat? Bright? That Spitz guy?

Of course if we get that Greek/Aussie guy (name forgotten sorry) then we can get an import no10. Hopefully if the WeeMac deal doesn't pan out that's what happens. If we do get WeeMac then we look at an import striker.

I think it's a little too soon to criticise until you see who he actually gets. The priority is probably for an established striker and attacking midfielder (which he isn't). And the rest of the squad should probably be left until that happens so you know exactly how much money is left. I quite like Payne but he isn't amazing enough to be jumping up and down at the coach for not chasing him.

Not criticizing, just saying that from the outside looking in, with what we know about who is available and the sort of player we have been able to get in the past, it seems a little odd to seemingly dismiss him.

Doesn't that further my point? Lia presumably being behind Gorrin and Riera in the pecking order now, we couldn't really justify paying more than a backup wage on Payne. 

We are restricted by a salary cap after all, we don't want to use up too much of it on one position that we already have a hell of a lot of cover for. 

I don't see him as the answer to our attacking mid problem either. 

All Whites v Sth Africa in less than a fortnight. James and Payne off-contract, Tamati W desperate for a pro career, WeeMac showing what he can do...

Is the salary cap really an issue for us? A lot of our signings would have been dirt cheap. I would be worried if we are anywhere near the salary cap.

The uncertainty with McGlinchey is a problem for us. If we can sign him and another striker then we probably have a good team for next season (defensive issues would remain though). If we don't sign McGlinchey then we are either signing a quality striker or a creative midfielder but we aren't going to get both.

I remember suggesting Barbarouses a couple of weeks but apparently he is a poor fit. Maybe that is the case but right now we just need some quality in the team. If that means having to play a player in a different position or being overloaded in one section of the field then so be it. We aren't in the position where we can just pick and choose. The club has boxed itself into the a corner with the poor decisions they have made. God help me if we use our final import spot on Tade. I have hardly seen him play but goodness me Krishna was enough of a mistake already.

Why are you assuming that we haven't taken a good long look at him already? People have suspected for months that he would come off-contract at Blackburn so it's hardly a surprise.

Apart from anything else he's been in the same AWs camps with Durante, Sigmund, Moss, Boxall, Brockie and Bertos on at least 3 or 4 occasions. You don't think Ernie has discussed potential NZ recruits with those guys at length?

My six cents worth: ACFC were pretty unconcerned about losing Krishna. They'd be really p. o. if they lost Tade.

If that's the case then we should have signed him instead of Krishna.

At the moment we have replaced Hernandez with Alejandro Gorrin, an unknown quantity we can't then replace Huysegems with Tade, not pick up McGlinchey and expect to be in the top 6. I don't think of your 5 imports you can have 3 being former ASB Prem players and 1 being a young player without senior football. Admittedly, one of these ASB Prem players is probably our best player but I think the point still stands.

I too am disappointed that they are not interested in Payne. The reasons given baffle me because Payne is better than the players listed (Hicks, Ridenton, and Rufer). The guy is in the country, preseason starts the Monday after the AW game. Ask him in for a 2 week trial and see what he does. At the very least, after two weeks and he is still not the guy they want, then no harm, no foul. Its not like Payne comes with a rep of being hard work (in fact quite the opposite) and could probably had for little and be an upgrade. At the very least, they will get to see what he can do in that environment.

 

There has to be more to this....

The fact you just rattled off 3 players that we already have as cover for that position is probably a big reason. Regardless of whether he is better than them or not. 

Do we really need over a quarter of our playing roster used up on 1-2 position/s on the field?

Has anyone tweeted at Joe Cole yet telling him how great Wellington is? Maybe include a pic of the waterfront today and tell him the weather is always like this

hmmm, Lia and Riera played together so any pecking order shouldn't involve them both. It would be a choice between Lia and Gorrin would it not?

It could be just unfortunate timing for Tim and the 'Nix. If he was available this time last season he probably would have been signed ahead of Hicks and Riera. (Riera might not have been signed at all). Looking at our strikers, I would prefer that we get the best possible player for that position and then if that means we have no more visa spots available for an AM then Tim I think could come into the reckoning again (though he might not be available by then).

Love it how krishna has been written off by so many

Personally I can't wait to see how he goes next season

Yes I get that and respect the point you are making. Considering the players we had this year and how easily our depth was exposed, does that not tell you that we could do with him? We have the same midfield as last year but swap Gorrin for Carlos. Ridenton got far more minutes than he should ever have gotten only for the fact that there was no one else. Now there is a potential upgrade in the wings, you use him. He is an AW member, not like the other 3 so instantly stands out as being better. (mind you so is Luke Adams..... hmmm)

Put me in this basket sir.

EM is hoping to get a starting AM. So, you have an AM/DM and B2BM... that will be newbie/Albie/Alex, backups are Rufer/Lia/Hicks/Ridenton... the only point in having Payne is by making Alex your AM - which is contrary to all the noises EM is making about the type of player he wants to sign.

Notwithstanding the potential (though unlikely) signing of WeeMac who can cover midfield also. And (Agent) Smith's attempts to get Eager in a stripey also (though he is currently playing as CB). Not forgetting EM has said in the past that Boxall has all the "tools" to be an effective A-league DM (before he was a RB lol).

Sorry TP, simply stink timing mate.