2016/17 Transfer Speculation

Okay... I don't get your post Mainland. What point are you trying to make?

I disagree with Ryan's (Kosta and Marco being recent examples) but not sure I get yours Mainland.

the path to picking up a coveted CCM contract is to first get a contract at the 'Nix: see Appiah and Powell

A few players from the Nix have gone on to other A League teams, creating new gaps for players here.

yea lots of players have used us as a 'stopover' of sorts.

Vuko, corey, North, Burns(I know we love him in all but...), Mckain, im sure there are others.  

Cam Howieson's girlfriend just tweeted they are moving to Wellington. TeeDubs? Phoenix?

The countdown begins until we move into our new home later this year ????? #Wellington #NewZealand @CameronHowieson pic.twitter.com/3qG8JNXnfV

— Samantha (@_ssjb) September 22, 2016

The more misogynist among the fever may well consider just her attendance as a net win.

I consider just her attendance as a net win. 

Manny was pretty bad last year and Sigmund is out so we are marginally improved if we don't have to play Manny at centre back and Fenton in defence. But we are still really thin and Fox is both back up centre back and back up right back, Tratt is new and coming from a lower league and Doyle is inconsistent. It would be a real shame if our great attack is let down by a poor defence.

Was her account private before? Because it is now, which leads me to believe that she said something that she shouldn't have.

But then, we don't need anymore midfielders... Although Merick said that after the FFA refused to reschedule our first game recruiting has changed so that rather than trying to improve the team overall he wants to cover for positions lost by AW players - but then a fringe all white isn't really a good fit for that..

more likely coming to a local gym near you than a football field 

It wasn't private.

From memory Ernie was quiet keen on Cam a few years ago but he wanted to stay in Europe. Maybe he's changed your mind. Seems odd to move to Wellington (not his hometown) after he has just started a business if there wasn't a contract with the Phoenix and a pathway from TeeDubs.

But can he play right back?

He'd be at least as good as Parkhouse you'd think? Able to understudy left back and the midfield? Quite fit? 

This played out in his thread. I like him based on a run of decent performances for the All Whites and that he was involved in a decent pro set up for a reasonable time, but there seem to be a few on this site with the opposite view. 

I thought that his technique at the least wasn't worse than what we have and probably is better. Again though on seeing just a few games.

Would be a great pick up for TW if they could pull that transfer off (howeison) they have world famous in new zealand aspirations and an o-league campaign so some dosh available.

Don't get too carried away with this business thing, being a personal trainer is sub sustinance living, even a Central League contract would be more lucrative than that

Can Samantha play at Right Back?

Great summary of the situation imo

Looking like good attack, bad defense as it stands. I predict 6th or 7th finish.*

*save this post Doloras, so you can post it when i'm wrong

I'd rather Cam Howieson than some Sydney boy...but he's only got two weeks to get here right? And we'd probably prefer him to play a little pre-season too yeh?

... I'm not sure what I did to deserve that. I'm not stupidly optimistic about this season either - I suppose that the only thing I'd say is that if we do have a sub-par squad it's more to do with Welnix having a limited budget / the desirability of Wellington as a home base for top-class footballers than Ernie's qualities in picking. We'll just have to wait and see how the new defence operates.

Sorry Doloras, no excuses for Ernie this year. He  has to deliver and using Wellington as an undesirable location does not cut it.

That's an excuse The Warriors use for players not wanting to be based in Jaffa Land

Ernie said the opposite a couple of months ago, he said Wellington was extremely desirable and that we wouldn't believe the calibre of players who were sending him their CVs. 

The only excuse Ernie has this year is the AW campaign, if we don't do well in games outside of those AW games then no excuses.

... which is why he's filling the squad with Aussie state leaguers, huh?

I have no idea how much is left in the cookie jar for someone respectable at RB, and unless we know what's left it is hard to argue that point. On the other hand, if Electric Avenue is closing down we may need to offer pretty good dosh to get new recruits.

Who knows, I remember when WeeMac signed it was pretty much a marquee level deal, but then with Kosta and Gui outside of the cap we don't really have too many players that will be on big money deals I wouldn't think.

Rossi and Roly would both be getting a decent slice of the pie I'd imagine too.

We could have all the cap space in the world available but it doesnt change the fact there is no established Aussie/Kiwi RB left that is available to sign this season.

All the thises.  You can have as many spots or dollars as you want but you can't magically create a player who doesn't exist.

Are we still looking for a defensive mid cover? or have we completed our roster for next season?

You could possibly have looked into who might be available before using all your import slot on other positions though. I know I keep going on about it but if A-Rod is going to riding the pine while we have a makeshift RB it just looks like abysmal planning by Ernie. If there's no local available in a certain role then we should be looking to cover that with an import.

Kids, play right back. You could play end up playing in the A-League by default. 

Ernie said that he's had to change tact in recruiting the final spots for the team, instead of recruiting to strengthen the squad we're now recruiting to cover the absence of international players.

I think it's pretty obvious that we're a fair way down the list of clubs when it comes to the 'mid-tier' aussie players, your James Hollands, Carl Valeris and the like.

Nearly 100% of the population have a right leg. How fudgeing hard is it to find someone to kick a ball with it?

Have you seen the All Whites?

Who?

You remember them.  You watched the Aussie thugs kick them off the park at the MCG.