Contracted Players - Return of the Long Pins

Yes and? We're talking liam miller here

 Sounded like you were talking about Dodd.

Don't forget to vote in the poll if you haven't already...

Which off-contract Phoenix players should be re-signed for the 2013-14 season?

http://www.easypolls.net/poll.html?p=5157da63e4b090005f2cf1f0

 Miller would need to sort his haircut.

32 yr old hipster is pretty sad yes

http://m.footballaustralia.com.au/perth-glory-news-display/RISDON-signs-LONG-TERM-deal/64466/1

Roux on loan? Unless hes off contract. 

Benji's been in NZ for a while now, he can't be too far off qualifying for citizenship.  If he gets that one less foreign player on our books.  At the same time Ifill must be getting nearer to being a kiwi too.

Hes listed as off contract by glory forum but need concrete

Poll results so far:

Corey Gameiro has 65 votes from 92 voters

Leo Bertos 62/92

Ian Hogg 51/92

Isaka Cernak 49/92

Tony Lochhead 25/92

Dani Sanchez 20/92

Nobody else even close.

So Gameiro and Bertos the clear front-runners to be re-signed. Ian Hogg heavily favoured over Tony Lochhead to get that left back spot, and Lochhead not really in the frame to get re-signed at all. Isaka Cernak also a fairly strong showing. Sanchez, Smith, Downey, Pantelis goneburgers.

Don't forget to vote in the poll if you haven't already...

Which off-contract Phoenix players should be re-signed for the 2013-14 season?

http://www.easypolls.net/poll.html?p=5157da63e4b090005f2cf1f0

We all knew Totori was gonna be a big wild card. If he flopped then trademark Ricki signing but if he didn't it was a bit of a bonus. I was okay with this. Not okay with us giving him a player option to extend when signing him as an import was a big risk.

id laugh if totori kicked on next season

I ask you though, realistically, based on what you have seen, is that likely? It sits in the 'extremely unlikely' category

It would take a coaching genius to make this guy into a 'more than serviceable' A League player.

When you read that, you will realise that as a whole, our imports collectively were the worst in the league. Not sure if that's extremely poor recruitment or coaching but when the 5 guys that are meant to be better than the rest, aren't.... well. Based on this years form and form only, Its extremelt unlikely that not one of our guys would start in any other team (and I include Ifill)

I just hope next year the Ifill is 8 kgs lighter, Stein gets used properly (because he has the talent in spades) and Totori can manage to keep the ball inplay with his 2nd touch. That alone will help to ensure a much better season.

Well Herbert was never the guy to turn him into an A League player IMO. I still think there's potential. We shall see

yeah i rewatched some highlights - and despite his falling over, he does have the potential to be super dangerous off the bench if used correctly

Whenever I think of his potential I can't escape the memories of Newcastle...

I laughed so hard that day....

Benji Totori is one of the best strikers in recent ASB Premiership history.. had a great scoring record there. I can see why we went for him. Island players can run riot amongst Kiwi defenders in lower leagues so why not see if he could push on? Agree the worst thing was the extension that could be activated even if he played poorly.

kinda indicates the gaping hole between ASB prem and the a-league.....

If he'd passed that to Brockie we would've had the first Nix hat trick and he'd be sharing the golden boot with McBreen.

You can be an average player and hide in the Premiership. You'll never get found out. For example, I think Alex Feneridis, Adam McGeorge, Brian Shelley and Ken Yamamoto (is that right?) are over rated. In my opinion, they can play at this level and hide because they have better players around them to allow them to do so. At A League, you cannot do that because you will get found out. Think of Musa and Rowe in their debuts (although Rowe was better than Musa in his). I think there is a gap between the two leagues that would generally stop 95% of players stepping straight up tomorrow. That's not to say that going into a pro setup, they can acclimatise and step up to that level over time. It took Sigmund a little bit to do that. He could not last an NZFC game because he always cramped up. Now, no issues. His body needed to change and it did. Even he said it took him 18 months to transform.

Totori performed well at this level. Roy Krishna does too but gets the continuous 'the Phoenix should trial him' calls. He has trialled at 3 clubs and overseas and does not stick. He is good for this level but the next one is a bit much it could be suggested.

i think musa wouldve developed into a fine CB at a league level...altho he seems to be playing wide left with hereford (at least that's what i read recently)

but i have a different view on that. i think auckland/waitakere would while still probably finish bottom in the a league would still compete. the rest of course would be nowhere near. auckland obviously couldnt because it's filled with imports so the argument is invalid. you're correct about mcgeorge/feneridis. howlers at olympics and games prior

and the player who won the penalty