Contracted Players - Return of the Long Pins

You'd hope Ball can get around 10, and then another import st to get 10+ and then the rest of the attacking unit to get 10-15 then the rest by defenders and we should be good. Just hope we concede less this season

I did some maths on this before the last season, and your comment is pretty close to the mark. You basically need 40+ (and realistically closer to 45 than 40) to be a top 4 team. You can get into the play-offs with 35+ but that requires you to be decent defensively (i.e. concede in the lower to mid 30s).

He thinks it's the right choice for him. I gathered that much.

Still, what is he supposed to say in these sort of PR interviews.

Let's wish him the best.

I've enjoyed his interviews and he sounds up for it and especially pleased with his 3 year deal. Quietly but surely, Ufuk has brought a team together. I'm genuinely excited for this season and seeing what this team can do. More than I can say about Aberdeen's season anyway :D

Can anyone update what the squad playing numbers are looking like now?  I know Ball has got 9 but keen to know some others

Piscopo was announced today as the "new number 7" but Davila was also listed in a pre season game as #7, so who knows

1 Stefan Marinovic

2 Liam McGing

3 Luke DeVere

4 Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi

5 Steinmann??

6 Tim Payne

7 Piscopo

8 Cameron Devlin

9 David Ball

10 Ulises Davila

11 Jaushua Sotirio

12

13 Liberato Cacace

14 Alex Rufer

15

16 Louis Fenton

17 Callan Elliot

20 Oliver Sail

21 Callum McCowatt

23 Walter Scott

27 Steven Taylor

31 Ben Waine

32 Sam Sutton

33 Oskar van Hattum

Davila is 10

Nice work, added Fenton too. 

Apart from confirmation of Steinmann's #, and what number the new English striker will take, i think thats it.

We should probably give him #11 and Sotirio can have 24 or 29

Pretty sure in one of the Facebook posts I saw when Steinmann signed, they confirmed he was #5

Withdrawn from the Aussie u23 side. Injured??

How did Taylor end up with 27?  Not that it means much.

They changed the squad numbering rules a couple of seasons ago. It used to be players had to choose between 1-23 if they are on a senior deal but now players can choose from 1-50 without needing to ask permission from the FFA.

Fifa 20 ratings are out for the Phoenix: https://www.futhead.com/20/clubs/wellington-phoenix/

Cacace, Taylor and Davilla among our highest rated

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/115716811/how-bayern-munich-star-sarpreet-singh-is-shaping-wellington-phoenixs-new-identity

Terrible headline by the editor ... he's not a bayern munich star quite yet

He's a Bayern Munich II star.

Anyone is a star playing for Bayern

That is definitely more accurate

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/why-the-a-league-s-first-free-to-air-deal-fell-apart-20191010-p52zj2.html

Ben Waine has been upgraded to a full senior contract.

— Dan Moskovitz (@danmosky) October 11, 2019

As happy as I am for him, it is a major disappointment not to see someone else come in. 

There really is a gaping hole up front.

20 is the MINIMUM squad size, not the maximum. We can still sign a few more strikers. 

Giving Ben a senior contract just gets Phoenix past this week's minimum squad size deadline.

And Waine a lot more money in his pocket, something like $25k more for him being on a senior deal. He will be paying for his mates Maccas after school now.

They have tried to get someone not sure you can blame them all the time for not getting people to sign. No point at all in just signing someone for the sake of it,happy they have taken the option to up grade Waine.

Very happy we have upgraded Waine's contract but I'm also disappointed we didn't get our visa striker for the start of the season. I know a supposed deal fell through but the club hired Talay very early in the piece and they've had a long time to complete their recruitment. I think they've done all right and I like the direction the club has taken but I'm disappointed they didn't finish the job on time.

In amongst all the regular doom and gloom of every season, I feel as though this is a very fair summary of the off-season break

I think our recruitment was, overall, very good - unfortunately we've stumbled to the finish line.

I think our recruitment was, overall, very good - unfortunately we've stumbled to the finish line.

window hasn't closed yet! hoping we sign someone Monday/tuesday

I think the line we were referring to was the season opener...

Hooper will wear # 88

Any penalty taking footage available for this guy.

This seems familiar somehow...

Take ya pick of footage https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Gary+Hooper

Yeah, I noticed he wore that number for Celtic, it doesn't mean he's a Nazi does it?

And only two words to learn so even the most intoxicated  feverite should be able to get it right

His YOB is 1988, give him the benefit of the doubt. Though found out Kilkenny is 88 too, f knows what connection he has to that number.