Contracted Players - Return of the Long Pins

In all fairness, I don't know why Brisbane 2019 side was terrible, and the fact that he wasn't selected by them means nothing. For all I know they might have been a tad better if he was selected.  

It is the same syndrome that afflicts some employers  - a mediocre company does not employ a clearly good candidate and go for someone below average, because they cannot recognise the quality, and so they stay mediocre where a new talent might have made a gradual difference. I have seen this a bit especially with local authority recruitment.

I think it’s fair to say both local and central are pretty crap at most things when it comes to business 

Injuries. Surgeries. Recoveries.⁠
⁠
Sport is tough for any athlete, but it's been a particularly rough road for Louis Fenton.⁠
⁠
He finally feels like he's on solid ground and back to where he wants to be.
⁠
Read his story here: https://t.co/qjn7qVXWdo pic.twitter.com/W8Yz9Qh0ZM

— After the Whistle NZ (@ATWNewZealand) February 23, 2021

Great read, glad he's coming back to his best.

Great to be able to welcome him back to the starting 11, he's looked solid coming on as a sub at LB and RB and last game he was brilliant.

A short feature on Stuff as well.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/12...

It was good to hear Bozza reminding us that his full name is Louis Ferenc Puskas Fenton.

Beautiful piece of writing. Was taking to my wife about him just the other day and made exactly the same point: all these injuries probably did impact on his growth as a footballer, but he's definitely become very tough and resilient since he's still here. Great to see he has gained a new perspective on life.. He's still young enough to progress further. Really hope his body holds up and he wins something with us.. He certainly deserves it! 

https://theniche-cache.com/football/2021/2/24/all-...

So Talay admits the club said NO to more money in his after game interview last night that's why we couldn't get a import defender.

I dont watch the local league in NZ but surely there has to be someone worthy of a shot to come over.

Melbourne Victory v Wellington Phoenix - A-League Match Centre (a-league.com.au)

No quarantine-free flights from NZ to AUS as of yesterday.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/124352657/aust...

right now the only way we are getting a short term replacement for De Vere is if we look at the aussie lower leagues, personally I dont think we really need to, Payne has done well in the centre back roll, Laws looks decent as does MgGing. 

Pretty sure Kaltak has been mentioned as probably one of the better CB's in the league. I rate Taylor Schrijvers from TW's too, I don't think either of them could be any worse than what we have haha.

You have Payne, McGing, TAHW & Laws all there, available now. Probably was a NPL level CB 'trialist', that spent some of the preseason training with the team in the Gong, that they could quickly call up as injury cover in need. 

Are likes of Brotherton, Kaltak or Schrijvers going to be profoundly better? Highly unlikely. Especially considering the amateur Handy Prem fitness levels are a long way below what's required for the A League. Ask Sigmund how tough he found his first few months of A League training, coming from ACFC.

Any visa CB is going to have to start with 2 weeks MIQ, before they can even start getting to know their team mates, playing patterns etc - and the season is what about 1/3 through already. Plus Welnix are already bleeding cash as it is.

Likely that once quarantine travel to NSW reopens, they send over 2-3 guys (Old, Mogg etc) from Weenix. If just to fill out numbers at training sessions, plus gain some valuable experience for those youngsters.

Whilst the defence is obviously weaker this season without Taylor, it's not like the Nix are shedding heaps of goals. No more than 2 goals a game to date, and surely some of the errors defending set pieces are fixable.

To me the big problem is converting the high possession, and chances stats to goals. Especially getting something from Hemed when he returns.

Conceding an average of 2 goals a game is actually a very bad statistic. Flip it around, and it means that you have to average above 2 goals a game to consistently win points, and that puts an enormous pressure on the attack to be highly efficient as a unit, which then undoubtedly filters down to individual moments in games too.

Concede less, and your chances of winning/picking up points consistently rise significantly. It's much easier to win games 1-0 and 2-1 than 3-2.

Nix have conceded 14 goals in 8 games. They have not conceded more than 2 goals in a game, is what I was trying to say.

But yes is the 2nd worst conceded to Adelaide (16 in 8).

You would hope the errors at set pieces are fixable. The 2nd goal Gestede scored was just so predictable, I wrote at HT something needed to done about his aerial threat.

Last season's settled triumvirate of Marinovic, Taylor and DeVere were all big units. Talay needs to come up with a plan to stop these soft goals, with the players he has.

Would it be possible to get a loan of someone like Tratt? Surely a loan deal from another AL club should be easier as they would be fit and at the level needed. 

that would be nice - not that I could see any of the other clubs wanting to loan players.

Tratts in India. 

Given we can use De Vere's salary bringing in a replacement, it would not surprise me if we managed to lure one of the guys in Indian back. Most of them finish this week and they seemed to have left on good terms.

who is your money on?

Bottom right shows one of our many problems, we are taking a ton of low quality shots.

suggesting what is significantly weaker is the defence. We won a few by a pen last season and Hooper was a huge difference. Hemed comes good we'll make some progress.

Cool graph, although if my several drinks down drunken math is correct it is misleading at a glance... being bottom right could mean you take a ton of shots, so even if ratio of scoring is bad, it can actually be better as far as goals scored than taking hardly any shots and having a higher scoring ratio. I also think that the 'low quality' shots from DaVila is actually not so much his shots, but due to not having quality players around him, so the opposition are all over him, double teaming him, etc...

Regarding contract players, how about we scout the Mexican league, despite the 14 day quarantine hit... the Green Fever (I hope that's no more offensive than the Yellow Fever?) is great and should be encouraged with more Mexicans in the team!

Incoming new signing according to nix twitter account !!

A new CB ??

Has the ISL finished for Taylor? Could it be?!

Seems likely. There was a deleted tweet of an ocean which I assume is a jetski reference 

I might need a new f5 key after today is over

someone must know something. When's the announcement?

And it is Taylor returning.

Not just a CB. But the leadership figure we badly need.

Bloody great!

This! A million times this!

Fudge yes!!!!

let's hope we keep him permanently now, good for nix a nz football generally 

OMG that is amazing!!!!

actually the most excited I've been when we get these announcements.

That is going to help matters considerably - great news!