Contracted Players - Return of the Long Pins

The thing is that leagues with a strong financial divide - eg the EPL or Serie A - have promotion/relegation so the bottom teams have something to play for.

Yeh it's guna be...a different kind of sub-optimal to now 

Jason Pine‏@pineyzb

Not going to Western United though, so at least that's something. With both him and Krishna, Ufuk is going to need a whole new strike force

Bring back Nathan Burns!

Only 200k can be paid outside cap as homegrown, shared between a maximum 4 homegrown players.

At 50k per, they'd not actually be our most expensive, as the minumum senior wage is 64k or something like that. They would still need a healthy top up from capped money.

Williams confirmed as gone :(

https://www.wellingtonphoenix.com/news/david-williams-departs-wellington-phoenix?fbclid=IwAR3EghsYmYz5kjPj8MwhVsJLOmlCiTg4kdDP5kQIshVMXKZrfX1fu3MLsRw

Welcome to the off-season.  As per usual our off-field operation let's us down once again

Imagine what having some consistency in the squad from one season to the next could do for our #metrics.

We've been proactive this year, appointing a coach and starting recruitment very early. Without knowing what has occurred behind the scenes its impossible to know if the Nix could've/should've done more.

It's tough to blame anyone for this, honestly - yes, we could've been smarter with contracts, but we're in a shark position no matter which way you look at it. Until our future is confirmed, expect similar issues to continue.

Agreed, back office is not too blame for us not having a license. The club has been doing everything it can to keep us in this competition. As a player no amount of promises or possibilities or even wanting to stay is gonna keep me here long term if I'm going to have to be looking elsewhere quickly as the club folds. I'm surprised we've managed to get players to sign passed next year.

We also don't know if Williams etc were offered a two year deal at the start and said, no I will take 1 and go from there.

This makes no sense.  Most of our players last year were only on one year contracts, didn't stop them signing with us.

I'm not saying we've done well, its just that we simply do not have enough information about why players are leaving and not signing longer contracts to make any sort of judgement. Unless you know far more than you've posted here, its clear you're talking out your ass.

Goodbye Captain https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/113389149/wellington-phoenix-captain-andrew-durante-set-to-leave-the-club?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

So Durante is off to Western United...

Not a massive loss for me, especially on the pitch. Sad to see him go, Nix legend and one of our greats but its about time.

Last one out lock the doors.

That's actually probably the best news to come out of the club for a while.

While I agree that Durante is certainly not at his best anymore, I'm both peeved and bewildered by his departure. He should've retired here.

And honestly, he's not good enough to get past some of the CB options that WU already have, even with them playing Rudan's 3 CBs style.

Odd, odd, odd

Understand Durante won't be Western United's first captain but, nonetheless, will have a leadership role with the team. Is foreseen as having a role with the club post-playing career as well. #ALeague

— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) June 11, 2019

Wow. Says a lot about the future of the club if Dura sees a better future in a club that didn't even *have* culture 12 months ago.

In Ufuk We Trust

I don't care that he's not the player he used to be and is probably past his best, this fudgeing sucks. 

I've said it before - we're being stripped for fudgin' parts.

End of WPFC at end of 19/20 season, if not before.

Was probably time for a fresh start, he could only play in a back 3 and our defence has been creaky for ages.  Taylor and a decent CB should be a good pairing.

Seriously fudge Rudan eh

This cuts deep. But I can't boo Dura after all he's done for the club. Wonder who will pick up captaincy. All I can says is fudge Western United. Officially my least favourite club in the league and they haven't even played a game

Think that's why Rudan came here in the first place, anyway? As a poaching expedition?

Honestly doubt it. WU were announced during the season, well after he'd been established as head coach. No way he'd agree to join a club that wasn't even confirmed to be entering the league

Didn’t we send Dura on a management course in the USA a couple of seasons ago so he could transition in tona backoffice role with us?

Agreed, and I cannot fault Dura for wanting to secure a future after his playing days are over. He might have doubts over his chances of doing it here, which is fair. Giving him a stick for choosing at least a few more years' of paid employment than a one year certainty (at present) is somewhat uncharitable.

I didn't say he was sent here by WU. I honestly think, though, he came here thinking that - since those bloody Kiwis were on their way out anyway - he'd make friends with the best players and take them with him when he left. He may have actually intended to stay the 2 years, but WU turned up and the price happened to be right.

And I refuse to believe that this is unrelated to an Indian club taking our two best strikers at the same time. Stripped. For. Parts.

Looking at the positive side, we now have no one else left that Rudan can strip from us

Unless of course Singh or Cancere are unhappy about playing for one more year on the legally bound contract they signed. Then of course we will just have to let them go because they are unhappy and have  a better offer

Or they have the David Dome 8 week see you later and I'll fudge your club from behind while I'm still here clause

Wish he'd take David Dome with him to WU.

I know no player is bigger than the club, but losing both Krishna and Dura with all the uncertainty around the club hurts like shark. Both were two of our longest serving players and were names that even people who weren't really nix fans knew. Of that regular starting team from last season we have retained 5. We have no players remaining who were regulars from the season before. The gaping hole that Roy and Andrew have left in club identity is huge, the whole thing just leaves me feeling empty. 

I think we need to get used to the fact that no-one who's actually close to the action expects the Nix to still exist after the next season. (Yes, Dome PRETENDS to, that's his job.) Dura would not be ditching us if he had any faith.

Doloras of your 8000 posts that is the most sensible one and it is hard to argue with that logic

That is what hurts most. Not that we are losing an old centre back 

You ongoing negativity does my head in Doloras. 

Dura isn't ditching us, he's taking an opportunity to move onto something better for him that what he felt he was being offered here. Don't think for a moment Marinovich would not have talked to Durante and others before signing on etc.

The truth is, his last game for us in a NIX shirt is a fair reflection of where he is at in his career. We won't lose anything on the playing front through his departure - leadership yes, but that allows for other voices to come through like Rufer to emerge.

I agree to a point. I am not going to criticise Dura for choosing a more secure option long term, if that is what he is doing. Until we have our licence resolved, he's looking at a dead end a year from now.