Contracted Players - Return of the Long Pins

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/wellingtonphoenix/news-display/experienced-duo-moving-on/89777

Could they not have announced that before last nights game..?

Gutted we didn't get a chance to send them off. Both good servants of the club

Shit that was quick. Ernie wasnt messing around when he said he was going to sort out the contracts.

Sad to see them both go as they were good servants of the club. Good luck to them both.

But now they a good amount of time to find clubs and we have time to find better replacements

Yeh a big thank you to them both. Leo and Steiny both made excellent contributions.

LEO LEO LEO!!

Ernie's comments in the media re Leo are classy as ever. Top bloke.

Real shame not to see Steiny play one more time yesterday. Here's hoping for more of these truly 'professional' players in the Nix

Sad to see these fellas go, but seems like the right choice for all parties. Would be great to see Leo go to asia and score something, though I think the aussies found it easier being part of the AFC.

Always been a Stein fan but I think Merrick needs to be able to have some spots to play with, can see him getting another a league gig easy and probably scoring bucketloads vs. us >.<

Ernie plays good game of poker..called Steins bluff.  He might go to say Perth to replace Smeltz if his contract is up but another club..maybe not.

I wonder if it was Stein or his agent that was pushing for too much?

Thanks for the goals though Waffles and thanks Leo for being a positive friendly type guy even when things weren't going that great. Best wishes to you both.

Thanks Leo. I enjoyed that one freekick you scored from 40 yards. And the subsequent 3,325 attempts to repeat it.

Good Luck Leo

Sad to see leo go. Was he ever on big Terry S money?

Next out, Iffs and Hernandez? 

All of a sudden some $$ is beginning to appear? 

I wish we did get a chance to say thanks last night, but not sure after the drubbing we got, that it would of been a good thing.

But thanks to both players for the work they put in wearing the Black and Yellow!

So does the exclusion of Luke Adams and JBS from today's annoucement mean they are staying on?

Luke ADAMS (u21, +1)

Leo BERTOS (+1)

Josh BRINDELL-SOUTH (u21)

Stein HUYSEGEMS (f)

Paul IFILL (f)

I hope not.

will miss leo . Nice guy always good to chat to . and stein what a great season to end on with ten goals .

I wonder where Leo will go now? Would be a great pick up for Auckland City or Team Wellington..

A straight swap for Riera? At least it's not all one way player movements from Auckland City to The Nix then.

Will also miss Leo a lot. I remember how glad I was when he came back from Perth to play for his home town club. On his day he could run rings around any defence, but I always thought his natural talents were stifled a little by the Ricki game plan of 'sling the ball wide, cross it and hope for the best'.

Best game I saw Leo play was against Boca Juniors. Unfortunately he just never played with the same attacking flair ever again. Great servant for the club.

Best Leo moment for me was the looping high corner for the All Whites from which Fallon scored the winner against Bahrain. It was a brilliant cross and spot on the money.

I remember watching Leo play Chatham Cup for Olympic at the Basin Reserve in the 90s when we were both at Coll. He can be rightly proud of a fine career. And as everyone here has said, he's the nicest guy out. 

He's bought the license for Coerver New Zealand I think, so we might well see a more of him in the future. 

According to this Stuff story, Ernie is close to resigning JBS, and Shaun Timmins. The former is an Aussie, and the latter will take an import spot.

Are there really no Kiwis as good as these two?

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/9937555/Huysegems-Bertos-offloaded-by-Phoenix

Surely Timmins is an Aussie next year if we are even considering having him back.

Mon, 14 Apr 2014 10:29a.m. TEST
Football Wellington Phoenix General manager David Dome wraps up the season, they have Leo Bertos and Stein Huysegems both leaving the club, looking at replacements, do we need to get a junior team playing so we are developing our own players

http://www.radiolivesport.co.nz/David-Dome/tabid/454/articleID/18104/Default.aspx

What about giving Leo a run at the EPL game in July if he's still around?

That last line in the article seems to clarify it. In which case Timmins would be a useful signing.

What about JBS? Is he keeping out a decent Kiwi prospect?

So Timmins isn't an import next year? 

If so then that's good news. 

If he is, then Im pissed we let waffles go only to use an import spot on Timmins. 

We need central midfield depth in particular. A midfield of Riera, Lia and Carlos is not a league winning midfield. Especially not when your next cab off the rank is Ridenton.