Contracted Players - Return of the Long Pins

Oh,i thought it was already.

Has been for the last month.

Agreed. Welcome to my own end of season as a wise old pundit

To be fair, you're right - he's been absolute kak this season. 1 game doesn't change that; also just shows how bad we are at the moment if we are letting him run riot.

Watson signed on a 1 year contract 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/791...

Hamish 'Plan B' Watson

.

How much is he getting paid? Has he told anyone yet?

Bring back Fat Watto

All going well, is it expected that he will freeze Powell out of the squad? We do have better attacking options now in the mold of Powell, but no physical presence like Watson offers.

I was vaguely amused that he said "I took it away to think about it" like he had a very strong negotiating position.

But, in taking the piss, I really liked him this season particularly in his first game (vs WSW when Powell had his I-should-now-retire performance). 

I like seeing locals get a shot. So I hope he makes something of his year - for everyone's sake!

Updated:

EXPIRES END OF 2016/17:

Roly BONEVACIA (f) 
Tom DOYLE
Louis FENTON
Alex RODRIGUEZ GORRIN (f)
Lewis ITALIANO
Glen MOSS
Blake POWELL
Albert RIERA (f)
Oliver SAIL (u21)
Hamish WATSON

EXPIRES END OF 2017/18:

Andrew DURANTE
Gui FINKLER (f)
Roy KRISHNA (f)
James McGARRY (u21)
Michael McGLINCHEY 
Matthew RIDENTON
Logan ROGERSON (u21)

EXPIRES END OF 2018/19:

Kosta BARBAROUSES
Dylan FOX

So 4 spots left and no F spots at the moment??

Will be hard to shore up the Defense

Personally, I was surprised that we re-signed Powell. I know he's scored a few, but he doesn't bring much else. He will need to perform amazingly to get a run I feel.

It was an automatic extension from memory based on playing time. Also happened to be after he scored four goals against the top team in the competition.

Players who have been in lower comps often take a season to get up to speed. Powell admittedly had played for Sydney before but still came in from the NSWPL. I think he's a good option and is clearly one of those guys who never looks like much but just has a knack of scoring goals (Smeltz? Pipo Inzaghi?). Getting 8 goals with only half his games being starts in a team which really struggled to have our mids creating decent chances is a solid effort. Yeah, 4 of them were in one game but even then having a player who can score 4 away to one of the best teams is in itself useful. What people also don't mention about that performance is that it was one of the few times this season where we didn't play a slow possession game and instead transitioned quickly through the midfield - so maybe he would score even more if we sped up our build-up play.

He's whole hearted. 

I like seeing him swearing and carrying on like a muppet when he just missed out on something- it means he really cares about it. 

I think he's done what's been asked of him. He hasn't looked too out of sorts running around, and he's caused all kinds of worries in the air, flicking the ball on, holding the ball up and bringing players in- and he's managed to bundle the ball into the net a few times.

Plus he's combined well with the team. We've looked threatening when he's come on much of the time. 

We've seen already that he has improved as a player after his first stint and I think there is every possibility he may improve further. 

Plenty of work to do, but I think he adds something we haven't got to the squad. 

He needs to start producing more soon. I think we saw flashes of his skills this year, but he needs to figure out how to be more consistent, and agree that is the job of the coaching staff too. He looked good making runs at the back post and playing off a larger striker. He's not looked so good trying to be Krishna and beating players, though he can occasionally, but think about how he combined with Ridenton- it's a matter of a settled formation and some good combinations between playmakers and strikers too. He also produced a Kane-like turn in the box to finish, but that was against some very poor defence in Sydney.

If he can make a goal in a difficult situation or against quality opposition- that will be the test. At the moment you wouldn't think he'd be the go-to option for the last 20 minutes if we need to change the game. That's pretty telling. 

Generally agree, but he did score a winner off the bench early this season too against Brisbane, and IIRC those goals against WSW required him to do a bit of work in creating the space to shoot. He definitely did look better playing off Watson too, but that might just have been what his role was in previous clubs. He's not a player who will create chances through pace or physicality, or even technique, but he will pop up in good positions to finish chances if someone else is creating them. Just having the ability to be in the right place at the right time is itself a skill.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there was enough there this season to justify the contract extension I think, and with the chance to play with Kosta and Finkler, plus a full preseason under his belt, there's every likelihood he will improve

He's turned it up against the Sydney sides- if he played like that every week he'd be a golden boot. His technique level comes and goes- great for the goals against WSW

It's also practice and understanding. 

For a player on essentially minimum wage, he's perfect.

Powell struggled when asked to attack from wide, better through the middle or in a front two. He's more of a finisher and doesn't have heaps of pace. Needs to be used correctly. At times I think he was a victim of the Merrick "template" 

From the above argument, the logical conclusion is that his performance against WSW was a fluke, then.

I think that his performance against WSW was an outlier rather than the norm, sure. Thoguh I think that would be the case with basically any striker..!

Is Gully staying?  I see he's off to Hong Kong to play in the 7s which you'd imagine he wouldn't be doing if the plan is to cut him loose.

must still be in the mix. Stevens has signed for Miramar so must be gone from contention

has anything regarding vince Lia been announced?

Nothing yet.  And he is in South America, so an answer may not be forth coming

However this latter argument maybe supported because IIRC I believe this was the game that Greenacre set up the team and played more crosses into the box via Doyle and others, with Watson at the front or the middle and Powell at the back post or crumbing? 

I don't think it is a stretch to say Powell's been better around the area, though I think he also made a good run from wide with the Ridenton pass? He's not as effective running at players from a little further down the pitch and out on the touchline.

That's a fair call. And of course it may have been a bit of a fluke for Powell (especially that Jamieson's performance that day was pants).

Despite this I still reckon his run from Ridenton's pass was sublime. Watching the game I had to pinch myself to check if it was not a dream (and then again to check if it was really Powell, and not Ifill).

And finally confirmed, Vinniesta re-signs

Signing | Phoenix pen another important re-signing.https://t.co/HbRLo2MGdl pic.twitter.com/buz0vXoXbo

— Wellington Phoenix (@WgtnPhoenixFC) June 10, 2016

Updated:

EXPIRES END OF 2016/17:

Roly BONEVACIA (f) 
Tom DOYLE
Louis FENTON
Alex RODRIGUEZ GORRIN (f)
Lewis ITALIANO
Vince LIA
Glen MOSS
Blake POWELL
Oliver SAIL (u21)
Hamish WATSON

EXPIRES END OF 2017/18:

Andrew DURANTE
Gui FINKLER (f)
Roy KRISHNA (f)
James McGARRY (u21)
Michael McGLINCHEY 
Matthew RIDENTON
Logan ROGERSON (u21)

EXPIRES END OF 2018/19:

Kosta BARBAROUSES
Dylan FOX

Vinnie the scapeboat?