I didn't know about Ibini; this confirms a lot of what I've been thinking.
In Merrick’s defence, he was working on a budget that was among the league’s smallest, with owners keen to keep costs down.
Whereas at Victory he could aim to recruit the league’s best talent, it was shopping in the bargain bin at the Phoenix that made his job tougher.
There was always a sense that the Phoenix squad had a few too many journeyman and a few too many substandard locals filling out the numbers.
Merrick would openly admit he found it incredibly hard to attract a top quality players across the Tasman. A fruitless quest to win over Bernie Ibini springs to mind.
However, it should be noted that Merrick did make some inroads, especially in terms of cultural change.
"Even though the results haven't shown and we haven't won anything, he's changed this whole club in terms of the professionalism, the way we should play football and the structure of the club,” former defender Ben Sigmund told Fairfax New Zealand on Monday. "What he's done at the club is unbelievable."
(source)
Of course the bit about "substandard locals" will infuriate those who think that the Phoenix has a duty to promote local lads; this is a question which will continue to divide the fan base, I think.