Wellington Phoenix Men

Ernie Merrick - former Phoenix manager

3094 replies · 671,649 views
almost 13 years ago

terminator_x wrote:

Merrick has championship winning pedigree. New club, new challenge, who knows what he can achieve?

I think the biggest problem with Merrick is that he is a known quantity to us, so it doesn't seem like that exciting an appointment off the back of a "world-wide search".

I also refuse to buy into this crap about coaches only knowing how to play one way. They may get stuck in a rut sometimes, but any top coach should know how to adapt a playing style to a group of players, and vice versa.

One thing's for sure - this has been a pretty exhaustive search by the club conducted with a high degree of professionalism. If Merrick has made it through that process and the club still think he's their man, then I'm right behind him.

If it's him of course!


Completely agree. 

Grumpy old bastard alert

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almost 13 years ago

terminator_x wrote:
One thing's for sure - this has been a pretty exhaustive search by the club conducted with a high degree of professionalism.


Or, alternatively, they've gone for a cheap and nasty low-risk option and have no intention of pushing to win the league this year.

Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads



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almost 13 years ago

AllWhites82 wrote:


Yes looks like it will be Ernie Merrick - from a good scource

Why? Was Kevin Muscat spotted lurking around Newtown Park?

"Ive just re-visited this and once again realised that C-Diddy is a genius - a drunk, Newcastle bred disgrace - but a genius." - Hard News, 11:39am 4th June 2009

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almost 13 years ago · edited almost 13 years ago · History

The problem for me is if hes a known quantity to us , hes also a known quantity to the rest of the league.  This was an opportunity to bring a bit of excitement and blind optimism back to this football club but instead it seems, from the outside looking in, that weve gone for the safest and most uninspired choice possible. I understand that we cant just go and hire Maradona because its 'exciting' but cmon - Merrick was last coaching the HK national side and has struggled to get a club to give him a look in. There is a reason for that.

a.haak

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almost 13 years ago

terminator_x wrote:

Merrick has championship winning pedigree. New club, new challenge, who knows what he can achieve?

I think the biggest problem with Merrick is that he is a known quantity to us, so it doesn't seem like that exciting an appointment off the back of a "world-wide search".

I also refuse to buy into this crap about coaches only knowing how to play one way. They may get stuck in a rut sometimes, but any top coach should know how to adapt a playing style to a group of players, and vice versa.

One thing's for sure - this has been a pretty exhaustive search by the club conducted with a high degree of professionalism. If Merrick has made it through that process and the club still think he's their man, then I'm right behind him.

If it's him of course!



Sounds good
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almost 13 years ago

Who's been saying its Merrick all along ???

Lol lol lol lol



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almost 13 years ago

dont know. who ?

I LOVE LAMP

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almost 13 years ago · edited almost 13 years ago · History

terminator_x wrote:

Merrick has championship winning pedigree. New club, new challenge, who knows what he can achieve?

I think the biggest problem with Merrick is that he is a known quantity to us, so it doesn't seem like that exciting an appointment off the back of a "world-wide search".

I also refuse to buy into this crap about coaches only knowing how to play one way. They may get stuck in a rut sometimes, but any top coach should know how to adapt a playing style to a group of players, and vice versa.

One thing's for sure - this has been a pretty exhaustive search by the club conducted with a high degree of professionalism. If Merrick has made it through that process and the club still think he's their man, then I'm right behind him.

If it's him of course!

IMO, to be the best we need to leverage our biggest (argueably only) advantage over the other a-league teams and that is the fact that kiwis don't count as foreigners. I don't believe Merrick is going to add much there.

How many players did Merrick actually develop through the youth system? I don't recall many at all, you could make an argument for Kruse but then he started at Brisbane. Victory were the best team in the league, Merrick should take credit for that but they were very well resourced and gradually stagnated because, again imo, they lacked that internal development that we so badly need. Instead they just went out and bought the best players, young and old, that they could.

If it is him I am not going to stop supporting the team, that would be f**king lame, but it doesn't mean I think he is a good choice. I would also love to be proven wrong. 

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almost 13 years ago

jesus, I saw a quote on here earlier today saying something along the lines of "I cannot wait to see the angst when Merrick gets announced later today", and I thought to myself that surely there will be no issues just yet.  Loe and behold, we have angst before he has even been announced.

Why don't we all just unwindulax for a while as opposed to getting all wound up because it looks like we are going to appoint someone who has won the A League, but without doing it in the manner we want?

All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight

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almost 13 years ago

Did you wake up sober this morning Frankie?

"Ive just re-visited this and once again realised that C-Diddy is a genius - a drunk, Newcastle bred disgrace - but a genius." - Hard News, 11:39am 4th June 2009

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almost 13 years ago

rjmiller wrote:

terminator_x wrote:

Merrick has championship winning pedigree. New club, new challenge, who knows what he can achieve?

I think the biggest problem with Merrick is that he is a known quantity to us, so it doesn't seem like that exciting an appointment off the back of a "world-wide search".

I also refuse to buy into this crap about coaches only knowing how to play one way. They may get stuck in a rut sometimes, but any top coach should know how to adapt a playing style to a group of players, and vice versa.

One thing's for sure - this has been a pretty exhaustive search by the club conducted with a high degree of professionalism. If Merrick has made it through that process and the club still think he's their man, then I'm right behind him.

If it's him of course!

IMO, to be the best we need to leverage our biggest (argueably only) advantage over the other a-league teams and that is the fact that kiwis don't count as foreigners. I don't believe Merrick is going to add much there.

How many players did Merrick actually develop through the youth system? I don't recall many at all, you could make an argument for Kruse but then he started at Brisbane. Victory were the best team in the league, Merrick should take credit for that but they were very well resourced and gradually stagnated because, again imo, they lacked that internal development that we so badly need. Instead they just went out and bought the best players, young and old, that they could.

If it is him I am not going to stop supporting the team, that would be f**king lame, but it doesn't mean I think he is a good choice. I would also love to be proven wrong. 

Had the yoof league even started when he was there? If not whats the problem with just buying good players?

Founder

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almost 13 years ago

Feverish wrote:

Had the yoof league even started when he was there? If not whats the problem with just buying good players?


When we have the normal salary cap with no extra for marquee, local marquee and youth players, and we are competing against teams that do, that strategy isn't very good.
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almost 13 years ago

terminator_x wrote:

Merrick has championship winning pedigree. New club, new challenge, who knows what he can achieve?

I think the biggest problem with Merrick is that he is a known quantity to us, so it doesn't seem like that exciting an appointment off the back of a "world-wide search".

I also refuse to buy into this crap about coaches only knowing how to play one way. They may get stuck in a rut sometimes, but any top coach should know how to adapt a playing style to a group of players, and vice versa.

One thing's for sure - this has been a pretty exhaustive search by the club conducted with a high degree of professionalism. If Merrick has made it through that process and the club still think he's their man, then I'm right behind him.

If it's him of course!


He built the Victory from scratch, so that is how he wants to play the game.

We spent the last season having to endure watching the team trying to play a more attractive style of play despite knowing we didn't have the players for it. To me appointing Merrick would be just throwing our hands up in the air and saying stuff it, lets just play like we had been. If the owners are ok with this, why did Ricki have to keep trying to play pretty football?
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almost 13 years ago · edited almost 13 years ago · History

Frankie Mac wrote:

jesus, I saw a quote on here earlier today saying something along the lines of "I cannot wait to see the angst when Merrick gets announced later today", and I thought to myself that surely there will be no issues just yet.  Loe and behold, we have angst before he has even been announced.

Why don't we all just unwindulax for a while as opposed to getting all wound up because it looks like we are going to appoint someone who has won the A League, but without doing it in the manner we want?


Because this forums for discussion and we're discussing? There are always going to be people for and people against.

I think the club has gone about it in a very professional manner; just not too happy we've seemingly settled on a guy that has done his dash already.

a.haak

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almost 13 years ago

rjmiller wrote:

Feverish wrote:

Had the yoof league even started when he was there? If not whats the problem with just buying good players?


When we have the normal salary cap with no extra for marquee, local marquee and youth players, and we are competing against teams that do, that strategy isn't very good.

So he needs to have a different strategy - doesn't mean he didn't do things right at victory and doesn't mean he can't adapt

Founder

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almost 13 years ago

EM the chameleon !



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almost 13 years ago

Guess we'll see. We can only judge him now based on his past work - just like anyone in any other profession.

a.haak

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almost 13 years ago

valeo wrote:

Guess we'll see. We can only judge him now based on his past work - just like anyone in any other profession.

Well there really isn't any point in trying to judge him now.

All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight

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almost 13 years ago

Frankie Mac wrote:

valeo wrote:

Guess we'll see. We can only judge him now based on his past work - just like anyone in any other profession.

Well there really isn't any point in trying to judge him now.


Just like there isn't much point to most of the discussion on this forum - but we do it anyway.

a.haak

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almost 13 years ago

Ryan's Rovers wrote:

terminator_x wrote:

Merrick has championship winning pedigree. New club, new challenge, who knows what he can achieve?

I think the biggest problem with Merrick is that he is a known quantity to us, so it doesn't seem like that exciting an appointment off the back of a "world-wide search".

I also refuse to buy into this crap about coaches only knowing how to play one way. They may get stuck in a rut sometimes, but any top coach should know how to adapt a playing style to a group of players, and vice versa.

One thing's for sure - this has been a pretty exhaustive search by the club conducted with a high degree of professionalism. If Merrick has made it through that process and the club still think he's their man, then I'm right behind him.

If it's him of course!


He built the Victory from scratch, so that is how he wants to play the game.

We spent the last season having to endure watching the team trying to play a more attractive style of play despite knowing we didn't have the players for it. To me appointing Merrick would be just throwing our hands up in the air and saying stuff it, lets just play like we had been. If the owners are ok with this, why did Ricki have to keep trying to play pretty football?


But I think there's a big difference between "possession based football" and "exciting, attacking football". They aren't one and the same and you can definitely have one without the other.

There's no doubt in my mind that Merrick knows how to coach exciting, attacking football and his Victory teams were good to watch.

The big cock-up last year was that "possession based football" (or in Gareth's unsophisticated mind "total football") was being used as a synonym of what we really want, which is exciting, attacking football. I think Merrick can deliver that, even if he chooses not to go the possession based route. Regardless, I would hope that after such an exhaustive process the semantics of this discussion have been sorted out between the coach and club, so they know they are all on the same page.

Ricki and Greenie didn't try to keep playing pretty football by the way, they very much went back to what they know. Greenie's major tactical change was probably to put Bertos back out on the wing.

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almost 13 years ago

rjmiller wrote:

terminator_x wrote:

Merrick has championship winning pedigree. New club, new challenge, who knows what he can achieve?

I think the biggest problem with Merrick is that he is a known quantity to us, so it doesn't seem like that exciting an appointment off the back of a "world-wide search".

I also refuse to buy into this crap about coaches only knowing how to play one way. They may get stuck in a rut sometimes, but any top coach should know how to adapt a playing style to a group of players, and vice versa.

One thing's for sure - this has been a pretty exhaustive search by the club conducted with a high degree of professionalism. If Merrick has made it through that process and the club still think he's their man, then I'm right behind him.

If it's him of course!

IMO, to be the best we need to leverage our biggest (argueably only) advantage over the other a-league teams and that is the fact that kiwis don't count as foreigners. I don't believe Merrick is going to add much there.

How many players did Merrick actually develop through the youth system? I don't recall many at all, you could make an argument for Kruse but then he started at Brisbane. Victory were the best team in the league, Merrick should take credit for that but they were very well resourced and gradually stagnated because, again imo, they lacked that internal development that we so badly need. Instead they just went out and bought the best players, young and old, that they could.

If it is him I am not going to stop supporting the team, that would be f**king lame, but it doesn't mean I think he is a good choice. I would also love to be proven wrong. 


Don't forget Merrick spent 12 years at the Victorian Institute of Sport before the Victory. He definitely has experience in that high-performance/development/academy type of environment.

Just because he didn't deploy the youth development strategy at Victory doesn't mean it's not in his toolkit.

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almost 13 years ago

regardless of who they announce today as the new coach - we still don't have the players with the skill set to play posession football. Attacking maybe, controlled I doubt, the new coach is going to have a  tough ride getting the current players to change from journey men to touch based footballers

Queenslander 3x a year.

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almost 13 years ago

Merrick Pros:

  • Has won the league
  • Has connections to A-League players
  • Familiar with cap restrictions and realities of coaching at this level
Merrick Cons:
  • Has not traditionally promoted youth / developed players
  • Played a narrow counter attacking style - not flowing passing game the club wants
  • Laughable 'worldwide' search - we will be given shit


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almost 13 years ago · edited almost 13 years ago · History

theprof wrote:

regardless of who they announce today as the new coach - we still don't have the players with the skill set to play posession football. Attacking maybe, controlled I doubt, the new coach is going to have a  tough ride getting the current players to change from journey men to touch based footballers


I disagree with that. We need a few additions, no doubt, but guys like Hernandez, Sanchez, Ifill, Brockie and Stein should be able to pass the ball. I'm actually feeling really good about our squad under the right system and coach.


It will be interesting to see our transformation from a team who _always_ goes to their wide players and crosses in to one that plays super narrow (if that is what Merrick does again)

a.haak

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almost 13 years ago

terminator_x wrote:

rjmiller wrote:

terminator_x wrote:

Merrick has championship winning pedigree. New club, new challenge, who knows what he can achieve?

I think the biggest problem with Merrick is that he is a known quantity to us, so it doesn't seem like that exciting an appointment off the back of a "world-wide search".

I also refuse to buy into this crap about coaches only knowing how to play one way. They may get stuck in a rut sometimes, but any top coach should know how to adapt a playing style to a group of players, and vice versa.

One thing's for sure - this has been a pretty exhaustive search by the club conducted with a high degree of professionalism. If Merrick has made it through that process and the club still think he's their man, then I'm right behind him.

If it's him of course!

IMO, to be the best we need to leverage our biggest (argueably only) advantage over the other a-league teams and that is the fact that kiwis don't count as foreigners. I don't believe Merrick is going to add much there.

How many players did Merrick actually develop through the youth system? I don't recall many at all, you could make an argument for Kruse but then he started at Brisbane. Victory were the best team in the league, Merrick should take credit for that but they were very well resourced and gradually stagnated because, again imo, they lacked that internal development that we so badly need. Instead they just went out and bought the best players, young and old, that they could.

If it is him I am not going to stop supporting the team, that would be f**king lame, but it doesn't mean I think he is a good choice. I would also love to be proven wrong. 


Don't forget Merrick spent 12 years at the Victorian Institute of Sport before the Victory. He definitely has experience in that high-performance/development/academy type of environment.

Just because he didn't deploy the youth development strategy at Victory doesn't mean it's not in his toolkit.


Even the richest clubs still gain a lot from player development. It's not an either or choice, you can buy players and develop them. He wouldn't have been actively avoiding youth player development.
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almost 13 years ago · edited almost 13 years ago · History

To be fair, he didn't have many good youth options at the Victory - they didn't have a proper youth team either. He definitely had his favourites there (Broxham, Brebner) that he would always play over the others, irregardless of form though.

a.haak

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almost 13 years ago

John Matheson tweeted this morning that Merrick is staying at the Inter-Continental, where Matheson is also staying.

So unless Matheson is a completely brain-dead loser trying to perform hari-kari on his journalism career - it's Merrick.


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almost 13 years ago

I have confirmaton it's Merrick.



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almost 13 years ago

 Here's a headline for you, DoomPost journos: "Welnix bottles 'worldwide' search". Or "Welnix pick coaching retread".

If people got pissed off that Ricki misused Kosta and Marco (which is still arguable), how do they feel about picking the coach who criminally misused Marco in his first season at MVFC?


Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads



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almost 13 years ago

Doloras wrote:

 Here's a headline for you, DoomPost journos: "Welnix bottles 'worldwide' search". Or "Welnix pick coaching retread".

If people got pissed off that Ricki misused Kosta and Marco (which is still arguable), how do they feel about picking the coach who criminally misused Marco in his first season at MVFC?

Merrick was sacked immediately after poaching Marco.
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almost 13 years ago · edited almost 13 years ago · History

Doloras wrote:


If people got pissed off that Ricki misused Kosta and Marco (which is still arguable), how do they feel about picking the coach who criminally misused Marco in his first season at MVFC?


Wasn't there. That was Durakovic (who they got after a world-wide search)

a.haak

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almost 13 years ago


It can still be a world-wide search if we pick an Aussie. Like most people on here, I think it's important to get someone who knows the league and knows Australian/New Zealand players.

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almost 13 years ago

Doloras wrote:

 Here's a headline for you, DoomPost journos: "Welnix bottles 'worldwide' search". Or "Welnix pick coaching retread".

If people got pissed off that Ricki misused Kosta and Marco (which is still arguable), how do they feel about picking the coach who criminally misused Marco in his first season at MVFC?


HA ! that made me laugh.
Thanks Doloras !


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almost 13 years ago

Bit harsh blaming him for things he didn't do before he's even been announced :d

a.haak

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almost 13 years ago

Assuming it is Merrick, I think the appointment is, in terms of "sex appeal", under whelming.

However, on reflection, it probably represents good value for limited money - the reality is he did win the league twice, knows the A-League and can operate effectively in the transfer market. We can debate until the cows come home whether he can be successful in the A-League of 2013/14 onwards or if he is a one style pony - time will tell.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and a reasonable opportunity to prove himself.

What will be interesting is the term of his appointment - he has limited scope to recruit this season - we're stuck with a fair bit of deadwood for another year.

On this basis I'm assuming he'll be given at least 2, possibly 3, years to prove himself.

Good luck to him.

 

 


 

He dribbles a lot and the opposition dont like it - you can see it all over their faces. (Ron Atkinson)
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almost 13 years ago

playwithFire wrote:

Merrick Pros:

  • Has won the league
  • Has connections to A-League players
  • Familiar with cap restrictions and realities of coaching at this level
Merrick Cons:
  • Has not traditionally promoted youth / developed players
  • Played a narrow counter attacking style - not flowing passing game the club wants
  • Laughable 'worldwide' search - we will be given shit

I don't understand the part in bold - can you please explain?

All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight

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almost 13 years ago

 ... er, okay. Note to JV: I admit I was wrong. :)


Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads



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almost 13 years ago

terminator_x wrote:

John Matheson tweeted this morning that Merrick is staying at the Inter-Continental, where Matheson is also staying.

So unless Matheson is a completely brain-dead loser trying to perform hari-kari on his journalism career - it's Merrick.


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almost 13 years ago

Frankie Mac wrote:

playwithFire wrote:

Merrick Pros:

  • Has won the league
  • Has connections to A-League players
  • Familiar with cap restrictions and realities of coaching at this level
Merrick Cons:
  • Has not traditionally promoted youth / developed players
  • Played a narrow counter attacking style - not flowing passing game the club wants
  • Laughable 'worldwide' search - we will be given shit

I don't understand the part in bold - can you please explain?

not sure why it isn't in bold when I look at it (or why I cannot edit the post).

Point I wanted clarity on was this one:

  • Laughable 'worldwide' search - we will be given shit

    •  

    who will give us shit?  Why is the worldwide search laughable?  Could it be that the people that we interviewed in the UK either wanted too much money (Coppell) or did not show that they could offer the club anymore than what Merrick could (Dowie, Roeder)?

    All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
    Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
    Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
    And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight

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    almost 13 years ago

    Harry Kewell spotted at Wellington Airport this morning...

    "Ive just re-visited this and once again realised that C-Diddy is a genius - a drunk, Newcastle bred disgrace - but a genius." - Hard News, 11:39am 4th June 2009

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