Ernie Merrick - former Phoenix manager

I found this quite a strange interview.

"I think this side has still got the depth to contend for the top four," said Merrick upon the team's arrival back into Wellington yesterday.

"I think it's sorting out the defence first and foremost and getting our best players on the park."

"Since day one we've tried to get our backline together and get it organised. Our best backline is Tom Doyle, Andrew Durante, Marco Rossi and Jacob Tratt with Vince (Lia) in front of them and we've only been able to do that once, for half a game. That's a major problem."

"You can't play good attacking football without a rock-solid defence. Getting that defence right is so important. We've been patching up the fullback position quite a bit but I think we've got good depth and good players and we're a top four team still," said Merrick.

Takes responsibility, but only for getting the best team on the park.  Then asserts we are a top 4 team because we have the depth, but then says we need our best team on the park to get results (ie our depth is not up to it).

"I take full responsibility," he declared.

I think the players we've got available are doing the best they can, so it's my responsibility.

I think I can do a lot more. I've never actually got the best side out for the full 90 minutes yet. My job is to try to get the best team on the park for 90 minutes."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11740369

What is strange about it

1: He puts his hand up and says that we have the players but its my fault. Thats kinda the theme of the forum the last month

2: He admits that things could be different if he had his best team on the park. We have alluded to that as well in the 1st game and also against Melbourne (maybe not the result but the scoreline perhaps)

I'm unsure what you find strange.

So he's also saying that Lia is definitely first choice DM, which leaves Roly, WeeMac and A-Rod competing for 2 spots behind Finkler. So, as I (and a bunch of other people) have been saying for a while, we are in a situation where we have to bench either an import or (presumably) one of our highest paid locals. Of our youth players who have come through the two who are on senior contracts and fighting for a break in the first team are CMs too (Ridenton and Rufer). While we have a guy straight out of the state leagues at RB and only two actual FBs in the squad (Doyle and Tratt). 

Also, Lia looked a much better footballer the last couple of seasons when he was played in a more advanced role too, so putting him back to DM, especially in a formation that only has one DM, seems regressive to me.

I would really like to hear Ernie's explanation of why we are overstocked in central mids and understocked at FB and DM. He's had plenty of time to make this squad his.

He says his job is to get the best players on the park for 90m minutes.  Isn't his job to get the most out of the players that are on the park for 90 minutes?

Right I see what you are saying. 
Your point is fair but if you are running with the b team, no matter how much you get out of them, its still not your best unit and its rare that the b team out performs the a team.

It is Ernie's B team though. He has picked them all.

When he resigned Lia, I realised he and the club didnt have enough ambition.

As much as he seems a good person, I am fast losing faith in his ability to turn this around. 

I dont have a problem with the nix re-signing Vince Lia as he has been a loyal servant, can play in a number of positions and would be an ideal squad player. I guess I didnt see him as the no1 DM

When he was resigned we still had Riera contracted, when Riera quit the choice became between an import cb and an import dm, we chose the centre back.

Or we could utilise that import spot that is sitting on his hands for most of the time. Unless A-Rod has some dirt on Ernie I have no idea why we still have him around. I like him as a player but if he isn't going to play then the import spot would be better used elsewhere.

This is a really good of tactical analysis of what the Nix have been doing this season, and reveals a little bit of why it isn't working. 

http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/11/02/rejuvenated-p...

These problems aren't new for us and I really wonder whether Ernie has an idea about how to fix them. He seems intent on just constantly trying the same thing in the hope that eventually it will click. It might, but all the evidence available would indicate that it won't. We might get one or two games where it works but the structural problems are too obvious and significant for us to expect a sustained period of success as long as we persist with these tactics.

Yes it is a good analysis.  Lack of players is one aspect of our results but tactics are also an issue as well

Yeah just pure bad luck that we resigned Lia to be our starting defensive midfielder...

Lia is slower than a week in Mt Eden prison and it is a real worry that we are relying on him to protect the defence. 

He does well to get back and cover some gaping gaps in our defence then!

Would probably not get a game in any other A league side.

you can't be sure when he was signed tbf

Vince Lia will become the 15th double-centurion in the @ALeague on Saturday night. 24 apps for Victory and currently175 for @WgtnPhoenixFC

— Jason Pine (@pineyzb) November 2, 2016

We didn't have the defensive probs until Fox was sent. Lia and co were doing a good job in an even game at 1-2 including 3 pens. The prob was when down to 10 we didn't change our shape at all. Lia,who isnt a CB, (Ernie please dont ever put him back there) went next to Dura, and no one went in front of them which left it sooo exposed. 

We were awful defensively before Fox got sent.  We were getting turned around and scrambling way to often, hence the two penalties and the red.  The red card obviously didn't help things, but it is revisionist history to try and claim things were fine before we went down to ten.

The reality is though, the defense was doing fine before Fox got sent off. Scrambling or not, they must have been scrambling well as Victory had hardly any shots before Fox was sent. You can compare this to other games where teams get peppered by shots constantly during a half.

Red is off target, blue is goal, green is on target.

We've had defensive issues since the start of Ernie's tenure which he has failed to fix.  

He let Boxall go, an incredibly bad decision as many of us said on here; let go defenders, both kiwi and Aussie who in my eyes were better then Fenton in defence and obviously better then the makeshift players covering for Doyle on the left. 

Doyle is turning into a Hay or Henderson "Tin Man"(always injured), so why did Merrick either not sign a back up in his position or retain players that he let go who could legitimately play there.

I also wonder if it's time to strip Durante of the captain's armband.  He's been No.1 for what 6/7 seasons so staleness, age and disinterestedness has crept into his leadership and motivation which he openly admitted recently.

Ernie has had 3 and a bit seasons now to assemble a squad of seasoned defenders but the only remarkable additions to the back 3/4/5 is Rossi, a very good signing in my eyes and maybe Doyle when actually fit.

As others have said, we have too many CMs/wingers and are light on quality AMs, DMs and CFs that he has faith in (A-Rod?).

Ernie has been blaming extenuating circumstances a quite bit of late (grievances I agree with but baring suspect refereeing, were not unforeseen).  Surely it has to be the dreaded "Vote of Confidence" from the board if we lose this weekend.

The Phoenix offered Boxall a new contract with a decent pay rise, but Supersport literally offered him twice as much money and the Nix couldn't possibly match that under the salary cap.

rist I hope we aren't in for a year of "s a c k   e r n i e "'s everywhere.  I just spent a whole painful Warriors season with the sack cappy thing going on.  My heart cant take it anymore.

HA I finally learned what auto-corrected to that picture of ernies face in his hand.

Anthony Hudsons been on Wikipedia again

Brief item on TV3 sports news about Ernie's position coming into doubt.. Cmon Nix, shut them up. Win good tomorrow.

Rob Morrison was at training today. Dreaded "vote of confidence" coming up...

You'd think he'd have the season, pointless replacing a coach now. 

I'd hope he isn't sacked but put in charge of the academy system as he has plenty to offer.

Merrick has to go, did he not say judge me after 3 seasons well hes into his fourth and its crap, he could get a result tomorrow against a poor a Newcastle side and most on here would say lets give him a little more time, Wrong sack him and that muppet Greenacre who sits on the bench like a stunned mullet week after week . wake up men its not good enough.

If we were really tanking at the half way point and if someone was available it might make sense to give them some time with the team this season so they could hit the ground running next season.

havent seen this much angst since ricki

With 4-5 games gone it's pointless replacing the coach - how so?

Because he's on a totally unfair playing field. What other coach in the world has to put up with having half his starting XI either unavailable or recovering from long travel schedules for four games out of the first seven?