Just START Rojas (now with added Kosta)

"...remember, in 3 years Ricki barely picked Kosta for the Phoenix and he's never picked him for the national team. Now he's one of the best players in the league. Clearly Herbert couldn't get the best out of one of the most skilful youngsters we've produced which is very worrying, and clearly Ricki doesn't trust him.

Hiding behind a contract offer is rubbish, he never played him so ultimately the offer of a contract is meaningless.

Kosta should be an absolute star at his hometown club where he was signed when he was 17, personally I think it's a tragedy that he's playing his best football under a different coach at a different club, purely because he was managed so poorly here. I just can't see a lot the Herbert got right on this one. Kosta would have been a great player to have at the world cup in this form and I still think that Brockie was very lucky to get the nod ahead of him.

The future for the AWs is Smeltz, Wood, Rojas and Kosta. The sooner we get rid of the cloggers and start integrating these young guys the better"

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I think there is 2 points to rebut:

1. the lack of a reserve team is a cop out because that implies that he wouldn't be playing for the first team, which he has now proven he is good enough to do.

2. I don't think the key thing for him at QLD has been the opportunities because of injuries, over a 30 game season you will always get an opportunity.   It's been that even when he hasn't performed, or has shown inconsistency, he has continued to get serious game time in the first team.  Personel, playing style etc are all a factor but the key thing is he just didn't get the games with us. That's something that never looked like happening at the Phoenix and you'd have to say that Herbert has shown almost no faith in him.

Herbert either didn't see the talent that he has, saw the talent but wasn't able to coax it out of him or saw the talent but didn't have the skills as a coach to prepare a team to take advantage of it.  All worry me.

Ricki is a very conservative coach.  In some cases that is probably no bad thing but it has cost us Kosta and I hope that it doens't cost us Marco.

I also annoys me greatly that Ricki is being allowed to get away with the "he rejected our contract offer" line when questioned on this issue by the media.  As I have said earlier, it is a cop-out.

I feel very very strongly about this issue because I have seen him play in Wellington since he was about 14 and he may never have gotten a chance in the professional game if it wasn't for the Phoenix, it's exactly how you hope the pathway should work.  Except for the bit about him leaving after getting no opportunities and then dominating elsewhere..."