Just START Rojas (now with added Kosta)

Sorry. Please don't begrudge me for it.

("begrudge" - quite a woody word isn't it? We could have been English teachers!)

I wish I was smart enough to be a lawyer,not an English teacher.

As it turns out,I'm neither. This makes us losers.

As for Rojas,it seems he and his dad do recognize and want to be loyal to the club. But if an overseas club that'll advance his career come in with an offer,then would actually be quite happy (and also sad from a nix perspective) to see him take it.

A move that advances his career can only be good for NZF.

Can we get the media to hush then...just until he signs the dotted line.

ROLLIN ROLLIN ROLLIN, RO-JAS

It depends. Does the latter job involve something humiliating, like cleaning toilets, giving blowjobs, or playing at Skilled Stadium?

ARF!

those three examples are not mutually exclusive

If he played horrid in those handful of games he would've been out the door and not re-signed. He's the one who has performed - he 'owes' us nothing.

I do hope he stays, though, for as long as possible.

Surely he'll stay. He's not going to find a better environment anywhere to develop his game. Plenty of family support, highly experienced coach and players to help him improve his game, a crowd hanging on his every jink and jive, a fantastic RoF playing surface tailor made to show off his skills to best effect.

The pitch is actually a good point. If he goes to another A league club where the pitch is rubbish (many come to mind) then that really won't help his game or career.

I think he does owe the club and the fans some loyalty - he has literally come from nowhere.  He should sign for another season so that if he is going to leave at least there is the possibility of a transfer fee involved.

However, I don't agree with this at all.  We have no record of devloping young players, no record of bringing young players through and no record of players going on to play in big leagues.  If a European club with a pedigree of developing young players wanted to take him and play him in their reserves then I would not begrudge him that.  He has talent but he is incredibly raw, he's absolutely by no means the finished article.  He'd be a long way behind equivalent players of his age almost everywhere else.

 

 

Oh, so that's why Smeltzy ran away to Turkey. And he came back because they still have the photos.

Doloras....I love your posts!!!!!

Its hard to have a record for youth development when a club's only been around for 3 and half seasons and there is no reason to suggest that this isn't one of the clubs goals. The situation with Kosta was unfortunate, but you could argue without the Nix he'd still be playing in Central league.

The situation with the acadamy players in the 'A' team shows that NZ football and the Nix are at least trying to develop a youth base, given we are the only successful pro football team in the countries history, the team is in a pretty good position to pull through all the top talent out of a country with 4.5million people - that is a pretty huge talent potential pool of talent.

Also players like Greenacre and Ifill, very experienced and at the end of their careers are a huge bonus to younger players - I'm not sure if you'd get such a nurturing environment in a big professional team, they could probably be very cut throat.

TL;DR : The nix is probably the best place for Marco at this stage of his career whether he 'owes' the team anything or not.

Interesting. Hypothetically, would one be able to keep the tips as well?


I might have this friend who could be interested.

Pics or...

Para la familia

Nuestra Marco es un muy bien hijo.

Michael Zullo for the record, but he seams to be making less impact than the other two. Some discussion here: http://www.thekennel.net.au/forum/showthread.php?p=2309486TopLeft072011-01-07 23:32:55

Sarota has been the surprising one, is getting quite a bit of game time - Zullo and Sarota were basically just included in a 'package deal' with Oar for sh*tall $$.

Zullo kind of reminds me of Rojas.valeo2011-01-08 12:54:15

Zullo shone in his first few A-League appearances - his debut goal was a screamer - but sort of platteaud after that. Still a decent player but I'd say Rojas and Oar were more naturally gifted. Agree Sarota has surprised with the amount of game time he's getting.

From the Herld article today

"The club have made it a priority to re-sign the player who originally came to the club on a two-week trial arranged by the Yellow Fever supporters' club. It's understood Rojas wants to stay and continue his education under the likes of seasoned professionals Ifill and Chris Greenacre but other suitors have come loaded with dowry. He can't let this become a distraction."

The big money is lining up. Are Terrys pockets deep enough and what are his/ his fathers ambitions?

if we cant keep him then for terry and the club's sake we need to somehow get compensation

Can't really say if Rojas is better or not yet - depends how he goes next season.

Thank you!   

Didn't say he was better, said he was more naturally gifted. Difference being he's got skills/pace you don't often see in this league. If he consistently plays well then we can judge who is better, as you said we have to wait and see about that.

so I see Marco has Chilean heritage. Does he speak good Spanish? Does anyone know much about his dad i.e. did he play football and if so, where etc?

Speaks resonable Spanish I believe.  His father moved here pretty young but is heaviily involved in the Hamilton Chilean community.

Family are huge ColoColo fans.  Used to play indoor against Rodi and his mates who playes as Colo and all wore ColoColo strips.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/the-wellingtonian/4537009/Yellow-Fever-more-than-noise

Yellow Fever more than noise
JIM CHIPP - The Wellingtonian Last updated 12:28 13/01/2011


Yellow Fever does everything a supporters' club should and a good deal more besides.

The Phoenix supporters club members remind visiting football teams where they are with a deafening row from Wellington Stadium's southeast corner.

The racket no doubt contributed to the Phoenix's two-year unbeaten run at its home ground.

Members follow the team to Christchurch, Palmerston North and even Australia.

They rebranded themselves as White Noise to help propel the All Whites through their unbeaten run in the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa.

But Yellow Fever provides the Phoenix with more than just moral support.

This season it has helped put the ball in the net and points on the board in a very practical way.

The football scholarship programme it has run for three years has produced a young star in 19-year-old Marco Rojas.

Yellow Fever held its first meeting on June 1, 2007, at the Thistle Inn to celebrate signing 1000 members, two months before the Phoenix kicked a ball in anger.

Using money raised by T-shirt sales, the Fever flies young players to Wellington, and provides hotel accommodation while they train with Phoenix coaches and players.

Members nominate young players for the scholarships, and then a short list is drawn up by a vote on their website.

Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert makes the final selection.

At Christchurch's AMI Stadium, Rojas delivered a corner for Ben Sigmund to head in the winner against Adelaide last month.

A fortnight later, when Paul Ifill was carried off against Newcastle Jets, Rojas stepped up and filled the playmaker role with aplomb.

He provided passes which Tim Brown and Chris Greenacre scored from, and added a goal himself, his first for the Phoenix.

In Wellington last week against Melbourne Victory, Rojas set up Dylan Macallister for one goal, then scored a second.

Yellow Fever member Mike Greene said Rojas was given a scholarship in 2009. Greene said he had noticed Rojas before, at an age-grade tournament.

"I was with the Karori under 19 team at the Napier tournament.

"We had just played in the second-tier tournament and there was this young chap who seemed to be carving us up and doing behind-the-heel crosses and so on. He was only in the sixth form.

"When it came to doing the scholarship short-list his name came up."

Phoenix assistant coaches Luciano Trani and Jonathon Gould liked what they saw.

"They ended up wanting him to come for another week, and then another one so Ricki could finally see him," Greene said.

Just as Rojas has broken into the regular run-on team, his two-year contract is coming to an end, and there is certain to be interest in him from other football clubs.

How would Greene feel about a Yellow Fever protege leaving for the big-time?

"I guess we wouldn't mind if it was a big-name club," said Greene. "We wouldn't be pleased if it was Brisbane Roar."

Rojas isn't giving much away about offers he might have had.

"There's been a few bites here and there, but I've left that to my dad, who represents me.

"I've tried to concentrate on the football. The Phoenix have been great to me," he said.

"I know I've still got stuff to learn because I'm only young football-wise, but I don't expect any of them [big-name clubs] to be coming any time soon.

"It's a bit of a jump. I'm just in it to learn at the moment and improve my football."

"Five years from now, hopefully, I would be in one of the bigger clubs in Europe somewhere, plying my trade over there.

"Europe, South America... anywhere as long as I'm still playing football and in a big club, that would be nice."

Rojas was equally non-committal about whether he would play for the All Whites if given the chance, or hold out in the hope of playing for his father's native Chile.

"At the moment nothing has come up, and I guess I can't make that decision until something comes up," he said.

"[New Zealand] is the country where I was born and raised up. Of course I affiliate with New Zealand."

New Zealand Football chief executive Michael Glading said supporters clubs have given similar support to their teams overseas.

Some had even pooled resources to buy players in Britain, particularly in the lower leagues.

Yellow Fever was showing some of the same passion for football, he said. "Arguably that is unique in New Zealand."

The Fever had certainly helped make Wellington "the stronghold of New Zealand football".

Good article, Good Yellow Fever. Hope you boys have got another Kosta/Rojas up your sleeves for next season!!

I wonder if Rickie will take Marcos with the AW's to play japan and China.....just so he gets some experiance of how the international set up works. He then could give the kid the last 2 mins against China so he is "tied" to NZ and could never play for Chile.

I thought Ricki had suggested that junior players (i.e. Kosta and Marco) would have game time against China? Junior822011-01-13 19:09:54

Might be good for Marco to be seen ny Nelsen and co who play overseas.

There is the Denis Wise method (look on youtube). Maybe Alan Pardew can sign up Marco - Toon will be a Championship side next season.

(please excuse my bitterness)

Rojas for youth marquee please???