King Kenny

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/wellingtonphoenix/news-display/Phoenix%20Sign%20Costa%20Rican%20Star%20Striker/71441

2 year deal.

Claiming the scoop btws

Respect on that front PWF.

Go away. Not everything is about you.

Anyone else think this is a big coup?

Very cool! 

Bienvenido Kenny.

I don't, but I think it's a solid signing.

Score on this international debut btw.

On paper and from the limited video seen of him, I'd say Kenny Slybacon looks to be a good signing for us. Let's face it, a starter in a top 40 world ranked team is pretty good for a wooden spooner from the Australian A League. 

Quality signing but I share your sentiments. We are overloaded in the front court now.

If you take keeper, back 4 and a DM as a minimum, that leaves you 5 spots. You would like to think 1 would NEED to be a box to box midfielder and be a link. If not, you then have to shoehorn in Brockie, Ifill, Stein, Hernandez, Cunningham (wide pacey winger Merrick described him as), Boyd, Bertos into the 5 spots left. When you take into account that the obvious starters are not known for their defensive workrate and we are shoehorning a young inexperienced kid from the strike force to fullback, I am actually quite concerned about our ability to defend. I know you have to score more goals to win, but if you can't stop the opposition, you are in essentially a mentality that 'stuff stopping them, we'll just outscore them'. Good sides do both.

Also we need a LB.....

That aside, a quality signing and well done to the club. Now do we still need to trial Tom Jackson, yet another striker?

Yeah, he's a midfielder for sure who doesn't score heaps of goals - though if you look at his record season-by-season here, he's scored 15 goals in 59 games the last three seasons (about a goal every four games):

 http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/45908/Kenny_Cunningham.html

 but on a lighter note, as Irish supporters have said, "there's only two Kenny Cunninghams" and it's the Costa Rican one who's scored more goals:

http://balls.ie/football/there-are-only-two-kenny-cunninghams/

THERE ARE ONLY TWO KENNY CUNNINGHAMS

PJ Browne April 11, 2013 Football

We thought there was only room in the world of football for one Kenny Cunningham but it turns out we were wrong.

There’s the Kenny Cunningham we all know and love.

And there’s the Costa Rican Kenny Cunningham that plays for The Strongest in Bolivia. He’s already got one goal in just four appearances for The Strongest, chances are that he will soon have scored more goals for The Strongest than our Kenny managed in his entire career.

No word yet on Costa Rican Kenny’s eyebrows though.

Robbie Brady Has A Kenny Cunninghamesque Eyebrow

A Song About Kenny Cunningham’s Eyebrows

Kenny Cunningham raises an Eyebrow or two

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp9exws3e7I

Sí!

Yeah may have actually.
You must now refer to me as 'The Scoop' or 'Scoop' for short lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsimVopaNWM

0.45 Si Si!

Also..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BI0vaaSrwE

I just refer to you as 'that guy I played football with in Upper Hutt a long time ago'

Horrible call from the lino.

This Costa Rican commentator was right yesterday then (they're 18 hours behind us):

Wender @ wender31       July 24

Kenny Cunningham began the process to obtain VISA to travel to NZ where he played with the Wellington Phoenix

Juan Ramon Miranda Hidalgo

Wednesday

Kenny Cunningham arranged in Australia and will not play with Saprissa. It is better to go to a country with a mediocre football and paying well, than stay in a mediocre team, I say, in a mediocre and low-wage Championship.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I reckon it's a great signing and he's going to be one of the best imports in the A-League this season.

Don't expect a lot of goals - he's a midfielder who scored 15 in his last three seasons (59 games; 15 goals = about one every four games)

Club stats here: http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/45908/Kenny_Cunningham.html

Current Costa Rican international (sitting second in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying) coming off a Gold Cup quarter-final just days ago.

Played in the Copa Libertadores, the South American club championship, for his Bolivian team, the Strongest earlier this year against Brazilian powerhouse Sao Paulo etc. 

Highest status player to ever sign for the Nix in my books.

Will be good for Carlos to have a countryman to keep him company and make it more likely both Costa Ricans will stay around for a while. Always works better when you have two imports who speak the same language etc. (Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricky Villa at Spurs late 70's)

Yes, we have our own Ardiles and Villa pair now !!!

Argentina pair Ardiles (left) and Villa

Please, Costa Rica, don't invade a Pacific Island (which NZ might object to) like the Easter Islands (Chilean territory) and make it hard for our Costa Ricans to stay!!!

(Those older than 40 will understand the politics and history around that).

Welcome King Kenny!  He certainly has got pretty good credentials.  I initially screwed my nose up at the thought of another winger, and had visions of last session and umpteen crosses being lumped in without effect - but then I saw that Ernie saw his as "an attacking player who can come in from the wing and get into goal-scoring positions" and that sounds much better.  So, no lumping in crosses, but instead Ifill trickery and Kenny pace and skill bringing the ball in at the feet from either side of the park.  And that sounds pretty damned fine to me.  

God that is a lovely pic. I could perv at it for hours.

Las Malvinas if you please!

I was under the impression that Kenny was a box to box midfielder, not a striker. I'll reserve my judgements until I've seen him play, but on paper he looks like a terrific signing. Lets sign a Costa Rican defensive midfielder now. Me encanta Costa Rica!

at least halfway line to box going forward on one video clip.

Ernie referred to him as a attacking pacer winger (attacking player who can come in from the wing and get into goal-scoring positions with pace)

Kinda though we had Fenton........

I guess that kinda shows where he thinks he will play

Could be worse, we could have got this Kenny Cunningham.... 

(for those of you under 40:

"Sunday, Monday, Habib Beye,

Tuesday, Wednesday, Habib Beye...")

lols

Can someone arty get together a banner - Hernandez as El Zorro and Kenny Cunninghm as Tonto?  Would be awesome How do you paste pictures??  Something like this would work well...

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://static6.cinemaondemand.com/wp-content/uploads/lone-ranger-tonto.gif%3F7bdb4b&imgrefurl=http://cinemaondemand.com/the-lone-ranger-the-lone-rangers-triumph/lone-ranger-tonto/&h=1299&w=999&sz=532&tbnid=nh5a92z0jTUkKM:&tbnh=62&tbnw=48&zoom=1&usg=__h4QLhhN-X1buELPUI48702B8Ud0=&docid=B1SB-p10PgQk3M&sa=X&ei=xDnyUYT_CoPD0QX594D4CA&ved=0CEgQ9QEwBA&dur=555

Top signing

Probably our most prestigious signing. Current international from the 2nd ranked CONCACAF country.....thats significant.

Still lots of variables, like how well he settles in Wellington and copes with the physicality of the A-League etc but I am more confidant that Ernie will get the best out of him than I would have been if Ricki had signed him. He just seems a real Merrick type signing. Ernie seems to know exactly how he wants the team to play and he has a strong take on what sort of players he thinks will perform for him.

Welcome to wellington Kenny!!!