The worst aspect of Chief is his ability to pick good foreign imports.
Massive fail this year.
If he is kept on he needs serious help in this area.
Of all the things said about Chief, I think this is the most objectively untrue. Ishige and Chico (his injury aside) were good signings. Nagasawa jury is still out on but gets another year. Mixed feelings on Josh. Outside of this year, hasn't it been said that Chief was primarily responsible for scouting out our foreign talent?
His signings were ok - good, but not spectacular. And at least one mistake in signing Rojas but whatever. All those players are capable to play much better but the tactics have negatively influenced the team. Look at Rufer, Kosta, Retre for example. They're not playing as well as they could imo
Not happy if true. Chief promised us attacking football this year and served up total dross, failed to change his tactics til too late and came across arrogant and disconnected at times in his interviews.
Reports that he lost the playing group don't bode well for next year, because without massive changes it is hard to see him turning things around.
In a year when Football is on a high in this country, we are at a low point that he is largely responsible for.
His resigning will further alienate supporters IMO.
I will always support, as will most o this chat, but it's not us the club should be worried about.
Either a very brave or incredibly stupid decision.
So the journalists have been told an announcement re Chiefy's future is happening at 12 tomorrow. Bizarre to announce the announcement for such a thing. Why dont the club just issue the statement?
I mean they have probably got it from what Chiefy said after the match at the weekend where he made it clear he was very confident he'd be back next season and it would be announced later this week
So the journalists have been told an announcement re Chiefy's future is happening at 12 tomorrow. Bizarre to announce the announcement for such a thing. Why dont the club just issue the statement?
An announcement will be good, would be good if someone went in asking the hard questions around offseason plans and procedures to both the Chief and Dome/Gill.
I guess those questions will also be asked at the members day on Saturday.
So the journalists have been told an announcement re Chiefy's future is happening at 12 tomorrow. Bizarre to announce the announcement for such a thing. Why dont the club just issue the statement?
An announcement will be good, would be good if someone went in asking the hard questions around offseason plans and procedures to both the Chief and Dome/Gill.
I guess those questions will also be asked at the members day on Saturday.
The questions can be asked the problem is getting a truthful meaningful answer.
I doubt Kosta could play much better. He's been outstanding, scoring goals with a success rate higher than most strikers anywhere.
And Rufer has been playing unwell for much of the season. And, knowing that illness, he will still not be near a hundred and will be under Drs orders not to push himself.
Retre imo just looks less good with a bunch of kids around him than he has looked in stronger teams.
Blaming those guys not playing well on Chief's 'system', as some are arguing, seems a huge stretch to me.
I'd add that with Marco, Cola, Sutton, Payne, a couple of the better attacking kids, playmaker Rufer and even Retre out, often three or four or more of those unavailable at once early and through the middle of the season, and most of those player losses for significant or very long periods, and then later losing Chico, the idea that Chief could have significantly changed his game plan to be less defensive or otherwise just seems optimistic to me.
Was he inflexible with tactics? He tried to get results by creating space for his depleted attack to counter attack into. That was already a change of plan. He intended to be far more attacking and possesion based as he said at the start of the season. He had to revert back to the rope a dope defence and counter because of the squad being depleted.
And when the makeshift fullbacks, replacement DMs and Oluwayemi couldn't reliably draw the press to set up the counter attack, he basically allowed them to hoof it when they were under pressure.
I've read all the arguments against Chief above. I still think Chief's ambitions for this season simply got smashed by illness and injury. We only got a few glimpses of what might have been. I question why a Chico type replacement wasn't found more urgently when Marco (and Cola) went down, but otherwise I just think we had a severely injury hit season.
Chief isn't perfect. Some of his subs use and inconsistencies from week to week had me scratching my head. But other than those issues, I think he was just stuffed by circumstances and I'd give him another go. But I agree that we need a Chico/Marco level player and some quality Sutton and Wooton replacements.
I think Ishige and Nagasawa have shown good signs that they've now adjusted to the physicality of the league and should have better second seasons. And I think it will be about having that extra quality player or three around them and one or two less rookies on the field to allow them to create more consistently.
Anyway, just one man's opinion. Hopefully we have a much better season next year.
I mean they have probably got it from what Chiefy said after the match at the weekend where he made it clear he was very confident he'd be back next season and it would be announced later this week
I missed that 😅
He puts a lot of stuff out there though, which I enjoy as an A-League fan. Seems like a more plugged in version of Nicholas Lennon (remember him? 😂).
Anyway, like it or loathe it he's staying on but I'd imagine the leash would be pretty short. He'll be under the microscope from the get go when they get back into pre season come July.
Personally I don't think Cheify is head honcho material.
I think he's a good scout and maybe tactician (this season says otherwise mind) but I don't think he has the right attributes for that No.1 slot. He's a right hand man and works best when in that slot.
If he's awarded another season, I say good on him as I really don't think he's the right person for the role or deserving of it, and from reading this and other threads, I think most here are in agreement with me on this.
Supporter world's best and worst football teams: Waikato/WaiBop, Kingz, Knights, Phoenix, The Argyle, The Whites & the All Whites
i always find cheify's body language interesting. it can be a bit all over the place. his rhetoric is often pre-emptive counter defence and/or self promotion. i think this season he has felt the need to justify his ability. despite the struggles, he's still very open and honest which is refreshing.
by 2/3rds of the way through last season, he had made us a free flowing counter attacking side and a great watch and results were great. it only dropped off a bit for two games at the end but we were clearly a team establishing something to build on and at least sure up.
the fact that it has fallen away so significantly this season, like those foundations never existed, is a huge concern. How the heck things have managed to decline so significantly? answers in this forum. the recent improvements are only a partial claw back IMO. they're only minor. they came far too late and only when the pressure had gone and the season was a write off.
i like that he's playing kiwis. this used to be a big issue for me. i question the academy dominance, but assume that's a club philosophy.
i like the small nuances that he brings to the team set up, like the use of piper from long kicks. small, obvious, but cool. i didn't like the RB, CM, RM rotation thing that the academy teams do, it screwed up their defensive transition. but he ditched it pretty quickly and the intent was realy neat.
he's also a nice chap. i'm glad we don't have one of those bile spitting foul mouthed angry men coaching us. we're better than that.
the club know him best. they see him day to day and are privvy to the plans and details. they obviously believe he is the man. next season our young guys will be better and cheif will be better. they get a breather and a reset and the chance to bring in some quality to help them along.
but they must be thorough. too many things have slipped. accountability starts at the top. get things right FFS. proper off season with the core system bedded in and cohesion maxed for those present. there's not much dead wood, but it needs to be gone. anyone bitter about this season needs to be gone. get the right players in to take this team forward.
and, going back to the body language etc, give cheify the right support structures; mentorship an extra assistant coach, whatever he needs to excel. i sense this may be lacking.
Italiano Extended https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360663979/short-memories-giancarlo-italiano-retained-wellington-phoenix-after-first-year-success I think this is a mistake.
I for one won't be looking forward to next season with any excitement. Cant get excited about more boring defensive block oriented football for another season. We needed a fresh approach. Especially to bring the fans back after Auckland FC has appeared on the scene.
Despite me being full of anger earlier in the season, particularly after that derby rout and wanting Chief to walk right then and there, I will back him to turn things around - What other choice do I have? This is the life I chose.
He will be under heavy scrutiny from all of us here, and in the stands from the get go for 25/26 though. This can be smoothed over somewhat by a decisive off season recruitment round, coupled with some new ideas and showings through pre season and into 25/26.
Even though it's a 1+1 we all know that a similar showing to this season that the +1 won't matter either.
I wait and see, but for now no season pass for me next season. I'll come back when they play entertaining football, I go plastic fan bandwagon for now.
Was always going to be the case and I guess one thing is it's good that the club are sticking by their man. Just back him this off season, we cannot afford to have a season or even half season like the one just past. It will dwindle the clubs fanbase big time.
I hope it works out. I was very much on the fence about it, but he will have my support.
Don't like the decision at all and think this is a massive mistake but hey, what can you do. I'll still be in the stands next season regardless like the tragic I am.
Really hope those who didnt want this can put their disappointment aside and start the new season supporting Chief and the team. The club must know support him by allowing him to bring in the players needed to strengthen. COYN
I for one won't be looking forward to next season with any excitement. Cant get excited about more boring defensive block oriented football for another season. We needed a fresh approach. Especially to bring the fans back after Auckland FC has appeared on the scene.
Chiefy wanted to play a more exciting, possession based game this season. He signed Rojas. He signed Cola. He went to Japan - where they do the short passing game better than anyone in our part of the world - and got Ishige & Nagasawa.
There were green shoots of those possession based plans coming to fruition, in the game against MAC (even though we lost) Dec 14th. Rojas's first start. Barba a lovely goal.
But post that game Cola was gone for the season, and Rojas for months (and now for good).
Later Rufer and Payne missed games. Nagasawa and Retre disappointed for large parts of the season. The football turned to mud.
Oluwayemi proved to be a dud as a like for like ball playing Paulsen replacement. It's still very strange he got an extension after just 2 games. Great shot stopper, but we were told playing out was his strength. Chiefy/Gill conned by Josh's agent, with some creative video editing?
Yipe you can criticise Chiefy for his recruitment, amongst other things, but it's a myth he is set on the playing style of season 2023/24. He hasn't got the players to replicate that success, and he knows it. You can only cheat the Expected Goals (xG) stats etc for so long. Getting in Chico - which took frustratingly a few weeks too long post the Dec 14th game and loss of Rojas/Cola - another indicator he had moved on from last season.
I think it was the Round 2 game away at Perth (2-0 win), where he made about 8 tactical setup changes within the match! He's switched between back 4 and back3/5 all season. I'd say when things were really bad (remembering he's a young coach) his thoughts would have been muddled on just who to pick and how to play.
Now from the start of July he gets a few months to start afresh, use his 'learnings', recuit who he needs, mould a team and playing style. Hope that some of the youngsters return from the U20 WC as better players, like Surman did in 2023. Things need to improve. If not, yeah he's gone in 2026.
Great decision by the club despite all the doubt by the fans 👏
You never know what can happen in sport, next season might be awful or brilliant. Hell, next season may be awful for AFC - you never know.
What is clear is that Chief is deserving of another season based on the previous season and the fact some things have been out of his control this season.
Sure he has made mistakes but who doesn't in their first coaching gig ever (or anything for that matter). If next season is bad, we get rid of him but he deserves another go for sure.
I've been flip-flopping between if we should keep him or let him go and hoping that if we kept him one of the main reasons between the 2 seasons was the squad just wasn't right this season and with a few right additions we'll be competitive again.
I'm happy though with the 1+1 deal if its another mediocre season then we won't have to pay out his contract and the new coach coming in will have more of a clean slate with how they build the squad as potentially we would have all import slots available.
I wish Chiefy the best obviously but i just cannot see him turning this around. Our squad is so much poorer than the one he inherited and there isn't much scope for recruitment with how much of the squad is already signed for next season and his recruitment this season proved overall to be terrible as well. Would love some reasons for optimism. Hopefully the last two games provide some.
Not pleased but best we can do is hope he's learned from his mistakes and has better luck in the recruitment (ie not all our visa players not getting immediately injured)
Welp at least we have the certainty locked in going forward. Hope this is one of those scenarios where we are in a tidy third or fourth place by this time next season and all our making posts akin to the "Ho boy, egg on my face. Was firmly in the chiefy out crowd but what a success in turning things around..."
Football's a funny game, Chiefy came into this season untouchable but will be coming into next season under heavy scrutiny, and deservedly so I think.
I find it interesting that Domey mentioned aiming for the Top 6 every season, but in Chiefy's presser he says there's no reason we can't have a tilt at the title next season. Perhaps the ambition of the higher ups is reflected in this decision.
How does the team feel I wonder... might be 1 or 2 very unhappy pampers in that dressing room right now.
Wonder how many are left? Probably spells the end for Conchie's professional career... Rumours of Nagasawa being unhappy earlier in the season, but Al-Taay and Bally are already out the door.
I wish Chiefy the best obviously but i just cannot see him turning this around. Our squad is so much poorer than the one he inherited and there isn't much scope for recruitment with how much of the squad is already signed for next season and his recruitment this season proved overall to be terrible as well. Would love some reasons for optimism. Hopefully the last two games provide some.
This take only works when you can use hindsight. Most of this forum said exactly the same as this before we had that brilliant season in 23/24. The consensus was definitely that we'd lost a lot and hadn't added much. Remember that prior to 23/24 both Kosta & Old looked average at best and then they both had stellar seasons in 23/24.
Same could happen again but with currently underperforming/average members of the team. Maybe Nagasawa and Piper might be stand outs next season? Who knows, thats why sport is so much fun.
Football's a funny game, Chiefy came into this season untouchable but will be coming into next season under heavy scrutiny, and deservedly so I think.
I find it interesting that Domey mentioned aiming for the Top 6 every season, but in Chiefy's presser he says there's no reason we can't have a tilt at the title next season. Perhaps the ambition of the higher ups is reflected in this decision.
Yeah but the worry is Gilly said this “We have faith that he will be able to help turn around the team’s fortunes next season and have the Phoenix back in the top six challenging for silverware.” So that thinking is still there just wish they would friggen stop with it
How does the team feel I wonder... might be 1 or 2 very unhappy pampers in that dressing room right now.
Wonder how many are left? Probably spells the end for Conchie's professional career... Rumours of Nagasawa being unhappy earlier in the season, but Al-Taay and Bally are already out the door.
Well the club have acted and kept him, at least we know now, no handwringing over the offseason.
Not the best decision from my viewpoint but it’s done and actually I wish him all the best. He had a poor outcome this season and to a certain extent things can only get better, I hope they give him the ability to get some attacking firepower and a leader to shore up the defence.
