Exhibit A (the Burgess that can actually write): https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10754172
Yeah, good article, although I didn't think Tony P said anything that wasn't obvious (and which hasn't been said in this forum a hundred times already).
One thing that sticks out like a sore thumb is that Ricki reckons he only met Gareth Morgan for the first time on Friday and has never met any of the other six. I know that they have been hammering the line that they were not ever trying to "take over" and were only ever a "Plan B" but it still seems strange, especially in Wellington. If they've been talking about this for 12-18 months you would have thought that the Machiavellian John Morrison would have at least arranged for some informal introductions at some point. It just seems that there's now an awful lot riding on the various personalities involved clicking.
Yes, happy as I am that the club has been rescued it bothers me how dependent the whole thing is on everyone being on the same page. I think here especially of the Qld Roar collective partnership arrangement that went tits up last season. Warring egos, cold feet about results/direction/finance can very quickly undermine a club's stability.
Speaking of ego, it can't be denied that Terry is not lacking in that department, yet it has always impressed me just how stable and ego-free the club has been over the last four years. He may have been very hands-on but he succeeded amazingly well in getting all the right people on board, establishing the Phoenix in the hearts and minds of Wellingtonians and NZers, and putting roots right down into the community to help make the club a long term success.
Even amidst the various outbreaks of doom and angst and Sack Ricki campaigns I've never once felt that the Nix was being mishandled. It was vital that a pragmatic, realistic approach be taken from day one to ensure the long term survival and growth of pro football in Wellington. It's entirely due to Terry that this is even possible.