Phoenix Ownership - Rob says FTFFA (Part 1)

I’m picking a decent crowd on Saturday purely because of the day (Saturday, start of hols..)

HOWEVER I reckon Gareth stating that we play boring football and then the anti-Nix journo’s jumping on board has probably knocked a fair chunk off what it could have been.

lol....

Pretty sure you've made the same post/point about a dozen times since this thread started up again. 

I'm absolutely in favour of watching more attacking, entertaining football, especially if it leads to wins.

I'm not 100% convinced that it has to come from a change of style though, especially as articulated by Gareth. "Total Football" wtf?

However, Ricki Herbert has never really been under any great pressure to achieve at the Phoenix and generally he's done enough to stave off any serious criticism. He probably hasn't considered a different style because he hasn't had to. If this discussion is finally putting a bit of heat on him then great.

Overall, I'm with Ross Aloisi. Our biggest problem this season is actually that we have a few senior players completely out of form. If Ifill, Muscat, Huysegems, Lochhead and even Lia and Smith were playing anywhere near their potential this whole playing style debate never would have even come up. And as the Adelaide game showed Sanchez being injured probably hasn't helped either.

 Downey last night vs TeeDubs.  Wow.

Nix A were dreadful all round. Can't see any player that played in that game making the matchday squad anytime soon. (Apart from Smith).

Which just highlights my point. If the 1st team are out of form and the reserves are no better, what options do you have? You gotta play what you got.

Maybe the lack of form or whatever can be partly put down to age. Last season we definetly had the oldest squad in the League. This year we have a bit a new blood.  However in the starting 11 around six of them are over 30. OK pro players should be able to perform into their 30's however this is not the EPL where the players have been subjected to a career long intensive sports science conditioning program.

 Obviously defenders like Dura are more than capable of playing into his 30's. However it appears that time has caught up with  guys like Lockhead. He is smart and experianced so he gets away with it a bit but IMO he is a shadow of the former player who used to bomb up and down the line. Same with Ifill....a self admitted "poor trainer". He does not have the same wirey physique as a Ryan Giggs(who is also a fitness nut). Ifill is a solid guy....he also has a history of injuries that must be having a negative impact....this combined with his legacy of lack of conditioning means he can't just get by on natural ability any more. We may still see flashes of the old "iffs" but unfortunetly his best days are long passed..which is sad.

Whoever coaches the team next year may be looking at a bit of a cleanout

So you mean a transition year then?

So it appears part of the explanation for Ifill's poor form is that his ankle's fudgeed.

Having an operation today - out for 4-6 weeks.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/8103610/Paul-Ifill-sidelined-for-up-to-six-weeks 

All this poor form of senior players stuff might have something to do with our cut price Welnix pre-season...?

Yep - and so with the most recent comments for Gareth partially negating the comments from Rob I certainly don't take every comment at face value!

But you're right mjp2, while the club is Wgtn Phoenix we should be right behind the team.  Festive cheer to you too mjp2.

Wellington Phoenix FC - just ignore the bit about being "forever blue":

Gareth Morgan came out later and said he was misquoted in that regard. It was not what he meant at all, ricki is on board with it etc. whether that is true is a different matter. I tend to think it is, they wouldn't extend his contract only to go public halfway through a season saying they're going a different direction. This will have been talked about before and ricki would be on board with it.

 I am prepared to put my prediction on the line here: this is Ricki's last season as coach, by mutual agreement of him and the ownership. (Real mutual agreement, not the type they had with that dick Pav.)

I thought that was what most people are expecting. 

Will he move to the DoF position or leave the club altogether.

 Yep, hardly putting your balls on the line there Doloras.......

 But if we all accept that that's happening, then why are people still yelling SACK RICKI?

 They want it earlier ??

Perhaps the people calling for his sacking don't accept he plans for this to be his last year?

I too believe now that at the end of this season it will be time for a new coach. However there are mixed messages coming out of the Board. Morrison recently said that they are looking at all options and Rickie is part of lots of them. He even said they might consider appointing a assistant coach next year who would work under Rickie and then take over as head coach the following year. So the "sack Rickie " crowd might have more time to wait. It seems like nothing has been ruled out. I guess the Board are waiting to see how the season pans out before moving...they would look silly if they said now that Rickie is finished and then he coaches the team on an amazing end of season run and finishes up in the Grand Final.

I think the best way forward IMO is do what is standard practice all over the football world. The old coach gets sacked and a new guy comes in with fresh ideas, tactics and recruits. Having Rickie hovering around in the background as Director of Football is a bullshark idea. We are not Real Madrid.....we don't need nor can we afford a Director of football. You are never going to get a high calibre coach who would put up with having a mentor looking over his shoulder...especially in such a small club

The problem the Board has is the whole vibe around the Nix has gone a little flat. Lots of negative publicity about small crowds and dull football have not helped. Around Wellington it used to be sexy to follow the Nix...it was the place to be seen...not any more. The expectations of the people who care about about the game were raised..this was meant to be our season but we have only won 3 games in 13???  key players look old and/or out of form. The whole thing looks tired and predictable....... it needs a total refresh job.....starting with the coach.

.

 I'm getting the feeling you think we need a new coach?

Auckland City's Catalan coach Ramon Tribulietx is on record saying ACFC needs to be a professional club which of course flies in the face of the reality of NZ's domestic national league. I can only read this as a desire to manage something more than a part-time local team so how about he take over from Ricki?

You can go for a reduced version of the Barcelona possession style under him and ACFC can return to being a no-nonsense decent national league outfit.

To be fair, I think he plays too much of a possession game that invariably goes more laterally than forward. Can he change from his tactics? The other Premiership teams have figured it out, can't the A League too?

I would wholeheartedly endorse him as an assistant. I have heard his tactical analysis is up there with the best which perhaps the Phoenix may be light on.

I just want to see the Nix win lots of games and make a grand final....if Rickie can do that then thats fine with me.
However there seems to be a groundswell of opinion that thinks he can't.....and I'm starting to think that too!

There were 7 other coaches that didn't manage it last year either. Sack them all. 

In recent times the following clubs have changed coaches

Melbourne, Roar, Heart, Jets, Adelaide??, Sydney(twice)