Phoenix Ownership - Rob says FTFFA (Part 2)

NP is John Kosmina?  It all makes so much sense now...

Found the "how to run a football club properly" manual A must read

He'd have got away with it too if it wasn't for you pesky kids.

As if we did not have enough to endure already, this season, now this latest instalment of The Revenge of the Metrics:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/10...

On the front page of Stuff, but looks like a straight reprint from the Australian wire service.

Sadly all people are going to see in that is Gareth writing the club off. That's hardly going to attract new punters is it? 

Why the others in WelNix had muzzled him previous. Very good at foot in mouth. 

No, that implies he's made a mistake or he's is an idiot. It's neither he just doesn't give a shark and says what he feels. I don't think he has any interest in the club at all and hasn't for a few seasons now.  He's a smaller version of Mike Ashley. 

It's not surprising though, is it? Our metrics are sharkhouse compared to where they should be. The Nix could be into their final two seasons and unless something magical happens in 2018/19 - leading to crowds of 10k etc - then this is it.

Crowds go up when we start winning. We will never hit regular crowds of 10,000 but 7-8 might be achievable.  Part of owning something is paying people to fix things when those things go wrong. 

The whole media image of the club is awful and never been addressed. There are so many issues that drag on and on and nobody within the club seems to have the energy to put them right. 

Morgan saw us naively as a way to boost his public profile and maybe make some money. This hasn't happened and as he does he's lost interest and wants to move on. He's doing that by breaking the toy he's got bored of so he can get out. 

Some of your most loyal backers in Australia have changed their mind and the radio interview has not done your cause any good.

This is a very small of a very long post by a poster who had previously been someone calling for you to stay. The post was about the expansion program and was huge.

""""""First, the Wellington Phoenix IP must be released, and the club should move to semi-pro status in the NZ Premiership if they can. Regardless, they cannot remain in the A-League for reasons that have been outlined well by dozens of people both here and elsewhere""""

Frank Lowy is gone and the Low's are loosing influence, so your chief backer. you need a massive turn around.

I can see your owner after FIFA have had their say selling the licence to one of the bidders wanting to get in... I honestly and with some sadness cannot see your owner investing whats needed to build the club up.... The radio interview was so Candide I would not be surprised if much work has been done already in  preparing the club for sale. 

The i/v with Morgan was nothing to do with the Nix at all - it was HDPA who brought it up and pushed him for a response.

Be that as it may (or may not), the metrics are well documented and we've made absolutely zero strides toward achieving them. 

Irrespective of what Gareth says (besides which who actually listens to him?) the reality is what it is... Welnix need to make some major changes quick smart - if it isn't already too late (which I fear it is). 

They need to communicate with whats left of the fanbase with their plans to turn this sinking ship away from the iceberg, or admit that they're grabbing their lifejackets and it's every man (woman, and Nixie) for themselves.

I lost them at communicate.

Aussies don't see that selfish nature. They think he's the main person making all the decisions at the football club when it's Morrison and Dome at the helm.

I'm scared.

To be fair so do many Kiwis.

sometimes when you are in the shark, the only way to fix a problem is throw some money at it 

And lord are we in the shark and need the owners do that right now or it truely is goodnight Charlie 

Morrison, before the conclusion of the final two games would be a very good time to hold a media conference regarding the future of the club. The current vacuum of information is damaging. 

That idea about the Nix taking the WeeNix spot in the ISPS Handa (playing out of Newtown Park maybe?) could be something to consider.

IMHO - The FFA are running rouge. They have no mandate or majority support from the Federations and clubs the Represent Govern as a dictatorship. The congress is majority FFA lads so out vote many forward thinkers.

FIFA - back off after BIG Frank payed a personal visit to HQ. No normalization committee being sent down. FIFA will at sometime will set the guidelines for reform.

Greg O'Rouke is set to lose control of the A-League if AAPFC get control. So talking metrics and Nix out is a dig at Rob Morrison as one of the leadership group of the AAPFC.

Will THE  FFA  as we know it be around in 2020.

This articles doesn't really add anything new. The metric targets are for an automatic renewal so even if we don't hit them it doesn't mean we are gone. And aren't the FFA making a decision about teams in October? That's a full season before the last of 4 seasons so there is no way they could announce three teams in October. 

Even if FFA board aren't turfed, it's a very high risk move to choose an unknown owner/club over a club that pays it's bill, especially when CCM and Roar could fall over anytime. And on the playing side, is there really 45-50 Australian players to fill 3 new team?

Honestly, I think you guys are taking this too seriously. We have seen exactly these threats before. This is the FFA talking shark to gullible journalists to spook Welnix into doing... something. I don't think they want to get rid of us. Dome and Morrison, unlike most club ownerships, have never needed a bailout.

I don't think we are taking this too seriously. The club has a very short time - two seasons - to meet some metrics imposed on them. It's easy to say that if we fall short, but get close, we can probably survive with a bit of FFA goodwill. But... there's no guarantee that goodwill will be there. The Nix must act as if the executioners axe could fall in the near future, and do its utmost to avoid it. Not tweak a few things and hope for the best. We need a good coach (like, tomorrow!) and a stronger, winning team for next season which will automatically boost crowd numbers. The owners also need to put hands in pockets and buy a couple of top drawer players who will excite the fan base, and maybe even the media. Saying, meh, relax, we'll survive without urgent action is simply short sighted and dangerous. 

...or the clubs and the league gain the independence FIFA are demanding and one of the owners in the group to lead that is Rob Morrison.

Again.  I reiterate that the assertion we do the football side on the cheap is a myth perpetuated on these forums and social media.  I would be very surprised if our football side spend was not well inside the top 6 clubs in this league at the start of this season particularly when you throw in the WeeNix, WeeWeeNix and Academy sides.

We definitely need more money spent in the front office but the football side is well funded and has to an extent been the victim of circumstance (and their own poor decision making) this season

HN that is putting a fair degree of spin on what is a dire situation.

If the club is one of the top spenders in the League, I'd be surprised. The other A League clubs will likely be spending a significant amount of money on things outside their A League team, a W League team would be an example that most likely would cost as much or more than the WeeNix. I'd also suspect most A League clubs will have a bigger front office than Welnix do. Anyway, I don't think those things are part of the metrics imposed on us for our survival. They all relate to or are significantly connected to our performance on the pitch in the A League competition. 

I keep harping back to how it is unfathomable that this group of NZ Uber-businessmen are making such a hash of running this club. If the ineptitude of their employees is having a detrimental effect on the ability of the playing side to be competitive - then you take drastic steps to put that right. They are not doing that. Look at the business world, where these guys are all from - if a business is not performing, steps are taken to put it right and heads will roll if that doesn't happen. We are not seeing this at Welnix.

If they were serious about improving the on-field performance and attendance at matches [to meet the metrics and confirm their survival at the hands of FFA]- they would have done something about it by now. They haven't [haven't = they have not been successful or even look like they are trying].

They are putting all of their eggs in the basket of taking control away from FFA, I wouldn't mind guessing that they think there is a very high chance of this happening and they are gambling on that being successful.

If I was in their shoes - I might make the same choices. Almost 100% chance of ousting FFA and ensuring survival - then spending all the money necessary to be a successful business/club vs spending all of this money now only to be at the mercy of FFA who obviously don't want us in the competition now anyway and getting the axe.

No less spin than the doom merchants. 

Yes there is a vacuum of information from the club and from WelNix but that can be interpreted multiple ways.  I did clearly state the front office is under resourced.

Vacuum always leads to the full spectrum of interpretations. Also remember ALL metrics are down across the league, not just Nix. Only 20,000 tv viewers for Newcastle v City (2v3) last weekend. This closed league system is broken. 

However, to return to my point: surely it’s a simple thing for Rob to conduct an honest and yet reassuring media conference re next 2 years. If not, why not? 

The FFA has an even bigger vacum of information on the FIFA demand for a restructure to a fairer (more even vote in congress) management. We are merely a pawn in the deception and media topic to change away from the real problems in Ozzy football management.

CCM will be next if we run out of shark for them to throw.  While Rob is in the management team of the AAPFC fight for control we will be media fodder for a long time. 

Remember this League has a Salary cap for player wages unless you are.... Then you do what you want.

This.

If the answer to all HAL woes is more bums on seats, then it's all well and good that FFA talks about expansion. Adding teams outside of Sydney and Melbourne will give a small increase. Adding another Sydney or Melbourne team is likely to cannibalise existing markets.

All it means that there is little business sense to "kick us out" unless the whole league has a consistent increase in viewership for all except us, and we were blocking a spot in a fixed size league.

This all means squat if Welnix actually decides to sell. But that has only little to do with football and a lot with business case.

I think the frustrating thing to me is the absolute silence from anyone credable on the board of directors. let's be honest, Morgan behaves like the club jester.  So what is their master plan? taking a game to Auckland? No, they need something a lot more solid and they most certainly need to reingage with the Wellington based fans. I cannot believe that such successful businessmen whom like football, seem to have no clues on "how to win friends and influence people."

Yep, people seem to forget that we came into this season with two Marquee players, last season Kosta was rumored to be on 750k, and WeeMac is rumored to be on 500k which is a marquee wage for most teams. 

It's clear that the Phoenix spend above the cap, they might not be spending wisely, or the players might not be performing, but that doesn't mean the intention to spend money doesn't exist.

Some should try this - Go to your bank manger and ask him to give you a 20 year mortgage but you only  8 years income and then a possibly another 4 years income which maybe topped up with 2 lots of 2 3 years.

Close the door on the way out and don't abuse him first.

What abuse?

The players tend to get mortgages though.

https://www.fourfourtwo.com.au/news/a-league-chief...

'Chris Morgan'

Morons

"Most concerning for New Zealand football, current Wellington owner, Chris Morgan, previously said he was "reluctant" to own the club."

That approach goes far beyond just their politics.

Through all of this, I think we need to remember that Australian Football is in crisis

- The A-League is in rapid decline, with most metrics at most clubs in free fall

- The FFA are a disgrace

- The clubs are broke

- The Socceroos are a mess

- Media coverage is non existent

- Any media coverage is a joke

- The punditry is even worse, how this boys club of douchebags and their accompanying models get any attention is beyond me

We are just one part of a huge mess.

That said, things must improve at the Phoenix. If the Phoenix cannot provide Wellington with good footy and fun times, there's no point in them existing

And furthermore, since the only message to come from the ownership group is 'I'm not interested', then why would general punters have any interest?

#chrismorganout

That photo is enough to send people fleeing.