Phoenix Ownership - Rob says FTFFA (Part 2)

Stuff Up. / For shark sake Get the FAX

Mr O’Dorke said 

"The FFA have not been formally advised of discussions. It's important to understand that their licence is territorial to Wellington and New Zealand and expires at the end of 2019-20," A-League chief Greg O'Rourke said.

But fails to highlight a quote from Tony Sage confirming he is looking for overseas investment. 

"South-west Sydney A-League bid director Gino Marra confirmed talks with current clubs"      

Any reasonable bidder would talk to the current A-League clubs to sound out the future pathways and stability before investing millions.

And so the shark continues. shame the media are not more interested in the playoffs for the Toilet Seat. Or is this a reflection of how things are with the A League this seaso ? Shark so lets dump it on the kiwis and ignore our teams.

pretty easy solution (clue is last line of the article)

The problem with this story is that a "merger" makes absolutely no sense for many reasons - the licence isn't transferable, how do you merge two clubs in different countries and the FFA is not going to allow an expansion team a back door into the competition.

I still think that as a club we are in big trouble and we have to find a way to play to our strengths and get crowds and viewers up.  But this whole story smacks of 2 + 2 = 5.

I guess that a statement from Wellington Phoenix management will give us clarity.

*wait starts*

To this article - 

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/103337360/wellington-phoenix-reported-to-be-in-merger-talks-with-southern-sydney-aleague-bidders

Why is Stuff reporting like this? "the Sunday Herald-Sun reported."

Surely Voerman, Rollo and Hyslop are close enough to the club to be able to report, more or less, first hand?  

If the Phoneix werent in any discussions about a partial or full sale and werent looking to do so, it would be very easy for them to issue a simple press release stating there are no such discussions.

And if Orouke is correct and the licence is territorial to NZ, then its worth even less to the owners.

Im hope im wrong but if the owners want out or want other investors in, and they cant get either, then logic suggests it will be minimal investment for the next 2 years as the club grinds down to nonexistance.

Indeed.

Should anyone try to contact the club Richard Parkin is no longer Communications Manager. "I’ve finished up at the Wellington Phoenix - for any media enquiries please contact Courtney Marsden".

They have liked a lot of twitter posts saying it's false. Maybe the fact that Morrison is in Australia, Dome is busy trying to hire a coach, and Parkin's left is playing a part in the radio silence.

Yeah, I missed a word - should have had a "left" between "Parkin's" and "is" 

I'm sick of typing on my phone.

Too fast to keep up. ( Just edited earlier post. )

From Richard Parkin "I've finished up at the Wellington Phoenix - for any media enquiries please contact Courtney Marsden".

The best way to turn the club around is to start winning games. I know, we've got to have a good coach, and a few more top class players, but winning games next season and playing attractive football would not only bump up the crowds, but grab a whole bunch of positive media attention. Look how the Woeful Warriors are suddenly the Winning Warriors after a great start to their season. And, or course, if we were one of the best performing clubs in the HAL, mid to upper table would do it, FFA and their Fox mouthpieces would find it very hard to justify dumping us out of the competition, or not extending our licence.

can anyone explain what would happen in this merger I so confused right now. I get that ownership would be kind of split but would they then be taking half of the home games to straya? 

Fun times. It's coming down to whether you're on the bandwagon stating that we're looking to sell up, who aren't providing any concrete proof. Or you believe that it's all fake and that this is all nonsense, drummed up by people with agendas, and the Club will be just fine, with no concrete proof to back that one up either. Unless someone had put a wire on Morrison, or whoever was in Aus, and actually has proof of what is or isn't going on.

I find the stories coming out of Aus odd, to say the least. On a number of levels. All I'm sure about is that the Club is in deep trouble and all this uncertainty, based in fact or not, certainly wouldn't appear to be helping.

A new mid Tasman ( and rectangular ) stadium might be worth seeing. Access an issue.

It's in both NZ daily papers now - the club NEEDS to deny the story.  One line from someone puts the whole thing to bed.  If they don't you have to ask why not

Not even close to a reason for the club not to be able to issue a one liner

Oh well, at least we have stopped complaining about not having a coach...

I'm not saying it's an excuse, just saying it's potentially a reason why. Perhaps no one in the office has the authority to make a statement.

Yeah but that is ridiculous, this news has been out for a few days now and is now in each of the major papers in New Zealand too. There needs to be a statement from the Nix and it should have already been made by now.

Morrison must be in that part of Sydney/Melbourne with no internet/phone coverage.

Domey must be out mowing the lawns.

The silence is deafening.

The Lord Howe Island Phoenix , playing out of the Lord Howe Island Cricket Ground Stadium -any shape you want, also long as its a circle

Whether it's true or not, the "They're selling up" brigade are getting publicity right, left and centre and more and more traction for their story. Saying 'why should the Nix comment?" is all good, but perception is important and the Club, by saying nothing, are allowing the perception that we're about to go tits up to snowball. That perception will have negative knock-on effects in all sorts of areas. A statement from the Club, whether needed or not, would at the very least give some sort of much needed reassurance to those of us who are actually beginning to wonder just what the f**k is going on. Sometimes, you need to be seen to be doing something.

The club needs to release an official statement now. They're so fudgeing poor at comunicating. 

Either way with this amount of media interest it would be wise for the club to make a statement of what their intent is and whether the media reports are true or false. If false they should come out swinging against any false accusations from the media as it hurts fans, sponsors, players and staff. I want the club to have some balls, draw a damn line in the sand and show some leadership. If true then they need to do a better job at hiding this crap from the media, I'm sure everyone can speculate what would happen if it is true (lose trust etc).

All it takes is a simple statement be it on twitter, email or facebook.

Martin Devlin was just on Radio Sport speaking with Simon Hill. (https://www.radiosport.co.nz/on-demand/week-on-demand/)

Summary of Simon Hills comments

Simon Hill says it is not certain and questions why Nix haven't made a comment

Metrics not been met but Hill did admit league numbers where down also

Nix have to do better than other teams because of who we are.

Did admit that expansion clubs have probably been working in the background around this story

Bloody Gareth Morgan comment raised about how he didn't want the license

Explained the story that license would be worth less futher in the go towards the 2 years left.

Hill, if Nix are to go. He sees it more likely FFA will buy the license and take it back than an expansion team getting it.

Well that seems to have gone far better than I thought it might. 

Other than for the throngs of people on here who have no confidence in the management, why would they make a statement, you will not believe or have no trust/faith in?

Because it is all over the general media and most Phoenix fans aren't on here and discussing it. There needs to be something from the Nix management to those fans

And the people, like myself, who aren't particularly anti-management but merely think they can do a lot better than they currently are? Despite the evidence to the contrary on here, it's not a simple split between the 'management can do no wrong' and the 'management can't do anything right' brigades.

Its not a case of being anti management for some of us fans.

It is a case of caring about/supporting the team, and when you see the club taking a lot of incoming from different directions, but the club not responding, the fans that give a dam, get concerned that some of the incoming may in fact be correct.

I got workmates reading articles and asking wtf is happening. (..oh but they liked a twitter post - FFS)

I'm sure I'm not the only one..

at least the social media team seem to have an opinion and a voice.

Yeah, the only indication that we have that this is false is the fact that the Nix are liking all the posts where people are saying the stories are false and also Piney's denial (which the Phoenix also liked). But the silence is damning.

You have to wonder what's going on. Hopefully someone on here has the ability to listen to radio sport in case Dome calls.

Nix just posted an article about their academy players making NZ youth squads but still no time or inclination to address these persistent rumours.

And in the midst of this media storm/pile-on and management lockjaw, we're about to unveil a new head coach? Can you imagine what his contract might say? 'Valid till the club either merges with someone else, or sells to someone else, or we just take our ball and go home.' Hmm, I'll bet we're got some great candidates fighting for the job.