Phoenix Ownership - Rob says FTFFA

  Though to be fair it seem both clubs are making more of an effort to assist away fans - CCM has been putting on buses to the other away games against other NSW teams from Gosford.

 We're lucky in that a lot of the other club supporters target Wellington games as their away trip especially Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane.

Just saw this on twitter.

awesome.

Got a link?

As much as it is funny, it is true.

Credit to @JBnerd  

I really don't think the owners have much to do with the form of the team.

The problem is recruitment, not that we want attacking football. They didn't have any input into the goals scored against us, and if we managed to find the back of the net in the first half it would have been a different game.

Blame the players not the owners

hmm not so sure there mate. 

The owners have clearly had a big part in trying to make the team a more entertaining product, which is a good thing in essence  but the complete change in the middle of the season isn't exactly helping the team find any form. We cant expect to play as well as the mariners who have been working in their current systems for yonks.

Sure it doesn't explain some poor defending, but its not exactly just the players fault. Ricki is now trying to use players like Lia to single-handedly cover the back four and then distribute the ball forward. He just isnt the player who can do that. 

I would say that certain players are definitely out of form and need to be questioned, but realistically the team just isnt drilled enough in these new systems and that comes down to the coaches trying to make these mid season changes

Radiosport 30 seconds ago..."the Phoenix have lost 4 out of their last 6 since Gareth Morgan's directive of total football"...

Chuckle...

Considering Herbert's comments in the paper that both Lochhead and Sigmund have been disappointing and hearing him on the news that some players will have to leave at the end of the season because they are not technically good enough for the style of play they want to play does not bode well for some players but does signal he is aware of it at least. The blinkers are not completely on.

I think also, there is no one else within the squad to do any better so this is (which is what I surmised last week). It's now a case of suck it up until the off season when changes will be made.

Radio Sport 7am news.

The problem is: good luck finding replacement players who are good enough to play like Barcelona. 

Also, if our players aren't good enough to do it now, and the nix are aware of this, why on earth are we forcing it on these players? 

Herbert said as much on the news that Iistened to on Radio Sport at 7am.Herbert said that some players are not good enough for the style they want to play and will be moved on in the offseason. They are aware of it.

http://content.radionetwork.co.nz/weekondemand/radiosport/20700.mp3 

From about 2:25

Hmm not sure if he is neccessarily saying anyone is going to be released early. But good to hear that places are no longer secure

No he never said released early. He just meant not resigned.

They will go all out to keep him. He even wears the arm band on occasions. Also why would he leave there for here unless it was a substantial upgrade in cash, which Welnix have said they are not going to do. He is playing in a nice warm location for a team that sits in the top half of the table all the time.

If he leaves there for here, it has to be for cash.

Not sure there is many Aussies they can sign, that would be good enough either to be fair.

The kids of today love the chicken, so become next years crowd as they pester parents to see him again. And the cycle begins.

Easier than the adults of today love the football, so become season members and unquestioning support begins. And the ball rolls!

If you can get past the first part of this opinion piece by Paul Thompson, which basically makes too much out of Gareth being at training, I actually agree with much of the second half, which focuses on the mid-season change of direction.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/8176652/Morgans-pitch-invasion-poor-form 

 

Great comment story from Paul Thompson this morning, and good to see the Dom giving this shambles the coverage it needs. NZ football's had some real messes to sort out over the years, but this is developing at such a rate of knots, it could have a terminal outcome.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/sport/phoenix/8176687/Morgans-pitch-invasion-poor-form

I think it was Danny Hay (shortly after the Nix owners had viewed Johan Cruyff tapes) that made the point that the owners simply need to make Herbert accountable for results, and if they aren't happy with the results, then hire a new coach. That's the way football clubs work, and that is the role of the owners.

Herbert's picked his squad  to play direct football (that's his style) - and all these owners have done (with this mid-season Dutch directive) is make Herbert totally unaccountable. RH, quite rightly, is not taking any responsibility for this attempted change of style with his midfield which is technically incapable of playing this way.  If this is some sort of prelude to dumping Herbert, then it's an appalling way to do it.

The players are obviously gutted, and have every right to be. The body language was clear all over the park last sunday. They have absolutely no confidence - look like shattered men - as they know trying to play this way will leave them bottom of the table all the way to the finish line here. They have no show - even away to Sydney this weekend - they will be over-run unless Herbert can apply the tactics he picked the side for.

There's a clear lack of sound football advice coming through here.  Can't believe Noah Hickey and David Chote (if they are still on the Board) could allow this to happen - so presume they have no influence.

This is turning out to be a great case study for global seminars on how not to run a football club.

     

Thompsons piece was crap. Morgan was on the sidelines for that training run as is his right. Terry used to turn up a training on a quite regular basis. Morgan did NOT participate in the training...he took some notes, big deal. Its great to see owners at training. Are we starting to see the good old "tall poppy" syndrome with the NZ media and Gareth?

I am getting a little sick of " we were doing OK this season until those nasty new owners came along and made us change our style". We have been adsolutely dire since the season started(apart from game 1 against Sydney) We only won 1 out of first 6 games. The 442 and long ball game was not working. We switched to a 433 but still struggled. For most of the start of this season we going out wide, pumping in crosses and the back guys were hoofing it down field and it was not working. We were still playing hoof ball as recently as the second half of the away game against the Roar

It does appear the players are down on confidence but this happens when you are not winning. What ever style you are playing it does not excuse bad defending.....and some of the defending has been really bad recently. If anyone thinks if we just go back to the old style  things will get better then you are crazy.

Recently we seemed to have been handing out  congratulations for lots of players hitting 100 games. Last year everyone was saying how old the squad was. It is quite possible that the failure this year is partly a failure to refresh the squad. Too many players are past peak performance levels. You can get away with one two....but we seem to have many more than that. The back five are all well past 30...and they are starting to look like it!

 

 

 
You need to checkout Live Sport iv with Gareth this morning - see that thread.

No Director of Football role needed now - the biz model can't afford it.

Herbert for 2 more years as coach - 100% backing

No marquees/expensive imports (no change there)

 Thanks Tonya - if that is what Morgan said then it means they're willing to stick to the requested changes and cop the fallout (wooden spoon and lower gate takings) for the benefit of long-term gains.

I mostly agree. There hasn't been a sudden slump brought about by a change of style, the slump was there from the outset of the season. Too many players in comfortable positions as favourites of Ricki who are past it. The team needs a complete rebuild and the emphasis must be on players at the height of their game or developing good youngsters, not keeping on ageing pros.

Bring up Boxall, Lindsay and Hogg to augment Fenton and Boyd, that at least would be a positive for next season. Then have a big clear-out at the end of the season and bring in the best of the local scene and a couple of good imports. My clear-out would be Lochhead, Downey, Bertos, Totori (not up to A League standard), Lia and Smith. Ifill should be released with a big thank you, his day has gone. If Bertos stays then he has to revert to being an attacking winger.

So Gareth says on the radio this morning Ricki will be coaching next season and no DoF position for at least two years due to the financial situation.

I hate showing off but I totally called this two weeks ago.

So now that Ricki's staying on as coach, Welnix need to let him play the style he wants to play, otherwise these results will continue.

Or they simply need to admit they fucked up this season and then box on. To be honest, to go back to another style now might be just as bad and will look really stupid.

The question that Gareth should have really been asked in that radio interview is "In hindsight do you regret a) trying to implement a change in playing style mid-season and b) allowing it to be done in a way that appeared to seriously undermine your coach? (whether that was the intention or not).

 Unlikely.  We're still Geo-Fucked for the Poddy.

A special News and EG only podcast?

I was thinking that they could have waited until the off season to work on changing the style of play, though this way it does give Ricki a chance to look at the players currently in the squad and see if they fit the new direction. 

Nah, Skypey like the lst two.  Was meant to be lst night but Huntington Beach hangovers got it postponed.

It is a totally crap article. Is the manager allowed to visit the newsroom in his organisation ??

Plus so many holes in the rest of it, more than just the first paragraph

Even says that he has "a good coaching record" with the Nix - show me the silverware  (or toilet bowl). When he had total freedom with Terry he didnt produce

"At their best the Phoenix are a gritty, direct, battling side, founded on stout defence and with enough flair to surprise at the other end of the park."  I didnt know that Ricki had recruited players who dont have an ability to hold the ball and pass it. That all they can do is hoof it, and then not to the right players consistently. How did they become professionals ?? We are not locked into hoofball are we ??

I notice in the interview that Gareth said Ricki is at the forefront of the decision to change, and Ricki has not denied that. The fact is that we havent been good enough under the old style and something needed to happen. The new style has an emphasis on the way we attack, but doesnt say surrender on defence, we cant blame our leaking soft goals on it. 

I liked the way we played in the first half on Sunday. The second was poor, there was an obvious midfield gap that didnt get plugged,  and the players didnt respond, nor did the coach.

We are getting what we wanted - solid financial backing, long term planning, an emphasisi on Kiwi players, pathways for our talented youth. Only results lacking, they will come...

I would say we have progressively got worse as the season has gone on. We were better at the start.

True blue- what have you seen in Boxall and Lyndsey to keep harping on about starting them??

I'll volunteer to go on the podcast.

You'll need to disguise my voice of course.

Auto-tune the poddy?