A few thoughts:
1) Ernie Merrick's departure seemed too quick. He probably could have improved things if he'd carried on. Also, he seemed the most likeable coach we've had (a far cry from his dour image at Victory).
2) Signing Finkler wasn't a good idea as we couldn't figure out how to play him.
3) Greenacre and Buckingham seemed a little hesitant. Ideally we should have more ambition in our coach.
4) West Sydney are our new bogey team. On paper they are not better than us. Our failures against them, particulary at home, probably cost us a place in the finals.
5) How can we get better crowds? They didn't turn up in Wellington or elsewhere in the country.
6) Can we get Tratt back? Our back four played well when we got our best players on the park.
7) Singh looks the goods - sign him to a full contract.
8) Westpac stadium is still not the fortress it was in the early years.
9) Welnix seemed a little quiet this season?
10) Fox Sports really seem to hate us. Kinda sick of that ...
11) Travelling fans love visiting us though
12) "The table doesn't lie". 7th was about what we deserved.
13) Yellow Fever's drum was a nice addition to the matchday atmosphere
14) Team culture needs to change. The team needs to believe they can win (although they did surprise us with 3-0 over Melbourne Victory)
15) International windows suck. We are torn between trying to be the natural home for NZ players; then lose them when the All Whites play - versus bringing in more Aussies so that we don't lose our first team; but lose the connection fans have with kiwi players.
Player ratings for the season (out of 10):
Krishna: 8 - fantastic striker, hard worker.
Kosta: 6 - did OK. A step down from his work at the Victory though. Can't see how he got player of the season.
Finkler: 4 - didn't score enough free kicks. Took too long to gel in a position that Roly already owned.
Roly: 6 (3 on a bad day, 7 on a good one ...) - his worst season for us. Possibly affected by the earthquake?
Tratt: 8 - find of the season for us.
Rossi: 8 - Solid.
Durante: 6 - the odd mistake at a critical moment. Losing speed and agility. Important as a leader though.
Doyle: 7 - maturing into one of the best left-backs in the leage
Vinnie: 7 - fantastic season from Vinnie; probably his best yet. Plays in an under-appreciated position.
Rodriguez: 6 (solid, dependable player. Keep him)
Moss: 8 - solid as ever. We will miss him.
Watson: 5 (the odd good moment; worth giving another season to)
Smeltz: 5 - Past his best; no improvement on Watson
Ridenton: 6 - Decent, maturing player. Deserves more game time.
Parkhouse: 4 - reasonable off the bench but not good enough to start
Italiano: 6 - didn't do too much wrong in his starts, but perhaps wasn't fully tested either. Probably not good enough to be number one next season.
Lowry: 7 - solid
Fox: 6 - decent, still improving.
McGlinchey: 7 - inconsistent, drifts in and out of games.
Others - not enough game time to rate.