Phoenix to move to Auckland (maybe)

Depends whether you think a team in Auckland is doomed to fail or not.

It looks like we already have a failing team in Wellington, don't we?

I don't blame terry, i blame the sh*t A-League business model, which seems to be built around billionaires philanthropy.

I'd like to think eventually Auckland would have a professional team. Don't think this is it though.

Crowd attendance suggests otherwise. I wouldn't call the Phoenix a failure just because Terrys businesses may go bankrupt.

Do we? 

 I must have missed that news item.  I don't know how though as I'm sure I'd have seen Matt Nippert and Dave Burgess dancing on the grave as opposed to the Phoenix announcing signings.

Crowd attendances are at least 2k short of break even*. I'm not sure why we should be celebrating the nix as a success - it is just a financial drain currently, for any owner.

I am very grateful for Terry, or whoever comes next, but calling the A-League or the nix a success seems misguided. We've yet to make the nix work financially in Wellington, criticising Auckland as a failure seems misplaced.

*Traditional businesses try and make a profit
zonknz2011-05-31 18:17:50

Pretty good compared to the rest of the league. There's more to the success of a club than whether or not they lose money each year.

That's all very well if you're not paying for the losses out of your own pocket. (Or, if you are prepared to so... i suppose you can take that viewpoint.)

The presumption that many have that someone owes them the nix just disturbs me slightly.

Actually, prior to the Phoenix, Team Wellington crowds were regularly larger than both Auckland franchises, despite being in a market less than 1/3rd the size.

I agree, better Auckland than nowhere, but an Auckland franchise that Knights within two years would be the death of the A-league for New Zealand and all anecdotal evidence - I mean, playing at Eden Park?  WTF? - is that it's not a viable concept.

Yes.  Playing in front of 597 people was a resounding success compared to here.

a pictorial one perhaps....?




DISCLAIMER: any inference that the above representation is an attempt to incite civil disobedience, unrest or general mayhem is severely frowned upon, particularly by unscrupulous members of the media fraternity referred to above... just saying.

You sent an email to John Morrison?

Lets replace faillure/failed with sustainable (as a business then)

Wellington is closer, but calling it a success seems premature
-

We can financially only work within the parameters given by the league. Compared to the rest of the league we are doing quite well in that department. Just because Terrys businesses are going bankrupt doesn't make the nix a failure,look what its done for football in the city,and in the country, attendances are up,broken records etc.

Depends on your criteria.

If you measure it on finances alone then no, but then if you include the model as it stands and against the rest of the A-League sides results we're doing as well as anyone.

If you measure it against the value and profile it has given New Zealand football it's a resounding success.

Your KPIs can't just be about making a profit in this type of investment or you wouldn't get in to this business. 

anyone see one news. Want to explain what was said?>

I didn't but I can take a punt.

Saville <smug grin> : Blah, blah, blah Phoenix dead

Story :  Blah, blah, blah, Ill-informed piece ignoring basic facts, blah, blah, blah

Saville <smug grin> you wouldn't see that in Rugby, how about them Blues ?

This was last year's WindRainPhoenix April Fools joke. Exact same details. I'll crack up if that was their source, I haven't seen it suggested anywhere else

Despite the denials from FVH and CG, I totally believe the guts of the story that NZF and Giltrap are talking to each other about a contingency plan. From NZF stand-point it is to keep A League football in NZ and Giltrap is to get the Nix license in a fire sale. If Terry finally goes under or Football Australia just decide to take away the license, Giltrap steps in without having to pay any good-will or for any part of the old club. Morrison would have got valuable information from his contacts at football stadia, they are among the first to know if an event is planned because those involved need to know they have somewhere to play. I've organised events at North Harbour Stadium and know a bit about how all that works. 

Oh and then they did the usual food gag, this time with him talking about Rugby Pies.

Oh Robb.  Please, please, please can you link that for me...

I don't.

Why not?

If I can find it. Twitter is terrible at archiving. 

Because:

A, the denials from both parties were vehement
B, My sources who have no reason to lie to me deny it.
C, NZ Football have no say in the licence.  Now, if they alleged the FFA and Giltrap...

On C, whether or not they had the licence NZF would be involved in bringing in someone new just like they were with Terry. Newcastle showed that the FFA can and will take a licence back. I think the FFA would be relying on NZF to be pressing the flesh in NZ when they don't have links to the football community here.

OK

This is the key sentence for me in all of this...like has been said he's keeping his options open.

Van Hattum denied there was an "active programme" to take the club to Auckland but said that, if there was a "change in circumstances" involving Serepisos, then "that would be a whole different ball game".

That's the worst theory I've seen today.

I think Morrison did make one good point, it is entirely inappropriate for the chairman of NZF to be working behind the scenes picking winners in the race to succeed Terry

Since that article there has been a much more vociferous response from Frank though JD.  Even though he's in Geneva he referred to the whole thing as 'bullsh*t' and 'crap'.  He's stated that he's never even met Colin Giltrap which would seem to undermine them working together on an alternate plan.

It's also been made clear (in the evening news items) that it's nothing to do with NZ Football where the licence goes or who has it, that it the FFAs decision.

I particularly like how this runs headlong in to the Knitting circles claim that secretly NZ Football fund the Phoenix at the expense of the ASB Premiership and how it (like the Knitting circle) ignores all the evidence to the contrary.

Fair enough on FVH, hadn't heard that.

On the second point, while the FFA will make a decision I think they are always going to be reliant on NZF and friends to bring them interested parties purely for practical reasons. Thats not to say that if someone wanted to approach the FFA directly the FFA wouldn't deal with them.

A vehement denial trumps "I can't reveal my sources" as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, it doesn't even matter if NZF has been doing some contingency planning in the background. This "story" claimed that people were actively working on moving the Phoenix to Auckland (the headline on Stuff still says "Auckland wants the Phoenix"). This has now been shown to be bollocks.

If John Morrison has proof then he needs to show it because otherwise he, and his mouthpiece Burgess, just look like muppets.

Also article in the Herald care of that Harper journo:

"The club's owner, Terry Serepisos, New Zealand Football's chairman Frank van Hattum, and Colin Giltrap's son Richard said there is no truth to the rumour.

Members of the club's unofficial supporters club, the Yellow Fever, are less than impressed with the suggestion the club could leave the capital.

The Yellow Fever's Guy Smith doubted there was any substance to the rumour.

"I think it has been made up by someone - everyone has categorically denied it," he said."

Then a whole lot of blah blah blah by some D Cross chap and somebody from Tardistan.

Junior822011-05-31 20:00:15