Phoenix Transfer Speculation 2012/13

Rowe hasn't impressed me this year from the three games i have watched. Hogg is a better option, maybe one to replace Lochhead

Rather than it saying Hogg is better than Rowe, I think Ricki will use this as a chance to compare them and decide who he feels is a better long term prospect for the club.

I'm quite well aware of that SJ but again, he already has him at training for free. Why pay him? 

Hoggs gonna cost 3 months worth of wages and be done by April, Rowe 0. He gets 2 potential future LBs to compare for the price of 1 (if you are looking at this before you compare on field talent). Even then, if he wants to sign them long term, it'll happen in April when Hogg is off contact and Rowe is... (you guessed it) free.

Comparatively, he signs Rowe for 3 months, has already seen him at training and on the field so where does he get an objective evaluation of talent? At least this way Hogg against Rowe head to head, if Hogg can't cut it against Rowe, its more likely Rowe will be signed next year than Hogg. What does Ricki really have to lose from this? ZERO.

Its a no brainer and quite smart. It really is.

Ricki mentioned that he'll get maybe 3 games to impress. Makes me think (and I raised this a couple of weeks ago) that they are planning for the future now without Tony or they are not impressed with his form this year..

True. I had forgotten that.

It'll be the same angst if Lochhead was out injured. I was a fan of Tim Brown and his work rate, just seemed to be invisible to everyone else.

Rowe has been poor in ASB Premiership. I think Ricki does not see Rowe in his plans. Theres no need to compare both him and Hogg. Hogg has come in to put pressure on Lochead and it wont be long until Hogg is playing week in week out. Ricki knows he needs a left back for the All Whites too and sees Hogg as the answer. Lochead will stay on board in my opinion as back up.

At some stage you have to look forward to the future. They should've been looking at a midfielder will before Tim Browns retirement. However they are doing it right this time round.

Or maybe he thinks Rowe is average, is never gonna step up, and the only ones who have ever talked him up have been certain people on here

There is that as well. When I've seen him, he has not impressed me. 

Browns retirement came a bit sudden (memory recall) so hard to plan for it when Tim was expected to be around for a little bit longer.

The real test for how the finishing school will work is the end of the season when guys go off contract.  There has to be some benefit to guys joining because really Fenton and Boyd aren't really graduates -they've just gone down the traditional youth squad member route that was always available.  I do have some questions abut the design of this programme.

If Rowe doesn't get a gig then what will he have gotten out of this year?  Same for someone like Justin Gulley - he's clearly not A-League potential so I don't get the point of having him around the club other than to make up numbers at training?  what about Alex Solomons - he's already 19 and there are potentially three senior All White centre backs ahead of him in the pecking order all with long term contracts.  

Surely it's better to start younger and have less players in each age group.

Also, to add one more thing to the problem pile, looking at off contract players is anyone concerned by the fact both Durante and Sigmund are signed through until 14/15 when they are 35 (probably on quite big money)?  Looking at our defence this year I'm not sure they'll both be first choice in three seasons 

You can't say that around here. Sigmund can do no wrong...

I must admit the length of Siggy's contract caught my attention when it was announced. Tie up one of him and Durante long-term maybe, but both? That said they both have been pretty much injury-free and Siggy started pro football quite late so may keep his legs a bit longer.

Yes but I'd have thought Siggy's options would have been less than Dura and it wouldn't have been necessary to offer him a long term deal. Where else could he go?

Now that Luis Corrales is believed to be moving back to Wellington for family reasons wouldn't he be worth a trial at the Phoenix? He's got more skill on the ball than anyone else in your midfield aside from Sanchez and he drives the team forward.

He must be almost a NZ resident by now.

Played for Wellington for a couple of years 2007-2009 I think? Then Auckland onwards. Must be close to the 5 years, can't say I'm seen much of him to offer an opinion though...

He is a striker though. We need midfielders

Though Rowe did well when he played... players have ups and downs in form.

I think this is an indication of Locheads career, atleast with the NIX potentially winding down.

His form this year has been poor, he's played people on too often which has led to goals and his crossing has been poor as usual.

His poor form and Siggy's are issues we need to solve to make the top 6

I agree JD, the 'academy' is basically just an extended training squad. It's a very odd set up that needs definite improvement. Obviously there are constraints stopping a lot of this, and I can't think of any solutions, can you? 

Overall I still think its worth doing, getting a regular look at youngsters and having them train full time is better than nothing. 

Yeah, the problem is that when we get them, they're already either good enough or they're not. We haven't developed these players, the signing of Fenton and Boyd aren't as a result of this makeshift youth system. 

The players do get something out of it, if they view it as an extended trial with the club. 

We are 4 years behind eight of the other A-League teams in terms of youth development. What we have is pretty makeshift, so don't expect miracles yet. The FSE is very much a work in progress, so it would be wrong to judge its worth by the first class.

This is exactly the issue I have

Linked to AWs I think its a good option if he is capable of commanding a place or bench spot.  Keeps him playing at a professional level.

Why would the FFA allow a Phoenix youth team in its youth competition if that mean't mostly NZ youngsters being developed? Also all that flying across the Tasman would make it very expensive.

I think it has to be up to NZF to pay for a full Phoenix youth team to play in the ASB Premiership, or at least subsidize one. It would certainly be a bonus for the national league and attract a lot of interest from real football fans.