Phoenix Transfer Speculation 2013/14

My answers for what its worth to the questions:

Questions can be asked over all of these players.

Lia - great stalwart for us. Given heaps. But time and quality of A league midfields has moved on. Looks a better player under Ernie, and will never slag him, or Muscat, as they came to live and play in Wellington, when dozens of midfield type players didn't want to, and apparently still don't.

Caira - too early for me to judge. Like Fenton gets little support. There was so little confidence knocking the ball around last night by so many in the back third, you'd think they were playing on a minefield.

Huysegems - giving a lot of quality at the moment - but unlikely to hold on to an import spot if we can do better.

Cunningham - think he's a quality player, who like Hernandez looks around at the rest of our midfield and says WTF.  

Hicks - completely out of his depth. 

Riera - too early for me to decide. I just think we have to get better midfield players than Hicks and Riera, though Riera's currently In Ernies top midfield lineup (which he said last night post game is Hernandez, Lia and Riera) 

Bertos - finished

Adams - not seen enough either

http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/spieler/vertragsende/basics_GB2.html looking toward next season as possible replacements for iffy etc when the old legs get the better of him or a decent mid for when we drop vinnie and albert.

Far out that's a Rogues gallery if ever I saw one look how many of ex-England internationals there are. Jenas, Wright-Philips, Zamora, Green, Johnson.

I think these players would work well under Ricki but would struggle playing Ernie's style of football.

There's possibly a good attacking midfielder under your noses - ACFC's Cristobal Marquez. The former Villareal player is now getting back his match fitness and should be a standout in the CWC game against Casablanca on Thursday. He could be just the kind of classy midfielder the Phoenix need. From what I've seen I think he's a level above Hicks or Riera. He's an import but won't there be an import slot available in January?

As for an out and out striker - why not put in a bid for Rory Fallon in January? He may be prepared to trade in languishing at St Johnson in frigid Scotland for summer in Wellington and a ground he has scored some memorable international goals. Those two would certainly liven up your attack and create some interest.

Why would there be an import spot in January? Unless someone is moving?

Fallon and James would be great additions.

Nice to see the coach prepared to identify gaps in the squad and publicly request funds like this.

Hopefully the board will have the balls to match it, and sign someone.

If we signed a Marque player and James, would that get around the one squad roster position? Or sign goalscoring striker and get James on injury cover for Riera/Hernandez?

Id take James unless a better Aussie avai? Rostyn Griffiths on a loan deal maybe. Solid DM that guy

Then perhaps Cristobal Marquez as a guest player with an eye to signing next season as others are released.

I read Ernies article and I wondered if he has done his homework properly.

1: The Welnix (7, 8, 9?) group have said no to marquees for a long time. Considering the position we are in, we were playing WORSE football last year and they never ponied up. What makes him think they are going to change their mind now especially as they have stated all along that they want to develop from with in with NZ youth and make it self sustaining?

2: We have no import slots. Considering Hernandez and Cunningham have 2 year deals, you pay out Stein, Ifill or Riera. Stein seems the most likely but would be on a decent wedge, Riera would be the cheapest but it in a position that we have a need, and Ifill is the better performing of all them (and I guess probably the team). Does he think the Welnix group have deep pockets considering we have already paid out about $90k (guess) for Lindsay and Totori. They wont want to eat a 3rd deal.

3: We have 4 imports and a Kiwi in that part of the field and none of them can score. To get the player he wants/needs, it has to be an absolute dead cert sure fire signing for them to eat a 3rd players wage.

4: Are we not near the cap? Any player that he would want to make the kind of impact he wants if going to cost a bit - room we probably don't have in the cap.

When you take that all into account, they only thing left is Australians - and the quality of player we need is extremely unlikely to be sitting uncontracted awaiting a call and if they are, they are probably a head case or out of shape and the state league wont have a sure fire undiscovered talent lying around hat the other 9 teams will have missed. That leaves Kiwis and the ones worth having, are already signed elsewhere either the one exception - Chris James.

So really, Ernie has to look at Chris James, or most likely, nothing at all. The alternative is hoping that the Welnix group will change their stance but I really do not see that happening any time soon.

Aussie (Kiwi?) marque??

meanwhile the crowds go down and the results dont happen.....the vision is great but if it isnt coupled with a winning formulae it isnt going to work.

Yup, which is why I don't think Ernie has really done his homework before making that statement.

The marque stance is unfortunate. Surely the benefit of a marque that helps us win is the bigger crowds, as well as bigger opportunities for the current generation of kiwi players they want to be raising. I'm all for the vision of developing kiwi players, but surely we've got to do this in partnership with a viable winning model.

That said if they're not changing their mind James in for Lia + fit Brockie scoring like last season + Hernandez hit scoring capacity = finals contenders?

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/9491933/Ernie-Merrick-seeks-some-midfield-magic

Ernie says no to Chris James.

So realistically he is looking for an Australian player that he has to fit under the cap. I think he is dreaming

Yeah, I just don't think he is going to get the player he wants. The only thing in his advantage is that whatever money is left under the cap will be worth 2-3 times as much because it will be over a short period of time.  And I do think he has identified the type of player we really want, I just don't think he is going to find him in Jan.

"I'm looking for a player that can attack and defend, and really has high level endurance, that can make crucial tackles at one end of the pitch and at the other end score goals. So I'm looking for the ideal, box to box type midfielder. But he's got to be a pretty creative all-round player and he's got to have pace."

Has he just described Tim Brown? Or Matt Thompson?  

Didn't he say he did not want a box to box midfielder when he decided against Thompson?

Does Matt Thompson have plenty of pace?

Seems odd to ignore Chris James so entirely, surely if James is out of contract he can at least come and train with the squad for a bit. Would also be a good marketing coup for the Phoenix as James has a high profile after the AW games.

So we are either looking for someone that is off contract (Thompson once his injury cover period runs out for Sydney?), ready to make the step up (Clapham?), or we can get released from another squad (i.e. squad filler for other teams like Cernak last year).

And he's totally ruled out James. Says he's going to scour Asian and asb premiership leagues for a good box to box midfielder who can score goals and also get back and tackle. Is he dreaming?? Does he really believe there's a game changing Aussie or kiwi in those leagues? 

I simply can't believe he's not interested in James.

Hesnot finding that player. Silly to rule out James

Weird.

The real 'huh?' part it is if you look at it objectively, the player he is looking for is not in the ASBP because if he was, he would have been signed already. There are probably only 3 candidates and none of them are what he is looking for in Clapham, Butler and (outsider) Mulligan. Ernie is a smart guy, he should surely know this.

My internal monologue goes 'We need a goal scorer, not a midfielder. We have a few of those transplanted wide men to strikers' so I also go 'huh? We need a midfielder?'

I wonder if this is something similar to what JD was talking about over the weekend and this is a psychological play by Ernie.

List of Aussies playing abroad - http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Abroad/index.html

Strange to be ruling James out so early. I'd guess he must have a few targets in mind.

Not the type of player Ernie's described but Erik Paartalu would be a good signing. 

Manny, Paartalu and Hernandez in the centre of the park. Usssssh.

Ryan Griffiths?

Maybe Ernie has information about Chris James that we don't. Perhaps Chris James doesn't like him.

Good luck Ernie. I don't even think Ronaldo or Messi would fit that bill.

It might be close to Xmas but dont think even Santa can deliver what Ernie wants.