Phoenix Transfer - speculation

 

The impression I got from the comment during the game was "were interested" as in no longer, looking elsewhere.

 

What they said was that there were whispers that the Phoenix were interested in Cristiano. Which is a slightly different thing.

 

As in 'worth a closer look'?

 

Of the 20 top scorers only one is from this part of the world - Joel Porter of course. Rest are mostly English with an Irishman and Argentinian. So only player potentially yearning to come home is Joel. Also had a look at players around 30+ (maybe want to extend career playing in A-League), there are 4;

 

Lee Hughes 33 http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10337~8454,00.html

 

Aaron Wilbraham 30 this year http://www.mkdons.com/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10420~8871,00.html

 

Steve Howard 32  http://www.lcfc.com/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10274~9149,00.html

 

Steve Guinan 33 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Guinan

 

Maybe they have a younger player in their sights - but will obviously cost more.

 

I think It'll be easier to pull a player who is out of favour at their current club  rather than a top goal scorer

 

 

There in lies the problem for the Phoenix....the average striker pay is probably closer to 100,000 pounds. Anyone half decent will be tied up by their clubs already. if you were a reasonable Div 1 striker on good money why would you chuck it all in to come and play football in NZ?

 

I must admit.....recruiting  English strikers from the lower leagues does not exactly set my pulse racing. How many Englishmen have ever lit up the A-League?. English footballers don't seem to travel well. Come to think of it i am struggling to think of many English footballers who have been outstanding playing abroad( beckham is a brand).

 

I am sure we will find a pair...they will be solid, good in the air providing they get good service and will work hard but still...........I am not excited by the prospect.

 

Surely we can spread our net a little wider...Serg van Dyke came out of the Dutch second division and he has turned out a gem for the Roar. My preference would be to scout across europe in the second divisions....there must be another Porter somewhere or some experianced central or south Americans.....surely we can find players with some flair.

Speaking as an Arsenal fan, you can have our Danish striker.

Speaking as a 'Nix fan, no thanks, you can 'ave 'im.

  

 

I think your point Zinidane that the club should be spreading its net further afield than England is a good one and has been raised in this forum previously.  The English market is relatively overpriced and it seems to me as unwise for the club to be spending huge money on securing ageing players from third or fourth tier leagues in England.  Like you, I also believe we could get better value for money by having a look at some of the second tier European and South American leagues, where the market values are more reasonable for us in light of the tight salary cap the club operates under.  I do wonder about how good the club's scouting network is, which for a professional football club I would think should be part of its 'bread and butter' functions.  We seem to have a fixation with Brazil and England.  

 

I must admit that I do feel a little nervous about our recruitment ambitions for next season and, consequently, how competitive we will be and our ability to attract fans.  So far there has been little communication from the club to the fans.  Alll we know is that Tony P and Ricki are soon off to England to try and possibly sign up a couple of strikers from the Third division and that there is some focus on players from the NZFC.  There was mention that Terry S and Ricki were going to Brazil, but that seems to have gone quiet.  As I've said before, in my view we still need 4 or 5 proven professionals - at a minimum with above-average A-League experience - if we are to have any chance of performing well next season and, importantly, of attracting a substantial number of more fans (tastier meat pies and cheaper beer at the stadium - as suggested by some on the Marketing forum - certainly ain't going to be the answer). 

From experience there is a large cultural divide between the countries of South America, Africa and Eastern Europe.

 

Bringing these players to NZ requires a lot of support off the field. Players from the Colonies or the Motherland have an easier time integrating.

 

 

In Eastern european, African  and South American outposts we would be far more likely to find what we need. Just seems the way we seem to be going about finding players which are the future of our club, a bit amateurish. .

 

A bit amateurish?

 

That's extremely harsh.  The club is using its contacts where it has them to identify possible players.

 

Surely that's what you'd expect to happen?

 

It's not a computer game.  You can't just click a button and say "ooo, today I think I'll scout Estonia..." You need to have a contact or contacts you trust.  It's hardly surprising that the club has more of those in England - where Ricki did his UEFA Pro Licence last year - than anywhere else.

 

I think some of you spend too much time playing Football Manager.