Potential Star of 2014 / 15

Thought i'd do this in place of the dooms day scapegoat thread.

i'm picking Boyd to have a great year. I think he will score 10 goals this season and look menacing.

Big year for the Bandwagon.

Will the axles be able to handle the weight as the whole of Wellington jumps on board to support a winning Nix team.

Reira.

Tansley

"Roly Bonevacia"

Cunningham will show what he is made of

Yep, have a feeling Kenny will do well after having a year to settle in. I don't think he showed a whole lot last season, but there were glimpses.

Based on pre-season he'll need to remember how offside works.

Rodriguez. I think our midfield as a unit will be awesome, but if I was to pick one it will be Rodriguez. And then the Bling will try to steal him the year after when he comes off contract.

Good thread.

There are a lot of players that have the 'potential' or 'redemption' tag around their neck so it could be a number of players. I think we know the players that have calibre and did not deliver and those that have potential that needs to be actualised so I think the whole squad fits in this. Having seen the West Ham and Newcastle games, I think there is no doubt that Riera is the star already and being injured from the train wreck in the last 3rd of the season saved him from being tarnished. He comes back in and we look like a million dollars again.

I guess our season lives or dies by his form or the alternative players Ernie has bought in case he gets injured. He is like 1st and 2nd season Ifill in that when he goes well, the whole team does.

If signed, Tom Doyle? Could easily end up an All White by the end of the season.

like this thread a lot bette

Think Riera or Alex they have looked great already

Mate, I do think that the train wreck that Riera missed was caused by the fact that Reira was missing.  It is horrifying that one player can be so dominant in our success, but sadly that appeared to be the case last season.  Hopefully the players that earnie has bought in to be around him will nulify that issue.  But he did look class in the FU games.

He certainly has looked fantastic so far.  Just looks like available contract spots.

There is so much potential that is new to the club this year.  Riera already commented on. Doyle already commented on.  Gorrin, Wee Mc (we hope).  Bonevicia is sight unseen but given Ernie's record of signings in 2014 looking forward to seeing him.  Burns could prove very useful as well. 

Will be interesting to see how they are all fitted in

If we sign boyle then boyle. If we dont sign him. I wanna see boxall force his way into the starting line up.

Was just gonna make this point... rather than jumping off before the trainwreck, Riera was literally the engine of the train, thus causing the trainwreck when he went bust

Krishna, just because so many people have written him off!

Ifill.  Late season comeback as injury replacement.

Gorrin then Bonevacia

I think it's highly possible he could be quite prominent. I don't really understand why he got so little time given how lively he looked while on the field.

this is the best team that has ever lined up in a phoenix shirt - would anyone disagree with that?

Post that claim on the Tards forum, and find out.

Certainly looking very good on paper.  But football is not played on paper.

It will start a flood because he was a bit of a whipping boy on here, but I honestly believe we have not really been the same since Tim Brown left.  Looking at the midfield options now available to Ernie, that corner looks to have maybe been turned.

It's unproven. Make that sort of statement at the end of the season.

I'd like to see Boxall force his way into the starting XI, as a centre back. He can be good for us long term.

Rodriguez and Riera in the midfield. They perfectly complement each other. Oh and now no room for lia, so theres that too which is good.

Mcglinchy just in front of them would be great. Attacking midfielder role would suit him. I think a inverted 433 or 4231 is the right formation with any of Fenton/Boyd/Cunningham on the flanks with Burns up front. Think he's a better option than brockie. Just keeps quiet and gets the job done. 

On Brockie, yeah he showed a few seasons ago he was a clinical finisher (to a degree) but he really doesn't suit our new method of play. His positioning is really important, yet he seems to be all over the place. Also, charging down the goalkeeper vigorously, then being too tired to join the next play is just stupid. 

Agree re: Brown. One of the most influential players to wear a Nix shirt. 

He gave us a constant source of midfield goals. Didn't always have the best of games but those 6 goals a season (and a few of them winners to boot) gave us momentum.

Burns could also be a revelation

This would be great. Deserves a proper send off.

I don't know how Brockie, Boyd and Fenton fit in here. When you have your back 4 of Muscat, Sigmund, Durante and Doyle, in front of them you have Riera and Roly and then you have McGlinchey, Gorrin, Burns and Cunningham, throw in Moss and that's the XI.

Boyd Brockie and Fenton are about as much strikers/wingers as the others and the others are better footballers.

If we get Wee-Mac with Roly to fit in as well, it will really force a squeeze to the lineup. Will Rodriguez or Riera push further forward (because Roly seems from all accounts to be more of a defensive mid..). E.g.

Moss

Muscat Siggy Dura Doyle

Riera Roly

Wee Mac Rodriguez Burns

Brockie/Boyd

There's a lot of players to squeeze in there. With a handy looking bench of Boyd/Brockie, Fenton, Kenny, Boxall

that bench makes me happy. 

Especially when you think back to what it used to look like in past years. 

Hmmm. Let's consider the 09/10 preliminary finals team: Iffy, Greeny and Leo at the height of their powers, McKain doing a good enough job in the back 4 to keep Siggy on the bench, World Cup hero Paston in goal... This team looks to have a better midfield in theory (considering that Vinnie Lia was our go-to guy back then), but otherwise it looks about even to me.

I think this is our most talented midfield yet.

We've got vision, engines, touches and players happy to get stuck in and depth.

Really looking forward to this season.

I think Boyd will start ahead of Cunningham based on pre season starts thus far. Cuningham needs a first touch.

This team is better by miles and miles, reflecting how the whole A league has moved onwards and upwards.  Gorin will be a beast this season and is my pick for superhero of the year.  He'll score 13.

wonder how wee macs arbitration is going, employment court is never fun ..... is the arbitration in NZ or AUS?