R10 vs Roar Saturday 5:30pm

Ernie get it sorted please. I'm booked for the big drive down to Welly this weekend, and I don't fancy the thought of driving back on Sunday feeling like I have done all day today.

ernie may have inherited a shite team, but they at least won some games last season, so far we got nada!

I hope like hell we can win this one but I just dont see it happening against the Roar.

And what do you think the casual fans will be thinking shit we are playing top of table . might as well stay home .i'd expect a low crowd turnout

We want  7

fans?  I think we could easily reach double figures because it's always good when the New Zealand Phoenix decide to come to play a game in Wellington

Just keen to see another game. So we can wipe our last outing from our memories. Surely we cant be that bad twice in a row, especially when for the 8 previous rounds we have looked quite promising.

Kenny and ifill to score.

Call me old-fashioned, but all the punters crying out for a quick fix clearly do not understand the amount of work at hand to get the team sorted. With a new playing system bedded in, we may eventually get the players we need, year in year out. Otherwise we may win a game here or there, but we will be outclassed on average, long-term, and lose far more than we win, for a long long time.

Those with a guilty craving for Ricki style team winning like few years ago, are not different from me when I occasionally look in the mirror wistfully remembering a head full of hair. Like the Ricki-led hoofball of yore, it is also something from the past that has not survived well.

This season's results do pretty much vindicate Ricki's decision to play the style he did. Probably the best way to win games with the squad we had.

wonder how much Cunningham is on. Wonder how Ricki would have gone passing the ball on the deck if he'd had Hernandez. 

By the same token, Ernie inherited those players. When he cleans out those that can't play that style, things should look better.

He is making the proverbial silk purse out of a sows ear with what he has and I think considering there was no real expectation that this team could play that way, I think he has done a decent job.

Regardless what anyone thinks about Ernie, the squad, the results, change had to come after Ricki because we were a shit football side playing shit football at the bottom of the table and we were not going to put our team in the title frame ever lumping it forward like we did. Yeah it got us some wins but in the 8 games, we've looked a better side (with largely the same group) and while we are not winning at the moment, we are at the start of that change because long ball loving was not going to win us the title. Ernie may not get us there, but at least trying to play 'football' is going to increase our chance a lot. Once some personnel get transitioned out, then judge him

+ another. The big question  though is, How low are Welnix prepared to see crowds dwindle on the back of continuing losses or poor results before getting nervous, despite the "improved performances".?

What if this year sees us retain the wooden spoon?

In hindsight I reckon it might have been a good idea to keep Sanchez this season. IMHO Sanchez > Riera / Hicks. Would be fine in playing where Hicks has been and better option to fill in at AM if Hernandez was unavailable. I reckon that Ernie may have been hoping that Cunningham was quicker/better than he has shown so far this season.

One of the problems Ernie has is he knows how to use Hernandez. He has Kenny for another season after this and no one has a clue how to use him...

TAB offering odds happiness insurance of $1.22 on Nix not making playoffs.

Other Interesting odds happiness insurance... Brockie Not being top scorer $1.52

Finishing with a Negative Goal Difference $1.35

Or a ridiculous money punt $22 to make Grand Final.

Fine

20°C High

14°C Overnight

Me and me mum and me dad and me gran and we're off to Waiwhetu

Me and me mum and me dad and me gran and we're taking the BBQ...

...

...

We're Wellington, 

We're gonna ship much more than you.

Going to be the first game that I haven't watched for a few years because of a work xmas party, even managed to watch games when travelling around the UK.

Because of this we are pretty much guaranteed to win.

You can thank me later.

I'd imagine the crowd will be down because of the cricket.

I rate Reira, not least because of his cool haircut.

With you on this Ryan, missed a few over the years but have always been out of town. However, this time I will be in Wellington and won't be going :(

Enjoyed but frustrated with our fragility, and also we have been most dominant with one up front. I expected us to recover from our start and win 3-1 with the quality we had on paper.

Yet 1)Ernie has insisted on persisting with both Stein and Brockie up front. That's on him. I liked his decisive substitution in the first game. It showed judgement and intent, which we haven't really seen from him since.

2)The decision to sign 0 journeymen such as Clapham or Thompson or someone else from the state leagues a la Manny I think is also on him. If one of Rufer , Ridenton or JBS was not signed until next year, we could have had better cover on the bench or at least some more experience. Maybe these 3 will show their benefits to the team, but they haven't yet.

3) My final criticism is that after saying the fullbacks were crucial for attacking, he has used two inexperienced fullbacks. They may produce and I thought actually that Fenton was good value- he struggled at first, but we didn't concede from that and he looks like one of our real attacking threats when he gets overlapping. But chosing to play him at right back means he can't play further forward. Would Leo at right back and Louis further forward also work? Again, not suggesting this, but while both showing promise neither are bankers for solid performances and Merrick's systems requires them to attack effectively. 

And yes two podcast points- I liked Reira. Thought he pressed really well, passed well, had his head up and then when the ref basically gave up he smashed Edwards mark III. It's what Manny would do. We lost our shape when he came off and looked much less threatening. I'm not a big fan of Moss, though he's ok.  He doesn't look sure when he comes out to get the ball and yes Paston made mistakes early in his Phoenix career and then became much more reliable. Rarely conceded at his near post or dropped the ball into the goal. I also would have liked to see Spoonley there pushing for a place, rather than unknown Aussie Italiano. 

In short, like the ideas from Merrick, not happy with the lack of results and the last minute losses or draws conceded. Not happy with cop outs. Want to see more responsibility from coach and players and desire. Is there a Merrick chant? Don't think he's earned one yet, if he's got one, but a run of wins would help.

Bit worried about this game to be honest...they are in red hot form with some players who can tear you apart.

In many ways playing the Roar is a bit like having sex with an elephant....if you don't get on top really early you just know you will get crushed!

Pax 8171