R17 vs CCM | Sat 30th Jan | 7:15pm | AMI Stadium + Spectators

We were in an arm wrestle with team ten!

Im glad powell got his goal.  But we were dull, diabolical, predictable, uninspiring, over coached and lacking in ideas.and toothless. That austin is the worst player in the league and we made him look good once or twice.we are too narrow, too defendabl, too inaccurate, and too slow when we attack. Mc glincheys delivery was terrible

Great to see Stevens and McGarry get a run and both should get a run next week as well.Ernie will win hearts playing young kiwi's hoping it will hide the facts that the team, his team are dead set crap because they couldn't beat the worst team in the league, the defence was sharke again the midfield poor,  when did A Rod  last make a tackle and forget up front no threat what so ever.

Anyone who watched an ausie feed know what Ernie said?

Ernie would just try and crack another one of his jokes when really he's becoming the joke

I think the defense has the most talent and depth the Nix have ever had. The midfield is also competitive most games. Surely the issue is up front, if there was an actual consistent goal scoring threat, games would be completely different. The FFA has fudgeed us this season. Every other team is picking up players like children grabbing candy in a candy store, but we can't find anyone? Obviously we know why that is.... That fudgeing sucks but isn't he fault of Ernie or the players.

Poor result but a good night out

Thanks for bringing a game to Chch

Slightly concerned Feverish was 'asked' to leave early?

Yes there's a problem up front but when you are letting in 3 goals a game then you have a major issue,  if you don't let them in you at least get something from the game which hasn't happened for 8 games now. The one on one defending is rubbish Fenton is as weak as piss anyway its not there fault its Ernie some players are just not good enough and the others look bored

Every a-league team leaks goals, I don't think the nix are any worse in this regard. WSW managed to make both franjic and zullo look average last night. The entire problem is lack of consistent goal scoring threat.... That appears to be because of the shark over the license. No other team has issues bringing in new players.

Not taking responsibility and looking to blame others are the traits of those at the bottom. The losers.

Suppose it was the refs fault too?

Maybe that's why the Nix are where they are.

Another 'also ran' season full of average or below talent, application and intent.

Really doesn't look like a kiwi football side is up to playing in an Australian league. 

Certainly not on any consistent basis.

It's a little too hard nose for soft, excuse making kiwis.

Some good notes include Fox, Stevens and Doyle.

One bad note is that it is indicative of the quality of the team that most of the play seems to go through Bonevacia, as if they give to the football player in the side. Pretty easy to coach against that.

"The Nix, Close down Bonevecia and they've got nothing to worry us."

Park football against hard nosed Australian sides that go for the jugular. No chance. Maybe luck is the Nix best hope

We let go a few proven goal scoring threats from last season in Burns, Boyd and Cunningham. We haven't found anyone to replace them and it has clearly bit us in the ass this season. Boyd was the one I could see replicating the sort of form Burns showed and he was our future hope but we let him go. Then we cashed in on Burns while Kenny went back home. I'm sure we'll learn from this but it's a tough watching us struggle to score in attack where that was once our strength.

That's just fudgeing stupid and a bullshark ad hominem against kiwis... every team in the league has ups and downs. But this year it's clearly not an even playing field and you'd have to be blind not to see that. 

First Nix game in about 3 years I didn't watch. Did put money on CCM at $4.25, so can't complain. Sounds like I didn't miss much.

Too many errors in defensive situations recently. Game was similar to last CCM game, 1 goal down to very poor defensive error, 1 goal down to very questionable refereeing and 1 goal on the counter. We score late after dominating without creating that many clear cut chances.

Doyle's form has been good, time on the bench has fired him up a bit and good to see his reaction.

Merrick's tactics have always been geared towards attacking hard and simply scoring more than the other team.

The problem is that we don't have anyone capable of scoring; that puts pressure on the rest of the team. If we were set up to play defensively then it might be different.

god i hope we get an extension. i cannot see the nix go out on the same level as the kings and knights. Watching it live in christchurch was nice, however it was embarrassing. We are the worst team in the comp atm, hands down, dont try sugar coat it.  Real tired of getting halfway through the season and thinking 'well next year we'll be good...maybe..' cause its nearly been 10 years of that shark.

Im sick of settling for less, we must be one of the only clubs to heap praise on players or nit pick for the benefits in a loss. 4 wins in 16 games (or something like that) is not good enough, period. 

I think Ernie thought Sarpong would be this season's Burns and that just hasn't happened.

Do you want me to quote Sarpongs prior goal scoring record, before joining us?

I thought we needed a proper no 9 more than a Burns replacement anyway. I think our attacking style with Burns and Krishna trying to run onto balls or at players at pace had been ineffective the second half of last season because teams worked out how to defend it. But everything Ernie said about recruitment in the off season indicated he wanted a winger/forward to turn into a player like Burns, rather than an out and out striker to replace someone like Griffiths.

only good thing was seeing McGarry on..talent coming through.

Rest was blindingly obvious as an outcome from pre season or early season.

Everyone hopes and talks it up but we just don't have enough quality players.

Ernie had seen Burns live (Adelaide), a far greater situation for judging a players potential to fit into which ever system or desired role you have for him, compared to signing a player from some recorded games without trial.

Our season hinged on this decision, in a large way, and it failed.

The fact of hte matter is this - as much as I love Ernie he is on track for us to finish last or 9th. If we finish 9th his record with us would be 9th - 4th - 9th. Now there are mitigating circumstances, the first year apparently the club was in a shambles and had to be rebuilt, and this year the whole license saga is looming over us and probably affected recruitment, but it's still not a good result. I mentioned somewhere else but perhaps he needs better support staff, Greenacre doesn't have a lot of coaching experience outside of the medicore environment of the nix for instance. I'm thinking someone who is a tactical specialist as an assistant.

Really?

Ive watched McGarry play a few times and am still waiting to see why he is even in the squad!  What is this fascination with sons of 'all whites'. To many of these boys get in because of their Dad not because they are good enough. Copy Ridenton and Rufer as well

Aye that wasn't me. I did leave early though to see if I could retrieve a mate who was asked to leave for sipping on a hip flask

Thanks. At each game do the Fever sing that song to send off 'exiting' patrons?

Merick has now realised that we don't have strikers. But was still putting a positive spin on it in the press, saying that our defense was solid and it was only rare individual mistakes that caused the goals and also that we dominated the game despite the goals.

Unfortunately the window has now closed. The club need to say we tried to sign players but because of the license we couldn't.

McGarry is already a good player

I'd have him starting every match given we have blown the playoffs. 

He is definitly top 3 of most promising Phoenix players. And he is not picked because his Dad and Uncle were good players. 

Um... I can't remember a single thing McGarry did last night.

Truth to much of much of what's being tabled here, and the Phoenix brains trust would agree with much of it. The license issue prevented us from signing top quality Oz players and beyond for at least 12 months now. No-one wants to come here until that's sorted. So yes, oz football has stuffed us over big time. Good news is they are talking with some major quality talent for next year.

Not sure how it sounded from anyone down there, but the crowd sounded like the man of the match to me. They kept singing when we were down.

linked up down the left and got into the box really well. linked the strikers and the wing backs. Not that I'd want him starting. thought Ridenton had made a decent case for himself too, unless he's injured.

And now Riera is suspended. It just doesn't stop.

Itold you  we would het humped . oh well there is always next week .

has anyone got highlights . i was at work

Apparently the Nix team bus had a little nose-to-tail crash on the way to the game yesterday. I wonder if there was some damage which would explain why we couldn't seem to park it yesterday evening

It was more like a bloody train wreck at the AMI

Thanks to all the guys and gals that made the trip.

Chanting in our sector never stopped through the game.