Time For Action!

I think some may be looking at things off the field, such as the NYL (and now academies), which is out of our hands really no matter how hard we try. Some of the talent coming through in some squads due to the NYL is quite staggering, and probably cheap compared to seasoned pro's. Sydney have 7 players u21, like Danning, Grant, Gan, Payne. If we had a NYL squad we would start seeing talented players getting full contracts on the cheap allowing money to be spent on quality.

It was interesting to read that one of the reasons Moss decided on Melbourne was their professional setup with a fulltime goalkeeper coach, it's a shame that Jonathan Gould was not around earlier.

I think overall we are progressing well as a team, we have managed to learn from mistakes in the past. It is just unfortunate that we are not competing on a level playing field.

I must admit to being slightly worried about this upcoming season, at this stage at least.

I think its the other way round, he defintely has the atitude, he loves the club, im not sure about his ability... he used to work well with felipe, hopefully that can be reignited with diego.

I have been a bit glass half empty during the off season but a look at our current squad gives me cause for optimism for the upcoming season. 
Yes, we need another striker and I also believe that another defender would be useful to add balance to the squad. 
However our squad is full of a-league experience, as well as players who have done well in lower league English football.  We have two exciting youngsters, one at least who is ready for regular first team football in my opinion.  We have in Diego and Daniel two players who bring flair and quality ball play to the team.  Leo is an exciting winger, who is prepared to run at defenders and we all know defenders don't like that, especially the level we see in the a-league.  It would be great to see someone take that role on the other side as well and I think there are the players to do that.
Our squad has 11 players coming into their age peak (26-29) as well as Paston at 32 who as a goalkeeper should now be in his best years.
The greatest interest that has been generated for the Phoenix is when local youngsters are signed.  I believe that is what people want to see.  How excited are we when Costa is on the team sheet.  Look at the response when Leo was signed.  Wellington lads playing for a Wellington team in front of kids who believe that could be them one day.  Marquee players are the quickest way to throw money away.  Simply if they were that good they would not be looking at the a-league as an option and certainly not the Phoenix given our limitations in playing beyond the a-league.
One of the reasons people are so nervous about the squad is because most of us haven't seen them this year.  The pre-season has been a PR disaster for the club and I hope lessons have been learnt.  You generate interest in your team by playing in front of your regular supporters and make the product interesting and inexpensive enough for casuals to be persuaded to come.  I hope next year the club will have many meaningful (a-league standard and above) games in the Wellington area.  If only they were playing locally over the three weekends of the school holidays!

I'm not too concerned about things. I really don't thnk the grand gesture is necessary. From memory the success ratio of big name star signings in the A League has been about 50-50, maybe even less than that. Why risk a sh*t load of dollars on an aging player who might be a cripple for most of the season, or who might have all the moves but deep down just be there for the pay cheque?

We have McKain as cover (and there are plenty of midfielders to cover for his move to the back). In the unlikely event both Durante and Sigmund are suspended or injured, then Muscat can also play central defence.

A young defender wouldn't be a bad option as cover; Aaron Scott could prove useful here.

I don't really think there is a great need to throw money around to try and fix all the problems we supposedly have (low attendences, no flair, etc).

 

I think you missed C-Diddy's point.

I think he was being sarcastic suggesting that plenty of younger players get crocked as well.

Someone mentioned Morientes as an example somewhere here.  There is someone who is 33, that has had few injury concerns through his whole career, is currently unemployed (and probably beyond our price range).

He'd tick a stack of boxes though, world reputation, Played in the premier League - for the Premier League snobs, played in Spain - for the anti-Premier League snobs, played for Liverpool - for the Liverpool snobs.

There must be others like him as well.

But Morientes' last salary (I am going to guess) would have been in the region of �30,000 per week.

Sounds like what Fowler will be for NQF
playwithFire2009-07-09 23:39:49

if he does score wonder if he'll do his "trademark" snort

I seriously doubt the viability of bringing in a big name guest or marquee player unless they are going to have an ongoing positive effect on the playing side (maybe like Fred was supposed to do). While I'm talking about a different era here, I remember going to see Trevor Brooking, Mick Channon and (I think) Paul Mariner when they played guest spots with national league teams and the crowds weren't much bigger than normal at those games. Heck I saw Brooking play at the Epsom Showgrounds.....

I just feel like Perth is doing something right in this transfer season,  if they succeed will be another thing.

They are making ambitious signings and getting rejected by some big names. But that still shows their ambition. And it means they have also signed some quality players.

Serjovski may not be the huge name that is Robbie Fowler. But he will undoubtedly be a huge danger in this league, and along with Culina for GCU, will be the heart of their teams this season.

Perth have also gone in for fringe Socceroos too and this is what is going to make them sucessful in my opinion. Their ambition to sign big names has paid off and this is a good example of where big names and big money could help a lowly Wellington Phoenix this year.

Ha should have read through....Great news now your season depends on Milligan being reborn as some sort of ...." midfield football player "

Sorry Frankie, but that's bollocks. You're not here and don't know the situation.

We have to make a statement to demonstrate we're bringing value to the league - otherwise our time may be up, and there won't be seasons 4/5/6 to execute your master plan. Bringing someone like Morientes (or with that kind of pedigree) would bring MAJOR interest from the fans and the media, and not just here, but in Australia and maybe Asia as well. It would be a positive step in marketing both the club and the league as well. Whether he would work out for us and bang in a sh*tload of goals? Who the f**k knows? Will Greenacre work out? Will Rojas? No-one knows, but the important thing to show is ambition to get better and go places, to help the league with its image and marketing.

The financial side of things is of course important, but there a few clubs right now in the sh*ts, and getting assistance from the FFA - they can help us, and will, if they percieve we bring value to the league and are worth keeping. Because if we're not creating any buzz on and off the field, if our crowds continue to dwindle and we fail to bring a big enough market for the league, they will get rid of us, especially considering there's a sh*tload of cities in Australia wanting in on A-league action, and considering that the FFA knows that they could get an extra CL spot from 2011 if we're not in the league, they may not have too many qualms about it.

This is the last year of our licence, and we have to make a statement. If we limp into the season and have an average time of it on and off the park (crowds, marketing, etc), it's gonna be a tough sell to get the licence extended. A very tough sell.el grapadura2009-07-10 18:39:54

Great point amxfc! C-Diddy2009-07-10 10:59:36

Terry's not going to be recouping the money he's already spent any time soon.

I guess it really all comes down to him - if he doesn't want to keep financing the club because he's losing money on this, that's his prerogative. It's his money after all, and we can't spend it for him. But he'll lose money with or without Morientes-like signing.

As for the FFA, they want us in. They like the idea of having access to a 4-million market and the opportunities it presents. But they'll support us for only as long as they think we can do a job for them. If they don't, then we'll be gone.

At any rate, it's time to make a big call.

Obviously he'd be too expensive, but one can only dream.

But for me, a big part of the issue is how to become financially prudent. Spending modestly is still spending, and if you don't get the attendance, sponsorship and marketing opportunites to recoup the outlay, you just continue bleeding money with no end in sight.

But maybe, just maybe, you might be able to increase the crowd numbers, and improve sponsorship and marketing opportunities by making a bold signing. Does a bigger outlay mean a quicker potential return? That's a call for Terry to make.

And I'll go off now and try to find my happy place.

As I said earlier, he told me on twitter he'd do it for $250k.

There's a heart of gold in that diminutive figure.

I agree, we would all love to see a statement made, dramatic steps taken, bold initiatives in place to launch us into this crucial season.
Two top quality strikers signed would be awesome...there's still time! but...

I suspect the reality of this season will be somewhat different.

Its obvious Tony, Ricki and management are operating under tight budget constraints, compared to the free-spending, press-generating activities of several HAL clubs in this pre-season.
No, the Nix aren't grabbing the headlines,with no dramatic quality signings, (yet!) no Main Sponsor, no EPL or top flight pre-season home fixtures to drive season ticket sales up.
 Its all very low key,and there is almost no expectation from anyone other than the few of us hardcore supporters.Some would say Wellington Phoenix don't have a hope.

In my books, this will work in our favour.

Ricki, Tony and the team, know what's at stake this season -this is crunch time.
They have clearly identified the types of players required.While all the attention's elsewhere with the glitz and  glamour, Ricki and co. can concentrate on getting the squad to bond, building on strong team spirit and extracting total commitment from each and every member.
Steadily improving  positive results will help attract bigger crowds and perhaps lock in a sponsor or two as well.
What will give the Nix the biggest breakthroughs this season will be a team and management united in purpose, focused on whats required this season, giving it their all....driven by fanatical,vocal support.   It has the potential to beat a team of star individuals anyday.

RedGed2009-07-11 01:50:22

Morientes? Sorry but you are having a laugh, there are still  prem teams out there who would be interested signing him as well as other clubs around Europe. We'd have more chance signing Jari Litmanen at 38 than Morientes. Or did I miss sarcasm in this post? If so sorry.


I agree with FrankieMac I think Fowler will be a flop also and I don't think we should be throwing silly money around on ancient/injured big name players. Dwight Yorke worked to an extent as he could (a) still clearly play a bit and (b) had played for the highest profile club in the world.

How many casual fans have even heard of Morientes? Even a lot would struggle with telling you who Fowler was and why he was considered so great and it's the casual fans we want. The knowledgable fans already turn up in the YF zone.

In the long term it's all about getting the mums interested in bringing the kids along and getting the kids playing football. We need to be targeting Pacific island, Maori and Asian people as well.

In the short term it's about being more consistent on the pitch and cracking the problem of positive media support, something that has eluded us, that and remaining finacially solvent.


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ForteanTimes2009-07-11 12:37:49

There is a difference in NZ betwween a big name player (eg Zidane) and one we have to explain to people (Morientes, Fowler to a leser extent). That is where age is not such a big barrier when trying to get people through the gates. A 40 yr old Fat Brazilian Ronaldo doing SFA would cause a lot more hype and make a better signing then a 33 yr old Morientes who plays a little better.

You all seem to be forgetting that Terry paid quite a few million bucks to bring the LA Galaxy (incl that Dave guy) to town a few years back.