Transfer Talk - 2018/19 Season

Butters and Williams

What time is the announcement?

15:30

Pleased with both. 

Williams' highlights vid is how I remember him. Good vision and passing, strong, works hard, possibly wasted at striker, better playing deep. Multiple age group and full national rep. Family man

Nichols on top form could make the Nix's season. If not he doesn't start. If disruptive he's out. Worth a punt. 

Neither is an import. 

Great signings. 

Maybe the Cod factor could work in our favour for once.

We have never really had a player that got under the opposition skin whenever reeled out.  Rather be winners than the team everyone gets on with.

IMHO shows we are serious contenders potentially, depending on who the renaming imports are and what they offer.

I agree completely, here's hoping!

presser being streamed anywhere?

Unlikely, haven't streamed any yet. Will be a video of it released after the fact.

ah ha. I thought they were streamed and had always missed them. Cheers for that. 

Did we just sign Coco Butters and Token?

Williams and cokenose it is

From Stuff

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/10...

Totally whelmed by these signings.

Two years for Nichols, one for Williams.

Assume there's a behaviour clause in Nichols' contract

Rudan rejects Rogerson and Gulley, hires Nichols and Williams.

Increasingly convinced we picked the wrong coach. :(

Agreed.   Except that I would go with "Mee-how" though.

We need players that know what they are doing. They're experienced a league battlers. I'd take them over Rogerson and Gulley any day.

Cannot agree sorry on both counts.  Forget personalities.  Proven A league experience against potential promise.

No brainer for me.  We have two years to get our numbers significantly table and crowd wise to survive.  Crowd will come from results.  We need players with deliverable ability who are A League street wise for a scrap NOW, not in a couple of years time.  

But the UAE CWC shoot is worth more than a 2 year deal (pre CWC), 

his stocks may be worth more after it

Signing two washed up Aussies who no other club wanted (for various reasons - in Williams case : not good enough, in Nichols case: usually not good enough because his nose was full of coke) shows we are "serious contenders"?. Nichols is a complete cod and is not fit to wear the shirt. Unlike Joel Griffiths, his codness is not outweighed by his footballing ability.

For mine, these are really, really disappointing signings. I would've rather kept Rogerson and WeeMac if we were going in this direction.

Why not try a little optimism in your life. Everyone else seems to be optimistic about them. Rogerson did fudge all at ISPS level and Gulley, well he obviously does not meet the bar to come up.

Was liking everything Rudan was doing until the last week or so - Nichols/Williams just seems bat shark crazy to me. There's a reason everyone else is laughing at these signings, and it's not because of jealously..

I could *maybe* understand just Williams on a 1-year low paying deal for squad depth, but Nichols? Disruptive, ill disciplined, kinda-good-sometimes-but-not-really Nichols? I don't understand the logic. And for 2 bloody years! He already his second chance at Perth Glory after he got done for the drug possession, and now we're giving him another? Bleh.

Don't think I've ever been so angry at a player signing before.

Signing two washed up Aussies who no other club wanted - just like when we first signed Burns right?

Williams comes in off the back of 3 pretty good seasons in the Hungarian top flight. Nichols is unquestionably a good player who has had personal issues in the past - maybe Wellington is the place where he can regain his form. In terms of codness he is far less of a cod than Griffiths, and most people eventually accepted he was looking like a decent player until injury.

Burns was an amazing player when he was young. He was worth a punt. He was also never a cod.

This is more like Nick Ward, Joel Griffiths, Adrian Caceres, Adam Kwasnik territory.. Griffiths did decent, Ward and Caceres did OK.  Kwasnik was sharke.

Fair points you make and we will see.  From what Rudan has been saying thoughin the weeks since his appointment, he does not suffer fools.  If they don't deliver they will be cut I am sure.

There is no guarantees that they will be starters.  If not, it will give us a street wise bench for that street fight i have already mentioned when it is needed.  

"Proven A-League experience"

Dura has proven A-League experience, and people keep yelling to get rid of him

I hope they do well, I really do - I just can't see it. I think Williams has always seemed like a good bloke at least, so should fit in well.

Spot on. "Proven a-league experience"; how many times have we heard this with signings and how many times have they turned out shark? It's just the recycling merry go round. Proven A-League experience also means every team knows how to deal with them already.

I don't disagree that you need some experience in there, just don't think these guys are exactly leaders on the field.

Lets give them a chance ladies and gents.  I personally trust that Ruden had done his homework and that they are both making the correct noises

If they turn out to be total cod, you can gladly come back and say I told you so.

So were Nichols and Williams. Both had Australian national team call-ups very early in their careers and had a lot of people comparing them to Harry Kewell - but a lot like Burns, never really established themselves at a decent club level.

Nichols - 29! Proven A-league experience and still a few good years in him - good squaddie signing and good enough to push for a start

Williams - 30. as a squad player - I'm maybe ok with this.

Copmpare them both to Dura - 36! ending his career and at best a squad player.

As much as I would like to complain about the signings, who else is there for Rudan to sign really? He was appointed late and has to find Aussie/Kiwis that are off contract or unwanted at their clubs, that isn't exactly an inspiring list to choose from.

Nichols can be a good player if he is in the right head space, it will be a real test of Rudan's man management to try to get him there and keep him there.

Williams is a solid rotation option up front. He will never be a world beater but he will always put in a good shift.

Waiting in anticipation for us to re-sign Isaka Cernak and Shannon Cole

I think I am sensing the same thing as Doloras. I try not to be to be pessimistic, yet. I like the Polish signings and I like Taylor. What was the target again, 4th spot?

Nichols can't be a bigger cod than Pavlovic surely.....

I think Nichols is a bigger cod.

agree with the Nick Ward comparison.

Expecting to start or to push for a start?

Let's be honest Krishna and Burns form has been mixed and Singh was an unknown newbie who can expect much more attention 

Always enjoyed watching Nicholls play and I really rated him

Serious question: apart from the coke thing, what exactly makes him a cod?

Have you never seen him play before or?

Yes, a lot and didn't see anything that would make me call him a cod. 

Maybe you could be more specific. I'm open to the possibility that I missed something, which is why I asked.