Bigger beard, his name is more unpronounceable, the list goes on
Oi Oi Edgecumbe... lets have a clean sheet
If Sydney scored 5 last night I feel we are in for a record tonight. 6-2 to Nix, even more if we are clinical. Get in here.......
If Sydney scored 5 last night I feel we are in for a record tonight. 6-2 to Nix, even more if we are clinical. Get in here.......
As long as its the Mariners and not Adelaide we could do 6.
Actually, getting outplayed quite a bit these days
Feeling more and more confident about the squad that is being pulled together, still a couple more signings to be confirmed nonetheless, but I like the fact that at no stage has Rudan felt compelled or rushed into signing players just to make up the numbers. Obviously knows what he wants and is prepared to make the tough calls.
Quietly confident we'll be somewhere in the mix for top 6 this season (ok 5th/6th) but that would represent vast improvement on what we've seen the past couple of years. Roll on next weekend!
Disagree completely and utterly.
Easily the worst squad we have assembled and when you are a few days from the season opening and any player worth having has been signed it is sharke.
Saying that I don't blame rudan but the people who are controlling the purse strings whom by their lack of inaction have buried this club this off season
For those whom are on the train, I'll repost this at the end of the season when we have the wooden spoon and have had our license canned.
Respect your opinion, however much i disagree with it, but I'll be keeping an eye out for the bit in bold come season's end.
Just thought I'd throw this out there, took an age to find it, but just wanted to know if you've had any thoughts or change of stance based on the season so far AucklandPhoenix?
can we still sign players? We need a midfielder badly
Normo's coming home
can we still sign players? We need a midfielder badly
can we still sign players? We need a midfielder badly
TAHW seems like the perfect backup midfielder to displace Nichols, but he keeps getting injured at the wrong time.
a.haak
TAHW seems like the perfect backup midfielder to displace Nichols, but he keeps getting injured at the wrong time.
Feeling more and more confident about the squad that is being pulled together, still a couple more signings to be confirmed nonetheless, but I like the fact that at no stage has Rudan felt compelled or rushed into signing players just to make up the numbers. Obviously knows what he wants and is prepared to make the tough calls.
Quietly confident we'll be somewhere in the mix for top 6 this season (ok 5th/6th) but that would represent vast improvement on what we've seen the past couple of years. Roll on next weekend!
Disagree completely and utterly.
Easily the worst squad we have assembled and when you are a few days from the season opening and any player worth having has been signed it is sharke.
Saying that I don't blame rudan but the people who are controlling the purse strings whom by their lack of inaction have buried this club this off season
For those whom are on the train, I'll repost this at the end of the season when we have the wooden spoon and have had our license canned.
Respect your opinion, however much i disagree with it, but I'll be keeping an eye out for the bit in bold come season's end.
Just thought I'd throw this out there, took an age to find it, but just wanted to know if you've had any thoughts or change of stance based on the season so far AucklandPhoenix?
Fair cop, was wrong about the wooden spoon this year
Rudan has made our worst squad on paper a winning team
Cudos to him
Feeling more and more confident about the squad that is being pulled together, still a couple more signings to be confirmed nonetheless, but I like the fact that at no stage has Rudan felt compelled or rushed into signing players just to make up the numbers. Obviously knows what he wants and is prepared to make the tough calls.
Quietly confident we'll be somewhere in the mix for top 6 this season (ok 5th/6th) but that would represent vast improvement on what we've seen the past couple of years. Roll on next weekend!
Disagree completely and utterly.
Easily the worst squad we have assembled and when you are a few days from the season opening and any player worth having has been signed it is sharke.
Saying that I don't blame rudan but the people who are controlling the purse strings whom by their lack of inaction have buried this club this off season
For those whom are on the train, I'll repost this at the end of the season when we have the wooden spoon and have had our license canned.
Respect your opinion, however much i disagree with it, but I'll be keeping an eye out for the bit in bold come season's end.
Just thought I'd throw this out there, took an age to find it, but just wanted to know if you've had any thoughts or change of stance based on the season so far AucklandPhoenix?
Fair cop, was wrong about the wooden spoon this year
Rudan has made our worst squad on paper a winning team
Cudos to him
good on you for taking the hit, I think you're way off base with this though. On the Kiwi players alone this squad is streaks ahead of previous ones, add to that the imports who have started to show their worth, then the current squad would kill anyone of the previous years squads.
Queenslander 3x a year.
I don't expect Cacace/Fenton to play every game, for different reasons. I'd like to see Ryan Lowry at left wingback (he could play right wingback too or in the back 3).
Post season, Matt Millar at right wingback would be an exciting signing, but there will be competition for his signature.
Kotahitanga. We are one.
I don't expect Cacace/Fenton to play every game, for different reasons. I'd like to see Ryan Lowry at left wingback (he could play right wingback too or in the back 3).
Post season, Matt Millar at right wingback would be an exciting signing, but there will be competition for his signature.
I didn't know Ryan Lowry had a left foot, are you not thinking of his brother Shane?
Actually, getting outplayed quite a bit these days
Stretching it to say its streets ahead of other squads when it comes to Kiwi players.Maybe potential wise it is
I don't expect Cacace/Fenton to play every game, for different reasons. I'd like to see Ryan Lowry at left wingback (he could play right wingback too or in the back 3).
Post season, Matt Millar at right wingback would be an exciting signing, but there will be competition for his signature.
If we sign Gulley though I'll be very happy, would love to see him back in the Nix frame
Stretching it to say its streets ahead of other squads when it comes to Kiwi players.Maybe potential wise it is
Singh, Cacacae, Rufer (current version) =>>>>>> Brown, Lochhead, Ridenton (any version)
Queenslander 3x a year.
I don't expect Cacace/Fenton to play every game, for different reasons. I'd like to see Ryan Lowry at left wingback (he could play right wingback too or in the back 3).
Post season, Matt Millar at right wingback would be an exciting signing, but there will be competition for his signature.
If we sign Gulley though I'll be very happy, would love to see him back in the Nix frame
Valley FC til I die?
Stretching it to say its streets ahead of other squads when it comes to Kiwi players.Maybe potential wise it is
Singh, Cacacae, Rufer (current version) =>>>>>> Brown, Lochhead, Ridenton (any version)
Rufer <<< Brown - no doubt about that. This being said, they're quite different players, but Brown's ability to break up play and move the ball up the pitch quickly and his bombing runs into the opposition box are still unrivaled at this club. And I do like Rufer, he's just not as good.
Stretching it to say its streets ahead of other squads when it comes to Kiwi players.Maybe potential wise it is
Singh, Cacacae, Rufer (current version) =>>>>>> Brown, Lochhead, Ridenton (any version)
Rufer <<< Brown - no doubt about that. This being said, they're quite different players, but Brown's ability to break up play and move the ball up the pitch quickly and his bombing runs into the opposition box are still unrivaled at this club. And I do like Rufer, he's just not as good.
Brown was not a good football player
I find it interesting how three of our all-time most scapegoated players, Brown, Lia and Ridenton, are all quite similar. I think they have all been seen by supporters as defensive/holding midfielders when their skillsets are actually more suited to disrupting opposition midfields and moving the play upfield. None of them are technically exceptional, and Ridenton and Lia were poor in front of goal, but they were all good A-League players for us whose contributions weren’t recognised by many supporters IMO.
You can be a “good footballer” without being exceptionally good when spending a lot of time on the ball. That was the case with Siggy and Manny but they weren't criticised for it because they were recognised as that sort of player.
I find it interesting how three of our all-time most scapegoated players, Brown, Lia and Ridenton, are all quite similar. I think they have all been seen by supporters as defensive/holding midfielders when their skillsets are actually more suited to disrupting opposition midfields and moving the play upfield. None of them are technically exceptional, and Ridenton and Lia were poor in front of goal, but they were all good A-League players for us whose contributions weren’t recognised by many supporters IMO.
You can be a “good footballer” without being exceptionally good when spending a lot of time on the ball. That was the case with Siggy and Manny but they weren't criticised for it because they were recognised as that sort of player.
Brown wasn't a defensive/holding midfielder, he didn't do much defending. The reason I think he was not a good player is exactly for that reason: painted as a holding "disruptive" midfielder when in reality he shunned his defensive duties and never actually made his way back after making forward runs. If the stats are there I'd love to know whether there was another midfielder in A-League history who completed less passes or had less touches on a per 90 minute basis. He did have a knack for making late runs into the box and grabbing goals, but that's about it.
My preference in a holding midfielder is to have someone (in this order) who a) is competent on the ball and is involved in the build up, b) breaks up play and protects the back four, and c) gets forward and adds value to attacking chances. Brown didn't do a or b at anywhere near a high level.
I agree that he wasn't a defensive/holding midfielder, but he did contribute defensively by harrying and disrupting opposition midfields, and offensively by getting forward and causing havoc/scoring goals.
I don't get how being painted as something he wasn't, or not making a lot of passes, makes him a bad player? The best Phoenix teams he was part of relied more on the likes of Manny Muscat to sit at the base of midfield, and on Lia, Ward, Smith and Sanchez to spread the play.
He was good (at A-League level) at what he did, sitting in front of the defence or distributing the ball simply wasn't his role.
Stretching it to say its streets ahead of other squads when it comes to Kiwi players.Maybe potential wise it is
Singh, Cacacae, Rufer (current version) =>>>>>> Brown, Lochhead, Ridenton (any version)
Rufer <<< Brown - no doubt about that. This being said, they're quite different players, but Brown's ability to break up play and move the ball up the pitch quickly and his bombing runs into the opposition box are still unrivaled at this club. And I do like Rufer, he's just not as good.
Brown was not a good football player
totally disagree. I'm just saying that Rufer/Singh are better than he was.
Queenslander 3x a year.
I find it interesting how three of our all-time most scapegoated players, Brown, Lia and Ridenton, are all quite similar. I think they have all been seen by supporters as defensive/holding midfielders when their skillsets are actually more suited to disrupting opposition midfields and moving the play upfield. None of them are technically exceptional, and Ridenton and Lia were poor in front of goal, but they were all good A-League players for us whose contributions weren’t recognised by many supporters IMO.
You can be a “good footballer” without being exceptionally good when spending a lot of time on the ball. That was the case with Siggy and Manny but they weren't criticised for it because they were recognised as that sort of player.
Brown wasn't a defensive/holding midfielder, he didn't do much defending. The reason I think he was not a good player is exactly for that reason: painted as a holding "disruptive" midfielder when in reality he shunned his defensive duties and never actually made his way back after making forward runs. If the stats are there I'd love to know whether there was another midfielder in A-League history who completed less passes or had less touches on a per 90 minute basis. He did have a knack for making late runs into the box and grabbing goals, but that's about it.
My preference in a holding midfielder is to have someone (in this order) who a) is competent on the ball and is involved in the build up, b) breaks up play and protects the back four, and c) gets forward and adds value to attacking chances. Brown didn't do a or b at anywhere near a high level.
My memory of Brown was that he was never painted as a holding 'disruptive' midfielder - not actually sure where you got this idea from. He was always viewed as a box-to-box midfielder. Huge engine, decent goal scoring record. While he may not have been the best defensively, he was always combatitive and I disagree that he never tracked back. It's not a coincendence the team went from three consecutive finals appearances to last place after he retired.
Stretching it to say its streets ahead of other squads when it comes to Kiwi players.Maybe potential wise it is
Singh, Cacacae, Rufer (current version) =>>>>>> Brown, Lochhead, Ridenton (any version)
Rufer <<< Brown - no doubt about that. This being said, they're quite different players, but Brown's ability to break up play and move the ball up the pitch quickly and his bombing runs into the opposition box are still unrivaled at this club. And I do like Rufer, he's just not as good.
Brown was not a good football player
Are you high?
https://www.wellingtonphoenix.com/news/wellington-...
Nichols and Way have their contracts terminated.
Reckon they have a replacement lined up for Nichols because we have no depth beyond Rufer, Mandi and Kopa
I guess that frees up a bit of cap space which we must be running low on after signing up Sheridan, although I imagine those two wouldn't have been on huge cash.
Still hopefully that gives us enough cap space to strengthen our midfield and squad depth. Could do with some cover for Fenton too.
Exciting that the squad might get better still during January!
"Yellow Fever are fantastic – I have to say that"
Reckon they have a replacement lined up for Nichols because we have no depth beyond Rufer, Mandi and Kopa
Reckon they have a replacement lined up for Nichols because we have no depth beyond Rufer, Mandi and Kopa
Step up Hudson Wihongi
He'd need to last a couple of games uninjured first.
That's rough on Fox and Lowry :P
They're backs we can use in midfield at a pinch.
That's rough on Fox and Lowry :P
They're backs we can use in midfield at a pinch.
It was a joke because Fox has only played in midfield this season and Lowry has about as many minutes at RB as he does in midfield.
It's Aaron Clapham time
LOL
Actually, getting outplayed quite a bit these days
Any actual speculation on who we might sign? Who's been trialing/training with us recently?
"Yellow Fever are fantastic – I have to say that"
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