Transfer Talk - 2018/19 Season

The only import so far that I feel confident will boss the league is Taylor - I love that man already, he's going to be class this season

I watched him closely v Bentleigh and while he made a few mistakes, and looked pretty slow, he was pretty obviously tactically more aware than anyone else on the ptich.

This

One of the real negative points of continually changing coaches is that some OK players get dumped in the process. THe three imports from last year could probably have done a job this season under the right coaching setup. There are some enormous management issues with this club. We cant just keep starting from scratch every year. They took ages to appoint a coach and now we are no where near full playing roster with the season about to start.

It appears that it is now really hard to attract players to the Nix. We have heard that many kiwi players are not interested. Rudans background is Australian State football. You would have thought that he would have filled the roster with the best players he could find from that level. If these guys are not interested then the club has some serious problems

You really want to feel optimistic at the start of each season. But I think Rudan is in for a tough A-League debut. Its hard to see him bedding in new recruits in time for the seasons start.

As for Dolaras's comments about signing Eurotrash mediocrities....have you any idea how difficult it is, to sign any foreign player to come and play, for not much money, in a windy city, in the most remote country in the world, for a team constantly at the arse end of a competition that nobody in Europe has heard of?  LOL 

Rudan seems keen to stay around and finish the job though 

I am prepared to be suitably whelmed this season.

...but, but... Wellington's the ''coolest little capital in the world''. Isn't it? Isn't it?

and shakiest

Would appear the @WgtnPhoenixFC didn't want Andre de Jong, as he's now in Auckland training with @ESAFC.

— Andrew Voerman (@andrewvoerman) October 2, 2018

Precisely. When I make comments like the above about Wellington's downsides, I get jumped on. I wonder why other people get to make the same comments. Probably for the same reason that valeo is allowed to be pessimistic and I'm not.

Don't worry, people get annoyed at my pessimism too.

It's just that we all expect you to keep up your own high standards of sense and sensibility, while with "other people" we've given up expecting from them anything half-coherent, let alone sensible, a long time ago.  Don't you let us down, Doloras.

So what are our thoughts here?

Max Burgess 

Andre De Jong (Looking like Max Burgess the more likely now that ADP is back training with Eastern Suburbs?)

Mandi (Is he training with us in Wellington?)

Tratt (Surely...although there were rumours he's not signing?) 

Callan Elliot (Low risk local signing)

Bill Tuiloma (Is he actually off contract?)

Oh, I never said there wasn't a reason

Dome interview today "[Rudan]'s got some tough choices to make about who to bring in to the squad"

Suggests there are more than five players under consideration, and available, for the four (minimum) positions. Also that Rudan's doing his very best to pick the best and most committed players. Having a small squad and leaving it late both seem like good choices for the Nix. More money per player. Leaves room for good players who enter the A league player pool late.

Committment's important, and they have to be players who are so keen to join, they're willing to wait - and not ones who want a contract first, or say 'pick me now or I'm leaving'.

It's likely Rudan's said 'not yet' rather than no to a number of trialists; some of the 'rejects' could still be selected.

Very likely also they're looking at other players who've not been speculated-about here - 'name' visa players, and NPL players Rudan knows through his contacts.

One of the difficult choices could be Yoo vs Mandi - if neither can be considered a 'guest player'. Maybe Mandi, if fully recovered, and an NPL striker.

I think yesterday's FFA verdict will make recruitment easier. Players know they aren't just jumping on a train hurtling towards a cliff.

You make the most of it - Steven Taylor is certainly enjoying it.

It speaks to my world view that I was expecting an earthquake to shake the glass off.

Agree but wonder if it's come too late for this window. Definitely should be considerably easier for us going forward.

I'd have Billy T in a heart beat. But it aint gonna happen

Isn't he dead?

issss heee?

The fact Wellington people say there is nothing like Wellington on a good day, sums it up perfectly to me 

The worst thing about Welly (even worse than the weather), as that there is nowhere near/driveable that is semi decent/interesting to visit for a weekend escape.

I can say that as someone who grew up in the rapa, and lived in the Capital a couple of times. It's like residing in a little pretty prison, encaved in hills.

Auckland for all it's vices has lots of cool nearby places to check out over the Sabbath. Same for the Garden City.

Wellington is definitely the best place to have a pro NZ football team though.

almost anywhere within 2 hours of city up either coast has plenty of interesting places to spend time or eat/stay/do stuff.  Just depends on your tastes I guess.  Some are not world class but nevertheless attract tourists

Trust me there is nothing up either coast north of Welly that is world class. When Greytown is pushed as a quality weekend escape, then things are dire. But again yes depends on your tastes.

Martinborough is what you're thinking if not greytown, but why would you want to go anywhere else? Wellington has everything you need within its borders. It's about the perfect city imo. I've got a mountain bike park a few hundred metres from my house, tons of Bush walks and nature, world class craft beer, bars, dining, coffee, beaches, museums, events, high wages and a booming economy, affordable housing, etc. Apart from spring the weather is mostly good too, but what problems the weather has is more than made up for by culture and liveability.

The fact that people always have goes at wellington is pretty telling imo, tall poppies and all that.

sooooo, how about them potential transfers....

Well, after the Canterbury 2011 earthquakes me and my wife transferred to Welly, for just over 6 months (October through April). I can confirm that we did not feel the need to go away from Welly for the weekend. The city itself was sufficient.  It was a warm summer and I swam off the beach in Oriental Bay.  I listended to live music at Hashigozaki and they also had decent beer there. We lived in Cuba St opposite the SanFran, and I could walk to the Westpac to watch Phoenix live, from the YF corner.  

We eventually returned to Chch to face the long battle with the insurance for our house (we finally got paid out in Nov 2017 and are rebuilding now), but those six months in Welly in 2012-2013 helped us to stay sane. So I have no argument that Welly sure is the coolest litlle town, even if Christchurch is home.

err Taupo, New Plymouth and Napier are only 4 hours drive away, rapa (Martinborough, Riversdale) are just over the hill.

If you think that it has nowhere near driveable it says alot more about you than anything else!

That’s harsh on Masterton! Far superior to Huntly or Wellsford

We all know Wellington is the best, now back on topic please.

our season starts in 2 weeks time...just 2 weeks.

I was looking at the possibility of flying down about a month ago for the first game. Was excited by the signings, the rumours and everything... but given the lack of anything lately... my enthusiasm as waned significantly.

So how many players do we need to sign in two weeks to have the minimum number of players? Serious question here

We currently have 16, a minimum of 20 is required in the league.

Kurto (f), Lowry, Fox, Burns, Nichols, Williams, Rufer, Kopczynski (f), Fenton, Singh, Doyle, Sail, Krishna (f), Durante, Cacace, Taylor (f)

This could be exciting, that means we will have an announcement every 3.5 days

or 4 on the very last day before kickoff.