The Great 2016/17 Coaching Saga

Not just recent or just one guy. This has been going on since the whole 'squatting on a license' crap last year. At first I would tune in and listen/watch/read what the 'experts' had so say but no more. They've never even tried to examine the issues with the most basic level of journalistic objectivity. It's just big, bad, bold headlines kicking the club to FFA's order.

To a certain extent I'm a believer in not getting caught up a pointless war of words but sometimes I wish someone in the club would get mad as hell and make a very public, passionate, rational point by point refutation of the kinds of accusation we've been copping. Instead of which I only read it in this forum!

Remember what happened to James Musa when he was tossed in before he / the team were ready.

Why? He expressed a pov. You have to expect kiss arsing as well as negative comments when a major announcement has been made.

I doubt it. If the FFA wanted us out they wouldn't have offered us the license with automatic renewals. They are disappointed with us and so is Bosnich. But hey, we're disappointed with us too. 

Whatever people say is completely moot, we have three and a half years to get it to work so it doesn't matter one way or another. 

On twitter Bosnich is pretty open to the fact that the Phoenix aren't doing enough right now, and that he wants to be proven wrong.

Does over and out not mean he's pulling a junior and leaving a sinking ship?

On a slightly different note:

1. Greenacre/Buckingham have been pretty much on the button with their comments about the problem on the field.  That is, short of making scapegoats of particular players.  (And I'd say more candid and accurate than Ernie's post match jokes and smiles had got to be).

2. They've already signed Smeltz to do something about it.  He's probably as good as we can get with that striker instinct and experience to lead the front end, on short notice.

I wasn't thinking this way, but I've come around to thinking they deserve a shot.  And it's only until the end of the season at this stage.

I can't say I've been much enjoying the Nix play for years, except that patch with Burns.  But the last ten minutes or so of last night's game was near as much fun as we used to have.  A slight problem that it was against the bottom team and we didn't win, but as good as it's been for a while.

Dome calling Bosnich's comments absolutely ridiculous worth a tick too.

COYN

Junior still reads the forum! 

This isn't quite the end of the club yet. 

I disagree with the opinion that this is the wrong long-term decision for the club. Des and Greenie are only contracted for one year. (If i saw correctly) Whether we make the play-offs or not this season, there is a high chance they will be replaced by the start of next season. I think it's fair to say there is probably a better chance of signing a manager at the end of a season than in the middle of one. This gives us a chance of tying down a new manager, whom the board backs, to a three-year contract. The best case scenario is that we make the play-offs, and potentially find a better manager than the likes of Rudan and Ramon who were linked with the job for the next season. The worst-case scenario is that we'd have wasted one of our four guaranteed years left. 

I hope you lot don't give up on the club, if I had the finances I would fly down every game win or lose. The club is more likely to die due to fans not turning up rather than Des and Greenie being redundant. There isn't enough of us to be pulling out of the club because you disagree with the board's decision. There's already plenty of fair-weather fans in New Zealand, let's set ourselves apart from that. 

There is the overnight sleeper bus I believe, less than $60 return.

I think we need an open letter to welnix thread

Would love to try that at some point, though I'm also a university student and a bartender, weekends off are rare. Though I'm coming down for the 12 Pubs and rescheduled Victory game!

I wonder if there's a target for these guys to get the job next year. Like, finish 4th and get a contract extension? If we did finish that high I'd eat humble pie and be more than happy for them to stay on

Incentive based contracts instead of performance based - There is a difference, would be a good thing. The same could apply to the players as well.

Really underwhelming decision to keep this coaching duo on. However if it's because the preferred candidate is not available till the off season, then it's halfway sensible.

No question that the Phoenix aren't far away from Last Chance Saloon in the A League if Buckingham and Greenacre fail to make a difference - and scraping into the 6th spot is NOT making a difference,  Such low aspirations are turning fans off. We want to win the A League, not just take part.

We have one card left to play this season - and that's Smeltz - who will score goals if he's fit enough to stay on the field for most of the remaining campaign - and score them against Top 4 sides.

If that happens - and we start winning - then the fans will come back.

If not - it'll be one last shot in 2017-18.

Respect heaps of what Welnix are doing, but our on going reluctance to sign an out-and-out goal scoring import is totally unrealistic,and in the mopup, will come back to haunt us. 

Re Kiwi talent like Ridenton and Rufer - I have no doubt if they were considered  better options than Lia, A-Rod etc, then they would get a start. Giving our younger NZ talent a break for the sake of it, is the last thing we need. Everything has to be on total merit. You have to be good enough.

Buckingham Nicks were a band in the 70s.

Good decision - don't have to tell the new coach where the toilet is.

Hopefully tribulietx is ready for next year.

Another coaching appointment would have just been mercenary - coach for cash - fudge the Phoenix. At least the duet care.

They know what is wrong and what changes need to be made. I read that in the paper ☺

It was weird to hear Greenacre's comments about needing someone with a bit of desire in front of goal.

Do our current players not want to score?

Isn't it a case of skill and tactics being more important than desire - i.e. you can coach the tactics, but determination has to be innate to the player?

In which case, does Greenacre know how to motivate players?

Although I can't really tell what's wrong with the team at the moment; but it seems like an experienced set of fresh hands would be able to make a difference ...

.. and if we'd hired an Aussie coach, like Rudan or Trani, then maybe the contrary voices across the Tasman would shut up?

Trani would and has been my choice. I guess your banner didn't get the result you had hoped for but at least you stood up to be counted. Respect for that. 

I think it's just a comment on the reality that Ernie did not have a natural striker and relied on quick wider players.

GreenBucks have already moved to playing a central striker, but useful though Watson is, he's no Berisha, Fornaroli, Keogh or, hopefully, later day Smeltz.

You can motivate players all you like, but a striker is a striker. 

I see this appointment as the best choice. Buckingham is clearly the most qualified coach around, surely that means something.

I reckon we are not far away from absoulutely thrashing someone. If it all clicks we'll score lots of goals, confidence will come (Krishna is the only attacker playing with confidence). Galekovic was by far Adelaide's best, in previous weeks you could say the same about opposition keepers.

Reassess at the end of the season and if things havent changed, start again.

In regard to Watson, some strikers don't come to life until later in their career. Paul Furlong being a classic example. as he scored naf all at QPR that first season back there, then he came to life.

One could argue that Roy Krishna is such a man (saw a chart this week on Twitter where his GPG+APG mark is second only to one Marco Rojas).

"Pep Guardiola stands for a picture with the Circus performers and owner"

<img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/03/article-2517353-19CDCA6200000578-110_634x427.jpg" height="427" width="634" alt="Strike a pose: The Bayern boss stands for a picture with the Circus performers and owner"/>

It must be true then! I dont know whats going on in professional football these days but it seems to me they are overthinking it , overplanning and it and taking away all spontaneity.  If that approach works, then fine, but from where im sitting the Phoenix have played with a horrible shape for two years and have achieved nothing whatsoever with it. Stop passing it backwards, pass it forwards to someone in yellow and work harder off the ball to give the guy on the ball more options. Stop with all the stats counting, and count only goals for and against.  Have some tall guys who can head the ball in the team, and some short little mazy dribblers. And at least one winger!

Agree with this.

Wasn't keen on Green Eggs & Ham's appointment because they need someone who inspires more confidence long term.

But probably not such a bad move until the end of the season.

If they do really well, then keep them - otherwise the club can spend the long off-season looking for better options...

Will be interesting to see who Melbourne City go with now that John van 't Schip has stepped down this afternoon to return to the Netherlands. They've announced Michael Valkanis will act as interim coach. "The club is searching for a long-term replacement".

Be interesting if Ernie gets the gig there....

We back Buck

We back Buck

Inasmuch as I also preferred to see a more experienced coach appointed instead of the Dynamic Duo, I appreciate that there are factors at play we don't know (someone else approached and agreed on terms but not free till next season??? etc).

However, either way, I am not going to throw my toys and the club scarf out of the pram just because Des and Chris were appointed "against my best advice". I think it is more worthwhile to give them our benefit of the doubt. And so I, for one, will continue loudly cheering my team on, every game day, and also venting my angst on this forum of course. 

Let's give them a Green light; and hope we may yet Buck the current trend.

All this talk of green eggs and ham makes me think of this:

Maybe not, but Roy is very fast. And not all strikers need to be truly fast. For example, McLaren is probably not any faster than Watson,  but seems to be often in the right place at the right time to be a real threat. Castro may not be superfast but is a real threat.

Looking forward, Smeltz may not have his old speed either. We may not have a fast team overall, so we need to win games on other points like better positional play and good individual skill.

What are you taking about? Our number one striker is fudgeing fast.

You are correct. I have now edited my initial post as it did not make much sense.

tl:dr has Auckland Phoenix lost his shark about this yet and thrown his rattle in a post