What's happened to Stein?

As the title says; whats happened to Stein and why is he seemingly so out of favour?

In the first handful of games I thought he looked a very decent player - I thought he potentially looked like the best striker we've had thus far and I don't really understand why he is now a highly paid bench warmer.

Can anyone shed some light - is he nursing an injury or has Ricki just felt the pressure to change things? I realise he wasn't that great in his last couple of starts but neither was the rest of the team; surely he's a better option as an out and out striker than Brockie (who scores great goals but doesn't do much else)

Nightz and Bladenix aren't fans of his. 

I like him, but he needs better service, along the carpet.  He ain't no good in the air.

wonder why a winger isn't that great in the air?

I think he's decent and can still offer us a lot BUT I wish he would not play it back to the midfield so often. Turn/take players on/shoot - be selfish like a real striker - not laying off to someone else in the box when you could shoot yourself. I hope he gets some game time to prove himself again tomorrow.

I feel like he's trying to do what's expected of him - everyone wants him to be a 'target man' but he quite obviously isn't. He does hold the ball up better than Brockie, though.

Would probably be better in a front 2 to be fair.

Its like wearing purple trousers with orange T shirt....doesn't work, clash of styles.

Same with Stein and the Nix. A guy who has had a very succesful career playing Div 1 in Holland and then comes to the Nix. Total football meets hoof ball. In Holland any player who lobbed a cross in from 35 metres would get a kick up the arse from the coach. They don't do that sort of stuff....here its a regular tactic. Stein has been bought up on a fast short passing game....pass and move, short triangles, sliding passes through to forwards, angled runs etc etc. Here we are much more static and direct.

So if we get players on his wave length who will slide passes through to him he will score with ease(as per Sydney and Adelaide early season) However recently we have been all over the place tactically...and so has Stein.

So he either he adjusts to our style..which is unlikely coz he is not that sort of player or we adapt out play to suit his strengths...which is possible. Personally I think he is a very good player but time will tell if he/we can adjust.

Which brings us to the point....what did they think they were getting if they recruited a forward from Holland? what style do they think they play there?

So you've seen how Stein played 5-10 years ago? Bullshit. You really think that all Holland/Belgium play is 'Total Football'? I guarantee there is hoofball there too ( and have seen it )

sign him as coach

Hope if we are going to play like we did yesterday he gets a decent swag of game time- cos I think with Fenton, Boyd, Totori, Brockie and Sanchez providing some service he's gunna fill his boots. He looked very good in combo with Brockie against Sydney in the first game. Was hoping for a lot more of that. 

pfft feyenoord, pack of cockroaches, stein done well to ditch that mob for us ;)

http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/football/240761/football-huysegems-still-wanted-herbert

He's had some good games for us and impressed me at times with his touch, but the last one or two he started he wasn't that good - ineffectual anyway. I think the different style of football thing is a weak excuse. It may be true, but if he's good he should be good enough to adjust.

I keep misreading this thread title as "What's happened to Stalin?"

 Herbert insists Belgian import Huysegems still part of his plans

I miss Stein. He used to play a winger right? I guess he's not that fast but can he provide clinical crosses? If he could be I'd like to see him used like a (hopefully way better) Rutger Wurm.

I know Ricki probably won't but is that a ridiculous suggestion?

This whole thing about Waffles reminds me of 2 articles I read in the weekend. One was trumpeting the arrival of a full time sports science/fitness chappy whose brief appears to be to make the Nix the fittest team in the A league.The other was an article about Berbatov and how he  seems to be thriving at Fulham. Sure , fitness and pace are important but not the be all and end all- if they were , then Downey and Pav would be starters. SUrely a " football brain" for want of a better term , is important.

The most creative and enjoyable Liverpool team I've seen had Jan Molby at the heart of everything good. COuldn't run if a Big Mac was on a a string in front of him but   he had such wonderful vision and could spray a pass from 1-40 yards and be dead accurate ( bit like Xabi Alonso). Didn't matter that he couldn't/wouldn't run ; Steve McMahon would do his work for him.

I'm not equating Stein with either Berbatov or Molby. But he does have a lovely touch and can bring others into play around him. He always looks to have a lot of time on the ball , a trait of very good players.

Sure , I like what Boyd and Fenton are bringing in terms of energy and enthusiasm  , Totori to a lesser extent. But isn't there still a place for the player whose game is based on finesse and touch , even if they don't appear to set records for athleticism?

Nice one.

Good point.

You would hope that Ricki can sort out a way for Stein to make some positive contribution because I agree he does have something to offer. As we have seen he is a real clinical finisher. No disrespect to Boyd/Fenton and Totori as they have done a fine job in upping our tempo but they are still in the development stage when it comes to scoring. I would like to see how Stein and Sanchez combined. They both have good feet and prefer the ball played along the ground.

Recently the Nix have been great in their buildup play but its when they get around the box they seem to lack ideas on how to create openings( and then resort to a hopeful cross). In tight situations its your skillful players who can create....maybe Stein working with Sanchez can make stuff happen.

Ricki is big on "work ethic and battling"...nothing wrong with that, its a very important part of football. We showed that against Heart where we pressured them into mistakes and we scored. However against top sides working hard will only get you so far. You need to create opportunities and then score from them...its skill that is mostly required.

Ohhhhh, now we've a chance again! Definite straight red there. Ref has lost it!

Wrong thread!!! Oops

lets be honest here, Jeremy Brockie is doing what he assumed Waffles would and that is scoring goals. Big things were expected of this guy but just don't think he's going to gel here. 

 I still feel hes on a completely different wave length than the rest of the squad, hes very much about short sharp football, not hoofball. He just looks awkward whenever we're thumping the ball through the air to him.

Waffles appears to now ranked our number 5 forward behind Ifill, Brockie, Totori, Fenton and Boyd. He has a year and a half left on his contract and one assumes will be on a high wage. He is also taking an import spot. He obviously wouldn't be happy with his spot in the pecking order and I wonder if we could look to unload him (it would have to be by mutual consent of course). That would free up up an import spot and a good wage to go hunting for the creative midfielder we truely need or else a striker who fits more into Rickis mode of operation (I.e: Van Djk)

Another marvellous scouting and recruiting effort from the Phoenix....NOT. Square peg in a round hole!

 Why can't we do a proper recruiting job lots other clubs? Decide what style you are going to play and then go out and recruit players who you think are best suited to playing that style. Postecoglu did that at the Roar and has done it again at Victory. Arnold gets it right at CCM.

We play a certain style. We top the League for balls into the box, mostly aerially. So you look at our squad and there is not one attacker with any pretensions of being good in the air. You look at them all.....they all could get bit parts as dwarfs in the Hobbit movie. First off the list for a Nix striker MUST BE GOOD IN THE AIR. So they go and recruit a ball playing winger from Holland.....good player but not our style. The history of Nix recruiting is full of players who have turned out to be incompatible with the way we play.

So we haven't used our marque spot and it falls outside salary cap right? So... What's stopping us

Peter crouch or Jan Koller could

I suggested when he was signed that he would be starting in his current position ......... The bench.

A close follower of his career were you? Seen a lot of him? 

We had this discussion when he was signed.

I dont spend alot of time looking at the bench, I prefer to watch the action on the field. So no, I havent seen alot of him.