What's really wrong with the Wellington Phoenix?

Probably our most high profile and successful player still lives here

And Burns explicitly singled out Wellington city as the reason to return, his girlfriend apparently pushed for it. I think the reason people leave is not so much Wellington as the club.

From Nix Fake News:

A VIEW FROM UNDER THE DOME [ DID YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE! WOOHOO! ]

Kia ora <Members Name> 

[INTERNAL NOTE: AREN'T WE MARKETING MAVENS. I LEARNT PERSONALISATION AND MAIL MERGE ON A WORDPERFECT COURSE IN THE 90s. DON"T WORRY THIS COMMENT WON'T GO OUT TO THE SUCKERS...SEASON TICKET HOLDERS]

The club takes very seriously decisions such as this, to take games away from Wellington. SO SERIOUSLY WE THOUGHT IT BEST TO COMMUNICATE THE DECISION VIA STUFF THEN TICKETEK THEN TICKETMASTER AND FINALLY MAKE TICKETEK ADMIT THAT TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE ONLY VIA THEIR MAIN RIVAL We have received plenty of feedback from Wellington-based fans and we understand the disappointment. YET DIDN'T THINK AN EMAIL TO SEASON TICKET HOLDERS PRIOR TO PUBLICATION OF THE RE-SCHEDULING IN STUFF WAS WORTH THE TIME AND EFFORT AND ASSUMED THOSE 6,000 TRAGICS WILL TURN UP TO ANY DESIGNATED LAST HOME GAME OF THE SEASON IN WELLINGTON EVEN IF IT'S A SUNDAY INSTEAD OF PROVIDING THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW APPRECIATION OF THE TEAM AND ESPECIALLY CLUB CAPTAIN & STALWART, ANDREW DURANTE. WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE MIGHT RETIRE? I'M STILL TRYING TO DEAL WITH THE FOURTEEN OTHERS WHO ARE OFF CONTRACT IN APRIL AT LEAST THERE’S SOME GOOD NEWS, HAD A QUICK CHAT WITH ROY THIS ARVO, SOUNDS LIKE  WE’LL HAVE ONE LESS CONTRACT RENEWAL TO WORRY ABOUT SOON

Round 27: Match Reschedule - move to QBE Stadium, Auckland

- Negotiations with Football Federation Australia had been ongoing for some time but the governing body has given the green light for a second Auckland-based game ending speculation as to where Phoenix would take its final home game for the 2017/2018 season. ADMITTEDLY THIS SPECULATION WAS CONFINED TO THE PHOENIX BOARDROOM & MARKETING OFFICE. THE MAIN POINT OF SPECULATION WAS HOW TO CONVERT A SPONSOR'S DIRECTIVE INTO MARKETING GENIUS. 

- “Regional fans have in the past really embraced us when we travel – we’ve had twenty thousand come out 6 YEARS AGO in Christchurch and Auckland in the past, so it’s important for us to continue to connect with important strategic markets fans around New Zealand, EVEN IF ONLY ABOUT 3,000 WILL TURN UP ON PADDY'S NIGHT AND 5,000 IN APRIL TO FAREWELL OUR CLUB CAPTAIN, APPARENTLY HE MIGHT RETIRE AT THE END OF THIS SEASON.. WE'VE ONLY JUST REALISED THAT A GAME IS ON PADDY'S NIGHT, SO A COMMERATIVE GREEN STRIP WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THE SPECIAL PRICE OF $200 TO OUR LOYAL SEASON TICKET HOLDERS. THE STRIP WILL BE THE SAME COLOUR WE USE TO DISTINGUISH THE SAND FROM THE GRASS AT THE STADIUM OF SA...I MEAN QBE

[FINAL NOTE: I'M NOT SURE WHY THIS NEWS HAS CAUSED SO MUCH FUSS. I'M SURE IF WE KEEP THE HAPPY STORIES GOING ON THE WEBSITE WE'LL FINISH IN THE TOP FOUR EASILY]

I agree with that. They could be in a worse spot that Welly. For players at a decent level who're likely to be affordable to Welnix, they are not going to be pining for Estadio Bernabeu, Maracana, or Wembley. They would be happy that the local airport in Welly has international flights, that there are decent restaurants in town, passable beach to swim at in summer, and that their kit won't get stolen while they're out training. 

OK, maybe that last one is a bit touch & go, but still.

Didn’t a bunch of stuff get stolen from the changing rooms at Newtown park while the players were training years ago? 

So yeah, maybe not that last one!

Think that was Mainland FC joke.

Didn’t new players at Wimbledon get gear knicked, suits burned etc by the Crazy Gang? 

Inter-club & intra-club jokes and pranks go on at all levels

A mate of mine was at Wimbedon as a trainee during those days. Gear knicked and suits burned wasn't even the start of it. Hospitalisation was fairly frequent.

Napier Phoenix is bang on... plenty of top pros, without clubs, who would happily live here, and with reasonable wage demands will never enter the Phoenix's radar

Player recruitment is complex and someone at the club needs to be damn good at it with access to proper scouting networks and agent networks (which are quite different). Connections via playing or coaching experience sometimes offers a shortcut, but is not a reliable means of attracting players.

I'd be interested to know exactly how each of our previous flops and successes were recruited. I'd be interested to see how this compares to other clubs, not just their successes, but their flops too. I'd be interested to see how integration with playing style, lifestyle assimilation and everything was a factor.

We're not the only club that has struggled in this regard. I mean, imagine being responsible for the budget that Sydney FC had in the early years and failing so badly!

There seems to be a dis-connect between PeeWeeNix/ WeeNix and the Phoenix when in comes to developing players from junior to senior contracts. The TeeDubs have done reasonably well from this failure of the Phoenix in talent spotting and player development. The supposed strategic alliance between the two clubs, if it still exists, seems to be the TeeDubs picking up good NZ players after the Nix contracts have ended or not been offered in transition from junior to senior staus

a few people on here have been suggesting that jack-henry sinclair and justin gulley are good enough for the nix

and let's not forget scu-nthorpe (clayton lewis)

Also remember than some Australian/NZ players have not had good experiences abroad. Smeltz didn’t do well at Halifax Town and nobody in the A-League was interested in Burns when he signed for the Nix the first time. We really require some of that football acumen to secure a couple of players at least. The most promising signs from the Nix in the last few months has been the re-signing of Burns along with the recruitment of Ljujic. Sadly these moments of hope and success have been marred by the cluster fudge of a rescheduled game.

Is there? They've given senior contracts to Sapreet Singh, Logan Rogerson and Keegan Smith (well ok a youth contract that will become a senior one) in the last couple of years. Part of the problem is in the past the weenix has been an U21 team and the players haven't been at a stage to step up to the next level, what's then happened with the players that have gone over 21 is that they have usually ended up at Team Wellington

My personal beef is more in the younger player development within the Nix. If a player like Sinclair is not worth a U21 contract then there’s not much hope for NZ player development by the Phoenix Another couple of years within the Nix, then make a decision would seem to be the sensible option to an outsider. 

Who put the CU-NextTuesday in Scu-nthorpe? ?

I'm actually starting to think that fudge is a real word

It is.

Not just the Nix in trouble. Lots of A-League angst across the Tasman. 

'IT’S the national competition that most Australians don’t even know is happening.

If you’re not a football fan, you’d be forgiven for not even knowing the A-League season had started.'

http://www.news.com.au/sport/football/a-league/pro...

This thread has truly 'jumped the shark' by now.

Attention Mods. As this is a popular thread, is. It ok to start a new "protest thread" so as not to distract from this threads title now that it us getting back to the subject matter?? Thought I'd ask first.

Good idea. Go for it. 

To continue the debate on topic how about the Nix hiring Tony Pignata as a football management consultant for a season?(now that he is no longer at Sydney) Because in my opinion Dome is simply not up to it. The clusterf**k of management cockups just keep coming.

Currently we have the ridiculous late notice shift of the last season game to Auckland(I feel so sorry reading the stories of people who have already paid for travel for this last game) We also have the Krishna saga( Paul Ifill recently stated that he is amazed that the club did not sort out Krishnas contract at the end of last season considering he was our best player) 

We were so lucky to have had Pignata. He is responsible in a big way for the transformation of Sydney. I see also that the Australian Business council have named him in their top 20 CEO's for 2017. IMO the club management has been in steady decline since Dome took over. Get Pignata in as a management consultant to get the club back on a steady keel

Club website says Richard Parkin is Head of Communications. Is this his Twitter account?

This account?

Thanks. 

I asked the other day whom was the marketing manager of the NIx. Does anyone know? Do we have one?

Staff list on this page 

https://www.wellingtonphoenix.com/about-us

thanks 

So there is no one actually in charge off marketing. It's a mix /match of a number of roles which I am struggling to figure what those people actually do all day

Surely the social media/digital role is a part time job? I can only assume that the communications role also doesn't take 40 hours a week

Patrick probably does more of a social media, communication role then those two combined and I assume he doesn't get paid.

Next observation is usually when you list your staff members, you click on the name and it will take you to a bio about their background.

In this case nada.

I can only assume that this is intentional.

Not sure why you think Patrick does Comms. 

The back office does definitely seem stretched. The head of Comms role is definitely a 40 hour per week job, as I imagine they take on a lot of the marketing - that’s usually the case with a comms or marketing role, they tend to get combined.

Suspect you’re right about the digital media job being part time, that’s likely centred around match days and events. 

I do wonder if part of the problem is they’re running the back office on a shoe string. I’d guess they’re overworked, and aren’t as resourced or well staffed as other clubs are. It’s still a step up from our kit man writing press releases as happened in the past I suppose

FWIW: I emailed him today with a few questions. If, IF,  I get a reply I'll pass it on.

*sighs* I simply wanted to know if this was his Twitter account. 

It is

I would assume communications takes very little of his day if he can't send an email advising members of a change of city

If he is actually in charge of marketing of a football club (one would normally be called a marketing manager not communications unless your organisation is big enough to warrant both) 

then the first rule he should probably learn about marketing  is not to post photos of an empty stadium on your twitter account

One more thing. I got asked if moving the match is a breach of the Consumer Guarantees Act. Interesting angle to take.

only complimenting you Patrick, don't take it the wrong way,  because from the little or nothing that I see them doing, you do a hell of a lot more for love.

The thread title is "What's really wrong with the Wellington Phoenix"

People have blamed the coach, players, stadium, even wellingtons earthquakes but the time has came to look at the entire organisation and that always starts with the front office and what these people actually do in their working day to manage this club.