Rollo is saying all three off to other A League clubs
We have to do some serious thinking about why the Nix continues to be so unattractive that our talent leaves us for other A-League clubs.
its because other teams will pay more than us. simple as that.
As far as your other comments go, I don't understand why you support a Wellington football team if you hate Wellington. It makes no sense to me.
Money is a potential factor that cannot be excluded or discounted. I do not see any evidence of "hating Wellington" here. We support the club regardless of whether it can match these offers or not; sometimes it doesn't, the players move on, but we remain here to support it.
doloras is always talking crap without any evidence to back it up. It's a pattern of behaviour
To he fair I'm not a fan of Aucks but I love the Warriors and support the Breakers.
Give me a Welly equivalent and I'll be down to switch. Well except the Warriors. 20 something years of fandom ain't going anywhere, no matter how much it hurts.
Rollo is saying all three off to other A League clubs
We have to do some serious thinking about why the Nix continues to be so unattractive that our talent leaves us for other A-League clubs.
its because other teams will pay more than us. simple as that.
As far as your other comments go, I don't understand why you support a Wellington football team if you hate Wellington. It makes no sense to me.
Money is a potential factor that cannot be excluded or discounted. I do not see any evidence of "hating Wellington" here. We support the club regardless of whether it can match these offers or not; sometimes it doesn't, the players move on, but we remain here to support it.
doloras is always talking crap without any evidence to back it up. It's a pattern of behaviour
To he fair I'm not a fan of Aucks but I love the Warriors and support the Breakers.
Give me a Welly equivalent and I'll be down to switch. Well except the Warriors. 20 something years of fandom ain't going anywhere, no matter how much it hurts.
Rollo is saying all three off to other A League clubs
We have to do some serious thinking about why the Nix continues to be so unattractive that our talent leaves us for other A-League clubs.
its because other teams will pay more than us. simple as that.
As far as your other comments go, I don't understand why you support a Wellington football team if you hate Wellington. It makes no sense to me.
Money is a potential factor that cannot be excluded or discounted. I do not see any evidence of "hating Wellington" here. We support the club regardless of whether it can match these offers or not; sometimes it doesn't, the players move on, but we remain here to support it.
doloras is always talking crap without any evidence to back it up. It's a pattern of behaviour
To he fair I'm not a fan of Aucks but I love the Warriors and support the Breakers.
Give me a Welly equivalent and I'll be down to switch. Well except the Warriors. 20 something years of fandom ain't going anywhere, no matter how much it hurts.
those are branded as new Zealand teams though
Yea but that's at best splitting hairs.
Auckland Warriors rebranded as NZ Warriors so people would stop hissying about the name. To any reasonable person nothing actually changed. Same club, same home stadium, etc.
Breakers are the only NZ professional basketball team, Warriors are the only professional NZ League team, Nix are the only professional NZ football team.
If you wanna support a kiwi professional team then choices are limited at best. If someone hates Wellington but wants to support the Nix then that's great for our club.
You're missing the point, there's a couple of people on here who keep posting about how players leave Wellington because the city is some sort of shark hole (which is laughable because despite the fact that it's got it's problems, Wellington is regularly rated as one of the top cities in the world). They present this opinion as fact, despite the hundreds of players that have stayed and the dozens who have sung the praises of the city, because there was a rumour that one players wife wasn't happy with the shopping options (and that player subsequently returned to the club with the same wife...)
Welly ain't a shark hole at all. But it has sharktier weather than every city in Australia that an ALM team is based in.
It also has limitations when compared to Melbs & Sydney (especially), even Brisbane when you look at expat diasporas (important for non UK visa players) and just general things to do. There is always more going on in a larger city.
Plus there will just be more career oppportunities in Aussie's larger cities (and even the 09) compared to Wgtn. And that could well play a part when guys like Sail & Lewis, who's partners currently don't live in the 04, try and work out a solution of how they can be in the same place as their beloveds.
But yeah a lot of visa players & their families love the Welly lifestyle. Especially the Brits it seems.
Makes sense. Offered them the best deal we could afford, other teams offered more. As Ufuk said, players careers are short, they have to make the most money then can while they can.
Maybe he is keeping his cards close to his chest but doesn't sound like we are chasing players from other AL sides atm. All the good players will be off the market if we wait too long.
You're missing the point, there's a couple of people on here who keep posting about how players leave Wellington because the city is some sort of shark hole (which is laughable because despite the fact that it's got it's problems, Wellington is regularly rated as one of the top cities in the world). They present this opinion as fact, despite the hundreds of players that have stayed and the dozens who have sung the praises of the city, because there was a rumour that one players wife wasn't happy with the shopping options (and that player subsequently returned to the club with the same wife...)
It's madness.
Once the coolest little capital, Wellington is fast becoming an “expensive and constipated drain hole that can't get moving”.
So says architect and urban designer Angela Foster, before twisting the knife even further.
^^^ Trolling the people who got absolutely spare when anyone has any criticism of Welly ever. But the people in this thread who seem to know what they're talking about say the real issue we can't keep players is money. So I'll believe them.
^^^ Trolling the people who got absolutely spare when anyone has any criticism of Welly ever. But the people in this thread who seem to know what they're talking about say the real issue we can't keep players is money. So I'll believe them.
Well to be fair the money issue is the issue that the club can do something about - within the cap of course. Can't change anything about the city/weather. That's on the council and the gods. So the continuous whinging about how shark Wellington is seems rather pointless here.
You're missing the point, there's a couple of people on here who keep posting about how players leave Wellington because the city is some sort of shark hole (which is laughable because despite the fact that it's got it's problems, Wellington is regularly rated as one of the top cities in the world). They present this opinion as fact, despite the hundreds of players that have stayed and the dozens who have sung the praises of the city, because there was a rumour that one players wife wasn't happy with the shopping options (and that player subsequently returned to the club with the same wife...)
It's madness.
Ah right, I feel ya. Sorry I just get my nickers in a twist when anyone questions someone supporting our club.
Any issues the Nix would have getting peps would be the same for Aucks. Even getting league players from Aus to play for the Warriors is a challenge.
The A League isn't one of the highest leagues in the world and with so many good leagues in the world players have a lot of options.
Attracting players to the Nix is always gonna be a challenge which an Aucks team would share.
But the with stuff like the high performance center in Upper Hutt they are doing a good job to make it more attractive and we have pulled some incredible players over the years.
It maybe less of a problem for an Aucks ALM team though. Howieson is one guy that would make himself available for an ALM team in 09. Before N Boxall was signed some other Kiwi was lined up (Pijnaker?) before apparently changing their mind last minute as they had reservations about Welly. Lewis's partner is in Auckland. Maybe part of reason he is moving to a Aussie ALM club, is so they can be together.
Auckland is just a bigger city, with a larger job market and a bit more going on. Alot of NZ footballers come from there, and many would likely rather live there than the Capital, if there was a choice. That's not to bag Wellington, it's just to state the obvious.
So an Auckland ALM team would likely find recruitment a bit easier, but not any major difference.
You're missing the point, there's a couple of people on here who keep posting about how players leave Wellington because the city is some sort of shark hole (which is laughable because despite the fact that it's got it's problems, Wellington is regularly rated as one of the top cities in the world). They present this opinion as fact, despite the hundreds of players that have stayed and the dozens who have sung the praises of the city, because there was a rumour that one players wife wasn't happy with the shopping options (and that player subsequently returned to the club with the same wife...)
It's madness.
Agree with you. They're the Wellington Phoenix, thats their city and mine too. If people wanna talk shark about the place they can fudge off and support all the pro football teams in their home towns, if they have any.
Yeah welly has problems but if you're not from here you can get some. That's football.
The only team I'll share with the jafas is the All Whites.
Don't care about players leaving for better money, can't blame them (although question the lack of ambition). Sick of getting zero transfer fees. Being a feeder club only works if you get something for developing players, otherwise we will end up like central coast (who have produced most of Australia's best players over the last decade but have fudge all to show for it). One average transfer fee every few years is not sustainable, especially considering the talent we have lost. Club needs to do better - we are owned by a bunch of business people, they should be aware that we must maximize profits.
Also - NZ cities fudgeing suck, doesnt matter if its Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch or Dunedin. Anyone who travels overseas knows this - NZ warriors always struggle to attract/retain talent for this reason. Unless guys come here to start a family or explore the great outdoors, it will always be a struggle to retain talent.
Don't care about players leaving for better money, can't blame them (although question the lack of ambition). Sick of getting zero transfer fees. Being a feeder club only works if you get something for developing players, otherwise we will end up like central coast (who have produced most of Australia's best players over the last decade but have fudge all to show for it). One average transfer fee every few years is not sustainable, especially considering the talent we have lost. Club needs to do better - we are owned by a bunch of business people, they should be aware that we must maximize profits.
none of the players that are leaving are development players! They are all senior pros who move clubs as they need to. They are not leaving mid contract they have seen out their contract and are free to find other clubs. I think I'm correct in my understanding that their is a no transfer fee between Aleague clubs??? The only way we'd be getting a tranfer fee is if a non-aleague club came knocking and their contract was still over a year to go. We're not a feefer club for anyone really, we develop our own youth and if they shine sell them to bigger clubs, Singh, Cacacae, Waine were all sold to bigger clubs. We have over the years brought Aussie pros into form and they have moved on after a season or two - Piscopo, Sotirio, Burns etc.
As for all NZ cities sucking, well you know where the airports are, avail yourself and go enjoy the better cities in Aussie - who also enjoy flooding, fires, high housing costs, a cost of living "crisis" and lets not forget still dont give NZ'rs the same access to support, heathcare as you Aussies get here (although under Albanese this is changing?)
Also - NZ cities fudgeing suck, doesnt matter if its Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch or Dunedin. Anyone who travels overseas knows this - NZ warriors always struggle to attract/retain talent for this reason. Unless guys come here to start a family or explore the great outdoors, it will always be a struggle to retain talent.
Thats just your opinion though nothing about Sydney or Melbourne has me wanting to rush to live there. Actually love the fact most of our cities are nothing like some of those around the world.
Don't care about players leaving for better money, can't blame them (although question the lack of ambition). Sick of getting zero transfer fees. Being a feeder club only works if you get something for developing players, otherwise we will end up like central coast (who have produced most of Australia's best players over the last decade but have fudge all to show for it). One average transfer fee every few years is not sustainable, especially considering the talent we have lost. Club needs to do better - we are owned by a bunch of business people, they should be aware that we must maximize profits.
none of the players that are leaving are development players! They are all senior pros who move clubs as they need to. They are not leaving mid contract they have seen out their contract and are free to find other clubs. I think I'm correct in my understanding that their is a no transfer fee between Aleague clubs??? The only way we'd be getting a tranfer fee is if a non-aleague club came knocking and their contract was still over a year to go. We're not a feefer club for anyone really, we develop our own youth and if they shine sell them to bigger clubs, Singh, Cacacae, Waine were all sold to bigger clubs. We have over the years brought Aussie pros into form and they have moved on after a season or two - Piscopo, Sotirio, Burns etc.
As for all NZ cities sucking, well you know where the airports are, avail yourself and go enjoy the better cities in Aussie - who also enjoy flooding, fires, high housing costs, a cost of living "crisis" and lets not forget still dont give NZ'rs the same access to support, heathcare as you Aussies get here (although under Albanese this is changing?)
Did we not have offers for Sail last season? Im sure we could have shipped Lewis to some other clubs if he was wanting to leave.
I enjoy living in New Zealand, because it suits my lifestyle - but if i was a mid 20's pro footballer looking for a good time id be looking anywhere else. Most international cities don't close at 9pm and cater to boomer cafe lifestyles. Also most cities have semi-competent public transport systems.
You can enjoy a country and point out its negatives bud, dont be so fudgeing sensitive.
In an attempt to get this thread back on topic, if Elliot makes a move overseas, who do we reckon would be a good replacement for him?
Obviously Tim Payne is already in the set-up, but I think we can all agree that he's much better suited playing CB at this stage.
In the academy there's Marco Lorenz, he had a sniff of senior football in the Australia Cup, but I don't think he's ready to start yet.
Outside of the club, the standout available kiwi has got to be Jack-Henry Sinclair. Now obviously for the last few years he's been playing as a hyper-attacking RWB/outright RW, which his goalscoring stats make abundantly clear. But he's trialled with the Nix recently and we've got a great track record in converting wingers to dedicated fullbacks.
Another local option is Kelvin Kalua. I really like the look of this guy, he played well for the All Whites and can be deputised anywhere on the backline. My only reservation is that he's been a bit invisible since the All Whites call-up. He unsuccessfully trialled in Europe, didn't play for a while and then returned to Eastern Suburbs. Haven't seen him mentioned as a standout in a while, but the talent is obviously there.
The other domestic RBs that The Niche Cache put in their top 3 XIs were Dylan Hobson and Regont Murati, though I doubt either would be ready to start in the A-League.
Across the ditch, Matt Millar, Josh Brindell-South, Jacob Tratt, Antonee Burke-Gilroy and Louis Zabala are off contract, though none of them inspire much confidence (bar maybe Millar).
There's also NPL players and Kiwis finishing up at US universities, but I'm not gonna do a deep dive on them.
If I were making this list last season I would've also included Noah Billingsley, but unless I'm mistaken, the guy is barely even playing for Christchurch United.
Of those players, I'd probably go for Jack-Henry Sinclair. I understand the reason he wasn't signed this season was because Uffie saw Payne as a RB, but that doesn't seem to be the case any longer. JHS at RB would obviously raise the question of defensive stability, in which case Kalua could potentially be a better option (if he's actually still good?), but given the importance of Elliot's attacking output this season, I feel that Sinclair would be the best replacement.
Don't care about players leaving for better money, can't blame them (although question the lack of ambition). Sick of getting zero transfer fees. Being a feeder club only works if you get something for developing players, otherwise we will end up like central coast (who have produced most of Australia's best players over the last decade but have fudge all to show for it). One average transfer fee every few years is not sustainable, especially considering the talent we have lost. Club needs to do better - we are owned by a bunch of business people, they should be aware that we must maximize profits.
none of the players that are leaving are development players! They are all senior pros who move clubs as they need to. They are not leaving mid contract they have seen out their contract and are free to find other clubs. I think I'm correct in my understanding that their is a no transfer fee between Aleague clubs??? The only way we'd be getting a tranfer fee is if a non-aleague club came knocking and their contract was still over a year to go. We're not a feefer club for anyone really, we develop our own youth and if they shine sell them to bigger clubs, Singh, Cacacae, Waine were all sold to bigger clubs. We have over the years brought Aussie pros into form and they have moved on after a season or two - Piscopo, Sotirio, Burns etc.
As for all NZ cities sucking, well you know where the airports are, avail yourself and go enjoy the better cities in Aussie - who also enjoy flooding, fires, high housing costs, a cost of living "crisis" and lets not forget still dont give NZ'rs the same access to support, heathcare as you Aussies get here (although under Albanese this is changing?)
Did we not have offers for Sail last season? Im sure we could have shipped Lewis to some other clubs if he was wanting to leave.
I enjoy living in New Zealand, because it suits my lifestyle - but if i was a mid 20's pro footballer looking for a good time id be looking anywhere else. Most international cities don't close at 9pm and cater to boomer cafe lifestyles. Also most cities have semi-competent public transport systems.
You can enjoy a country and point out its negatives bud, dont be so fudgeing sensitive.
We had offers in front of all three, they turned them down.
Don't care about players leaving for better money, can't blame them (although question the lack of ambition). Sick of getting zero transfer fees. Being a feeder club only works if you get something for developing players, otherwise we will end up like central coast (who have produced most of Australia's best players over the last decade but have fudge all to show for it). One average transfer fee every few years is not sustainable, especially considering the talent we have lost. Club needs to do better - we are owned by a bunch of business people, they should be aware that we must maximize profits.
none of the players that are leaving are development players! They are all senior pros who move clubs as they need to. They are not leaving mid contract they have seen out their contract and are free to find other clubs. I think I'm correct in my understanding that their is a no transfer fee between Aleague clubs??? The only way we'd be getting a tranfer fee is if a non-aleague club came knocking and their contract was still over a year to go. We're not a feefer club for anyone really, we develop our own youth and if they shine sell them to bigger clubs, Singh, Cacacae, Waine were all sold to bigger clubs. We have over the years brought Aussie pros into form and they have moved on after a season or two - Piscopo, Sotirio, Burns etc.
As for all NZ cities sucking, well you know where the airports are, avail yourself and go enjoy the better cities in Aussie - who also enjoy flooding, fires, high housing costs, a cost of living "crisis" and lets not forget still dont give NZ'rs the same access to support, heathcare as you Aussies get here (although under Albanese this is changing?)
Did we not have offers for Sail last season? Im sure we could have shipped Lewis to some other clubs if he was wanting to leave.
I enjoy living in New Zealand, because it suits my lifestyle - but if i was a mid 20's pro footballer looking for a good time id be looking anywhere else. Most international cities don't close at 9pm and cater to boomer cafe lifestyles. Also most cities have semi-competent public transport systems.
You can enjoy a country and point out its negatives bud, dont be so fudgeing sensitive.
Joey Johns
theprof
Joey Johns
Don't care about players leaving for better money, can't blame them (although question the lack of ambition). Sick of getting zero transfer fees. Being a feeder club only works if you get something for developing players, otherwise we will end up like central coast (who have produced most of Australia's best players over the last decade but have fudge all to show for it). One average transfer fee every few years is not sustainable, especially considering the talent we have lost. Club needs to do better - we are owned by a bunch of business people, they should be aware that we must maximize profits.
none of the players that are leaving are development players! They are all senior pros who move clubs as they need to. They are not leaving mid contract they have seen out their contract and are free to find other clubs. I think I'm correct in my understanding that their is a no transfer fee between Aleague clubs??? The only way we'd be getting a tranfer fee is if a non-aleague club came knocking and their contract was still over a year to go. We're not a feefer club for anyone really, we develop our own youth and if they shine sell them to bigger clubs, Singh, Cacacae, Waine were all sold to bigger clubs. We have over the years brought Aussie pros into form and they have moved on after a season or two - Piscopo, Sotirio, Burns etc.
As for all NZ cities sucking, well you know where the airports are, avail yourself and go enjoy the better cities in Aussie - who also enjoy flooding, fires, high housing costs, a cost of living "crisis" and lets not forget still dont give NZ'rs the same access to support, heathcare as you Aussies get here (although under Albanese this is changing?)
Did we not have offers for Sail last season? Im sure we could have shipped Lewis to some other clubs if he was wanting to leave.
I enjoy living in New Zealand, because it suits my lifestyle - but if i was a mid 20's pro footballer looking for a good time id be looking anywhere else. Most international cities don't close at 9pm and cater to boomer cafe lifestyles. Also most cities have semi-competent public transport systems.
You can enjoy a country and point out its negatives bud, dont be so fudgeing sensitive.
nz cities only seem shark to you and other cities exciting because you're used to them and other cities are exotic, nz cities offer something else that cities in Europe or Asia don't and that's exciting for people who aren't used to it. Footballers play in some absolutely dire places, they're professional athletes and most of the time aren't even allowed to have a good time by their clubs. The city and country is a non issue, in fact it's an advantage and something attractive. Rather than continuing the discussion about it I was hoping we'd stop.
Alright so evidently the RB post wasn't enough to divert attention away from arguing about NZ cities. How about we try discussing the midfield rebuild and how we'll replace Lewis and Ugarkovic.
I see Rufer as a nailed on starter now, so I think to replace the departing duo we need one starting quality player (to replace Clayton), and one bench/borderline starting player (to replace Steven).
Now I imagine we'll likely have to release Sasse and go down the VISA route, but local players would be my preference.
Clayton Lewis' replacement: Angus Thurgate: - My preferred choice. 23 years old and already one of the best players in the ALM. He's coming off contract at the Jets and is a similar player to Clayton. Can't say I have much confidence in him being signed though, I reckon he'll be off the the SPL with the rest of the aussie army.
Louis D'Arrigo - Another young aussie who's one of the best performing players in the competition. 21 years old and off contract at Adelaide. Still early in his development but has looked the goods this year. Perhaps a bit more defensively minded than Clayton, but has two goals and an assist this season. Another unlikely one though as I can see him extending with the Reds.
Daniel De Silva - 25 years old, off contract at Macarthur. Has been hot and cold in his career but typically a standout at Macarthur and the Mariners before that. Used to be an out and out attacker but has moved deeper this season, similarly to Clayton during his time at the Nix. Not sure if his player profile is the right match, but could be a good option.
Aiden O'Neill - 24 years old, off contract at Melbourne City. More of a pure DM so not an exact replacement for Clayton. Somewhat underrated, but has been the heart of City's dominance this season. Probably too good for us and I imagine he'll be back off to Europe (Troyes perhaps) come the end of the season.
Taras Gomulka - 21 years old and off contract at Brisbane after joining them mid-season from Melbourne City. Another talented youngster who's yet to put his stamp on the league. Perhaps more defensive than what we need, and I imagine Brisbane will be trying to tie him down for an extension.
Ryan Edwards - 29 year old free agent. Left Busan IPark in the K-League 2 in January. Has played extensively in the SPL and League Two. Is he actually good? I have no idea.
Steven Ugarkovic's replacement Trevor Zwetsloot: - My preferred choice. 23 year old free agent Kiwi DM. Always part of these discussions, he's recently come off contract at New England Revolution II after playing a full season (the most football of his professional career) in the MLS Next Pro. A potential star for the future and an excellent replacement for Ugarkovic.
James Musa: - 30 year old Kiwi DM. Another Kiwi that always comes up in these discussions. Recently joined the Colorado Switchbacks in the USL but is off contract in 2023. I reckon he'll want to stay in the US, but a return is always possible.
Dan McKay: - 19 year old CM in the academy. Apparently he's been the standout, performing better than the likes of Manuel, Conchie, Tollervey, Beale and Sheridan. Could potentially be in line for a call up to the senior squad.
Campbell Strong & Henry Hamilton: - Both 20 years old and playing for US universities. Strong a DM and Hamilton a CM, not sure how long either of them have left in their studies, but could both potentially be ready for a pro contract.
Final Thoughts My two preferred picks would be Angus Thurgate (to replace Lewis) and Trevor Zwetsloot (to replace Ugarkovic). If we hang on to Pennington then a starting two of Thurgate and Rufer with Pennington and Zwetsloot on the bench would be pretty strong I reckon.
Don’t think it’s anything Welly is doing wrong. A lot of Aussie is a sharkehole, but it’s a new and different kind of sharkehole.
Hopefully Callum looks at his first experience overseas and re-signs. But he would be very difficult to replace- pace, good feet, keeps his head up and Uffie said he’s a good defender. Very difficult to beat one on one.
Alright so evidently the RB post wasn't enough to divert attention away from arguing about NZ cities. How about we try discussing the midfield rebuild and how we'll replace Lewis and Ugarkovic.
I see Rufer as a nailed on starter now, so I think to replace the departing duo we need one starting quality player (to replace Clayton), and one bench/borderline starting player (to replace Steven).
Now I imagine we'll likely have to release Sasse and go down the VISA route, but local players would be my preference.
Clayton Lewis' replacement: Angus Thurgate: - My preferred choice. 23 years old and already one of the best players in the ALM. He's coming off contract at the Jets and is a similar player to Clayton. Can't say I have much confidence in him being signed though, I reckon he'll be off the the SPL with the rest of the aussie army.
Louis D'Arrigo - Another young aussie who's one of the best performing players in the competition. 21 years old and off contract at Adelaide. Still early in his development but has looked the goods this year. Perhaps a bit more defensively minded than Clayton, but has two goals and an assist this season. Another unlikely one though as I can see him extending with the Reds.
Daniel De Silva - 25 years old, off contract at Macarthur. Has been hot and cold in his career but typically a standout at Macarthur and the Mariners before that. Used to be an out and out attacker but has moved deeper this season, similarly to Clayton during his time at the Nix. Not sure if his player profile is the right match, but could be a good option.
Aiden O'Neill - 24 years old, off contract at Melbourne City. More of a pure DM so not an exact replacement for Clayton. Somewhat underrated, but has been the heart of City's dominance this season. Probably too good for us and I imagine he'll be back off to Europe (Troyes perhaps) come the end of the season.
Taras Gomulka - 21 years old and off contract at Brisbane after joining them mid-season from Melbourne City. Another talented youngster who's yet to put his stamp on the league. Perhaps more defensive than what we need, and I imagine Brisbane will be trying to tie him down for an extension.
Ryan Edwards - 29 year old free agent. Left Busan IPark in the K-League 2 in January. Has played extensively in the SPL and League Two. Is he actually good? I have no idea.
Steven Ugarkovic's replacement Trevor Zwetsloot: - My preferred choice. 23 year old free agent Kiwi DM. Always part of these discussions, he's recently come off contract at New England Revolution II after playing a full season (the most football of his professional career) in the MLS Next Pro. A potential star for the future and an excellent replacement for Ugarkovic.
James Musa: - 30 year old Kiwi DM. Another Kiwi that always comes up in these discussions. Recently joined the Colorado Switchbacks in the USL but is off contract in 2023. I reckon he'll want to stay in the US, but a return is always possible.
Dan McKay: - 19 year old CM in the academy. Apparently he's been the standout, performing better than the likes of Manuel, Conchie, Tollervey, Beale and Sheridan. Could potentially be in line for a call up to the senior squad.
Campbell Strong & Henry Hamilton: - Both 20 years old and playing for US universities. Strong a DM and Hamilton a CM, not sure how long either of them have left in their studies, but could both potentially be ready for a pro contract.
Final Thoughts My two preferred picks would be Angus Thurgate (to replace Lewis) and Trevor Zwetsloot (to replace Ugarkovic). If we hang on to Pennington then a starting two of Thurgate and Rufer with Pennington and Zwetsloot on the bench would be pretty strong I reckon.
I annoyingly don't have any data/haven't watched Zwetsloot so I can't really make heads or tails of him. MLS Next Pro is a reserve league, so emphasis on development over results typically - the opposite of senior professional football. Hard to know how things would change going into a results-orientated business.
Musa seems to play the majority of his football at centre-back. He could've been a shout in that position, he's played considerably more USL minutes than Boxall did last season and historically, though Boxall has the increased brand awareness due to his AW endeavours.
McKay is an interesting shout. The pessimist/cynic in me thinks that if/when Talay leaves the incoming Australian coach will likely look to Australians over local New Zealanders, but looks to be a decent player in the eight position. Could be different if Greenacre - now he has a Pro Licence - gets the job but not sure on any outsider. It's difficult to compare him to Manuel - he missed the entirety of the National League - though he was the one to get 90 A League minutes last year across a few games. Tollervey didn't play many NL minutes, but I think he was a striker, Beale played as one of the wide 10s and Sheridan at right fullback.
Conchie is a good player in the eight as well. More combative and got into more duels in the NL. I'd personally have him over McKay, but that is not to disparage McKay.
Strong is only a sophomore (second year of four) at Seattle, so might be difficult and/or premature to get him. Though if the ultimate goal is to become a professional footballer it would be hard to turn down, the window for football is much smaller than university. Hamilton might be a sophomore as well, but I think he played more advanced than central midfield, as a winger/attacking midfielder. I can't find a heatmap anymore, but I close to certain he played in an advanced role.
Talay converted Lewis from a 10 to a 6 so there's also the options of converting another player for that ball playing midfielder and, of course, we're assuming we're playing the same formation and need a double pivot, if we change coaches that might not be the case.
All of this points to the fact that despite other issues we’ve had some big chances to achieve something with our squad over the last few seasons.
And to be honest we get a second goal scorer going in these last few games and Zawada holds his form, there’s still a narrow window here…
Any idea what’s wrong with Sutton? He was a stand out player for about a year and now can’t get a start. Is it that we’re playing somewhat different? Or it’s cynical and related to contract bonuses? Or just Mauragis being better? Or he’s mouthed off at some point? It’s disappointing to see his form and Surman’s form dip this much. Was it that we had lower expectations so he stood out?
All of this points to the fact that despite other issues we’ve had some big chances to achieve something with our squad over the last few seasons.
And to be honest we get a second goal scorer going in these last few games and Zawada holds his form, there’s still a narrow window here…
Any idea what’s wrong with Sutton? He was a stand out player for about a year and now can’t get a start. Is it that we’re playing somewhat different? Or it’s cynical and related to contract bonuses? Or just Mauragis being better? Or he’s mouthed off at some point? It’s disappointing to see his form and Surman’s form dip this much. Was it that we had lower expectations so he stood out?
Injuries & the form of Mauragis keeping him from starting when he is fit again.
I haven't been following James Musa at all but remember seeing him play vs an Oceania team at NHS a few years back, might have been the 6-0 game where Chris Wood got a hattrick and both he and McGlinchey got direct FKs. I remember he looked a really decent player then in midfield and would have liked to see him at the nix.
I don't think Sutton has been poor or worse than Maraugis, I've been baffled why we have given him so many minutes when he's been guaranteed to leave us. Quite happy for Sutton to slot back in at LB next year. Wasn't Sutton supposed to be a midfielder anyway though originally? Maybe he could transition back there now we are suddenly so short in that position.
And I think Surman is probably good enough to play alongside Wootton but not yet beside Laws or Payne, and still think he has the potential to be a decent international quality CB for the All Whites.
I liked what I saw of Zwetsloot with Buckingham's U19/20 team. He had some real nice touches. But I just wonder after the bad knee injury he had at that U20 WC in Poland, he may never be the player he could have been.
Apparently was playing pretty good in the VIC NPL when he finally made a return to football. But no news on him at all since MLS Next Pro finished months ago. Another Kiwi to go Stateside and give up on football a bit early? There has been a few.
I feel if Greeny does succeed Talay (and now he has the FIFA badges required he must be a chance), then some domestic Kiwis like JHS would be trialled. I do remember Talay saying they moved away from signing a RB, when JHS trialled as yes they thought Payne would play there this season. How is Dane Schnell going these days, re NZ midfield options?
I liked what I saw of Zwetsloot with Buckingham's U19/20 team. He had some real nice touches. But I just wonder after the bad knee injury he had at that U20 WC in Poland, he may never be the player he could have been.
Apparently was playing pretty good in the VIC NPL when he finally made a return to football. But no news on him at all since MLS Next Pro finished months ago. Another Kiwi to go Stateside and give up on football a bit early? There has been a few.
I feel if Greeny does succeed Talay (and now he has the FIFA badges required he must be a chance), then some domestic Kiwis like JHS would be trialled. I do remember Talay saying they moved away from signing a RB, when JHS trialled as yes they thought Payne would play there this season. How is Dane Schnell going these days, re NZ midfield options?
Schnell’s been going well for Birkenhead, but was converted into a striker this season.
