WPM 2023/24 Squad Speculation, Confirmation and Mutual Termination

Friar Tuck

anaveragestem

Jazzy Jeff

theprof

wilbaker

He’s still contracted at his club so we’re going to be paying a fee for him? Italiano must really rate him 

would that be the first time we've actually paid for a player?

We paid for Reno. But no, I would presume we won't be paying, surely more likely he'll negotiate a release from his contract. The A League favourite, mutual termination perhaps

Could be a loan for a year? Maybe he just wants to visit NZ :)

What ever the case may be this could be a really good signing for us. Pretty much everywhere I look the Costa Rican football league is rated as better than the A-League. Normally I don't pay much interest to that because I think our League is underrated and South American leagues overrated but he is in the best team in that league by a longshot and he is a locked on starter. I mean they've won the league four seasons straight from 2020 and 38 times overall.

If anyone has some other insight into the league I'd be interested. Doesn't sound like we have him yet but the signs are positive I guess.

I don’t have much insight but Yeltsin Tejeda, Celso Borges, Gerson Torres, Jewison Bennette, Keysher Fuller and Anthony Contreras were all playing for Costa Rican clubs when they started vs the All Whites last year. 

Most of them were at Herediano but there were some at Saprissa, including the giant Kendall Waston who came off the bench.

My read of the league is that the top teams (Saprissa, Alajuelense and Herediano) are very good and could probably challenge for the A-League title every season, but that there might be a bit of a drop off in quality lower down the ladder.

Saprissa has produced a lot of the best Cost Rican players of late - Navas, Joel Campbell, Tejeda, Oviedo, Duarte, etc. Given how dominant they are I would imagine that any player from Saprissa would be fairly good in the A League

Daniel had exquisite touch and football nous. And when the coach wanted him to play for twenty seconds, he played for twenty seconds. 

He wanted to be at the club. It wasn’t a steppingstone for him. He played with an enormous amount of awareness of what was going on around him. Only Uli that I can think of immediately has had that kind of awareness for us. 

I’m sick of playing the woulda coulda shoulda game. Sasse didn’t show up ready and struggled to adapt. He wanted to play football differently, but couldn’t adapt his game enough to dominate a game the way Uffie would have liked. Maybe he would have kicked on. 

The way Daniel was aware on the pitch, he rewarded the fans for showing up. He was a player people wanted to see: Daniel, Smeltz, Ifill, Burns, Krishna, Taylor, Uli, Hemed, Zawada. Kraev? Lewis? Rojas. He respected he club and fans. 

Maybe that was Terry money, but it also seemed a genuine thing too. 

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He is also the brother of ex Nix player Joel Griffiths. Adam has a good c.v and worked under Rudan at WSW

Chiefytheman

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He is also the brother of ex Nix player Joel Griffiths. Adam has a good c.v and worked under Rudan at WSW

WSW were pretty solid defensively this season so hopefully he helps with that

Hit the nail on the head there

martinb

Daniel had exquisite touch and football nous. And when the coach wanted him to play for twenty seconds, he played for twenty seconds. 

He wanted to be at the club. It wasn’t a steppingstone for him. He played with an enormous amount of awareness of what was going on around him. Only Uli that I can think of immediately has had that kind of awareness for us. 

I’m sick of playing the woulda coulda shoulda game. Sasse didn’t show up ready and struggled to adapt. He wanted to play football differently, but couldn’t adapt his game enough to dominate a game the way Uffie would have liked. Maybe he would have kicked on. 

The way Daniel was aware on the pitch, he rewarded the fans for showing up. He was a player people wanted to see: Daniel, Smeltz, Ifill, Burns, Krishna, Taylor, Uli, Hemed, Zawada. Kraev? Lewis? Rojas. He respected he club and fans. 

Maybe that was Terry money, but it also seemed a genuine thing too. 

 

Nutpuncher's brother?

I am actually quite excited about this coaching appointment.  Cannot recall us ever having a member of the coaching staff who was a defender in his playing days and played as a defender at a decent level.  Can only be good for something that has not been a strength of the team post Durante and Taylor.

Rudan's teams are always solid at the back. God, I miss him.

Walsall Boy

I am actually quite excited about this coaching appointment.  Cannot recall us ever having a member of the coaching staff who was a defender in his playing days and played as a defender at a decent level.  Can only be good for something that has not been a strength of the team post Durante and Taylor.

Rudan was a defender wasn't he, played overseas.
Kind of explains why he recruits well in that department. Taylor for us. Marcelo for WSW. Lacroix for WU. Took Durante with him etc.
But yes agree with your comments. We need a member of staff with a defensive pedigree. Last couple of seasons has shown that.
From memory we were actually pretty good defensively under Rudan.

Rudan's teams are always solid at the back. God, I miss him.

I am actually quite excited about this coaching appointment.  Cannot recall us ever having a member of the coaching staff who was a defender in his playing days and played as a defender at a decent level.  Can only be good for something that has not been a strength of the team post Durante and Taylor.

Walsall Boy

I am actually quite excited about this coaching appointment.  Cannot recall us ever having a member of the coaching staff who was a defender in his playing days and played as a defender at a decent level.  Can only be good for something that has not been a strength of the team post Durante and Taylor.

Ricki Herbert. 

ClubOranje

Walsall Boy

I am actually quite excited about this coaching appointment.  Cannot recall us ever having a member of the coaching staff who was a defender in his playing days and played as a defender at a decent level.  Can only be good for something that has not been a strength of the team post Durante and Taylor.

Ricki Herbert. 

Geez, I am having a nightmare day.  First Rudan, now Herbert.  Maybe iIcan get solace that in a lot of coaching staff, the assistant does a lot of the training ground work.

Walsall Boy

ClubOranje

Walsall Boy

I am actually quite excited about this coaching appointment.  Cannot recall us ever having a member of the coaching staff who was a defender in his playing days and played as a defender at a decent level.  Can only be good for something that has not been a strength of the team post Durante and Taylor.

Ricki Herbert. 

Geez, I am having a nightmare day.  First Rudan, now Herbert.  Maybe iIcan get solace that in a lot of coaching staff, the assistant does a lot of the training ground work.

Sorry to jump on but Darije Kalezic was also a CB

Here's a quote which I found interesting from Adam Griffiths off the Radio NZ's article about his appointment:
"We're aligned in terms of our football philosophy and culture. I believe that collaboration will put us in a really good place this season.
"We'll also try to implement a fast, one touch style of football with an entertaining and attacking mindset."

Definitely a big change from the way we played at the end of the season just gone. I'm not sure if a fast, one touch style of play is really how we will play with Zawada in the team. I mean I don't doubt Zawada is more than capable of playing this kind of football but it's not really playing to his obvious strengths... What do you guys think? Any chance this might indicate Zawada is on the way out?

Here's a quote which I found interesting from Adam Griffiths off the Radio NZ's article about his appointment:
"We're aligned in terms of our football philosophy and culture. I believe that collaboration will put us in a really good place this season.
"We'll also try to implement a fast, one touch style of football with an entertaining and attacking mindset."

Definitely a big change from the way we played at the end of the season just gone. I'm not sure if a fast, one touch style of play is really how we will play with Zawada in the team. I mean I don't doubt Zawada is more than capable of playing this kind of football but it's not really playing to his obvious strengths... What do you guys think? Any chance this might indicate Zawada is on the way out?

Here's a quote which I found interesting from Adam Griffiths off the Radio NZ's article about his appointment:
"We're aligned in terms of our football philosophy and culture. I believe that collaboration will put us in a really good place this season.
"We'll also try to implement a fast, one touch style of football with an entertaining and attacking mindset."

Definitely a big change from the way we played at the end of the season just gone. I'm not sure if a fast, one touch style of play is really how we will play with Zawada in the team. I mean I don't doubt Zawada is more than capable of playing this kind of football but it's not really playing to his obvious strengths... What do you guys think? Any chance this might indicate Zawada is on the way out?

Walsall Boy

ClubOranje

Walsall Boy

I am actually quite excited about this coaching appointment.  Cannot recall us ever having a member of the coaching staff who was a defender in his playing days and played as a defender at a decent level.  Can only be good for something that has not been a strength of the team post Durante and Taylor.

Ricki Herbert. 

Geez, I am having a nightmare day.  First Rudan, now Herbert.  Maybe iIcan get solace that in a lot of coaching staff, the assistant does a lot of the training ground work.

Sorry to jump on but Darije Kalezic was also a CB

Sasse ironically I think would have worked better for us in  1 touch system.

He often looked to do this in games but no one else seemed to be on the same page.

Apart from Youstin Salas, is there any other players that have confirmed interest in.
I would really like to see Krishna, Rojas and Tommy Smith at the nix

Apart from Youstin Salas, is there any other players that have confirmed interest in.
I would really like to see Krishna, Rojas and Tommy Smith at the nix

Anything new here?

https://twitter.com/tigosports_cr/status/1664049063770169345?t=2nvPoofcDRx9mVZxJVDL2A&s=19

"Youstin Salas has received a formal offer from the Wellington Phoenix"

RR

Anything new here?

https://twitter.com/tigosports_cr/status/1664049063770169345?t=2nvPoofcDRx9mVZxJVDL2A&s=19