WPM 2025/26 Squad Speculation, Confirmation and Mutual Termination

I dont why people are making such a big thing about Gill taking questions. Its called communication. Every club does it and lots of them do it better than the Nix. Its not a secret society. Fans are genuinely interested and want to be engaged. 
As for new signings looks like non imports to cover defense. You cant really overstate the importance of the two imports. Probably

To finish my post. The two new imports will be critical to next season. Probably a 9 and 10. The club really has to get both of them right because they will have to provide the bulk of our goals and creativety. So i am prepared to give them time

Think that was a decent presser from Gilly. Not much else you can expect him to do.

However, some teams on a downer slingshot upwards based on good results at the end of the season. Famously Leceister and a little bit Perth at the end of this season for example.

I do worry a bit that Chief was thinking based on getting to release players who were contracted. As Auckland Phoenix said the club was blaming the imports at one point. This was when Chief was playing Nagasawa like a yo-yo or the hokey kokey, and doing things like shoving Piper up front where he promptly showed exactly what he is: big, quick, good in the air, unable to pass the ball or control it with the side of his foot. And definitely not a 9, which is a position that requires a specialist. None of this showed me that Chief had a plan to utilize his talent for the next season, but just needed another couple of players. He had weak cards and played them poorly.

And we take two well performed pieces out of that somewhat broken machine, with it unlikely that they’ll be replaced by players of similar quality.

On the other hand, all of Valeo’s post qft:
Some of the vitriol on social media has been absolutely disgusting and pointless - props to Gill for fronting up and answering some dumb questions.

All clubs go through ups and downs and it wasn't long ago that we had our best ever season. I think the coming season will likely be another down, but who knows - we thought that with Italiano's first season too. That's what makes football interesting.

Myself, I’ve got high hopes that Supyk might have a breakthrough season, based on a hunch, the way he’s transformed physically and the space he might have now Kosta has left. A new import striker, a gun midfielder creating, Supyk finding his scoring boots and Walker, LBS and GSR fighting over two positions chipping in. 
Even when we’re bad we’ve usually got something to keep us entertained, and that’s why last season was such a shocker. I think this one will be entertaining at the least and could be surprising where we end up in a good way! Fingers crossed. Am worried about the defense though. 

martinb im with you on this.

"Myself, I’ve got high hopes that Supyk might have a breakthrough season, based on a hunch, the way he’s transformed physical and the space he might have now Kosta has left. A new import striker, a gun midfielder creating, Supyk finding his scoring boots and Walker, LBS and GSR fighting over two positions chipping in.
Even when we’re bad we’ve usually got something to keep us entertained, and that’s why last season was such a shocker. I think this one will be entertaining at the least and could be surprising where we end up in a good way! Fingers crossed. Am worried about the defense though."

If this season is another shocker i consol myself with this, there is no way no Welnix will want our 20th season to be crap. So would think you can expect plenty of movement on coach and new players.
In the meantime lets get through this upcoming season without to much angst and despair. Please 

It'll be 3rd season for some of the academy players. Hughes. Sheridan. LKH. Conchie
Crucial that they step up to the next level. Time to limit the mistakes and show there worth. 

Ranix

It'll be 3rd season for some of the academy players. Hughes. Sheridan. LKH. Conchie
Crucial that they step up to the next level. Time to limit the mistakes and show there worth. 

Yep. Hughes will be epic. Sheridan will be a trooper. LKH is an unknown quantity for me- not least of all where he’ll play. Good first season, very average in 3 different positions last season and mystifyingly got a bunch of starts.

Roa Conchie let us down a little last season imo. I think he’s got the skills, but for some reason, possibly just the intensity and physicality required in that midfield crucible against the better teams, he’s not quite brought it all together yet.

Possible New Signing https://x.com/dtransferencias/status/1940334167675261370?s=46

valeo

Genuinely can't see how we build a competitive squad with no Kosta and 3 imports who are barely at average local level 

We are totally cooked.

Yeah don't get the narrative that it will be the 'kids' against Wrexham. 
Oluwayemi, Payne, Rufer, Retre, Nagasawa and Ishige all experienced pros. 

Plus yes a host of guys coming into their 3rd ALM season. 
Hughes, Sheridan, LKH and Conchie have played 20-40 Nix games now.

At the end of the day it's basically an exhibition game, with nothing but pride on the line. A big crowd, and English 2nd tier opponent - I hope the real kids like Supyk, LBS, GSR, Walker, Loke etc get decent mins. All good stuff for their development.

And yeah like Martinb also feel Supyk could go well this season. Watched him for NZU20s the 2nd game in Chile, and he went pretty well. The U20s were poorer when he went off hurt.

DadiDanceParty

Possible New Signing https://x.com/dtransferencias/status/1940334167675261370?s=46

Brazilian CB playing in 2nd tier Portugal.
35 later this month, so bit too old I think for the Nix to be seriously interested.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Rossi

Follows us on Instagram and also played with former nix player Alex Gorrin if that means anything 

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coochiee

DadiDanceParty

Possible New Signing https://x.com/dtransferencias/status/1940334167675261370?s=46

Brazilian CB playing in 2nd tier Portugal.
35 later this month, so bit too old I think for the Nix to be seriously interested.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Rossi

And it would contradict what Gill said in the Q&A video around trying to get players in the middle age gap for the CB, 9 and 10 (25-26+ and trying not to go too far into the 30s).

Priority for the two remaining visa spots should definitely be on the 9 and 10.

DadiDanceParty

Follows us on Instagram and also played with former nix player Alex Gorrin if that means anything 

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That's a bit weird he's following us. If this is what we're signing it's gonna be a long season.

coochiee

Yeah don't get the narrative that it will be the 'kids' against Wrexham. 
Oluwayemi, Payne, Rufer, Retre, Nagasawa and Ishige all experienced pros. 

Plus yes a host of guys coming into their 3rd ALM season. 
Hughes, Sheridan, LKH and Conchie have played 20-40 Nix games now.

At the end of the day it's basically an exhibition game, with nothing but pride on the line. A big crowd, and English 2nd tier opponent - I hope the real kids like Supyk, LBS, GSR, Walker, Loke etc get decent mins. All good stuff for their development.

And yeah like Martinb also feel Supyk could go well this season. Watched him for NZU20s the 2nd game in Chile, and he went pretty well. The U20s were poorer when he went off hurt.

It definitely will be - second half at least. Gill said this early into preseason, he'd expect a maximum of 45 minutes, and with only six senior players, the second half will be all academy players.

DadiDanceParty

Follows us on Instagram and also played with former nix player Alex Gorrin if that means anything 

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Has he confused us with Wellington, a fellow Brazilian footballer? How odd

Gill said today they have about 460 players CVs or something they have been sent by various agents. 

The agent of this Brazilian guy tells his client that he's sent his CV off to NZ. The guy digs around Insta and see's his old amigo Alex G was once at the Nix. 

Little does he know he's too old and this NZ club want a visa 10 & 9 only.  

I thought Gills q&a was good and I hope the club does it more often. 

It's funny, people complain when we say we want to make the finals, people complain when we say we want to win...

As for the Wrexham game, it is missed opportunity but you wouldn't want to rush signings and get the wrong players just because of it.

AucklandPhoenix

Two very concerning aspects if we believe the coach and ceo’s comments from last season as being truthful and not just covering their ass.

1: Coach- harped on about last seasons off season being disruptive. Well I can’t see this season being better but worse. No import players likely signed early to embed into an off season and all the kids will be heading off to the under 20 World Cup. How can this be better?

2: Dome in Donald Trump fashion solely laid the blame on last season on the migrants - imports.

Well this far we have lost likely our most promising to injury, the next best fudgeed off to the competition with an All White local and we are left with what I imagine Dome viewed as the bad migrants still here. Despite calling them directly out as responsible they are still here and will be next season. Despite his bluster he hasn’t managed to move them on.

I would also imagine they would rightfully feel preety disgruntled employees after their big cheese laid into them as being responsible for the shark show last season.

please tell me if the players don't want to move (or need some encouragement to do so), how do we get them to move on ....... without impacting the salary cap?

Well they don’t seem to have had a good history of such conversations if Ball was any indication. That turned into a shark show.

You would however think the Japanese ones would be easier with a mutual termination on both sides as they are less entrenched here then Ball. 

With the Japanese boys I would hope they have been very frank and said that they are not up to it and they and their agents need to find clubs back in their homeland over the off season.

They have been publicly blamed so I would sincerely hope that they would have had truthful private discussions.

You would hope that their ability is enough to at least have J league 2 sides interested in them. 

If not then that really is an indictment on the initial recruitment.

AucklandPhoenix

Well they don’t seem to have had a good history of such conversations if Ball was any indication. That turned into a shark show.

You would however think the Japanese ones would be easier with a mutual termination on both sides as they are less entrenched here then Ball. 

With the Japanese boys I would hope they have been very frank and said that they are not up to it and they and their agents need to find clubs back in their homeland over the off season.

They have been publicly blamed so I would sincerely hope that they would have had truthful private discussions.

You would hope that their ability is enough to at least have J league 2 sides interested in them. 

If not then that really is an indictment on the initial recruitment.

The Ball incident, whatever it was, is a one off - this is probably the first time I can recall that a coach has frozen a player out. 

coochiee

Wonder if any of those 2 players from the Northern League coming down to trial, are from ACFC? Specifically any of their experienced CBs like Nikko Boxall, Mitchell, den Heijer or Gray? Bayern Munich ain't in the A League.

Any experienced LBs around the Northern League that could step up?
Kelvin Kalua (still only 25) is solely a RB?

CB & LB are the two positions they are going to fill with Kiwis/Aussies.

From the Q&A with Gill, the Nix have enough young guys on scholarships for now.


How is recruitment going? Will we focus on youth or sign players who are older?

The focus is definitely not on youth. We signed a significant amount of scholarship players last year so largely we have those scholarship players in place for this season. 

We did some pretty thorough reviews off the back of the last A-League men’s season and one of the identifiers for us are young and old, and we sort of lost that middle ground a little bit. So, a key focus of the recruitment of those three key positions that we spoke about will be around trying to get players in that middle age bracket, sort of 25, 26 plus and not trying to go too deep into the 30s. 

The balance of the squad is quite critical for us and getting players in that mid to late 20s age bracket is really critical. 

One of them is (but it's not from the names you've listed). In fact, he trialled with us last season too, so hopefully that narrows it down. I also strongly suspect he'll be one of the Kiwi lads who will be signed before the Wrexham game too.

The other one I don't have a name at this stage, but I'm working on it!

A mutual termination does require that the agreement is, well, mutual.

I think with the addition of Auckland now in the league we're seeing the potential negative impact on us. As now it makes us rely a lot more on our local players being from the academy so when we're in a transitional period with the academy players it's going to be harder to fill the gaps needed when we're competing with Auckland.

As an example, if we were able to sign De Vries and Pijnaker this season and use the import slots in attack the squad is actually looking pretty competitive.

Though I do think this is a short-term problem as the amount academy players we have on the books, we will hopefully fill these holes. And as Auckland establish themselves, they will develop their own players which will create a larger pool of quality local NZ players that will move around the two clubs.

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Just to retread, if they are clearly not up to it, and there is doubt about players not being up to it vs being asked to do things not in their skill set, and they were given two years the fault lies with the person who gave the contract. 

Questions should be asked like- did the coaching staff work with Ishige on how to work contact acceptably for the A league and the league physicality? If not, why not? 

Did the staff talk about playing different balls to Kosta and Nagasawa? One having pace and the other preferring ball to feet or not too far ahead. 

Did the staff talk about making runs for Nagasawa if he holds up the ball? Sutton, Kosta and others did and he found them. 

What was the preferred position for Ishige and Nagasawa? 

Sorry these are retreads. But still sadly relevant. 

It’s a test, again, if Chief has a plan b to use our contracted players, if moving on Nagasawa was plan A. If not we will waste half the season on a Ball-adjacent situation again. 

theprof

AucklandPhoenix

Well they don’t seem to have had a good history of such conversations if Ball was any indication. That turned into a shark show.

You would however think the Japanese ones would be easier with a mutual termination on both sides as they are less entrenched here then Ball. 

With the Japanese boys I would hope they have been very frank and said that they are not up to it and they and their agents need to find clubs back in their homeland over the off season.

They have been publicly blamed so I would sincerely hope that they would have had truthful private discussions.

You would hope that their ability is enough to at least have J league 2 sides interested in them. 

If not then that really is an indictment on the initial recruitment.

The Ball incident, whatever it was, is a one off - this is probably the first time I can recall that a coach has frozen a player out. 

Also we have only heard one side and thats Ballys, the club dosnt and never has made statements about why players leave. Im glad they dont get into a he said they said slinging match with ex players.
Because of that  and despite whatever reason he left he is able when he comes back to town still deal with club and get a car from one of their main sponsors.

I hope Retre is a mutual. 

I like a midfield of import, Ishige and Rufer, with Nagasawa in the forward line m, drifting in from the right, a left wing forward and an import striker. 

I’m not sure if one or two mids should sit (I guess this depends on our FBs strength to go forward. If they’re forward another midfielder sitting is probably sensible and two midfielders with engines, Rufs plus import), but all three should have the ability to go box to box, and the new import and Rufer to be disrupters and tacklers. 

Kiwi kid on the left wing. Nagasawa right, but a second striker and main high press leader. A striker of some type- probably Lasogga.

The striker, Nagasawa, our LW and a midfielder trying to get into the box, if they’re not delivering the ball. 

YoungHeartHM

coochiee

Wonder if any of those 2 players from the Northern League coming down to trial, are from ACFC? Specifically any of their experienced CBs like Nikko Boxall, Mitchell, den Heijer or Gray? Bayern Munich ain't in the A League.

Any experienced LBs around the Northern League that could step up?
Kelvin Kalua (still only 25) is solely a RB?

CB & LB are the two positions they are going to fill with Kiwis/Aussies.

From the Q&A with Gill, the Nix have enough young guys on scholarships for now.


How is recruitment going? Will we focus on youth or sign players who are older?

The focus is definitely not on youth. We signed a significant amount of scholarship players last year so largely we have those scholarship players in place for this season. 

We did some pretty thorough reviews off the back of the last A-League men’s season and one of the identifiers for us are young and old, and we sort of lost that middle ground a little bit. So, a key focus of the recruitment of those three key positions that we spoke about will be around trying to get players in that middle age bracket, sort of 25, 26 plus and not trying to go too deep into the 30s. 

The balance of the squad is quite critical for us and getting players in that mid to late 20s age bracket is really critical. 

One of them is (but it's not from the names you've listed). In fact, he trialled with us last season too, so hopefully that narrows it down. I also strongly suspect he'll be one of the Kiwi lads who will be signed before the Wrexham game too.

The other one I don't have a name at this stage, but I'm working on it!

Step on down Matt Ellis. Age 24 and not a CB or LB. Left sided attacking mid?

Hopefully he's bulked up since his last trial as from memory the comments back then were he was pretty scrawny for the ALM.

Maybe the Nix plan to convert him into a LB/LWB.
Which is where Niche Cache picked him in their 2024 NL Team of the Season. Profile below. Has since moved to ACFC


LWB – Matthew Ellis (Western Springs)

 

coochiee

YoungHeartHM

coochiee

Wonder if any of those 2 players from the Northern League coming down to trial, are from ACFC? Specifically any of their experienced CBs like Nikko Boxall, Mitchell, den Heijer or Gray? Bayern Munich ain't in the A League.

Any experienced LBs around the Northern League that could step up?
Kelvin Kalua (still only 25) is solely a RB?

CB & LB are the two positions they are going to fill with Kiwis/Aussies.

From the Q&A with Gill, the Nix have enough young guys on scholarships for now.


How is recruitment going? Will we focus on youth or sign players who are older?

The focus is definitely not on youth. We signed a significant amount of scholarship players last year so largely we have those scholarship players in place for this season. 

We did some pretty thorough reviews off the back of the last A-League men’s season and one of the identifiers for us are young and old, and we sort of lost that middle ground a little bit. So, a key focus of the recruitment of those three key positions that we spoke about will be around trying to get players in that middle age bracket, sort of 25, 26 plus and not trying to go too deep into the 30s. 

The balance of the squad is quite critical for us and getting players in that mid to late 20s age bracket is really critical. 

One of them is (but it's not from the names you've listed). In fact, he trialled with us last season too, so hopefully that narrows it down. I also strongly suspect he'll be one of the Kiwi lads who will be signed before the Wrexham game too.

The other one I don't have a name at this stage, but I'm working on it!

Step on down Matt Ellis. Age 24 and not a CB or LB. Left sided attacking mid?

Hopefully he's bulked up since his last trial as from memory the comments back then were he was pretty scrawny for the ALM.

Maybe the Nix plan to convert him into a LB/LWB.
Which is where Niche Cache picked him in their 2024 NL Team of the Season. Profile below. Has since moved to ACFC


LWB – Matthew Ellis (Western Springs)

Had to squeeze Matty Ellis into the top side. After all, he was so often the instigator for Western Springs with his searing, sizzling, stunning pace out wide... leading to five goals and five assists – meaning that he directly contributed to 40% of third-placed Western Springs’ goals this MNL. Like Carey, he used to be one of those youngsters that Auckland City rotate around but he’s come into his own since moving to WSAFC. If you didn’t know him before, you do now. This dude is the Electric Swan.  

 

👃👈

Wouldn't be a surprise if Garrow was the 2nd player from the NRFL. He's likely busy at the moment catching up on Uni stuff (studying engineering), since returning from the CWC.

But with Dublin Boon released, the Nix could be in the market for a new young keeper. Especially if they are to enter the OFC Pro League.

Granted I have zero idea where the likes of Weenix keepers like Eamonn McCarron, Matt Foord & Josh Capstick are in their development. Sounds like AKH is on track to be ready for the start of the ALM season, post his shoulder surgery.


But it's really hard to see any quality CB or LB pickups from the NZ domestic scene. Ex AW Kelvin Kalua at Eastern Suburbs is solely a RB, ie can't play on the left? I think he trialled at Auckland FC last year.

From the outside looking in I'm a bit confused about the use of the Academy in the last 12 months or so.

Gill on the Academy: "the model works and the model is right for us as a football club."

Then the club goes and signs Walker, Brooke-Smith, Piper, and now (possibly) Ellis, none of whom came through the Academy at all.

No wonder Greeny and Chief don't talk as Chief seems to be consistently by-passing the Academy to look elsewhere around NZ for players.

observer

From the outside looking in I'm a bit confused about the use of the Academy in the last 12 months or so.

Gill on the Academy: "the model works and the model is right for us as a football club."

Then the club goes and signs Walker, Brooke-Smith, Piper, and now (possibly) Ellis, none of whom came through the Academy at all.

No wonder Greeny and Chief don't talk as Chief seems to be consistently by-passing the Academy to look elsewhere around NZ for players.

Responsive, not ahead of the game. They got criticised for ignoring pro players or experienced local players with a few years experience. That was a response. It feels like there had been an informal policy that if they were forging their own pro career overseas to leave them alone to do it. After Rogerson et al, that’s been criticised.

I think we’ll see Loke, an academy CB and GSR as recent academy grads in the match day squads. Hughes and Conchie involved. Supyk too. That’s still quite good for the Glory feeder club yeh?

Also who’s feeding Coochie? What’re your

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?

What’s wrong with Watties sauce? Is Heinz better? Those two screen shots of the Just music video were fine…He’d be a Logan, regenerative powers and all. 

Oh hello

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WhoStoleMySock

Oh hello

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Cant this it enough times. If true

WhoStoleMySock

Oh hello

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A massive gif of a jumpy happy hairy puppy dog…

‘And his trunk was up.’

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Real? (Can’t look…) 

Phoenix till I die, Phoenix till I die, I know I am I’m sure I am, I’m Phoenix till I die!

observer

From the outside looking in I'm a bit confused about the use of the Academy in the last 12 months or so.

Gill on the Academy: "the model works and the model is right for us as a football club."

Then the club goes and signs Walker, Brooke-Smith, Piper, and now (possibly) Ellis, none of whom came through the Academy at all.

No wonder Greeny and Chief don't talk as Chief seems to be consistently by-passing the Academy to look elsewhere around NZ for players.

As Gill said the youngest players coming into the Academy are mostly local Welly kids.

Not every 13 yr old kid is ready to enrol into Scots College leaving the family in Waikato, Dunners, Nelson or wherever.

Sort of natural that older 16-17 yr olds are more likely to make the big move to the Hutt from NZ towns/cities afar. Good on the Nix for acting quick and signing Walker, Gardiner, Foord from the last NZ U17s. I doubt Chiefy was involved in that recruiting.

It was probably Ricki talking to Greeny & Gill that bought LBS down to the Nix to trial. Possibly the same with Piper. Those guys will likely follow the NZ domestic scene more than Chiefy who's busy mapping out the first team's plans.

Think you are trying to make up an issue that doesn't exist.

Maaaaaaaaaaate, who cares about that shark, here comes Mungo! ☝️ ☝️

Ahem

WhoStoleMySock

Oh hello

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If true, Waineo fills his boots again and comes back stronger than ever for PV (a chance to earn promotion to the Championship) in 26/27, that's the dream at least.

WhoStoleMySock

Oh hello

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Is this one real? Got a link instead of a screenshot?

Makes zero sense from a PV POV.

lets hope he brings his scoring boots!