Next up, MacArthur away and Perth away. Hoping for 4 points, would be brilliant. Would settle with 3 points, 2 is not terrible to not lose away either.
WPM R16 vs Western United | Sat 10th Feb | 5:30pm | RoF / Sky Sport 2
Only 12 points between 1st and 8th. Anyone's guess how this ladder ends up but fudge we better be in finals this year.
I just checked and our best points haul was 46 in 2014/15 season. We’ve set ourselves up well to have a real crack at topping that number this season.
And we are 4 points ahead at the same stage of the season. In that season, we were top for one round (22) amd then only won once in the last 5 games.
The run to the finish:
Macathur (A)
Perth (A)
Adelaide (H)
City (A)
Sydney (H)
Brisbane (H)
CCM (A)
Victory (H)
Newcastle (A)
Macathur (H)
A lot of big games in there.
Macathur (A)
Perth (A)
Adelaide (H)
City (A)
Sydney (H)
Brisbane (H)
CCM (A)
Victory (H)
Newcastle (A)
Macathur (H)
A lot of big games in there.
Fantastic results for us tonight. The Nix are clear at the front but cannot get complacent as there is still a long way to go. If we drop the ball then we could easily be sucked into that battle for 2nd to 5th. Come on lads, keep putting in those gritty performances!! 🔥🔥🔥
been there since 07 and remember fondly the ifill era playoff runs. the packed stadium was rocking. this is not that team from an attacking perspective but I am pumped for this squad - the youth in particular. we are top of the league and beating fools most weeks with dudes coming through from the academy playing a big role. the playing time that guys like OVH are getting will help in the long run. LKH looks like a beast.
my two teams are top of the league (at time of posting :). its an easy answer for which one I'd rather win. cmon the lads.
my two teams are top of the league (at time of posting :). its an easy answer for which one I'd rather win. cmon the lads.
David Ball may not be finding the back of the net but his performance week on week has been top notch. I can see why Chiefy has faith in him. Today he was massive. As much in defence as anywhere else. The Rufer, Pennington, Ball . . . combination and when he plays Al-Tay - is perhaps the main strength of this team. And the Al Tay/Paine combo with the switching of roles is also working very well.
*Payne
Loves a ref sans hair The Spelling Ref. Paine inexcusable.
Loves a ref sans hair The Spelling Ref. Paine inexcusable.
To be fair, ever since ol’ bug-eyes Collina days, half the refs on the planet are sans hair.
Next up, MacArthur away and Perth away. Hoping for 4 points, would be brilliant. Would settle with 3 points, 2 is not terrible to not lose away either.
I’d have thought the average Phoenix fan was “hoping” for 6 points from 3 games.
Edit: 6 points from 2 games I meant
Next up, MacArthur away and Perth away. Hoping for 4 points, would be brilliant. Would settle with 3 points, 2 is not terrible to not lose away either.
That’s the spirit!
Well well well, We are top of the league with one game in the weekend to go and theat wont impact us at all. 5 points a head of CCm and the op 3 have played 17 games. Those playing catchup ar ein the bottom half of the table. Ignoring the kit mix up and delay - cos whatever it happens (even in the EPL) but this team is set up to defend well and and score when needed. Looking ta the facts we have played 17 games, won 9, drawn 6 and lost just 2. Goals scored 28 Goals conceeded 18. When have we ever had the lowest goals against in the league (there are 3 teams on 18). Various managers have had the team set up to score heaps and play entertaining football, the latest being Rudan and to a point Talay. Where did we finish in table? 3rd, 4th. 6th - ie scraping into the finals series and getting knocked out early. Cheify has us set to defend like life depends on it and we winning we we should, drawing against top teams (away and at home) are we are leading the way. Halfway through the season and that doesnt look like changing.
I get it - goals are exciting and fun, but a 1-0 victory gives the same points value as a 3-0 one. it's all 3 points in the bag and we manage the squad and injuries and move on to the next.
This squad is the real deal, it may not be attractive but its effective - and that's what should matter. If the causal fan cant see that and understand what the team is actually attempting to do then they should stick to Basketball, Leage etc where you have high scoring fast paced action - football isnt fun for everyone. Winning the league after 17 years is what the club needs to do and this is how Cheify wants to do it - we should be fully behind them, not nitpicking over the team not chasinf 3,4,5,6 goals when they're up by 2.
I get it - goals are exciting and fun, but a 1-0 victory gives the same points value as a 3-0 one. it's all 3 points in the bag and we manage the squad and injuries and move on to the next.
This squad is the real deal, it may not be attractive but its effective - and that's what should matter. If the causal fan cant see that and understand what the team is actually attempting to do then they should stick to Basketball, Leage etc where you have high scoring fast paced action - football isnt fun for everyone. Winning the league after 17 years is what the club needs to do and this is how Cheify wants to do it - we should be fully behind them, not nitpicking over the team not chasinf 3,4,5,6 goals when they're up by 2.
Agree theprof just wish people would also stop focusing on crowd numbers all the time. FFS even the oval ball games dont get sellouts all the time but for some reason some seem to think we should be having them all the time. Without any consideration given to trains not running/2 games in 5 days/ and the cost that incurs on people to attend.
As good as we are going i still think better times are ahead the longer this group is together.
Still have to pinch myself and wonder is it to early to dream the dream.
As good as we are going i still think better times are ahead the longer this group is together.
Still have to pinch myself and wonder is it to early to dream the dream.
Agree theprof just wish people would also stop focusing on crowd numbers all the time. FFS even the oval ball games dont get sellouts all the time but for some reason some seem to think we should be having them all the time. Without any consideration given to trains not running/2 games in 5 days/ and the cost that incurs on people to attend.
As good as we are going i still think better times are ahead the longer this group is together.
Still have to pinch myself and wonder is it to early to dream the dream.
As good as we are going i still think better times are ahead the longer this group is together.
Still have to pinch myself and wonder is it to early to dream the dream.
Agree with you and the prof, crowd numbers discussion is tiresome, it won’t change quickly, let’s enjoy the 12k we had for a while.
I think you can dream, the team will not dip in form. I predict we stay up there and win the league.
Agree theprof just wish people would also stop focusing on crowd numbers all the time. FFS even the oval ball games dont get sellouts all the time but for some reason some seem to think we should be having them all the time. Without any consideration given to trains not running/2 games in 5 days/ and the cost that incurs on people to attend.
As good as we are going i still think better times are ahead the longer this group is together.
Still have to pinch myself and wonder is it to early to dream the dream.
As good as we are going i still think better times are ahead the longer this group is together.
Still have to pinch myself and wonder is it to early to dream the dream.
The crowd issue is another thing, we focus on it because Domey has for many seasons - always stating 10k was break even - I note he hasnt said that this season, in fact he's been way more positive with 7-8k crowds. But we as people need to be aware that crowds to live sporting events have been down since before COVID. Super rugby crowd shave been nonexistant for years same with the NPC. People are being more picky wuith where they spend their money, cos you know life is fudgeing expensive and has been for a long time. I think we as fans need to be happy with regular home crowds of 6-7k, lest rememeber that 6-7k wellingtonian fans, with the occassional boost of 20-50 away fans - I note there were no (very few) WU fans at last nights game. Having the auckland team next yhear should hopefully increase the away fanbase at our home games - at least for one game. Even then we still manage to sit relatively high up on the average attendance records, with really only Sydney FC and the Melbourne teams dominating that figure.
When do all the other teams play the catch up games? Are there a bunch of midweek games coming or have we got a weekend break at some point?
Victory's catch up game is vs Western on 20th Feb.
Glory/Sydney and WSW/City have yet to be scheduled.
What was the crowd number? You all sounded awesome on TV
Not sure why people expected another 12k crowd yesterday. Kids went free to that match & there were a lot of them + two games in a week is expensive unless you have a Season Ticket.
Brisbane Roar on Good Friday is probably our next big Wellington crowd, just wish it was an earlier kick off instead of a 7pm one.
I wonder if "kids go free" all the time is something the club has considered - I'm sure they have. Two kids free with every adult surely results in more adults coming?
I wonder if "kids go free" all the time is something the club has considered - I'm sure they have. Two kids free with every adult surely results in more adults coming?
Iirc Kids season tickets were dropped down $20 when WelNix took over, I see they are $87 now.
I wonder if "kids go free" all the time is something the club has considered - I'm sure they have. Two kids free with every adult surely results in more adults coming?
Iirc Kids season tickets were dropped down $20 when WelNix took over, I see they are $87 now.
yeah there was a kids season pass for $20, which got nothing but the pass, so no hat scarf etc. The $87 one is for everythign the adult pass receives. Cant recall if the $20 pass was an option this year.
What was the crowd number? You all sounded awesome on TV
Not sure why people expected another 12k crowd yesterday. Kids went free to that match & there were a lot of them + two games in a week is expensive unless you have a Season Ticket.
Brisbane Roar on Good Friday is probably our next big Wellington crowd, just wish it was an earlier kick off instead of a 7pm one.
No doubt the buses will be replacing trains for Easter Weekend so that won't help.
I think the crowd thing is twofold. It's in all of our minds since the Savethenix campaign and we want our team to be financially viable.
But also we just saw Mt Smart sold out when the Wahs didn't suck. So we want to see the same support for our glorious Nix.
But obviously PT being shark house, cost of living crisis, etc is working against people.
But also, that 12k crowd was absolutely pumping and made being in the stadium so much more awesome.
If we win the league it would be a great time to boost some members. If I didn't have my season passes then no chance I would have gone to all 3 in quick succession as that shark is spenny.
But also we just saw Mt Smart sold out when the Wahs didn't suck. So we want to see the same support for our glorious Nix.
But obviously PT being shark house, cost of living crisis, etc is working against people.
But also, that 12k crowd was absolutely pumping and made being in the stadium so much more awesome.
If we win the league it would be a great time to boost some members. If I didn't have my season passes then no chance I would have gone to all 3 in quick succession as that shark is spenny.
Comparing ourselves to the Wahs is a tough one, they've had a consitant fanbase that fills Mt Smart on the regular. I dont know how many away fans they get but I imagine its more than we receive, the league fanbase are "mad" about their and will got to all lengths to support their team. Also the NRL managemt seem to do alot more to promote the league, it feels like almost every week is a "special" week for some reason or other. Aleague has copied some of these (magic/unity round etc).
Comparing ourselves to the Wahs is a tough one, they've had a consitant fanbase that fills Mt Smart on the regular. I dont know how many away fans they get but I imagine its more than we receive, the league fanbase are "mad" about their and will got to all lengths to support their team. Also the NRL managemt seem to do alot more to promote the league, it feels like almost every week is a "special" week for some reason or other. Aleague has copied some of these (magic/unity round etc).
Oh 100%. Wahs really did amazing work to embed their fanbase 20 years ago and it's absolutely worked (I travel for a game every year) but even their home games had some rough crowds until season just gone.
It's just awkward timing that their incredible season ended when the Nix season started our incredible season. So it's such an obvious comparison as the only Kiwi teams in those Aussie leagues, even if it is apples and oranges in so many ways.
The Warriors have had their tough times with crowds and its wrong to suggest they fill it regularly. They have only done so when they are winning like they were at the end of last season. Think people need to have some patience banging on about it constantly will do nothing. Its taken 17 years to get where we are today they arnt going to appear overnite to support us.
Another big factor with the Warriors is the media across all forms talk about them constantly without prompting or being paid to do it. If we could get just some of that Joe Bogs is going to start paying attention
The Warriors have had their tough times with crowds and its wrong to suggest they fill it regularly. They have only done so when they are winning like they were at the end of last season. Think people need to have some patience banging on about it constantly will do nothing. Its taken 17 years to get where we are today they arnt going to appear overnite to support us.
That's exactly what I am saying. Their crowds were rough and then they had an awesome season last year and the stadium was consistently sold out.
I think it is also important to remember how big each competition is comparatively. The NRL is a much larger comp and so when the warriors are doing well it is hard not to hear about it. The ALeague just does not have the same pull. The warriors, when they were sitting 4th got so much prime time but the Nix sitting first might be lucky to get one story in the sports news per week!
Another big factor with the Warriors is the media across all forms talk about them constantly without prompting or being paid to do it. If we could get just some of that Joe Bogs is going to start paying attention
yup, public awareness of league in general is way above football across Aus and NZ. League in aus is way above rugby and football.
Pointless comparison really. Auckland has a popn of nearly 1.7M. The Warriors regular loyal fan core base is heavily Maori & Pacific Island (popn nearly 450,000 combined now in the 09). A large part of that demographic live in Sth Auckland, mostly within 30 mins of Mt Smart.
Crude comparsion but it's a bit like say 200,00 football mad expat Brazilians living in Wadestown, Kelburn all the way out to the Hutt. Dot some favelas around Bob Jones's mansion.
Crude comparsion but it's a bit like say 200,00 football mad expat Brazilians living in Wadestown, Kelburn all the way out to the Hutt. Dot some favelas around Bob Jones's mansion.
The Kit thing bugs me, we're a Wellington team who wear yellow, and fair enough the other kit in contrasting colours is black. But it seems we now don't have 'Home' and 'Away' kits, we have Spark and Oppo kits and I assume we can choose when we wear them. I'd be interested to see the ALeague site, I'd assume it refers to home and away kits, not Spark/Oppo kits.
Why can't we make Yellow kits with Oppo on them as well as Black Kits with Spark on them and vice versa, each know they will get the same amount of advertising time, some home and some away.
It was ludicrous when we played the Mariners and they played in Wellington in yellow.
Why can't we make Yellow kits with Oppo on them as well as Black Kits with Spark on them and vice versa, each know they will get the same amount of advertising time, some home and some away.
It was ludicrous when we played the Mariners and they played in Wellington in yellow.
The Warriors have played 301 matches at Mt Smart Stadium since 1995. They have had a five-game average attendance on 297 occasions. Only on 29 of those has that figure been four digits - eight times in 1998, four times in 2004, 10 times in 2006. Their five-game average attendance hasn't dropped below 10,000 since 2008. Different gravy.
Pointless comparison really. Auckland has a popn of nearly 1.7M. The Warriors regular loyal fan core base is heavily Maori & Pacific Island (popn nearly 450,000 combined now in the 09). A large part of that demographic live in Sth Auckland, mostly within 30 mins of Mt Smart.
Crude comparsion but it's a bit like say 200,00 football mad expat Brazilians living in Wadestown, Kelburn all the way out to the Hutt. Dot some favelas around Bob Jones's mansion.
Crude comparsion but it's a bit like say 200,00 football mad expat Brazilians living in Wadestown, Kelburn all the way out to the Hutt. Dot some favelas around Bob Jones's mansion.
Also helps that the NRL is the best league comp in the world so peoples interests aren't directed towards Europe.
The Warriors have played 301 matches at Mt Smart Stadium since 1995. They have had a five-game average attendance on 297 occasions. Only on 29 of those has that figure been four digits - eight times in 1998, four times in 2004, 10 times in 2006. Their five-game average attendance hasn't dropped below 10,000 since 2008. Different gravy.
Nix win, check
Victory lose, check
CCM lose, check
Melbourne City get smashed by the Roar 5-1, check (I love seeing City lose because they were so successful)
Pennington breaking his goal drought, check
Me buying my long awaited training top, check
Just for once all the planets aligned and the God of Football smiled down on this club of our dreams. This may happen few times so it makes them all the more sweeter.
Victory lose, check
CCM lose, check
Melbourne City get smashed by the Roar 5-1, check (I love seeing City lose because they were so successful)
Pennington breaking his goal drought, check
Me buying my long awaited training top, check
Just for once all the planets aligned and the God of Football smiled down on this club of our dreams. This may happen few times so it makes them all the more sweeter.
Beautiful build up play for our second goal yesterday. How are people saying we're boring? We've had teams in the past who couldn't even string 3 passes together
Well let's hope Rufer's little niggle (which he reeaaally didn't want to elaborate on in the post match) isn't going to slow him down because he has been every bit the top quality a-league CM this season, a point that you really notice when he's not on the pitch.
Looking forward to seeing how Salas can complement Ruf and the goal scoring machine that is nico pennington
Looking forward to seeing how Salas can complement Ruf and the goal scoring machine that is nico pennington
I wonder if "kids go free" all the time is something the club has considered - I'm sure they have. Two kids free with every adult surely results in more adults coming?
I think it is also important to remember how big each competition is comparatively. The NRL is a much larger comp and so when the warriors are doing well it is hard not to hear about it. The ALeague just does not have the same pull. The warriors, when they were sitting 4th got so much prime time but the Nix sitting first might be lucky to get one story in the sports news per week!
A lot of kiwis supported an NRL team like Balmain or Manly or many of the others before the Wahs entered the competition.