WPM R7 vs Adelaide | Sat 1st January | 9:45pm | SS7

The game is also shown on Sky Sports 1, coverage starting at 9:15pm if you want some pre-show.

Hope this game goes ahead cos i think it'll be our last in a while. Brisbane game already postponed

The Brisbane postponement again works well for us. Was always going to be the case with them still in QLD (I believe that was the case last week). We can't keep putting games off forever, but this allows us to get closer to transfer window opening day with less fixtures down the tubes. Which works for me, even if I am hating the fixtures being moved around as they are currently.

It's going to be another long shocker of a season with these postponements and uncertainty. All I hope is that the boys remain in high spirits with all the added downtime at what is traditionally a very busy period for football. Looks like they're all keeping busy and going out in groups and generally having a laugh which is positive.

Also gives Oli time to recover.

They've set new rules to make it harder to postpone a game, but rumors are that a team caught covid from another team on the pitch so that might scuttle those plans.

Going to be a tough end of the season, but every team is going to do it tough and we'll have a better squad than we have now so it should work in our favor..

I don't understand the comments happy that the games are delayed as we will have a better squad later on... At this rate there will be no later on, things aren't improving so eventually there will be too many games to make up and the season will be called off. What am I missing? 

siac

I don't understand the comments happy that the games are delayed as we will have a better squad later on... At this rate there will be no later on, things aren't improving so eventually there will be too many games to make up and the season will be called off. What am I missing? 

Highly doubt season will be called off, but yes could be a reduced number of games played. It's already an uneven draw (some teams you play 3 times, others only twice) - though I'm sure Paramount will push for the same amount of 'product' if they can.

In South Africa there has already been a big drop off in Omicron new daily cases, so who knows how this is going to play out. Plus players will soon likely be getting their booster jabs. But early-mid January could frustratingly be severely disrupted, and then congested catchup playing schedules through Feb-March.

Will likely also be a few games behind closed doors (sans fans), though that won't be much of a change for the Nix.

And yeah apart from Sandoval I'd be cautious about Nix having any other signings in the pipeline, so not sure squad is going to be 'greatly improved' on paper post Jan window.

siac

I don't understand the comments happy that the games are delayed as we will have a better squad later on... At this rate there will be no later on, things aren't improving so eventually there will be too many games to make up and the season will be called off. What am I missing? 

I'd honestly be happy about that, the season is a write-off anyway, and anything which reduces the amount WelNix goes into the red can only be good for our medium-term future

Hopefully next season things will be back to as normal as we hope. With games here in NZ.

siac

I don't understand the comments happy that the games are delayed as we will have a better squad later on... At this rate there will be no later on, things aren't improving so eventually there will be too many games to make up and the season will be called off. What am I missing? 

Because all teams are affected the same, but the Nix will have a stronger squad than we have now to deal with it.

Hopefully the rumors of Williams and a import CB are true.

Ryan

siac

I don't understand the comments happy that the games are delayed as we will have a better squad later on... At this rate there will be no later on, things aren't improving so eventually there will be too many games to make up and the season will be called off. What am I missing? 

Because all teams are affected the same, but the Nix will have a stronger squad than we have now to deal with it.

Hopefully the rumors of Williams and a import CB are true.

Hasn't been any talk from Talay about an import CB for what seems a month or so. 

Of course doesn't mean Nix aren't still looking, just that no mention of anything in the pipeline for awhile now. And since then has been the further off field blow, of border opening sans MIQ being delayed, with likely final death blow to club hosting any games in NZ.

Covid cases within the Nix squad now.

Ryan

siac

I don't understand the comments happy that the games are delayed as we will have a better squad later on... At this rate there will be no later on, things aren't improving so eventually there will be too many games to make up and the season will be called off. What am I missing? 

Because all teams are affected the same, but the Nix will have a stronger squad than we have now to deal with it.

Hopefully the rumors of Williams and a import CB are true.

Williams not coming here.
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/19806420.oxford-uniteds-ryan-williams-wellington-phoenix-rumours/

Ranix

Ryan

siac

I don't understand the comments happy that the games are delayed as we will have a better squad later on... At this rate there will be no later on, things aren't improving so eventually there will be too many games to make up and the season will be called off. What am I missing? 

Because all teams are affected the same, but the Nix will have a stronger squad than we have now to deal with it.

Hopefully the rumors of Williams and a import CB are true.

Williams not coming here.
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/19806420.oxford-uniteds-ryan-williams-wellington-phoenix-rumours/

He doesn't deny it, he says every window he gets offers from the A-League and he's playing it by ear.

At least a couple cases within the playing squad. Damn this things spreading like crazy.
You’d think a few more cases will pop up now so we could be looking at some postponements.. frustrating.
Wonder if there’s any scope for the league dates to be extended. Feel like it could get tough to squeeze in all these postponed games if it keeps going like this.

Two players and a member of staff, at this stage the game is going ahead.

As per a league protocols, it requires 5 players for game to be postponed. Hopefully only 2 are positive and i wish them a quick recovery!

Ryan

Two players and a member of staff, at this stage the game is going ahead.

What is the threshold for postponing games?

number8

Ryan

Two players and a member of staff, at this stage the game is going ahead.

What is the threshold for postponing games?

As alon222 posted above - if a squad has 5 players from the previous games starting lineup with covid then that team can request the game be postponed.

oh no!!!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/127405911/wellington-phoenix-confirm-positive-covid19-cases-in-aleague-men-squad

Payne would be the least replaceable.

Yeahcoulddo

At least a couple cases within the playing squad. Damn this things spreading like crazy.
You’d think a few more cases will pop up now so we could be looking at some postponements.. frustrating.
Wonder if there’s any scope for the league dates to be extended. Feel like it could get tough to squeeze in all these postponed games if it keeps going like this.

They have ditched the FIFA windows and will play midweeks, so the season doesn't get extended. They have been adamant in saying that the season won't be extended. 

You would think if two players have covid then all the squad are close contacts and could possibly have it.

Oi Oi Edgecumbe

You would think if two players have covid then all the squad are close contacts and could possibly have it.

Would have thought that too based on the fact most of them were in close proximity on Christmas Day around a large table. That was what I remember from Gael's instagram story... It was outside though, so a little bit of a saving grace there possibly.

Players are a negative pcr test.  

The two Wellington Phoenix players that tested positive for Covid-19 have today returned negative RAT tests.

— Phillip Rollo (@ByPhillipRollo) December 30, 2021

Gary Hooper will miss tomorrow's game v Adelaide United. Seeing he's been overseas he can't travel.

— Phillip Rollo (@ByPhillipRollo) December 30, 2021

Bugger. It would have been good to give Hooper game time in a less important fixture. 

It's understood Covid could rock Adelaide United v Wellington Phoenix for the first A-League M match of the New Year. #HappyNewYear2022

— Val Migliaccio (@Val61) December 31, 2021

Oh ffs

Hope its canned so we can have a full strength side and I can sleep off my hangover!

coochiee

Ryan

siac

I don't understand the comments happy that the games are delayed as we will have a better squad later on... At this rate there will be no later on, things aren't improving so eventually there will be too many games to make up and the season will be called off. What am I missing? 

Because all teams are affected the same, but the Nix will have a stronger squad than we have now to deal with it.

Hopefully the rumors of Williams and a import CB are true.

Hasn't been any talk from Talay about an import CB for what seems a month or so. 

Of course doesn't mean Nix aren't still looking, just that no mention of anything in the pipeline for awhile now. And since then has been the further off field blow, of border opening sans MIQ being delayed, with likely final death blow to club hosting any games in NZ.

Import centre-back still on the cards said Talay yesterday:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/127413549/wellington-phoenix-players-who-tested-positive-for-covid-return-negative-tests
"Meanwhile, Talay said the Phoenix were in talks with an import centre-back with the view of signing him in the January transfer window.

”At the moment we’re very young at the back ... and I think we need some experience in that area.”

is this game still on ?  no one firing up so not sure if it is on or not.

Sounds like it is (so far). I'll be watching the replay at 7am tomorrow morning. Way too tired to pull another late night! 😂😂

I'm already treating it as if it has been postponed so to not get my hopes up. If 945 comes round and the game is on sky then that can be a nice little christmas/new year treat. I do keep checking every half hour though and I suppose no news is good news in this case. 

No news is good news I guess. 

Do we know yet the 2 players who didn't travel due to the covid positives? 

siac

No news is good news I guess. 

Do we know yet the 2 players who didn't travel due to the covid positives? 

The club aren't saying. Media say that we will only find out when tonight's lineup is announced.
I'm just speculating that it was an Aussie player who went home for Xmas and picked it up there....pure speculation though.
Talay has said that only one of them is a regular starter.

Reno had the rona' 

YoungHeart

FH__9OiVIAAvJ3D.jpeg 885.33 KB

 
Piscopo, Bozinovski and Sail the ones missing from last game

Want to seen Pennington get some more minutes alongside Lewis