WPM R9 vs WS Wanderers | Sun 22nd Dec | 7:00pm | Sky Sports 1

Sorry to be a broken record, but I think you’ve summed it up with ‘our key creative midfielder’. Singular. Uno. 

Last season we had a bunch of players capable of dribbling or playing quick progressive passes and starting an attack. 

Old, Kraev, Pennington, Salas, occasionally Ball, Rufer and everyone else we still have this year.

We have added Ishige to our goal scoring ranks, and how!, but haven’t replaced others. 

As well, last season we were written off and I think we were a very close knit motivated team, with everyone having been in and around the team for at least a couple of years, with Salas the exception. Our imports were very well known to us. 

Anyway, Chief has some problem solving to do. 

I think the most irritating thing yesterday was after the effort to get back in it at 2-1 we just gave it up again.

I'd like to try Piper Up front in a 4-4-2 scenario. Kosta feeding off him because he's a big lad. Reminds me of a Keegan & Toshack pairing. I've seen Piper shooting at practice and he's not too bad at all.

LG

I'd like to try Piper Up front in a 4-4-2 scenario. Kosta feeding off him because he's a big lad. Reminds me of a Keegan & Toshack pairing. I've seen Piper shooting at practice and he's not too bad at all.

Yeah I agree that I'd like to see him up front. I like having him on the pitch for when we get corners and other dangerous set pieces as he looks an absolute handful to defend against.

I think with time he will iron out his defensive errors a bit too, it is still a fairly knew role for him in defence and especially at this level.

I'm really confused as to what kind of player Piper is supposed to be. 

Basing the team around a guy who (granted is very skillful) is highly injury prone was a worry to start off with which I think a fair few folk here flagged prior to seasons start. The issue being he is the only creative spark, or at least consistent one and we were quite rightly, worried where it was going to come from in the interim. We need someone else to help rufer out because it’s just not happening at the moment. Right now, it feels like we’re a bit of a Swiss Army knife of a team. Very flexible but not very effective at doing anything. 

WanderingSheep

Basing the team around a guy who (granted is very skillful) is highly injury prone was a worry to start off with which I think a fair few folk here flagged prior to seasons start. The issue being he is the only creative spark, or at least consistent one and we were quite rightly, worried where it was going to come from in the interim. We need someone else to help rufer out because it’s just not happening at the moment. Right now, it feels like we’re a bit of a Swiss Army knife of a team. Very flexible but not very effective at doing anything. 

We're just missing quality, it's simple. I agree that basing it around Rojas was a mistake.  I get the feeling we expected more creative output from Ishige too - I know he's scored twice and is good on set pieces, but he's not exactly a creative dynamo on the ball.

I also think that Nagasawa doesn't seem a great step up from the likes of Pennington. He doesn't offer control, and cedes 50/50s far too often.

siac

Rock Hopper

Is that the first ever Phoenix bicycle? 

Hopefully that's immense enough yo raise morale and fire the rest of the boys on the pitch up and inspire them.

Eugene Dadi scored one of the best ever Nix goals from a bicycle.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/17mUSlP0Xt0

Do wonder at times if Chief has confused the players with what he wants out of them. He has stated he wants them to be able to develop multiple rolls maybe for some that concept is making them not concentrate on doing there core job correctly before moving to do other things.( hope that makes sense)
Maybe Chief needs to go back to the basics before trying to get to fancy.
Always optimistic of finishing high up the table just hoping they can turn it around, really disappointing to see the negativity across social media of many.  

valeo

I'm really confused as to what kind of player Piper is supposed to be. 

He’s a big strong lad who made his way as a DM, and played as an AM last season because of his dribbling and scoring abilities.

We’ve signed him as a CB prospect because of his physical attributes and his ball playing ability, but similar to Tim Payne when we first signed him, his skills are transferable and make him a handy utility. With more time we’ll nail down his best position.

Got to remember the huge drop in $$$ allocation this season compared to last. So there was always going to be some compromise in experience and quality and more promotion of youth. Which is what we are seeing. Paying import wages to a plyer that can't make a match day squad will not be helping.

Ranix

Got to remember the huge drop in $$$ allocation this season compared to last. So there was always going to be some compromise in experience and quality and more promotion of youth. Which is what we are seeing. Paying import wages to a plyer that can't make a match day squad will not be helping.

Every other team had the same drop in dollars though. 

This whole 5-3-2 system is rubbish.

I think Chiefy has gone ahead of himself this season with all of his talk about playing around with different formations. KEEP YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND!

I wonder with too many teams trying to play the Man City way (& the 1980's Liverpool way) of building up from the back with slow patient passing back and forth across the park and back to the goalkeeper, hoping to catch the opposition too far up or not. They are cancelling each other out and then make the game too complicated by trying to out psych the opposition. 

Keep it simple. Give a mixture of down the wings or down the middle. Short range & long range shooting, route 1 or not route 1. But play it with simple passing. Rufer is ideal for this because he has a great set of passing abilities.

Changing formations during a game can screw up a teams balance. 5 at the back to me is just plain defensive. especially when players back off and back off more. They are the cause of their own undoing.

Yes but lots of folk comparing our squad this year to last season and lamenting lack of depth. Thus my post.

valeo

WanderingSheep

Basing the team around a guy who (granted is very skillful) is highly injury prone was a worry to start off with which I think a fair few folk here flagged prior to seasons start. The issue being he is the only creative spark, or at least consistent one and we were quite rightly, worried where it was going to come from in the interim. We need someone else to help rufer out because it’s just not happening at the moment. Right now, it feels like we’re a bit of a Swiss Army knife of a team. Very flexible but not very effective at doing anything. 

We're just missing quality, it's simple. I agree that basing it around Rojas was a mistake.  I get the feeling we expected more creative output from Ishige too - I know he's scored twice and is good on set pieces, but he's not exactly a creative dynamo on the ball.

I also think that Nagasawa doesn't seem a great step up from the likes of Pennington. He doesn't offer control, and cedes 50/50s far too often.

I know that you know my opinion on that but anyway, I wish that he could come close to Pennington. He runs 2km per game less than Pennington did, wins half the Duels and doesn't have close to the vision. He's been a poor sub for Pennington. I'd like to see Al-Taay have go.

I'll keep going. Nagsawa hasn't got any positional sense when asked to defend and he and Rufer are not the team that Rufer and Pennington were. A top 4 finish would be a certainty with a Rufer/Pennington Partnership. 
Maybe I'm reading it wrong, maybe they're not supposed to be that partnership but in some games Rufer and Pennington would pass to each other 20 times, that's not happening in midfield between anyone this season.

Guys, guys relax! We’re not Manchester United or anything…

martinb

Guys, guys relax! We’re not Manchester United or anything…

Or Manchester City

True!
But as somebody pointed out, we are bringing in Foreign players where other clubs are not. In this league, we should easily be top 6. To be below top 6 is very disappointing. 

martinb

Guys, guys relax! We’re not Manchester United or anything…

Thank god for that , they’re pish 😂

This league is unusual in the sense that the top teams are equivalent to League one/Serie B where the bottom teams are something like National League south/Serie D.
We have to expect to be in the top few teams. That's particularly true this season with the lower budgets.

NZPhoenixFan

This whole 5-3-2 system is rubbish.

I think Chiefy has gone ahead of himself this season with all of his talk about playing around with different formations. KEEP YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND!

 We played this formation for most away games last year.

2ndBest

NZPhoenixFan

This whole 5-3-2 system is rubbish.

I think Chiefy has gone ahead of himself this season with all of his talk about playing around with different formations. KEEP YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND!

 We played this formation for most away games last year.

Had a very different team last year tho

Oi Oi Edgecumbe

martinb

Guys, guys relax! We’re not Manchester United or anything…

Or Manchester City

 
Lol. I feel like City is the tragedy of Pep. Plus you still feel like he might sack half his squad, put on a cardigan and win the league. And they’ve been very good very recently. 

United with wanting Ashworth so much and then firing him, and now losing to Auckland FC OE edition…Every time Bruno desperately implores a ref to change what can not be changed…with so much talent and so many winners of titles and cups having passed through…

They look like the haunted crew of the Flying Dutchman, the Wagner edition, for some reason listening to opera for a week whether they like it or not…over and over again to eternity! Ridonkulousness with a bow on. 

David Ball must know for a fact he's done if he has to sit at home watching a game like that and still can't get a seat on the pine