Hmm, over the last couple of weeks I've started to shift slightly from the "they've got it all under control" camp towards "a decent signing in the near future would make me feel a lot happier about things", though still nowhere near the "we're doomed" camp. There are still two months till kick off, but you don't want someone arriving a week before and trying to fit into things, especially if it's a CB learning how to play in our back 3, or a 'not a striker' trying to fit into our attacking schemes. In Ernie we trust...
2015/16 Transfer Speculation
If your a professional footballer you would have to be crazy to contemplate a move to a club didnt have a licence like us. Its okay for people to say its not a problem,Wasnt Terry also telling us dont worry its not a problem.
Still hoping Ernie can swing his magic and score us another "not a striker like Burns." frankly its defence that worries me more and does anyone else think its about time some of these so called young guns started showing something . Before anyone bites to hard that they are, i mean when it counts not pre season or friendlies.
eh. didn't read it properly.mispost.
The medical term for the symptoms you guys have is 'pre season depression'.
But there is cure. It will replaced after first few games with 'wooden spoon paranoia'.
A lot has been said about Rufer/Ridenton but at the end of the day they just haven't had the chances. You could argue that they haven't earned the chance but if often isn't easy to crack the first team. I don't think it mattered last season how well they did for the Weenix. We had a stable midfield and those players were just not going to be called up ahead of established regulars. Hopefully this season they kick on but even if they don't I would think twice about replacing them.
The one I don't get is Hicks. Unless Hicks asked for a lot of money isn't he a great player to have in the team for depth? He doesn't have a great range of skills but he seems to be able to do a core job very well. Unless he wanted a lot of money, I would have liked to see him re-signed.
OMG we are doomed!!!!
(jesus wept)
We should be getting more goals out of Bonevacia who has had a year in his new position, Rodriguez who has had a year in a first team environment, and hopefully Fenton who won't be quite so far back if he's playing as more of a winger, but still. There's a lot of goals to replace.
You've got Moss and 2 of your back 3 are Durante and Sigmund. It seems that Manny is likely to be the other. Thats 4 players
Up front you have Krishna and this gun striker. Thats 2 +4 = 6
So if you have Roly, McGlinchey and Riera, you now need 2 wide men. Seems rumoured that Fenton and Doyle are the 2. 6 + 5 = 11
So where does A-Rod play?
To me, 3-5-2 is a bad fit. You put your talent on the field, not on the bench.
To me, 3-5-2 is a bad fit. You put your talent on the field, not on the bench.
We're effectively giving up a centre mid (which we do have) for a centre back (which we don't have). I suppose you could play 4 centre mids in a box shape (A-Rod and Riera in DM and Roly and WeeMac in AM) and one striker, but then that won't be Krishna because he's not the right sort of player to lead the line himself. He could be used off the bench as an impact player I guess, but then your dropping the guy who scored the most goals last year of anyone remaining in the squad.
I also think our CBs aren't suited to a back 3 as I've said before. And this formation puts the onus on the wingbacks to cover a lot of ground, which might be fine in August in Wellington but that could be asking a lot in away games in the height of an Aussie summer.
I'm sure Ernie's got his reasons and his plans but on the face of it it looks like this formation causes more problems than it solves.
To me, 3-5-2 is a bad fit. You put your talent on the field, not on the bench.
We're effectively giving up a centre mid (which we do have) for a centre back (which we don't have). I suppose you could play 4 centre mids in a box shape (A-Rod and Riera in DM and Roly and WeeMac in AM) and one striker, but then that won't be Krishna because he's not the right sort of player to lead the line himself. He could be used off the bench as an impact player I guess, but then your dropping the guy who scored the most goals last year of anyone remaining in the squad.
I also think our CBs aren't suited to a back 3 as I've said before. And this formation puts the onus on the wingbacks to cover a lot of ground, which might be fine in August in Wellington but that could be asking a lot in away games in the height of an Aussie summer.
I'm sure Ernie's got his reasons and his plans but on the face of it it looks like this formation causes more problems than it solves.
Not to mention that our wing backs aren't that great. Fenton will do a good job but there were all sorts of question marks about Doyle last year.
OMG we are doomed!!!!
(jesus wept)
So you're not at all worried about where we're at in terms of recruitment right now?
Is that because a/ you're still expecting Ernie/Dome to pull a rabbit out of the hat in terms of a couple of quality signings, or b/ you think that the squad we currently have with a few youth and journeyman Kwasnik type players added, can make a decent run for the title?
Looking at what other teams have brought in I suspect the playing field has shifted and without adding to our squad we will face a tougher task to be in the top four than we faced last year. Especially without Burns now.
If your a professional footballer you would have to be crazy to contemplate a move to a club didnt have a licence like us. Its okay for people to say its not a problem,Wasnt Terry also telling us dont worry its not a problem.
Still hoping Ernie can swing his magic and score us another "not a striker like Burns." frankly its defence that worries me more and does anyone else think its about time some of these so called young guns started showing something . Before anyone bites to hard that they are, i mean when it counts not pre season or friendlies.
If we are talking Premier League-type players, then absolutely agree with you. But let's not forget how many footballers out there would love the opportunity to resurrect/improve/start their career at a 1st tier club, playing in a fairly stable, decent competition like the A-League. In that respect, we are a well run club, in a great lifestyle country, with opportunities to travel abroad every 2nd weekend - don't forget all that.
I don't know exactly what type of players we are looking at, but I would guess we would be able to attract quite a few players from all around the world. Also, the reality, for the majority of professionals out there, is that they live from year to year. They don't necessarily care about the length of the contract, simply because, unless you play in the Serie A, EPL, Bundesliga etc, most contracts are 2-3 years maximum.
This being said, we do need to shake our tits and start signing a top striker, a full back and a couple of decent squad players.
OMG we are doomed!!!!
(jesus wept)
So you're not at all worried about where we're at in terms of recruitment right now?
Is that because a/ you're still expecting Ernie/Dome to pull a rabbit out of the hat in terms of a couple of quality signings, or b/ you think that the squad we currently have with a few youth and journeyman Kwasnik type players added, can make a decent run for the title?
We should be getting more goals out of Bonevacia who has had a year in his new position, Rodriguez who has had a year in a first team environment, and hopefully Fenton who won't be quite so far back if he's playing as more of a winger, but still. There's a lot of goals to replace.
You've got Moss and 2 of your back 3 are Durante and Sigmund. It seems that Manny is likely to be the other. Thats 4 players
Up front you have Krishna and this gun striker. Thats 2 +4 = 6
So if you have Roly, McGlinchey and Riera, you now need 2 wide men. Seems rumoured that Fenton and Doyle are the 2. 6 + 5 = 11
So where does A-Rod play?
To me, 3-5-2 is a bad fit. You put your talent on the field, not on the bench.
Reading above people are saying that we've lost depth in the players that weren't re-signed, so even if a player does 'miss out' as you've put it, wouldn't it be good to have those sort of players on the bench? So that when they are given their chance they will be trying to prove why they should be starting.
As for the "all sorts of question marks about Doyle" that has been mentioned, I would love to know what these are. He didn't really do a whole lot wrong during the start of last season when he had the LB spot, and then was dropped in favour of Fenton/Muscat/Boxall as fullbacks. I'll admit I didn't see him play much for the reserves, but when I did it was often as a DM, and not at LB where he would be expected to play in the first team
To me, 3-5-2 is a bad fit. You put your talent on the field, not on the bench.
We're effectively giving up a centre mid (which we do have) for a centre back (which we don't have). I suppose you could play 4 centre mids in a box shape (A-Rod and Riera in DM and Roly and WeeMac in AM) and one striker, but then that won't be Krishna because he's not the right sort of player to lead the line himself. He could be used off the bench as an impact player I guess, but then your dropping the guy who scored the most goals last year of anyone remaining in the squad.
I also think our CBs aren't suited to a back 3 as I've said before. And this formation puts the onus on the wingbacks to cover a lot of ground, which might be fine in August in Wellington but that could be asking a lot in away games in the height of an Aussie summer.
I'm sure Ernie's got his reasons and his plans but on the face of it it looks like this formation causes more problems than it solves.
To be fair to Ernie, I think when Roly was signed as a CB/midfielder, I don't think he expected the attacking force that he became. Still, we have 4 good midfielders so use them to our advantage where we can.
We should be getting more goals out of Bonevacia who has had a year in his new position, Rodriguez who has had a year in a first team environment, and hopefully Fenton who won't be quite so far back if he's playing as more of a winger, but still. There's a lot of goals to replace.
You've got Moss and 2 of your back 3 are Durante and Sigmund. It seems that Manny is likely to be the other. Thats 4 players
Up front you have Krishna and this gun striker. Thats 2 +4 = 6
So if you have Roly, McGlinchey and Riera, you now need 2 wide men. Seems rumoured that Fenton and Doyle are the 2. 6 + 5 = 11
So where does A-Rod play?
To me, 3-5-2 is a bad fit. You put your talent on the field, not on the bench.
Reading above people are saying that we've lost depth in the players that weren't re-signed, so even if a player does 'miss out' as you've put it, wouldn't it be good to have those sort of players on the bench? So that when they are given their chance they will be trying to prove why they should be starting.
As for the "all sorts of question marks about Doyle" that has been mentioned, I would love to know what these are. He didn't really do a whole lot wrong during the start of last season when he had the LB spot, and then was dropped in favour of Fenton/Muscat/Boxall as fullbacks. I'll admit I didn't see him play much for the reserves, but when I did it was often as a DM, and not at LB where he would be expected to play in the first team
We know that Ernie's formations are fluid so I'm not too worried about the formation, just about the loss of quality. We have effectively replaced the Johny Warren medal award winner, a former golden boot winner, and three or four players with international experience with a single state league player.
I still think we should chill out about the 3 - 5 - 2. It's still a LONG way to the start of the season...
...Ernie showed last year a willingness to change formation as needed. The pre-season 3 - 5 - 2 emphasis does NOT necessarily mean that is the preferred formation. It could just be Ernie knowing that last season's 4 - 4 - 2 diamond and/or 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 are already in the bag and he is wanting to add a 3rd (or another if you think we already have 3) option to his go to list of formations. If so, what better time to work on it than in the early pre-season?
I am intruiged to see how the team lines up on Tuesday.
We should be getting more goals out of Bonevacia who has had a year in his new position, Rodriguez who has had a year in a first team environment, and hopefully Fenton who won't be quite so far back if he's playing as more of a winger, but still. There's a lot of goals to replace.
You've got Moss and 2 of your back 3 are Durante and Sigmund. It seems that Manny is likely to be the other. Thats 4 players
Up front you have Krishna and this gun striker. Thats 2 +4 = 6
So if you have Roly, McGlinchey and Riera, you now need 2 wide men. Seems rumoured that Fenton and Doyle are the 2. 6 + 5 = 11
So where does A-Rod play?
To me, 3-5-2 is a bad fit. You put your talent on the field, not on the bench.
Reading above people are saying that we've lost depth in the players that weren't re-signed, so even if a player does 'miss out' as you've put it, wouldn't it be good to have those sort of players on the bench? So that when they are given their chance they will be trying to prove why they should be starting.
As for the "all sorts of question marks about Doyle" that has been mentioned, I would love to know what these are. He didn't really do a whole lot wrong during the start of last season when he had the LB spot, and then was dropped in favour of Fenton/Muscat/Boxall as fullbacks. I'll admit I didn't see him play much for the reserves, but when I did it was often as a DM, and not at LB where he would be expected to play in the first team
1: We have Krishna. Its largely a given (but not a certainty) that with the success he had last year, he will start this year at the beginning of the season. That may change as the year unfolds but he is a known quantity for Ernie so will pretty much have a starters role.
2: All the noises from the Phoenix are that they are looking for a gun striker thats worth a bit. Why would he come off the bench?
If you are recruiting a gun striker, why leave Krishna, now a proven talent, on the bench? Its a dumb move.
I'll put it to you in a different manner - based on pure talent alone, you have to leave 1 on the bench of Doyle, A-Rod and Krishna. Who is it? (bearing in mind you can change your formations to suit your talent)
The instant you leave one of your more talented players out of the starting line up, you make it easier for opponents to beat you. That's why at school, the shark kids got picked last cause the better kids helped you win.
We know that Ernie's formations are fluid so I'm not too worried about the formation, just about the loss of quality. We have effectively replaced the Johny Warren medal award winner, a former golden boot winner, and three or four players with international experience with a single state league player.
What we are missing are the game changers and impact players.
We should be getting more goals out of Bonevacia who has had a year in his new position, Rodriguez who has had a year in a first team environment, and hopefully Fenton who won't be quite so far back if he's playing as more of a winger, but still. There's a lot of goals to replace.
You've got Moss and 2 of your back 3 are Durante and Sigmund. It seems that Manny is likely to be the other. Thats 4 players
Up front you have Krishna and this gun striker. Thats 2 +4 = 6
So if you have Roly, McGlinchey and Riera, you now need 2 wide men. Seems rumoured that Fenton and Doyle are the 2. 6 + 5 = 11
So where does A-Rod play?
To me, 3-5-2 is a bad fit. You put your talent on the field, not on the bench.
Reading above people are saying that we've lost depth in the players that weren't re-signed, so even if a player does 'miss out' as you've put it, wouldn't it be good to have those sort of players on the bench? So that when they are given their chance they will be trying to prove why they should be starting.
As for the "all sorts of question marks about Doyle" that has been mentioned, I would love to know what these are. He didn't really do a whole lot wrong during the start of last season when he had the LB spot, and then was dropped in favour of Fenton/Muscat/Boxall as fullbacks. I'll admit I didn't see him play much for the reserves, but when I did it was often as a DM, and not at LB where he would be expected to play in the first team
1: We have Krishna. Its largely a given (but not a certainty) that with the success he had last year, he will start this year at the beginning of the season. That may change as the year unfolds but he is a known quantity for Ernie so will pretty much have a starters role.
2: All the noises from the Phoenix are that they are looking for a gun striker thats worth a bit. Why would he come off the bench?
If you are recruiting a gun striker, why leave Krishna, now a proven talent, on the bench? Its a dumb move.
I'll put it to you in a different manner - based on pure talent alone, you have to leave 1 on the bench of Doyle, A-Rod and Krishna. Who is it? (bearing in mind you can change your formations to suit your talent)
The instant you leave one of your more talented players out of the starting line up, you make it easier for opponents to beat you. That's why at school, the shark kids got picked last cause the better kids helped you win.
As for your 'talented players' argument, there's not point trying to put all of your best players on the pitch if they aren't going to be in their best position. Look at Mata at Chelsea in 2013/14. Certainly one of the most talented players they had that season, and a much better player than the strikers they had that season (Torres, Ba, Eto'o), but because Oscar was Mourinho's preferred playmaker Mata was pushed to the bench, and then left during January. If only playing with 1 striker (this new 'gun striker') and putting Krishna on the bench fits the formation/system that Ernie is playing, then I don't get how its a dumb move?
If Ernie does play with the two wing backs, and only two of Doyle, A-Rod and Krishna are starting, then IMO one of them is Doyle, as I don't see the point in having a CM or striker play LWB because they are more talented in a different position
We know that Ernie's formations are fluid so I'm not too worried about the formation, just about the loss of quality. We have effectively replaced the Johny Warren medal award winner, a former golden boot winner, and three or four players with international experience with a single state league player.
Totally valid if we nab this elusive gun striker, but Ernie has gone on record saying they're no closer in that regard. If they do get him, I'll have egg on my face and happily own up to it. Also, let's not forget that the squad last year, despite having a great mid-season run, still exited in the first week of the finals, and didn't ever really look like taking down the likes of MV in a grand final.
I guess I'm just sick of making up the numbers in the league and want to actually win it one day, and barring a couple of late signings out of the bag, I don't see that in this squad at present, even with Ernie pulling every coaching rabbit out of his hat.
Transfer speculation > Formation speculation.
Transfer speculation > Formation speculation.
What about Speculation about Transfer Speculation?
In advanced negotiations with an overseas striker.
Simon Hampton tweeted that the deal was hoped to be confirmed overnight, now looking at next week.
Any guesses as to the nationality? I'm going to guess Spanish, going with the current A-League theme.
Possible that Roly has got us onto a Dutchie though too.
We should be getting more goals out of Bonevacia who has had a year in his new position, Rodriguez who has had a year in a first team environment, and hopefully Fenton who won't be quite so far back if he's playing as more of a winger, but still. There's a lot of goals to replace.
You've got Moss and 2 of your back 3 are Durante and Sigmund. It seems that Manny is likely to be the other. Thats 4 players
Up front you have Krishna and this gun striker. Thats 2 +4 = 6
So if you have Roly, McGlinchey and Riera, you now need 2 wide men. Seems rumoured that Fenton and Doyle are the 2. 6 + 5 = 11
So where does A-Rod play?
To me, 3-5-2 is a bad fit. You put your talent on the field, not on the bench.
Reading above people are saying that we've lost depth in the players that weren't re-signed, so even if a player does 'miss out' as you've put it, wouldn't it be good to have those sort of players on the bench? So that when they are given their chance they will be trying to prove why they should be starting.
As for the "all sorts of question marks about Doyle" that has been mentioned, I would love to know what these are. He didn't really do a whole lot wrong during the start of last season when he had the LB spot, and then was dropped in favour of Fenton/Muscat/Boxall as fullbacks. I'll admit I didn't see him play much for the reserves, but when I did it was often as a DM, and not at LB where he would be expected to play in the first team
We can't play a team with just Kirshna. Bonevacia got 4 goals last season and McGlinchey's most goals ever in a season is 6. If we run with that line up we would only have one goal scorer who is relatively easy to shut down. Krishna is a good player but he needs to play with another finisher or else he will have 3 defenders on him whenever he gets the ball.
OMG we are doomed!!!!
(jesus wept)
So you're not at all worried about where we're at in terms of recruitment right now?
Is that because a/ you're still expecting Ernie/Dome to pull a rabbit out of the hat in terms of a couple of quality signings, or b/ you think that the squad we currently have with a few youth and journeyman Kwasnik type players added, can make a decent run for the title?
Well Ernie had said that everyone they've targetted was too expensive or was in too much demand so obviously negotiations had fallen apart in the offseason already.
However, if its come to the point where its been leaked and only days away then this is good news.
I'm ecstatic.
Well Ernie had said that everyone they've targetted was too expensive or was in too much demand so obvioulys negotiations had fallen apart in the offseason already.
Egg on my face. Very happy about that.
We can't play a team with just Kirshna. Bonevacia got 4 goals last season and McGlinchey's most goals ever in a season is 6. If we run with that line up we would only have one goal scorer who is relatively easy to shut down. Krishna is a good player but he needs to play with another finisher or else he will have 3 defenders on him whenever he gets the ball.
Well Ernie had said that everyone they've targetted was too expensive or was in too much demand so obvioulys negotiations had fallen apart in the offseason already.
What has that got to do with anything? You've completely missed the point.
What I was saying is that negotiations are obviously fickle and we've left it relatively late. There is no guaranty that we will start the season with a goal scoring forward. And until this is anounced its not a certainty.
It's not for lack of trying, I'm sure, Eernie, Dome, and the rest of the staff at the Phoenix have obviously been trying to sign a player since Burns left, before in all likelyhood. But the fact that things have gone on this long shows that its a tough market out there for this sort of player.
As far as your redundant question is concerned, there are one or two clubs in spain that would come close.
Don't know about others but I was in the 'concerned' category, but I'm not stupid or naive enough to have thought that there wasn't work going on behind the scenes to try and get new bodies on board. Good news about this new signing.
Well Ernie had said that everyone they've targetted was too expensive or was in too much demand so obvioulys negotiations had fallen apart in the offseason already.
What has that got to do with anything? You've completely missed the point.
What I was saying is that negotiations are obviously fickle and we've left it relatively late. There is no guaranty that we will start the season with a goal scoring forward. And until this is anounced its not a certainty.
It's not for lack of trying, I'm sure, Eernie, Dome, and the rest of the staff at the Phoenix have obviously been trying to sign a player since Burns left, before in all likelyhood. But the fact that things have gone on this long shows that its a tough market out there for this sort of player.
As far as your redundant question is concerned, there are one or two clubs in spain that would come close.
Negotiations falter and I am sure the club does not have one target in mind rather a broad range in case one falls over.
Personally this angst is tiresome.
I like the fact the club negotiates in relative secrecy and does not leak like a sieve.
All of our recent good signings have come out of the blue. A Rod , Roly , McGlinchey was of course a bit different for other reasons.
Ernie has been doing this successfully for a thousand years. When we get to 2 weeks out with no signings start worrying then
Well Ernie had said that everyone they've targetted was too expensive or was in too much demand so obvioulys negotiations had fallen apart in the offseason already.
What has that got to do with anything? You've completely missed the point.
What I was saying is that negotiations are obviously fickle and we've left it relatively late. There is no guaranty that we will start the season with a goal scoring forward. And until this is anounced its not a certainty.
It's not for lack of trying, I'm sure, Eernie, Dome, and the rest of the staff at the Phoenix have obviously been trying to sign a player since Burns left, before in all likelyhood. But the fact that things have gone on this long shows that its a tough market out there for this sort of player.
As far as your redundant question is concerned, there are one or two clubs in spain that would come close.
Negotiations falter and I am sure the club does not have one target in mind rather a broad range in case one falls over.
Personally this angst is tiresome.
I like the fact the club negotiates in relative secrecy and does not leak like a sieve.
All of our recent good signings have come out of the blue. A Rod , Roly , McGlinchey was of course a bit different for other reasons.
Ernie has been doing this successfully for a thousand years. When we get to 2 weeks out with no signings start worrying then
If you don't like angst you're in the wrong place.
In advanced negotiations with an overseas striker.
Don't know about others but I was in the 'concerned' category, but I'm not stupid or naive enough to have thought that there wasn't work going on behind the scenes to try and get new bodies on board. Good news about this new signing.
Yeah, I wasn't concerned we weren't doing anything but concerned there was no one out there we could get over the line before the season started.
Don't know about others but I was in the 'concerned' category, but I'm not stupid or naive enough to have thought that there wasn't work going on behind the scenes to try and get new bodies on board. Good news about this new signing.
Yeah, I wasn't concerned we weren't doing anything but concerned there was no one out there we could get over the line before the season started.