Uncertainty surrounds Phoenix until coach named
Do you reckon the glass is half full or half empty?
If you’re a half full kind of person, and you’re looking at the Wellington Phoenix, who wrapped up their A-League season on Saturday night, with a 2-1 win over Melbourne City, you don’t have to look far to find hope.
Kiwi teenagers Liberato Cacace and Sarpreet Singh excelled again at QBE Stadium in Auckland – the former winning his battle with City’s promising winger Daniel Arzani; the latter scoring two goals and creating two excellent chances that Roy Krishna spurned.
The duo have come along at a time when the Phoenix needed something to raise their spirits and they represent a path the club could take this winter – emphasising the fact that they are New Zealand’s only professional football club and filling their roster with Kiwis.
There have been noises from people at the club that suggest that is where they are headed and interim coach Chris Greenacre added to them on Saturday night.
‘‘I think the future’s bright in the New Zealand football world,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve got two terrific young talents there. Hopefully, whatever happens in the future, they still get regular game time. What they’ve done is they’ve put themselves in the shop window now to be worthy of starts. They’ve shown they can can compete and hold their own in the A-League. ‘‘
Circumstances play a part. Singh played just 76 minutes across the first 19 rounds of the season, when many, including Greenacre, then in charge of the club’s reserve side, felt he deserved more. Cacace only got his chance because the club released one left back, Ali Abbas, and the other, Tom Doyle, was injured. They have now played 610 and 552 A-League minutes respectively.
James McGarry never got a chance, playing just 15 minutes across three seasons. Logan Rogerson has played just 152 minutes in three seasons, 113 in the past month. Alex Rufer has been at the club for five seasons but has played only 659 minutes, 446 of them this season.
Will any of them be given new deals? If they aren’t, will they be replaced by other young Kiwis?
Those questions won’t be answered until a new coach arrives, and, if you see the glass as half empty, that’s where you might worry.
A new coach will bring new ideas, and until they are installed, there will be an air of uncertainty around the club and where it’s headed. Greenacre’s advice for the new boss was simple: Know the A-League, know the club. Darije Kalezic didn’t, and that’s a mistake that can’t be repeated.
It has been more than six weeks since Kalezic announced he wouldn’t be staying. The 14 players off contract will hope his replacement is unveiled soon.
Stuff was told Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison and general manager David Dome weren’t available for interviews this week.
However, Dome spoke to Newstalk ZB yesterday, where he said the shortlist was down to just two candidates.
Dome also wrote in the match programme on Saturday night: ‘‘We didn’t get it right this year. We’re not going to hide from that and we’ve been through a pretty honest evaluation of where we need to be next year to ensure we will not find ourselves in the same position again.’’