Message from departing coach: lay off the Phoenix

WELLINGTON: Departing coach Mark Rudan has launched an impassioned plea for the Wellington Phoenix to remain in the ALeague long after he has gone.

Australian Rudan called on those charged with creating an independentlyrun competition to ensure there is a New Zealand influence.

Although he is cutting his stint in Wellington one season short, Rudan insists it is purely for family reasons.

He believes the Phoenix is a professional operation and more viable on and off the field than other clubs he would not identify.

As it stands, Wellington’s licence could be revoked at the end of next season if it has not hit certain metrics related to membership, crowd and broadcast figures stipulated by Football Federation Australia.

The club has its critics, who believe the Phoenix is filling a spot that could be taken by an Australian side. The side’s historic results also make for poor reading.

Rudan had a simple directive for the working group now formulating how a clubrun league would operate if it overtakes the FFArun model.

‘‘Lay off the Phoenix,’’ Rudan said.

‘‘My message to the people who are running the independent league is that I’ve lived it, I’ve breathed it, I’ve seen the club from inside out now.

‘‘This club has a long future in the game.’’

Rudan said it would have been understandable if Wellington’s owners had pulled their investment years ago.

Instead they had committed to strengthening the foundations of an entity that provides the only professional outlet in New Zealand.

‘‘The club’s been through a lot of adversity and kicked from pillar to post,’’ he said.

‘‘I think they’ve come out the other side. If I was leader of the football club, I’d have told people where to go a long time ago. But they’ve done it with grace and a lot of class.’’

Chief executive David Dome was disappointed to lose Rudan but noted the strides made under the rookie ALeague coach had turned Wellington into an attractive prospect for players and coaches.

There was no shortage of good candidates to fill vacancies for next season, he said.

The Phoenix is fifth with two rounds to play and guaranteed to contest the finals for the first time in four years.

Dome claimed his club led the ALeague in a host of offfield measures, including social media interaction, community programmes and the quality of their academy.

‘‘There is a hiccup here with the coach moving on but we’ve now got so much to build on,’’ Dome said.

‘‘Everybody is recognising that there is going to be a new league next year. It’s the future. There is no way that it cannot happen.’’ — AAP