Phoenix in need of miracles - Rufer
The crowds are dwindling, the goals have dried up, the FFA are delivering ultimatums and the Wellington Phoenix are in line to get their second wooden spoon in six years.
Former Bundesliga and Uefa Cup winner Wynton Rufer said while it is easy to criticise from the outside it seems like the A-League club just haven’t made good decisions in the recent past.
League placings over the past six years provide sorry reading with the club finishing bottom once, second to bottom twice, seventh and the one bright spot being the 2014-15 campaign’s fourth-place finish. This season, they are fighting to avoid the wooden spoon.
The lack of investment seems to be a problem, as well as a lack of experienced leadership.
‘‘Some of the things happening in recent seasons haven’t seemed right. It looked as though Ernie Merrick didn’t think the club were really trying to make things happen, so he left.
‘‘The next appointment seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. Darije Kalezic didn’t even choose his assistant. You wouldn’t appoint an assistant [Rado Vidosic] without telling the coach, but they did.’’
Rufer thinks it would be a disappointing if the Phoenix were to drop out of the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) governed A-League but at the same time mentions that some players have managed to get to Europe bypassing it completely.
‘‘It does help to have a professional team in New Zealand but there are guys like Chris Wood, Winston Reid and Ryan Thomas who have made it over there anyway.’’
Whatever the outcome of the next couple of seasons Rufer thinks the Phoenix have been good for New Zealand football, particularly during the years Terry Serepisos was in charge of the club.
‘‘It was functioning better when Terry was there, you need owners who are interested.From what I hear, it’s all done on the smell of an oily rag.
‘‘You can understand the FFA’s position because the Phoenix haven’t really been delivering. It isn’t going to be an easy fix, they need a few miracles.’’ forget about months.
But there will be plenty for the club to be going on with, including the search for a new head coach, with the position vacant now for 43 days; decisions on the 14 players coming off contract; and the renewal of their quest for improvement in those key metrics - crowd size, membership base, and TV ratings - that will determine whether their licence to play in the A-League is extended in two years’ time. the past seven