Wellington should be replaced by Canberra...maybe Perth to:)

The Mariners drew 0-0 with the Phoenix in Wellington and again Wellington let the standard of the league down with their dire football display...and Perth are doing it tough as well...not least Canberra's Nikolai Topor-Stanley.

Karl Dodds, Richard Johnson, Vaughan Coveny, Shane Smeltz have to be the least inspiring quartet in the league, maybe any league.

Throw in a Troy Hearfield who is going backwards under Ricky Herbert and there is nothing to excite, never mind win in this Phoenix side. It's dire.

Lei Lei Gao has plenty of skill, so he was left on the bench. Nice one Ricky.

No pace, no width, and no ability to play football, to keep the ball, to build attacks.

The Phoenix are going down hill fast and they are supposed to better at home. Dire, just dire.

The Mariners have Mile Jedinak, Bradley Porter improving, Matty Osman, Sasho Petrovski, Matt Simon, Adrian Caceres and John Hutchison. Each player offers something for the Mariners and each enables Coach Lawrie McKinna to change things, tactics or style.

Even so the Mariners needed the brilliance of Mark Bosnich to save the day. A wonderful reflex save.

Perth may have got flogged today, 3-0 down at half-time but at least they play some football and can surely improve.

Although the second half performance was woeful. Confidence has gone. Players are not united. James Robinson is centre-midfield time and time again gave the ball away and the normally goalshy Queensland looked like World beaters.

Craig Moore even Matty Mackay scored and himself and Massimo Murdocho looked creative and inventive when they're not...at least not against a good team.

Reinaldo is back and looking good.

But Perth are woeful.

Unlike Wellington Perth have a team, not to win the thing but certainly to entertain, maybe win at home.

Dave Mitchell has placed so much faith on his new signings, and his squad but his defence is shockingly poor.

Move Nikolai Topor-Stanley into the Centre. Give him the leaders role. He's being wasted playing left-back even if the Socceroos demand it.

Forget it. He looks disinterested, unwilling to break forward. In the end he, David Tarka, and Stuart MacClaren were just kicking anything that moved. They were demoralised....and anyone who knows Topor-Stanley knows he's better than that.

Mitchell may have lost the group, certainly will lose the 8,000 fans...and we're only four games in.

They have the squad to get beyond the second bottom place but do they have the Coach and the commitment from the players.

Not at the moment the pride is gone.

The Mariners will feel they lost two points and lost further ground on Melbourne the leaders. Next week the two clash should be a great game.

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I'm furious never mind Ricky Herbert

Apparently Ricky Herbert is furious with his sides display last night!

I'm more furious. I had to turn it off at half-time. Yes I lasted that long.

The difference between me and Uber Coach Ricky was I knew what was coming.

Some of the Fox Sports guys have talked the Phoenix up since they started in the league.

But they've been dire to watch. Even when they've scraped a win or come from behind to scrape a loss.

Tedium. Poor football with hardly a player of interest to admire.

Last night they just built on what they'd achieved in their amazingly insipid home performances in Round 1 and 2.

Bottom, by miles.

A midfielder or two wouldn't hurt. And I don't care if Richard Johnson has played for Watford scored against Manchester United he is not good enough to lead an A-League side.

Compare him to Carlos Hernandez, Diego, even Charlie Miller. And if Michael Ferrante is your other Central Midfielder then you are going to get exactly what you are getting.

Dire dire football.

Maybe Jon McKain could improve the Central Midfield, maybe Johnno could go Centre Back.

Maybe I'll just turn the telly off earlier next time.

I hate watching Wellington Phoenix, Auckland Kings in fact any New Zealand team in the NSL, or the A-League they have all been RUBBISH!

Someone do something.

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God help the Kiwi's

Now I love my Yellow Fever fans but the second year in and someone has to help them out....Ricky Herbert is the

New Zealand equivalent to Graham Arnold. It's tedious, deadly to watch and I hold little hope for the season for our loud yellow fans.

Of course they'll be bottom.

Did you see how they played at home, against a Scottish midfielder Charlie Miller who looked like he'd just rocked out of a Scottish pub. He's living at Craig Moore's house apparently, should that read The Moore and Miller local?

Anyhoo, The Yellow Army, god bless em, loud and vocal in the rain willing their team despite another dire season ahead.

And they drew their first game! How did this happen? With the ball missing the midfield on many occasions and little in the way of forward link players. The crosses were dire and I had to turn it off, I couldn't take it.

In Leo Bertos, Adam Kwasnik, Daniel and the free scoring Shane Smeltz they've got some bits of talent sometime, but no-one all the time.

And it's painful to see one Dodd on the park but two, I had to turn it off. The A-League should make a rule against it.

And Ricky Herbert if anyone in any of the football fraternity, football media EVER tell me what a great coach he is...total baloney.

Where is the evidence? I can produce a team of plodders and make them plod. He even makes the Brazilians look like plodders.

He's recruited well in Andrew Durante and Jon Mckain and Glen Moss will earn his money more than most keepers, but where is the football going to come from.

It is going to be painful.

The Phoenix reckon yesterdays game was "Dour" isn't it always from any New Zealand team.

When did an NZ side ever play with any flair, indeed not since Winton Rufus or some of the great All Blacks sides has a Kiwi team kept me watching.

Even the All Blacks are woeful these days:)

So Ricky good luck to yer, but you may as well come last playing football than last with the sort of stuff we saw yesterday.

It can only get better, of course, but I'm expecting you to get flogged on away trips as you hoof it up the field and hang on with what seems to be a much-improved defence.

The Yellow Fever fans are going to need to keep singing as at the moment they are more entertaining than the home side will ever be!

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Wellington Phoenix: Youth team update

Wellington Phoenix CEO Tony Pignata speaking from the Windy City today said, "We're working to get our proposal into the FFA by Friday."

You can hear the full interview on Nearpost radio Tuesday 6:30-7:30pm or catch it here on the podcast on Wednesday.

"We've spoken to Capital Football who are supporting us,.....

"We've spoken to Capital Football who are supporting us, we've spoken to FFA who
have come back to us requesting a submission by this Friday. I'm currently working on a submission to put forward how it would work, the logistics, and the make-up of the Youth team.

"We know what is required and they (FFA) have just asked some questions regarding the squads and how it would work with our first team based in Wellington, and our Youth team based in Canberra.

"We'll set it up and be working closely with Capital Football who will provide administration and give us facilities to train on.

"If successful we'll advertise for a Coach, a Manager and this stage we'll probably look to do that as soon as we get confirmation.

"I'm hoping within a couple of weeks turnaround. They'll need to digest it, to make sure we tick all the boxes and that we can put together a strong team over there as well.

"A couple of weeks and then we'll know."

What about players, Canberrans or open to all Australians?

"We'll be open, it doesn't have to be Canberra, but ideally it would suit to have Canberra based players so we're not setting up accommodation schools etc if required. If successful we'll open it up to have some trials and Ricky Herbert will go over there, with the new Youth League Coach, and sort out a squad of 10-12 boys depending how we set it up, added Pignata

"We're hoping to be ready for next season, but that's up to the FFA, I think we've got a good chance."

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