2017/18 Phoenix Preseason

Let's have a new thread for this instead of it getting mixed up in last years.

We will try keep this first post up to date once fixtures become confirmed.

• 25th July v Western Suburbs, 6.30pm, Jerry Collins Stadium
• 1st August vs WSW, 7.30pm Campbelltown Stadium (FFA Cup)
• 2nd September vs Wellington Select XI, 2pm, Weka Park
• 10th September v NPL side (details TBC)
• 13th September vs Central Coast Mariners, Gosford
• 16th September vs Newcastle Jets, 3pm, Cessnock
• 23rd September vs Team Wellington, Westpac Stadium
• 30th September vs Team Wellington, Martin Luckie Park

Hmmm playing against Roly for the first time.  That will be a fun thing to see

just do what the aussie teams did to him take turns kicking his ankles he looked like he always enjoyed that.

'xcept in this case we'd get redcarded right away. Dangerous play, an' all that.

Jaysus the full oompf of patrick's avatar still gets me. Siggy put everything into that. 

There's a reason I've not changed it in 7 years...

Homeage to Siggy.

Anyone else find it strange we play A league teams for a pre-season when we already play them multiple times during the season?

i guess there really is not that many options for  teams to play in pre season so they take whatever games are on offer against other a league clubs.

are they going to china this year?

In fairness we do play alot of games that aren't A-league teams but the standard just is not high enough. Local Cap prem teams, NZA team, Auckland city. etc.

Where are the pre-season games on the road?

Any further up the island? getting football withdrawls

I hope they play team Wellington in Paraparaumu again. 7 minute drive for me and a good chance to meet the players. It would motivate more people from Kapiti to go to the games if the players are interactive and they play well

If weather is okay I might take car to Porirua in the morning, watch post work and back to Pram.  Rugged up last year I recall.

Wests just posted on Facebook that the Kick off time has been changed to 6:30

What sort of team should we expect?

Hopefully a football team

If we don't win by 10, we fold the club right? ......

A bunch of kids about to win central league and in the last 8 of the Chatham cup. 

I will be driving up from town if anyone wants a lift.

Do PMs work on this board yet?

If so, PM me (tonight as I won't be checking it tomorrow)

yes pm's do work even if it tells you it has failed, sent one last week and recieved one back.

Is anyone willing/ (legally) able to live stream the game some where? I understand it's only a friendly, but would love to be able to watch it rather than rely on Twitter updates. 

Nix twitter feed

YF twitter feed for those playing at home - where's an intern when you need one?

Redcarded in a pre season friendly for stomping!?! Does this affect Rossi's eligibility for the FFA Cup?

Rossi red carded for stomping... more please.

It's a friendly so should have no impact, not an official game.

Not a stomp, more like he stepped on wests player. Still a red offence. Didn't even try to hide it

So what are the observations from our first hit out? How did our new recruits look? Any significant changes in the way that kalezic plays?

Interesting from Kalezic on Rossi...

"It was a red card. Marco is a player who got three months off [since last season] and you see what the result is. Some players get four days off, some get three months off.

"If you come from the three months holiday to play a game after one week that's the result you get. We as a club have to change that, the culture to get different holiday times for the players. This is only one of the many things we can improve and develop in the organisation."

From Stuff article - http://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/95085132/Marco-Rossi-sees-red-as-Wellington-Phoenix-draw-first-pre-season-against-Western-Suburbs?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

I went, thought we were rusty as. New boy from Croatia started strong in mid but then ended up playing centre back after the red. Pretty awful game after that. Wests had majority of the possession but no real chances.

Might also want to get players that are capable of winning the ball off a bunch of 16 year olds that are 4th in the Cap Prem.....

or they took the opportunity to work on their shape/tactics for when they have to play with 10 men during the season.

It was a friendly and it was free to get in, but I want my money back. Dunno what the players made of it, but it was a complete non event for the spectator. Football used to be about attacking and passing forward, Ive never seen such aimless dross in my life as was dished up tonight. After Rossi's departure it got even worse, the Phoenix stopped trying and Wests put on their second team, who didnt want to attack either. I was in the pub well before the end.

Almost as if it was the first preseason fixture of the season perhaps...

What else did you expect to happen? It's preseason for a reason...

Ah, 10 pre-seasons of the same posts... how I missed it.

so don't you try and score in pre-season then? There wasn't a shot worthy of the name in the whole match. Plenty of practice of passing back to the centre half from both teams. That aint football. How about practicing some attacking, some creative play, getting the ball in the box. Total crap.

Pretty sure I saw at least two full-blooded shots go over the bar from the Nix in the first half, do they count? Maybe no real out-and-out "must score" chances, but both sides did try to attack (the Nix far less so after the red). Besides, as Jonathan Wilson supposedly said, goals are overrated, the beauty is in the struggle.

Not necessarily no.  It depends on what they were trying to achieve.