Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Andrew Johnsen: Wellington Phoenix a disrespectful mess

Andrew Johnsen
Sports editor·Northern Advocate·
18 May, 2018 07:58 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Wellington Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison has been silent on the proposed sale of his football club. PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES

Wellington Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison has been silent on the proposed sale of his football club. PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES

Fans of the Wellington Phoenix have been blatantly disrespected by an ownership group unwilling to communicate.

As if a poor 2017/18 Hyundai A-League campaign wasn't enough for committed Wellington Phoenix fans, reports surfaced over negotiations towards a ridiculous merging with a Southwest Sydney group.

The Phoenix adamantly stated they weren't going to sell their A-League licence in any form but when there are overwhelming clouds of smoke appearing over Westpac Stadium, there's usually a fire.

Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop confirmed with AAP that he held a meeting with Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison and director of the Southwest Sydney expansion bid, Gino Mirra, on May 11.

Then, on May 15, the Sydney Morning Herald reported the club had reached an agreement to sell the license for $16.3 million and shift the majority of operations to the other side of the Tasman.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

If the owners didn't want to part with the side these meetings surely wouldn't have even happened, right?

After another ultimately pointless season of meandering in the doldrums of the A-League table can it be looked in a different manner now if the owners are indeed looking to bolt.

The owners are being flat out disrespectful to a fan base that, for better and, more often than not, worse, head along to Westpac Stadium every week to watch their side usually go down comfortably.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The FFA are expected the block the sale but that will do little to alleviate the Yellow Fever's righteous gripes with upper management.

With two years left on their current four year extension taking them until the end of the 2019/20 season (with the potential for further three year extensions through to 2022/23 and 2025/26), there seems to be little reason for fans to expect on-field changes.

That seems callous but what owner would go out and spend millions on new players and coaches for a team that, for all intents and purposes, will leave the capital in two years?

None would. It would be dead money to them.

Of course, this would be slightly more palatable for the fans if the owners came out to either dispel what they call rumours armed with an artillery of evidence or come clean about wanting out.

The fans shouldn't expect anything from them. Since the Sydney Morning Herald piece on May 15, the only communication from the Phoenix has been a retweet of South West Sydney Football's go at "false media".

They've gone eerily quiet for a club that supposedly isn't up for grabs in their eyes.

Silence usually speaks volumes but Phoenix management are screaming.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Northern Advocate

From cricket to the fairway: Northland trio enter Guinness World Record books for longest golf ball catch

09 Dec 03:33 AM
Sport

Northland teen aims for American football glory despite not playing the sport

04 Dec 12:03 AM
Premium
Northern Advocate

Condor Sevens: The unlikely high school champions nobody saw coming

02 Dec 02:55 AM

Sponsored

The Bay’s secret advantage

07 Dec 09:54 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

From cricket to the fairway: Northland trio enter Guinness World Record books for longest golf ball catch
Northern Advocate

From cricket to the fairway: Northland trio enter Guinness World Record books for longest golf ball catch

The record has been confirmed by Guinness World Records.

09 Dec 03:33 AM
Northland teen aims for American football glory despite not playing the sport
Sport

Northland teen aims for American football glory despite not playing the sport

04 Dec 12:03 AM
Premium
Premium
Condor Sevens: The unlikely high school champions nobody saw coming
Northern Advocate

Condor Sevens: The unlikely high school champions nobody saw coming

02 Dec 02:55 AM


The Bay’s secret advantage
Sponsored

The Bay’s secret advantage

07 Dec 09:54 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP