The Wellington Phoenix are doing their best to keep up with the top four sides in the A-League.

Ricki Herbert has rubbed shoulders with Sachin Tendulkar, pitted coaching wits against Zico, dined with Bollywood royalty and encountered elephants walking down the footpath in recent months.

The power brokers within Oceania football are putting a fresh case together for direct entry to the World Cup and are confident it can be achieved.

The days of a single 'death or glory' match for the Oceania representative at the Fifa Club World Cup could be coming to an end.

Former footballer Sol Campbell has become the latest monied public figure to battle Labour's proposed "mansion tax" in Britain, claiming it is a levy on aspiration which he cannot afford to pay.

Barcelona romped to a 4-0 win at APOEL Nicosia in the European Champions League but the victory was overshadowed by yet another record-breaking performance by Lionel Messi.

Luke Ronchi's compelling form in the one-day team looks set to propel him into the test team to replace Jimmy Neesham for next week's third test in Sharjah.

Marco Rojas insists he has a future with his German club, despite an apparent fallout with senior club figures around the recent All Whites games in China and Thailand.

It's too early to say the Phoenix are at the crossroads but the last seven days have been a major setback for the Wellington team.

Call it the drive for five or the fix for six.

Many consider themselves well versed in the game but the New Zealand cricket coach can leave those same people thinking about nuances of knowledge they had never considered.

The OFC President's Cup is here to stay - and there are big plans for a tournament you may not know existed.