Big crowd needed to hit 'metric masters'

Glen Moss of the Phoenix

Opinion

I was pretty disappointed and angry when the news broke that Football Federation Australia wouldn't be granting the Phoenix a new, long-term licence.

I'm so proud of our club - how it's run and of the people involved day-to-day. Having played for two failed franchises - the New Zealand Knights and Gold Coast United - I can tell you the Wellington Phoenix don't remotely resemble a failing franchise.

The drama certainly hasn't affected our preparation or team morale. Kwabena Appiah has the music pumping in the sheds, Roly Bonevacia still walks out to the training pitch with a huge grin, giggling his way through the warm-up and Michael McGlinchey still keeps me back at the end of training, trying to curl free kicks past me. Coach Ernie Merrick has the team well-prepared and pumped up on match day.

I am often told by staff at the Australian players' union, and even people within the FFA, that we are up there with Melbourne Victory as the league's most stable, well-run club.

We are not a club who have our hands out looking for financial support and we don't have crowd problems. What we do have are some of the most successful businesspeople in the country, people who are passionate about building a successful football club.

The FFA have publicly stated the Wellington Phoenix need to improve our "metrics".

I don't have a university degree - I actually dropped out of high school in the final year to pursue my dream of becoming a professional footballer - so my only guess is that FFA chief executive David Gallop is talking about crowd numbers and television viewers. It is my understanding he hasn't defined those numbers, and why would he? Our crowd numbers and television viewing figures are not dissimilar to some Australian-based clubs, so setting a target for us to hit may, in fact, be harder for other clubs to reach.

The #savethenix campaign has hit top gear. I have seen banners at every away game this season and it warms our hearts to see how valued we are now in Australia because it hasn't always been the case. Rival fans and players I speak to in Australia have been so complimentary over the past two seasons, appreciating our brand of football and the unique rivalry a Kiwi side brings to the competition.

There is one way to put the "metrics" debate to bed and that's to get a bumper crowd to QBE Stadium tonight. More than 13,000 people turned up to support us in our last game in Wellington. A similar figure tonight would surely silence the "metrics masters". So, Auckland, it's time to step up!

Three things

1. Melbourne Victory have lived up to their pre-season favouritism and lead the A-League nearly one-third of the way through the season.

2. Wellington have virtually a fully fit squad for coach Ernie Merrick to choose from. Midfielder Vince Lia (hamstring) is available and defender Ben Sigmund has recovered from concussion but Merrick is unsure if he can last 90 minutes. There is a concern over fullback Justin Gulley (hamstring).

3. The Phoenix will play at North Harbour Stadium for the first time. They have a good record in Auckland, including a 2-1 win over West Ham, but at Eden Park.