Football: Phoenix fired up by apathy in Aussie

Phoenix skipper Andrew Durante. Picture / Getty Images

Australians don’t give Wellington side a chance in A-League but skipper is out to prove the pundits wrong

Andrew Durante has heard it all before.

It's the time of year when the A-League begins and across the Tasman the Wellington Phoenix have been written off asno-hopers yet again.

Maybe there's some method to the madness of the Australian pundits given the Phoenix have finished 10th and ninth in the last two seasons but it's hard to deny they're a much-improved outfit ahead of the 2014-2015 campaign.

The official season launch this week provided more of the same chatter that Durante has sat through since he arrived in Wellington in 2008. Basically, you should hold off betting on the Phoenix because they aren't worth the punt.

"To be honest, you get used to it but you never accept it," Durante said. "It really pisses me off, to be honest, that no one ever gives us a chance."

The Phoenix, who have recruited well in the off-season with the likes of All White Michael McGlinchey, Dutchman Roly Bonevacia and Spaniard Alex Rodriguez, plan to feed off that negativity.

"No one really cares about the Phoenix or how the Phoenix is going to go and it winds me up a bit," Durante said. "So we really need to stay united in this team and make sure that we go out there and we are really strong. We won't let any outside factors affect us and if we can do that we are going to have a great year because we've got a great team; we've got quality all over the park."

Depth has long been an issue in Wellington but they now boast their deepest squad in years.

"It's something we haven't had," Durante said of the club's depth. "We've always been quite strong in our starting XI or just a couple extra but we've now got depth all over the park."

Coach Ernie Merrick is into his second season in charge and his message is getting through. Merrick's attacking approach puts a premium on holding possession in the opposition's half and that should yield more goals this season.

But Durante knows the club needs to tighten up at the back after they shipped a league-worst 51 goals in 27 games last summer.

"We've got to be a lot better in defence than we were last year and there's no hiding from that."

After a lengthy pre-season the Phoenix are itching to start and they will open their campaign when they host Perth in the capital on Sunday.

"The boys have done 18 weeks of torture training and they asked me the other day if they could have some time off to play in the A-League," Merrick quipped. "So that's what they're going to do."

3 things about the Phoenix this season

Mod squad
The Phoenix have their deepest squad for years.

New recruits
They have recruited well with Michael McGlinchey, Dutchman Roly Bonevacia and Spaniard Alex Rodriguez.

On song
Coach Ernie Merrick's message is getting through.