Michael Brown: Time ripe to invest in All Whites

The A-League transfer window opens on November 1, and the Knights need to use it wisely.

Three spaces will be available - Dani Rodrigues (knee) is out for the season, Matt Carbon (groin) is expected to be released and Frank van Eijs has left - so it's a perfect chance for the club to signal their intentions for the future.

They should sign at least two All Whites and an exciting, and known, player who can catch the public's imagination and arrest a downward spiral in crowd numbers.

By securing two All Whites, it will show they finally have the message that the Knights are a New Zealand team for New Zealanders. They can spout all they like about New Zealand players not being good enough, yet, but the present squad aren't exactly world beaters.

Unfortunately, securing quality All Whites is easier said than done. Most are already contracted and few would take a chance with a club that is an alarming distance off the pace.

They missed out on Leo Bertos (Perth), Jeremy Brockie (Sydney) and Vaughan Coveny (Newcastle) and said thanks but no thanks when offered Adrian Webster (Perth) and Stephen Old (Newcastle), while Jeremy Christie couldn't join Perth soon enough. They also didn't know about Tim Brown, who has joined Newcastle on a short-term contract.

Add in Che Bunce, Mark Paston and Noah Hickey, and you have 10 All Whites playing in the Australian competition - they should all be at the Knights. Clearly they're good enough, because Australian clubs think they're good enough.

The Football Federation of Australia (FFA) have repeatedly said the Knights should be the All Whites in disguise and this would serve as a perfect arrangement for coach Ricki Herbert as he builds towards qualification for the 2010 World Cup.

Not only would half of his squad be in the country, but they would also be training together daily.

Ideally, the Knights would contain at least 10 of the best Kiwi players, supplemented by quality imports. This was the intention when the Kingz were established in 1999.

We were told the Kingz would provide a pathway for Kiwis to play professionally. The perception is this doesn't exist and it is doing little for the development of the game here. It's all very well saying the public would support a winning side, regardless of where the players come from, but the public would also like to see some of their own.

It beggars belief that the Knights have not learned from their mistakes. Quite simply, a guillotine is hanging over the club's head. If club officials don't make positive moves now, the blade will be dropped by Australian officials who will eventually lose patience.

The drums are beating for this to happen in Australia and FFA chairman Frank Lowy, who's a good friend of Fifa president Sepp Blatter, has shown he is a man who's not afraid to act as the executioner.

Bringing in at least two All Whites might buy the Knights valuable time.