Michael Burgess: It's goodbye and good riddance to Finkler the flop

Gui Finkler didn't seem likely to help the club turn a corner. Photo / Photosport

Goodbye Gui Finkler, and you would have to say, good riddance.

The departure of the Brazilian marquee player, who had his contract terminated on Friday by mutual agreement, won't be lamented by many of the Wellington Phoenix fan base.

He wasn't the worst foreign player in the history of the club, but he certainly belongs on the short list of most forgettable imports.

No one doubted his pedigree, but he didn't perform, and considering the former Melbourne Victory player was on an extremely lucrative contract by Phoenix standards, the value for money he delivered was awful.

Maybe he had lost confidence, and he wasn't helped by Ernie Merrick's abrupt departure, then the weird decision to appoint Des Buckingham and Chris Greenacre as head coaches. But there was never a sense that Finkler was determined to justify the significant outlay, and roll up his shelves to help the club turn a corner.

Instead, when the going got tough, Finkler tended to disappear. This was epitomised two weeks ago, when he was hooked by coach Darije Kalezic after his mistake led to a goal for Central Coast. It's understood he went straight into the dressing rooms, and by the time the game was over, had left the stadium. It was this kind of behaviour that left the club with no choice.

Finkler was supposed to be a game changer when he was signed by the club — like Paul Ifill or Nathan Burns in the past — but had almost no positive impact.

It begs the wider question; why do the Phoenix keep striking out with imports? Kosta Barbarouses was also a poor performer for much of his brief stay, while Jeffrey Sarpong was a disaster.

Marco Rossi has yet to fulfil his undoubted potential, while Alex Rodriguez spent three seasons in Wellington but never really stood out. Signs look better this year, with Andrija Kaludjerovic and Dario Vidosic looking astute buys, but it's a trend that needs to be stopped.

Their plight is in stark contrast with Auckland City, who continually hit the right notes with imported players.

The ISPS Handa Premiership club is always careful to assess character as well as ability, and coach Ramon Tribulietx is a master of judging talent from overseas and blending it with local players.

That was seen in their performance against Al Jazira last Thursday, which was a new gold standard for New Zealand-based teams against reputable foreign opposition. It might seem a curious call about a loss, but it's hard to remember any team from this country, including age group sides, producing such a dominant display on the world stage against non-Oceania opposition.

They rewrote the standard New Zealand recipe, which even for the All Whites in recent years has consisted of defending doggedly, feeding off scraps of possession and hoping for errors.

Auckland City were assured at the back, and calm and creative in possession, with only poor finishing stopping them from claiming another famous Club World Cup victory.

Albert Riera gave another reminder of how much he is still missed by the Phoenix, while the likes of Angel Berlanga and Cameron Howieson surely wouldn't be out of place at A-League level.