KEY POINTS:
What should happen with the New Zealand Knights now their licence to play in Australia's A-league has been revoked?
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Here is a selection of your views:
Dave Stokes
Let's face it, we are rubbish at Soccer. We always have been and always will be until the sport is given the kind of attention that is given to Rugby.
Phillip S
What has happened to the Knights is really sad, the fact that NZ can't enter one team into an Australian league is a tragedy. There are a number of things that need to change if it is going to succeed in any form going forward: Soccer NZ should not be involved. How can you have a professional team that is managed by the countries governing body. Imagine if the NZRFU was telling Canterbury how to manage their team??? Too much interference from SNZ means that the club isn't able to get on and do the job. Ricki Herbert should decide if he wants to be part of Soccer NZ and the All Whites or the Knights; he can't do both. Pick a coach and stick with him. Get some decent sponsorship and a good marketing team in. Get bums on seats. How can they justify ticket prices of $25 when North Harbour rugby only charges $15 at the same ground (for a more entertaining game!) and the Breakers only charge $15 as well. Knights marketing talked about not wanting to 'de-value their product' by dropping ticket prices. Note to your marketing team, you don't have a product. The fans make up the product - charge $10 for an adult and fee for kids. Get people in the gate and supporting the team. Lots of people were turned off going along, how can a family of four justify paying $70+ to attend a game. It is arrogant of the knights to think that they can charge those prices. I hope the Knights, or whatever they are called next year can be successful, and they will be if they can find some backers, attract some players, and keep New Zealand Soccer out of it. They need their support, but they need to be left to run the club as a professional club, not as a branch of the governing body.
Mike Williamson
The Knights needs to be the shadow NZ side. Encourage all current or fringe NZ players to play for the Knights-not allowing or have happen the situation as at present where 7-8 NZ players are contracted to Australian sides.There needs to be serious thought about how the club/team should be promoted. At present there is no money spent on advertising the games, no build up to games, no special offers, no pre game entertainment or half time entertainment. A "Peter Leitch" type person is required to hype up things. Hopefully, if results became better, there would be more positive promotion from the media. I for one are sick of the snide remarks in the NZ Herald columns on a Monday morning in the lows of the week. It would also be great to get a team winning so other media eg TV3 sport gets off the teams case.
Maybe 1 idea is to try and get other Auckland club support in a bigger way-there are thousands of kids who play the sport but dont support the team-the reason why not needs to be looked at. The other idea maybe is to move out of Auckland.
Andrew Villazon
The problem with the Knights extends beyond the management of the club, where the problem lies is in soccer itself in New Zealand. If we dont change the direction for soccer in New Zealand then the Knights will continue to perform poorly and ultimately dissolve. The bottom line is that the way soccer is played in New Zealand is outdated, kick the ball and then chase it. You can see it in the Knights, you can see it in the All Whites, but worst of all you can see it at the grass roots level. This style of soccer is boring, lacks flair, and stunts individual brilliance. Its little wonder no one cares to watch the Knights play when they display such a lack of creativity. It doesnt require marquee players or big signings, it requires proper direction and guidence.
Year after year the Knights employ an ex-patriate englishman, John Ansead, Paul Nevin etc. Why? Its clear that the English are not the best in the world. If the Knights want to excel then they should look to the best, and the best are only 10,000 Kms east: Brazil, Chile and Argentina. Why not bring in a coach from Brazil or Argentina who actually knows what it is to play the beautiful game? Hopefully the revoking of the license is the wake up call that makes the Knights think hard about how they play. Because its playing with flair and passion that attracts fans, not management structures.
Ron Cherry
For the good of NZ Soccer, Soccer NZ should refuse to allow the continued participation of a NZ based franchise in the A-League. The Knights and the Kingz before them failed mainly because the referees were biased against them. This is caused by the ingrained fear that Australians have about competing with NZ at sport. "WE can compete with Italy and England but we can never be sure we will beat NZ" WE should concentrate on our own sport and let the situation evolve as it has in league. Few of our promising young league players play for the Warriors. Most of them get their break playing for an Australian club. Soccer could have the same benefits without the pain that it has recently been suffering.
John Legg
The simple fact that the Knights have failed in the last two seasons is that apart from three or four players, there is not enough quality in the squad. At least ten players were axed at the end of last season. What does that tell you. The Knights management are the ones at fault as they signed the players that were just not good enough.
Ross Killkid
NZ Knights...a blight on the aussie soccer horizon!!?
I find it perplexing but hardly surprising, that Robbie Slater- who must be a respected and popular footballer in the land of Oz can comfortably sit in his objective commentary seat, and, and gargle melliflously about his wonderful memories with Liverpool, West Ham (and whatever other English club he prostituted his limited skills with) and not make the tiniest of connections between the incredible BENEFIT and advancement that the Sockedoos and the countless number of lesser Aussie players have gained through their participation in an overseas professional competitions (the EPL an excellent example). There is an argument that English soccer has also benefitted from the influx of overseas players but there are costs in time and money in further developing the skills of a lot of oceania originated players but the Clubs do it because they understand the returns. I'm not sure if the Knights are the answer for NZ soccer either but Robbie, dont blame them for the lack of international credibility regarding Aussie's entry into the W Cup after beating a pacific village eleven 7551 - nil. Aussie will not attain any credibility unless there is greater regional development and consequently, an improved Oceania soccer standard. Part of that plan will require allowing NZ soccer to get as much exposure to a higher standard of footie even if it meant poor old Aussie giving us a helping hand (hell, we did it for them for decades with the rugby and look how well they did). It will take more regional cooperation and at the moment- with self interested comments and attitudes coming from the land of bushfires and cricket ashes, its no wonder knights haven't performed away from the round table lately. Bring back Merlin, I say!
Rikki
Give the NZ licence to the Oceania Football Confederation and let them run a representative side composed of Pacific nations, including NZ. This would give the New Caledonians, Vanuatans, Fijians *and* Kiwis a side to call their own, and an opportunity for the smaller nations to develop their youngsters. Surely the benefit would be there for all Oceania? I've articulated this thought, and others, more fully on my blog: http://rikkiandkristin.blogspot.com/2006/12/will-it-be-good-knight-new-zealand.html
Matt Jeffs
While the NZ Kinghtz nee Kingz(cringe) are a good idea I just don't think we have the sustainable talent base in NZ to foot it with Aussies at this level. Its like an Irish Club side trying to compete in the English Premiership. The gulf in class, investment and general talent available is now painfully obvious. There are some decent NZ footballers playing professionally throughout the world - Chris Killen at Hibs, Rory Fallon at Swansea and Ryan Nelsen at Blackburn to name just a few. But the problem is that they aren't playing in NZ. We haven't have any real Footballing idols in this country since Wynton Ruffer and even he left for Werder Bremen and won a European Cup. The European leagues will always be the pinnacle of a footballers ambitions thats just a fact. But there isn't any reason why we can't invest in the up and coming talent already in NZ and at the same time look at attracting some decent investment in a marketable and uniquly NZ football club. This is a much higher level of football than what we're used to in NZ so the investment needs to match accordingly. Once this happens maybe the Knightz, or whatever naff name they decide on, will be able to start to attact one or two quality players from accross the tasman or even entice an aging player from one of the European Clubs.
Brent
So far, the Knights have been nothing but a national embarrasment. If memory serves me well, they recently fielded a team that comprised players of 7 different nationalities. The sad fact is that this is not a New Zealand team at all, yet has done nothing but tarnish the reputation of NZ sports teams. If the FFA are silly enough to keep a NZ franchise, then I can only advocate a total cleanout of players and management, and the introduction of some young NZ players who actually want to play for the Knights (or whatever they end up being called).
Lynn
With regards to the demise of the Knights.The "buck" should start and end at the top and I think they should accept blame and not go blaming others.
Bill Burns
"NZ Needs a CHAMPION for Soccer/Football" Soccer in this country needs a CHAMPION – to take control of it or it will end up in the gutter, this has to be NZ Soccer, which could bring the Soccer fraternity together - if it does it properly! NZ Soccer should take a major share of the Knights - 30 -40% of it, change the name to the Auckland Knights. Make it a PLC and get the local Greater Auckland usiness/public to have a stake in it by selling shares or getting multiple investors, this would then mean they would get behind it and support it (bums on seats)! Make it for the whole region! Bread Kiwi's into it and have a development team playing as one of the (potential) ten teams in the NZFC – this would give development, local support, bigger public awareness and a platform for the All Whites to South Africa. The other key opportunity would be that it would leverage NZ Soccer getting a National Sponsor – which would be crucial to the game! The coaching set up should be Riki as Head coach , with a Manager with a profile and network like Alan Ball – who would give it a prestigious - ness and attract key Marquee player(s) that would compliment the Kiwi revolution. "The only way soccer in this country can be for Kiwi's is for them to be a part of it!" Well the first thing that needs to happen is that NZ needs to be recognized by its needs rather than being compared to Australia! We are a small island on our own with a population of 4 million (which is Approx Sydney alone). For soccer to build a structure we need to play of one team sheet and have a champion that everyone recognizes - NZ Soccer! Step 1 - "Know the market and make them feel apart of it - Bring the Auckland soccer Fraternity together- for the good of the game" - Call the Knights - Auckland Knights - Give it a base that people can feel part of.- NZS should take a 30-40% stake and turn the rest in to PLC where the general public/business in the Auckland region can buy shares in the franchise, this would give the Auckland region more reason to support the club and tap into a market that needs to feel wanted rather than just dictated to!. Step 2 - "It's about continuity, structure and having the key people in from the start" NZS put in place a board comprising of 7 - 1 - Graham Seatter & Mike Kernahan to Chair & Deputy chair respectively the board, for National leadership and continuity. 2 - The two federations in the Greater Auckland region (United Soccer 1 & Soccer 2) for Grassroots football initiatives and the biggest fan base market for the franchise. 3 - Marketing guru?? TBC someone from Sachi & Sachi - to direct an influence. 4 - Plus 2 more with clear business portfolios in NZ business or 1 could be Brendan O'Conner CEO of North Harbour Stadium- key interest to making the Knights work)
Step 3 - "the ground work need to be good for the platform to build" To achieve the platform to build, the following areas must be addressed – Operational Manager (not CEO) - which reports to Seatter, with an open mind but strong business and face value. Marketing and promotion - though NZS - which already has the key targets markets in place with the NZFC, Federations and Clubs. All this can be packaged up as it is all the same target market- this would also mean a potential National sponsor as it would have a bigger sponsorship portfolio to offer! Step 4 – "The players need a structured and clear pathway" No other team in the world has just one squad! – It needs a development team. This should be through NZFC, which they could put a development team in as part of the (potential) ten teams they are looking at. Appoint a manager – like an Allan Ball that could give it a profile, bring in good marquee player(s) that would compliment these young Kiwi and the revolution and running the team - This person is crucial as Riki will be full on with preparation for the All Whites Qualifiers and just needs to know his players and prepare. Appoint – Riki Herbert as Head Coach – looks after all the players. Have the two squads training together. Step 5 – "Bring the soccer fraternity together" If this is achieved – it would give the soccer fraternity a pathway and a dream to follow! All Whites – International aspiration Auckland Knights – Professional aspiration NZFC - Development team – Amateur (18 plus) NZFC Academy/youth league – Development and nurture (16-18yrs) Regional representation Federation level – growth and development (12 to 15) Clubs - The grassroots of our Small Whites (4 to 11)
Joe Parker
New zealand soccer have put this upon themselves. They had the chance to be apart of something good and decided to knife everyone who was part of the knights in the back. If NZ soccer is/was to get better and produce top proffesionals then they have just thrown the best chance away. It takes time and money and support and obviously the chiefs in NZ soccer HQ have shown how amateur they are. They just are in it for themselves. RIP new zealand soccer for another 20 years.
Edward Lyons
A couple of years back Soccer Australia were bankrupt. They received a $10 million plus injection from central government. The formula for recovery is simple, don't scrimp on the capital. The NZ Knights need multiple equity stakes; more than the current three investors.Players already exist. We need to pay for decent coaches. This is not Forrest Hill FC against Greenhithe, this is an international competition.
Tim Adams
The knights concept is important provided it is given the proper support. The warriors are a good example, and while they havn't been regularly successful in the NRL have raised the profile of NZ league, something that NZ soccer (which should be football) should interested in. It is unrealistic to expect a team full of kiwi's compete in the A-League, however there has been some kiwi's that have proved they should be given a chance. I think the knights both this season and last are only a couple of quality players away from being competitive, however the "new" owners shouldn't expect to win the league straight away, they need to put in time and effort over a number of seasons, and Rikki is the right man to lead them to that!!
John
It's depressing that soccer has become such a popular game in NZ and youngsters need a goal –as aspiring rugby players have the All Blacks to look up to.
Pete C
How come Australia can get it together and have the sort of world cup success and aftermath they are enjoying while we are just an embarrassment.
