Though the Phoenix have collected seven points from four matches, the points only paper over the cracks that have emerged.

A day after his A-League team squandered a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to bitter rivals Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC coach Ian Crook has quit the club.

The biggest thing to come out of the Ben Sigmund/Jeronimo Neumann controversy is that cheats continue to prosper in football, writes Michael Brown.

Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert was stunned on learning that the red card shown to central defender Ben Sigmund by referee Jarred Gillett had not been overturned.

The ragtag mob masquerading as Wellington Phoenix B went close to pulling off the impossible with a battling draw with Melbourne Heart.

The upcoming A-League season gets underway on Friday night. APNZ's Daniel Richardson casts his eye over this year's teams.

Wellington Phoenix midfielder Alex Smith has gone about his business without catching much fanfare.