CCM v Wellington Paranormal

[Huddo]

On the Ollie saga.... maybe we should let it slide a bit... wait a couple of weeks for the club to say something

If as has been suggested he is not being played to prevent a resign clause in his contract, then getting older players to sign in the future will be hard...

He could walk into any of the other clubs as a starting player so it would be easy to offload him if that was the call so I doubt the reason is to ensure his contract is not extended... Cows WSW would take him in a flash so personally I don't see that is the reason...

BTW, the haven't heard that suggestion before

 

[pjennings]

I hope that the Ollie talk is just that.

But if the issue is a resign trigger (to the club's benefit) and he wants to go for more money elsewhere he could be sitting out of his own accord. The club needs to need to meet the salary cap so may be happy for him to do work until the end of the season corporately

 

[Allreet?]

I reckon faz has got a bit of mad eyes too

Mad Eyes Miller has a better ring.

 

[Insertnamehere]

Could Ollie's vaccination status be a factor? I think he missed out on a trip to Perth because he wasn't fully vaxed?

He went to Perth and played. It was an abysmal 0-0.
15 March the game was.

 

[sydmariner]

I'm gunna try and avoid throwing fuel on the fire about the Ollie situation as what i have heard from from secondary sources ain't good.

Will say, it is looking more and more likely he ain't gunna play for us again, and there is talk the Wanderers are looking, wont say this is positive or negative, just what the second-hand sources are saying.

so he want's to join a winning club then.

 

[Rising Sun]

During our slump when we had a non existent midfield where our attack was getting no service and we were conceding late goals Oli was the leader of our midfield

Corrected your post for accuracy. We were off our game all through the midfield and forward line due to lack of form / fitness / confidence of several players largely due to covid recovery, and a lack of cohesiveness in part due the introduction of Cummings. Oli was busting a gut trying to be the bloke that solved all the problems right through from screening the defence to scoring the goals and everything in between, and never took an easy option or missed a minute of play during a busy period in the process. To suggest that he was the reason for our lack of form is wrong, and that the reason for our improvement in form is down to his absence is a massive over-simplification. I think if a rested and refreshed Oli came back into the current team playing alongside Nizzy then you would see a different player to the one that was running on empty a few weeks back.

Having said that, I am not advocating for him to come straight back in (and of course assuming he will come back) and not disagreeing that Balard and Niz are better options at the moment. For now he would be a handy bench option.

I do think you are on to something when you suggest that Balard (and to a lesser extent Niz) have improved through NOT having Oli playing next to them. I have heard from people sitting close to the pitch that he doesn't hold back on the young blokes if they make a mistake. That's no bad thing but I get the sense that Balard is a confidence player and may have second guessed his best option at times for fear of incurring Oli's wrath. Even if it's not his tough love that is the problem, he is a strong presence out there and easy to fall into his shadow.

 

[Rising Sun]

I was particularly impressed by the defensive and the defensive cover work done by Beni when Lewis was caught out of position. I feel that gets lost when people have the good Beni / bad Beni debate. To me it is almost always good Beni as a whole because of his defensive work.

Agreed.
As much as everybody seems to be much more on the same wavelength going forwards, I think we have also improved at the back as well, particularly out wide, in terms of everybody knowing their roles and not just when to slot in for each other but also general cohesiveness - who picks who up, when they hand off or switch etc - seem to be reacting in sync much more than they were. I think part of that is a settled line up, partly down to growth of our young defenders but also down to the defensive work of the wide midfielders - not just Beni on the right but Smith (and Hatch) on the left

 

[Ironbark]

If a player is not fitting in then he must go, especially in a squad like ours, no matter his quality or potential.
I need to watch the replay but was not as impressed with him as others here, early in the game. Later I thought he was good.
You see things differently depending on where you sit.

Yeah I thought Miller was good, but not up to his own usual standard.
Not dismissing what he produced. That pass/assist to Garang was something else

 

[Allreet?]

There was some fantastic one touch passing last night that put players into space (and almost did a few times more).

Niz and Balard were in teh thick of it - great to see, but I suspect Oli would keep his foot on the ball longer. Mind you, he does give us a lot in other areas (like shooting).

 

[Jimmy]

Regarding Miller.
As some have you have pointed out, he should try and make it overseas.
I was pondering this last night. And I'm sure Macarthur have been for a while.

It's an easy investment if you have a guaranteed OS move for him. ~250k up from to snag him.
Then transfer to an OS club with a sell on clause in place. An easy way to make money off another clubs youth system.

Adding yet another reason to the already many reasons to hate The Bulls. f**k that club and anyone who supports them.

 

[Corsair]

Don’t think anyone is avoiding the Ollie situation. It’s just there is no information about. Everyone has been tight lipped.

What we know:
Ollie, Matty and Cy trained with the academy when the team was away so it is not sickness or injury

Rumour:
- bust up with Monty.
- Ollie has a clause in his contract that will trigger an extension if he plays a minimum amount of games this season and Monty (Ken or Charlesworth) doesn’t want that trigger.

Wild speculation:
- Monty has currently (and in the academy) enough DMs. Given his very limited budget and that Ollie is the highest paid player in the club, Monty (Ken or Charlesworth) wants to invest in other areas of the park.
- With all these young players coming on there will certainly be interest from other clubs. Monty (Charlesworth or Ken) needs the money to retain some of these players on higher wages.
- Monty has had a frank conversation with Ollie about recent performances and that hasn’t gone down well.

Add to that list...Oli got rested due to injury or tiredness, the team played better without him, Monty is a manager of his word and if you come into the team and play well you keep your spot. Monty said that in his post match and i read between the lines he was talking about Oli. No one should think they automatically have a place in the starting 11... except birraz and rowles.

 

[turbo]

On Oli I seem to remember some speculation around Staj’s departure that the leadership group or some within it may have been at odds with him and responsible for some of our success. Wonder if there’s any truth to the speculation of clash of egos / power dynamic with Monty and he’s said no one is bigger than the team.

If anyone is expecting a meaningful statement on it from the club they are going to be disappointed. We’ll get the usual fluffy statement thanking him for his service so all sides can maintain the professional image. Slinging mud or even harsh truths never reflects well on either party.

 

[Wombat]

Cheers brother.
I do miss having you in the stands with me to enjoy the good times after so many years singing our hearts out, only to be let down by a NPL level squad.

I thought about it last night. And it'd be pretty damn close to having done it for half my life now ?
A real sense of getting old when there's players now joining the A-league that weren't born when the Mariners first kicked off.

We may not have the numbers in Bay 16 that we used to. But we still have the passion and unconditional love for the club, even when we're mad we still care about it.

Would love to see more people come into the bay, bring banners and flags etc. But, I know it's getting harder to do as life gets busier.

I'm super proud of the fans that gathered in the corner for the photo and sang the No One Rates Us chant.
Something I came up with in 2011 whilst bored at work and trying to get rid of an ear worm that was the melody.

Jimmy....that is one of the best chants in World Football. Take a bow, you legend.

 

[true believer]

an image says a 1000 words

 

[Tevor]

an image says a 1000 words

We will know on Saturday.

 

[Allreet?]

Is Ollie referring to his tadpoles?

 

[FFC Mariner]

The first sniff of real money coming and the greedy bastards start lining up with their hands out. (refer R Gatt tweets)

Credit to Monty for staying strong.

The energy and sheer joy with which the side is playing without a negative handbrake made last nights closed food/drink outlets and lack of hats worth going along.

People who can go but dont are seriously missing out

As to Jimmy's post - its another example of smart business that we arent very good at. I thought Miller was absolutely amazing last night - that we havent re signed him is a mistake that will cost.

 

[Ironbark]

an image says a 1000 words

Positive.

I wondered more if he was a bit burnt out with niggling injuries. Then gastro went through and a performing team can do without him an extra week or two while he rests and renews.

That's my hope as much as anything else

 

[FFC Mariner]

Positive.

I wondered more if he was a bit burnt out with niggling injuries. Then gastro went through and a performing team can do without him an extra week or two while he rests and renews.

That's my hope as much as anything else

Fit as a fiddle and training with teh academy I'm told

 

[true believer]

The first sniff of real money coming and the greedy bastards start lining up with their hands out. (refer R Gatt tweets)

Credit to Monty for staying strong.

The energy and sheer joy with which the side is playing without a negative handbrake made last nights closed food/drink outlets and lack of hats worth going along.

People who can go but dont are seriously missing out

As to Jimmy's post - its another example of smart business that we arent very good at. I thought Miller was absolutely amazing last night - that we havent re signed him is a mistake that will cost.

we haven't resigned him or he won't except our offer ?