New Phoenix coach sets lofty goals

New Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay meets the press at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.  Photo: Getty
New Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay meets the press at Westpac Stadium in Wellington. Photo: Getty
The Wellington Phoenix under Ufuk Talay will have all the robustness of Sydney FC, with a cherry on top in the form of Roy Krishna.

At least that's what the new coach is hoping for when he takes his first and most important steps as Mark Rudan's replacement at the A-League club.

Five days after helping steer Sydney FC to grand final glory, Talay fronted journalists in Wellington and outlined his desire to win "every trophy that's out there".

It's a grand ambition but one built on what he said are solid foundations laid by Rudan, who steered the traditional under-achievers to the finals for the first time in four seasons.

Talay has already made his mark, signing off on six players who were released last week, leaving just a shell of a squad at his disposal. Most of the seven players contracted for next year are Kiwis, with several on lower-level contracts.

"I look at it as a good thing that I can build a team the way that I want to play the game," he said.

"Players need to fit in to what I believe the game looks like.

"Football is about recruitment. I think 70 percent goes to recruitment and the other 30 percent is actually the motivational and tactical side of things."

Talay has made it a priority to keep Johnny Warren Medal-winning striker Krishna on the club's books in the face of intense interest elsewhere, including from Sydney.

He also wants to lure skipper Andrew Durante back for a 12th season in the centre of defence.

Both players are being given time to mull their futures

Talay will mould the Phoenix around the successful methods of this year's Sky Blues.

"Similar. I believe in football if you set up defensively quite well and you're compact and you don't concede goals, you've got more chance of winning games," he said.

"But I would love for us to play an attacking style where we do score a lot of goals and players enjoy what we do."

The homesickness that become problematic for Rudan, resulting in his two-season contract ending prematurely, won't be a problem for Talay, whose family will be based in Wellington from later this year.

Add a Comment