Found it online.

@ RyanM

I think you said you'd found the comments on line in which case you've got the detail. I was a bit surprised by the strength of Bozza's comments on last weeks show and sort of expected him to distance himself from them or at least soften the tone, but he didn't, he went even harder and pointed out the obvious weakness in Nix argument - even if you're the same as our worst performing club it doesn't matter, all Australian clubs offer something to Australian football whereas Nix don't. And even followed that up with a statement akin to your squatting on a licence other Australian locations want. Bozzas not normally random on important topics like this so does it mean there's something going on behind the scenes?

Can you post them here? I can only find his comments from last week.

Mark Bosnich explains why he thinks Wellington Phoenix need to do more to justify A-League spot

MARK Bosnich has followed up on his criticism of Wellington Phoenix, giving reasons for his comments saying the New Zealand club needs to justify its place in the A-League.

The ex-Socceroo said despite a surge in crowds and memberships when the Phoenix were campaigning to remain in the competition, both key factors had dropped significantly since the club had been given a reprieve.

“The crowds, from October 26 when they were told that they may not have their licence renewed, to January 17 when they were told they were given a reprieve, their average crowd was 10,576 people,” he said on Fox Sports’ Shootout program.

“Since January 17, which is the day they got their reprieve, until now, their average crowds have dropped to 7,010 people.

“In terms of their memberships, last season was 5,062 people, this season 4,628 people.”

With Wellington and New Zealand a part of Oceania Football Confederation, rather than the Asian Football Confederation, Bosnich said the Phoenix offered less to the state of the game in Australia than the current local suitors for expansion teams - so, they have to offer something worthwhile back to the competition in return.

“There are teams here in Australia who are desperate to get in the A-League,” Bosnich said.

“You’re in a different confederation, you are not an Australian team.

“Now these teams here in Australia, you’ve got Tasmania, South Melbourne, Geelong, Canberra — I could keep going all I want — would provide something for our young kids here to look forward to.”

The Phoenix has proved a good platform for developing young New Zealand talent, with the likes of Kosta Barbarouses forging a path in the A-League.

Bosnich said while the Phoenix’s presence in the Australian competition provided that benefit to New Zealand football, they needed to offer something to the Australian game as well.

“So in my opinion, at the moment, all we’re doing for this side is basically providing a base for them to develop their New Zealand national team,” Bosnich said.

“Now that’s no problem if they’re bringing something to the table but they have not brought anything to the table so far as I’m concerned, which should say to the people in power to say ‘yeah, they’re well worth having in the A-League.’ Hopefully that will change.”

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/mark-bosnich-explains-why-he-thinks-wellington-phoenix-need-to-do-more-to-justify-aleague-spot/news-story/d0081ed0a6f6d281a9f9521ed550c53b

Not even controversial.

Opinion: Nix picture pixelated right now

MANY fans in New Zealand would love nothing more than to ram a gobstopper in his mouth but I say take a bow Mark Bosnich for saying what many in the Yellow Fever will not have the decency to admit, let alone accept.

The Wellington Phoenix are underachieving and TV sportcaster Bosnich has struck a sensitive nerve with his post-match remarks after they drew 2-all in their away Hyundai A-League encounter against New Castle Jets on Monday.

The reality is the former Socceroos and ex-English Premier League goalkeeper is fair in asserting the Phoenix look like a side who are in the Australian professional league simply to make up the numbers.

When asked as a member of the Fox Sports Australia panel after the game what he wanted to see from the New Zealand franchise, Bosnich replied: "Anything, to be honest. A little bit better, what we saw two seasons ago."

On Monday at Newcastle, the Phoenix went ahead twice but failed to go for the jugular against the Jets.

Frankly, if the Jets had been more clinical at the coalface they would have scored more goals in the opening 20 minutes after dissecting the Phoenix defence at will.

A-League minders Football Federation Australia, amid some robust debate and emotional "Keep Wellington Phoenix" campaigning, extended the Kiwi franchise's lease of life with a 10-year conditional tenure to be reviewed in four years.

Questioning Bosnich's pedigree purely on the grounds that is he an eye patch-wearing Ocker or that the Newcastle Jets are relatively worse off in the A-League are all red herrings.

All that doesn't detract from the fact that the Phoenix "are not making any difference whatsoever and they've very frustrating", to steal Bosnich's words.

It's perhaps a little overstated from the TV commentator, again when compared with strugglers such as Central Coast Mariners, but Wellington were lacking in many facets of the game.

They had yawning gaps in the midfield again, the defence were left high and dry so many times that they were again reduced to blatant fouls from behind or holding during the Boxing Day clash at McDonald Jones Stadium.

"They've got [Kosta] Barbarouses, [Guilherme] Finkler, [Roy] Krishna, players like that and it's basically for me, I want to see a bit of consistency and for them to actually threaten the top four, instead of just struggling around the fringes all the time.

"For me, regardless of the political side of why they are in the A-League, let's put that aside for one minute, they should be up there like they were two seasons ago making a difference," Bosnich correctly surmised.

Continued below.

Related Content

Phoenix interim co-coaches Chris Greenacre and Des Buckingham may feel they need not respond to Bosnich's diatribe for fear of lending any credence to it but it would be foolish not to take ownership.

You see, romantic notions of keeping the status quo with the remainder of the coaching stable after the sudden, but not surprising, departure of former coach Ernie Merrick is foolish.

It's admirable that Greenacre and Buckingham are soldiering on as the franchise delays in naming a coach, bearing in mind the recent results may suggest they should be confirmed in their positions.

The Phoenix's perch on the eighth rung of the 10-team A-League suggests they are where they should be, considering stalemates against the Jets who are only two points above in fifth place.

Before Boxing Day, they drew 2-all with Western Sydney Wanderers who are a rung above the Phoenix but with similar points to the Jets.

They thumped the Mariners 3-0 on December 10 but Central Coast are only two points below them in ninth position.

The Nix host last-placed Adelaide United this Sunday, an opposition who have won only one game and drawn three times.

The litmus test for the coaching pair begins when the Nix take on the top four of runaway leaders Sydney FC (30 points), Brisbane Roar (21) and the two Melbournes, Victory (23) and City (19).

That won't happen until after the Phoenix face sixth-placed Perth Glory away on Thursday, January 5, who are in the same ship of mediocrity on 13 points, and hosting the Mariners on Saturday, January 14.

Put another way, everything until then will be an aberration on any value Greenacre and Buckingham may have added.

A similar picture emerges on individual players. Roy Krishna is a country mile ahead on seven goals, Finkler and Hamish Watson on two and Barbarouses and Vince Lia on one each.

Interestingly enough, Finkler and Barbarouses took 50-plus touches whereas Krishna took 31 in 90 minutes, with two of them resulting in goals, and, reassuringly the Kiwi striker's first of the season and the easiest tap-in goal the Brazilian will ever score.

Some food for thought over holidays and an impending thank-you card to Bosnich for, let's hope, lighting the fuse.


http://m.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503460&objectid=11774018

Melbourne City's average crowd (excluding the Melbourne derby), is 9,363 (11,555 including). Phoenix's average currently at 6,833.

@ Edias

Bozza hit a nail on the head last night though, it doesn't matter if Nixs crowds compare to City or Mariners or Jets .... that in itself is not good enough for any of those teams BUT the Australian based teams are contributing to football in Australia whereas the Nix aren't and we could have a team in Tasmania next season with the same attendance etc. So they're in the unfair position maybe of having to be much better than the worst performing Aussie teams to make up for their geographical deficiencies. And while crowds, memberships, domestic tv ratings and domestic (Sky) tv revenue remains absurdly low there is one inexplicable conclusion: NZ itself doesn't care about the Nix .... so why should we?

Waz,

I agree with you on all points. I don't understand why some people continue to blindly justify their inclusion considering.

There's no point blaming the people that show up to games week after week and there's not a whole lot of reason to blame those that take their time and money elsewhere for better value.  They are sending a strong message to everybody associated with the WP.  Anybody listening?

It will come first to the players.  They have to play like they are the only hope for professional football in New Zealand.  If they want to play and get paid to play, then they need to start over-performing.  Just playing "well" isn't good enough.  They have nowhere to go and they are selfishly condemning NZ to a single generation of professional football.
They need to show it on the field - over and over.  Beating Adelaide will be nowhere near enough.

This season they can make a mark by destroying Sydney twice and then putting up posters of Arnie's shocked face after each game.  That would be a beginning. 

For the Owners: If they don't play like they are playing for their careers then get rid of them - because they are.  (That's not just the people in front of the fans, but absolutely everybody in the change room and the office as well).

Funny how Bozza says what has been obvious for years and gets widely lauded while twelve months ago Gallop said exactly the same thing and was slammed.  Football heh.

I'm no fan of the Phoenix, but cant people at least wait until we expand to 14 or 16 teams before we consider replacing them?

It seems people prefer we go to a 9 team comp rather than have the Phoenix in.

At least they can field a team and play out of a stadium, unlike most of the half arsed expansion bids that have been proposed thus far

@ kavorka

There's a team in south Sydney ready to go, Frank sorted that out before he left, Stephen "safe pair of hands" Lowy
failed to fire the bullet dad had carefully made but that team is still there so to is a Tasmanian team. So we won't drop to 9 teams. Now a couple of weeks ago I would have said any talk of Nix departing the competition before the end of the 4 years was nonsense but Bozza is going at this hard now and I recon something's going on, the question is what's going on ...?

City have 10,000 members, have helped create an amazing derby, bought some very high profile players and rate highly. Not to mention they play some entertaining football. There is definently some will from City to become bigger which given there shorter time in the league they have done alot of things right. Wellington whereever they play are a rating/ spectator lull. They just do not interest the punter and clubs always expect lower than average numbers. Phoenix should be pulling out all stops to change that but it just doesn't look to be happening which is a shame for both NZ and the A-league.

I think I agree with Bosnich for most part. Things need to change or we're out and I don't want to follow another A-League team just yet.
Fact of the matter is we have at least another four years to work on it before even a hint of being ousted.

NZ should just create their own professional league instead.

Used to be on the fence with this but now firmly want NZ out. Frankly they can stop leaching off us and get their own damn league.

Pretty much everyone everyone at FOX wants them out, only one I have ever heard disagree is Cockeril.

Personally I used to want them but don't see the point now, they provide nothing an Australian team can't provide and bring the cost of the league up massively. Only time I ever watch Wellington play at home is against Adelaide because I can't stand the commentators, the lack of noise and the amount of empty seats.

Simon Hills 2 cents

I’ve been one of the strongest supporters of having Wellington Phoenix in the A-League.
I think it’s right that Australia (having left Oceania), should act as a good neighbour, and show the sort of generosity the AFC showed to us. But just as we have to watch our step in Asia, so do the ‘Nix in Australia, and I’m sorry, but Mark Bosnich is right when he says that they aren’t offering much at the moment.

‘Nix fans point to the Mariners or the Jets and say, “What about them?”
But they are Australian clubs and as Rob Morrison has publicly admitted, the ‘Nix ARE different. 

Crowds, memberships, performances all require improvement - and what about creating a buzz around the club by signing a proper marquee?

Wellington should be the flag-bearer for New Zealand football but it needs to show a bit of imagination and drive.

Additionally, why on earth does the New Zealand FA (along with the OFC) not throw all their collective weight behind the only professional outfit in their country/confederation? It beggars belief.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/simon-says-my-2017-wishlist-for-australian-football/news-story/bcd25143e8fe208b8111b7d6d191ac72

Simon hill is dead to me.

Troll.

Any other labels you want to throw at me? Wog? Isis? Lol

Your club is trolling our league cuz.

pretty classless banner by mix fans at bozza.

They need all the friends they can get, not alienating everyone.

Trolling it since 2007, with 10 years to go. How about some of that "Fully sick" TV money too.

Why?

His "top10 ways to blow smoke up lowys ass' article.

Yeah i just read it as 10 good improvements, nothing to do with Lowy

Just waiting to see the #NixsOut signs at A-Leagues game and the Fk-off we're full flags waving around, But then again that wont happen just like us getting kicked out - never gonna happen. And with expansion happening soon its real bet we are safe from "taking" a licence from a convict/wog based club.

Pauline hanson for head of A-league 

NZ Knights and Wellington Phoenix are the best things that ever happened to the A-League, they have occupied the wooden spoon spot or a bottom half spot almost every season. No club would have done well if they have been as poor as the NZ clubs for as long as they have. They have also self funded their losses and helped to develop a predominately Australian squad.

In the mean time the Aussie clubs with a much better win/loss ratio have had a chance to build up supporter bases. The worst thing that could have happened for the A-league would have been if the NZ clubs had been successful on the pitch and unsuccessful off it.

Finally its looking like there may be some other Australian clubs might be able to come in and survive so Wellington will end up being the sacrificial lambs. Can't help but think we should hang on to them until their owners decide they want to stop pouring in cash out of their own pocket.

Bosnich and Hill, two high profile Fox employees, speaking negatively about Wellington should be noted very carefully.

From Fox's point of view, especially under the terms of the new deal, a 10 team Australian competition is worth more than a 9+1 foreign team deal.  If the 10th side is in Sydney or Melbourne, even better for them.