A-League side Wellington Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick has not "let the prospect of his club's unknown future deter him," saying he has "already begun the process of re-signing players and working out their pre-season itinerary," according to Sebastian Hassett of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The future of the New Zealand-based club "looked to be in dire straights a month ago when Football Federation Australia claimed the club had failed to meet a list" of "metrics," subsequently denying the Phoenix's owners a 10-year license extension. But just as FFA looked to have "opened fire on the Phoenix, the campaign to save the club has been equal to, if not more powerful than, the push to remove them." Merrick: "A-League fans everywhere have backed the 'Save The Nix' campaign, we've even seen it spread to the Bundesliga at Dusseldorf, and it's been something that's really very special. It fills me with a lot of hope and confidence." Despite being "knocked back" for a long-term license, FFA is now "privately urging the Phoenix to apply for a four-year extension and has cooled on the idea of cutting them loose at the end of the season." Whether a four-year stint "with no long-term guarantees is enough to appease the WelNix consortium is the more pressing issue." The Phoenix's license expires at the end of the year, "at which point players' contracts could be thrown into jeopardy." Merrick: "What I know is that we'll be playing next year in this league and I've already started to re-sign players, look at new players and plan for pre-season. The board is totally supportive of that" (SMH, 11/23).
