Style powers Phoenix's rise

The positive buzz around the Hyundai A-League's newest franchise is what has helped the club take such giants steps in its first season, according to coach Ricki Herbert.

The Phoenix may be sitting second from bottom after 14 rounds, but they have been universally praised for their approach to the game this year, playing a positive and attacking style of play.

Herbert feels that the Phoenix have attained most of the goals they set out to achieve this year, and have been able to do that because they have been prepared to entertain and not just survive in their first year.

"We were very conscious of that, I said to the players. When you've got nothing, when you've got no facilities, no training ground, no management, no board, no owners and no players. I guess the last thing you want to do is roll out a side which is going to be pretty poor to watch," he said.

"We wanted a product which was going to be conducive firstly to the New Zealand public, embracing a new professional club and I think we've seen that with the retention of the crowd week in, week out. But I think there's been a very positive re-enforcement of that in the Australian media, that we are a decent team to watch."

He said on-field credibility was crucial to the club's success off-field as demonstrated by Sony NZ coming on a major sponsor last week.

"We've got the credibility, we're back on track, we certainly deserve to be in this competition, and we'll grow as a club. We've nearly ticked all the boxes this year including a major sponsor which we revealed during the week. That comes with credibility, people in the corporate sector don't invest into football clubs if they are boring and poor to watch and get hammered every week," he said.

His main aim for the Phoenix's first season was to ensure they were competitive with the other eight teams. After a fortnight when they were unlucky to walk away with draws against Sydney and Melbourne, it is clear they have achieved that goal.

"I guess from a football point of view I kind of guess we're there, because we're competitive, and I'm not sure we've seen that before. From a recruitment point of view, it came together very quickly and we've had to assemble a group in 12 weeks. That's not going to be the case next year," he said.

Due to the closeness of the competition, the Phoenix still have an outside chance of making the final. Herbert would consider that a bonus, but believes his team has the talent to match it in the pressure of the playoffs.

"We won't hold back. We've got to give it every opportunity. I think internally we have our own goals and I guess they were a little bit more longer term. If we fall into it, by winning a few games, that would be great," he said.

Experienced midfielder Michael Ferrante believes that the club has the right man at the helm to achieve big things in a short space of time.

"I've said it from the start. His man management skills are second to none. He plays a big part. Football-wise you can see the teams playing well in a short space of time. Ricki's done a fantastic job. It's been a pleasure to play under him," he said.

While Wellington has been criticised for conceding naive goals this year, Herbert won't be changing the club's style. He believes it's important to set standards early on and encourage players to live up to their reputation and build upon what has already been achieved.

"If we were a boring side like you may have encountered in the past, I wouldn't want to watch it either. I'm not sure we have that label anymore. We've wanted to do that. You'll make an assessment very quickly, like the public in New Zealand will, on the perception of that football club and what that badge stands for, and it's hard work, it's graft, it's passion, it's desire, but at the end of the day I want a decent football side who can play," he said.

"Have we got it all right this year? No, we haven't. Will we be better year? Absolutely!"