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Find your frequencyGreenacre calls on Wellington Phoenix to adopt his playing mentality
Sport Nation •  October 14th, 2026 11:52 am
Chris Greenacre | Photo: Photosport
Wellington Phoenix head coach Chris Greenacre has pleaded with his players to lift their game to his standards ahead of the 2026/27 A-League Men's season.
The former Phoenix legend took over a head coach from Giancarlo Italiano midway through 2025 and immediately improved results as they earned a rise in the standings to a more respectable eighth at the season's end.
Greenacre has referenced his own playing style when asking his players to work harder, urging them to showcase the same passion he had during his 84 appearances for the capital.
"I think I sort of tried to put myself in their shoes and sort of looked at myself and what did I feel that I brought to the badge when I played," Greenacre told Sport Nation's Scotty & Izzy on Wednesday.
Wellington Phoenix | Photo: Photosport
"You couldn't question my work ethic around wanting to run hard and compete and I'm a believer that if you do that and you get the basic fundamentals right, then you're on the right track to having some success.
“It's the kind of morals that I live my career by and I suppose I want to see an expression of my values and then the quality of our players will shine through, but there has to be a bare minimum of that," he explained.
"I think if we show that, the fans see that, it's really important. I know they'll always be our 12th man, but we really need to show that we really care about this club."
Listen to the full interview below:
