While Roberts is a local, Taylor is an Englishman who has a solid background in football with his last job being at Notts County.
It didn’t take long for the lively Cockney to get the players working as he wanted, but they appeared to enjoy every minute – well almost.
At times laughter echoed round Newtown Park but they were all ears when LT, as he likes to be called, told them what he expected from them in the months ahead.
The fact that there is still slightly more than three months to the first Hyundai A-League game had him shaking his head – “six weeks is the most pre-season I’ve ever had” – but he made it plain he hadn’t come to New Zealand for a holiday. He said he had come to help the Wellington Phoenix win the league.
Such positive thinking would have been music to the ears of coach Ricki Herbert who had a satisfied look on his face watching the new fitness man go about his business.
Most of the players have looked surprisingly sharp in the first three weeks of training, with a slimmed down Paul Ifill running round like a teenager.
New signings Lucas Pantelis and Jimmy Downey have settled seamlessly into the squad, which is acknowledged as one of the closest in the A-League.
Indeed Pantelis has said the fact that the Phoenix players spent time together outside football – as was the case at Adelaide United where he spent six years – had played a part in him signing for the club.
A familiar face returned to training today with young striker Mirjan Pavlovic back in the fold after being away with the Australian Olyroos.
After appearing for the under-23 side in friendly games Pavlovic was ruled ineligible for the Asian zone Olympic qualifiers through having been born in Croatia.
“It was only when they saw my birth certificate before the qualifiers that they realised where I was born as I’ve been brought up in Australia,” Pavlovic said.
“They tried to get me qualified but there wasn’t time. It was a shame because I was really enjoying being part of the squad and playing in the games.”
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