Forget the old club versus country debate, what about All Whites striker versus All Whites coach?

Shane Smeltz vented to the media after his Gold Coast side lost 1-0 to the Wellington Phoenix on Sunday night. He not only had a crack at the referee, the A-league's leading goal scorer also had this to say about Ricki Herbert's Phoenix:

"If they think they're going to win a grand final with that style of performance, they're kidding themselves."

Herbert is not taking it personally.

"I didn't really read the article so I'm only kind of going on what the boys are saying. But, it's probably just a little bit of frustration. He's made a comment, he's got to live by it doesn't he?"

Phoenix striker Chris Greenacre has used the "look at the scoreboard" response:

"In the three games we've played Gold Coast I think two out of the three games we've actually dominated the game. And the stats don't lie."

The Phoenix take on Central Coast Mariners in Wellington on Friday night, with a home semi-final up for grabs.