Beautiful one day, perfect the next.

That's the city of Brisbane's slogan and I'm sure it's a very nice place to spend some time.  In fact, I'm off there in a couple of weeks to find out for myself.

But as far as Wellington Phoenix are concerned, it's a place they've come to loathe.

Six visits have yielded just a solitary point with Friday night's 1-0 loss the latest in a series of ultimately fruitless visits to Suncorp Stadium.

Pre-game Phoenix would have felt justifiably confident they could break their Brisbane duck. But a listless first half performance set the scene and when late in the game Kosta Barbarouses bit the hand that used to feed him (albeit in small morsels) it was clear this wasn't to be Phoenix's night.

But why?  Why can't Phoenix win in Brisbane?

To be fair, it's not the only city they've had trouble in.  Phoenix also haven't won in Melbourne in five attempts or in four visits to Adelaide. 

In fact, the entire Australian experience has been relatively unproductive. Friday was Phoenix's 37th away match, of which they've won just eight, drawn seven and lost 22.  That's a pretty sorry picture. 

The travel factor is something that's always trotted out and it's lent some credence when you consider no-one has won in Wellington since October 2008.  We often hear how much teams hate coming to the Ring of Fire.

But at the end of the day, it's a patch of grass with the same markings and dimensions and it's still a game of football against 11 others.

Still, the stats are hard to ignore.  Phoenix just don't do well away from Wellington.  If they're to push for a playoff spot again they must do better when they cross the Tasman.

It certainly doesn't get easier.  Phoenix pack their bags again this week for the dreaded long-haul slog to Perth and they'll do so without their best player this season.  Manny Muscat has been deservedly called into the Maltese squad for games against Israel and Latvia.  He'll be a big loss against the attacking weaponry Glory possesses.

On a brighter note, Jade North is booked on the same plane back to Wellington and will finally get to play for Phoenix seven weeks after actually signing for them.

He's well used to travelling by now, so a short jaunt to Australia every other week should be a piece of cake.  Maybe he's the man to cure Phoenix's away-day blues.