The former Sydney United coach, now one of Australia's most promising new coaches, has a lot to be proud about at the Nix.

Before the season began, murmurings that Wellington would be axed from the competition were hitting yellow fever pitch. There was talk of buy-outs and takeovers from expansion bids, merger deals and a wantaway CEO. 

But the former TV pundit-turned-NPL coach has seemingly steadied the ship. When he talks about growing respect, he could just as easily be talking about himself as a coach as his club.

Without major additions, Rudan has turned the perennial cellar-dwellers into strong finals contenders, boasting neck-and-neck results against each of the A-League's top three. Given all he's been through, it's little surprise that a loss to the Sky Blues gives Rudan no cause for alarm.

“We dust ourselves off, we look forward to the next game ASAP,” he said.

“My message to the players will be: Once again, there are a lot of positives to take out of that, you should be proud of the way we tried to perform. 

“We stuck to our principles and structures, that was also pleasing. 

“We didn’t look to lump it into the box, we didn’t look to play anything different, and again it’s a really good sign for me that we didn’t look to panic…we continued to do what we do as a football club.”

While new import Cillian Sheridan has given Wellington an added physical dimension up front, the Phoenix now face a tougher challenge heading into the second half of the season.

Teams are beginning to become accustomed to the Nix's attacking mentality, with Sydney - who have offered a few tactical masterclasses this season under Steve Corica - laying down the blueprint.

The Sky Blues managed to nullify the bombarding likes of Louis Fenton and cut off the supply route offered by Mandi. They even managed to make Michal Kopczynski and Steven Taylor look less physically intimidating.

The Nix sit in sixth, equal on points with Adelaide United above them, and while the eight point lead they boast over last season's runners-up, Newcastle Jets, in seventh is comfortable, the A-League landscape is shifting.

If there ever were easy matches, the resurgence of Central Coast Mariners, the hit-and-miss ability of Newcastle and the dangerous transfer activity surrounding Western Sydney Wanderers throws a few spanners in the mix.

Which is why Rudan's battle-cry, an evolution from the days of "little old Wellington" becomes particularly interesting. He's succeeded where so many past A-League coaches have failed, in surmounting the first hurdle across the ditch.

Now he faces an even stiffer challenge. Shifting the mentality from overperforming underdogs to genuine title contenders. 

“There are a lot of positives to take out of that (loss),” the Phoenix boss said. 

“Not everyday does a team like Sydney FC come to our shores and play the way they did. 

“They got a goal from a set-piece — I’ve been talking about the set-pieces and we weren’t good enough in that regard — but from there on I thought we completely dominated them. 

“It shows you just how much respect now we’ve got from other teams."