2012 OFC Nations Cup Solomon Islands

Ask and you shall receive.  Danny's on tomorrow's recording.

I heard the debate and thought RH came out on top. Danny kept coming up with stats and formations and RH cut him down every time quoting stats and saying there were formation changes - Danny couldn't counter. RH came across as being knowledgable, well organised and possibly a little prickly while DH came across as genuine but a little cry babyish. He didn't have the facts to back up his argument, which is pretty hard to do given that he was basing his critisism on his opinion only [one that I largely agree with].

I agree that Danny got his hat handed to him. I think it does show that just having an opinion is not enough in that you have to have a rationale and resolve around it. I kept laughing everytime Ricki said 'You should know, you have played for me and for the All Whites...' and he was right! Everytime Danny made a point, Ricki had an answer. One of the thoughts I had was that if Danny was in charge, what would he have done differently based on the stated fact that there is no lead up time etc.... I suspect he probably would have done exactly the same thing as Ricki.

I think if anything, considering as Danny has been involved at that level as a player, he asked some questions which he should have already known the answers to. Do I think that everything is rosey and there is no element of truth to what Danny has said (as he obviously has some inside mates)? No, I suspect there would have been a big dollup of arrogance in thinking that they are just playing the island guys...

I understand that there needs to be accountability, but is Ricki the one to be charged with that or does the national body need to be charged with creating accountability. Either way, I'm intrigued as to who is going to be the next person to line up and take a crack. They are going to need to be well prepared.

Is there a recording of the interview that I can listen to?

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/Auckland/player/ondemand/541037501-All-Whites-debate---Ricki-Herbert-and-Danny-Hay

It's in the Ricki vs Danny thread.

EDIT: 2B was less lazy than me.

Cheers guys

Michael Burgess shows columnist how to write an article.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/soccer-football/news/article.cfm?c_id=86&objectid=10813581

Agreed.  Seems a pretty fair comparison of then and now, and asking legitimate questions in a reasonable manner.

Turns out we were undone by a French First Division player v New Caledonia, if that's some consolation:

The All Whites' nemesis Georges Gope-Fenepej has just signed a one-year deal with Troyes in Ligue 1 on the strength of his performances in the Solomons:

http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/226ca725-3670-4a41-b080-c43ff8dc5962/language/en-US/Default.aspx

The impact of last month's OFC Nations Cup has continued with the signing of New Caledonia winger Georges Gope-Fenepej to French Ligue 1 outfit ESTAC Troyes.

The former AS Magenta star has signed a one-year contract with the club, who won promotion back to France's top flight last season after a five-year hiatus, and has already linked up with his new teammates for pre-season training under the watchful eye of manager Jean-Marc Furlan.

He becomes the second player from the Pacific Islands to join a professional club since the Nations Cup, following hot on the heels of Solomon Islands striker Benjamin Totori's transfer to A-League side the Wellington Phoenix.

His pace, direct style of play and dribbling ability caught the eye during the tournament - held during the first half of June in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara - and were important weapons for New Caledonia's Les Cagous as they embarked on a run that eventually saw them finish runners-up to fellow francophones Tahiti.

Gope-Fenepej found the net twice - including in the memorable 2-0 win over New Zealand in the semi-finals - and was at the heart of some of Les Cagous' best attacking moments, forming a dangerous combination with strikers Bertrand Kai and Jacques Haeko.

The 23-year-old will hope to take that form with him to Troyes and is looking forward to testing himself on one of Europe's most elite stages.

"It's an honour to get the chance to play professionally overseas," he says. "It will be a tough challenge and there will be plenty of obstacles but I will do my best to overcome them."

Manager Furlan will also not have an easy assignment in guiding Troyes safely through their return to the top division but is intrigued at what Gope-Fenepej can bring to the squad.

"We received a call from Magenta saying they had a player we should take a look at," Furlan explains of the circumstances of Gope-Fenepej's arrival.

"So we invited him over for a trial to see if what we had heard was true. It's not often we get to see a player from the southern hemisphere so we were interested in finding out what he could do."

Furlan says his new signing has been given one year to prove his worth and, should he continue to impress during that time, an extension of the deal is likely to be offered.

Gope-Fenepej is not the first New Caledonian to try his luck in France and does not have to look far to find a fellow player who has been through the experience.

Brother John Gope-Fenepej was on the books of FC Nantes before briefly joining England's Bolton Wanderers on loan.

Former Magenta teammate Benjamin Longue also spent three years at SC Bastia, making a handful of appearances in Ligue 1.

For a brief part of his time at Bastia, Longue played alongside Christian Karembeu, New Caledonia's most notable footballing export. Lifou native Karembeu enjoyed a glittering 18-year career at the highest level, which included 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000 successes with France, before signing off at Bastia.

The only other New Caledonia-born player who can rival the exploits of Karembeu is fellow former France international Antoine Kombouaré, who made over a hundred appearances for Paris Saint-Germain and went on to manage the club.

"Christian Karembeu and Antoine Kombouaré have been an inspiration for me and if everything goes well I would like to follow in their footsteps," Gope-Fenepej says.

"I will do everything I can to be successful."

A thought on nz not taking a chance to host this tournament. 

Doesnt the government have sporting sanctions imposed against fiji. Something FIFA takes a very strong stand against. Maybe part of it was avoiding such a situation?

How many players from the Tahiti squad have gone professional now since the nations cup?

Yes NZF CEO has mentioned this before, but had been ignored.  The Fijian goalkeeper that was banned from coming our during the 2010 qualifers (remember the Fiji game was postponed and moved to Fiji), was in the squad again this time around.  So you would assume that he wouldn't be able to get a Visa again.

New Zealand should consider getting the 2016 tournament.

With our class and quality, we should not need to host it at home to win it. Yes the conditions undid us but just showing up on the plane and saying 'we are here' is not really preparation.

As Nelsen said, Someone needs to put some thought into preparation for tournaments (Olys and Nations Cup are screamingly obvious)

Also, someone should actually be prepared to come and play in the tournament when selected, and not feign an 'injury' and go for a holiday.

GREAT reply