2014 Friendly Discussion - China & Thailand in Nov

All these names that have been suggested as replacements for the likes of Adams are all playing in leagues that run at the same time as this friendly. They most likely wouldn't have been released to play. 

Or we could watch Adams playing for the Phoenix, and pick someone else...

To me, Adams is the bewildering pick - not good enough for the Phoenix, chosen for the AW's - that's the Riki Herbert school of coaching as with Lochhead last year.

Could have given Michael Eagar a go.

How many NZ players (and not even an All White) have their own Facebook fans' page? Must have something going for him:

And who is Mikey Mouse anyway?

To me, Adams is the bewildering pick - not good enough for the Phoenix, chosen for the AW's - that's the Riki Herbert school of coaching as with Lochhead last year.

Could have given Michael Eagar a go.

How many NZ players (and not even an All White) have their own Facebook fans' page? Must have something going for him:

Michael Eagar Fan Club

Also interesting to point out that Durante has played more minutes that Wood and Reid this season.

Smith 4,050 min in 45 games

Reid 1,584 mins in 21 games

Wood 1,153 mins in 29 games

Durante 2,340 mins in 26 games

Sorry if I wasn't clear. My point was that while Neil Emblen might be "happy with that" I don't think Kiwi fans are likely to be. 

I don't agree with you at all by the way. What is it about this friendly that makes it "mikey mouse"? Couldn't you just as easily say "this is probably our team's last chance to get together before their next competition match"? Or "this is probably the All Whites' only game in front of home fans for the next 12 months". Etc etc. 

Is it "mikey mouse" just because it's not a World Cup qualifier? 

I was pretty ambivalent about the Japan game. It didn't seem to be relevant to anything, and as a fan I couldn't get excited about it. I still watched. I feel a bit the same about this game, but I'll still watch and perhaps go. 

I still don't think players should get to choose when they do or do not represent their country. They should either be in or out. It's not like NZF places huge demands on them with lots of random games.

And who is Mikey Mouse anyway?

emblem is publicly stating he's not happy with smith's decision to "have a holiday" instead playing for his country. De Jong however is saying its a a great idea "because Tommy has played 40 games this year"....

Didntwe whinge about this last month? Smith,Reid were never coming. Wood a surprise.

Adams ugh sure but none of us have seen Eager play. If hes good he'll an A League contract with perhaps the Heart

Still a shame Fitzgerald not avai

When eags was in the mix with the nix squad a  few years back, I went to a Nix A vs. NZ A  match at Porirua  Park. Eags was  DCM for Nix and dominating.  Member of the crowed asking who that guy was  

He was always good for TW and Class for Mar. Would love to get over and watch a Souths game with their current form

Also interesting to point out that Durante has played more minutes that Wood and Reid this season.

Smith 4,050 min in 45 games

Reid 1,584 mins in 21 games

Wood 1,153 mins in 29 games

Durante 2,340 mins in 26 games

sorry for the late reply Jeff - got it from fountain of truth TV3 sports news news last night....

I think the game is Mickey Mouse because it is a stand alone game, pulled together predominately for the benefit of the opposition, and is not part of any greater plan. I believe that if the NZFA went to these guys and showed them a roadmap to qualification for the next world cup, there would be buy-in.  That does not neccessarily mean that they would play every fixtrure between now and the first qualification game but there could be compromises made to ensure we have the opportunity possible to get to the world cup.  As it stands, we don't even have a coach. It is all well and good saying it is valuable for the players to get together and play as a unit but if everything they work for here is binned off by a new coach, who wants to play a new way then the only benefit of the whole thing was learning the other players names.

I hate relating football to the real world ("if someone did that on the street they would be arrested") but this whole scenario is like being sent by your company to stay in a shithole hotel in Gore for 2 weeks, to do some pre-planning on a project that will start in 18 months time. Nothing will happen in the next 18 months on the project, the work you do now may not be relevant to the project at all, and you need to cancel a holiday to Aus to go on this trip, but they still expect you to go.

Mickey Mouse's Irish cousin

Has NE coached Adams in the past? Does that partly explain the decision? Maybe the pick is as more based on the potential he saw back then than the form we all see now. Just a theory.

we find it hard enough to get games.... and with us putting out almost B-teams its only going to make teams not want to play us even more...

Wood wants to make sure his fit and injury free heading into his pre season.

Potentially going injured could see him jepordise a regular role in the team and in the prem league next year. Understandable that he wants to concentrate on this first and foremost.

I don't think motivation to play for his country is a problem otherwise he would have opted out of the Japan game like Smith did.

I think everyone is in danger of viewing this as a black and white issue when in reality it's a lot greyer than that.  I'm disappointed that once again we can't get our strongest team together but I think it's not MASSIVELY unreasonable for players who are in full time training 10 1/2 months a year not to want to play friendlies during the off season.  In the past 2B you've said international football is a second job - well like any good employer NZF needs to discuss with their employees how best to make that job work and maybe home friendlies in the middle of the English summer isn't the way to go.

It's easy to say that the A-League guys are more committed but they have 3-4 months off a year not 6 weeks plus a lot more of them are fringe players so have potentially more to gain.  Even then Phoenix players put their clubs first, did we object when before the Mexico game the Phoenix guys had their kick off changed so they could play in Chch and then rushed up to Auckland?

Over time the solution is more competition for places, if players don't turn up and may lose their spot that will force them to play.  Until that time comes I think we need to manage this carefully.  In the end I still prefer a better team who performs in the competitive games.

The squad selected is hardly a "B" team just because Reid, Wood and Smith are missing. Only other pro players missing who would add something to the squad are Henderson, Keat (Scandinavia) and Lochhead (MLS) who wouldn't be released anyway because they have league games and it's not an international window.

This is not a bad starting eleven: Moss   Tuiloma / Durante / Boxall / Roux   Rojas / McGlinchey / James / Thomas   Barbarouses / Smeltz

Centre-backs are the only second-choice players having to start and there's still Boyd, Brockie, Payne and Howieson on the bench.

South Africa's best current player, Steven Pienaar (Everton) won't even play for the national team anymore although he's only 32. Quit 18 months ago. They've had problems for years with their best players opting out.

However, South Africa have  fewer top players who currently play for SA missing from their squad - their two biggest stars Dikgakoi (Crystal Palace regular) and Serero (Ajax) have made themselves availalble.

SA have more depth than us and have different players they call up on different occasions so they are fielding a pretty strong team. Not many of their overseas players apart from Serero and Dikgakoi play for high profile teams - the rest play in Belgium, for Doncaster or Bournemouth. However, their home-based players are often very good - such as current top goal-scorer Bernard Parker of Kaiser Chiefs (seven goals for Bafana Bafana last year).

I ain't gonna be going now its NZ B

Be nice if someone at NZF thought of putting a trophy at stake in honour of the late Keryn Jordan. Anyone else out there agree? If it was given sufficient acknowledgement, it might lead to future fixtures between us and SA, maybe on a regular basis (hopes!)

If only the fax operator was still employed...