2015 Friendly Discussion

I agree - he's got a couple of years left in him now he's considered fully fit by Sydney and will help us through the World Cup / Oceania Cup ties later this year, complementing the younger attacking players and helping to bring them through. Shane seems a very level-headed bloke and will be good at mentoring the younger players in the squad.

Graham Arnold was very positive about Smeltz's future at Sydney in the media this week, fending off an offer for him from a Malaysian club offering more than his Sydney deal:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/662...

Not my normal thing to do but I'd like to see the following called up for the Korea game:

Keepers: Moss, Williams, Spoonley

Defenders: Boxall, Durante, Smith, Reid, Fenton, Fitzgerald

Midfielders: Tuiloma, Thomas, McGlinchey, Appiah, Keat, Henderson, James

Forwards: Smeltz, Barbarouses, Brockie, Wood; Rojas, Boyd

For a look: McKendry, Van Den Broek, Eagar

Pretty decent squad I think.  Miles ahead of some of our recent ones.

Note: I have no idea whether Keat or Henderson are fit or not and am of course dreaming about Fitzgerald.

At least 1 or 2 above will be ruled out for real or "perceived" injuries.

Fitzgerald can't play for us. Has given up his nationalaity. 

It seems like once a week we are reminded fitzgerald cannot play for us

Yah but he said he was "Dreaming" about Fitzgerald. But is it true if he gets a better club overseas in like Europe or something? will he be eligible for the All Whites again? or is that not possible at all now?

No its possible he is born in NZ. You can always play for the country of your birth as long as you have not played a competitive game for another senior international side. He would however need to relinquish his japanese citizenship and take back his NZ one which im almost certain can be done very quickly if not immediately. Like Martos squad I would bring in Gleeson for Spoonley and roux for Fitzgerald sadly rest is perfect. 

Shane has to be a shoe in.  Him, Brocks and Kosta are in great form at the moment.

I'm liking the sound of this Ben van den Broek from the Netherlands with his Kiwi mum and recent granting of NZ citizenship.

A 6'1" central midfielder - defends, creates play and scores (up to nine in a season in the Dutch second division) :

Hope Hudson gives him a run vs. Korea next month.

I'm thinking there can be only one reason he's been pictured holding his citizenship certificate on his Twitter and in the Dutch media:

https://twitter.com/Benjivdb/status/55613048083659...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_van_den_Broe...

 http://www.fcdbfans.nl/?include=nieuws&id=3561

http://www.vi.nl/nieuws/nieuwe-taak-voor-veltman-s...

"Perhaps there is to come to a remarkable international career for FC Den Bosch midfielder Benjamin van den Broek ? He announced on Twitter that he has finally received the New Zealand nationality. His mother already has a passport of that country, which is why it is possible. The fact that he PEC Zwolle player and 'countryman' Ryan Thomas in the tweet mentions might imply that Van den Broek also has done to sporting reasons."

http://www.transfermarkt.com/benjamin-van-den-broe...

27 year old 1.87 m central midfielder; 191 games in the Dutch second tier, most recently for FC Den Bosch, one of the better sides (ten of their last 33 seasons in the Eredivisie); debut for his new club Universitatea Cluj (one of the major Romanian clubs) playing full 90 on the weekend.

See this Yellow Fever thread for more info:

http://www.yellowfever.co.nz/categories/kiwi-playe...

Any experience in that midfield is good; we're severely lacking - especially a defensively minded midfielder.

New Zealand in talks to play USA away on 4th April.

Anyone know any info?

Looks like Hudson has found this guy Themistoklos Tzimopoulos,

I'm all for us getting anyone who's eligible and good enough in the team - power to Hudson on his search.

However, it does make me think we have a bit of a pub team vibe in the AWs. I can imagine Hudson desperately sending out text messages the night before a World Cup qualifier saying "we've only got 10 players. anyone have any mates who might be keen? preferably a centre mid. txt me asap"

And that text is followed by another "and not f*cking plodder. ta"

Meh, really is the reality of international football now. Costa playing for Spain, Brazilian contingent at Qatar etc.

Don't think we have the luxury of being picky.

Yeah I totally agree. You pick the best players you can get. And it's smart for a small country like ours to look for hidden gems in other leagues. I just think it's funny that it's so much like a social team trying to find a ringin or 2

hahaha love it!

The fact that the two guys being looked at have kiwi heritage through their mothers makes me think (hope) that they are somewhat associated to the country through their upbringing. 

What defines a kiwi anyway? If your good enough, not a cock and want to play then im all for it

wife is pissed off, as she is in Seoul for work in March but will be flying out on the 28th.  She was going to take the 5 or 6 other guys from the UK office with her, probably doubling our away support.

that's rough

Squad announced today.

Nathan Burns selected to tour with Socceroos in March. Friendlies vs Germany and Macedonia

Wed, 18 Mar 2015 9:49a.m.

Former All White Steve Sumner joins Brendan to discuss the possibility of a New Zealand Select XI playing a World XI in aid of the Vanuatu cyclone recovery fund.

http://www.radiolivesport.co.nz/Steve-Sumner/tabid/454/articleID/23857/Default.aspx

And that will attract a croud of........ fudge all.

Good cause but Steve seems to think these types of games are the go, look at his Nix vs Auckland City idea after the club world cup.

Broken record but.  I think Steve's a bit stuck in the 80s AWs playing "whoever XI" and the 90's World XI/XV way of thinking

Auck City are making kit and cash donation to Vanuatu via the Butterfly Trust. Also accepting donations via web link.

see latest on www.aucklandcityfc.com

Any news coming up for International Matches?

I appreciate that the focus is on the u20's at the moment, but find it frustrating that the All Whites have no games over the next month. Surely something could have been arranged?

Any news on the international dates in September and November? 

Olympic qualifiers are in July so imagine the focus is on build up for that.

Friendly against Myanmar on september

Well if we are going to get runs on the board, lets do it against a team ranked 143rd in the world (5 spots below us)

This just makes me groan.

Didn't Hudson say - very recently - that playing teams of this sort of quality was absolutely a waste of time?

did the fixture planned against Thailand make you groan as well?

Cue reid smith pulling out

My guess would be that no better team wanted to play us in that window, or asked for too much money for a game, so NZF decided any game was better than no game

Have to agree with this, if we are going to play teams at this level we may as well stick to Fiji, New Caledonia & Solomon Islands

If we can't beat this mob, I'd suggest we've got a bit of a problem...

Also interested to see who else NZF are lining up for later on in the year too.

They said on the radio that its the first anounced game but there will be plenty more around the same time.

Yes hardly ideal. 

Whose responsibility within NZF is it to actually do the leg work to organise matches? To build relationships with other Associations worldwide. when we are as isolated as we are, someone needs to basically be a full time sales rep for the want of a better term, constantly being in the ear / face of a targetted group of say 15 - 20 potential opponents (ranked somewhere between 40 and 75 ish) and selling the prospect of matches two or three years out.  Pipe dreams I know

I suspect as it is now, de Jong looks at the calender and says "Right 6 weeks till the next international window, better get the rolodex out and start looking at some names. Ohh shark everyone already has games organised, guess I better give that little bloke from Mi...Mya....Maym.... Burma a call" 

This is absolutely stupid, why are we playing them? I know for a fact that Mongolia, Nepal and Chad are all free on that date and we should of worked out something with them. Sack Fred.