Searle
Kalua - Reid - Pijnaker - de Vries
Bell
Garbett - Stamenic
Rogerson - Collier - Champness
This squad includes players who:
- are in a league which won't have started yet (Bell, de Vries, Rogerson)
- will likely be playing youth/reserve football in March (Searle, Garbett, Pijnaker, Stamenic depending on how Kobenhavn now see him)
- are with Unattached FC (Reid, Kalua, Collier)
- are with the first team at their club, but may be released; was extremely conservative with this, basically replicating a worst-case scenario (Stamenic, Champness)
This squad would absolutely roll any other Oceania nation at a neutral venue, and I say this with an understanding of each nation and knowledge of players they will select. Add any other professional players that we may privileged enough to be able to select - maybe a GK, or the Helsingor boys - and there should be absolutely no questions.
Kalua - Reid - Pijnaker - de Vries
Bell
Garbett - Stamenic
Rogerson - Collier - Champness
This squad includes players who:
- are in a league which won't have started yet (Bell, de Vries, Rogerson)
- will likely be playing youth/reserve football in March (Searle, Garbett, Pijnaker, Stamenic depending on how Kobenhavn now see him)
- are with Unattached FC (Reid, Kalua, Collier)
- are with the first team at their club, but may be released; was extremely conservative with this, basically replicating a worst-case scenario (Stamenic, Champness)
This squad would absolutely roll any other Oceania nation at a neutral venue, and I say this with an understanding of each nation and knowledge of players they will select. Add any other professional players that we may privileged enough to be able to select - maybe a GK, or the Helsingor boys - and there should be absolutely no questions.
An Algeria side you heavily suspect would be better than any of the Island teams.
I'd definitely not have young kid Searle in there as GK though. Stakes way too high for that. No relegation I can see from Dutch 2nd tier, so Almere City will freely let a fit Woud leave early. I'd go an older head like Crocombe if things were desperate. But one or more of Woud, Marinovic or Sail will be there from the start.
But I'd be less optimistic on Bell. Though he did negotiate smartly with Viking to finish his US College studies first. So when he likely signs elsewhere in the Jan window, maybe his new Championship club or whoever agree to him going to Qatar early.
Starting Line-v Algeria A
Michael Woud
Michael Boxall
Tommy Smith
Nando Pijnaker
Francis De Vries
Kelvin Kalua
Matthew Garbett
Marko Stamenic
Callum McCowatt
Elliot Collier
Andre de Jong
I know it would take a bit of time MM, but any chance of a quick wrap of 3 Island teams AWs will face in their pool?
Fiji - can't think of anyone apart from 34 year old Roy, and he must be losing a yard of pace? Group lightweights?
PNG - yipe you have David Browne from Finland's biggest club, where he has done well. Who else? Their domestic league suspended.
New Caledonia - a sprinkling of players over the French lower leagues? Likely greatest threat on paper? Domestic league suspended.
The other teams we can worry about later. But with all the big guns available from the 3rd pool game (inside international window), AWs should walk it in from there. It's first 2 pool games where real nerves will likely be.
And lets not forget this tourney will be played on top quality surfaces, in airconditional stadiums, with excellent training facilities, in a part of the world Hay and his team are very familiar with now. More comparable likely to playing the OFC teams in NZ, than in the Islands. Time for calm heads