I always think using the "outside of Oceania" thing is a bit wishy washy.
Some of the the teams we've played against have only been marginally better then us if at all and I'm sure New Caledonia would get results against them:
Curacao
Bahrain
Gambia
Oman
Congo
and arguably Eire of late (all since 2020).
We should have destroyed Lithuania yet I know Wood and a few others pulled out because of the surface there (and poor tactics from Hay). Same applies to the loss against Kenya.
These are sides I expect us to score against and should be looking to win, but I think managerial choices and tactics have hamstrung us. We've looked OK against good sides with goals chalked off in questionable circumstances (Costa Rica for one).
Even looking at Oceania sides, we only beat PNG and Tahiti 1-0 each time in Doha two years ago.
I really think our boys suffer through negative coaching/management making them look worse then they are due to a lack of support, playing out of position, cameos off the bench like last night etc (Rojas, Barbs, Brockie, Waine etc).
I'm sure a better manager would have had all of these guys with more goals to their names.
Some of the the teams we've played against have only been marginally better then us if at all and I'm sure New Caledonia would get results against them:
Curacao
Bahrain
Gambia
Oman
Congo
and arguably Eire of late (all since 2020).
We should have destroyed Lithuania yet I know Wood and a few others pulled out because of the surface there (and poor tactics from Hay). Same applies to the loss against Kenya.
These are sides I expect us to score against and should be looking to win, but I think managerial choices and tactics have hamstrung us. We've looked OK against good sides with goals chalked off in questionable circumstances (Costa Rica for one).
Even looking at Oceania sides, we only beat PNG and Tahiti 1-0 each time in Doha two years ago.
I really think our boys suffer through negative coaching/management making them look worse then they are due to a lack of support, playing out of position, cameos off the bench like last night etc (Rojas, Barbs, Brockie, Waine etc).
I'm sure a better manager would have had all of these guys with more goals to their names.
Unless they were playing in Noumea I doubt New Caledonia gets anything from playing those above teams. They would get thrashed by a full strength Ireland.
Curaçao (ex Dutch colony) are a good side loaded with professionals playing in the Eredivisie or other leagues. The CAF & AFC teams are also loaded with pros either in Europe or the Middle East. I remember when we played the The Gambia, man for man they matched up almost identical to the AWs. 1-2 players in top 5 leagues, the rest in middling Euro comps just like the All Whites.
See Vanuatu's 6-0 thumping from Guinea yesterday. The other OFC teams are around the level of the lowest AFC teams (Sri Lanka, Brunei, Bhutan, Nepal etc) and I can't really think of any CAF teams that low down. Somalia, Swaziland, Chad, Madagascar??
The AWs cruised through that OFC tourney March 2022, at half pace. Hay juggling players coming & going. But when it really mattered they thumped Solomons 5-0 in the final, and even then they were missing about 5 first choice players.