All Whites v Korea | Tuesday 31st March | 11:50pm | SS1

Expecting Reid to pull out. 

Seems quite likely based on reports from the UK in the last 24 hours.

Initial reports earlier this week had Reid likely to play for the Hammers this weekend against Sunderland.

Unfortunately though, the latest statement from the club's medical personnel reveals Winston won't be fit enough to play this weekend:

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11685/9765...

"But the club's head of sports science Stijn Vandenbroucke says....Enner Valencia (toe) and Winston Reid (hamstring) will not be ready for the weekend."

If Reid pulls out (and if he's not fit enough to play for his club, that'd be quite valid) then the All Whites defence looks that much more porous.

Could quite possibly be:

Roux            Boxall          Tzimopoulos           Doyle

I've never heard of Rojas playing up front in a 4-4-2. 

IMHO 4-3-3 with Ryan Thomas on left wing, Rojas to right winger and McGee to slot back into the midfield as the more creative one busting forwards.

Eagar as a ring in?

Very unlikely

Stefan will be tested enough ith the current defense

Really interested to see how the two new guys go. I assume it will take them a while to get used to the team; team culture especially.

van de Broek hasn't been playing for his club side. After he transferred they got pumped 3-0 a couple of times and since then he has been riding the line. The team are sitting in the relegation zone. I thought Hudson talked about them both being captains of their respective sides. In van de Broeks case this must have been in Holland. 

Yah it was, he was captain of FC Den Bosch

Thomas pulls out. Joins Kosta Reid next?

Call it off.

Mon, 23 Mar 2015 7:19a.m.

All Whites coach Anthony Hudson joins the team from Auckland international airport to discuss his side’s upcoming match against Korea Republic.

http://www.radiolivesport.co.nz/Anthony-Hudson/tabid/454/articleID/23907/Default.aspx

Thomas and Kosta out. Bugger.

I know Hudson wants to scout out youth players but I really don't think hes made the right call with these call ups. We need some experienced players to hold the squad together not all youth!. Also does anybody know any reason Rufer/Ridenton/Hicks are being overlooked for an AW callup? (not suggesting they would be anymore experienced just as an observation) 

 

Big Sam strikes again

7-0.  Get on it at the TAB.

You are aware of the bigger picture in what Hudson has stated he is trying to achieve yes? Also you are aware that in terms of the future, this game actually means fudge all yes?

Dyer on road to Korea referees of the world watch out.

Maybe Hudson should call up that young Roar player Clut isn't it?.

Yes I get what your saying but as I've said before when calling up young players for their debut its far better for them to have an experienced core of players around them for support if it all goes pear shaped. If you field a team of debutantes when things go pear shaped they panic and get hammered. Its not good for a young players confidence to come into the squad  and basically be left to their own devices. Put it this way, when Fenton started at right back he had experienced players in the backline in Durante and Sigmund to help hold him together, help him and cover for him when he made mistakes, in short they looked out for him. Replace Durante and Sigmund with two other debutantes (who are most likely just trying to avoid making mistakes themselves and won't look out for him) and hes going to be crushed.

That's a fair point. 

I do wonder if there is a small element of Hudson being keen to keep some of the seniors away because he was not impressed with the culture of the team that he walked in and found in place already. Figures that the best way to fix this is keep those seniors away and get his culture embedded so what was done previous is not inherited by the new guys - then bring those seniors back in slowly. I suspect thats one of the reasons why Emblen was gassed as an assistant was because he was part of that "problem" around the culture in place (and I am purely speculating on all of this)

Why would he pick NZ over Australia?

At first I wans't that worried about the result because even if there were a lot of young players, the starting eleven seen pretty promising to me, just one player (the GK) wasn't a regular starter. But now that we have lost a second key player (Thomas) and probably loosing another one (Reid). I wonder wonder which team will play now, maybe this one?

             Crocombe

Roux  Boxall  Tzimopoulos  Doyle

    van den Broek  Tuiloma

             McGlinchey

Rojas                         Boyd??

                Wood

Fark

Themi "the Pillar" Tzimopoulos to the rescue.

Greater chance of international football?

How many more players have to pull out or not be considered before Hudson starts looking at Cap 8 for untapped talent? Should I keep my phone on me?

Before the Brisbane game, Boyd was down as 'injured - 2 weeks'. Will be interesting to see if he recovers in time for the AWs only to pick up another injury for the 'Nix...

Maybe Hudson can only work with young players. He's never worked at this level before and just maybe the senior boys may just see through him. Looking at the squad fullback on both sides is a big problem Roux Doyle Fenton Wynn are poor one on one defenders and I mean poor but we wait and see

Jeez that team is going to struggle. Disappointing there is no Thomas.

Bahrain.

Bahrain U23 then got the top job and walk out without any game time

Ummm he had 12 games in charge of the senior side. 

Hey, ref, use google.

I stand corrected, nightshift does that to a man

Sorry boys but I still have doubts about the man but we will see here's hoping 

Seriously – selecting school boys(Brotherton,Dwyer) who have not even played at NRFL/Central level ( yes a little bit for the Wanderers ) over players in pro environments (Edge,Rufer,Hicks,Durante,)- somebody at NZF will need to question Hudson’s selection policy urgently .

It would also be nice to win a game before 2018. So far Hudson talks a lot but hasn’t delivered anything. Agree with heyref- it looks like that he can’t work with senior pros (they have an opinion) – only with kids who will not say anything.

Talk is cheap and the more Hudson talks without results the more its become even cheaper. School boys vs Sth Korea? Fkn LOL.

I don't think that these school boys are however going to see much if any playing time (I hope not anyway). I hope he just wants contact time with them.

I think he's uncomfortable working with players the same age/older then him who have seen it all.  

He was a failure in his only pro league appointment (Newport).  

I'm not sure about the age of the players he had in Bahrain but wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they were on the young side too.  Some people have said he did good work there but the last WC qualifiers were a let down for them after nearly qualifying in 2010.

This squad should be playing the likes of Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan etc not South Korea.

He's been talking the talk for 12 months thereabouts, have yet to see the walk.

PS Come on the Black Caps tonight! (UK time)