Well well well. Wasn't that last game a clusterfuck
Thoughts:
I think this is a typical Herbert team. You see a performance and go 'that was ok' and then the next is a nightmare. His teams do not play with any consistency.
Some questions that I think have been answered (and I have also changed my tune on):
Lochhead and Bertos are not starters. Smith and Reid are, but don't play like they are. Winston Reid, for all his calibre was the most disappointing of all of them. How can you consistently perform in the EPL but be so woeful at this level? Yes his team mates were no better but then he should be able to carry his own load and I am afraid he did not. It seems harsh to rag on Reid when others were worst but then we probably expected Lochhead and Bertos to be average considering they have not played in how long. Who was Winston Reid marking last week in the EPL???
Durante as a DM should be now be well and truly shelved. I suspect Ricki will keep going with it but its inherently obvious that's its shoehorning a size 22 foot into a size 6 boot - it just does not fit. The reality is, Ivan came on and looked settled and did EXACTLY what a DM should do. He has to be one starter. In some respects, I think the only way this experiment gets killed is by Dura being declared ineligible.
Wood was starved of ball so hard to get up his ass about his performance and while I am not a fan of Bright, you can't give him any shit for his 20 mins in a deep lying striker off of Wood either. Strikers just did not see enough ball and its took a wonderstrike from Killen to get us to the final.
Brockie: What did he do in Toronto that has them wanting him back because I saw more of the same as he produced at the Phoenix. I thought he was invisible for the 2 games he played.
James: I have to be honest in that I have a bias for him but being objective, I think he is in a 3 headed race for that other DM spot alongside Ivan in a 4-2-3-1 with Payne and Keat. He did not do his chances any harm but does the position need a deep lying ball player when you think there would be Wee Mac, Kosta, Rojas in front of him or someone that can transition, from back to front at back, can play the ball and defend (a young Ross Aloisi?). I think all 3 of them have those qualities but none more so than the other.
Amateurs: I thought Clapham did himself no harm. Butler is not the answer but having watched the 2nd game, you have to say he was no worse than others and probably better than Durante in that role. Ivan is still the consummate professional even at 37 and in his 30 mins he got, shit got done.
Howieson: I think he has the goods but where do you fit him in? I think at the moment, the one that would possible miss out is Kosta out on the left attacking spot if you felt this kid has to be included. I'm not so sure Ricki has really used him in his best position (hes an AM right?) to see the best of him. He has the talent no doubt.
Sigmund...... I'm waiting for tomorrows article where Ricki will do the classic 'I didn't see it so I can't comment' line. International yellows are worth $5k. I wonder what reds are worth and I hope NZF are making him pay considering the U17s have to find $2k from their own pocket each just to put on a white shirt now. There is no way he can claim that as a team red. Either way, he is not playing in the October windows and would not be surprised if FIFA get a bit banny with that one. Either way, as someone else said, how can you pick him when he is a ticking time bomb liability. 1-0 against Honduras in the last leg and he gets sent off in the 78th and we lose 2-1, he'd need to move to Australia because he would be a hated hated man. I think if Ricki was honest, there would be a red line through his name and just move onto Boxall (even for development)
Going forward we have not much of a clue of what our best formation and best team is. We know what does not work but that's not the same as knowing as what DOES work.
Smith to LB, Durante beside him, Reid at right CB and a RB needs to be found or you play Dura at RB and find another CB,
Ivan with one other player beside him (Payne/Keat/James)
Rojas and Wee Mac with either Kosta or Howieson beside him
Wood or Smeltz up front
These are not solid any more because more questions have been created by what could be deemed in some respects, a failure of a tournament.
As someone else said, I hope Emblen is learning and does not repeat the same mistakes as Ricki does (Emblen needs to get his quals as well)