We were playing lots of long balls today. That sort of stuff is never going to suit Marco.
All Whites vs New Caledonia | Tues 15 Nov | 7:00pm | SS2
pretty bloody awful conditions. Did you see how hard it is pelting down? Quite a leveler.
What team was it a leveler for?
Both I reckon. It certainly lowered the tone for both. We lacked punch up front - again.
A real lack of good combination play and attacking possession in both games.
We were playing lots of long balls today. That sort of stuff is never going to suit Marco.
i think the long balls were panic mode from the players - it's all they ever known... we saw a rapid increase of them in the dying minutes as players got desperate
We were playing lots of long balls today. That sort of stuff is never going to suit Marco.
i think the long balls were panic mode from the players - it's all they ever known... we saw a rapid increase of them in the dying minutes as players got desperate
Not a great game by any stretch.
IMO to many players not good enough to be internationals.
Monty Paterson, Dyer, Hudson Wi Hongi, Liam Graham, Kip Kelvey.
NC were far better technically. Their short game was good. The were prepared to play through and or around. Ver seldom long or over the top.
The 2 best players on the park were the NC #10 and #18. Clever, strong NZ couldn't cope with them. Roll on Fiji.
One other thing Sky..You need to move Fred and Harry Ngata on..with the greatest respect they are mono tone, no enthusiasm for the game. Their tactical appreciation is sadly lacking. Fred is just down tight boring!!
Put chotey alongside Piney.
I'm sure Dyer and Lewis are lovely boys. But they are not good enough to play at this level and they look like they know it. They look overawed and are so much slower in possession than Rojas , Thomas etc. Patterson was bad tonight but he still tries things and wants to be involved. And I think Tuiloma has looked much improved in these 2 games .
rojas was invisible because our use of the ball was so poor and part of this was dyer. every time rojas touched it he was class
i agre that some of the vitriol towards dyer is pretty mean. but he's not up to it. and this is the world cup
Thised. Hi Eastern Suburbs Twitter (waves)
We were playing lots of long balls today. That sort of stuff is never going to suit Marco.
i think the long balls were panic mode from the players - it's all they ever known... we saw a rapid increase of them in the dying minutes as players got desperate
100% correct
and it doesn't need to be tiki taka, even in normal football there's no provision for hoofball
If I was Tuiloma I would seriously consider my future commitment to the AW's. He's our only fully professional midfielder. He's playing with a good European club. He flys back to NZ and left on the bench for guys like Dyer and T W who are playing amateur local football.
I seriously have doubts about Hudsons rational for selecting his side.....and the playing methods. We were great defensively, parking the bus with 5 at the back recently in North America. But he seems incapable of coaching a side that can attack fluently. This current side has some of the best attacking talent the AW's have ever had. Rojas, Thomas, Costa and Wood should be tearing the Island sides apart.
The big problem is the transition from defense to attack. There is no fluidity, no one is taking control of the midfield and passing the ball efficiently. I have seen Tuiloma play plenty of time this season.......and that has been what he has been doing. In his last couple of games for the Marseille reserves he has been playing as a distributer in front of the defensive mids.
Hudson obviously has his favourites...i guess its his call. But it is sad to see the way the AW's are playing. This should not be as difficult as we are making it. We lost two points today. Australia would be banging in 6 goals against these sides.
Not a great game by any stretch.
IMO to many players not good enough to be internationals.
Monty Paterson, Dyer, Hudson Wi Hongi, Liam Graham, Kip Kelvey.
NC were far better technically. Their short game was good. The were prepared to play through and or around. Ver seldom long or over the top.
The 2 best players on the park were the NC #10 and #18. Clever, strong NZ couldn't cope with them. Roll on Fiji.
One other thing Sky..You need to move Fred and Harry Ngata on..with the greatest respect they are mono tone, no enthusiasm for the game. Their tactical appreciation is sadly lacking. Fred is just down tight boring!!
Put chotey alongside Piney.
Pretty sure OFC hired the commentators for this game
Not a great game by any stretch.
IMO to many players not good enough to be internationals.
Monty Paterson, Dyer, Hudson Wi Hongi, Liam Graham, Kip Kelvey.
NC were far better technically. Their short game was good. The were prepared to play through and or around. Ver seldom long or over the top.
The 2 best players on the park were the NC #10 and #18. Clever, strong NZ couldn't cope with them. Roll on Fiji.
One other thing Sky..You need to move Fred and Harry Ngata on..with the greatest respect they are mono tone, no enthusiasm for the game. Their tactical appreciation is sadly lacking. Fred is just down tight boring!!
Put chotey alongside Piney.
Pretty sure OFC hired the commentators for this game
OFC had nothing to do with producing the broadcast. It was all on the host broadcaster (New Caledonia). Assume Sky sent their own commentators over.
Also, Harry wasn't on the coverage. It was Gordon Watson who I thought did an excellent job. Agree with comments about Fred though.
So we play hoof when we're in a tight competition schedule like the OFC Cup.
And also when we play any games in the islands - even if the pitch was a carpet and the conditions were pretty NZ-ish.
Um.
I'm sure we'll trot out the sameplayed to the conditions crap but New Caledonia played to the same conditions and played a much better style of football despite ostensibly being a far less experienced and qualified team.
It's about time someone actually went back and looked and all the dozens of reviews from when we have disappointed in the islands and actually work to implement the plans to fix it.
For starters. Start our best fudgeing line-up every time. I know players played on Saturday in Auckland but replacing them with players who are barely SS Premiership standard because they might be tired is fudgeing stupid. We may as well have played with no midfield today when we clearly in Themi and Tuiloma had two of our best midfield options benched.
Why can't we learn?
Dura was excellent, Thomas pretty good, Thanks goodness for Tuiloma,
noone else stamped heir authority really.
The conditions looked very energy sapping, some of the tackles that ref allowed were pretty mean.
New Caledonia gave it a damn good shot.
I'm fed up with it. 40 years and we still haven't worked out how not to cod it up in the islands...
The officiating. For both these games was worse than the refereeing in Wellington Sunday league football. Someone competent needs to take charge of Oceania and NZ football and fudge off all the self interest if we ever want to be credible at this sport.
Reminder that Hudson pays his assistant coach to look at players in Europe and yet he plays sharkhouse amateur/semi-pro NZ-based players instead.
'IMO to many players not good enough to be internationals.
Monty Paterson, Dyer, Hudson Wi Hongi, Liam Graham, Kip Kelvey'.
I would add Thomas to that list
Time to dust off the Martin out banner.
Reminder that Hudson pays his assistant coach to look at players in Europe and yet he plays sharkhouse amateur/semi-pro NZ-based players instead.
But everyone loves Hudson now because of a couple half decent performances in some meaningless friendlies last month.
Do me a favour. Hudson out.
Reminder that Hudson pays his assistant coach to look at players in Europe and yet he plays sharkhouse amateur/semi-pro NZ-based players instead.
But everyone loves Hudson now because of a couple half decent performances in some meaningless friendlies last month.
Do me a favour. Hudson out.
'IMO to many players not good enough to be internationals.
Monty Paterson, Dyer, Hudson Wi Hongi, Liam Graham, Kip Kelvey'.
I would add Thomas to that list
We were playing lots of long balls today. That sort of stuff is never going to suit Marco.
i think the long balls were panic mode from the players - it's all they ever known... we saw a rapid increase of them in the dying minutes as players got desperate
Its not all they ever know, its the opposite of what they are being taught at FTC and NTC level. From age 5 through to youth level they are taught to play out from the back and to keep it on the deck. Long ball is no longer the way the kids are taught to play, hasnt been for quite a while. Its at senior level they get this rubbish pushed on them.
We were playing lots of long balls today. That sort of stuff is never going to suit Marco.
i think the long balls were panic mode from the players - it's all they ever known... we saw a rapid increase of them in the dying minutes as players got desperate
Its not all they ever know, its the opposite of what they are being taught at FTC and NTC level. From age 5 through to youth level they are taught to play out from the back and to keep it on the deck. Long ball is no longer the way the kids are taught to play, hasnt been for quite a while. Its at senior level they get this rubbish pushed on them.
that's a really good point
show me a park where anyone plays like that
That Patterson miss awful
He's our only fully professional midfielder.
I wholeheartedly agree with what you said there Austin except for the above. We have a number of decent full time professionals in Australia and Europe who should have been in this squad (James, Keat (if fit), Henderson (if fit) at the expense of Dyer and others.
And
Is Roux's citizenship still in the air and where was Shane? Dyed in the wool AW there whom I'm sure would have made more of the chance Patterson fluffed (please note I've not actually seen the chance he had). I think a front two of Wood and Smeltz would do well here with Chris using his strength and Shane his nose for a goal.
Really Marto? Do we need more players barely playing in pub leagues? We had good midfielders. We just didn't play them.
Maybe Smeltz needs to fly to Auckland to beg Hudson for a position in the squad. Seems the only way that professional players, who have always performed for the side, can get in above amateurs. James should do so as well.
'IMO to many players not good enough to be internationals.
Monty Paterson, Dyer, Hudson Wi Hongi, Liam Graham, Kip Kelvey'.
I would add Thomas to that list
The Championship could be at a higher, or at least equal level so it's a tough call between Thomas and Wood/Smith.
He's our only fully professional midfielder.
I wholeheartedly agree with what you said there Austin except for the above. We have a number of decent full time professionals in Australia and Europe who should have been in this squad (James, Keat (if fit), Henderson (if fit) at the expense of Dyer and others.
And
Is Roux's citizenship still in the air and where was Shane? Dyed in the wool AW there whom I'm sure would have made more of the chance Patterson fluffed (please note I've not actually seen the chance he had). I think a front two of Wood and Smeltz would do well here with Chris using his strength and Shane his nose for a goal.
He's our only fully professional midfielder.
I wholeheartedly agree with what you said there Austin except for the above. We have a number of decent full time professionals in Australia and Europe who should have been in this squad (James, Keat (if fit), Henderson (if fit)) at the expense of Dyer and others.
And
Is Roux's citizenship still in the air and where was Shane? Dyed in the wool AW there whom I'm sure would have made more of the chance Patterson fluffed (please note I've not actually seen the chance he had). I think a front two of Wood and Smeltz would do well here with Chris using his strength and Shane his nose for a goal.
Not saying that at all, but have to be an improvement on all but Themi, Tuiloma and WeeMac who were named as central midfielders in this squad.
Lets all be honest here. We've not produced any decent central/defensive midfielders since the late 90s with the last decent ones being Vicelich, Elliott and slightly earlier Ngata and Jackson. A massive thanks goes out to Scotland and Greece for producing Themi and WeeMac.
Aaron Clapham
Cole Peverley (although i think he is injured). Alex Rufer.
Mat Ridenton (although we don't want the Phoenix to be loosing players).
We have enough professionals to make up a full squad. Hudson wants to give the young guys game time so that they are showcased to professional gigs, of course that is under the assumption that they will perform, which they don't. He also doesn't want a team that's getting on in years, but one that will be peaking at the world cup in 2018. Of course the chances of us getting to the worldcup are very low, and they are effectively zero if we're playing amateur players.
you guys forgot prelevic...
...and the case for the prosecution rests.
Its been a long time since I last logged into YF.
Anyway, with some time to kill before heading to Noumea, then Auckland, here are some thoughts and insights following last night's game.
New Caledonia - Credit where its due, they backed up what they did in Auckland, in Kone. They're a decent side, have good combination play in wide positions and in Cesar Zeoula and Georges Gope Fenepej, two very useful professional players. New Caledonia can rely on six or seven decent performances from individuals and they were worth their point. They should, by now, have earned some level of respect for performances and results against New Zealand over the past eight years - they have improved, to say otherwise is a bit uncharitable.
New Zealand - If Monty Patterson scores that chance teed up by Andrew Durante, its a different game. Patterson missed and the pendulum swung back the way of the home side. Durante had a very good game, so too did Michael Boxall (although I note there was some criticism of him earlier in this thread?). The All Whites haven't conceded a goal in open play to a Pacific team since Zeoula netted in Dunedin in 2013. Thats astonishing. Anthony Hudson has made this team tough to unprise and defeat. Bill Tuiloma's goal line clearance was utterly astonishing. Like Patterson, if Zeoula scores, the game changes - New Zealand have to chase a game for the first time in this campaign. It would've posed a very interesting challenge. On they roll.
The Referee - George Time was under pressure from the word go given he'd only officiated at one international match that I could find since the Nadi v Kiwi OFC Champions League boilover at QBE Stadium. Norbert Hauata (Tahiti) and Kader Zitouni (Tahiti) had handled the previous four clashes between New Caledonia and New Zealand, so it was a tough assignment with so much at stake for the competitors. The key decision he got right was Kai's red card but he let a few too many challenges go inside the first 20 minutes and then after the restart.
Time's reaction and decision-making process was very deliberate (incident-watch-check AR-think-decision) which translated to the players as ponderous and that understandably lends itself to frustration. They want to see snappy, chop-chop, decisive decisions made crisply. Quite right. But that said, in the context and setting, I'd rather he did deliberate and get it mostly right than feel pressured by players to come up with a decision - any decision - and get it wrong. Thats not a good habit to get in to, players then sense they can get decisions off an official.
Kone - a bit said on social media about playing this game "in the middle of nowhere" which I find irritating. New Caledonia more than entitled to play this game anywhere they see fit as long as the venue could handle it. Taking the game to the provinces was a good move for them for a variety of football and non-football reasons. The problems - when you have a boutique venue and want to showcase a big community event, its very easy to overlook housekeeping items like power loading, presence of television.
The weather also caused a short in the main stand which is why we lost coverage temporarily. Let's be honest, each country has to grow the game the best they can. Remember, New Zealand took New Caledonia down to Dunedin for World Cup Qualifier in 2013. It finished 2-1 to the All Whites thanks to a Tommy Smith winner, late on, and has a long history of taking games to Napier, Mount Maunganui, Palmerston North - Dynamo Minsk, Werder Bremen, Korea Republic. Pot, kettle, etc.
The Nickel industry is the main source of jobs in Kone and with the global price plummeting, so too have the jobs. That means unemployment is up along with the cost of living. Bringing the game to Kone, to put a smile on a few faces can hardly be a bad thing after 65 years of New Caledonia v New Zealand games being played in Noumea?
The broadcast - By far one of the toughest calls I've ever had to make - no monitor, no script, occasional irregular replays, no director, no comms to Sky Sport, language barrier with host broadcaster, no desk space, no chairs, obstructed view. You can make all the notes in the world, script flowery turns of phrase and stockpile your statistics, but it goes out the window jumping through hoops blindly.
All that said, from a personal perspective its churlish to complain, any opportunity to commentate a football match has to be cherished, so you do your best and crack on.
Sound - Another issue. Very difficult to do a sound test and we're at the behest of the host broadcaster. Any confusion between my voice and Fred's is maybe down to this technical issue. We were also sat right to next to the main camera position and our French commentary colleagues making for a tight, noisy, work space.
Commentators - The host broadcaster was NC1 TV who had their own commentators led by Romain Painbeni. Fred and I were hired by OFC TV to provide the English commentary. Sky Sport have us both down for the Stirling Sports Premiership game at Eastern Suburbs AFC on Saturday.
Gordon Watson
Freelance
I still expect us to win these games based on the supposed talent we have. Admittedly, I have no real knowledge of how good some of these teams are. What I did see though were some terrible passes by some of our players that I would not even see in local league football. Sure there is pressure playing at this level but I think its fair for us to expect a little better from the likes of Dyer in these circumstances.
Gordon, last night I thought you did an excellent job with the call. Having read your description of the work conditions etc, "excellent" doesn't even come close!!!
Your research and knowledge was clear, didn't get all "statto", and really added to the, um, "product", for want of a better word. Well done, and thank you - a welcome change after Saturday...
Thanks very much Gordon for that feedback. We rarely get to hear from the people actually involved. awesome that the game was played at that venue. We get too used to perfect settings and conditions. Well done on the commentary under such tricky conditions.