Accidental or not gotta love it: Chris Wood. One touch. One goal. Hopefully our ability to get the ball into the box improves from here on in if the goal settles the nerves and we will get to see a couple more.
Commentators talking about who is still to come in from the A League. Who is actually good enough to replace these current players in first a starting 11, then the bench. Then who do you drop?
Commentators talking about who is still to come in from the A League. Who is actually good enough to replace these current players in first a starting 11, then the bench. Then who do you drop?
I don't know about starting roles, but for a 23 man squad INS - Sail, Payne, Rojas & Barba OUTS - Searle, Kalua, Collier & De Jong
That's presuming Tzanev is still unvaccinated. But he changes his stance I'd be tempted to drop Woud. Though doubt Hay will.
If Lewis has strong A League campaign, he comes in for Garbett. Based on the Olympics, Garbett stays. If Thomas comes in, Garbett drops out anyway.
Likewise Mcgarry or Sutton with a strong Nix campaign could edge out de Vries/Wilkins. Same Roux/Ingham/Elliott verus Kirwan. Interesting some talk pre match that Hay wants to try Tuiloma at RB. Has pace and a decent cross.
But great news is as well as this winning run, is some real depth/competition building, that goes back the Olympics. So even though the A League guys haven't been involved in Oct/Nov, many of them were in Tokyo under Hay.
Hopefully NZF lock in some January friendlies (won't be easy) and some A League guys can be picked. Or/and a large say 30 man squad goes to Qatar for that OFC tourney (5 games in 2-3 weeks). Basically then all the fringe contenders for a 23 man full strength squad can go head to head. Ben Old could end up a bolter if there are some injuries.
Now we just await FIFA to do the draw for Intercontinental Playoffs!
Not a bad effort from the boys, 2-0 is a sold result. Completes an unbeaten year which after 2 years with nothing is brilliant and very promising. Thought the 1st half was great, second was a bit scrappy but I think Gambia upped their pressure and we didnt adjust quick enough, but we managed to hold out there limited chances and defused their attacks relatively well. Must say that I thought the professional fouls on the Gambian #7 at the end were silly and pointless. Not the style of football I want to see from our team.
It was funny hearing Piney list of the potential a-league players to come into the team at some point (Kosta, Rojas, Lewis etc). In all honesty I couldn't see who out of the three would make the starting lineup. Just, Champness and Bell hold there place for mine.
As they say a win is a win, it doesnt matter who its against, roll on the January window for a couple more games before the March OFC games.
Commentators talking about who is still to come in from the A League. Who is actually good enough to replace these current players in first a starting 11, then the bench. Then who do you drop?
Oli Sail & Tim Payne for mine. Maybe chuck Waineo in there too. Sail for Searle (based on the current squad) and Payne for Kalua. Waineo would get in a 23 man squad.
Barbarouses and Rojas I feel will be the ones who miss out, with the youngsters Just, McCowatt & Champness coming through. Although I would say Champness will probably need to start logging some more minutes at club level as he's the one probably most at risk.
Commentators talking about who is still to come in from the A League. Who is actually good enough to replace these current players in first a starting 11, then the bench. Then who do you drop?
Oli Sail & Tim Payne for mine. Maybe chuck Waineo in there too. Sail for Searle (based on the current squad) and Payne for Kalua. Waineo would get in a 23 man squad.
Barbarouses and Rojas I feel will be the ones who miss out, with the youngsters Just, McCowatt & Champness coming through. Although I would say Champness will probably need to start logging some more minutes at club level as he's the one probably most at risk.
Sail comes in for Searle (shame he didnt get to make his debut), Payne may challenge for a CB role but I doubt he's pushing Reid, Boxall, Pinjaker or Smith for one of their spots, so he'd be looking at the RB spot which I think Kirwan looks to have a solid grip on. Kalua too for mine would be a better option than Payne at RB.
I was not impressed by Kirwin, so not surprising to hear Hay talking about Tuiloma being an option there.
IMO, Kirwin option taking defensively is not where it needs to be, tries to win balls that he has no chance to win by pressing to quickly and leaving holes in behind, to not making great runs when we are on attack, taking away Champness space etc.
Works hard - but I want a bit more quality than that.
NZF seems to be between no man’s land, and not a good place to be. NZ has now enough depth and talent to beat teams they previously would have lost to like Kenya, India and Lithuania, however they are probably not good enough to beat anyone in top 50 or 40, it’s a hard balance to find a team between Papua New Guinea and Peru, and wins in a friendly in neutral location against a team that is an average African side or Middle Eastern side is great for good public exposure and team morale, I’m not sure if it will help long term.. Basically , OFC is holding us back from reaching our true potential I believe..
I was not impressed by Kirwin, so not surprising to hear Hay talking about Tuiloma being an option there.
IMO, Kirwin option taking defensively is not where it needs to be, tries to win balls that he has no chance to win by pressing to quickly and leaving holes in behind, to not making great runs when we are on attack, taking away Champness space etc.
Works hard - but I want a bit more quality than that.
Yes having just watched the replay, Kirwan was pretty average.
Pity Hay didn't get a chance to try Tuiloma as a RB in this window. It basically worked pretty well 2 seasons ago with Payne converted to a RB at the Nix. And think BT has more pace than Payne.
NZF seems to be between no man’s land, and not a good place to be. NZ has now enough depth and talent to beat teams they previously would have lost to like Kenya, India and Lithuania, however they are probably not good enough to beat anyone in top 50 or 40, it’s a hard balance to find a team between Papua New Guinea and Peru, and wins in a friendly in neutral location against a team that is an average African side or Middle Eastern side is great for good public exposure and team morale, I’m not sure if it will help long term.. Basically , OFC is holding us back from reaching our true potential I believe..
A big chunk of the team out there today played in the three games mentioned. What we lacked in all three were experienced players like Smith, Reid, M. Boxall and Wood playing together. We rarely get our best XI together due to injuries, club committments, stupid comments (Smith) or Twits in charge. I'd say the last time we had our best possible XI on the park was in SA at the WC. Being at those three games mentioned above and the first one in UAE, we've been pants up front. Too dependant on Wood to win it for us.
Drop Just, he's not there yet, Pijnaker is a bench warmer currently and not sure about Kirwin.
Looking forward to January though with our best finally together: Sail, Mariovic, Smith, Reid, Tuiloma, M. Boxall, Cacace, Champness, Singh, Bell, Rojas, Stamenic, Thomas, Barabaroses, Wayne. Give them lots of games together and I can see us at the WC next year.
6 goals to Wood in a black shirt this year (AWs/U23s). Great form given NZF had no men's football for so long. Just need another striker to step up, here's hoping it's Kosta or Wayne to take the pressure off Wood.
Oh yeah I'm quite enjoying the Sky coverage with Spoons and my fav AW ever, Ivan. I'd love to hear Spoons do the in match commentary instead of de Jong.
Also how do we say Just's name? Is it Just or Joost. Fred kept saying Just which I found odd given his Dutch ancestry. Plus Piney and Fred kept saying 4 games + a friendly for Hay including today's match, not 5+1 the correct total.
Chris Wood's first goal would have been appreciated by Sean Dyche. Surely the most Burnley-esque goal ever scored at international level.
The second goal was mint, and reminded me ever so slightly of Mark Hughes' goal vs Barcelona in 1991.
I like how Pijnaker's name was pronounced. "Pie-nicker" (v); he who steals pies.
Barrow was channeling his inner Andy Cole, circa 1995 with that abhorrent miss.
November marks the 4th year anniversary since the AWs last played at home , 0-0 vs Peru. I still think of that Ryan Thomas shot. It has been SEVEN years since the AWs played at home in a friendly, 0-0 vs South Africa.
Chris Wood's first goal would have been appreciated by Sean Dyche. Surely the most Burnley-esque goal ever scored at international level.
The second goal was mint, and reminded me ever so slightly of Mark Hughes' goal vs Barcelona in 1991.
I like how Pijnaker's name was pronounced. "Pie-nicker" (v); he who steals pies.
Barrow was channeling his inner Andy Cole, circa 1995 with that abhorrent miss.
November marks the 4th year anniversary since the AWs last played at home , 0-0 vs Peru. I still think of that Ryan Thomas shot. It has been SEVEN years since the AWs played at home in a friendly, 0-0 vs South Africa.
Encouraging news. A veritable feast of AWs games! Guessing Uzbekistan (ranking 84) & Jordan (91) are 2 prospects.
Whilst Côte d'Ivoire (56), Burkina Faso (60), Congo (64) & South Africa (68) are some useful teams that missed 3rd/final stage CAF qualifying. 2nd round just completed. Though African Cup of Nations is on in January, so that will eliminate some prospects.
Hay said the teams they were looking at would “provide strong opposition where we can start to find out a little bit more about ourselves. I'm excited if we can get them across the line”. It is understood they are most likely to come from Asia, though there are a number of African options inside the top 100 of the Fifa rankings.
Actually had a look at HB Koge's website about 2-3 weeks ago, and they said that Stamenic was off to play against Burundi and The Gambia. Thought it odd at the time, and just an error. But NZF must have had to change at the last minute (Algeria 'A').
Hay said the teams they were looking at would “provide strong opposition where we can start to find out a little bit more about ourselves. I'm excited if we can get them across the line”. It is understood they are most likely to come from Asia, though there are a number of African options inside the top 100 of the Fifa rankings.
Actually had a look at HB Koge's website about 2-3 weeks ago, and they said that Stamenic was off to play against Burundi and The Gambia. Thought it odd at the time, and just an error. But NZF must have had to change at the last minute (Algeria 'A').
Was Algeria A' and Burundi originally I gather. Algeria a very well-organised FA by all accounts.
Chris Wood's first goal would have been appreciated by Sean Dyche. Surely the most Burnley-esque goal ever scored at international level.
The second goal was mint, and reminded me ever so slightly of Mark Hughes' goal vs Barcelona in 1991.
I like how Pijnaker's name was pronounced. "Pie-nicker" (v); he who steals pies.
Barrow was channeling his inner Andy Cole, circa 1995 with that abhorrent miss.
November marks the 4th year anniversary since the AWs last played at home , 0-0 vs Peru. I still think of that Ryan Thomas shot. It has been SEVEN years since the AWs played at home in a friendly, 0-0 vs South Africa.
Thinking about the game, I'm surprised that the strikers on the bench weren't given a run.
I'd hate to be in that Peru sitiuation again where we have no form nation team strikers (apart from Wood) and miss out on another WC spot due to Wood being injured or off form.
