All Whites vs Vanuatu | Fri 15th Nov | 7:00pm | FMG Stadium Waikato, Le Tron

chubbs

Re Shane Rufer
He was actually a striker before he went overseas and a very good one too
Played national League up front for Stop Out and Miramar Rangers
His early internationals were as a striker
Was also a NZ Softball international iirc
Was turned into a defender when he went to Switzerland.
Might be a bit of truth in the idea that the brothers were seen as a package deal.
Both , but wynton particularly , had trouble getting released to play for NZ. Different times with release rules not so tight.

The All Whites in those days played few A internationals, whether friendlies or competitive matches outside of World Cup and Olympic qualifiers (the Olympics being a senior tournament back then).
The All Whites instead played a lot of matches in those days against foreign club sides both at home and on overseas tours.
Shane Rufer made eight A international appearances but 19 appearances overall (including matches against foreign club sides).
Another factor was that OFC, dominated by our Pacific Island rivals, made it hard for overseas based NZ and Aussie players to get released by their clubs by scheduling World Cup qualifiers at key times in the European season.
One example was the All Whites' two-legged final stage OFC play-off against the Socceroos in 1993.
Scheduled for the final weeks of the European season.
Wynton's Werder Bremen were in a tight tussle with Bayern to win the Bundesliga.
Wynton was dedicated to the All Whites cause and even though Bremen didn't want him to go, he had his bags packed and a flight booked to Auckland for the first leg to be played May 30 1993 (second leg June 6). 
The last two rounds of the Bundesliga that season were 30 May and 6 June NZT.
I talked to then All Whites coach Ian Marshall about this a couple of years before he passed away more than twenty years ago.
Ian told Wynton not to come, knowing that he would certainly have been sacked by Bremen and possibly blamed by the club and fans for losing the Bundesliga title race.

Jessie Merino

Re Shane Rufer, Chris Jackson came in and had more energy and mongrel. Shane was the definition of "a midfield water carrier".

Ten year age difference between the two.
So different generations of footballers.
Shane born 1960.
Chris born 1970.
Shane was 30 and retired from international football when Jackson made his NZ debut in 1990.
No argument who was the better player and had a career at a much higher level:
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/shane-rufer/leistungsdatenverein/spieler/156186
Shane Rufer: 175 apps in the Swiss top tier mostly for then major clubs FC Zurich and Servette (plus two other clubs)
8 appearances in European competition (UEFA Cup and Inter-Toto Cup)
Chris Jackson never played above Aussie NSL level and hardly set the world on fire with the Football Kingz.

Marto

djtim3000

coochiee

Pretty wasteful in patches. But maybe that’s just me predicting 10+ goals

If Waine starts against the part timer Samoans he needs fill his boots. He got a bit frustrated not getting the ball when he wanted it today

But in summary we learn very little about the AWs from these games. Thank god it’s all over in 3 windows 

Paladin too much hyperbole. Leave that for leeeague

Without Koltak it would have been well over 10 goals. He's a very good player, I feel as if he had been picked up in the A-League earlier he'd be playing at a much higher level. With that said, clinical when we needed to be and considering it was only a few months ago that we put 4 and 3 past the same team, was a good showing by a talented NZ side.

You can blame the Nix for that. Playing in NZ for years but continually ignored by us.

Iignored or deemed not good enough by whoever was the coach at the time? Clearly he's good enough now and has been dominant for CCM over the last number of seasons, but would he have been the same player if the nix grabbed him early on?

I think the service comment may be correct. If it was Payne we might not be talking about it. The difference is with Libby he gets himself into space so often against this type of opponent it is noticeable that he does not find people in the box. 

It may be the reason he has never quite cracked it as a starter in Italy.

In terms of mobility however i don’t understand that one - complete opposite. 

In terms of the running style - it’s actually not a bad thing and means he can see what’s around him.

The bottom line however is he is a class player, one of our three best and we have much bigger problems with other players and positions in the All Whites, 

His delivery in Italy seemed okay. But maybe about the kind of ball they’re looking to play. I remember Chief talking about different runs he wanted his players to make. Guess it depends if he and the strikers are on the same wave length. 

I’ve seen him deliver very well in Italian games, but also feel like we’ve had this conversation before too. And his assist figures aren’t flattering.

Great charity "Make A Wish"

Football mad George was born with multiple congenital heart defects and spends every moment kicking a ball around.

Working with Make a Wish, George wanted to train with the All Whites so him and his mates joined the team in Hamilton.

🎥 @TVNZ pic.twitter.com/aStDs9zfff

— New Zealand Football 🇳🇿 (@NZ_Football) November 25, 2024