Clapham

When you say you watched Clapham play what games did you watch?
How many times this season have you seen Mulligan play?

If Ricki was starting with a player he didn't rate good enough for a local club team then why not give AC [playing same club level] more than a few minutes.
It's time we got away from the Wolves way of playing, lump it forward to Derek Duggan!!

Because Australians who played in similar positions were better! For some strange reason these Australians aren't picked for the NZ team, so Mulligan is next cab off the rank. Pretty simple really. Reading132011-03-26 22:20:54

What have aussies got to do with the price of fish, this has nothing to do with an aussie.

So playing for a Melbourne based team in a state league is now not rated? Then why pick players playing in any overseas lower grade league eg 3rd Div in Japan.

ineligible [if I'm not helping, I'm not happy].

Michael Fitzgerald is on loan to that 3rd division club. But Ricki had never seen him play. He's seen Clapham play.

My bad.

appeared on the Erin Simpson show yesterday, even though he's in the US at the moment

Seemed to be much more comfortable moving the ball quickly on the deck in behind the strikers than out on the right crossing for the AWs v Waitak. TBF though Brockie's delivery was rubbish as well until after he scored.

Haven't seem him play for Cantabs, everyone was raving about him- what was the excitement about? can't tell much from this thread...

why is this in the phoenix section?

it isn't, you missed the word "moved" in the thread title.

didnt miss it

it's in the All Whites and other NZ international teams area.  Think the link was left so the person who started the thread wouldn't start another when they couldn't find it in Phoenix section.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/5866547/Aaron-Clapham-still-hopes-for-offshore-move

gotta feel for the guy.

How so?

the dude can't seem to catch a break. Hope something comes up for him

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/5938765/Why-isn-t-Clapham-good-enough-for-the-Phoenix

This is getting close to Billy Harris levels of stoppid.

yeah its totally idiotic - what is "international level" anyway? OFC matches between the Cook Islands and Samoa are clearly the same level as Holland v Spain in the WC final Mr Woodcock

and as for the claim that the only non-all white who could get close to the all whites is durante... wtf?

the level of football punditry in New Zealand media makes me want to cry sometimes. For the record, I like Clapham as a player but I'd rather have Sanchez and Ward in the Nix, and if there's any kiwi players who might feel aggrieved about not getting contracts with the Nix I'd say it would be Chettleburgh and Musa, just because they're young and have the chance to develop if exposed to more professional coaching

I'd take Manny in the AWs

I don't think Canterbury would be very happy if we took him on an injury replacement contract anyway.  If he got on the field, he would have to sit out 30 days before he could play for them again.

But I think Aaron Clapham would be happy!

Cutting out the obvious crap in this article (honestly where do they find these peopole) there is one good paragraph

Except that it ignores completely that the Phoenix know him, Ricki knows him, that he was involved last year. 

clapham >> nick ward? really???

By all accounts, young Chettleburgh is a bit poisonous and was the reason he was dropped from the U20s. Jeff Vader2011-11-10 13:07:22

I thought he got dropped because he was a short ball-playing midfielder and there was no room for him in the hoof and hope tactical approach we were employing. Or was that just PR spin?

i think fred makes some good points and a lot of the criticism here is directed at clapham not being good enough for the starting 11.  this isn't the point, the starting 11 is not the issue; the issue is the squad.

clapham has been used by herbert at right back, center midfield and right midfield.  he is also presently being deployed at right back for canterbury.  so you would think that he would be a more than useful squad member for the phoenix in terms of covering these positions.

my personal opinion is that he doesn't have the physicality that herbert desires from his a-league midfielders.  witness the broad shoulders of alex smith - a converted forward. 

and therefore, if herbert is not interested in signing clapham to play in his preferred position, what is the use in signing him at all?

...but if he's not good enough for the starting XI then surely he's better off playing week in and week out in the ASB Premiership than training with the Phoenix.  WOuldn't he just becoome another Mulligan?

cameron lindsay's already there for that and is not being called upon.

in terms of what's best for clapham, you may be right in terms of it being better to be playing regularly than rotting on the bench like mulligan. 

however some would argue that being a pro footballer wouldn't be too shabby a thing either...

being a pro footballer and sitting on the bench or not being picked in the 15 would be worse than playing in the ASB premiership surely. theprof2011-11-10 14:15:48

for the price of a pair of boots (not G Little ones) we might as well get him in if he is keen. It's his choice if you wants to give pro footy a shot or muck around in the ASB.

raises a good point; is there a chance that he has been given the option and turned it down?  i wonder if fred checked with him before running his article?

Would take Clapham at a Squeeze. I feel for the poor fella thoug, he's really Up the Junction!

must say over 60 comments about this article.  people passionate about the ging!