Football Ferns

Off topic to the rest of the posts but anyone got the starting 11?

http://www.ultimatenzsoccer.com/FootballFerns/2014_now.htm

no they all just played for Tonga instead

One upside I can see from the Heraf FF coaching debacle is that it's happened now, and not a few years down the road when he'd had more time to really stuff up the development of football in this country.  

Prophet

Sceptic

Field of (broken) dreams

Complete with photo 

https://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/matches/round=271...

but hey, they got to the round of 16 and Argentina didn't. 

Here are some pre match quotes from captain Amber Hearn, I've lifted these from NZ footballs own website. I'm pissing myself.

“For the girls, it will be great to play there but, for me, it’s just another stadium and another game. The main thing for me is that it’s in front of all our families and friends so I’m sure everyone will want to play well and play to win and hopefully that’s what we go out and do.”

With nothing riding on the outcome from a result point of view, the friendly match gives both sides the chance to focus on taking steps towards their longer-term goals.

But Hearn says the New Zealand players certainly have the prospect of a first-ever win over the Nadeshiko at the forefront of their minds.

“No game is ever a friendly, I guess that’s how I see things. If you approach it that way then the results will show,” she says.

“Yes, Japan are a quality team and are technically fantastic but we’ve got a few things up our sleeve so I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a great game to watch.”

ha. obviously NZF media release before Heraf’s pre match whiteboard session. He would have been better off organising an attack v defence training session v any local team. 

Football Ferns threaten mass exodus

No one on the record saying they're willing to quit but Burgess asserts that it's a significant number of them. Apparently there was a report written by a staff member on the Spain tour that hasn't been acted upon (Pickstock?) and the NZF board had a spirited meeting last week.

reading the papers this morning and it looks like there is pressure from a number of quarters within and without NZF. So often we dont really know what the truth is in these circumstances but Heraf puts none of that in doubt with his public outbursts. I would really like NZF to step up here and do the right thing, it will take balls to do that but it would raise their credibility greatly even though they made the appointment in the first place.

I believe that if five or six senior players said: 'he goes or we go', NZF would have to act to remove Heraf as FF coach. 

And a significant no confidence vote from players should also mean his continuing role with NZF is untenable.

solidarity forever, and the Player's Association makes us strong

When Heraf took over the FF coaching role I was a bit disappointed that he hadn't taken the vacant AWs job.

My disappointment now is for our women who deserve a lot better. As does NZ football. 

But don't despair, Handy Andy will sort it out. (Yeah, right.)

I've watched only a few bits of the world cup so far, but I have been encouraged that what I've seen actually resembled football. What Heraf dished up the last week was totally appalling and I wish he would fall on his sword, cos he is clearly clueless.

A player revolt... would be interesting to see how Martin spins that one!

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?...

This is going to get ugly.

I hope the players are listened to.

https://twitter.com/pineyzb/status/1008821485186764801?s=21

Piney about to interview Edge on Radio sport re Heraf and NZ U17/20s

Edge wants to pull all Ole players from age group sides as they don't want to support the direction Heraf is taking NZ football. They must supply a good chunk of the players as well.

Martin has to act soon surely?

Statement from NZ Football

Statement from @NZ_Football RE @mikeburgess99 story that players have written to NZF to complain about Andreas Heraf pic.twitter.com/YZdnDVKQmB

— Radio Sport (@radiosportnz) June 18, 2018

Piney just said NZF to make statement tomorrow morning. 

Unless he falls on his sword completely, I can see NZF statement only addressing Ferns issues; not the wider ‘chip and star’ philosophy that is ruining our best young footballers; and ridiculed by pretty everyone I’ve spoken to in the NZ football community. 

Hopefully NZF board taking an active role. 

Edge decides or is he suggesting this to his players? Looks like a cult from the outside.

Here are Declans words

No decision has been made yet, Edge says he has players coming to him asking to help get them out of National set up

more in this story here

Yeah hence why I said "wants". Pretty clear Edge has no time for Heraf and weould prefer his players not involved.

This is reaching a reasonably entertaining breaking point, half looking forward to Martin's presser tomorrow, half really concerned he'll somehow not fire Heraf though.

I remember when this DOF role was advertised, and folks were requesting that NZF move away from having so many Brits in the organisation ie appoint a continental European.

I guess a dud is a dud no matter where they come from.

yeah was responding to number8's comment 

NZF won't fire him, they'll probably back him up thats how much of a clue they have

If Heraf goes, does Martin find himself in an untenable position? Therefore firing Heraf is giving himself the archer. 1 + 1 = bury our heads deeper in the sand and hope it goes away

After the recent NZF board elections I think he's already close to being a dead man walking. He might actually get some credit if he accepts that Heraf isn't working out.

Im 100% totally with Edge here. Everything I’ve ever seen or heard about Ole has been good and positive. Everything Ive ever seen or heard about Heraf has been bad and negative.

I don’t quite understand the argument about a particular playing style though.

I would expect developing players to be learning to tackle, to pass, to shut down, to hold and shield the ball, to pass and move, to cross, to shoot, to head, to play first time, to play with both feetetc.

Surely in any game, or part of a game, or when you change teams, you will need to adjust your style of play to suit . There is no one way of playing. If your game gets too predictable, its way to easy to play against you.

So I don’t understand why players should be taught to play one way in any case. The game changes, the opposition changes, your team changes, tactics will need to change.

However, what Heraf put up the other week was pathetic and cant be excused.

I really hope he goes now, because in my football experience self-belief and positivity can achieve a hell of a lot.

From this piece it appears that NZF are going against FIFA coaching directives

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/nz-teams/104824497/underfire-andreas-herafs-double-new-zealand-football-role-breaks-fifa-coaching-directive

A coherent and constant playing philosophy is absolutely vital to developing young footballers because they need to learn how to solve the problems they're faced with on the pitch. As Cruyff said, football is played with the brain, your legs are there to help you.

Once you know the basic technique of how to strike a football then the most powerful way to get better is to play the game, but the more touches and the more cognitive-technical challenges you face then the better you will get. This is why kids need to play inside a philosophy that encourages as many touches as possible. This has to go for training and for games, which is why rondos have worked so well at La Masia, they are a constantly tessellating, high-pace replica of what happens in a game but in a smaller space (directional rondos tend to replicate the whole pitch, non-directional replicate small areas). 

A player with a good cognitive-technical ability will be able to go and learn a new coach's system because it isn't very hard to teach a team to play a particular way, especially if you have them full-time. The harder thing is giving young players a philosophy and tactics that helps them become smart players in the first place, but if you do that then they can play anywhere. Declan's players would all have failed as soon as they left Ole if that wasn't the case.

Im pretty sure Heraf wont be coach of the Ferns after tomorrow. The question is, is a that good enough retreat? Personally, I don't think so.

Andy Martin must be absolutely bricking it. Well, I assume he would if he actually gave a stuff.

I come back to the importation of foreign coaches. At some point we have to actually try one of our own in a senior coaching role. The more of this garbage we have to put up the clearer it becomes that we are being led up and down the garden path by some very very average foreign coaches and the requirement regarding coaching qualifications is a complete red herring. NZ does have a football culture and that needs to be reflected in our coaching appointments 

Football Ferns bombshell: Coach Andreas Heraf set for suspension, enquiry to look into bullying allegations

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?...

The bit thats really weird about all of this is that within the WoF plan and all the coaches I know or have known who have been involved with it the type/style/philosophy/process of coaching and playing are seemingly a long way removed from the guy they employed as the DoF.

If we do take in a foreign coach to this sort of role then surely they need to follow the direction NZF decided to head down 6 or 7 years ago.

Fundamentally the WoF plan has a good backbone and there are of course issues within it that need tweaking etc but it was and still is a step in the right direction so just follow your own bloody plan NZF.

Also with respect to foreign coaches in NZ there does need to be a distinction made between a foreign coach who has just arrived and those who are throughly embedded in our football scene. The likes of Jose for example have made a life here, been totally involved in every area from coaching clubs, schools, federation and international level. He isnt a foreign coach to me.

I remember a few years ago one of our womens age group teams was off to a WC and the position of Assistant was advertised, one prominent and very successful local coach who had done every single course asked of him applied and was told he lacked experience. Stevie Baxter who had only arrived in NZ from Scotland a few months earlier was given the job. 

Assistant coach at an age group WC is the perfect way and pathway to gain needed experience, surely this local coach should have got the nod for that reason alone.  

There are tons of very good local coaches who can be integrated into the international systems and NZF does have plenty of support resources available to help those coaches.

I have no problem with a high level foreign coach taking on the DoF role if they are in line with NZF's own WoF and whats actually being done here in NZ via the various academies and quality coaching ideas being pursued. We need a DoF who's main motivation is to assist the coaches get better and to drive the types of technical and skill work we need. 

#HerafOut and I really think it's time on Martin too; he's neck deep in this shark.

Well Martin backed him and appears to have ignored other rumblings including a member of staff report of trouble after the Spain trip