30 football clubs across Aotearoa New Zealand will share $253,511 ($154,239 USD), rewarded to them by FIFA for their role in developing players that took part in the @FIFAWWC 2023.
Poor overall record, some very strange selections especially early in her tenure, and ultimately for whatever reason(s) a player revolt.
The absolute nadir results wise, losing to Portugal 5-0 at home in the leadup to the WWC, and the cringeworthy double act pre match press conference with Ali Riley. “We. Are. Going. To. Beat. Portugal”
But in Klimkova's defence, I don't really remember Tom Sermanni's record being any better. Though Sermanni was definitely handicapped by Covid in the leadup to Tokyo Olympics, plus back then, was no Nix ALW side showcasting young NZ talent.
However Klimkova definitely gave young players a chance, noting it's been a constant refrain from many to get rid of the 'old guard'. She did alot of that.
I'd be genuinely surprised if we see much quick improvement under a new coach, whether that be Michael Mayne or whoever. The problems and issues are far deeper than that. Look at Miley Clegg (as a young goal scoring star by NZ standards), not get 1 minute of playing time yet in the NWSL as one small example. Another the U20s being outclassed at their World Cup in Colombia. Our young talent not stacking up that well, compared to what is coming out of other countries now.
But yeah would be nice to have a stable period for this team, where at least there seems a strong team spirit, no infighting, everyone pulling together for the greater good. NZ has too small a talent pool for that not to happen, to then achieve anything meaningful.
well thank fudge for that - we all knew it was coming but I'll be honest and admit to having some fear that she would want to stay on and NZF would be brave enough to fire her. Hopefully we dont go through another shambolic recruitment process and manage to find a decent coach for the women asap!
Looking at her record, she oversaw 39 international games for a record of 11 wins, seven draws and 21 losses. 5 of those wins though are the World Cup Qualifiers against the Island teams, where they scored 32 goals and conceded only 2. Take those out and the picture looks a lot worse. Certainly a high in beating Norway at home for our first World Cup win, but even that came crashing down, losing to the Philippines a few days later.
Interesting, you mention her not using Clegg, when the papers say she gave 18 players their senior international debuts and took 10 players to the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time. It does feel like the Ferns still rely too much on the old guard.
Looking at her record, she oversaw 39 international games for a record of 11 wins, seven draws and 21 losses. 5 of those wins though are the World Cup Qualifiers against the Island teams, where they scored 32 goals and conceded only 2. Take those out and the picture looks a lot worse. Certainly a high in beating Norway at home for our first World Cup win, but even that came crashing down, losing to the Philippines a few days later.
Interesting, you mention her not using Clegg, when the papers say she gave 18 players their senior international debuts and took 10 players to the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time. It does feel like the Ferns still rely too much on the old guard.
I refer to Racing Louisville as yet not giving Clegg a debut in the NWSL. Klimkova I don't think held Miley back.
Basically we have high hopes for talented young players like Clegg, Fraser etc. But the fact is that other nations are also producing young talent, and in increasing numbers as traditionally strong football nations start to take the women's game seriously. Most of our players are currently in middling average European leagues or the ALW. Only a very small number in really top drawer comps.
We all hope the Ferns can improve results wise and play more attractively, but it will take time, and not be a quick easy fix no matter who the coach is.
Wilkinson was dropped for the Paris Olympics. There were only 4 in that 18 player squad aged 30 over over. Esson (33), Bowen (30), Stott (31) & Longo (33). All were there on merit, and should be until younger players can prove they are better. From memory Longo was initially a travelling reserve, then called up for an injured Fraser.
Can be a bit deceiving, as often players debut for the Ferns in their teens, so even though they have been in the team for 10 years, are still not yet the 'ancient' 30.
Edit - NZ & Australia combined losing all 6 of their games at the U20 WWC, by at least 2 goals each time is a concern. It's a poor reflection on the ALW where majority of the players from both teams came from. The ALW clubs through their academies or whatever need to lift their game. It's where the real process of National team improvement starts.
Apologies about my previous post, after a second look I think it was a bit extreme and not very appropriate.
I'm excited to follow the journey going forward to find the next Ferns coach, already some potential contenders. Plus with the promising talent we already have, hopefully this is the beginning of a fresh start.
Looking at her record, she oversaw 39 international games for a record of 11 wins, seven draws and 21 losses. 5 of those wins though are the World Cup Qualifiers against the Island teams, where they scored 32 goals and conceded only 2. Take those out and the picture looks a lot worse. Certainly a high in beating Norway at home for our first World Cup win, but even that came crashing down, losing to the Philippines a few days later.
Interesting, you mention her not using Clegg, when the papers say she gave 18 players their senior international debuts and took 10 players to the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time. It does feel like the Ferns still rely too much on the old guard.
I refer to Racing Louisville as yet not giving Clegg a debut in the NWSL. Klimkova I don't think held Miley back.
Basically we have high hopes for talented young players like Clegg, Fraser etc. But the fact is that other nations are also producing young talent, and in increasing numbers as traditionally strong football nations start to take the women's game seriously. Most of our players are currently in middling average European leagues or the ALW. Only a very small number in really top drawer comps.
We all hope the Ferns can improve results wise and play more attractively, but it will take time, and not be a quick easy fix no matter who the coach is.
Wilkinson was dropped for the Paris Olympics. There were only 4 in that 18 player squad aged 30 over over. Esson (33), Bowen (30), Stott (31) & Longo (33). All were there on merit, and should be until younger players can prove they are better. From memory Longo was initially a travelling reserve, then called up for an injured Fraser.
Can be a bit deceiving, as often players debut for the Ferns in their teens, so even though they have been in the team for 10 years, are still not yet the 'ancient' 30.
Edit - NZ & Australia combined losing all 6 of their games at the U20 WWC, by at least 2 goals each time is a concern. It's a poor reflection on the ALW where majority of the players from both teams came from. The ALW clubs through their academies or whatever need to lift their game. It's where the real process of National team improvement starts.
I wouldn't say it's a poor reflection on the ALW - but an accurate one. ALW (and ALM, for that matter) is all about shipping local talent to Europe or the States.
Happy to see her go. I hate watching any NZ team lose, but the way we did under her, the way we played was just inexcusable. No identity as a team - nothing.
Happy to see her go. I hate watching any NZ team lose, but the way we did under her, the way we played was just inexcusable. No identity as a team - nothing.
The lack of improvement or progress was very disappointing.
I would like to see NZF bring in a foreign coach who is willing to try new ideas and play adventurously.
If we try new things and lose in friendlies, so what? Better than doing the same old and losing to nil anyway.
Looking at her record, she oversaw 39 international games for a record of 11 wins, seven draws and 21 losses. 5 of those wins though are the World Cup Qualifiers against the Island teams, where they scored 32 goals and conceded only 2. Take those out and the picture looks a lot worse. Certainly a high in beating Norway at home for our first World Cup win, but even that came crashing down, losing to the Philippines a few days later.
Interesting, you mention her not using Clegg, when the papers say she gave 18 players their senior international debuts and took 10 players to the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time. It does feel like the Ferns still rely too much on the old guard.
I refer to Racing Louisville as yet not giving Clegg a debut in the NWSL. Klimkova I don't think held Miley back.
Basically we have high hopes for talented young players like Clegg, Fraser etc. But the fact is that other nations are also producing young talent, and in increasing numbers as traditionally strong football nations start to take the women's game seriously. Most of our players are currently in middling average European leagues or the ALW. Only a very small number in really top drawer comps.
We all hope the Ferns can improve results wise and play more attractively, but it will take time, and not be a quick easy fix no matter who the coach is.
Wilkinson was dropped for the Paris Olympics. There were only 4 in that 18 player squad aged 30 over over. Esson (33), Bowen (30), Stott (31) & Longo (33). All were there on merit, and should be until younger players can prove they are better. From memory Longo was initially a travelling reserve, then called up for an injured Fraser.
Can be a bit deceiving, as often players debut for the Ferns in their teens, so even though they have been in the team for 10 years, are still not yet the 'ancient' 30.
Edit - NZ & Australia combined losing all 6 of their games at the U20 WWC, by at least 2 goals each time is a concern. It's a poor reflection on the ALW where majority of the players from both teams came from. The ALW clubs through their academies or whatever need to lift their game. It's where the real process of National team improvement starts.
I wouldn't say it's a poor reflection on the ALW - but an accurate one. ALW (and ALM, for that matter) is all about shipping local talent to Europe or the States.
How you regard the ALW depends on which leagues you compare it to. It's definitely one of the top women's leagues in the Asian Confederation where women's football is overall quite weak. https://inside.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/women There are only five strong women's national teams in Asia - all in the top twenty ranked sides in the FIFA Women's Rankings (the drop after that is very steep - Vietnam ranked 37, Philippines ranked 39 etc.) And those five countries also have the strongest women's leagues in the AFC. I would say that Japan has the strongest women's league in Asia. After that I'm not so certain - the A-League Women must rank as a contender for somewhere between second best and third or fourth best. I've heard that the Chinese women's league isn't very good. And we don't really know anything about the North Korean women's league. Hard to judge how good the South Korean women's league is either. WORLDWIDE RANKING: Just my own opinion: RANK | LEAGUE NAME | COUNTRY 1 | FA Women’s Super League (WSL) | England 2 | National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) | United States 3 | Primera Iberdrola | Spain 4 | Frauen-Bundesliga | Germany 5 | French Women’s League | France 6 | Damallsvenskan | Sweden 7 | Serie A Femminile | Italy 8 | Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Feminino | Brazil 9 | Liga MX Femenil | Mexico 10 | Elitedivisionen | Denmark
11 | WE League | Japan 12 | A-League Women – | Australia
As it turns out, not completely gone. A really good report on TV 3 news tonight revealed that Klimkova will be staying on at NZ Football for another six months "in a high performance supervisory role". So it's not all over with Klimkova....
Looking at her record, she oversaw 39 international games for a record of 11 wins, seven draws and 21 losses. 5 of those wins though are the World Cup Qualifiers against the Island teams, where they scored 32 goals and conceded only 2. Take those out and the picture looks a lot worse. Certainly a high in beating Norway at home for our first World Cup win, but even that came crashing down, losing to the Philippines a few days later.
Interesting, you mention her not using Clegg, when the papers say she gave 18 players their senior international debuts and took 10 players to the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time. It does feel like the Ferns still rely too much on the old guard.
I refer to Racing Louisville as yet not giving Clegg a debut in the NWSL. Klimkova I don't think held Miley back.
Basically we have high hopes for talented young players like Clegg, Fraser etc. But the fact is that other nations are also producing young talent, and in increasing numbers as traditionally strong football nations start to take the women's game seriously. Most of our players are currently in middling average European leagues or the ALW. Only a very small number in really top drawer comps.
We all hope the Ferns can improve results wise and play more attractively, but it will take time, and not be a quick easy fix no matter who the coach is.
Wilkinson was dropped for the Paris Olympics. There were only 4 in that 18 player squad aged 30 over over. Esson (33), Bowen (30), Stott (31) & Longo (33). All were there on merit, and should be until younger players can prove they are better. From memory Longo was initially a travelling reserve, then called up for an injured Fraser.
Can be a bit deceiving, as often players debut for the Ferns in their teens, so even though they have been in the team for 10 years, are still not yet the 'ancient' 30.
Edit - NZ & Australia combined losing all 6 of their games at the U20 WWC, by at least 2 goals each time is a concern. It's a poor reflection on the ALW where majority of the players from both teams came from. The ALW clubs through their academies or whatever need to lift their game. It's where the real process of National team improvement starts.
I wouldn't say it's a poor reflection on the ALW - but an accurate one. ALW (and ALM, for that matter) is all about shipping local talent to Europe or the States.
How you regard the ALW depends on which leagues you compare it to. It's definitely one of the top women's leagues in the Asian Confederation where women's football is overall quite weak. https://inside.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/women There are only five strong women's national teams in Asia - all in the top twenty ranked sides in the FIFA Women's Rankings (the drop after that is very steep - Vietnam ranked 37, Philippines ranked 39 etc.) And those five countries also have the strongest women's leagues in the AFC. I would say that Japan has the strongest women's league in Asia. After that I'm not so certain - the A-League Women must rank as a contender for somewhere between second best and third or fourth best. I've heard that the Chinese women's league isn't very good. And we don't really know anything about the North Korean women's league. Hard to judge how good the South Korean women's league is either. WORLDWIDE RANKING: Just my own opinion: RANK | LEAGUE NAME | COUNTRY 1 | FA Women’s Super League (WSL) | England 2 | National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) | United States 3 | Primera Iberdrola | Spain 4 | Frauen-Bundesliga | Germany 5 | French Women’s League | France 6 | Damallsvenskan | Sweden 7 | Serie A Femminile | Italy 8 | Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Feminino | Brazil 9 | Liga MX Femenil | Mexico 10 | Elitedivisionen | Denmark
11 | WE League | Japan 12 | A-League Women – | Australia
Surely some 2nd tier leagues like the Championship in England are better than the ALW? The new league kicking off in the US soon that aims to be a competitor to the NWSL
If the North Korea (ranked high by FIFA) team is all based domestically, safe to their league is strong
As it turns out, not completely gone. A really good report on TV 3 news tonight revealed that Klimkova will be staying on at NZ Football for another six months "in a high performance supervisory role". So it's not all over with Klimkova....
Obviously a dodgy deal to avoid NZF paying damages/out the final 3 years of her contract.
She's still staying feeding in the trough with NZF for another 6 months though,doing something
I was about to type "But wait, there's more....." but you beat me to this. I wonder if she'll be given a golden handshake for the remaining 3 years?? Whoever gifted her a 6 year contract should have been sacked.
Why do we need a foreign coach? Get the best NZ coach and as the role is not full time send them and their assistants to overseas clubs to do research and get new ideas. Previous hires of foreign coaches haven’t worked out well have they? A NZ based coach will already have a clear idea of what they have to work with and the reality of easily winning the ofc qualifiers and then getting a pasting at fifa events. The only real way we can significantly change our talent base is to make the highest coaching courses free so that is not a barrier to people doing them and then we will have more players to choose from. And more chances of coaches making a career out of football as well. Iceland I believe have a small population and over-achieved as a result of that game plan.
Why do we need a foreign coach? Get the best NZ coach and as the role is not full time send them and their assistants to overseas clubs to do research and get new ideas. Previous hires of foreign coaches haven’t worked out well have they? A NZ based coach will already have a clear idea of what they have to work with and the reality of easily winning the ofc qualifiers and then getting a pasting at fifa events. The only real way we can significantly change our talent base is to make the highest coaching courses free so that is not a barrier to people doing them and then we will have more players to choose from. And more chances of coaches making a career out of football as well. Iceland I believe have a small population and over-achieved as a result of that game plan.
For a great insight into Icelandic football and culture, I recommend the recent internationally popular ("Audience Prize" Glasgow Film Festival 2024) Icelandic football documentary "The Home Game" which has been screening on Rialto Channel on Sky here in NZ. Small countries like Iceland and NZ are not hampered so much by a class system and can draw on a community's diverse talents - here even a tiny Icelandic fishing village has some very smart people with good coaching and organizational ability and people from all walks of life throw their hats in to achieve above anyone's expectations. "The Home Game is a delightful low-budget Icelandic documentary that couldn't be further removed from the cash-rich, morally bankrupt propensities of professional soccer, and follows the tale of the reformation of a rural Icelandic village's football team, whose aim is to compete in the country's FA Cup competition on home soil for the first time in their history. Hellissandur, a remote fishing town in the West of Iceland, is home to a population of just 369 people and to the area's football team, Reynir FC.... This sleepy, rather unremarkable town is the birthplace of Kari Gylfason, a 30-something father of one, who seeks to complete what his father could not 25 years earlier when he first established the club and built a pitch with difficulty amongst volcanic rock, losing 10-0 away in their first and only FA Cup game. Kari must fashion a half-competent soccer team out of the community's willing and able-bodied — a tall order considering the limited pool of players and the extremely harsh Icelandic conditions." Review, Movieweb.com Postscript: Reynir FC now compete in the Icelandic league system. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D1wPzVNCJI
Pragnell says he won't speak as to Jitkas' reasons for leaving, but praising Jitka for bringing in transition to the squad and the World Cup result which was NZFs main focus. Not bothered by poor win-loss ratio as they scheduled many top 20 opponents. Dodged the question a bit on whether her departure was player-driven... but there were challenges around communication style and players who weren't gelling. Did not return for Olympics to avoid disruption to the team environment.
Jitkas role for the next six months will involve our teams in international activity (such as in Colombia supporting U20s), campaign planning, technical analysis and support.
Pragnell keen not to throw the baby out with the bath water re. Ferns. Not a mistake to offer her a six year contract - tends to favour longer term contracts, intended to give a long contract for squad transition.
Next coach deal will end in 2027 - wants to recruit someone to fit into their campaign plan rather than come in and dictate planning. Not keen on 'mercenary' type coaches, and not rushing as Mayne is a suitable stand-in. Will not play October window, weighing up November.
Jitkas role for the next six months will involve our teams in international activity (such as in Colombia supporting U20s), campaign planning, technical analysis and support.
Pragnell keen not to throw the baby out with the bath water re. Ferns. Not a mistake to offer her a six year contract - tends to favour longer term contracts, intended to give a long contract for squad transition.
Next coach deal will end in 2027 - wants to recruit someone to fit into their campaign plan rather than come in and dictate planning. Not keen on 'mercenary' type coaches, and not rushing as Mayne is a suitable stand-in. Will not play October window, weighing up November.
Goal for 2027 - get out of the group stage.
A contract that fits a WWC cycle is long enough, so for Klimkova up to last year’s WWC and then review. That’s enough for any coach to plan ahead, transistion newer players in, older players out
6 years always seemed absurd. Deep down Pragnell will know it was a mistake
Pragnell speaks well but he is the same as the previous NZF CEO in that he claims everything he and NZF does is the right thing and that no mistakes were ever made.
Hudson fit into this culture quite well, seeming as though he was acting as his own spin doctor, always putting an incredibly positive spin on everything and never being negative or critical or demanding better. Always having plenty of excuses why good results weren't achieved. Bazeley acted exactly the same while he was interim coach, almost speaking as though he was running a political campaign to be elected NZ coach. He has been a bit better since he got the job full time, occasionally using the word "disappointed" and acknowledging necessary learnings and areas of improvement, but in general, NZF staff are so annoying to hear interviewed because you never expect and you never get honesty.
The culture is far less about high performance and results and more about protecting one's own job and reputation.
Pragnell speaks well but he is the same as the previous NZF CEO in that he claims everything he and NZF does is the right thing and that no mistakes were ever made.
Hudson fit into this culture quite well, seeming as though he was acting as his own spin doctor, always putting an incredibly positive spin on everything and never being negative or critical or demanding better. Always having plenty of excuses why good results weren't achieved. Bazeley acted exactly the same while he was interim coach, almost speaking as though he was running a political campaign to be elected NZ coach. He has been a bit better since he got the job full time, occasionally using the word "disappointed" and acknowledging necessary learnings and areas of improvement, but in general, NZF staff are so annoying to hear interviewed because you never expect and you never get honesty.
The culture is far less about high performance and results and more about protecting one's own job and reputation.
Surely actions speak louder then words.
That being the case, all the above are failures but at least Hudo sorted out some of the amateurism in NZF to his credit.
Pine challenged Pragnell’s comment, referencing the months leading up to this included an employment-related investigation that resulted in Klimkova opting to temporarily stand down ahead of the Paris Olympics.
“There’s obviously different views on that,” Pragnell said. “Players have an impact on this without a doubt.
“In a squad of 23 people, there’s 23 different views. I would say we’ve got some pretty diverse views amongst the squad.
“It would be fair to say there’s some players obviously who weren’t gelling [with Klimkova], there’s some players who were. There’s a player dynamic that’s always complex.
“There were challenges around communication style, I think there are certainly players who weren’t gelling.”
That's about as telling as you're gonna get from Pragnell. You can read into that and see that "players not gelling" is code for some players just not wanting to follow the plan that the coach had (if any) - I'd guess some of the senior players were the ones not gelling - now that they are either injured or not in the squad maybe we'll have some progress. An I get that not everyone is gonna see eye to eye with the coach, but as a player your job is to buy into the plan and do your best. The coaches job is to set the plan to best fit the players you have. Fingers crossed that we all agree on that plan.....
