NZ Football obviously have planeloads of money to throw around.
This seems like a coach's ego trip to me.
This seems like someone who doesn't like Hay looking for reasons to be negative actually.
People complain we have no games... we organise games against England and Belgium and that isn't good enough! Even if it is financially not prudent it still wouldn't be Hay's fault, of course a coach wants games and his job isn't to work out the financial pro/cons!
I also suspect it's possibly cheaper than having a game in NZ since we are using euro based players and not having to cover the cost of an overseas team coming here for a one off match.
A few points here:
I doubt FNZ has a lot of money to toss about.
What is the point of fielding a sub strength team? To find out who has form? To find out how they fit in to a 'system'. Media reports suggest Hay has yet to find a system. To assess players against each other (training camp stuff)? To test players who may be fringe but get to play because they are in Europe?
Like most fans I am keen to see a game, but would like to see a team full of in form players who have fought for and proved their worth in their positions.
Will it be a money making exercise? If yes, lets have more, but without spectators I doubt the profitability.
I am keen to be convinced that it's a worthy exercise.
I would have thought, for the viral moment, it would be more effective for Danny to get around and look at all the potential players in their own leagues.
The fact that Royz has endorsed your comments, sort of says it all. You have totally missed the point of why these friendlies have some value. They are likely to be the only opportunities to play quality opponents until the March 2022 window, the last window before June 2020 intercontinental playoffs.
All windows in 2021 are likely to be taken up by OFC qualifying, starting with rather pointless games against likes of American Samoa, Cook Islands etc in March 2021. None of the OFC games (and yes AWs have to first progress out of OFC) are really going to be great value, as preparation for those 2 huge June 2022 matches. Against the Island nations, AWs are likely to dominate possession and more than likely vice versa with their intercontinental opponent esp with the away leg.
Then also next year there is likely to be big problems assembling a full strength AWs side. Think these Euro AWs for Oct-Nov (if they gonna happen) will be weak? The side for the first OFC phase in March next year will be far weaker. Rule out the MLS crowd (their new season will be starting there, and MLS doesn't generally stop for FIFA windows). Rule out all/most of the Euro pros - who will be in the business end of their seasons, so why travel downunder for some OFC mis matches. Plus will travel from US/Europe even be possible in this Covid world come March next year? That AWs team in the first easy stage of OFC will be an A League/Handy Prem selection (B/C side).
Right through all of 2021 it could be very difficult to assemble a full strength AWs team, and even then it's likely just playing the OFC teams. As above will be nothing like playing an intercontinental opponent. Playing a England/Belgium/USA or Mexico is a far better test.
These proposed AWs games for Oct-Nov look cheap as chips (most if not all of the players are already in Europe), and offer a very rare chance to play quality opposition - always a problem for AWs and their coach. You also have the issue that at the moment, the young brigade coming through (Bell, Singh, McCowatt, Cacace, Just, Pjinaker etc) are still basically strangers with older heads like Wood, Thomas, Smith etc. Any chance for them to get together needs to be grabbed. Otherwise you could get all the way to March 2022, and they still haven't spent much/any time together.
Don't forget NZF will be very eager to qualify for Qatar. They still have significant cash reserves, but these are slowly being drained every year I understand. Big portion of those cash reserves came from FIFA's $US10M cheque in 2010 (WC qualification), and TV money from 2013 intercontinental games verus Mexico. Basically from those two AWs related events, cash has been used to finance the international program for all mens, boys, womens & girls teams since. International Teams Fund. With 2023 Womens World Cup I imagine there will be big pressure on NZF to finance an intensive lead in program for the Football Ferns. There will always be hands out for those cash reserves. Phoenix themselves have now gone to NZF rightly asking for a bit of assistance, being such an important football pathway in NZ.
So yeah WC qualification for Qatar, and getting a nice cheque from FIFA could become all important. Otherwise the period up to 2026 WC (when OFC get 1.5 spots) could be a very tough financial time for NZF. With the talent on paper that Hay has at his disposal (much more talented crew than Hudson had to play with), AWs have a real chance to make it. Esp if the intercontinental opponent drawn is AFC or CONCACAF. Based on the last playoffs in 2017, that would have been either Australia or Honduras. Both beatable. For sure Socceroos are currently beatable.
So yeah these proposed friendlies definitely have some value, hopefully at least 2 of them can happen. Whether the AWs get thumped say 6-1 by Belgian/English 2nd string is really of zero importance. It's grabbing that oh so rare opportunity to play a quality opponent, plus getting most of the first 11 together - a real challenge in the year ahead.
Really only Reid, M Boxall, and an A League RB (Roux, Payne or Elliott) would be missing from a first choice team. Might have to add Bell to that list, by looks of it. But the core of the first choice team, plus many of the backups are now in Europe. It's all about some prep before June 2022.