New Zealand U-23s - Quali Whites

 

I hope thats a tongue in cheek comment... what value would there be in selecting a 36 year old retired professional for the Olympic games when you have Keat / McGlinchey / Henderson available and who will arguebly become our established CM pairings for the All Whites.

 

Take him along as a technical assistant to share his experience sure, but beyond that the best thing he can do for NZ football is scout some of our younger players and get them signed up to his MSL team.

This is in effect the reserve team as the reserve league is a youth league. He plays regularly against Serie A youth teams: AC Milan, Inter, Chievo, Brescia etc.

 

Video of Liam Graham playing for Vicenza against Juventus youth team in the last 16 one of Italy's premier youth football tournies, the Viareggio Cup 15/2/12 in a 1-1 draw (Juventus won on penalties):

 

His games this season. Has started most of Vicenza Primavera's matches:

 

6Vicenza PrimaveraPadova Primavera2:2?72717Chievo PrimaveraVicenza Primavera2:0?57349Vicenza PrimaveraInter Milan Primavera1:4?9010Varese PrimaveraVicenza Primavera4:2?2x9011Vicenza PrimaveraAtalanta Primavera1:2?9012Cittadella PrimaveraVicenza Primavera5:3?9013Vicenza PrimaveraBrescia Primavera4:3?9015Vicenza PrimaveraAlbinoLeffe Primavera1:1?9016Vicenza PrimaveraHellas Primavera0:1?x9018Vicenza PrimaveraAC Milan Primavera3:4?x9019Padova PrimaveraVicenza Primavera1:2?19020Vicenza PrimaveraChievo Primavera0:0?7877Total14 Matches 3--3--121170

14m NZOC ? @nzolympics

 

Great, now the team has 3 people coaching it at once. Poor kids are going to get so confused.

 

No, just confirming that the football teams have been selected to play at the Olympics and the captains.

 

Squads to be named by June 15.

 

 

Radio Sport rather lazily reported it as "Olympic Triathlon, Football teams announced" which isn't right.

 

 

Which world cup was his?  Must have missed it.

DRAW for men's and women's tournaments to be made April 25 NZ time (next Wednesday).

15 teams already qualified. See: http://www.fifa.com/mensolympic/teams/index.html

FIFA Olympic football homepage: http://www.fifa.com/mensolympic/index.html

 

LATEST NEWS ON THE GREAT BRITAIN TEAM with Beckham a likely over-age player:

 

 

"Representatives from all four Home Nations are in the latest squad, including Gareth Bale, Craig Bellamy, Steven Fletcher and Chris Brunt and the FA remain optimistic non-English players will accept a chance to play in a major tournament on home soil.

Arsenal's Jack Wilshere has been ruled out through injury but former Chelsea star Joe Cole, currently on loan at Lille, is amongst the potential over-age players, whilst Birmingham's Jack Butland, Chelsea's Josh McEachran and Crystal Palace's Nathaniel Clyne are amongst those who meet the Under-23 criteria.

Knowledge that Beckham could still be in the squad, and appear in competitive games in the UK for possibly the last time, should help push ticket sales which, for GB games, are said to be strong.

In excess of 50,000 have been sold for the opening game at Old Trafford on July 26 and a double-header friendly featuring both the men's and women's teams will be confirmed for the north-east at some stage over the next few weeks.

GB will learn their three group stage opponents at the official draw on Tuesday, although it is likely they will be kept apart from fellow European contenders Spain, who are almost certain to include Manchester United keeper David de Gea, Switzerland and Belarus, plus Brazil, who will almost certainly be a fellow top seed.

Argentina, USA and Australia are amongst the most notable teams who have not qualified but the presence of Uruguay, Mexico and New Zealand should generate wider interest.

The final place in the men's competition will be decided on Monday, when Senegal take on Oman in a play-off."

 

Some illustrious stadia the Oly Whites and Football Ferns will be playing at:

 

VENUE
DATE
SESSION TIME
M/W
SESSION DESCRIPTION
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
25 July 2012
16:00 - 20:45
W
Preliminaries (2 matches)
City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
25 July 2012
17:00 - 21:45
W
Preliminaries (2 matches)
Hampden Park, Glasgow
25 July 2012
17:00 - 21:45
W
Preliminaries (2 matches)
Hampden Park, Glasgow
26 July 2012
12:00 - 16:45
M
Preliminaries (2 matches)
St James' Park, Newcastle
26 July 2012
14:30 - 19:15
M
Preliminaries (2 matches)
Old Trafford, Manchester
26 July 2012
17:00 - 21:45
M
Preliminaries (2 matches)
City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
26 July 2012
19:45 - 21:45
M
Preliminaries (1 match)
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
26 July 2012
19:45 - 21:45
M
Preliminaries (1 match)
City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
28 July 2012
12:00 - 16:45
W
Preliminaries (2 matches)
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
28 July 2012
14:30 - 19:15
W
Preliminaries (2 matches)
Hampden Park, Glasgow
28 July 2012
17:00 - 21:45
W
Preliminaries (2 matches)
Old Trafford, Manchester
29 July 2012
12:00 - 16:45
M
Preliminaries (2 matches)
City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
29 July 2012
14:30 - 19:15
M
Preliminaries (2 matches)
St James' Park, Newcastle
29 July 2012
17:00 - 21:45
M
Preliminaries (2 matches)
Wembley Stadium
29 July 2012
17:00 - 21:45
M
Preliminaries (2 matches)
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
31 July 2012
14:30 - 16:30
W
Preliminaries (1 match)
St James' Park, Newcastle
31 July 2012
14:30 - 19:15
W
Preliminaries (2 matches)
Old Trafford, Manchester
31 July 2012
17:15 - 19:15
W
Preliminaries (1 match)
City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
31 July 2012
19:45 - 21:45
W
Preliminaries (1 match)
Wembley Stadium
31 July 2012
19:45 - 21:45
W
Preliminaries (1 match)
Hampden Park, Glasgow
01 August 2012
14:30 - 16:30
M
Preliminaries (1 match)
St James' Park, Newcastle
01 August 2012
14:30 - 16:30
M
Preliminaries (1 match)
City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
01 August 2012
17:00 - 21:45
M
Preliminaries (2 matches)
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
01 August 2012
17:00 - 21:45
M
Preliminaries (2 matches)
Old Trafford, Manchester
01 August 2012
17:00 - 19:00
M
Preliminaries (1 match)
Wembley Stadium
01 August 2012
17:00 - 19:00
M
Preliminaries (1 match)

 

Cant stand listening. But was his angle that the olympics should be the pinnacle etc etc? I can kind of see his reasoning if that is what he is saying. It is a little odd having age grade football at the Olympics.

 

Still, I'm also of the opinion that it is better than no football at all.

 

The Olympic football tournament always draws the biggest crowds at every Olympics- and this was true even decades ago.

 

Even in a country not obsessed with football like the USA, at he Atlanta Olympics in 1996 way more people attended football matches- men's and women's than any other event including track and field (running etc.) in terms of both cumulative total over the whole tournament and highest crowd.

And the TV viewership is huge too- even in Christchurch I remember having to arrange a date around the Atlanta Olympic football final live on TV One as the woman I was going out with (not previously especially a football fan) wanted to watch the Final live.

 

As I quote in my posting above, more than 50,000 tickets have been sold already 100 days out from the G.B. team's first match at Old Trafford.

If Beckham plays, as the last games to see a former Man. Utd and England hero in, interest in the tournament will be phenomenal...and a lot of locals would turn out to see Brazil or Spain.

Also a lot of people would travel to Britain just to watch their team in the football- expect a lot of Spanish, Brazilian, Mexican, Swiss, Japanese and Korean fans.

(I've noticed on Brazilian friendlies played in Europe broadcast on ESPN in recent years that thousands of Brazilians go to these matches.)

 

Emblen seems to be going with Nelsen, Smeltz and Reid as over-age players however (see above posting by rjmiller  Posted: 19 Apr 2012 at 11:06am)- so doubt if Kosta will go.

 

Hicks plays best as central attacking midfield IMO, a very nice player, I'd have him feeding the front three, and he can shoot from distance too. I doubt we'd be that attacking however

Luke rowe is solid but not in top three left backs in the country. Not quick enough for international level and Hogg and Milne and others offer better attacking options. Hoggs performances on the world stage for club and country recently have been world class.

Is that Raj lad for team Wellington too old? he looked a player yesterday against Auckland City.

I cant see us conceeding easy goals at the olympics with that back four! we just have to find a way too feed the front three.

 

Pot 1       GB          Bearus         Spain         Switzerland

Pot 2       Brazil      Uruguay       Mexico      Honduras

Pot 3       Japan     Korea           UAE          NZ

Pot 4       Egypt     Gabon          Morroco    Senagal

 

                Group 1             Group 2            Group 3          Group 4

                  GB                    Mexico               Brazil              Spain

 

                   ( The above countries have been seeded top 4 )