OFC U-23 Championship (Des vs Apiathy)

https://www.oceaniafootball.com/hosts-appointed-fo...

Woud

Ingham Brotherton Cacace

McGarry                  Lewis                         Cameron

     Singh           McCowett   

Patterson                          Bevan

How may of this group are actually playing? Seems so many warming benches which would be a worry in terms of readiness.

Patterson and Bevan are without clubs currently - have more important things to worry about, like finiding a job!

No on Cameron - shell of the player he looked to be.

For our 3 overage players I'd go for Wood, Smith and Thomas.

Big no to Patterson, Cameron, Ingham and slightly smaller no to Brotherton. Overage I'd go for the big 3 - Reid (Smith had a dismal season and looks far shakier than ever before), Thomas and Wood. Here's what I'd go with using Schmid's formation and assuming the youngsters develop alright:

                                                                                           Woud

                                                                Sinclair   Zwetsloot   Reid   McGarry

                                                                                         Thomas                        

                                                                                   Singh      Lewis

                                                                    McCowatt                      Rogerson

                                                                                           Wood

Bench: Tzanev, Brown, Spain/Ingham, Brotherton, Pijnaker (or another decent CB), Cacace, Elliot, Bell, Ebbinge, Just, Bevan, de Jong

Standby: Dyer, Patterson, L. Wood, Wilkins, Conroy

Mixing the old crop of youngsters with the new one. We can afford to blood a few youngsters and not lose, so why not give Schmid a chance to build for the future instead of being stuck with Hudson's used and abused crew

Smith was one of the few decent players at Colorado in what was a horrible season. A plonker at times, but a true professional in how he approaches the game. Good role model and more likely to be fit than Reid.

if Reid was fit then there is no discussion

Premiership player verses a former championship player whom the club was pleased to palm off to Hudson his former coach

Is Adam Mitchell eligible?

Age 22 (same as Brotherton) but DOB June 1996 verus October 1996 for SB.

Haven’t heard anything about him for a few mths, so presume injured.

However he was trialling at Walsall in League 1, whilst Brotherton has been farmed out to a 5th/6th tier level side.

Yeah what's the cutoff date? Great idea, would love Mitchell in the team over Brotherton, plus can cover the right side

Double checked Andrew Voerman’s long list of eligpossibles in other thread. No Brotherton or Mitchell. No Tokyo for them.

McGarry has played left back before, including for Weenix. But yeah, you'd want to swap around Lewis and Thomas in that line up.

Thomas plays more as a holding, deep lying playmaker, so happy with where he is positioned.

Thomas has been playing as a deep-lying midfielder for the past two seasons. He got signed by the best club in the Netherlands to play there. 

McGarry is a very competent left-back and has been playing there for Willem II.

can you help thinking you want another mid in there and one of those wingers not there

Surely Cacace has LB nailed down. He's playing very well, especially given he's still at school.  Hope the Nix have a price tag on his head, the same goes for Singh.

As contracted professionals, Phoenix own their contracts and can demand whatever to break that.

FFA fly in the face of that and say there can be no fee demanded for transfers between A-League clubs. To date no club has seriously challenged that legally.

If they were youth academy players Phoenix would be entitled to a 'development fee' under FIFA rules. This still actually applies even though they are on pro contracts since they are U23. Phoenix would have to stand up to FFA to enforce that. Becomes a moot point when independent A-League as will likely allow transfer fees, so then it is up to Phoenix to manage contracts to ensure a sale value, with the risk they end up stuck with a payer they don't want. 

Feel foreign clubs will come in for those two - Cacace with an Italian passport, and Singh has Indian heritage so may be used by a big club as a marketing venture for Indian audiences, plus his talent will mean he's almost certainly gonna leave for overseas

I'm talking about Euro clubs. Feel both of them will end up being too good for the A-League full stop.

To sunseeker and metallegs.  When has being at a club been a prerequisite for NZ football teams? We've been to worldcups with part timers. How quickly you forget.

To Mrsmillgans and fellow arrogant suggesters of overage players. Put it away. Honiara anyone. We have to get through qualifying in the islands first. 

Ps. It's the road to 2020 Olympics. Not the Olywhites squad. Under 23 suggestions thanks.

Wow angry pants... its prob more of a running joke about how we often have guys selected who play for Unattached FC... Although it was suggested at how ready, match fit, players would be if they are not actually with a club and playing regularly at a decent level. Think that is often why the question is raised. Plunder in the 2014 quilifers is probably the prime example of that coming in from some US state league. 

European clubs (and the players' agents) are generally clever enough to wait until the last six months of a young A-League player's contract because they know everyone on this side of the world wants to make it over there and it's not going to be too hard to match or beat the wages on offer. Based on precedent, the Nix aren't likely to see much, if anything for those two upfront. They will have to hope for solidarity payments on potential later transfers. (Only about 5 NZ players have ever moved for a fee though).

who are the 5? Costa is one?

Danny Hay (Perth to Leeds for 200k)

Declan Edge (Gisborne to Notts County, there was a small fee which is why Notts County held on to his registration when he came back, Eddie settled it for him in the end)

Winston Reid went to West Ham for 4 million but that was from Denmark so doesn't really count

Chris Killen, Rory Fallon, Ryan Nelsen and Chris Wood all received fees once they were in the UK

They all solidarity fund transfers? Edge def isn't and Reid prob never played here

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/nz-teams/112481769/all-whites-unlikely-to-play-in-june-but-coach-fritz-schmid-will-be-busy-regardless

"I think I spotted a game over there. Follow me boyz."

"Jezz Fritz, are you sure?"

No Tahiti or New Caledonia?

Expect some big blowouts verus America Samoa & Samoa. 

You can imagine European clubs, looking at those fixtures - and querying whether they have to release Woud, Mcgarry, Lewis or whoever. Dates 21 September to 5 October, so Euro club seasons will be underway

https://www.nzfootball.co.nz/newsarticle/76527

Tahiti and New Caledonia are part of France in Olympic world.

As I understand it, NZF has little or no expectation it will have senior professionals available. 

Another clash is with the NCAA soccer season, which will be well underway by the time that tournament begins and will be a huge obstacle to the likes of Hunter Ashworth, Joe Bell, Noah Billingsley, Boyd Curry, WIllem Ebbinge, Luke Johnson, Connor Probert and Charles Spragg, to name those who have been involved in the past two U20WC cycles, taking part.

Would probably pay for them to be in contact with the Wellington Phoenix and securing the participation of any of their contracted players as soon as possible - potentially in exchange for not involving them in the Pacific Games - where college players could conceivably be involved, it's in a period where many of them come back here and play Northern League/Central League etc.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/nz-teams/113529413/player-availability-issues-as-under23-mens-football-team-seeks-place-at-tokyo-olympics

Did they name a squad for the camp yet? Or the pacific games tournament?

NZFootball has exactly 0 articles under Men's U23s heading at the moment. 

I counted them twice just to be sure.

Des Buckingham appointed as manager through to the Olympics

Makes total sense. 

Be very interesting to see who's in the pacific games squad. Another chance for Talay to assess some kiwi players as expect to see some europe based kiwi's like Rogerson in the team.

Has Buckinghams appointment being announced?

I think it has the potential to be a complete disaster. Even the likes of Rogerson are likely to prefer to trial in Europe as clubs come back for pre-season training than head to Apia for a tournament that has no real meaning or impact.

Assuming it's an Under-23 side as that is Buckingham's gig - 

Will the Nix let players go when they are only just starting training? Will the other A-League sides? Is anyone taking winter off between NZFC seasons going to be match fit? 

No one is coming home from further overseas you would think, apart from maybe US college footballers who I think are on Summer break currently. US-League and MLS players aren't likely to risk starting spots to come home for it.

Solomons have the Phoenix Scots College wunderkind and Lea'afala and Fiji have Roy. We might have um... and er...

https://twitter.com/ByPhillipRollo/status/11440819...

Phil may be a sub par footballer but he usually has this stuff right.

Yes good points. Be very interesting to see then who is in the team. 

Looks like we could be out of our depth like you say, but still a chance for some fringe players to have an opportunity to step up, as we are going to be facing similar availability issues come the Olympic qualifiers later in the year. Better for Buckingham to have a look at those fringe players now then when it really matters come qualification time.

Further to that:

Phillip Rollo

If I was the Nix (or any of the A League sides), I'd be very reluctant to realise anyone for this Pacific Games.

Also has Samoa ever hosted a tourney like this?

Without being paranoid, Cacace doing his knee on some sub standard pitch, would not please anyone.

I think Rogerson is one guy back in NZ, after being released by his German club who has put his hand up.

OFC have done NZF no favours at all with timing of the Olympic qualifiers.

Rogerson will be there