Reid almost in

Just read the U/21 Danes thrashed Austria 0-3, Reid looks small in this team photo. = http://www.dbu.dk/page.aspx?id=480 Royz2010-03-04 13:37:52

if he's playing U21's still there is a good chance he could make the danish side in the next 8 years..

yeah but would he be a constant starter like he would be here...

If the reports about his potential are true, more likely than not.

Who knows. If he believes he has a chance, and feels a better connection to Denmark/thinks he'll get better exposure playing for them, then why not. Don't really blame him either way.

If he gives you guys grief the same way the Josip Simunic was a bit fo a pain for us, then don't bother. You only want blokes who will play for the pride and the shirt with you.

Half-ar$ed blokes aren't good.

Once they make the decision, it won't be half hearted because they have to live with it and do their best as there is no going back after playing an international 'A" match.

Perhaps in the past but NZ Football is on the up. Would he rather go to the World Cup this year or hope to make the Denmark team in the future and hope they make future cups (as he won't be in their squad this year)?

The additional advantage of playing for Denmark is the EUROs - big international tournament every two years, and quality international football through the qualifying pretty much every year.

If he makes the full Danish team, he'd probably get more Danish caps in one year then he would have got playing for NZ for 3-4 years.

Correct, but if it's taking heaps of time and convincing this bloke then is he worth it? if he's keen on playing for you guys, he should be on the phone to your local association saying "I'm here and available".

He seems hal-ar$ed about from what I can read here.

DS, that is pretty unreasonable. It would be a helluva difficult decision. Nobody on this forum really knows how much effort has been made to recruit Reid, but its understandable if he is still weighing up the options - for the various reasons people have mentioned.

Fair enough, I don't know this gent's story (apart from what I have seen here) but I know we had issues with Joe Simunic, Joey Didulica, Ante Seric and even Harry Kewell was pressued into playing for England when he was young (but didn't, thanks Eddie Thompson).

I suppose I was speaking from our experiences here, where if the player in question was seen not to be keen on playing for Australia, then no one held up an 'all the best' sign.

Have you read my PM yet?

You have to remember he is still quite young and the decision he has to make will be tough whichever direction he takes. The pressure to play for a strong Euro sides are true, but the world game is global and the traditional powerhouses won't have a monopoly on players as they had in the past and so spreading the talent around and making a competitively even playing field somewhat in the mid range teams that does knock off the top team more than often.

With plenty of players taking the NZ way in recent times, it seems so similar to players going Australia way before 2006 like Tim Cahill and it strengthen their team big time, such that now they are in the top 20 and is the dominating team in AFC.

About 10 years ago, clubs like Leeds United were signing yound Australians and trying to get them to commit to England. Jamie McMaster is a case in point.

Players like Shane Lowry, Rhys Williams and Neil Kilkenny would have, 10 years ago, committed to play for a British or Irish national team, but because we had re-built the game here over the past few years, many realised that it was far better and easier to play for Australia than adopt a British/Irish country.

Don't forget, the 2004 'Tim Cahill' rule change at FIFA indirectly benefitted you guys last year, when Fallon and McGlinchey chose to represent NZ after representing England and Scotland respectively at youth level.

But to stress again, Australia benefitted from the '50/50' players because of improved conditions withing the Australian game in the past few years.

DS

PS - Love how some on here call Tim Cahill Samoan, he played for them for 20 minutes as a 14 year old. He missed out on the Sydney 2000 Olympics because of that stuff up!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/3411457/Talented-Kiwi-committed-to-playing-for-Denmark

ah well good luck to the lad.

There you go. Not surprised by this, based on what was said here. He didn't show any keeness to play for NZ.

Let him go.

the text is very  unclear and fishy it says taht he wants to play the  next year  euro  under 21 that is in denmark  but he is gonna get  22 in a few  months , so he will never be eligible once he is over  age, 

The 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship starts on 27 March 2009 with a qualifying competition and finishes on 13 October 2010, before the final tournament on 12�25 June 2011.

Players are eligible to play in the 2009-11 UEFA European Under-21
Championship if they were born on or after 1 January 1988. Players who are eligible to take part at the start of the competition will be eligible until the end of the competition. The national associations are responsible for the strict observation of this provision.

Winston Wiremu Reid was born July 3, 1988 in Auckland, so he is eligible.

As I have posted before, I met Winston ahd his New Zealand mother and Danish step-father in Denmark in 2006. My mission was to convince him to play for New Zealand, and those were the days when he had to decide before he turned 21. Obviously I failed!

Winston struck me as a quietly-spoken, sincere young man - and a very passionate New Zealander. He is a Maori from South Auckland and - at that time - he returned to New Zealand in January of every year.

His mother is very supportive, but she is in a relationship with a man who - not surprisingly - seemed to be very keen on the idea of his step-son playing for his beloved Denmark. So there is a bit of pressure on Winston.

Also, he is in the national team development programme in Denmark which is significant, and - of course - Denmark are in the World Cup this year. So there is some real sense in Winston continuing with Denmark.

This situation needs a game-breaker, and my suggestion would be for Ryan to go and visit him. Ryan and Winston are both passionate New Zealanders who ply their trade overseas - Ryan could talk about becoming well known at home (i.e. becoming a hero in New Zealand) - I am sure that would be really significant to Winston.

Ryan could also talk about the profile opportunities at a World Cup, and perhaps also help Winston get a trial at an English club - I am sure that Blackburn would do that for their captain! And Ryan has a bit of free time at the moment!

So, that is my suggestion - without something like that happening, Winston will take the easy option which - to be fair - is not unattractive.

I wish you would post more often Seatts. I still get a smile from seeing you on SBS TV in 2005 when Australia was negotiating its way out of Oceania.

I think that it would be great for him to play in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship. I would certainly follow his progress with a bit of interest. But I rather see him in the AW shirt by the time it is 2013 for the WCQ and for the Confederation Cup. I think we can build a good case for him to return for NZ, if NZ has more matches against strong opponents as well as a good showing at the World Cup in South Africa. It would be more enjoyable for him to play in a solid team that can get better opponents and have some sway in moving up in the rankings. Maybe another reason why NZ needs to go to AFC . . . .

We shouldn't have to chase him this much. If he wants to play for NZ he knows how to get hold of us. 

That sauce looked very average indeed.  Maybe I'm unable to stare facts in the face but I'm not going to believe that yet.

I think you've just made a case for him to stick with Denmark...

he'll play u21 champs, then have a couple of years to see if he can make denmark full squad. if he doesnt then Denmark wont have much else to offer him so i imagine he would be pretty tempted to play AWs.

That's assuming that he doesn't make the Danish team before then...

A lot can happen in a couple of years.

Nevertheless it would be great to have him in the All Whites Team. Admittedly, he would be a superstar among the Polynesian people in the Pacific and can show that the Pacific people can play great football besides the oval ball game. I personally like to see more Polynesian players at higher levels. If we can get more brown folks in the team, we would be much better, imho.

The one question I would think that he may like to consider is this. Who was his childhood football hero that made him want to play football and not Rugby??? It would half way help him to think about that while pondering the decision for the next couple of years.

HockeyCam - surely we should be prepared to make him feel wanted. Are we really so big and important (arrogant?) taht we should take the approach of "call us, we won't call you?" Can we really afford to let a good player go by? Maybe Winston is just waiting to be approached, again!

And AllWhitebelievr - are we really resigned to wait for two years. He has a New Zealand passport, so it doesn't need to take that long, surely!

I got the impression he was waiting for a call.  Seatts, you have contacts in football.  Give Ricki or whoever a ring about it.  Needs to happen soon or we will never get him and it'll be a matter of what if.

I agree, a call to him may be all that it takes. Fingers crossed.

Get the f**k in there! Reid for the All Whites! Stoked as, no more gaping whole in the right, although Oughton needs to be in there too.

Fantastic

f**k yeah !

yea boi!!!!!!!!! 

Anyone else see the 3 News story? Serie A clubs tracking him.