South Africa 2010

South Africa 2010

Do you think we will make this world cup. Our route to the world cup is fairly easy;
H&A game vs South Pacific Bronze Medalist
H&A game vs South Pacific Silver Medalist
H&A game vs South Pacific Gold Medalist
H&A game vs 5th ranked Asian team

I think we should make it, easily to the game vs the Asian team. Also it helps having our premiership players.

These are the sort of postings I like to keep, to use as ammo later. I think we are starting to get the Aussie attitude where we think we are better than we really are. Don't discount the teams from Oceania so openly. And anyway,its quite on the cards that Australia could be the 5th ranked Asian side that we potentially may have to face. How may regular-playing premier league players have they got?

We have beaten Australia in the past and really with our best team playing if we lost to the island nations we don't stand a chance of beating an asian team.

I can recall photographing the games in Adelaide in 2004 and watching us get dorked by an island nation in a WC qualifier. It wasn't enjoyable to watch.

I think the Oceania qualification format works in our favour. You can't underestimate the better island teams, particularly at home, but we should prevail over the course of six games as the top side - whereas you never know what can happen in a one off final or even a one off home and away fixture.

We need to be playing equal or better than what we did against Wales. On that day I thought we played superbly - loads of quality passing and everyone seemed focussed on the job. I just get a feeling sometimes that our players are more focussed on who they are going to swap their shirts with at the end of the game than actually going out there to win it. Harsh call but I want our players to respect the opponents as humans but not to be fazed by the big names they come up against. Again, we still lack a quality first touch right across the board. The U17's showed up poorly on first touch stats. We got to get the technical stuff onboard rather than this blood and guts stuff that sometimes wins friends but usually loses games.

If we get our best players playing for us then we will have every reason to be confident of winning against Asia's 5th placed team.

i think we can get there...if the boys in Europe can come back for them...i'd be happy if half of the top lads came back, aslong as we arent missing them all at once

I really think that we with our team complete can go to the world cup,and win with also the 5th of the asian cup,because look with Wales .without 5 importants players (nelsen,killen,elliott,vicelich,mulligan) we do 2-2 in Wrexham,

I think one advantage we have is the Phoenix. I think I counted 7 kiwis starting on the weekend against CCM. I'm still hopeful of Bertos coming home next season and who knows, maybe a Vicelich or Elliott might decide its time to head back in the next year or two as well.

NOO Chance.

I think if we pull off a performance like the one against Wales we should beat a 5th ranked Asian team.

I think people are putting way too much emphasis on the game against Wales. A few issues here:

1) Getting a result in a friendly game is one thing, and in a do-or-die World Cup Qualifier completely another.
2) Wales very clearly underestimated us in that game, that's probably not going to happen in a World Cup qualifier.
3) Wales are actually not that good a side - see how they've been going in the qualifying for the EURO 2008 and indeed in the qualifying for the last World Cup. They've got a couple of good players, but the rest are pretty average.
4) With the exception of beating a weakened Australian team in the Oceania final a few years back, we have not beaten a team ranked in top 100 in the world in 17 years.
5) Whoever the 5th placed Asian team is, they will have more international experience than any team we'd be able to put out. They will have also gone through a demanding and gruelling qualifying procees against top-level opposition, we'll be playing against the likes of Fiji. Who will be more battle hardened?

Finally, if we do emerge as winners of Oceania (which we should, but I'm not taking it for granted) we will be massive underdogs in the playoff with the 5th Asian team. In international footballing terms we're not far from being minnows (which is why a 2-2 draw against Wales is seen as a success, I suppose), with only one player who's of international quality at this stage. Hopefully more lads will get to that level in the next couple of years or so, and hopefully Phoenix will help in this respect, but that's the reality of NZ football right now.

That's an amazing - and very sad -  fact if true. I can think of draws wih top 100 teams and Georgia was 101 when we beat them.

It hardly fair considering they were 87th two months later

Ryan Nelsen is not our only world class player. What about Killen, Elliot, Vicelic (when not injured), and I think Brown and James could play at a high level one day.

So no more challenge againts 5th place South America?  When did that change?

It's been changed for this qualifying campaign.

Hmm, a guy lucky to be on the bench for Celtic, a guy playing in the team at the bottom of the Dutch league, and a guy with a handful of first team appearances for a pretty average Premiership team. World class? I think not. If they weren't New Zealanders, they'd be nowhere near international football.
I'll reserve judgment on Brown and James since I hope they'll reach the required level, but the first three I don't see improving, especially the older ones in Elliot and Vicelich.

I agree although Nelson is the only one of those players play in a top league and being a regular starter.wellyphoenixfan2007-09-05 19:42:50

Well said although Blackburn normally finishes in the top 10 and is in UEFA Cup.

How old is Vicelich? I would have thought his time was running out too. I don't see him ever being Premiership standard though. Would love to be proved wrong.

Dwight Yorke plays for Sunderland.

And didn't Adrian Leijer get signed for Fulham?

Yep hes played no games yet though.

With all due respect to Killen, Elliot,Vicelich and Nelsen they are hardley world class players.
Of the four Nelsen is the only one getting a regular game. Killen will spend most of the season on the bench at Celtic.Elliot has spent most of his time in the USA until moving to Fulham and RKC Waalwijk (Vicelich) are not world beaters.
World class players are ones that play for Brazil, Argentina, Italy etc.

Nelson was statisticaly the best defender the in the EPL. I'd call him world class. Tho i dont think we have the depth to be honest. Beating Georgia and drawing with wales is good tho. The Phoenix is also good because 7 internationals are playing together regularly and getting to know eachothers games better. Not playing many games together is one of the main disadvantages facing the All Whites.

Well said

our depth is starting to improve greatly...guys like Boyens & Sigmund did well when the big boys weren't about, and, lets not forget we have others scattered around the world who are eligible but playing in other nations.


i wonder if Aaran Lines is gunna get a call up
gings2007-09-13 23:23:42

You are splitting hairs. I mentioned those countries because they popped into my head.
The point I was making that the NZ players mentioned are NOT world class.

I belive its not a factor of having W/Class players its a matter of having a team that can hold together and not fall apart. The NZ team at the moment it alot like the 94 and 97 aussie teams.

It will be th away games that will really show if they can make it or not.

There's a Big difference in attitude compared to last time. Our players are willing to get up and go to where they can find a professional contract. Whether that means lower league English, Danish, Norwegian or where ever.
That trend has excellerated lately because there is a decent NZ based footy team to aspire to.
So whether we get to WC2010 or not, we are growing in talent and frankly only good will come from it.
Let's not be too surprised when we beat the 5th placed Asian side, because at some point we have to raise our expectations and plan to achieve them.

This argument is being polarized way too much. Just because the all whites squad is not made of 11 players who start on the likes of man u, ac, barcelona, etc. does NOT mean the squad is doomed to never have any international success. Some of you are talking like the only teams that ever play in world cups are contenders, while realistically only 1/3 actually are. For example- can you picture a Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Togo, Saudi Arabia, Switerland, Ecuador, or Serbia making a serious challenge for the world cup? NO! But all those teams managed to qualify last time, despite the fact that they have few international superstars and are mostly made up of domestically based players with few credentials.

Where are these statistics of him being the best in the EPL?