Tanzania, Botswana, Italy friendlies

Great.  One more loss out of the way until we start our winning streak.

Crap, crap, it's all crap.

Crap . . . Ryan Nelson is out.
Crap . . . Stomach Bug creating unfitness among the squad.
Crap . . . No suitable training facilities/grounds in Botswana for Confederation Cup and warm-up matches. Also no proper training sessions for the couple of days they were in Botswana wasting available time.
Crap . . . No TV coverage from SkyTV who has the rights.
Crap . . . No information shown about the change of kick-off time.
Crap . . . No decent internet feed from TV or betting live scores.
Crap . . . Wasting a couple of hours of my time looking for something.
Crap . . . Having a few less players on the bench.
Crap . . . Next game against Botswana in two days and still no decent grounds to practice on.
Crap . . . They haven't decided whether any ground is suitable enough for the Botswana game.
Crap . . . Confederation Cup starts in 6 days times on top of crap preparation.

All in all, we are a crap team with crap preparation feeling really crappy and expect to match the best confederation teams who are not crappy.

I am starting to believe that we will be lucky to get away escape with a 2-0 loss.

I am expecting, a 2-1 loss against Botswana, at least a 4-0 to 6-0 thrashing from Italy and Spain, a 3-1 loss against Iraq and a 2-0 loss against South Africa.

Smeltz to score the only goal at the confederation cup. And it will be a crappy looking goal because it will be a penalty kick.

If we win against Botswana it may change my mind but it appears that we are falling way behind schedule in our preparation and preparation is important for tournaments. We can't really take shortcuts as it undermines strategy and tactics.

OK, time to take some laxatives to relieve myself . . .

Crap...Coach

We're rubbish.

Why did it break down on the way to the ground?

Sad result from the All Whites. I think we've actually gone downhill a little this year... and it's a massive year for us. Here's hoping they can gel and get back to playing some alright football.

That would be a good excuse against a good team but not against them.  In Ricky's time in charge he has kinda turned into an AB Manager, full of excuses for what are clearly poor performances.

I really don't see us winning against Asia's 5th best so I hope our next manager will be able to produce some better results.  At least the age limit rule will help future AW managers.

Wow. Dude, we're minnows in international football. Beat a top 60 side? Really?

We hardly belong in the top 100 in the world (at best in the 80-100 range). To have had a competetive game in this situation and be a minute away from a decent result was not that bad an effort. For a NZ football team. Which in general terms, is a minnow in international football. You should lower your expectations, or you'll end up losing your hair prematurely.

How do you know Tanzania's not a good team? Ever seen them play?

The result does not surprise me. Not making any excuses- we have not played for a while, and I did make a comment some time ago which nobody sais a thing== the heat. Have a look at the times they scored?

I have, They had a segment about the national team on SBS, It was looking at all the African nations football sides. Tanzania was buy far one of the worse sides, Due to some FIFA ban put on them or somthing for a year or two and the national team went down hill. They looked as if the Solomon Islands would beat them.
In saying that - Tanzania results this year have been good........unlike someone we know.

http://www.dailynews.co.tz/sports/?n=2328&cat=sports

Tanzania News write up on the game. Not too much detail.

Tanzania have an awful kit.

I think we'd be more than in with a chance against a few of them - such as Burkina Faso (50th).

Maybe this Tanzania game was used to find a potential striker for the Nix's?, Some of these African players would be cheap and good of decent qlty.

Burkina Faso are a very good African side. Much better than us.

So THATS why I've got no hair!!! and all these years I was thinking it was something else...

Bloody Football!
It probably all started in '81/'82..that was an epic campaign by the All Whites but I had totally unrealistic expectations then too..


Seriously though, like you say EG, it wasn't that bad an effort all up.Acclimatising to playing in 32 degree heat won't happen over night,the difficulties of getting decent training in and the extra travelling won't have helped either.
By the end of the Confederations Cup we'll have a better idea of the relative state of the All Whites. I'll save my opinions until then I think.
RedGed2009-06-05 09:47:50

Dude. International football has moved on since 1980.

And NZ has, if anything, regressed.

EG thats my hair Im talking about....

Those were the days mate!



No actually THESE are the days.These are the days we want to see our All Whites really do well.
Point taken, El Grapadura, the international scene has certainly moved on from 82.
Some of the other old farts on here will remember how proud we were to see OUR team in the World Cup, especially after what it took to get there and ESPECIALLY after they beat Australia to do so.(If you don't know the story...someone on here's got the video)
Different circumstances today, better quality opposition across the board pretty much, odds equally high against NZ making it.
 But that's when we want to see the All Whites succeed.When its all up against them...Good luck to them.

Any side wiv S Old in it can hardly describe itself as full strength , more mildly debilitated....

So what does Herbert have to say for himself?

At the front door when you came in....in the News Section,...or did you use a short cut!?

www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/2474329/All-Whites-off-to-shaky-start

Shortcut. Thanks.

FFS.

Stop making excuses

Heard they played in front of a crowd of 30,000. Imagine what we would get in New Zealand to All Whites Tanzania Friendly.  

From what i read about the game, Rickie choose to play the long-ball style. I mean this guy still wants to put Killen up front with Smeltz. It should be Brockie or Woods up there before Killen.

With the comment Tanzania are playing top african sides all the time and are there for a tough side for us to play raises yet again the - should we move to Asia topic - more matches against tougher opposition more often v getting to the Confeds and getting our ares handed to us (from history)

Mate, he should f off if all he can come up with for tactics is 'longball style'.

Yep, oceania is .

Geez Aus you are starting to whinge...

There are about 40 mill in Tanzania, comp to 4 here. Not surprising they fill the stadium. Would have been the largest crowd  many of the AWs will have experienced. And good practice for Sth Africa, where I expect the crowds will be that at least.

Botswana only has 2 mill.

I'm wondering who Ricki will put up front tomorrow. I think Woods will get another good run, and Killen needs game time. Smeltz has a niggly groin I read somewhere, maybe he'll be rested