The Road To Brazil 2014 via Wellington feat. Mexico

Draw is out.

Just booked my flights too.  #exciting.

How much were your flights? Also, are those NZ times below or local times? 

Getting a little bit excited about these now.

local time.  They are 2 hours behind

about 1200 Virgin Aus Well->Brisbane->Honiara   Honaria->Brisbane->Auckland->Wellington

Squad announced next week I believe.

Would be a big gamble to assume our Oly squad would win.  So won't happen.

Yeah, don't assume it will be a cakewalk. AW's are playing three group games in five days (two days apart) in expected temperatures of 30 degrees C. with 98 - 100 % humidity- it's hot and humid all the time in June in Honiara (basis of a song in that line somewhere)- see my above postings in this thread on expected weather conditions...

Plus we're playing the hosts the Solomons (possible trip-up there) in front of a fanatical home crowd of 20,000 plus (with rest of the country- or at least tens of thousands who couldn't get in- outside the stadium), and also Fiji- probably the best Oceania side after NZ in recent years (players like Roy Krishna can definitely do some damage).

Pacific teams can be tough at home- I remember for example Fiji beating both Australia and NZ at home in the 1980's (just a couple of years after their long-time world record 13-0 thrashing by NZ in 1981 in Auckland).

So Ricki won't be picking an u-23 side (he experienced those tough away games against Pacific sides in the 1980's with frogs on the pitch, oppressive heat etc.). No doubt there will be a few u-23 players in the squad though (Kosta, Woodsie, Marco etc.) plus the three over-age players to be selected for the Olympics.  

Exciting few months kicking off with the AW's friendlies in a few weeks! If the Nations Cup streams on the internet, then will be football involving NZ sides to watch every month until mid-August (and Euro 2012 hopefully on Sky in June too).

I hope someone announces soon that they'll be broadcasting it so I know whether or not to get sky back on. Although even then all the kick off times will mean I'll miss almost all of the games. What to do, what to do...

Squad named at 9:30am tomorrow.

Gee, it's even better than I posted here: forgot our women in the u-20 Women's World Cup in Japan from August 20- September 9. These games will be on Sky.

So make that NZ sides to watch every month from now till early September! 

NZ should win this....no trouble, But the local conditions will play a huge part in the results. A hot, humid wet day with the locals going crazy and playing on a bumpy pitch could make life difficult for the AW's

The capital of the Solomons is a shiite hole.....think Waiouru with palm tree's....and mega hot and wet!

Just about all the local commerce was burnt to the ground during the war a couple of years ago.....at least the lads won't have many other distractions

Sounds like 2B will have an awesome time there.

I'll be fine.

Any word on whether the ofc games in the Solomons will be viewable? Sky? OFC stream? Anything? 

Pretty sure sky said they won't be showing it.  OFC online is probably a goer.

The game against Honduras is on Sunday May 27 at 12:30pm NZ time. Not Saturday.

I have recently received the following email from NZF:

The Nations Cup will be livestreamed on the Oceania Football Confederation website at www.oceaniafootball.com.  At this stage there is no TV deal on the table but this may change between now and the tournament kicking off.

It just gets better and better if you prefer your shirt white and your ball round: just realised NZ u-17 Women play their finals in Azerbaijan Sept. 22- Oct. 13 which should also be on Sky (FIFA gave Sky the rights to all their age-group tournies some years ago really cheap). SO WALL-TO-WALL NZ TEAMS TO WATCH UNTIL OCTOBER !!!

BUT IT ALL KICKS OFF NEXT THURSDAY WITH:

"THE ALL WHITES TEXAS HOE-DOWN"

SKY TV COVERAGE DETAILS FOR THE TEXAS HOE-DOWN:

ALL WHITES v EL SALVADOR: HOUSTON THURS. MAY 24, 12.30 PM NZ TIME: LIVE SKY SPORT 3

ALL WHITES v HONDURAS: DALLAS SUN. MAY 27, 12.30 PM NZ TIME: LIVE SKY SPORT 3

BOOK THOSE EXTENDED LUNCH BREAKS FOR NEXT WEEK !!!

THE 23rd ANNUAL

"TEXAS HOE-DOWN"

Come and make the 2012 "Texas Hoe-Down" a GREAT event!

The Texas Hoe-Down is a country and western dance tradition. A fully sanctioned American Country Dance Associationqualifying event, the Texas Hoe-Down offers an exciting weekend of country & western dance partner, team and line dance competitions, a "Wealth of Workshops", plenty of opportunities to dance and professional dance exhibitions in a star-studded Saturday Night Super Show! 

Have corrected my post above- I was relying on the announcement in Wednesday's Christchurch Press newspaper which unfortunately was wrong. The NZ Football website "Calendar" for May is also wrong in that it lists the US dates for both matches (we're a day ahead of course).

Nelsen is confirmed out of ONC, Hogg and McGeorge brought into the squad:

http://www.nzfootball.co.nz/index.php?id=11&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1658&tx_ttnews[backPid]=10&cHash=6c77299a36

Lawson Tama Stadium playing surface is usually immaculate. The groundsman, Rueben Oimae, manicures the surface forensically. In fairness, I haven't been there for three years, but from what I hear Rueben's standards have been kept. Make no mistake, this tournament will be no cakewalk. I interviewed Tim Cahill back in 2007 and he told me that playing in the Solomon Islands was one of the most physically demanding challenges of his career.

And there are a number of interesting dynamics ahead of the tournament...

Papua New Guinea under Frank Farina are going to be a difficult prospect to break down. Although Farina's U-23 side lacked a cutting edge up front, they bought into the former Socceroo legends demand for organisation, discipline and tactical application. With better players at his disposal, a bit more time to gel, expect Papua New Guinea to play a significant role in determining which two teams advance to the semi-finals, even if they get knocked out. They won't advance to the last four but they could cause damage to one of the other three. David Muta is a key figure. 

Solomon Islands are going to be tough. The Solomon Islands had a disasterous World Cup qualifying campaign in 2007 after failing to finish in the top four of the South Pacific Games. They have much to prove to a fanatical home support. Alick Maemae, Benjamin Totori and co. are no longer up-and-coming youngsters and if they want to make their mark on the game they will have to deliver. Solomon Islands fans live on the memory of the 2004 OFC Nations Cup when Allan Gillet guided them to a play-off with Australia and so there is pressure on the national governing body and the team to deliver a top performance. This time a berth in the final should be considered a minimum return by a country starved of football success.

Fiji regard New Zealand as their 'main rivals' in Oceania and love nothing more than putting one over the All Whites. They, like the Solomon Islands, fell short of fans expectations in the last campaign, but they'll fancy their chances of repeating their 2-0 win over the Kiwis in the final group match of the last campaign. Fiji are the biggest challengers to the favourites tag stuck on Solomon Islands and New Zealand. Working against Fiji is their fractious relationship with their Melanesian opponents who tend to view Fiji as a team that thinks it's rather better than it actually is. Roy Krishna is the dangerman but he has an able supporting cast and if they get it right on the day, they could cause a huge upset. 

New Zealand remain favourites but their margin for error is small. The biggest challenge, outwith that offered by their opponents on the field of play, will be the climate, the travel (arriving from the USA a day and a half prior to Match Day 1), the rigmarole of having little to do between matches, their favourites tag and the intense fixture list. The matches with El Salvador and Honduras add valuable experience to the group with a number of uncapped players named in the squad, but watch with interest the third match of the first round and the semi-final. The squad will be in the eye of the storm at that point as the conditions take their toll. No other team in the tournament boasts the All Whites pedigree and that alone should be enough to see them defend their title, advance to the next stage and qualify for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Cheers,

GGW

http://boxscorenews.com/oceania-kings-new-zealand-look-to-retain-crown-p37939-68.htm

look forward to sunday .Predictions?

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1637492/index.html?cid=twitter_voiceofthesite

AW's got a big write up on the fIFA site today...

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1637492/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_caption

For many, New Zealand will enter next week’s OFC Nations Cup as unbackable favourites to reach the semi-finals and advance to the next stage of 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ qualifying, if not win the eight-nation tournament. Their achievements in recent years, most notably at South Africa 2010, are a testament to the All Whites' growing stature on the world stage. Yet just four years ago New Zealandentered the same stage of Oceania qualifying with a very different standing in their region, let alone globally. The Kiwis had crashed out in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup with an ignominious 4-2 defeat against Vanuatu, opening the door for the Solomon Islands to reach the continental final against Australia.

However, under the tutelage of coach Ricki Herbert and with most of the squad playing professionally thanks to the commencement of Australia’s A-League, New Zealand have achieved significant growth. They eased to the Oceania crown, winning their first five 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, losing only to Fiji when top spot had already been secured, before advancing to South Africa with a narrow aggregate victory against Bahrain in an intercontinental play-off. Draws against reigning world champions Italy, as well as Paraguay and Slovakia in South Africa were irrefutable evidence of the Kiwis’ progress over a short period. 

Paucity of matches 
Now, after a largely barren international program over the past two years, the Kiwis head to the Solomon Islands again looking to assert authority over their Oceania rivals. New Zealand will meet Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the host nation with the top two teams in each group securing progression to a four-nation final stage, which will commence later this year. The victor of next month’s tournament will also earn passage to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup as Oceania champions. 

With matches this week against El Salvador and Honduras, New Zealand will have enjoyed some quality international outings in the final week leading into the Nations Cup. However, aside from a February match against Jamaica, the Kiwis had not taken to the field during the 12 previous months. While it is a similar tale for some of the Pacific nations, many have spent numerous weeks in camp preparing for their tilt at Brazil 2014.

New Zealand have also suffered some key injury blows with long-serving captain and All Whites iconRyan Nelsen to miss the qualifiers due to an ankle injury suffered on recent duty with Tottenham Hotspur. Nelsen’s absence adds to an injury list which also includes Simon Elliott and Craig Henderson. 

With midfielder Tim Brown now off the scene having recently, and unexpectedly, announced his retirement, Tommy Smith this week wore the armband for the first time against El Salvador. In the process the 22-year-old Ipswich Town defender became the youngest-ever All Whites skipper, as Herbert continues to search for long-term leadership options. 

Ambitions and challenges 
A major obstacle in the Solomon Islands, and one facing all eight competing nations, will be dealing with the strain of five games in ten days. All matches will take place during daylight hours in what is expected to be sapping heat at Honiara’s Lawson Tama Stadium. Herbert, who indicated he will make full use of his 23-man playing roster in the Solomons, is clear about his priorities. 

“First and foremost, we aim to reach the semi-finals of the Nations Cup to book a place in the next stage of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying," said Herbert. “Then we look at winning the next two games to defend our Nations Cup title and qualify for the Confederations Cup.” 

“If we do that we’ll have five games in nine days in the Honiara heat so we will need to manage the playing stocks well and be at the top of our game to navigate some testing fixtures.” 

New Zealand’s credentials will receive a rigorous examination in Honiara, but victory would provide another FIFA Confederations Cup appearance, and potentially provide a perfect springboard for a fresh assault on the world stage the following year in Brazil.

Any news for the 15 August and 14 November matches. I would have Trinidad and Tobago and Canada both at Craven Cottage. What would you all think.

Looks like we will have to resort to live streaming for the Oceania Nations Cup. Dissapointing. Sky buck up your ideas.

from the ofc

With just under a week to go until the OFC Nations Cup kicks off, fans across the globe can look forward to live streaming of all 16 matches via oceaniafootball.com as the road to Brazil 2014 heats up.

OFC TV will provide exclusive coverage from Honiara’s Lawson Tama Stadium in Solomon Islands where the hosts are set to battle it out with Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tahiti and Vanuatu from 1-10 June for Oceania’s most coveted footballing prize.

The winner will book a spot at the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 while the top four teams will advance to contest the home-and-away Stage 3 qualifiers beginning in September en route to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Television broadcasters have been offered the rights through OFC’s international media partner MP & Silva with many coming onboard including VBTC in Vanuatu, EMTV in Papua New Guinea, FBCL in Fiji, Polynesie Premiere in Tahiti, Caledonie Premiere in New Caledonia, Telikom TV in Solomon Islands as well as networks across Asia.

This will result in unprecedented coverage for OFC despite the fact that broadcasters who were offered the feed in New Zealand – Oceania’s second most populous country and current holders of the Nations Cup – chose not to secure the rights.

Live streaming coverage includes all 12 group matches from 1-6 June, the semi-finals on 8 June, plus the 3rd/4th play-off and final on 10 June.

A flat fee of NZD 19.99 will give fans access to the entire tournament or individual matches can be viewed online for just NZD 2.99 each.

The streaming will be available via oceaniafootball.com with low-resolution and high-resolution options to cater for different Internet speeds.

OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas says OFC TV is committed to delivering quality coverage for fans the world over.

“We are confident the Nations Cup will be well attended in Solomon Islands where football is ingrained in the national psyche, but it is also crucial to deliver the matches to audiences wider afield,” says Nicholas.

“OFC has invested heavily to establish an in-house production team who have already successfully covered a number of tournaments to date. We’re delighted to confirm live television coverage across the region as well as live web streaming for fans in countries where broadcasters have chosen not to air the matches.”

TIME ONCE AGAIN FOR EVERYONE TO CONTACT SKY AND ASK IF THEY CAN COVER THE NATIONS CUP:

USE THIS FORM:

https://skytv.custhelp.com/app/ask/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xMzM4MDc3NTc2L3NpZC8tNjZ6TzZaaw%3D%3D

ALSO WORTH PHONING A LOT:

0800 759 759

I'm on the Telstra cable network but I will complain to Sky anyway seeing as its sky's decision (obviously)

Sky's domineering monopoly of sports broadcast options in NZ is being challenged by politicians, by new technology and consumer resistance.Something's gonna give ...(but possibly not in time for the qualifiers,unfortunately)

I am really irritated that no broadcaster has taken up the rights to the nations cup. These are world cup qualifiers and it will be very nearly a full strength AW side. I had figured we had moved past this nonsense.

http://www.radiosport.co.nz/news/spsoc/2036650701-Gleeson-called-into-All-Whites-squad-as-cover

TBH I'm surprised we're taking an extra goal keeper who probably won't see much game time, wouldn't it have been better to throw Cameron Lindsay into the mix.  I can't see why he has been overlooked for ASB Premiership players. 

This.

What does "THIS" mean?

Another odd Herbert decision - he really does get away with murder some times in that there is no real media asking questions and challenging these types of decisions.

OFC Streaming site here: http://ofctv.e-cast.co.nz/auth/login?return=%2Findex

Registrations haven't opened yet but games will cost $2.99 each or $20 for the lot

Got this response from Sky when I asked about why they weren't showing these games:

"We are still under negotiations for the rights of the coverage of the OFC Nations Cup and nothing is confirmed yet. We advise you to keep checking our EPG (electronic programming guide) and Sky Sport website www.skysport.co.nz for any updates.

Please feel free to contact SKY Television Customer Services on 0800 759 759 for further information, alternatively please respond via return email and we will endeavour to reply within 24 hours.

With kind regards,

SKY Online Support Team"