The Road To Brazil 2014 via Wellington feat. Mexico

White Noise Zone is there for Chch now, I've just booked my tickets. Can't wait.

Just FYI - 

Time off work for 11/12 Sept: Check
Flights to Akl: Check
Tickets for Akl game: Check
Accomodation in Akl: Check

Time off work for 16/17 Oct: Pending
Flights to ChCh: -
Tickets for ChCh game: Check
Accomodation in ChCh: -

New Caledonia 2 - CCM 4

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/centralcoastmariners/news-display/Mariners-win-42-in-New-Caledonia/48609

Pretty conservative but experienced.  Not sure why we're still picking Vicelich when we already have 5 central defenders.  Surely time to pick a younger player who at least gives us a possibility to play RB and a back 4.  Or pick Hogg and play a left footer at RB?  Also I think it's time for one of Killen or Rory to be left out.  Pleased to see Payne in there and would be good to see Keat get a chance, McGlinchey hasn't done it for me so far although he is a decent player.

BID FOR BRAZIL

All Whites squad
Lineup for first two Fifa World Cup qualifiers:
Goalkeepers: Glen Moss, Mark Paston.
Defenders: Michael Boxall, Tony Lochhead, Ryan Nelsen (c), Winston Reid, Ben Sigmund, Tommy Smith, Ivan Vicelich.
Midfielders: Kosta Barbarouses, Leo Bertos, Jeremy Brockie, Dan Keat, Michael McGlinchey, Tim Payne, Marco Rojas.
Strikers: Rory Fallon, Chris Killen, Shane Smeltz, Chris Wood.
Players on standby: Aaron Clapham, Jake Gleeson, Ian Hogg, Cameron Howieson, Michael O'Keefe.

All Whites' World Cup qualifiers
Oceania Stage Three
September 7: v New Caledonia
Noumea.
September 11: v Solomon Islands
North Harbour Stadium 7.35pm.
October 12: v Tahiti
Papeete.
October 16: v Tahiti
AMI Stadium, Christchurch 7.35pm.
March 22: v New Caledonia
Venue TBA.
March 26: v Solomon Islands
Honiara.

Seems odd to pick Fallon and Vicelich to me. Could see Boxall not making it as well.

Also still feel kinda weak in that CM role, although can't really help that - Keat has an unbelievably good opportunity to cement his spot in the midfield - and from what Ive seen of him, I think he is good enough to do it.

All I really care about is qualifying but I'd be very disappointed to see vicelich in brazil

Why has Fallon even been picked??

Guessing Vicelic is in the squad because the midfield looks very lightweight - he's probably seen as much as a defensive midfield option as a centre back. Just goes to show the complete lack of depth we have in that part of the field.

Big opportunity for Lindsay if he gets game time for the Nix this year

Surely will jump ahead of McGeorge and Feneridis

Every chance he'll play the season opener once the FFA are done.

Wrong Thread But Carrying on

Worst Senario ??

                                       Paston

           Bertos         Boxall           Lindsay        Locky

                            Smith               Lia

           Brockie                 Sanchez                 Totori

                                         Iffy

Assuming Lia and Sanchez are fit 

It could get much worse week 2, when the AW's are away. A comment on that formation, I would put Smith at CB before Lindsay. He is very good in the air, and has a good tackle on him.

Yeah.  I think Lindsay more likely to play in Mid and someone like Solomons come in with Boxall.  I suspect we're more likely to lose Siggy long term than Dura so could be Dura and Boxall, then Lindsay slotting straight in for Manny.

Of coure Lia and Sanchez injury may mean Lindsay not needed apart from bench.

It sucks in a way that Lia isnt going to be the RB option as it means he'll be the bench man keeping Lindsay out

Anyone know if the OFC online channel will be covering the upcoming qualifiers?

So considering the debacle in the midfield with Chris Killen playing there, David Mulligan is definitely out of the picture?

So far I count Payne and Keat- quite unknown quantities at All White level as the ball playing deep sitting midfield players. Mulligan was in favour and did ok in the game against China, but now is completely off the radar?

He seems the one with the skill set most similar to Simon Elliot, which we have missed since the world cup. 

Would you rather have Ivan or Mulligan starting our attacks from DM? 

Ivan does more of it for Auckland than Mulligan does or did in the games I caught last season.

If Elliott was fit he'd be close to making that 20.

Ivan doesn`t do it for me, hasn`t got the legs any more.

Most of the games I saw him play, he was hiding at centre back for Auckland City

One of the memories I have of last season was that late lunge (forget the player) he made in the last minutes against Team Wellington at Newtown. Should have been red carded. Just came down to a lack of pace.

HN is right I would say Simon Elliot is closer to making the squad than most think

It was Luke Rowe. Both times. Both should have been red.

Elliot has retired.  Someone needs to be made a project in midfield and backed.  

Also, have we just picked Fallon and then challenging him to pull out?

Thats what I was thinking. Id much rather see Howieson in there rather than Rory

All Whites will be facing a French First Division striker now when they play New Caledonia - Georges Gope-Fenepej - FC Troyes, who scored against us in the OFC Nations Cup semi defeat:

http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/f81e4c71-fb36-4d89-9ad8-c93e603c6873/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Winger Georges Gope-Fenepej has moved one step closer to his first appearance in the French top-flight after earning a place on the bench for the opening round of the Ligue 1 season.

The New Caledonia international was an unused substitute as his new club Troyes began the campaign with a 1-0 loss at home to Valenciennes in front of nearly 11,000 spectators.

Having just been promoted from the second tier of French football, Troyes are likely to find the going tough and the main aim of manager Jean-Marc Furlan will be to maintain his charges' place in the division.

The newcomers were denied a positive start in that quest by a Carlos Eduardo Rincon goal in the 34th minute and will now focus on Saturday's trip to Olympique Lyonnais as they look to get off the mark.

While he failed to take the field against Valenciennes, Gope-Fenepej will be pleased to have been selected in the match day squad as Furlan has a group of over 30 players at his disposal and many do not make the cut for each game.

"It's an honour to get the chance to play professionally overseas," the 23-year-old says.

"It will be a tough challenge and there will be plenty of obstacles but I will do my best to overcome them."

Gope-Fenepej signed a one-year contract with the club, who won promotion back to the top league last season after a five-year hiatus, following the OFC Nations Cup in June.

By entering the professional game, he has followed in the footsteps of brother John Gope-Fenepej, who was on the books of FC Nantes before briefly joining England's Bolton Wanderers on loan.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Video of settling in to Troyes team:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xrv1c0_georges-gope-fenepej-a-l-estac_sport

Wasn't on the bench away to Olympique Lyonnais on the weekend.

Flights booked to Auckland. Fire up!

Are you sure about Elliott's retirement? I was under the impression that he's had injury and fitness issues over the past few months, but hasn't officially retired yet. 

And like News said, if he was fit he'd be pretty close to selection I suspect.

Clapham is again hard done by. Played ok  v Honduras and when had chances in the sols.

No I caught up with him in London during the Olympics and he's now working as a scout for Chivas according to his business card.  He's still training etc but that's for fitness - at least that's what he told me he was doing!

http://www.radiosport.co.nz/player/ondemand/284237544-all-whites-squad-named-for-world-cup-qualifiers

Football analyst David Chote talks to Radio Sport host Kent Johns about the All Whites squad named for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers and the short temper of some of the Phoenix players

Yeah, I knew about the Chivas scout deal, and also heard he was still training so thought maybe he was still hopeful of picking up a short-term contract somewhere, but looks like I was mistaken there.

I just hope Ricki gets this one right! 

Please dont play a 5-2-3.

To be honest players like Fallon and Killen up front are the best chance for us because of the tactics Ricki keeps choosing to play. Why do you think Kosta keeps getting named in midfield? because he cant jump 9 foot in the air and score from his head of the long ball from Ivan.

I really, really, really dont think Ricki has learned from his mistakes!

The lucky thing for Ricki is, we will end up qualifying because of the home legs. The PI teams dont travel well(to NZ). So even if the PI teams sneak a draw or 1 goal victory at home we will get more out of it than all the other teams over the two legs.

Also if Reid and Nelsen actually turn up. 

Yep, Ricki should be playing a passing possession based game with 3 centre mids who can control the game on the ball.  Remind me who those players are again, I seem to have forgotten.

I had really hoped this new forum would have a 'like' button. Posts like this make me disappointed that there isn't.

Ummmm...take your pick. I am pretty sure we can find 3 centre mids who are class in comparison to part-time players from the island teams. I am not talking about tactics against a top 50 nation. I am talking about different tactics against island nations that didnt work last time. 

Ricki doesn't seem to change his tactics regardless of who we are playing. If we can't play a possession passing game better than these teams. Then to be honest we don't deserve to qualify.

Game at North Harbour is live on Sky Sport 2.  No coverage of the away leg.    OFC should screen it though?

I think you're too optimistic about our options in midfield, even against the Island opposition. It's a real area of weakness for us.

And as for the OFC Nations Cup disaster, I think that if anything our downfall was we didn't use enough of Route 1 tactics and pummelling them in the air through the central defensive channels. That's a real area of weakness for the Island teams, and every tim we did that they looked in trouble. We let those games get too stretched and let the them more into their comfort zone, and also allowed the conditions to play more of a factor in the closing stages of the games. 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/soccer-football/news/article.cfm?c_id=86&objectid=10829497

why is your post directed at me? I didn't write the article, I just posted it on this site.

Problem is the AFC nations we want to play at home probably aren't that interested in coming here, hence the Japan game was to be played in Japan. The majority of those dates you gave are in the European football season too so you know, "we should have played on these dates" isn't just that simple, not to mention that the FIFA World Rankings don't really mean anything. If anything what we should be doing on those dates is putting a team together out of the NZFC and various Australian state leagues and playing "A" matches against some middle teir AFC or OFC sides, but then that still costs money. I think the U23 competition was a pretty good indication we're heading in the right direction. I think we should be looking to make a second decent appearance at this World Cup, maybe pinch a good result or two, and really drive toward Russia 2018.

Hopefully after 2018 New Zealand will be in the AFC.

Can't argue with that.