The Road To Brazil 2014 via Wellington feat. Mexico

If it is Mexico anyone know how many away seats are allocated at the ROF?. Because I would imagine there would be lots of Mexicans who would come to Wellington. If 15,000 went to SA for the last WC then I would expect a big number would come here. Would be great atmosphere having a couple of thousand noisy Mexican fans there and after we kick their arses on the field we could shout them tequilas all night in Courtney place. 

im quite open to the idea of rojas being on the bench in mexico. I think people underestimate what an advantage the home crowd will have on the mexicans. Park the bus, grind out a result and bring it back to wellington for a show down.

Ricki obviously believes it will be Mexico, on Radio Sport just now he said that the players will disperse after the Trinidad game; next to assemble 4 days before the game in Mexico

I would be ok with Rojas just coming back from injury having an impact role in the away leg.

He's not as likely to track back and he hasn't ripped apart the island teams. He also isn't particularly strong, though he's stronger than people expect. 

I don't think we can rely on Marco and Kosta to get us to the WC. If we had spent two or three years playing like Melbourne Victory or keeping the ball on the deck perhaps, but it doesn't make sense to try to play a completely different system.

While Kosta, Wee Mac, Marco and hopefully Chris Wood and Smeltz can create chances through short passes and movement, I'm not convinced, given how we've played, that this is the only game plan that will get us past Mexico. We're not going to have much of the ball you'd think, so who is going to win the ball and distribute it for us, as otherwise Marco could be there without the ball. 

On the other hand, we haven't shown much goal scoring class using any particular tactics and are missing the class of Nelsen and Elliot. If we get through it will be against higher odds than last time and a few new currently unsung heroes will be created. 

Before the Bahrain game Fallon had scored a few goals for NZ- I'm wondering where our goals are going to come from for this one...Another way to look at it was, depsite Nelsen and Elliot we only started to look threatening as a team when we got Shane Smeltz consistently poaching goals.

If Rojas doesnt play, the whole coaching staff and the board of NZF should be fired.

Am I right in saying that Honduras or panama could still finish fourth?

I'd still give Storm Roux a shot at right back rather than a misplaced Bertos. Roux looked composed and pacy against West Sydney yesterday. Even the Aussie A League commentators singled him out for praise. I'd certainly put him ahead of Lochhead, Bertos or even Sigmund, who's liable to loose his cool in the Mexican heat. If not then I'd prefer Ivan Vicelich at RB otherwise the Mexicans are going to have a field day down that side.

We simply can't go in to pack the defence and try to hold them off, outside of Reid and possibly Smith, we don't have that quality. We have to try and play a counterattacking game, which would require Rojas. An away goal would be priceless. This is not a wasteful Bahrain, where we road our luck. At least get Nelsen on board as a defensive adviser/organizer.

I suppose the positive going forward is if we're walloped by Mexico, then at least hopefully there'd be a clean-out at NZF, including Ricki, and we can plan for a proper push at 2018.

This is one of the most depressing threads I have read.  This draw today with Chivas shows were we are at the moment. This club side has only won 6 out of 29 games this year.

Furthermore, that suggestion has got to be one of the most ludicrous posts i have ever read on here.

It basically reads as this: "Well we don't mind going through a playoff, but since the opposition this time round are actually half decent we feel that an automatic spot would be a far better alternative because lets face it, we don't really want to have to earn a spot at the World Cup."

I'd still give Storm Roux a shot at right back rather than a misplaced Bertos. Roux looked composed and pacy against West Sydney yesterday. Even the Aussie A League commentators singled him out for praise. I'd certainly put him ahead of Lochhead, Bertos or even Sigmund, who's liable to loose his cool in the Mexican heat. If not then I'd prefer Ivan Vicelich at RB otherwise the Mexicans are going to have a field day down that side.

We simply can't go in to pack the defence and try to hold them off, outside of Reid and possibly Smith, we don't have that quality. We have to try and play a counterattacking game, which would require Rojas. An away goal would be priceless. This is not a wasteful Bahrain, where we road our luck. At least get Nelsen on board as a defensive adviser/organizer.

I suppose the positive going forward is if we're walloped by Mexico, then at least hopefully there'd be a clean-out at NZF, including Ricki, and we can plan for a proper push at 2018.

This is one of the most depressing threads I have read.  This draw today with Chivas shows were we are at the moment. This club side has only won 6 out of 29 games this year.

Apologies if this has been previously posted, but is the Trinidad and Tobago game going to be televised?

Yes

Just a kick around/training run by all accounts. Judge after T & T i say. 

The Ideal formation for the play-off is this (no order):

GK Moss
DF Smith
DF Lochhead
DF Sigmund (Hope he keeps his cool)
DF Reid (c)
MF Vicelich
MF Rojas
MF Bertos
FW Killen
FW Smeltz
FW Wood

Ha! Ha! Honduras are so confident of direct qualification they've scheduled a match v Brazil for November 16 (17th NZT) in Miami.

Tickets are already on sale.

http://www.sunlifestadium.com/calendar/brazil-vs-honduras

http://www.cdchivasusa.com/video/2013/10/12/resumen-chivas-usa-vs-new-zealand-highlights-chivas-usa-vs-new-zealand

3.5 mins highlights of the game on the Chivas web page.

the fact that Chivas lost 5-0 last week  and are bottom of the league in 9th place doesn't give me much comfort of where we are at as a team.