Who is responsible for Pragnell? seriously. How these people like Pragnell end up in these roles is beyond me...they must talk themselves into it with the uneducated.
I was pretty doom and gloom about this but then I remembers that its a thought experiment, only because NZF never actually organise international matches. Bazely will manage the NZ team in Oceania and maybe a few warm up games for bigger international teams that want to stretch the legs a bit before an important game.
What can we as fans do to get better representation for what we want from NZF? They don't seem to listen to us ever, not for the Men's or Women's national leagues, not for age grade and senior internationals, not for developing coach capability (like they did in Iceland), not for developing facilities. On a day to day basis, what do NZF actually do well?
I think it has been a tragedy losing the playoff game because a meaningful and intense game at home has been shown to get the passions of the local fans and the media going and get the crowds turning out.
It places a lot of pressure on the Nix because they’re our only hope of seeing a good level of competitive football in NZ in a cup or finals series or down the straight of an attempt to become the Premiers.
I think it has been a tragedy losing the playoff game because a meaningful and intense game at home has been shown to get the passions of the local fans and the media going and get the crowds turning out.
It places a lot of pressure on the Nix because they’re our only hope of seeing a good level of competitive football in NZ in a cup or finals series or down the straight of an attempt to become the Premiers.
We could strategically lose to the Solomons in the OFC final and still play the repechage... though with Bazeley not sure if strategy will be required
I think it has been a tragedy losing the playoff game because a meaningful and intense game at home has been shown to get the passions of the local fans and the media going and get the crowds turning out.
It places a lot of pressure on the Nix because they’re our only hope of seeing a good level of competitive football in NZ in a cup or finals series or down the straight of an attempt to become the Premiers.
This is why an Auckland A League club is soo important. Will be a boom for the code, having a 2nd NZ team in NZ's biggest city, and where so much of the sports media are based. Despite the doubters I think it will be success on & off the field. 2-3 huge derby games each year. APL manage the ALM/ALW draw well and we will get a game in NZ each weekend.
Just the small matter of raising a $25M licence fee!!
Unfortunately seems we will never see the AWs play a tense high stakes, WC qualifying game in NZ again. Sad. OFC qualifiers or any friendlies really are 2nd/3rd rate affairs, by international standards.
I think it has been a tragedy losing the playoff game because a meaningful and intense game at home has been shown to get the passions of the local fans and the media going and get the crowds turning out.
It places a lot of pressure on the Nix because they’re our only hope of seeing a good level of competitive football in NZ in a cup or finals series or down the straight of an attempt to become the Premiers.
We could strategically lose to the Solomons in the OFC final and still play the repechage... though with Bazeley not sure if strategy will be required
The 2026 WC repecharge series will be a tourney, of about 6 teams (incl yes 2nd in OFC). Tourney likely to be in North America. The days of high stakes H&A Intercontinental Playoffs are over.
And we all know the AWs will coast through OFC qualifying when it returns to it's pre Covid H&A format. The players could literally coach themselves, and still be way too good for the Island teams.
I think it has been a tragedy losing the playoff game because a meaningful and intense game at home has been shown to get the passions of the local fans and the media going and get the crowds turning out.
It places a lot of pressure on the Nix because they’re our only hope of seeing a good level of competitive football in NZ in a cup or finals series or down the straight of an attempt to become the Premiers.
We could strategically lose to the Solomons in the OFC final and still play the repechage... though with Bazeley not sure if strategy will be required
The 2026 WC repecharge series will be a tourney, of about 6 teams (incl yes 2nd in OFC). Tourney likely to be in North America. The days of high stakes H&A Intercontinental Playoffs are over.
And we all know the AWs will coast through OFC qualifying when it returns to it's pre Covid H&A format. The players could literally coach themselves, and still be way too good for the Island teams.
Qualifying format hasn't been finalised, I don't think, it could change. There's no incentive for the other ten full members to do anything that would benefit us. Any match in New Zealand is exponentially more difficult for them to win than at home or even neutral ground in Oceania. They could theoretically push forward a new format of more centralised competition hosted in one place. The OFC Champions League was, of course, all in Vanuatu this year, and City got pushed further than ever. I'd think any other federation would have watched that with great interest.
With the intercontinental playoff previously being home/away at FIFA level, the OFC side would still have to go away if they won, now with the direct ticket, they could qualify for the World Cup without ever leaving the Tropics. Would there even be any way of stopping that? If OFC members brought it forward and it passed 10-1, FIFA could possibly just say 'the members voted for this and we respect the democratic process'.
When this was announced I wonder if Bazeley was laughing/smiling at his appointment full time or if he was bright red with embarrassment.
Really, to be used as a whipping boy, he would have been well in his rights as 3rd or 4th choice, to tell them to stick it up their collective A.... at NZF.
It can't be a nice feeling knowing you were not the number one choice. And no one believes anything Pragnall says these days. Everytime he opens his mouth an embarrassing lie jumps out.
Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!
I think it has been a tragedy losing the playoff game because a meaningful and intense game at home has been shown to get the passions of the local fans and the media going and get the crowds turning out.
It places a lot of pressure on the Nix because they’re our only hope of seeing a good level of competitive football in NZ in a cup or finals series or down the straight of an attempt to become the Premiers.
We could strategically lose to the Solomons in the OFC final and still play the repechage... though with Bazeley not sure if strategy will be required
The 2026 WC repecharge series will be a tourney, of about 6 teams (incl yes 2nd in OFC). Tourney likely to be in North America. The days of high stakes H&A Intercontinental Playoffs are over.
And we all know the AWs will coast through OFC qualifying when it returns to it's pre Covid H&A format. The players could literally coach themselves, and still be way too good for the Island teams.
Qualifying format hasn't been finalised, I don't think, it could change. There's no incentive for the other ten full members to do anything that would benefit us. Any match in New Zealand is exponentially more difficult for them to win than at home or even neutral ground in Oceania. They could theoretically push forward a new format of more centralised competition hosted in one place. The OFC Champions League was, of course, all in Vanuatu this year, and City got pushed further than ever. I'd think any other federation would have watched that with great interest.
With the intercontinental playoff previously being home/away at FIFA level, the OFC side would still have to go away if they won, now with the direct ticket, they could qualify for the World Cup without ever leaving the Tropics. Would there even be any way of stopping that? If OFC members brought it forward and it passed 10-1, FIFA could possibly just say 'the members voted for this and we respect the democratic process'.
There are alot of things wrong with FIFA. But I'd consider it highly highly unlikely that they would allow a Confederation to 'gang up' on clearly the best nation in the tinpot OFC, and allow WC qualification and it's $15M odd payday to come down to some sham of a one off tourney.
If busy Confeds like UEFA with Nations League & Euro qualifying can also also find space for H&A WC qualifying with pools of 5-6 teams - FIFA knows OFC has plenty of time to organise proper H&A qualifying. Anything less and they leave themselves open to a $15M damages appeal/lawsuit by NZF. NZF might rightly try & lodge a case that OFC lacking integrity, be disbanded, and just gobbled up into a greater AFC.
FIFA also deep down want their new shiny 48 team WC to showcase the increasing depth in world football, with lots of close games. They don't want Fiji rocking up and being thrashed 12-0 by Germany.
I think it has been a tragedy losing the playoff game because a meaningful and intense game at home has been shown to get the passions of the local fans and the media going and get the crowds turning out.
It places a lot of pressure on the Nix because they’re our only hope of seeing a good level of competitive football in NZ in a cup or finals series or down the straight of an attempt to become the Premiers.
We could strategically lose to the Solomons in the OFC final and still play the repechage... though with Bazeley not sure if strategy will be required
The 2026 WC repecharge series will be a tourney, of about 6 teams (incl yes 2nd in OFC). Tourney likely to be in North America. The days of high stakes H&A Intercontinental Playoffs are over.
And we all know the AWs will coast through OFC qualifying when it returns to it's pre Covid H&A format. The players could literally coach themselves, and still be way too good for the Island teams.
Qualifying format hasn't been finalised, I don't think, it could change. There's no incentive for the other ten full members to do anything that would benefit us. Any match in New Zealand is exponentially more difficult for them to win than at home or even neutral ground in Oceania. They could theoretically push forward a new format of more centralised competition hosted in one place. The OFC Champions League was, of course, all in Vanuatu this year, and City got pushed further than ever. I'd think any other federation would have watched that with great interest.
With the intercontinental playoff previously being home/away at FIFA level, the OFC side would still have to go away if they won, now with the direct ticket, they could qualify for the World Cup without ever leaving the Tropics. Would there even be any way of stopping that? If OFC members brought it forward and it passed 10-1, FIFA could possibly just say 'the members voted for this and we respect the democratic process'.
There are alot of things wrong with FIFA. But I'd consider it highly highly unlikely that they would allow a Confederation to 'gang up' on clearly the best nation in the tinpot OFC, and allow WC qualification and it's $15M odd payday to come down to some sham of a one off tourney.
If busy Confeds like UEFA with Nations League & Euro qualifying can also also find space for H&A WC qualifying with pools of 5-6 teams - FIFA knows OFC has plenty of time to organise proper H&A qualifying. Anything less and they leave themselves open to a $15M damages appeal/lawsuit by NZF. NZF might rightly try & lodge a case that OFC lacking integrity be disbanded, and just gobbled up into a greater AFC.
FIFA also deep down want their new shiny 48 team WC to showcase the increasing depth in world football, with lots of close games. They don't want Fiji rocking up and being thrashed 12-0 by Germany.
Is that really what FIFA want though? Or do they want to wring a sh** tonne more money out of their cash cow? Did they make any adjustments to the World Cup after thrashings at previous tournaments? Or do they just make noise about the great learning experience, expanding the football family etc etc.
FIFA is about politics, and in their system every country gets one vote. Oceania will never vote to disband itself - especially not with the expanded WC opportunity - and almost no one running for FIFA top office would consider risking the Oceania voting bloc (it's not huge, but could be critical in FPP type elections). Perhaps someone at FIFA level, one day, might want to explore getting rid of it - but if Asia don't want us, there's no way the FIFA bigwigs risk losing Asian support either...
FIFA won't care to any huge degree how OFC does it qualifying. If OFC cry poverty, logistics, we need a tournament etc, FIFA won't be too bothered. At the end of the day, palms get greased in this part of the world as an inconvenient part of allowing more teams from the big, cashed up confederations to attend the big dance. That's all it is.
If FIFA actually cared about what football fans actually want, they wouldn't be making these changes. But they know they have a unique business model, with the "product" so globally popular that they can do literally anything and it does not set them back one iota.
If a billion people boycotted watching the next WC in protest at the changes, they'd be reversed in a nano-second. But we all know that's not going to happen - because football isn't like any other product. I don't like my shoes, or my bread, I'll buy another brand - there's no other football World Cup. So they got us - you, me, everyone who loves the World Cup. And they'd give less that the steam off a cow-pat's worth of care about whether NZ fans are happy or not about the games our FA arranges or doesn't - because it doesn't affect them at all whether we're strong or not.
If we want change, we would need to make it happen ourselves at our own level (dual squads, expand OFC, organise tournaments etc) - although as this thread has shown, changing things in positive proactive ways might not exactly be the strong point of our football administrators...
I think it has been a tragedy losing the playoff game because a meaningful and intense game at home has been shown to get the passions of the local fans and the media going and get the crowds turning out.
It places a lot of pressure on the Nix because they’re our only hope of seeing a good level of competitive football in NZ in a cup or finals series or down the straight of an attempt to become the Premiers.
We could strategically lose to the Solomons in the OFC final and still play the repechage... though with Bazeley not sure if strategy will be required
Inaugural coach of Auckland A League team, balls my word.
Danny Hay far more likely.
The MLS is far ahead of the ALM, and right now the gap is widening - revenue growth, crowds, profile, marquee players etc etc. Inter Miami have Busquets, Alba & the GOAT. Nix have Ball, Zawada & Wootten.
Still if Herdman got sacked by Toronto and was desperate for a gig, it could happen.
This was literally in February: "To our Canadian players and our fans, I want to reiterate my commitment to Canada Soccer and the growing of this program. At the World Cup in Qatar, our men showed the world that they belong at that level. I'm not going anywhere. We still have a job to do, and the objective is to take this team to the next level in 2026."
I still think he was trying to use the New Zealand job to get leverage over the federation in Canada to get what he wanted in terms of funding for his program and I also believe he led the New Zealand FA to believe that he would take the All Whites job if offered.
He has done tremendous things for the sport in Canada and both the men's and women's program and I still have a lot of fondness for his time here, but I think his motivational tactics were starting to fall on deaf ears and the team wasn't playing with the same passion for him as they had before. I also firmly believe that a second four-year international cycle under a manager is never as good as the first and since Canada Soccer had no money to fire him, this is the best possible outcome for us. It was already feeling like it had gone a bit stale. I am very worried about who we will hire in his place, but I think a change was needed and this was the only way it was happening.
Toronto FC will be an interesting first management position in club football. They're an absolute mess, they have a huge wage bill and big expectations. Lorenzo Insigne stormed off the practice pitch last week in a fit. They've lost 10 straight and have only scored in two of those matches. Herdman loves a project and his enthusiasm should be a breath of fresh air, but I wonder how long that lasts...
People here really think we should have waited it out with him? He clearly wasn't particularly keen on the job just using it for leverage.
I'll tell you what would have happened - he'd have decided on leaving the Canada gig, we'd have "competed" with Toronto for his signature, clown journos would be tooting that we were about to sign him again, and in the end.... he'd have used us for leverage again and still signed with Toronto FC.
Just give up the damn ghost - who wants a coach who only halfheartedly wants the job, how are they meant to motivate the players ffs?
At least Bazeley has shown commitment to football in this country and never had any ulterior motives in pursuing the job.
Honestly, the calamitous final months of Herdmans time as Canada boss, as well as his tendency to go into bat against the federation and the fact that he actually hasn't accomplished anything since qualifying back in 2021 shows that in some ways, we may even have dodged a bullet... but that's probably an unpopular opinion
Honestly, the calamitous final months of Herdmans time as Canada boss, as well as his tendency to go into bat against the federation and the fact that he actually hasn't accomplished anything since qualifying back in 2021 shows that in some ways, we may even have dodged a bullet... but that's probably an unpopular opinion
Nah bro, the Canadian Federation is completely fudgeed at the moment, can’t blame it on Herdman at all.
Be interested to know if any other 'Kiwis' there apart from Bazeley, Bullock & Temple. Folks decry the lack of NZ born coaches high up in NZ football, but without the right quals hard to get there.
16 COACHES COMPLETE OFC PRO LICENCE COURSE IN NEW ZEALAND
Participants included New Zealand Head Coach Darren Bazeley, his assistant Martin Bullock, Wellington Phoenix A-League Women’s Head Coach Paul Temple, Fiji Football Association Technical Director Tim Jankowski, and Fédération de Tahitienne Football Technical Director Patrice Flaccadori.
Be interested to know if any other 'Kiwis' there apart from Bazeley, Bullock & Temple. Folks decry the lack of NZ born coaches high up in NZ football, but without the right quals hard to get there.
16 COACHES COMPLETE OFC PRO LICENCE COURSE IN NEW ZEALAND
Participants included New Zealand Head Coach Darren Bazeley, his assistant Martin Bullock, Wellington Phoenix A-League Women’s Head Coach Paul Temple, Fiji Football Association Technical Director Tim Jankowski, and Fédération de Tahitienne Football Technical Director Patrice Flaccadori.
Think, if I recognise correctly, that is Chris Milicich on the left in the black shirt and glasses, and Andy Boyens in the white shirt between Milicich and Bazeley. They both have the New Zealand accent. Jose Figueira and maybe Scott Hales might be on the course too, but I'm not so certain (though they both have 'English' accents).
Bindon, Ingham, Elliot, Kirwan, Payne, Tuiloma, Wilkins. Payne would probably be number one, with Kirwan second?
Mysterious vanishing men: Storm Roux and James McGarry. And seeing we’re including LoI: Deklan Wynne.
You’d assume Elliot and Tuiloma would struggle due to lack of minutes. On the other hand Elliot was a stand out at the Nix and his unfortunate situation doesn’t seem entirely of his own making. And Smith has only played a few more minutes.
It seems to me that almost anyone there (perhaps with the exception of Tuiloma), but Bindon who is a CB, is used to playing as an attacking RB.
What order would you have ranked these guys before the last window? And now?
Goran should do his research. ACT Govt have paid Football Australia to have the first game in Canberra.
Bazeley on Ryan Thomas - "Darren I just need 6 months completely fit and injury free before I can consider the extra loading of international football"
Worst place to play football in his career (incl the old UK grounds)? - Honiara
The All Whites’ chief talks about the upcoming two-match series against Australia and the preparation faced by both teams ahead of next year’s FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Former All White Tom Doyle joins the show, which is episode 23 and the final of the first season.
Baz has had his fair share of critics since his appointment - but I think overall he has done enough to show he deserves his role.
Pushing De Vries into a LW role showed he has the ability to think creatively (none of us saw it coming) and in general, whilst we lack spark in the attacking third our general passing game is much improved and we do look to keep possession more.
Baz has had his fair share of critics since his appointment - but I think overall he has done enough to show he deserves his role.
Pushing De Vries into a LW role showed he has the ability to think creatively (none of us saw it coming) and in general, whilst we lack spark in the attacking third our general passing game is much improved and we do look to keep possession more.
I'd give him a very solid 7.5/10 so far.
For sure. I was a Critic because in the past it was stack the defence and hit a hopeful one over the top BUT he has some good players to choose from and they are not letting him down. It's good to watch and he is getting on field results with the performances. Fair dues to the man, he's earned his appointment and praise.
Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!
Another item from that podcast is that Bazeley & Co monitor about 60 NZ mens players. And when picking a squad he will often ring those who were either dropped, or were close to being picked but weren't. Give them some honest feedback on why they missed out.
The coach he most admires is Graham Taylor, who coached Baze at Watford. He reckons Taylor was far more honest than most coaches back then, and he made a real effort to connect with all the players, know their wife's/partner's names etc etc. Not common at that time, and players really responded well to that. It felt like their coach cared.
It's also clear that the way the AWs are setup now, and how they plan to play going forward is very player driven. A strong self belief now that they can get results against sides like Ukraine & Ivory Coast (teams in that 20-50 ranking range), which will likely be two of their pool opponents at the WC. A win & a draw should be enough to go through to the knockouts.