Who do we want to see in a white shirt?

Friar Tuck

The level of our squad has come a long way when you set it out like this:

AWs 2025.png 320.62 KB

Won't be long until we have a genuine powerhouse club up there I reckon, question is just who will it be?

I wouldn't have thought it 12 months ago, but honestly reckon it might be Surman. Didn't expect him to get as good as he is already in such a small space of time. 

I think Bindon has the higher ceiling across their careers, but I just have a feeling Surman could break into the prem before him. Sheffield are in an absolute state at the moment and if Surman contines on his current trajectory I could see him getting a move to a top 5 league before Bindon has the chance of minutes for Forest. If not EPL, the Bundesliga could be a real option - seems to be a well trodden path for US based players.

Jazzy Jeff

Friar Tuck

The level of our squad has come a long way when you set it out like this:

AWs 2025.png 320.62 KB

Won't be long until we have a genuine powerhouse club up there I reckon, question is just who will it be?

I wouldn't have thought it 12 months ago, but honestly reckon it might be Surman. Didn't expect him to get as good as he is already in such a small space of time. 

I think Bindon has the higher ceiling across their careers, but I just have a feeling Surman could break into the prem before him. Sheffield are in an absolute state at the moment and if Surman contines on his current trajectory I could see him getting a move to a top 5 league before Bindon has the chance of minutes for Forest. If not EPL, the Bundesliga could be a real option - seems to be a well trodden path for US based players.

Surman in a Dortmund jersey just feels right to me, maybe it’s the yellow.

Do Dortmund have a history of buying from MLS? Surely the Phil Neville connection is much more likely to have him going to somewhere like Everton next

If Matt DD keeps getting starts in L2 surely he comes back into the picture. 

Elemenop

If Matt DD keeps getting starts in L2 surely he comes back into the picture. 

Agreed, midfield depth with everyone fit now looks like:
- Thomas
- Stamenic
- Bell
- Garbett
- Rufer
- Dibley-Dias
- Howieson

No way is MDD above Howieson lol

Howieson is a bench option for Auckland. MDD if he starting will definitely get a look, especially since he has more an all whites career potentially ahead of him.

I’d bet my money on Stamenić to be the one that makes the step a top club in the near future followed by Surman. 

Stamenic will get a fair few eye balls on him with Swansea if they can start winning. He will rack up the minutes and he’s got quite a CV for a 23 year old in the EFL which is rare. 

League & Cup double in Denmark, Serbia and Greece for 3 of the biggest clubs in those countries is a very impressive resume.

Add all that up and he’s a top 3 player for us already and has been for the last 2 odd years now under Bazeley I think his potential is very high. 

I’ve always been very high on him though so I’m biased lol. 

MetalLegNZ

Howieson is a bench option for Auckland. MDD if he starting will definitely get a look, especially since he has more an all whites career potentially ahead of him.

Chesterfield are tracking well in L2 (4W from 5 games) so for them to chuck MDD straight back into the starting lineup last night, after a few weeks out with injury does say something.

Bazeley seems a fan, but yeah Dibley-Dias now needs to go and play 20-30 games consisently well at that level. Does that, and he might come into contention for the March 2026 window for a looksee if is a few injuries etc. Will also keep the pressure on Rufer to have a very good ALM season (esp with Thomas back in the mix), and that ain't a bad thing for the Nix.

A loyal servant but hopefully Howieson's AWs days are over.

I'd rather have Howieson at the World Cup than MDD who has never played consistent senior football. If MDD bosses League Two all season and Howieson gets little to no game time all season then that might change but it is strange that the guy plays one League Two game and all of a sudden is threatening Rufer for his place in the pecking order, yet alone Howieson who very much looks at home in a dominant A-League team when he plays and has far, far more experience than MDD who has done nothing in his career except be a youth player for Fulham. 

No one is picking him now... but 6 months is a long time in footy.

imanixsupporter

I'd rather have Howieson at the World Cup than MDD who has never played consistent senior football. If MDD bosses League Two all season and Howieson gets little to no game time all season then that might change but it is strange that the guy plays one League Two game and all of a sudden is threatening Rufer for his place in the pecking order, yet alone Howieson who very much looks at home in a dominant A-League team when he plays and has far, far more experience than MDD who has done nothing in his career except be a youth player for Fulham. 

1. It’s a subjective ranking, and is more just a list of our depth rather than a strict rank from best to worst.

2. The World Cup is in 2026, not tomorrow. Howieson will be 4th choice behind Verstraete, Gallegos and Brimmer this season. If he stays fit, it seems that MDD will start a full season in L2 - much better prep for a WC than bench warming.

Tbf I don’t think either MDD or Howieson will be going but there’s a long way to go. 

Stamenic, Thomas, Bell, Rufer will be the 4 midfielders going. Maybe since 3 of them will be basically nailed on as the starting 3 in the middle then one of Howieson or MDD will go. 

Another dark horse potentially could be Owen Parker Price. If his side can get promoted to the Swedish Top flight and he finds himself in the starting lineup with some form, then I wouldn’t be shocked if he gets put in as a 5th choice midfielder before the other two. 

Sh817

Tbf I don’t think either MDD or Howieson will be going but there’s a long way to go. 

Stamenic, Thomas, Bell, Rufer will be the 4 midfielders going. Maybe since 3 of them will be basically nailed on as the starting 3 in the middle then one of Howieson or MDD will go. 

Another dark horse potentially could be Owen Parker Price. If his side can get promoted to the Swedish Top flight and he finds himself in the starting lineup with some form, then I wouldn’t be shocked if he gets put in as a 5th choice midfielder before the other two. 

This is a decent shout give 0PP is an attacking player, most of our midfielders are defensive minded.

Something I’ll definitely be keeping tabs on for the next year is OPP and his side. He’s an absolute baller and can definitely play amongst this crop of All Whites. 

It’s crazy it’s taken till 26 years for a pro club to find him!! 

He almost has that Ryan Thomas Esque flare about him. Maybe a bit more of a holding player but can spring forward with confidence and pick passes out like nothing. 

His size is a question mark in today’s game but the guy is so intelligent it almost doesn’t matter.

 It’d definitely be one of the crazier stories if he can crack that All Whites squad sometime in the next year or for the WC. 

It will certainly be an interesting WC squad, will be some disappointed players (and fans) when they don’t make the cut….. assuming injuries don’t come into play and ravage the nice little depth we are starting to have

imanixsupporter

I'd rather have Howieson at the World Cup than MDD who has never played consistent senior football. If MDD bosses League Two all season and Howieson gets little to no game time all season then that might change but it is strange that the guy plays one League Two game and all of a sudden is threatening Rufer for his place in the pecking order, yet alone Howieson who very much looks at home in a dominant A-League team when he plays and has far, far more experience than MDD who has done nothing in his career except be a youth player for Fulham. 

After his glandular fever recovery Rufer was not at his usual high levels, last season. GF is a nasty one and so his energy levels may just not have been 100%

A year ago many on here were saying drop Bell, Roofs needs to start for the AWs. Now it’s not even questioned he sits a fair way back behind Bell and Stamenic. Those two were super good in June

Rufer needs a good ALM season, and hopefully the Nix are decent enough to help him. Threats yes to his spot from younger players are coming from different directions. Forgot about OPP

Right now Alex R is on the plane to Nth America, but yeah the next 6 months is plenty of time for say a MDD or OPP or other hyphen to just play so well as to nail a spot

I agree although I still think Rufer’s physicality, size and to sit deep in certain games if he comes on is very valuable opposed to MDD, OPP or Howieson.

But it for sure makes an interesting convo when it comes to selection time. 

coochiee

imanixsupporter

I'd rather have Howieson at the World Cup than MDD who has never played consistent senior football. If MDD bosses League Two all season and Howieson gets little to no game time all season then that might change but it is strange that the guy plays one League Two game and all of a sudden is threatening Rufer for his place in the pecking order, yet alone Howieson who very much looks at home in a dominant A-League team when he plays and has far, far more experience than MDD who has done nothing in his career except be a youth player for Fulham. 

After his glandular fever recovery Rufer was not at his usual high levels, last season. GF is a nasty one and so his energy levels may just not have been 100%

A year ago many on here were saying drop Bell, Roofs needs to start for the AWs. Now it’s not even questioned he sits a fair way back behind Bell and Stamenic. Those two were super good in June

Rufer needs a good ALM season, and hopefully the Nix are decent enough to help him. Threats yes to his spot from younger players are coming from different directions. Forgot about OPP

And yeah the next 6 months is plenty of time for say a MDD or OPP or other hyphen to just play so good as to nail a spot

Friar Tuck

The level of our squad has come a long way when you set it out like this:

AWs 2025.png 320.62 KB

Won't be long until we have a genuine powerhouse club up there I reckon, question is just who will it be?

Chris Wood plays for a powerhouse, I think you mean "who next?"

Khalil Media

Friar Tuck

The level of our squad has come a long way when you set it out like this:

AWs 2025.png 320.62 KB

Won't be long until we have a genuine powerhouse club up there I reckon, question is just who will it be?

Chris Wood plays for a powerhouse, I think you mean "who next?"

Eh, Forest are undoubtedly a big club with rich history and are playing European football now, but I’m thinking PL top 6 and Champions League clubs in the major European nations. Clubs that are always challenging to win a top 5 league.

Like Man United?!

I'm not so sure any of our AWs will ever be at your definition of a 'powerhouse' club. A club say regularly in the UCL from any of the top 5 leagues. Maybe Surman?

But not a big deal, if it never happens. 

I mean the last Socceroo at such a club, I'm guessing would have been Harry Kewell at Liverpool, 20 odd years ago. And he was an injury ridden flop there really. Before that Kewell & Viduka at Leeds who at the time were very strong. 

Bozza when not snorting coke, in goal at Man United for a bit. Well travelled Matt Ryan made 3 Arsenal appearances, and sat on the pine at Roma. His predecessor Mark Schwarzer got 4 Chelsea games. On the Socceroos keeper theme 
Zeljko Kalac managed 38 games at AC Milan as mostly the no 2 GK there over 4-5 seasons.


4-6 AWs (so half the starting 11) in top 5 leagues is though a realistic aim, sometime in the next 4 years. Say 3-4 in the EPL and Old in Ligue One. That could make this AWs generation at their peak by the 2030 WC.

Oi Oi Edgecumbe

Like Man United?!

Ha!

Stamenic and Surman are probably our best shouts at getting to those powerhouse clubs. But even then I’m not sure they will be able to manage that.

The player pool in this sport is absolutely stupid. No breaking news in me saying that but you can find plenty of Stamenic’s and Surman’s in World Football. It really takes something absolutely special to be signed by one of those enormous clubs.

Getting players in solid top 5 league club environments and a couple in Europa/UCL competitions is a more realistic goal we should set for our players.

coochiee

I'm not so sure any of our AWs will ever be at your definition of a 'powerhouse' club. A club say regularly in the UCL from any of the top 5 leagues. Maybe Surman?

But not a big deal, if it never happens. 

I mean the last Socceroo at such a club, I'm guessing would have been Harry Kewell at Liverpool, 20 odd years ago. And he was an injury ridden flop there really. Before that Kewell & Viduka at Leeds who at the time were very strong. 

Bozza when not snorting coke, in goal at Man United for a bit. Well travelled Matt Ryan made 3 Arsenal appearances, and sat on the pine at Roma. His predecessor Mark Schwarzer got 4 Chelsea games. On the Socceroos keeper theme 
Zeljko Kalac managed 38 games at AC Milan as mostly the no 2 GK there over 4-5 seasons.


4-6 AWs (so half the starting 11) in top 5 leagues is though a realistic aim, sometime in the next 4 years. Say 3-4 in the EPL and Old in Ligue One. That could make this AWs generation at their peak by the 2030 WC.

LBS will end up at a big "big club". I think he's the most promising young kiwi since Reid. I see him as WC bolter, in the same vein that Wood was in 2010.

Friar Tuck

The level of our squad has come a long way when you set it out like this:

AWs 2025.png 320.62 KB

Won't be long until we have a genuine powerhouse club up there I reckon, question is just who will it be?

for 4 years you could have had Bayern Munich up there.

Marto

LBS will end up at a big "big club". I think he's the most promising young kiwi since Reid. I see him as WC bolter, in the same vein that Wood was in 2010.

Agreed, I think his ceiling is incredibly high. In every game I have seen him there has been something that has impressed me. At the Auckland derby (6-1), all of the Auckland fans I was sitting next to were waxing lyrical about him and asking who he was. That's pretty crazy for a 17 year sub who is on the losing side of a 6-1 pumping. 

Excited to see where he ends up. 

Cacace was the last player I saw come through in NZ who had a similarly high ceiling. Still think he could also end up at a top top club. 

coochiee

I'm not so sure any of our AWs will ever be at your definition of a 'powerhouse' club. A club say regularly in the UCL from any of the top 5 leagues. Maybe Surman?

But not a big deal, if it never happens. 

I mean the last Socceroo at such a club, I'm guessing would have been Harry Kewell at Liverpool, 20 odd years ago. And he was an injury ridden flop there really. Before that Kewell & Viduka at Leeds who at the time were very strong. 

Bozza when not snorting coke, in goal at Man United for a bit. Well travelled Matt Ryan made 3 Arsenal appearances, and sat on the pine at Roma. His predecessor Mark Schwarzer got 4 Chelsea games. On the Socceroos keeper theme 
Zeljko Kalac managed 38 games at AC Milan as mostly the no 2 GK there over 4-5 seasons.


4-6 AWs (so half the starting 11) in top 5 leagues is though a realistic aim, sometime in the next 4 years. Say 3-4 in the EPL and Old in Ligue One. That could make this AWs generation at their peak by the 2030 WC.

Can't forget Ned Zelic, won a Bundesliga playing for Dortmund in the 90s.

Friar Tuck

Khalil Media

Friar Tuck

The level of our squad has come a long way when you set it out like this:

AWs 2025.png 320.62 KB

Won't be long until we have a genuine powerhouse club up there I reckon, question is just who will it be?

Chris Wood plays for a powerhouse, I think you mean "who next?"

Eh, Forest are undoubtedly a big club with rich history and are playing European football now, but I’m thinking PL top 6 and Champions League clubs in the major European nations. Clubs that are always challenging to win a top 5 league.

Chris Wood played for Newcastle. They are definitely a massive club and with the new ownership getting close to becoming a "powerhouse".

Jazzy Jeff

coochiee

I'm not so sure any of our AWs will ever be at your definition of a 'powerhouse' club. A club say regularly in the UCL from any of the top 5 leagues. Maybe Surman?

But not a big deal, if it never happens. 

I mean the last Socceroo at such a club, I'm guessing would have been Harry Kewell at Liverpool, 20 odd years ago. And he was an injury ridden flop there really. Before that Kewell & Viduka at Leeds who at the time were very strong. 

Bozza when not snorting coke, in goal at Man United for a bit. Well travelled Matt Ryan made 3 Arsenal appearances, and sat on the pine at Roma. His predecessor Mark Schwarzer got 4 Chelsea games. On the Socceroos keeper theme 
Zeljko Kalac managed 38 games at AC Milan as mostly the no 2 GK there over 4-5 seasons.


4-6 AWs (so half the starting 11) in top 5 leagues is though a realistic aim, sometime in the next 4 years. Say 3-4 in the EPL and Old in Ligue One. That could make this AWs generation at their peak by the 2030 WC.

Can't forget Ned Zelic, won a Bundesliga playing for Dortmund in the 90s.

Robbie Slater a Premier League winner as well when Blackburn won in 94/95.

Danny Hay was also in that Kewell/Viduka Leeds team, even if he didn't play a lot. With Lucas Radebe, they had the rare full South Africa, Australia and New Zealand triumvirate.

Why not aspire to it?

If 16 years since the last world cup when few had done much in Europe.
We've had kids early twenties in Serie A and Ligue 1 and one of the best in the Premier League for two seasons and a 21yo recently captaining his MLS side - a top 10 league in the world,
With 3-4 professional academies and pathways in NZ and kiwis stock rising abroad, our players are only going in one direction.

He may not have played at the definition thats been given of a powerhouse club but surely Tim Cahill deserves a mention.

ballane

He may not have played at the definition thats been given of a powerhouse club but surely Tim Cahill deserves a mention.

Everton were a lot better when Cahill was there tbf. Consistently top 6/7, made Europe almost every season, made a couple domestic finals.

Also quite obviously a massive club.

TheFlyingKiwis

Why not aspire to it?

If 16 years since the last world cup when few had done much in Europe.
We've had kids early twenties in Serie A and Ligue 1 and one of the best in the Premier League for two seasons and a 21yo recently captaining his MLS side - a top 10 league in the world,
With 3-4 professional academies and pathways in NZ and kiwis stock rising abroad, our players are only going in one direction.

For sure aspire to it. I think Surman could maybe get there. Phil Neville will be inspiring him with stories of the Man U glory Ferguson years.

But as someone posted above, it's just so bloody hard to ever become a starter at a big club that plays regularly in the UCL, which is basically what we are talking about. You need to be cream of the cream level, in a sport that takes many of the world's best athletes. 

I mean sure there are more and better organised academies and pro pathways now in little NZ, but the same will be true of much of the (under developed) football world. Countries that have countless academies and certainly more than just 2 (or 4?) full time professional teams, so literally hundreds of young players in what 100 plus(?) countries each training full time dreaming the Euro football dream.

Euro clubs for example know Africa is a potential huge and ever growing cheap pipeline of talent. I mean what was the % of African players in the EPL now, compared to 20 years ago? Even Burnley now has players of colour! It's just a shreer weight of numbers game.

These are the top 40 according to UEFA’s 5 year coefficient rankings.

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Stamenic has already ticked off a few, though there are certainly some factors in how the coefficient is calculated that has some clubs perhaps higher than you might expect.

Bodo/Glimt for instance are still a small club despite their European adventures, and in no world should United be top 20 in the big year of 2025.

Interesting rangers make the list when Celtic have won the last 4 and ain’t on the list

YellowAndBlack

Interesting rangers make the list when Celtic have won the last 4 and ain’t on the list

It's the top 40 by UEFA coefficient, which is based purely on results in UEFA competitions.

andrewvoerman

YellowAndBlack

Interesting rangers make the list when Celtic have won the last 4 and ain’t on the list

It's the top 40 by UEFA coefficient, which is based purely on results in UEFA competitions.

Ah thanks, I probably should of thought about it more 😂

I’ve been really surprised that this WC campaign hasn’t unearthed any “hidden gems” last time (from memory which is pretty shark) we got wood, Smith and Reid. I would have thought there might have been someone playing at a Decent level that’s realised that maybe if they want to play at a WC now’s the time to come forward. 

YellowAndBlack

I’ve been really surprised that this WC campaign hasn’t unearthed any “hidden gems” last time (from memory which is pretty shark) we got wood, Smith and Reid. I would have thought there might have been someone playing at a Decent level that’s realised that maybe if they want to play at a WC now’s the time to come forward. 

Wood has never been anything but a well-known Kiwi?

The big thing in 2009/10 was FIFA changing eligibility rule to allow players (McGlinchey and Fallon before Bahrain; Smith, then, following a bit of intrepid work by Andrew Gourdie, Reid after) to represent different countries at youth and senior level. All four were also well-enough known beforehand.