All Whites, Ferns, and other international teams
Winston Reid and AW friendlies
73 replies
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6,004 views
Please give your vote and opinion.
Nelsen thinks he should stay with his club. I'm not actually sure how I will vote yet, but I think that getting settled with the club is fairly important- If he can get a regular starting role at the back!!!
though with no Nelsen and no Reid we could get a hiding from Paraguay at home, and this would be no homecoming triumph and bring no satisfaction to the fans who want the chance to support this team of champions in person.
Plus in the eyes of the general public it would diminish the World Cup result if we were to get tonked.
and sheeet have to be honest wanna see them both play, but...is that worth the potential cost- surely more EPL time will be better for the future of NZ football.
Still thinking. It's a toughie for me..yours please
martinb2010-08-19 17:13:34
Nelsen thinks he should stay with his club. I'm not actually sure how I will vote yet, but I think that getting settled with the club is fairly important- If he can get a regular starting role at the back!!!
though with no Nelsen and no Reid we could get a hiding from Paraguay at home, and this would be no homecoming triumph and bring no satisfaction to the fans who want the chance to support this team of champions in person.
Plus in the eyes of the general public it would diminish the World Cup result if we were to get tonked.
and sheeet have to be honest wanna see them both play, but...is that worth the potential cost- surely more EPL time will be better for the future of NZ football.
Still thinking. It's a toughie for me..yours please
martinb2010-08-19 17:13:34
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Does yes mean stay or does no mean stay?
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right err...yes means umm...hang on a poll edit coming up
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The All Whites is probably the best way this sport is able to get exposure in this country. To grow the game we have to have a viable and strong national team.
For all of Rufers and even Nelsens excellent careers in Europe, they do not get well covered in NZ and do not generate warm fuzzies like a good national side do.
Best All White team should be playing, if Reid is in that category he should be here.
For all of Rufers and even Nelsens excellent careers in Europe, they do not get well covered in NZ and do not generate warm fuzzies like a good national side do.
Best All White team should be playing, if Reid is in that category he should be here.
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Hmmm....
But if he can get a foothold in an EPL club, as a charismatic young Kiwi this means constant ongoing 6pm exposure for two kiwis in the EPL. Even better as Reid is the WC goal scoring hero- most will recognise his exuberance and the front covers with his picture.
yeh still haven't decided. Wouldn't be a good look to start Siggie, Vicelich, Smith (or Boyens/Old) across the back when we want our triumphant heroes to cheer. Still great to have Siggie, Ivan et al, but we want to compete with Paraguay, maybe even upset them...and win more fans...
But if he can get a foothold in an EPL club, as a charismatic young Kiwi this means constant ongoing 6pm exposure for two kiwis in the EPL. Even better as Reid is the WC goal scoring hero- most will recognise his exuberance and the front covers with his picture.
yeh still haven't decided. Wouldn't be a good look to start Siggie, Vicelich, Smith (or Boyens/Old) across the back when we want our triumphant heroes to cheer. Still great to have Siggie, Ivan et al, but we want to compete with Paraguay, maybe even upset them...and win more fans...
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So lets assume that Reid is pencilled in to play the next West Ham game, but decides to fly 24,000 miles to play a friendly in front of the 16,000 people who can be bothered to go and watch the national team play. He gets back from the trip very jet lagged and not really in the right condition to play, so is dropped to the bench. The team without him does well, winning the game and keeping a clean sheet with Faubert playing well at right back and Ben Hiam excelling at centre back with Upson. Obviously the manager keeps the same team for the next match.
Over the next month, there are no injuries and a settled side that is doing well. Reid bides his time on the bench but the lack of game time affects his fitness levels and play (reserve games are nowhere near the same intensity or skill levels). Nearly 2 months after his last game in the first team he gets a chance while Upson has a one match ban for accumulated bookings. Rusty, he has a terrible game, looking off the pace and struggling to keep up in a bad loss for the team. He is made the scapegoat, and when the next team is announced (with Upson back in the starting line up), Reid is not even on the bench.
Well done - you have transformed a regular premier league player into a guy rotting in the reserves jsut so he could play a mickey mouse game on the other side of the world to keep a handful of fans happy.
*Scenario over*
All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight
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Pssst, Frankie. You've got your CLaret and Blue goggles on, not your black and white ones.
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I have always said it is a massive waste of time for Nelsen/Killen/Elliottt to come back for games when they are playing in the UK, and it is no different for Reid.
Having players playing regularly in the Premier League, Championship or SPL is a lot better for the state of NZ football than having them back to play in front of crap crowds in meaningless friendlies 3 times a year.
All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight
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So lets assume that Reid is pencilled in to play the next West Ham game, but decides to fly 24,000 miles to play a friendly in front of the 16,000 people who can be bothered to go and watch the national team play. He gets back from the trip very jet lagged and not really in the right condition to play, so is dropped to the bench. The team without him does well, winning the game and keeping a clean sheet with Faubert playing well at right back and Ben Hiam excelling at centre back with Upson. Obviously the manager keeps the same team for the next match.
Over the next month, there are no injuries and a settled side that is doing well. Reid bides his time on the bench but the lack of game time affects his fitness levels and play (reserve games are nowhere near the same intensity or skill levels). Nearly 2 months after his last game in the first team he gets a chance while Upson has a one match ban for accumulated bookings. Rusty, he has a terrible game, looking off the pace and struggling to keep up in a bad loss for the team. He is made the scapegoat, and when the next team is announced (with Upson back in the starting line up), Reid is not even on the bench.
Well done - you have transformed a regular premier league player into a guy rotting in the reserves jsut so he could play a mickey mouse game on the other side of the world to keep a handful of fans happy.
*Scenario over*
OK Frankie, I'm going to take out this bit...
"...decides to fly 24,000 miles to play a friendly in front of the 16,000 people who can be bothered to go and watch the national team play. He gets back from the trip very jet lagged and not really in the right condition to play, so is dropped to the bench..."
....and replace it with...
"gets injured at West Ham training the day before the game".
And leave the entire rest of your scenario the same. So who's fault is it now?
Players lose their place in a side for a number of reasons - they're not deemed ready after being away on international duty, they get injured, they get suspended, they lose form, the manager employs different tactics etc.
If Reid isn't good enough to win his place back in the side after any or all of these scenarios then he's not good enough to be in the side in the first place. To say he's going be transformed from "...a regular premier league player into a guy rotting in the reserves..." just because he played a couple of All Whites games is drawing a pretty long bow.
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Piney vs Frankie - Battle of the heavyweights, although all Piney's weight is in his height, Frankies ? Not so much.
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Play him in the Saturdy game and than send him back to West Ham.
A dog with a bone :)
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been working out quite a bit since SA, so looking pretty fit at the moment - it was the sight of how Greene had let himself go that made me think I would hate to look like that.
Back on subject.
Of course any number of factors can cause a player to lose his place in a side, but I do not see any benefit of him flying to NZ and the risk of the consequences are massive. If the game was a qualifier like the Bahrain game, or even a warm up game to a fixture like that, then it is worth it. For a mickey mouse friendly that will be played in front of basically no one, then there is no way in the world that it should happen.
At the level of football these guys are playing at, the competition for places is massive. Even senior pros like Nelsen struggle to get back into teams (look at what happened last season when he missed a few games and Phil Jones came in and did well - from memory he had a couple more weeks on the bench till he played again). It is naive to say "well he should be good enough to get his place back" because chances can be very few and far between - like I said, reserve games over here are a completely different level compared to premier league games.
Especially so early in his career, to be able to get a run of games in the first team will help build the belief that he is good enough to play at this level and he deserves to be there. To miss out on that because of a nothing game on the other side of the world seems pointless.
All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight
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As always Frankie you make good points. Yes, I'd hate to see his West Ham place jeopardised through any international commitments he may have. That would be a tragedy for him so early in his EPL career.
You keep saying "nothing game", "meaningless", "basically no-one turning up", "crap crowds", "handful of fans".... but I'm not sure any of those apply to these matches. Sure, they're not qualifiers for anything but they have massive significance given what happened at the World Cup and the constant urgings from just about everyone for NZF to capitalise and "not repeat the mistakes of '82". They are the first step towards keeping the All Whites in the shop window, retaining football's profile here and making these guys accessible to their fans.
Estimates are for around 20 thousand people at each game ... apart from the Bahrain game I don't think there's been a home crowd that big for an All Whites game for nearly three decades. It's hardly a crap crowd.
There also seems to be a view that Reid definitely won't play on October 16 if he comes to NZ...not sure that's based on anything other than a feeling that the travel may "take it out of him". He may well slot straight back in if he plays well between now and then and arrives back in London fit and ready.
Great debate though - good arguments for both sides.
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very selfish of you trying to keep him there Frankie.
Oh and I am back to being cut as fk.
Founder
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He has a three year contract. if he's good enough he is going to make a career at west ham regardless of whether he has to fly to NZ once a year.
It's one game he might miss (might bc he could still get back to the UK by THursday). West Ham will play about 50 competitive games this year. He may not even be in the starting XI anyway.
We need all our European players and their managers to get used to the fact that if they are called up by NZF they are bloody well expected to show. Otherwise, we will forever get walked over. Once we've had everyone coming back a couple of times it will just become routine.
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when I saw you in SA Feverish, my first thought was that Hard News had made the trip.
I just cannot see there being 2 big crowds for these games - I would love there to be, but I just cannot see it happening.
To not repeat "the mistakes of 82" I don't think that we have to have games in NZ, but just have to have games. I think it would be better having fixtures in the states or Asia where all the players can (and will attend.....actually, maybe take Rory out of that...). I think it is better for the profile of football in NZ having players on TV every week in the premier league, and then going all out to have them come back for one or two games at the end of the season in NZ - a time that is more convenient for them. If the NZFA works at making players like Nelsen happy (and by that I mean don't try to force them to come home for games at this stage of the season) then I am sure that they will be keener to take a week off their holidays at the end of the season and play the games then.
All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight
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I think it's more important for Reid, Nelsen etc to play in this game than it is for them to play in qualifiers v the Island Nations. These are hugley significant games for a number of reasons, 1. it's an oportunity to keep the AWs in the public eye, 2. financially it's important that we don't lose money and we need these guys here for crowds and 3. intangibly it ceements the Aws in the public's conciousness as a real team.
Frankie that scenario would suggest that he should possibly stay away, but it's a completely hypothetical scenario as well. Does that mean that he shouldn't play any matches at all for the All Whites, even if they are scheduled in Europe as he could possibly be injured?
Yes having players playing in top leagues is important, but at the same time we also need our team to play football together if we're ever going to improve. Friednlies are a bit annyoing, I can understand why managers hate them but they are the only opportunity that we have to play as a team.assemble the team.
Normo's coming home
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I think it is better for the profile of football in NZ having players on TV every week in the premier league, and then going all out to have them come back for one or two games at the end of the season in NZ - a time that is more convenient for them. If the NZFA works at making players like Nelsen happy (and by that I mean don't try to force them to come home for games at this stage of the season) then I am sure that they will be keener to take a week off their holidays at the end of the season and play the games then.
But you won't get anyone to play you at the end of the season as it isn't in a FIFA window
Normo's coming home
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the crowds will be excellent frankie and akl will sell out is myguess. people are fired up to see AWs.
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I see these games as a Roman triumph when the legions return to the acclaim of the masses, and the champions can take their accolades...North Shore should sell out ( I hope!!FFS) and Hoping Ring of Fire does...
but still haven't voted...
but still haven't voted...
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how did Reid get to West Ham? through the exposure he got from the AWs.
When you are climbing the ladder of success you don't kick out the bottom rung.
When you are climbing the ladder of success you don't kick out the bottom rung.
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I think it is better for the profile of football in NZ having players on TV every week in the premier league, and then going all out to have them come back for one or two games at the end of the season in NZ - a time that is more convenient for them. If the NZFA works at making players like Nelsen happy (and by that I mean don't try to force them to come home for games at this stage of the season) then I am sure that they will be keener to take a week off their holidays at the end of the season and play the games then.
But you won't get anyone to play you at the end of the season as it isn't in a FIFA window
with some give and take over the season, I am sure you will.
All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight
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how did Reid get to West Ham? through the exposure he got from the AWs.
When you are climbing the ladder of success you don't kick out the bottom rung.
When you are climbing the ladder of success you don't kick out the bottom rung.
You think no one had heard of him before the 4 games he played for NZ?
He owes a lot more to the Daneland federation than he does to the NZ one
All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight
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I think it's more important for Reid, Nelsen etc to play in this game than it is for them to play in qualifiers v the Island Nations. These are hugley significant games for a number of reasons, 1. it's an oportunity to keep the AWs in the public eye, 2. financially it's important that we don't lose money and we need these guys here for crowds and 3. intangibly it ceements the Aws in the public's conciousness as a real team.
Frankie that scenario would suggest that he should possibly stay away, but it's a completely hypothetical scenario as well. Does that mean that he shouldn't play any matches at all for the All Whites, even if they are scheduled in Europe as he could possibly be injured?
Yes having players playing in top leagues is important, but at the same time we also need our team to play football together if we're ever going to improve. Friednlies are a bit annyoing, I can understand why managers hate them but they are the only opportunity that we have to play as a team.assemble the team.
injuries are an unavoidable part of football. Missing games and losing his place in the team due to fatigue from travelling is completely avoidable
All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight
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Do you object to the travel or playin gin the game?? i.e. what would your advice be if the AWs were playing two matches in Europe?
Normo's coming home
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To not repeat "the mistakes of 82" I don't think that we have to have games in NZ, but just have to have games. I think it would be better having fixtures in the states or Asia where all the players can and will attend (.....actually, maybe take Rory out of that...). I think it is better for the profile of football in NZ having players on TV every week in the premier league, and then going all out to have them come back for one or two games at the end of the season in NZ - a time that is more convenient for them. If the NZFA works at making players like Nelsen happy (and by that I mean don't try to force them to come home for games at this stage of the season) then I am sure that they will be keener to take a week off their holidays at the end of the season and play the games then.
All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight
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Fair enough, but I disagree with that. The difference in having games on in NZ at peak times in the evening when there is proper media coverage, perhaps even on free to air TV, compared to midweek matches that are going to be played either early in the morning or during the afternoon is massive. I was in NZ when we played mexico, the game was on at maybe 3pm on a Thursday, no coverage, no hype.
I can understand your argument for Reid personally, but I think that these games are really important for NZ Football - and at this point I think that has to trump individual ambition.
Anyway, moving on a bit the crowds will really define what happens in the future. From a selfish point of view o'd love to see the AWs play in Europe soon
Normo's coming home
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why do we want the All Whites to have more games? For me, the reasons in order of importance are:
* To become a better team
* To give young New Zealander's something to look up to
* Entertaining middle aged men who should know better
Personally, I think the way to satisfy all of these reasons (except the one about the middle aged men) is to bend over backwards to satisfy your stars - Nelsen, Reid, Fallon and Jones (with a little bit of luck). If they don't want to fly to NZ, play games elsewhere where it does not inconvenience the other players (such as Europe) but is accessible for everyone, such as Asia or the States. There is plenty of decent teams for us to play in these areas, so getting the top class fixtures we all crave will not be a problem. That solves reason 1.
Building the bond with the kids of the country is all about the give and the take with the star players - the compromise of not making them fly back for meaningless games in NZ in October, is that they come down for 1 week at the end of the season and play a game or two then. We could work with the Aussie federation and see if we can make the trans-tasman game a yearly fixture, or I am sure we could get something else organised. During that week, they see their family, do lots of promotional work, play a couple more games, then they get their summer off for the holiday. They are not forced into coming, but I am sure that they will be a lot more agreeable to the idea due to the fact they know the NZFA are working with them. Kids will also look up to kiwi players they see playing week in, week out in the premier league.
The comment that Sammy made about how they have to realise that if they get selected for games they have to come is just not going to work. In the UK players can cry off internationals very easily and that is with the "threat" of having to see the national team doctor for clearance. NZ are not going to fly a doctor over here to examine Nelsen if he says his hamstring is tight, and he is sure as sh*t not going to fly back to have to prove it.
Frankie Mac2010-08-20 04:19:11All I do is make the stuff I would've liked
Reference things I wanna watch, reference girls I wanna bite
Now I'm firefly like a burning kite
And yousa fake fuck like a fleshlight
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why do we want the All Whites to have more games? For me, the reasons in order of importance are:
* To become a better team
* To give young New Zealander's something to look up to
* Entertaining middle aged men who should know better
Personally, I think the way to satisfy all of these reasons (except the one about the middle aged men) is to bend over backwards to satisfy your stars - Nelsen, Reid, Fallon and Jones (with a little bit of luck). If they don't want to fly to NZ, play games elsewhere where it does not inconvenience the other players (such as Europe) but is accessible for everyone, such as Asia or the States. There is plenty of decent teams for us to play in these areas, so getting the top class fixtures we all crave will not be a problem. That solves reason 1.
Building the bond with the kids of the country is all about the give and the take with the star players - the compromise of not making them fly back for meaningless games in NZ in October, is that they come down for 1 week at the end of the season and play a game or two then. We could work with the Aussie federation and see if we can make the trans-tasman game a yearly fixture, or I am sure we could get something else organised. During that week, they see their family, do lots of promotional work, play a couple more games, then they get their summer off for the holiday. They are not forced into coming, but I am sure that they will be a lot more agreeable to the idea due to the fact they know the NZFA are working with them. Kids will also look up to kiwi players they see playing week in, week out in the premier league.
The comment that Sammy made about how they have to realise that if they get selected for games they have to come is just not going to work. In the UK players can cry off internationals very easily and that is with the "threat" of having to see the national team doctor for clearance. NZ are not going to fly a doctor over here to examine Nelsen if he says his hamstring is tight, and he is sure as sh*t not going to fly back to have to prove it.
Here's the thing Frankie- the country is hungry to have a real taste of top level football and we won't get it without Reid and Nelsen. The games aren't meaningless for us.
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1. I'm certain NZF could employ a doctor based in East London or Blackburn to carry out a physical if needed.
2.There is an equally possible scenario that: Nelson, Reid, Woods and Smith decide to stay in the UK and not travel back to NZ to play against Honduras and Paraguay. As a result the games attract low numbers, NZ is soundly beaten in both games resulting in a loss of FIFA ranking points and being unable to attract any decent opposition to play again in the foreseeable future. NZF lose a substantial amount of money on the games and has to severely cut back its investment in the grass roots of the game and the NZ game suffers. No future stars are developed through the youth system and NZ never qualifies for a World Cup again. True NZ fans that supported the AWs when the likes of Reid and Smith didn't play for them, become disillussioned and decide to spend more time and money on supporting somehting that they think shows them the respect they deserve. The new fans that got caught up in the euphoria of our World Cup success go along to the games and are put off forever because they didn't see our stars and we got a thrashing.
3. From what I've seen and heard so far is that Winston is quite happy to come home and play for us, he knows that his WC campaign had a lot to do with where he is now. I think he will do the right thing and come home. The Nelsen interview was a bit of a beat up and I think the emphasis has been put on the negative connotation rather than dismissing it as simply one of the things that would be going through Winston's mind as he makes the right decision. Ryan can afford to stay in the UK, he is near the end of his career, has now played in a World Cup and [perhaps] in the back of his mind knows that he did Nz a favour by playing for us and not the other way around.
4. Football is a team game and I am a firm believer that the best people make the decisions that are best for the bigger picture, not just what is best for themselves. Generational thing I guess.
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So lets assume that Reid is pencilled in to play the next West Ham game, but decides to fly 24,000 miles to play a friendly in front of the 16,000 people who can be bothered to go and watch the national team play. He gets back from the trip very jet lagged and not really in the right condition to play, so is dropped to the bench. The team without him does well, winning the game and keeping a clean sheet with Faubert playing well at right back and Ben Hiam excelling at centre back with Upson. Obviously the manager keeps the same team for the next match.
Over the next month, there are no injuries and a settled side that is doing well. Reid bides his time on the bench but the lack of game time affects his fitness levels and play (reserve games are nowhere near the same intensity or skill levels). Nearly 2 months after his last game in the first team he gets a chance while Upson has a one match ban for accumulated bookings. Rusty, he has a terrible game, looking off the pace and struggling to keep up in a bad loss for the team. He is made the scapegoat, and when the next team is announced (with Upson back in the starting line up), Reid is not even on the bench.
Well done - you have transformed a regular premier league player into a guy rotting in the reserves jsut so he could play a mickey mouse game on the other side of the world to keep a handful of fans happy.
*Scenario over*
Frankie - this scenario sounds like the plot of the movie The Butterfly Effect starring Ashton Kutcher. That was a sh*t movie.
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No English based players = Lost opportunity to capitalise on the WC campaign.
If none of these guys are gonna play, we might as well scrap the games and send the Phoenix to North Harbour to play a friendly up there
Jag2010-08-20 09:31:16Apparently I'm apathetic, but I couldn't care less.
"Being a Partick Thistle fan sets you apart. It means youre a free thinker. It also means your team has no money." Tim Luckhurst, The Independent, 4th December 2003
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1. I'm certain NZF could employ a doctor based in East London or Blackburn to carry out a physical if needed.
2.There is an equally possible scenario that: Nelson, Reid, Woods and Smith decide to stay in the UK and not travel back to NZ to play against Honduras and Paraguay. As a result the games attract low numbers, NZ is soundly beaten in both games resulting in a loss of FIFA ranking points and being unable to attract any decent opposition to play again in the foreseeable future. NZF lose a substantial amount of money on the games and has to severely cut back its investment in the grass roots of the game and the NZ game suffers. No future stars are developed through the youth system and NZ never qualifies for a World Cup again. True NZ fans that supported the AWs when the likes of Reid and Smith didn't play for them, become disillussioned and decide to spend more time and money on supporting somehting that they think shows them the respect they deserve. The new fans that got caught up in the euphoria of our World Cup success go along to the games and are put off forever because they didn't see our stars and we got a thrashing.
3. From what I've seen and heard so far is that Winston is quite happy to come home and play for us, he knows that his WC campaign had a lot to do with where he is now. I think he will do the right thing and come home. The Nelsen interview was a bit of a beat up and I think the emphasis has been put on the negative connotation rather than dismissing it as simply one of the things that would be going through Winston's mind as he makes the right decision. Ryan can afford to stay in the UK, he is near the end of his career, has now played in a World Cup and [perhaps] in the back of his mind knows that he did Nz a favour by playing for us and not the other way around.
4. Football is a team game and I am a firm believer that the best people make the decisions that are best for the bigger picture, not just what is best for themselves. Generational thing I guess.
Yip, all of this.
I don't think it is too much to ask Reid and Smith to give back to New Zealand football. We qualified for the World Cup without them, All Whites selection allowed them to fulfil boyhood dreams of playing at the World Cup (I acknowledge their presence on the team was pivotal in our performances there, of course). Yet neither have put on the All Whites shirt in New Zealand. On a personal level, I'd imagine that would be special in itself for them. Missing one game is unlikely to ruin their professional careers. In Reid's case, if he hasn't impressed at the Hammers and secured his place in the first team by the time of the friendlies, coming over here is not going to make a difference. If he does impress in the games before then, Grant is not going to give up on him if he is the best option in the back four just because he misses a game.
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As far as I'm concerned both Winston Reid and West Ham have made decisions with their eyes wide open that they simply need to take responsibility for.
Winston didn't have to choose to play for NZ, but he did and he should accept the consequences of that (especially as it's worked out very nicely for him). It sounds like he's going to do that so that's good.
West Ham also didn't have to sign Winston if they saw this as a major problem. They clearly thought he was still worth a significant investment, however, despite the occasional trip to the other side of the world. It sounds like they have cleared him for these games so that's good too.
These friendlies are a special case also. NZF rightly want to seize some WC momentum and showcase the All Whites at home as soon as possible. But Michael Glading has already said he doesn't see the AW's playing more than one home international a year on an ongoing basis, with the rest of an international programme happening overseas. Sounds good. What more could the players possibly ask for?
Winston didn't have to choose to play for NZ, but he did and he should accept the consequences of that (especially as it's worked out very nicely for him). It sounds like he's going to do that so that's good.
West Ham also didn't have to sign Winston if they saw this as a major problem. They clearly thought he was still worth a significant investment, however, despite the occasional trip to the other side of the world. It sounds like they have cleared him for these games so that's good too.
These friendlies are a special case also. NZF rightly want to seize some WC momentum and showcase the All Whites at home as soon as possible. But Michael Glading has already said he doesn't see the AW's playing more than one home international a year on an ongoing basis, with the rest of an international programme happening overseas. Sounds good. What more could the players possibly ask for?
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Some are arguing that Nelsen and Reid are indispensable to nz football! Reality is that Nelsen is probably past his prime. Reid is nobody until he hopped onto NZ bandwagon and went to SA through the FIFA rule change, otherwsie he is still in a lower league somewhere in Europe and still a nobody. Time to dig deep and develop real local talents quickly so nz football is not held hostage by these elusive ungrateful stars. Time to stop worshipping these foreign stars!!!
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Some are arguing that Nelsen and Reid are indispensable to nz football! Reality is that Nelsen is probably past his prime. Reid is nobody until he hopped onto NZ bandwagon and went to SA through the FIFA rule change, otherwsie he is still in a lower league somewhere in Europe and still a nobody. Time to dig deep and develop real local talents quickly so nz football is not held hostage by these elusive ungrateful stars. Time to stop worshipping these foreign stars!!!
I'm not sure whether you can really say Nelsen is past his prime, but regardless he is still New Zealand's finest defender. Without Nelsen, and even Reid and Smith, the All Whites will struggle to have any credibility on the world stage and will fall back down the Fifa rankings. As a result they will struggle to find opponents for friendlies and will once again become cash-strapped. There will be no $10m for qualifying for the World Cup without Nelsen and our top overseas-based players. There will be no money to invest in the country's local talents.
It's a two-way street. Reid and the like have gained a lot from the All Whites and the All Whites gain a lot from them. Both need to go out of their way for the other.
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...if you could also arrange for them to have a gigantic profile in NZ by October 9th that would be excellent as well.
Get to it AB.Hard News2010-08-20 14:26:19
Get to it AB.
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Some are arguing that Nelsen and Reid are indispensable to nz football! Reality is that Nelsen is probably past his prime. Reid is nobody until he hopped onto NZ bandwagon and went to SA through the FIFA rule change, otherwsie he is still in a lower league somewhere in Europe and still a nobody.�Time to dig deep and develop real local talents quickly so nz football is not held hostage by these elusive ungrateful stars.�Time to stop worshipping these foreign stars!!!
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Building the bond with the kids of the country is all about the give and the take with the star players - the compromise of not making them fly back for meaningless games in NZ in October, is that they come down for 1 week at the end of the season and play a game or two then. We could work with the Aussie federation and see if we can make the trans-tasman game a yearly fixture, or I am sure we could get something else organised. During that week, they see their family, do lots of promotional work, play a couple more games, then they get their summer off for the holiday. They are not forced into coming, but I am sure that they will be a lot more agreeable to the idea due to the fact they know the NZFA are working with them. Kids will also look up to kiwi players they see playing week in, week out in the premier league.
Won't happen, they'ge got that Cup in January and their calender seems pretty busy these days.
Oceanic Expert2010-08-20 20:45:41
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