World Cup Squad Discussion

I beg to differ. He gets a bit one tracked mind and tries to dribble past everyone when there is a lack of support from his teammates because he is under pressure. I.e., he is trying too much. He needs to be even more creative when the chips are down not fall down to a one track thinking.

He is a confidence player, so he needs others to lift him up as well as him lifting others up. He and Ifill are similarin many ways like that, but his teammates need to know that and encourage him to try odd different things on the back of simple things. I wouldn't want him to be a 60:40 player, but rather a 70:30 player with least error working toward a 80:20 player.

lol

I expect Leo tobe way better come the OZ game, he plays better when fresh after some time off.

Oh I see, local humour.

Less chips and fish and more salads and beans makes a player gleam. . . .

I think Mulligan is going to make it to the cup, even though he hasn't had much game time. Versitle, and has played a number of internationals.

I know he hasn't had any game time in a long time... but i think he will get in. wait and see..
hockeycam2010-04-15 18:58:23

Story on Claphams WC aspirations on ONE news tonight I believe.

It makes me sick hes in the team and Oughton isn't.

To be at the World Cup the player must be one of the top two players in each position available to play all games at time of naming deadline.
This is 22 players plus 1 for extra GK cover.
It is not a holiday for Ricki's mates. Moss should be told you Fd.up.
Hard cheese son.

Alf Ramsey didn't give a sh*te that Greaves was his number one striker in 66. He took a knock in a game and was left out after that. Geoff Hurst took his chance in the next game and we know what he went onto do.

Football NZ are as much to blame as Mossy for the last two matches of his 4 game ban

but agree with your main point - not sure if having Moss available for game 3 only makes him worth taking

tbh a suspended Moss may still be better than the other options. 

We've got a shortage of good keepers in this country, particularly when Phil Imray isn't available for NZ and for some reason Jake Gleeson has never even been looked at.

How could a suspended player be better than one that is available HN?  That's non-sensical (just like taking a 3rd keeper who is unavailable when you're No. 1 is coming off 4 months out)

I think you may have missed the tongue-in-cheek nature intended in that line JD - although the points about a shortage of keepers stand.

that Gleeson will be our top keeper in 3 or 4 years. looks the goods.

Like it or not Mossy deserves to get one game of a lifetime and in the team environment and dressing room, every player knows that he should be there by right. I don't think there is much opposition in the squad to his inclusion especially when NZF stuff up the appeal.

To be honest, I think that it is fair to take him, it would make the defenders work that more harder when they know that they are one goal keeper down in the first two games. Common sense is not always the best option for motivation. . . .

Paston, Spoonley, Bannatyne. That should be the three keepers Ricki takes to SA.

your right. Apart from Spoonley, who is not up to international level. Take that Moss guy. He's good.

What's the point if he can only play 1 game?

He may be eligible for 2 or 3 games though Buff, depending on how we get on in the first round. 

We won't make it past the first round, so one game.

I guess one way to justify it is that the most likely time we will need our third keeper is the third game for which Moss is available for.

IF we weren't to take Moss, I would much prefer Gleeson to be taken than Spoonley - I think he is better now, and has much greater potential.

Says who? I remember some Aussie knob saying the Nix would finish with the wooden spoon.

I really hope Clapham goes over Mulligan, his awareness in the NZFC was amazing, he looked class, would fit into the A-league quite easily IMO.

I just said it didn't I?

Third string goalkeepers are rarely used at the world cup so its unlikely that we would need a third keeper before our third game. Given that Moss is arguably our best keeper, we should take him just for that game.

And in the unlikely event that a draw will see us into the latter stages.....wouldn't we want to play our strongest available team? And IMO that includes Moss.

Besides.....Moss really shouldn't have been suspended for the 1st two games. The punishment far outweighed the crime, even had we not qualified. We qualify for world cups rarely, and we can expect a tougher route next time. I'd take him purely on the basis that it is unjust to rob a man of his dreams unfairly.

And yeah i do think Richard Wilson should have been given some game time in Spain......

Moss is maybe the right type keeper against Paraguay. . . . so I have no problems with that. It's a calculated risk but the odds are good still.

From the front page article...

agree

def agree. 

Sweet holiday for Spooners in SA staying and training with the squad and "getting to experience the World Cup".

Stand-by players don't travel with the squad, but can be included in cases of emergency.

Yeah but 12 hr time difference and 20 odd travels hrs I'd think and "non-travelling" players would be very close buy to avoid jetlag issues. European and African players have less time difference issues so probably wouldn't travel. NZ and Aussie (maybe even other asian and possibly South American countries) I would suggest would be in SA.

Well, I don't know if NZF would be keen to have extra players there sitting on their arses waiting to see if they'll be needed, especially considering the likelihood that they won't be. It does cost money.

Other than the jet-lag, there's no other advantage of flying them over straight away - they won't be allowed to train/interact with the squad, and like I said, it probably wouldn't justify the cost.

With a squad of 23 (and even that will be scraping the bottom of the NZ football talent barrel) then the only extra player I'd keep in camp would be Spooners. Everywhere else should be covered in the 23 and we know aboutt eh potential issue with keepers. Also, as soon as the final whistle blows in the fist game the issues will be known. If Paston is uninjured and not sent off the the issue dissapears.

Worst comes to worst Me and Ali James will be around to fight it out (possibly literally )

Great item on three talking to Pevs, Brockie and Ricki about this weeks camp.

Check online once it's up.

Post a link when found anyone, ta.

http://www.3news.co.nz/Crunch-time-for-All-Whites-hopefuls-/tabid/415/articleID/153427/Default.aspx

The page is borked at the mo.