AkCity FC At The FIFA World Club Cup

No silence,  all congratulated to AFC Twitter account so more good was done. 

Very good well played. Christ are you sure that Vader has twitter?

So good to watch, very exciting for NZ football. 

Ifill has the cheque book out at Wairarapa?

Good to see players getting a look in at clubs.

For guys like Irvine who made a big gamble coming to NZ I hope he gets something really good out of it.

"I was impressed by the physical and mental strength of the Auckland City players, who've had to play one game after another," said coach Luis Fernando Tena.

"They're exceptional players and I'd be happy to have them in my team. I'd like to congratulate our opponents for taking third place because they thoroughly deserve it."

Source: http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/tribulietx-bas...

Nice to see their coach giving Auckland credit rather than blaming the ref, or saying his team had an off day, were unlucky, etc, etc. That quote is a pretty huge compliment coming from the coach of such a strong team.

Casillas annoints his successor!

Croatia takes pride in the achievements of Ivan Vicelich and "the New Zealand club with strong Croatian roots":

Story in a major English language Croatian publication from Zagreb:

http://www.croatiaweek.com/ivan-vicelich-creates-h...

Was interesting to see Auckland players and officials deep in discussion with Croat Luka Modric of Real Madrid after the game.

C'mon Luka, sign for Auckland or have a spell in the A-League with the Nix.....

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Interesting background on Ramon's intense training methods and the players:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c...

"It's a huge sacrifice," says chairman Ivan Vuksich. "They have trained five times a week, every week. It's a big ask and can be a strain. That's often why we end up having quite a few unattached or single guys."

"Ramon is pretty relentless," says Vuksich. "He's driven towards a completely professional approach. He can be very demanding sometimes but knows what it takes to get results. There can't be half measures. If you want to give everything to football and commit totally, he'll love you. If you want to muck around, you won't last long."

...But Tribulietx is as much about science as sweat. He has a degree in exercise physiology and his sessions are famous for being done totally with the ball, with none of the repetitive sprints and long-distance runs common at many clubs. The team do endless grid work on close-quarter skills, which was reflected in their comfort on the ball at the Club World Cup.

They have been playing footballing millionaires in Morocco; most Auckland City players are paupers by comparison. Five of the squad live in a large house close to Kiwitea St, sharing two bathrooms with 10 people....

...Although only three of the usual starting XI are New Zealand-born (Vicelich, Tamati Williams and Tim Payne), that is a bit deceiving.

Darren White arrived from England when a few months old, Fabrizio Tavano moved to New Zealand when aged 12, Ryan De Vries is a New Zealand citizen after arriving as a teen, Mario Bilen has emigrated and Emiliano Tade will be eligible for a Kiwi passport next year."

Sorry. Some days, I actually ignore my addiction and focus on real world stuff like my wife, lawns and shark. At the end of the day, you are the last person I expected to be clammering for me to post so you can now cool your hard on for me - I am here.

I have made comment that they have played well. They achieved a result that no one realistically expected. You might hear a couple tell you they believed from the beginning but that's nothing more than parochialism. This was not predicted by anyone.

The efforts of Ivan are not a surprise. We have all been saying he is our best international DM and he is retired and older than the Titanic. He is the consummate professional that other players should aspire to be like. He is fit, in shape, never injured, speaks well in the media and plays well on it. He has showed some signs of age this year (Chatham Cup final) but would still fit in any international club side and not look out of place.

Ryan de Vries boosted his stocks nicely. He would not look out of place in the Phoenix side ala Krishna with his pace. He certainly has a few more tricks than Cunningham has showed us. I think if he wants to kick on, I hope he goes to a league overseas where he is allowed to run at the FBs with ball at feet (similar to the style of Marco and Kosta) because I feel that's his strength. As a stepping stone, a year or 2 at the Phoenix would help him adapt his body and game to being a professional and then kick on. 

John Irving was hoping to get picked up by other sides after Everton and probably will. Very very composed and I would be surprised if he is still here in January. Money talks and he has earned a pay day through his performances.

I still have a question mark around this team as to whether they are a 3-4 week tournament style team (ala AWs WC2010) or can consistently play at that level week in week out across 25-30 games. We don't know that so in context of what he know, their results are outstanding and well deserved. It would be nice in context of that, that their 'supporters' don't immediately go to the 3rd best team in the world and saviours of football in NZ schtick. They might find they will get a sharkload more respect for it and can bask in that glory rather than ram it down our throats.

Well done ACFC - well deserved.

Well done ACFC.........BUT

I can't actually get too excited about this as I am a long time TW supporter (Contrary to popular opinion, there are people who support TW week in week out, year in and out) and have seen us spanked time and time again by Auck City. I don't wanna cheer for a team that I really dislike.

Thanks for the money though, will help our cause no end.

congrats Auckland City awesome to watch and see Ivan up on stage with Ronaldo  

the only got third so not eligible for Halberg award. Will go to Valerie or ABs 1st in minority sport worldwide

So when AWs won Halberg in 2010 they got it because???

And this is why giving other ASB teams a cut is bollix.

Guess you'll find out when they play Penix Reserves after xmas and NY break which players were ring ins, I suspect not many were if any 

I think that Nigerian guy who scored the final penalty was a ring-in, otherwise I thought it was their actual squad.  Not entirely sure on this though, just going by a news report I heard.

True, but do you remember the stink the rugby and other sporting communities created after it was given to them. 

Not involved in any capacity at ACFC and havent seen any games in ASB Prem this season so not in the know about who's in or out.

But like you just looked in website and only Issa from CWC squad hadnt played ASB Prem before CWC

But Tavano and Kim played winter for Central Utd so defo not imports for CWC

Dordevic is only on loan from his Serbian club (it was never a full transfer from Amicale of Vanuatu) and played one ASB Premiership game vs. Team Wellington before departure to Morocco (and got sent off), Sanni Issa may be short term too.

This: There is a new reg in the ASB Premiership that "50 percent of match-day squads come from players eligible to play for the All Whites."

http://www.centralfootball.co.nz/region/manawatu/n...

So Auckland City won't be able to include all the foreigners from the Club World Cup in their ASB Premiership team.

Players eligible for AW's in CWC squad:

http://www.fifa.com/clubworldcup/clubs/club=190351...

Vicelich, Williams, Spoonley, Pritchett, De Vries, Arms, Payne, Lindsay, Caunter, Milne, White, Burfoot

That's all folks!!! Twelve players eligible for the AW's out of the squad of 23 and three of them are goalkeepers. 

The rest are simply not eligible to play for NZ (David Browne included - born in PNG of PNG mother & English father, PNG youth international in competitive games, no NZ family connections at all, no NZ passport - has been at boarding school in Auckland for a couple of years)

They also have two foreigners in their ASB squad (Kim, Moreira) who were also in the squad last season but who were injured and didn't play in the Club World Cup, though they were named in the squad of 23.

So if Auckland had a matchday squad of say 14 as they seem to, then only seven could be foreigners. Kim and Moreira are two of them when fit - leaving five other spots from the remaining foreigners. And they had eleven foreigners in the CWC squad - so  it wouldn't be worth retaining them all if six can't be part of a matchday squad.

Auckland City have an ASB Premiership squad of 25 players on their website (the 23 CWC players plus the two Japanese Matsumoto and Tajima):

http://www.aucklandcityfc.com/squad/

Doubt if they'll retain all the foreigners.

Tavano has played every game in the ASB premiership this year and Kim has been available but has been on the bench for every game. Kim also played in last years O league for Auckland. Dordavic and Issa both joined late. Dordavic did play aginst TW but got sent off. Issa, I believe is here for the season 

Peter Staunton, UK and Ireland correspondent, goal.com:

Peter Staunton @petermstaunton  Dec 20

Auckland, for me, the football story of 2014.

Nice appreciation of Auckland City by Mr Staunton who was at the tournament:

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1776/club-world-cup/20...

"I was surprised when I saw a member of the 41-strong Auckland City delegation sitting in the lobby of the plush Sofitel in Marrakech. Shouldn't an amateur outfit count their pennies a little more carefully instead of spending hundreds of dollars a night in such luxurious surroundings? (I should add that I was only there myself in a vain attempt to stake out Sepp Blatter).

In any case, I brought this up with an Auckland City staff member when chatting during the Fifa Club World Cup third-place playoff win against Mexico's Cruz Azul. He was happy to point out that the Wi-Fi was so bad at his team's less salubrious place down the road that they had resorted to availing themselves of the facilities at the upmarket hotel instead.

There is much to be admired about Auckland City, not only their inventive methods of keeping in touch with friends and families back home when on the other side of the world. While Real Madrid's millionaires are assigned a bodyguard each to walk past the media in the post-match interview zone, Auckland are happy to stop and chat. They even carry their own kits, water bottles and other equipment. There are no airs and graces. They don't seem to realise what an impact they've made here in Morocco, finishing third behind only Real Madrid and San Lorenzo, who they deserved to beat....

...This is a community club like you'd find in any town or city across the world...

....The last time Vicelich stood on the same pitch as the Cruz Azul defender Francisco Maza Rodriguez, they were playing for New Zealand and Mexico respectively in the OFC - Concacaf World Cup playoff in Mexico City. The hosts came out on top 5-1 that day and won on aggregate 9-3 in total. Some revenge this...."

Auck City and Ivan Vicelich nominated for Halberg Awards:

 https://nz.sports.yahoo.com/news/article/-/2583344...

"New Zealand Football will be allowed to enter late nominations for Auckland City to be considered for the Halberg Awards.

Voting for the awards closed last week, but there is provision to allow late entries for significant events which occur in December.

They'll be entered in the team of the year category for their feats at the Club World Cup, while Ivan Vicelich will be nominated for sports man of the year.

Ramon Tribulietx is not eligible for the coach of the year award."

Waits for Duck Taylor to wade in making a cod of himself.

What are you on about? I've been very happy with the results, and have constantly said as such. 

I heard the result so watched other games before catching the penalty shootout before the nix game last night. Have only just caught up with this thread now. 

Western Seedny Wanderers fans envious of Auckland City on their fan forums:

http://www.westsydneyfootball.com/topic/6018-club-...

Posted 11 December 2014 - 07:19 AM

 On another note these Auckland FC players are amateur aren't they. Let's sign some of them up. 

Posted 18 December 2014 - 06:05 AM

"Auckland really aren't a bad team I don't understand how they have such a high salary cap to buy so many foreign players .. "

Posted Yesterday, 12:30 PM

"Outperformed by a team of amateurs over th course of the entire tournament... Great stuff, Wanderers!"

Yep I think that is the joke mikey was making. 

This video has some really good interviews: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sportvideos/news/video.c...

It's nice to see an interview where people are given a chance to answer questions, rather than the usual rushed interview where people have seconds to answer a question.

They seem like a good bunch of humble, down to earth guys. The main thing which comes through to me is how much of a team they are, and how they are all wanting to do well for each other and the club.

Sigh

Yeah whats in a name!!

I mean you guys would'nt mind being called Wellington Parasites eh

Agree. Not hard to get the team name right.

In the scheme of what has been achieved and the publicity that has generated for your club, do you really think a petulant tweet like this is good? 

How many mentions got the name wrong in comparison to those that got it right?

Just revel in the publicity you are getting and have a word to those who persistantly get it wrong. This just makes the club look churlish

Or perhaps just Wellington, or just the Phoenix. No one is using a slag term for Auckland City... its just been abbreviated, blame text language and the advent of social media.

Just enjoy the fact people are even talking about you... because in all honesty, 30 days ago no one was!!