Auckland City FC - Thanks a Trillion

I would have said he was one of the better players on the park, certainly the most creative player on show, had a few good corners too. Played behind the front 2, left-sided attacking midfield role

Was 4 RVS or Sam Campbell? Both are not any chop.

Heard that Mulligan was told to fight it out with Pritchett for RB position yesterday so he left. Either way, there are some unhappy people that have left but when you go to CWC and got players on a tidy wage, you can do what you like.

Adam Dickinson is a bit of head case but that's not an unknown surprise. Danko is still their best player.

We now have six Spanish-speaking players in the first team - Berlanga, Reira, Garcia, Exposito, Corralus and Tade. I've nothing against the lads and they're good players but it does make you wonder why we've lost so many Kiwi players in the past two years - Adam Thomas, Adam McGeorge, Sam Campbell, Mulligan and Morgan? In their place has come a Spaniard, a Brit (Bale) and a Japanese (Taka). I know the priority is to win the O League and try to crack the Fifa Club World Cup, but I'm worried that too many exciting young NZ players are being driven away by the influx of imports. I think the balance has tilted too much one way and I'm not the only one saying this at Kiwitea Street.

yeah, they run the risk of disassociating the team from the fans

we have a ridiculous foreigner rule in the asb prem, whereby a player who spends one full season as a foreigner, becomes a local player for the next season

pretty easy to build a fully foreign XI in three years, or quicker if you sign foreigners from other clubs

this needs to be addressed if the league is to move forward

Generally more foreigners in the league will be a good thing so long as they're better than what else is on offer - it's probably not good though if they're all playing for one club

Hmm - tee dubs have had plenty of foreigners over the years though

not all at once

foreigners are good for the league because generally they raise the standard, which is i'm guessing why this generous foreign player quota is there

but this is of no use if foreign players constitute the majority or entire starting XI

nzf needs to think about the optimum quota which balances the development of players eligible for new zealand selection with those that are here to raise the standard

of course, there's also a third factor; the quality of the team that we put out at the world cup championships, which of course will be higher (in theory) if we load the team with foreign players

for the purpose of developing the standard of our domestic footy, i'm all for foreign player quotas being high, but not limitless as they currently are

I agree Reg22, I think a fair maximum foreign quota limit would be less than 50%. Remember it was mainly Kiwi players in ACFC's team who won two games in the 2009 Club World Cup, including beating the African champions. The scorers in that tournament were Kiwis Jason Haynes (2), Chad Coombes, Ricky Van Steeden (goal of the tournament) and Dicko (a Brit). Stacking a team with imports doesn't necessarily mean we're more competitive, but it does restrict the development of local players. I'm for a proper balance of both.

I just find it hilarious that they had this proclamation of being home grown players. Even the die hards in the knitting circle could not maintain that line anymore.

To be fair to True Blue (Magic) he has fully acknowledged that in his Humble Pie thread.

At the end of the day it's not a pissing contest is it? It's about what's best for NZ football. I'm delighted that the Phoenix now has a solid core of Kiwi players, with more in the Academy. And yes, it seems a shame that one of our flagship ASB Prem clubs has gone the other way.

What constitutes a home grown player anyway? David Mulligan? Michael McGlinchey? Shane Smeltz?

officially, anyone who's played in the country for a year is not classified as an import

in my opinion it should be anyone eligible for our national teams

agree, but there's no perfect solution

There probably has been a bit of humble pie and if I am honest, I'm just stoking the coals. 

It really does refer back to how they trashed the Phoenix and said they were bad for NZ football, development. pathways where as they promoted home grown players and were the defenders of the all that is wholesome about NZ football. The reality is there are more Kiwis in the Phoenix 11 than probably in the ACFC 11.

There is no solution to what constitutes a home product but it would be nice for them to at least go 'yeah you got us'.

Fundamentally, the element of winning will always win out. See Declan Edge and this years Waikato team...

auckland have several players who would go well in the a-league.  it would make for a fascinating experiment having acfc go full time and playing regularly against a-league opposition

Everton fan here...as you can tell.  Last time Everton played Grimsby was in 1984 - in the League Cup.  And at Goodison too.  The Score?  Everton 0, Grimsby Town 1.  Just saying.

At the other end of the country, we're having our open trials for the AkCity youth squad today.  Without the ASB youth league comp, we lost far too many players who left the game.  So a youth squad at Wgtn Phoenix.  At long last frankly.  It adds one more avenue for NZ players.

I have no problem filling our gaps in attacking mid-field.  The majority of the squad remains Kiwi.

The feel of the club is a community club, very pleasant, very friendly, of course very passionate when the team is on the pitch (block your ears if you are easily offended), happy to buy anyone a drink after the match (including Rex).

But, make no mistake, as a supporter, I want the squad focused on the Club World Cup in five weeks time.  The ultimate compliment came from Sepp Blatter last year when he said 'don't be worried by the loss, Auckland dominated the second half.  I don't know how you didn't score.'

But what dear old Sepp says is normally the complete opposite of reality.

It's funny how the rules of being coalface football have relaxed considerably. The nix were crucified for a similar squads in recent seasons. 

what sepp said was correct, auckland were very impressive and anchored themselves in the attacking half in the second stansa

Toffeeman, it was quite nice having Sepp acknowledge the quality of NZ football at all.

Tegal, it's not ACFC who have changed, Wgtn Phoenix are finally doing what we wanted from the start.  What stuck in our throats was when the Nix first started and there was a game where there were literally two Kiwis on the pitch and I thought, what's the point?  Anyway thankfully, times change.

ok, let's run through the likely auckland 1st XI...

spoonley
pritchett
vicelich
berlanga*
iwata*
bale*
riera*
koprivcic
garcia*
dickenson*
esposito*

looks too foreign for my liking (7/11), but within the rules...

Interesting, you might get three of the marked players on at the same time.  Depends on the game plan.

the only question mark for me is feneridis for bale, which would lessen the foreign count by one

Yeah and as shown above, there is potentially only 3-4 kiwis in the ACFC starting XI. But thats ok because you're trying to do well in the club champs? But it wasn't ok for the nix in recent seasons? Sounds like the rules have conveniently changed to me.

Tegal, it's more that Wgtn Phoenix have realised there is talent at home.  The majority of the ACFC squad remain Kiwi.  In past years it was really hard to say that about Nix squads.

ACFC was created largely by immigrants, we make a point of having an annual game against a Refugee XI, so we are not anti-foreign.  We are pro-Kiwi, we want to do the best by NZ.  So a squad that is mostly Kiwi with a handful of ex-pat players makes sense.  So it is nice that Wgtn Phoenix have finally come round to the same conclusion.

 I see Jeff Vader has been compared to Luis Suarez, John Terry, Bryce Johns and Trueblue.

http://www.atomicboards.com/board.pl?u=cookovich&b=4325&m=read&a=605095&p=0

Ill support Auckland or any nz representative in the club champs. I also appreciate some of them coming on here and appreciatin what the nix are doing now etc. but you can hardly blame us for pointing out hypocrisies after all the shit we've been given since day 1. 

I find that funny. They obvious read here then. I guess like a jilted lover, when you get hurt, you lash out aye Rich? It's ok...ssshhh there there.

I've never had a problem with ACFC, more the fact their supporters were quick to slam the Phoenix for what they were doing while they took the moral high ground. That shoe definitely does not fit anymore.

In terms of pathways for New Zealanders, the only option available in the last six years was to go to open trials with clubs like ACFC or go overseas.   The 'foreigners' discussion above is the usual smokescreen.  You can't hide the fact that the Nix just weren't an option for aspiring young Kiwis.

Any news on today's game