Auckland City FC - Thanks a Trillion

What is on offer at seddon fields?

Waitakere in Handy Prem.

Auckland City have been $15 for quite a while now, I doubt it will make much difference to the actual crowd. There may be one or two that will opt for free venues at Sneddon or Madills but not that many - the atmosphere will always be better at Kiwitea thanks to the 248 crew and the Bucket man

plus it's better quality football, sorry not sorry

also the club with most buckets per capita

Only because there is no Palmy side.

Like last season, the missus joins me for free ES games but stays at home for ACFC. Just not worth it considering she's not really interested.

Also just means I don't buy food.

Clayton Lewis signs!

#shocked

5 at the back feels so... ugh. It feels like Myer, Manickum and Rogerson are all slightly out of position.

Browne is too good not to start, and in my opinion the better player of all four of them. Then Lewis comes in as well.

Surely the answer is a 4-2-3-1 with Rogerson and Lewis wide, Myer through the middle, and Browne behind them.

Yeah, I've been trying to work out how they're going to fit Lewis in with the current squad. I don't recall him playing deeper at any stage?

If he did, you could so something like: 

Jordan - Bilen -  Mitchell - Kaltak

Lewis - Howie

Rogerson - Dylan - Browne

Bevan

?

But why are they all full of imports? That team is all amateurs. Surely all the money disappearing wouldn't effect waht playters signed?

Agree about Dave Browne. Need a system to accommodate the best players.

Wing back is so specialist, there's not many lads can really do it well!

I don't think amateurs can do wing back full stop. None of them get high enough, and the ball movement of the CBs is never fast enough to actually make any space for them.

We have to look at this again, you've missed out my main man Ilich ?

Thought also with Bilen's cultured left foot, it makes more sense for Kaltak to be in the middle yesterday.

Bevan needs some coaching from Dicko on hold-up play.

Vale - Mitchell - Berlanga/Kaltak - Bilen/Blake

Ilich - Cam H

Rogerson - Lewis - Browne

Bevan/is there anyone else? Linderboom?

Harsh on Manickum, one of the best yesterday for sure

JHS? Won player of the year for TeeDubs last season playing right wing-back.

He was very good on Sunday

Where was Angel & Zubi? Both injured?

Ah did miss out Ilich. 

Striker wise we've got Linderboom & the Colombian guy that played once. Neither of them pulled up any trees. 

The commentators said that Zubikarai had to go back to Spain urgently, but that he would be back soon.

I'm pretty sure JHS was Players player of the year and Taylor Schrivers was Player of the Year for TeeDubs last season.

Com to think of it you're probably right. JHS was also fans' player of the year too.

https://oceaniafootballcenter.home.blog/2019/11/09...

He was injured and got back to action the former Auckland City player

https://oceaniafootballcenter.home.blog/2019/10/14...

Interview with Brian Kaltak

Rogerson - as arrogant as ever with his pen 

What an appalling game. Auckland were as bad as the Nix.

https://oceaniafootballcenter.home.blog/2019/11/27...

Interview with Mario Ilich

Do any of the service crew post on here? They need to get some new tunes - singing about Micah and Dan Morgan still....

I really wish the Ultra's would make more inclusive songs. But yeah, they do need to do a refresh. 

As long as they're not still doing songs about Terry Serepsisos, that's at least an improvement

Conger - still shark. 

Were you one of the three salty NRFL referees sitting near the benches moaning about every decision?

Nope, but Conger's terrible.

Another attacking player for Figueira to play out of position?

How was Lewis against suburbs 

He didn't do much but you could sense he was probably a cut above. Team wasn't really giving him the ball when he asked for it either.

As I say, put him in the list of players that doesn't really suit 5-3-2

Never understood the Conger hate, is it because he is a referee or do people think he is worst than other NZ referees? Is it just because you see him refereeing more often? Or is it Tall Poppy because he actually is quite successful as a ref.

People that are in the know, including FIFA referee selection panels must see something different as he keeps getting games at tournaments. I mean he just refereed the Superclásico de las Américas between Brazil and Argentina recently too. 

A glorified friendly.

Yet he still was there doing it, refereeing some of the top players in the world, in front of 22,541 people and getting paid for it.

Then there is the game at the 2018 World Cup, the 2017 and 18 Club World Cup. Couple of U20 World Cups, the Olympics. All he has refereed at. 

I get referees aren't popular and he probably (well he does) make decisions you don't agree with but he is one of NZs best referees.

The tallest dwarf.

If it's any consolation from them salty NRFL referees I was overhearing it was just tall poppy. Moaning about the sort of process garbage that only referees care about and fans couldn't give a toss. Things like which team goes through first when shaking hands.

FIFA refereeing selection is based on giving opportunity and exposure to all confederations. So just like Solomon Islands aren't a superpower at U20 level because they played at the U20 World Cup, neither is Conger a quality international referee. He may well be the top rated referee in the confederation, but as I said, that's the equivalent of winning the tallest dwarf competition. Besides Conger is nowhere near good enough as O'Leary or Hester, and they were both well below average as international referees.