NZFC League Predictions 2007 / 2008

Word on the street is that F Mac has been impressing Stu in the gym, and might be a late bolter into the squad.

yhm best defence in the leauge? hahaha u must be kidding. 6 nil says it all. but in fairness they may have been missing a few players.

a few players? how about a 3rd of their team!

 

Team Name Played Won Drawn Lost Goals For Goals Against Goals Difference Points Waitakere Utd 21 15 2 4 47 23 24 47 YoungHeart Manawatu 21 14 3 4 58 30 28 45 Auckland City 21 12 6 3 50 30 20 42 Canterbury Utd 21 9 4 8 33 30 3 31 Team Wellington 21 7 6 8 37 34 3 27 Hawke's Bay Utd 21 4 4 13 29 49 -20 16 Waikato FC 21 3 5 13 19 45 -26 14 Otago Utd 21 2 6 13 19 51 -32 12

YHM---> only 1 team with less goals against last season.. and with the best goal difference!!

I have heard that team wellington are on the verge of signing ex knights  defender - Cole Tinkler. He has spent the last season in asia and he wants to come back to nz. feedback2007-10-17 00:00:03

Got to agree Chris Milisich and Jeff Alexander have assembeled the best squad by far. cant see anyone stopping the westies thisyear. 

I didn't realise that Dan Robinson played for Team Wellington. He'd be one of them not playing HAL

The best three goalies in the country are Bannatyne from wellington, Rich Gillespie from Waitak and danny Robinson from Waikato.

From what I've seen I'd have Eaddy ahead of Gillespie, although I've only seen Gillespie a couple of times.

i am pretty sure wellington just got the BEAT DOWN by MANAWATU!

Oldys number 1,

Good burn

where have manawatu come the last 2 seasons? how many players have they been missing so far already?

It's a shame Otago United is so crap, most teams will have aims like winning the league or a top 3 placing, whereas Otago seems to be aiming to win a game. It gives football fans down here nothing to look foward to, except maybe Caversham or Roslyn in the Chatham Cup.

My forecast for finishing postion: (I am a Waikato supporter so bear with me)

1. Waitakere
2. Auckland
3. Waikato
4. Manawatu
5. Team Wellington
6 Hawkes Bay
7. Canterbury
8. Team Otago

Waitakere have the deepest squad with experience and very talented younger players. They have a strong coach with good suppport staff and have the benefit (or disadvantage) of needing to be ready for Japan. Their biggest problem is going to be keeping such a big squad happy and not being derailed by Japan as Auckland were last season. The Board is another issue for any coach as they demand and expect success. Puts a totally different set of pressures on the coaching staff that most other clubs within the NZFC never have to face. Chris Milicich will have to get them up and winning early and keep them winning during the disruption of Japan, O-league and all the attached media requirements. Lose a couple and the pressure will be huge on their coaching staff to win.

Auckland City have recruited a completely different type of player and these will need to be bedded down quickly as Auckland as a club are not accepting of bad results. Colin and Clive will need to win and win well over the first round. IF they were to drop a couple of games and change the way Auckland play then the board might be getting onto them. Colin's record, which is patchy at best, will be under scrutiny and this is the first Auckland club he has coached in. Auckland/Waitakere are clubs that can smash coaches down.

If both coaches can withstand the huge expectations and pressure then the most robust physical nature of Waitakere's squad will ensure they win games they should lose. On the other hand Auckland may just drop games they would have won previously because they will be unable to blundgeon sides like they used to.

Waikato have Roger back and though he can be divisive in clubs he has the advantage of knowing all the young Waikato players. They will play direct and be quite physical and stay high when they are defending. Their biggest issue is going to be scoring goals on a consistent basis. They will be a hard team to break down but they will drop points to other sides and will draw quite a few matches. After viewing the Waitakere/Waikato game the difference between the two sides was quite large. Waitakere played 22 players that all could play at this level and Waikato played the same 16 players. It was a typical pre-season match, hard and bumpy with a lot of fierce physical challenges but Waikato never really looked like scoring. We could be in for a great season or one of mediocrity. I am going for a great season (shoot me I am a supporter)

Manawatu will be third/fourth as since Shane Rufer came into Manawatu they have definitely become a top NZFC side. Previous to Shane coming in Manawatu were one of the also rans in the NZFC. Shane will ensure they win a lot of games but on the other side Shane's propensity to continually alter things will see them fall away when it matters. Their squad will not be deep enough to challenge for the title but a playoff spot could be theirs. They have recruited some good names but in the end when it is 11 v 11 their top 11 will be as good as anyone but injuries and loss of form will be the catalyst for their season. To succeed they are going to need an uninterupted injury season. I read nothing into Waitakere smashing them 6-0 but it shows the gulf in teams if Manawatu do not have their best 11 out.

Team Wellington have one of NZ's brightest prospects as a coach in Stu Jacobs but he has the added responsibility of being Assistant coach to Ricki at the Phoenix. From what I can gather there pre-season has been patchy and they are struggling to recruit quality Centre Backs. If you dont have quality Centre Backs in the NZFC then you will lose more games than you win. It could either be a watershed year or one we have all become used to with team Wellington flattering to deceive. They are always a good team to watch as they try and play attractive, ball on the deck football.

Hawkes Bay are the dark horses in this competition. They have recruited some seriously talented young players, but the lack of depth within their squad will count against them. Jonathan Gould is a very young coach in regards to coaching and against the tougher wily coaches in the NZFC he has struggled previously. If they can get it right then they are going to create huge headaches for everyone and could be the surprise package pushing for a playoff spot.

Canterbury will be Canterbury, really difficult to beat in Canterbury and a bit of a pushover outside Canterbury. Danny is one of only two coaches not fulltime in the game (with Chris Milicich) and this could count against him in the long run. Unlike last year where they recruited very well, this season they seem to have recruited a lot from within the region. Losing Ferris is a huge loss as he is one of the best Centre Backs in the NZFC. Replacing him will be difficult and costly as defending set-pieces will become more difficult. Against a big unit like the Waitakere/Auckland and Waikato back 4's set-pieces are going to be important and Canterbury will lose some games due to this.

Team Otago will finish last as they just cannot recruit well. Their coach seems beref of ideas and the adage of good player does not make a good coach seems to come to mind. Might seem harsh but then continually pushing to avoid the wooden spoon is not a recommendation to stay in the NZFC. That's why it is important for Waikato to push for a much higher finishing position, otherwise what is the point of playing in the NZFC when there are players in Auckland and other centres who can't even make their squad, yet are better players than others in the league.


I think that we will see an all Auckland final and depending on the ground will dictate who wins. Auckland will need a big park to move the ball around like they want to, whereas Waitakere, if they have everyone fit, will be too strong on a pitch in which the opposition can't get around them.

That's my penny's worth.

I think to achieve the results that Waikato and Roger want they are going to have to be more physical and direct. I dont believe the players within NZ are good enough to retain possession for any length of time without giving the ball away. Against a strong midfield screen most teams will lose the ball and be hammered on the counter with the quick strikers in the league. All teams who think they can just play keep ball will end up being punished and eventually they will play more direct or at least in the channels. Maybe a bit of wishful thinking on my behalf. I try and see as many games as I can but living in Auckland it can really hinder viewing the team you support.

I'm picking Hawkes Bay as top four for sure. Slick preseason (and yes I realise it is preseason...), great recruiting, and a lethal strikeforce, plus they are well coached.NBot saying they will necesarily be with the Auckland teams, but they will certainly be more competitive than past years.

Marama,