The WaiBOP United Thread

All is fair in love and football.

my concern is from a league POV

issa would have played every game for waibop.  he'll play half at the most for auckland

and when you consider that the league itself is only 16 games long, the league loses a valid contributor to the spectacle and the standard for half of it's duration

i understand that auckland want a deep squad due to their other commitments, but this effects the league

also, why assume that waibop screwed up?

they seem well run to me

and they did have him signed and photographed shaking hands with peter smith!

http://www.waibopunited.co.nz/o-league-golden-boot-signs-on/

"The lad's an immense talent and he genuinely wants to come to the club," Smith said.

"We're still working on it, but it's proven a bit difficult for an organisation that's never done this before.

"For me as a coach it's hugely frustrating. We've got a player, an O-League Golden Boot, who any other club in the region would be clambering to sign, so my frustrations are huge."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/sport/1054950...

the other key point is that the player signed an agreement with waibop (which they reluctantly terminated at the players request)

"He's a top lad, he's a hundred per cent honest and up front."

i wonder what smith would say now...

You've absolutely nailed it in all your posts there Reg

I hope the boys in Hamilton/Cambridge/Ngaruawahia/Tauranga/Mt. boo/heckle the living daylights out of him.  Sadly its not the first nor will it be the last time we get shagged over like this.  

I remember the likes of Mark Cossey, Darren Fallowes etc and a number of guys more recently saying similar things then turning out for Mt. Albert, Mt. Wellington (old National League), Waitakere and ACFC* (NZFC/ASBP).

Waikato/BoP teams have always had the dirty done on them.

*Typo fixed for the pedants out there

AFCF ?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11344097

Chortle.

quality article by bruce who as usual has gone beyond the obvious with what was written - i particularly like the reference to the style change from 2004

ok, brace yourselves, waibop have signed a bunch of new players, some of them very decent...

godwin darkwa

marcelo sosa

federico marquez

robbie greenhalgh

dan finlay

liam higgins

ernesto lopez

jarahl hughes

sam o'regan

shota nakagawa

shaydon young

Thats not too bad.

Full squad:

McPeake, D.Drake, Scott, Probert, O'Regan, Luque, Neil, Higgins, Darkwa, Jones, Varela, Sosa, S.Young, Coombes, Finlay, Greenhalgh, Marquez, Lopez, Hughes, Nakagawa.

May be 1/2 signings left in the tank but the rest of the squad will likely be filled with fringe first team/youth players - J.Young, R.Drake, Hilliar, Boss, Molony etc

From today's Christchurch Press coverage of Canty United WaiBOP game:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/sport/10692499/Dr...

For those interested, you can follow today's WaiBOP Utd v Wanderers SC match here: here

Thanks man.

Thanks, love the subtle size of target comment!!

Waibop will lose the points for playing an unregistered player ,  Craig Wylie against Wanderers. The transfer was fine but the administration failed to name Wylie in their squad list to NZF

Inexcusable from the Federation as they run Waibop . They are quick enough to fine winter clubs for playing unregistered players so will they fine themselves for this mistake

Competition rules clearly state to must name an initial squad to NZF . If you add players through the season you can do this but you must advise NZF before that player takes the field. Pretty basic stuff 

Hello there,

Can't disagree with what "Fan" has said.

And yet, does anyone else think that the punishment is a bit harsh for the offence?

To recap, the player was properly transferred, and there was no injured party as such, in this dealing. (ie. Not as if Wanderers SC felt they wuz robbed)

Would not a fine have been sufficient for what was essentially an admin shortcoming in not submitting a change to Waibop's named squad?

The national league has a bucketful of specialist regs, which you could argue reflect its supposed flagship status.

But I often find myself asking this question: Do these regs really serve the best interests of the game? Or simply bind us with an extra rule and more red tape for some poor sod trying to make football happen?

Back in the day players could appear in the national league without the paper-shuffling drama and forelock-tugging to head office of today. The only issue was getting the best available player transferred and on the park.

Sometime simple is good.

But that's just me. Appreciate the thoughts of others, especially those who have familiarised themselves with the intricacies of Regulation 10.

Im still ropable over the " Pritchett affair "  ...

i'm all for Wanderers being in the ASBP (I know others are not) but i can't help but think the only two instances of teams losing points over players the last two seasons were both against Wanderers, i can't help but think there were other discretions not picked up because the game did not involve wanderers.  I just don't think the system is there for teams to check who is and isn't eligible (there certainly isn't at NRFL level, but don't get me started on that).

i remember this one - i'm not 100 on the details but for me the reg that tripped ACFC up on this one is serving the best interests of the game.

It must be all the more galling for WaiBOP when you consider they were playing a team with 16 unregistered players on there teamsheet it certainly appears there are rules for 7 ASB Prsm teams that dont apply to the other 2.

I think gifting Wanderers points from games they lost will have a huge benefit to them at next years World Cup in fact its a masterstroke and will fully vindicate de Jongs idea to put them in our national league,

Especcially when the majority of players involved during Wanderers 2 seasons dont make the U20 World Cup squad after all the overseas based players are picked instead

good point brick top. There seems to be rules for 7 franchises and seperate rules for the other 2. It doesn't excuse the point that this mistake was inexcusable by WaiBop administration 

I don't agree with the $2000 fine . Who benefits from the fine , only NZF coffers . We are taking money away from amateur clubs where it is needed the most

Football is far too much regulated in NZF. Fines for Africa in NZF regulations

On a slightly different note, you can follow today's game against Waitakere United here. It should be fun...

Much better having them sit on the pine at Auckland or Waitak and never play for preparation for next years WC. Some of them will start and a lot of them will fill the bench as well.

Not their fault Waibop stuffed up or that NZF have different rules for different teams, but then again the two exceptions amongst those teams are build specifically to develop NZF football. Not sure what ACFC has done for young players in NZ in the last 5 years.

Maybe that they've only won 1 game would suggest on the pine is where they should be.

Cant really be bothered to get into a slanging match with you re ACFC Youth but will agree if indeed that was what you were getting at that not many if any? Have gone on too 1st team,  But the boys at US Uni or Nottingham Forest or the Wanderers team you talk about or with 2 ASB Youth winners medals may suggest that they have got a little bit of benefit out of the club

So according to you, the best preparation for the U20's World Cup next year that NZ is hosting, is for likely squad members to sit on the bench and watch imports play?

Is that what you are suggesting?

While the Wanderers may have only won 1 game "on the pitch" they were "in" 10 of the 14 games last season.  Losing players from last season, Corey Brown, Daniel Bowkett, Michael Den Heijer, Elijah Neblett has not helped this year.

There really are some miserable individuals within the great game of Football in NZ. 

Any comment on the Waitakere match from punters in attendance?

Never trekked over the hills myself. 

People tell me Waitakere are not so strong this year, but I've heard little feedback about Waibop's pedigree. Saw there was a relatively positive write-up in the Times, which was generous seeing as Waibop are (unfortunately) bottom.

Still, the fact is this was the best Waikato/waibop result against Waitakere in 5 years.

Hi Bruce,

I have watched a few Waitak games this year and for me they are in a rebuilding phase, but I'm not sure exactly they know they are in a rebuilding phase, hence their selection of Boyens, Shelly and to a lesser extent Mulligan in the squad (players who are past their best in my opinion).

Chris Bale and Adam Dickinson are struggling with injuries and probably havn't contributed as much as Waitak thought they would - having said that there seems to be a fair amount of ability across the squad but i think they are struggling to know what kind of football they want to play

Against Hawkes Bay Bale seemed to want to put everything behind the full pack for their wingers to run onto, but both wingers seemed to be showing mostly feet.

I would say as the comp goes on (as long as they don't have too many injuries) they will improve with Biss looking good and somewhat selfishly Manickum and Sillars look like they have found their feet and will be better and better each week.

Thanks for that, Tim. 

That's probably a thing in football... Teams in a rebuilding phase that don't realise it.

We always used to use "rebuilding phase " as a euphemism for a team being crap. But I like the concept of unconscious rebuilding so much more.

Am happy with the win over the WeeNix although to be fair I would have liked us to allow the 2 U20 Nix players to have played.  Makes our result more impressive, helps the Nix and helps further those players careers.

Still miffed at the loss of 3 points, we would be in ply-off contention now otherwise.  As Bruce pointed out earlier, players used to float around the top clubs back in the '90s with no issues.  can remember Declan and Paul Nixon etc popping up at clubs I didn't like a few times (ie any side not from the Waikato) somewhat unannounced.

On a different note: Of the fully pro young Nix players, who would be eligible for the WC next year, is it just Rufer and Ridenton?

This was the first time I had seen Waibop this season, and I found it hard to get a good fix on exactly how good/bad they are because the Phoenix Reserves simply didn't supply enough opposition to test them.

One senior player told me later that they get a tougher workout at Thursday trainings.

But a few observations: Mark Jones is playing as well as he ever has. Federico Marquez is a real talent. Without re-litigating the whole guest player thing, hard to believe the Uruguayan had never played senior football ahead of turning up at Ngaruawahia, huh (given he is 26)? 

Phoenix Reserves have a bit of a pop gun attack without Tyler Boyd.

extremely hard to believe

I agree with you on Mark Jones Bruce. I have seen him twice this year (once was with Wanderers). He has always struck me as just a mental headcase but looks like he is channelling his energies into not being a complete Twit and playing some good football. He still needs a little work but there is a lot of promise there if the application from him is there.

You can follow the match between WaiBOP United and Hawke's Bay United here

Was anyone here present for our win over Southern United?

Van Elia to Waikato/Bay of Plenty.

FYI. You can follow today's game against Canterbury United here.