And if you’re wondering about Chris Wood, here’s the latest from his Nottingham Forest coach who still isn’t putting any type of timeline on Woodsy’s recovery...
Sean Dyche: “It is just steady progress. The repair on the knee has gone well and it is just steady progress now. It is week by week and making sure it is going in the right direction, which it certainly is so far.”
He also denied that NFFC’s pursuit of a couple more strikers in the transfer window (including a completed deal for Lorenzo Lucca on loan from Napoli) had nothing to do with Wood’s injury. They’d already loaned Arnaud Kalimuendo out to Eintracht Frankfurt and were probably short on attacking depth already which is much more to the point.
A clue to Forest’s thinking could come in the next week if he is retained in their Europa League squad, with Forest likely to need to cut a player as they reshuffle their pack ahead of next week’s knockout stage playoff tie against Fenerbahçe.
Fullback Nicolò Savona, who recently suffered his own knee injury, is another who could be parked, while there are fringe squad members who could also get the chop ahead of the injured duo, with the round of 16 also falling before the March internationals.
Football fans across New Zealand will be tuning into Dyche’s weekly appearances at the podium with keen ears over the next few months.
It is likely to be a while before they hear the good news they are craving.
From Bazeley on down, they’ll be hoping there is no bad news in the meantime.
Well done Chris Wood His Excellency Hamish Cooper the NZ High Commissioner to the UK, Rachel Glucina the President of The New Zealand Society, and Richard Dawson the Head of ANZ Bank UK & Europe, sponsors of The New Zealander of the Year Awards, were proud to bestow the inaugural Pride of New Zealand 2026 Award on Nottingham Forest Premier League star footballer Chris Wood who exhibits excellence, talent, innovation and leadership. Chris has put New Zealand on the global map, and is an exceptional leader on and off the field. It was our privilege to honour him with this prestigious award.
Dyche under pressure now. For all the talk of a reunion between him and Wood there's now a possibility Wood never actually plays a game while he's there.
Marinakis’s No 1 target is Fulham’s Marco Silva but any move is thought highly unlikely until the summer. Silva will be out of contract at the end of June.
Forest will aim to make a short-term appointment with Vitor Pereira, the former Wolves head coach, floated as one option to Marinakis by intermediaries.
Dyche was appointed in October but now joins Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou as the club’s third sacking of the season.
Forest are the first club to make three changes in one season since Blackburn Rovers in the 2012/13 campaign.
Been thinking about how Chris is our record goalscorer but has yet to score a truly significant, meaningful goal for us (that I can think of). Which is another reason why it is so important for him to be fully fit and deliver for us in June.
For me his most important goal for us might even be his Mt Smart v Australia goal. Was in a 1-3 loss but broke a long, long scoreless drought for us against them.
Other goals of his that come to mind is a goal in a losing effort vs Mexico at the Confeds and a goal in a 1-1 drawn home friendly vs Honduras.
Been thinking about how Chris is our record goalscorer but has yet to score a truly significant, meaningful goal for us (that I can think of). Which is another reason why it is so important for him to be fully fit and deliver for us in June.
For me his most important goal for us might even be his Mt Smart v Australia goal. Was in a 1-3 loss but broke a long, long scoreless drought for us against them.
Other goals of his that come to mind is a goal in a losing effort vs Mexico at the Confeds and a goal in a 1-1 drawn home friendly vs Honduras.
That goal against Honduras was his first for the AWs.
19 year old Woodsy celebrated by pulling his pants down and doing a little dance.
He did have a pretty significant "non goal" against Costa Rica, that on a another day could have been given.
I remember him charging off to the section of NZ fans directly behind the goal in Doha. The emotions were high and it obviously meant alot, for that 30 seconds or so before VAR said hello lets look at Garbett's lead up foul.
I also remember him scoring 2 goals in Tokyo in a 4-2 loss to the Blue Samurai, in Nov 2014. It was a young NZ team, and I remember thinking, we might be decent one day and in the Woodsman (with Leicester) we had a top striker.
9 of the starting 11 in Japan back then, are still playing pro football over 11 years later. 7 of those 9 still 2026 WC contenders. Might have been a Ryan Thomas debut??
Glen Moss, Storm Roux (age 22), Andrew Durante, Tommy Smith (24), Bill Tuiloma (18), Tim Payne (21), Cameron Howieson (20), Kosta Barbarouses (24), Ryan Thomas (20), Tyler Boyd (19), Chris Wood (23)
Unfortunately for wood the Halbergs are focussed on teams/individuals that win big events for NZ, the AW's qualifying for the WC and going unbeaten in 2010 means nothing to the "experts" who are all focused on rugby, athletics and rowing. This is why Wood going given the pride of NZ award, to recognise his contribution to the sport but also the fact he's never been part of what the experts consider a massive win for NZ. https://www.nzfootball.co.nz/newsarticle/162435?newsfeedId=1275608
Unfortunately for wood the Halbergs are focussed on teams/individuals that win big events for NZ, the AW's qualifying for the WC and going unbeaten in 2010 means nothing to the "experts" who are all focused on rugby, athletics and rowing. This is why Wood going given the pride of NZ award, to recognise his contribution to the sport but also the fact he's never been part of what the experts consider a massive win for NZ. https://www.nzfootball.co.nz/newsarticle/162435?newsfeedId=1275608
The All Whites won team of the year and the supreme Halberg award in 2010 while Ricki Herbert won coach of the year, so it must have meant something to the "experts".
Unfortunately for wood the Halbergs are focussed on teams/individuals that win big events for NZ, the AW's qualifying for the WC and going unbeaten in 2010 means nothing to the "experts" who are all focused on rugby, athletics and rowing. This is why Wood going given the pride of NZ award, to recognise his contribution to the sport but also the fact he's never been part of what the experts consider a massive win for NZ. https://www.nzfootball.co.nz/newsarticle/162435?newsfeedId=1275608
The All Whites won team of the year and the supreme Halberg award in 2010 while Ricki Herbert won coach of the year, so it must have meant something to the "experts".
All manner of dissenters, though. My old man still can't stand Mahe Drysdale.
2010 was too big to ignore, being the WC; I feel it's hard for some of the wider media to gauge the importance of events that NZ or an NZ-based team doesn't compete in, like the EPL
Unfortunately for wood the Halbergs are focussed on teams/individuals that win big events for NZ, the AW's qualifying for the WC and going unbeaten in 2010 means nothing to the "experts" who are all focused on rugby, athletics and rowing. This is why Wood going given the pride of NZ award, to recognise his contribution to the sport but also the fact he's never been part of what the experts consider a massive win for NZ. https://www.nzfootball.co.nz/newsarticle/162435?newsfeedId=1275608
The All Whites won team of the year and the supreme Halberg award in 2010 while Ricki Herbert won coach of the year, so it must have meant something to the "experts".
In all fairness, we didn't really have much going on in 2010. We had quite a poor CWG campaign and we hadn't found any success in the Winter Olympics yet. It's almost a certainty that next year will go towards one of our Winter Olympians or if any of our track athletes continue their momentum for Glasgow later this year regardless of what results the AWs produce. Perhaps deservedly so, but it feels like footballing achievements are undervalued and underappreciated in the landscape of NZ sports. Take the Football Ferns not getting any recognition for their WC campaign in 2023 for example.
Unfortunately for wood the Halbergs are focussed on teams/individuals that win big events for NZ, the AW's qualifying for the WC and going unbeaten in 2010 means nothing to the "experts" who are all focused on rugby, athletics and rowing. This is why Wood going given the pride of NZ award, to recognise his contribution to the sport but also the fact he's never been part of what the experts consider a massive win for NZ. https://www.nzfootball.co.nz/newsarticle/162435?newsfeedId=1275608
The All Whites won team of the year and the supreme Halberg award in 2010 while Ricki Herbert won coach of the year, so it must have meant something to the "experts".
All manner of dissenters, though. My old man still can't stand Mahe Drysdale.
2010 was too big to ignore, being the WC; I feel it's hard for some of the wider media to gauge the importance of events that NZ or an NZ-based team doesn't compete in, like the EPL
Me too. I don’t mind a bit of rowing myself, but it’s a government supported activity that requires expensive equipment. The government back it because it’s a good bet for medals as it’s high barriers to entry and low participation.
There’s a real hate amongst some people for the soccer/football. The rugby can’t win without having a shot at the football lot.
I think it was those continual headlines from asshats that makes us forget that there were actually awards. They didn’t feel like a celebration at the time.
I think the public in general was defo in behind the AWs on that night in Wellington and with the goals at the WC.
Niche Cache. In case like me you missed it, Vitor Pereira is the new Forest gaffer. Generally the message seems positive about his injury recovery, just with no real timeline on a playing return.
There has been good news, sort of, around Chris Wood’s injury. The latest non-update from then-manager Sean Dyche was reassuring without saying anything specific... but Wood’s inclusion in the updated Premier League and Europa League squad lists is a much more tangible sign of progress. Forest cut defender Willy Boly from those squads due to injury and a desire to refresh the squad however Woodsy remains despite not having played since October. Tells you that they still believe he’s got a part to play this season. That’s what we wanna hear.
Sean Dyche: “We’re hopeful. Things are settling and definitely going in the right direction. He’s got a check-up with the specialist - it might be tomorrow, actually. It’s going really well currently. It is calming down nicely and building back up.”
That was the last update we’re going to get from Mr Dyche because he was sacked last week after a 0-0 draw with last-placed Wolves further damaged their ambitions of staying above the relegation zone. West Ham (with coach Nuno Espirito Santo) have found some form and are hunting them down, now only three points adrift. Worrying signs but to sack Dyche and move onto a fourth coach within one season? That’s as many coaches as Woodsy has had in the past eight Premier League seasons combined (Dyche, Howe, Cooper, Nuno). He never even got to play for this one! (Not in Forest colours anyway).
Wood’s most recent game was in Ange Postecoglou’s last match. Dyche has come and gone while he’s been out and now Vitor Pereira has taken over on an 18-month deal. Former Wolves boss. NFFC will thus become the first club in the Premier League era to use four permanent managers in one campaign.
In that interview linked above, Wood answered questions about his knee surgery and recovery for the first time since he went under the knife. Coincidentally, that chat was conducted after the upcoming trip to the specialist that Dyche had mentioned and CW revealed that it was good news. Surgeon’s given him permission to move into the next phase of his recovery. One step closer to NFFC regaining the use of their best striker. One step closer to the All Whites having their captain available for the World Cup.
Chris Wood: “It’s been frustrating. Not a nice time. The manner of the injury has not been perfect because we’ve tried different things and had setbacks, having to go down different routes and surgery and things like that. It’s not been smooth sailing... I’m doing everything I can to be back stronger... it’s an interesting injury to deal with. Had some positive news yesterday from the surgeon to say I can go on to the next stages, so it’s better for my rehab now. I need to work hard to be able to get myself back fit, right, ready for the end of the season and then onto the offseason and into next year.”
