Gianni Stensness - AUS (Vikings FK | Norway)

MetalLegNZ

It sucks... but we took Champness, and they took him. Happens all over the world.

NZ football doesn't really offer much comparatively... how many games have we played internationally in the last 10 years minus the Oceania sides... 10 - 15? Its pathetic really!

Since our last game at the 2010 World Cup against Paraguay all those years ago now we've played 60 times (bit of a surprise there eh 😬 I thought it was in the 40's myself). Of which we've played OFC counterparts 22 times - 17 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss. I've counted the 0-0 against PNG that we won on penalties as a draw.

Other worldwide counterparts, well, not so good - 5 wins, 10 draws and 23 losses.

In that same time period, our next opponent Curaçao have played 80 matches.

After that.
Bahrain, 163...

what a dick
hope it blows up in his face

Bet he’s gutted we finally announced some fixtures, probably thought he could just keep his cards close to his chest for another year or two lol.

I call bollocks, heart is with aussie now, then why did he play for the Olywhites? oh wait did the Olyroos not want him?
It's convenient now that he feels like an Aussie when he clearly wanted to be a kiwi for the olympics.

RoriM6

But Im confused this is an important tournament. Surely for an important tournament you play your best team and try for the best results? 

But Hay didn't play the best team, or combinations available.  He played Stensness, a technical, athletic, ground covering midfielder in a role that least suited his talents, yet he still performed as one of our top players.  I said when it happened the lad would be pissed off.  Anyone would be.  
NZF is paying the price of putting a novice into the countries top coaching role.  In my view Hay wouldn't know a footballer is he fell over one.  Our cost.

theprof

I call bollocks, heart is with aussie now, then why did he play for the Olywhites? oh wait did the Olyroos not want him?
It's convenient now that he feels like an Aussie when he clearly wanted to be a kiwi for the olympics.

Get over it bro.  In case you didn't notice, football is a professional sport.  They follow the money.

coochiee

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/world-game/126527833/gianni-stensness-switch-from-new-zealand-to-australia-a-decision-made-from-the-heart

Ha, what an idiot Hay is.  "A kick in the guts".  What a joke.
For those who think putting a shirt on is the ultimate, they'll never get anywhere near those heights. 
Hello, the Olympics is one of the big shop windows.  To be one of the best of your generation in your chosen position,  to work your guts out to make an Olympic side, then to have your position taken by a far lesser player, just to fill in because others are injured is the real kick in the guts Hay.  Go back to high school coaching.

Fitzy

Bet he’s gutted we finally announced some fixtures, probably thought he could just keep his cards close to his chest for another year or two lol.

Some fixtures playing out of postion, for a team rated around 120 and a high school coach, versus 3 times as many games against better opposition with a world class coach in a team ranked around 40 in the world.
Yes, it must have been a tough decision.

one of the worst series of posts i've seen here in a while

YoungHeart

theprof

wonder what he was promised, or maybe he just saw Aussie having more games and thought I want to be playing more than twice in 3 years.

Reckon he had to have been tapped up by the Aussies after his performances in Tokyo. His transfer to Norway probably just confirmed it for them.

If he'd still been at CCM for this coming season there is no way he turns down NZ for Aussie.

Them's the breaks, but it's a bit of a piss take to be playing for our Olympic side mere months ago, and then effectively turncoat us. We've been used as a stepping stone here... 

Best of luck to him, but I won't be following his progress from here on out. 👋

I don't think NZ has much to complain about from the appearances at the U20 world cup and the Olympics..
Didn't he score the goal that led to our first every win against a European team?  And what a coincidence that it was Norway.  They have been following ever since he outscored the superstar Halland.

mrsmiis

one of the worst series of posts i've seen here in a while

But wait there's more... :- )
I reckon the appointment of Hay will turn out to be our biggest ever mistake.   This is just the start.

lthomas20

I'm usually all for player choice when it comes to eligibility, but this is a massive farce to be honest.

I don't actually have a problem with split eligible players for Aus/NZ picking the former. It's their choice and I respect that.

However, Stensness in this case has been a total opportunist. If he didn't intend to continue with us he should not have accepted a call-up for the Olympics. So he's effectively used us to earn a move to Europe and now thinks he's a big gun so switches to Australia. Newsflash mate: international football is not club football and we have long memories.

It's a shame then that he wasted a squad space at the Olympics that we could have handed to a real, committed Kiwi.

And frankly? Australia has awesome depth in midfield. Mooy, Luongo, Irvine, McGree, Holland, Devlin, Baccus, Dougall, Metcalfe. I could go on and on.

And now after Australia don't pick him for a year or two, guess what'll happen? He'll come crawling back to us again and I sure as hell hope we slam the door shut when he does.

Nah, it's Metcalf and Stensness who are the top runners for Australia.  Metcalf an 8, Stensness a 6.   The others are has beens.  Arnold is wanting to build a new breed.

I'm waiting for one of these posts to turn into "Listen here f**kface" 

Wasn't picked for Aus for their next couple of matches 

Bullion

Wasn't picked for Aus for their next couple of matches 

Only because of paperwork and clearance. Australia will get him capped ASAP even if they are sceptical of his long-term place in the national team - to prevent him from changing his allegiance back to NZ.

Pretty sure they've changed the rules and once a request to switch is made and accepted you can't go back, even if you're not capped. That would be hubris at its finest 

newzealandpower

Pretty sure they've changed the rules and once a request to switch is made and accepted you can't go back, even if you're not capped. That would be hubris at its finest 

 Has he not changed alelgiances allready? Was an Australian U20 first, then entered the NZ system.

The reason we’re pissed off is he’s a decent player who’s going to have a good career and has used NZ to get in the shop window. I mean I think we kind of knew that when he was bought to the Nix by Rudan. It was a career move because he had NZ connections, not something he’d pursued before that.
Plus we had a cracking Olympics campaign of which he was one of the positives going into the WC campaign. 

A lot of sour grapes going on here.  Stensness was one of our best players in two big tournaments and one of our best prospects for the future.  We didn't even develop him.  As for brand rudan having any input... what a joke!
He's gone.  Get over it, and let's develop others.

COnst

A lot of sour grapes going on here.  Stensness was one of our best players in two big tournaments and one of our best prospects for the future.  We didn't even develop him.  As for brand rudan having any input... what a joke!
He's gone.  Get over it, and let's develop others.

Agree to an extent. I can understand the frustration, but at the end of the day he was born in Australia and sees himself as an Australian, which we have to respect. You can't force someone who was born in Australia to play for New Zealand instead. 

Get him out the Kiwi thread please mods.

 Apparently is now in the ozzie squad.

COnst

 Apparently is now in the ozzie squad.

Confirmed naming for Saudi (Sydney) & China (Sharjah) games.
https://www.socceroos.com.au/news/november-squad-announcement

coochiee

COnst

 Apparently is now in the ozzie squad.

Confirmed naming for Saudi (Sydney) & China (Sharjah) games.
https://www.socceroos.com.au/news/november-squad-announcement

Someone must like him, more than the likes of some here...
Hopefully high school Hay mends his ways, and starts to work with the talent he's given.

Any proof it's Hays fault and not the fact NZ Men's football has laid dormat for much of the last four years, and plays in the sharktiest region.

Or maybe the fact he is more an Aussie than a kiwi at heart, which we all knew when we got him.

If Hay played a part it would have been a small part.

MetalLegNZ

Any proof it's Hays fault and not the fact NZ Men's football has laid dormat for much of the last four years, and plays in the sharktiest region.

Or maybe the fact he is more an Aussie than a kiwi at heart, which we all knew when we got him.

If Hay played a part it would have been a small part.

Might have been, but it's just like having a metal leg - still important.

We can't even get coverage of out games. 

I doubt Hay factored at all.

I'm not a huge fan of Hay but come on, the man brought him to the Olympics and played him thus giving him lots of exposure. He could be a tool for all we know, but I find it hard to believe it was Hay's fault 

newzealandpower

I'm not a huge fan of Hay but come on, the man brought him to the Olympics and played him thus giving him lots of exposure. He could be a tool for all we know, but I find it hard to believe it was Hay's fault 

I just look at who Hay did play in midfield (not talking about Joe Bell).  The other someone who was clearly way out of his depth.
For a midfielder played out of position as a centre back, to see such rubbish in front of him, and to have to work so much harder to make up for the inadequacies of Lewis...  On the world stage...
I'd be pissed off.

Understand the logic but on the other side of the coin, the rubbish in front of him got him to Europe after years of trying and also a call up to the Ausi national team.

For those that care (maybe no one does), Stensness has played all 5 league games for Viking this season. Playing as a CB by the looks. Viking sit 2nd in the Eliteserien. Early days but Joe Bell not being missed too much just yet it seems.

https://us.soccerway.com/players/gianni-stensness/522840/

Vikings has quite the Aussie contingent now.

Dagens..💙 pic.twitter.com/WGHmdFe0jJ

— Viking Fotball (@vikingfotball) March 12, 2023

Reminder for Gianni in case he reads the forum, bro could be starting for us at the 2026 WC but instead he’s stuck behind Souttar, Rowles, Deng, Degenek, Delbridge, Sainsbury, Grant and Good for the Aussies.

Friar Tuck

Reminder for Gianni in case he reads the forum, bro could be starting for us at the 2026 WC but instead he’s stuck behind Souttar, Rowles, Deng, Degenek, Delbridge, Sainsbury, Grant and Good for the Aussies.

So much for the land of milk and honey eh? 😏

Friar Tuck

Reminder for Gianni in case he reads the forum, bro could be starting for us at the 2026 WC but instead he’s stuck behind Souttar, Rowles, Deng, Degenek, Delbridge, Sainsbury, Grant and Good for the Aussies.

Seems same applies for Boyd with USNMT. Well down their list of wingers.

Wistful thinking but hopefully Keegan Jelacic knows all that. Still I guess you also need to go with what feels right, what anthem stirs the emotions.

Three Aussie amigos lapping up the love in Norway https://t.co/zgZDtuLtJR #football #FTBL #Socceroos pic.twitter.com/PDG9Thu8l0

— FTBL (@FTBLcomau) May 4, 2023