I want to see him in an All Whites jersey again so badly. We sound like a broken record, but fingers crossed his shark luck is over. 2026 would be a helluva story if he can make it.
Time to throw in the towel and look for a new career for his health and welfare and that of his family. He must have made a few pennies on the stretcher at PSV to be financially sorted for life.
Supporter world's best and worst football teams: Waikato/WaiBop, Kingz, Knights, Phoenix, The Argyle, The Whites & the All Whites
Yeah mate, his contract may have just expired but Ryan Thomas has resumed training with PEC Zwolle and there’s hope that they’ll sort out a new deal to keep him around. Probably just has to prove his fitness first (which, admittedly, is no given). His manager definitely wants him to stick around, especially for the experience that he offers to a relatively young squad after club legend and captain Bram van Polen left after 17 years of service.
Johnny Jansen: “Ryan still has to sort it out with the club. Gerry [Hamstra, the new technical director] will talk to him, so I hope that will come around. It will be very good to have people in his age group there.”
From Flying Kiwis. Dutch season starts August 10th As for Ryan Thomas across the way at PEC Zwolle... nothing new to report. Thommo hasn’t been considered match-fit for any of their preseason games yet as he recovers from season-ending knee surgery last time out. He’s also without a contract as it stands so let’s hope he’s not far off because he’s running out of room to prove himself.
Signs a 1 year deal with Zwolle. Hopefully an indication that he is nearing full fitness. Goes without saying the poor bugger deserves some luck, and a healthy season. Eredivisie starts next weekend, with 2 Kiwi midfielders in it.
Eredivisie was on Sky Sports NZ recently was it not? Is it still? Would be great to start tuning in with two Kiwis in there now, and both seemingly fit (for the time being...)
He could do well in the a-league. Warmer weather.... short seasons with a long off season. It might be better for his body.
He's seemed very much a settled Dutch family man homebody now for quite sometime. Has made it clear he will continue to live in Holland post playing career over.
And Zwolle seem like a smallest family type club, that likey suits him at this stage of his career. The physio/medicos there will know his body, and it's limitations better than anyone. Happy to be patient with him, and he will always be a hero there after his 2 goals in the Dutch Cup final 10 years ago.
Riding the pine in Holland is hardly gonna get him selected for the AW's but if he's not interested in getting that call up then he'll me making better money riding the pine than player for a pittance in the aleague.
Riding the pine in Holland is hardly gonna get him selected for the AW's but if he's not interested in getting that call up then he'll me making better money riding the pine than player for a pittance in the aleague.
Riding the pine as I type. Time we move on from his as an AW I think.
Supporter world's best and worst football teams: Waikato/WaiBop, Kingz, Knights, Phoenix, The Argyle, The Whites & the All Whites
I'm still optimistic he could find a way back into the AW's. Of course he needs to be playing regular minutes, but he's only 29. Plenty of time for a comeback story. I know Kosta hasn't been hit nearly as hard with injuries but look at his revival.
When he's match fit/sharp, Ryan's one of our best. If anything, he'd be a great backup option in the midfield & wings. Can provide experience and teach our younger fellas a thing or two.
If he stays fit, gets decent minutes, I'm sure we'll see him again. If that's the case, let's hope his club let's him go on int duty.
Marto
theprof
Riding the pine in Holland is hardly gonna get him selected for the AW's but if he's not interested in getting that call up then he'll me making better money riding the pine than player for a pittance in the aleague.
Riding the pine as I type. Time we move on from his as an AW I think.
I'm still optimistic he could find a way back into the AW's. Of course he needs to be playing regular minutes, but he's only 29. Plenty of time for a comeback story. I know Kosta hasn't been hit nearly as hard with injuries but look at his revival.
When he's match fit/sharp, Ryan's one of our best. If anything, he'd be a great backup option in the midfield & wings. Can provide experience and teach our younger fellas a thing or two.
If he stays fit, gets decent minutes, I'm sure we'll see him again. If that's the case, let's hope his club let's him go on int duty.
Marto
theprof
Riding the pine in Holland is hardly gonna get him selected for the AW's but if he's not interested in getting that call up then he'll me making better money riding the pine than player for a pittance in the aleague.
Riding the pine as I type. Time we move on from his as an AW I think.
Some pretty big ifs in that hopeful statement. If he can keep fit and find the form to get him starting in whatever league he's in then maybe he'll get noticed again, and then he's got to be performing better than any of the current players in his spot. I assume he'd be an Old type player?
With his injury history I wouldn't blame him for priortising extending his club career and limiting football time, including with the international team.
Given his tortured recent history, I'm sure his sole current focus is just getting his body right to play football again for Zwolle. Once the All Whites qualify for the 2026 WC - as they will next March - for sure he will be giving some thought to an international recall. Who wouldn't want to play in a World Cup, that in 2025 will start to loom onto the horizon.
That's assuming his body hasn't failed him again, and he is getting mins in the Eredivisie.
And I wouldn't begrudge him trying to make an AWs comeback, after being away from the national team for sooo long. My memories of the 2017 games against Peru (esp at the ROF), is no one tried harder than Thomas to get us the upset win. It's just the football gods have been cruel to him pretty much since then.
Even just to watch Thomas one more time in an AWs shirt would be an incredible sight. Obviously though, I'm not giving up on the possibility of an AWs comeback and him in that 2026 WC squad.
If he’s match fit, and playing regular minutes for zwolle he will be back into the AWs for the World Cup, it’s just a matter on who would loose there spot
If he’s match fit, and playing regular minutes for zwolle he will be back into the AWs for the World Cup, it’s just a matter on who would loose there spot
This...
Even if he's just had 15mins a game from the beach over a season or two...
He is the most skilfully midfielder I've seen play for nz. Such a shame about the injuries.
Can someone fill me in on how good was he back in his prime? I was at the Peru game and that was kind of my introduction to football in NZ but the fanatacism didn't truly take hold until a couple of years afterwards, but I remember his close attempts to make something happen during that match. Obviously nine or ten years ago we didnt have this wealth of players with decent contracts overseas so it must have been pretty novel. But I'm curious to how well beyond "Oh he's mean for a kiwi." it went. Back in the mid 2010's was the sky the limit and is he a case for NZ's biggest wasted talent?
Having never seen the guy play for more than one or two games I'm truly intrigued by the calls of, if he's fit he has to be there. Especially considering we probably have one of our most competitively stacked midfields of a long while. He must have been an absolute beast, and I'm terrified Sarpreet's career is teeing up to deflate in the same way.
Can someone fill me in on how good was he back in his prime? I was at the Peru game and that was kind of my introduction to football in NZ but the fanatacism didn't truly take hold until a couple of years afterwards, but I remember his close attempts to make something happen during that match. Obviously nine or ten years ago we didnt have this wealth of players with decent contracts overseas so it must have been pretty novel. But I'm curious to how well beyond "Oh he's mean for a kiwi." it went. Back in the mid 2010's was the sky the limit and is he a case for NZ's biggest wasted talent?
Having never seen the guy play for more than one or two games I'm truly intrigued by the calls of, if he's fit he has to be there. Especially considering we probably have one of our most competitively stacked midfields of a long while. He must have been an absolute beast, and I'm terrified Sarpreet's career is teeing up to deflate in the same way.
He almost single handedly helped PEC Zwolle beat Ajax to win the KNVB Cup as a 19 year old.
In 2017 his former Zwolle coach was saying he wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up playing for Real Madrid. A bit of hyperbole there for sure, but he was a special player.
He was unreal and had so much potential. Maybe our most talented footballer of all time.
I have memories of him collecting the ball deep in his own half, pivoting with close control, accelerating into space and leaving a couple of defenders in the dead before offloading key attacking passes. Good control, great passing and vision, technically gifted, aware of attacking and defensive space. He had all the qualities of a world class deep lying playmaker and/or assisting attacking midfielder, but we never got to see his ceiling. A real shame.
Could have been a top premier league midfielder without injuries, easily.
Can someone fill me in on how good was he back in his prime? I was at the Peru game and that was kind of my introduction to football in NZ but the fanatacism didn't truly take hold until a couple of years afterwards, but I remember his close attempts to make something happen during that match. Obviously nine or ten years ago we didnt have this wealth of players with decent contracts overseas so it must have been pretty novel. But I'm curious to how well beyond "Oh he's mean for a kiwi." it went. Back in the mid 2010's was the sky the limit and is he a case for NZ's biggest wasted talent?
Having never seen the guy play for more than one or two games I'm truly intrigued by the calls of, if he's fit he has to be there. Especially considering we probably have one of our most competitively stacked midfields of a long while. He must have been an absolute beast, and I'm terrified Sarpreet's career is teeing up to deflate in the same way.
He almost single handedly helped PEC Zwolle beat Ajax to win the KNVB Cup as a 19 year old.
In 2017 his former Zwolle coach was saying he wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up playing for Real Madrid. A bit of hyperbole there for sure, but he was a special player.
For sure part hyperbole that remembered comment by Ron Jans. But Jans is a respected manager who went on to coach FC Cincinnati in the MLS, and of recent times back in Eredivisie with Twente & now Utrecht. So the Thomas praise had some merit.
And of course PSV signed Thomas from Zwolle, with high expectations. Tragically did his ACL the first time, days into his first PSV pre season in 2018. It's been a cursed career ever since
Thomas continued to impress for PEC Zwolle in the following seasons following his transition to a holding midfielder, with his rise being compared to that of Dutch legend Arjen Robben by former manager Ron Jans. In a 2017 interview, Jans stated that "it would not surprise me if he ended up at Real Madrid".
Just remembering how amazing he was and what he achieved or could’ve, while knowing the incredibly difficult times he’s been through brings a tear to my eye every time.
I wish nothing but the best for Thomas and I’m praying this is finally the season where things start to get better for him again.
If he’s match fit, and playing regular minutes for zwolle he will be back into the AWs for the World Cup, it’s just a matter on who would loose there spot
This...
Even if he's just had 15mins a game from the beach over a season or two...
He is the most skilfully midfielder I've seen play for nz. Such a shame about the injuries.
This may have bene the case a couple of years ago, but with no football under his belt, repeated injuries he's not gonna be anywhere near the footballer he was. The dream is gone!
If he’s match fit, and playing regular minutes for zwolle he will be back into the AWs for the World Cup, it’s just a matter on who would loose there spot
This...
Even if he's just had 15mins a game from the beach over a season or two...
He is the most skilfully midfielder I've seen play for nz. Such a shame about the injuries.
This may have bene the case a couple of years ago, but with no football under his belt, repeated injuries he's not gonna be anywhere near the footballer he was. The dream is gone!
Have to say that when I watched him play for the AWs in Russia and elsewhere in Europe, I thought he was good, but no better then Singh at his best or Oldie now.
I actually think Old will end up being the best of them
BUT
All three have had careers plagued by injury. I just hope Ben gets over his and does not follow in the path of the older two kiwis.
Supporter world's best and worst football teams: Waikato/WaiBop, Kingz, Knights, Phoenix, The Argyle, The Whites & the All Whites
