Ryan Thomas (PEC Zwolle | Netherlands)

coochiee

HattyCW

Thomas starts

Best football news of the weekend to date. Was dreading yet another pre season injury setback. Touch wood he'll be good to go for the All Whites in October. So a long awaited recall after a near 6 year absence. 

For christs sake someone throw up an anti jinx.

Full game for Ryan, as Zwolle start the season with a 1-0 win.

You love to see it

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Quite an incredible story this. 

All those injuries throughout those years and now back to where it all begun and captaining PEC Zwolle in the Eredivise. 

Fingers and toes crossed that he stays injury free. It’s been 6 years since he played for the All Whites but he’s an absolute lock for me in that midfield if he’s fully fit. 

I don't know if it's because I'm finally getting use to it, or if its finally grown in properly... but the man is finally beginning to 'wear' his mustache!

Niche Cache

Ryan Thomas: “It's been a long time since I came out of pre-season match fit without injuries. When I look back, it must have been in a season of my first period at PEC Zwolle. I am really looking forward to the coming season. Also because trainer Henry Van der Vegt appointed me as the captain of PEC Zwolle. I am the proud captain of the club that is my second home.  Here in Zwolle I was well cared for as a young boy from New Zealand and I always appreciated that. In those first years I experienced wonderful moments such as winning the KNVB Cup and the Johan Cruijff Shield.”

Zwolle travel to Telstar

Full game as Zwolle are two wins from two to start the season.

Got a yellow for ‘roughing’ so he’s getting amongst it and most importantly he’s very fit to be playing full games and having the kms covered stats he’s producing 

Watched 5 mins highlights of the win over Twente and he seemed to be a bit deep, but it was in Dutch and he wasn’t that easy to spot on the paddock. I think for AWs he’d be best further forward tucked in behind Wood. Though Thomas never scores than many goals himself. But exciting to think he’s hopefully not far off a return 

Could be the missing piece to make this AWs team a real chance of beating top 50 teams consistently 

man of the match today again according to espn argentina ,  played as playmaker again

Back to back player of the matches is impressive.

If not for his knees, how far could he have gone?

Just my opinion, but I think he would of been a very much in demand player for many premier league clubs.

MetalLegNZ

Back to back player of the matches is impressive.

If not for his knees, how far could he have gone?

Didn’t one of Ryan’s managers, before his injury problems of course, reckon he could see him playing for Real Madrid?

Imagine he's pretty happy where he is right now though. 
Captain of the team. 
2 wins from 2 to start the season
playing injury free

I am so excited to see him back in the AWs. He and Bell and stamenic will be great. As Garbett has stalled weve mossed that second 8 in the team. 

Imagine if someone said he theres a new eligible player who captains a side in the eredivise… gold.. 

is correct he was touted to be in LA LIGA, with teams like ATLETICO BARCELONA REAL MADRID  REAL SOCIEDAD VILLARREAL AND VALENCIA lookng after him when he was 2018 circa 

YellowAndBlack

Just my opinion, but I think he would of been a very much in demand player for many premier league clubs.

MetalLegNZ

Back to back player of the matches is impressive.

If not for his knees, how far could he have gone?

actually , he would be just behind the strikers I think with a 3-4-1-2 formation 

JasperNix

I am so excited to see him back in the AWs. He and Bell and stamenic will be great. As Garbett has stalled weve mossed that second 8 in the team. 

Imagine if someone said he theres a new eligible player who captains a side in the eredivise… gold.. 

He's a machine. And to a comment above he can score. I remember him in the Dutch cup years ago.

In 222 appearances (197 starts) for Zwolle & PSV he has 16 goals.
That includes some time with PSV as a false 9.
https://us.soccerway.com/players/ryan-thomas/215382/

In his first spell at Zwolle, it was the one criticism - he didn't score much. And some commentary that by going to a much stronger club in the Eredivisie that should improve with more scoring chances. Alas did his ACL badly at his very first PSV training session, so we never really got to find out.

He's cross fingers gonna be a great addition to the AWs, after 6 years out. But we shouldn't be relying on him for many goals.

Niche Cache. If you take out the week of the November 2019 window (only played the Irish and not the 2nd Lithuania game), he really hasn't been involved with the All Whites in any great extent for nearly 8 years!!


And now he’s back in the All Whites for the first time in six years. His last national team appearance was against Ireland in November 2019 – Danny Hay’s first game in charge and the debuts for Joe Bell, Callum McCowatt, and Eli Just - and that game ended a drought of two years without a cap going back to the 2017 World Cup qualifiers against Peru.

Granted, in that case it was more about a lack of All Whites fixtures than Thommo’s unavailability. Nevertheless, 18 of his 19 caps came in 2017 or earlier.

Zwolle host Utrecht

Thomas starts

Full game in a 2-0 loss

After watching him last night i really hope we see a fully fit and injury free Thomas for the next 12 months.

Buffon II

After watching him last night i really hope we see a fully fit and injury free Thomas for the next 12 months.

Should have stayed on for the 90.

We had them, we so nearly had them, and Thomas was at the heart of it, but we lost all impetus after the subs.

As I posted in the match thread he’s likely on a limited mins agreement with Zwolle.

Let’s just enjoy watching him up close in our time zone. Who knows when he will next be on Aotearoa’s shores. Tuesday will be his first football game in NZ in 8 years!! 

And wasn’t he magnificent that match against Peru, almost single-handedly trying to get the win

sensational. that maradona turn, the raking passes. the composure. we takes us up a couple of notches - where the hell does Marco Stamenic play now??

coochiee

As I posted in the match thread he’s likely on a limited mins agreement with Zwolle.

Let’s just enjoy watching him up close in our time zone. Who knows when he will next be on Aotearoa’s shores. Tuesday will be his first football game in NZ in 8 years!! 

And wasn’t he magnificent that match against Peru, almost single-handedly trying to get the win

I knew I'd seen this in AV's article on Stuff earlier in the week. Just had to double back and check.

Right now he’s overcome with excitement at “being part of a group of guys from New Zealand, and hopefully creating some history again” at the World Cup in North America next year, with this month’s matches – where he isn’t on any sort of minutes restriction – an important stepping stone.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360811033/all-whites-star-ryan-thomas-eyes-world-cup-after-fixing-his-knees-and-making-football-fun-again

Why the fudge should there be any minutes restrictions. The clubs can't do shark, we are within our rights to play them as much or as little as we like, it is all in international windows. 

Fair enough. Maybe that's true. But if he'd played the full 90, and then pulled up sore today ruling himself of starting in Auckland - you can imagine the unpouring on Bazeley. Especially with the midfield a bit light with Stamenic out. A cautious approach.

Maybe they discussed and decided they would try to get him play the full 90 in the 2nd game at Mt Smart. Another couple of training sessions to get better familar with team mates he's barely played with. 

It's also usually just one game a week in Holland. I think he's started 9 of Zwolle's last 10 Eredivisie matches (end of last season & start of this one), only being rested for a midweek match, last season??

imanixsupporter

Why the fudge should there be any minutes restrictions. The clubs can't do shark, we are within our rights to play them as much or as little as we like, it is all in international windows. 

So you want to take the risk of pissing  clubs off so next time players are selected they "develop" an injury and are unavailable for selection.
Clubs pay their wages and your kidding if you think they wont abide what the clubs want.
There is plenty of evidence in our past of players being unavailable dont get you want to get on the wrong side of clubs.
Rather they manage Thomas than over play him in what at the end of the day are only friendlies and risk an injury.

imanixsupporter

Why the fudge should there be any minutes restrictions. The clubs can't do shark, we are within our rights to play them as much or as little as we like, it is all in international windows. 

Some clubs make those agreements with national team management depending on the window - workload, recent injury recovery/management is often the reasoning. 

Generally feel it's a pretty reasonable request for friendly matches. Don't think you'd get that type of request if they were World Cup Qualifiers or the like though.

I think last night was reasonable to give him an hour and then take him off. Just a bit annoyed we lost momentum, and the game once we rung the changes. Onto Auckland we roll though.

imanixsupporter

Why the fudge should there be any minutes restrictions. The clubs can't do shark, we are within our rights to play them as much or as little as we like, it is all in international windows. 

Are you always this ill informed angry at home. Jumping onto talkback radio. Must be fun.

The club verus country juggling act in international football is as old as the hills.
The clubs pay the bills, Australia/NZ are the longest flights any international footballers will make in a FIFA window blah blah blah. It's all part of the job description of an international coach/health staff, taking to the clubs about workloads.

Thomas is coming off an injury plagued 6 years away from the AWs. Wood has a big club season ahead of him including the Europa League. He injured himself in the Sept 2022 window (Socceroos at EP), March 2023 window (China - flew to NZ but didn't even play) and March 2025 window (NC at EP). Missing club games with Newcastle or Forest each time.

Maybe NZF can fly you over to Athens to appease fiery always hungry Evangelos Marinakis, if Wood played 180 mins this window, only to be too lame for Forest v Arsenal next weekend.


There is an article with charts also for mens international football travel for a 12 month period that someone posted, but I can't find it. From memory the top 10 travellers were all All Whites or Socceroos players
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/three-trips-around-the-planet-matildas-heavy-workloads-revealed-20241218-p5kz97.html

My point is, we can wisely restrict minutes for the players' own sakes, but we shouldn't be doing it to appease clubs

imanixsupporter

My point is, we can wisely restrict minutes for the players' own sakes, but we shouldn't be doing it to appease clubs

Yes we should, otherwise as ballane correctly pointed out, we will end up not having those players made available to us in future windows where we are solely playing friendlies and not competitive fixtures.

tablemanners

sensational. that maradona turn, the raking passes. the composure. we takes us up a couple of notches - where the hell does Marco Stamenic play now??

In place of McCowatt? Shift Thomas to 10 (or play Marko there), Singh on the left? 

It could well be the last time the AWs will play downunder before the World Cup.
So less an issue going forward.

October window in Europe. November in the US. Both reasonably short trips for most of the squad. There will be less ALM players picked in those windows, as Paulsen, Tzanev, Garbett, Waine, Libby, Smith(?) etc come in.

Sounds like NZF will try and get an opponent to visit NZ next March or June, as sort of a WC farewell game(s). But that will be far from easy, especially if Bazeley wants it again be a top 50 team. Far flung Aotearoa is a pretty unattractive place to fly to for most international footballers re a friendly. Another China level opponent is the best hope. Maybe someone like Uzbekistan who have qualified with a mostly domestic based squad.

Otherwise this window could be the last very long trip most of AWs make before the big show next year.

When was the last time the All Whites played in a friendly outside.a window? The clubs have to release players in windows, even for friendlies. What are you even talking about?

Buffon II

imanixsupporter

My point is, we can wisely restrict minutes for the players' own sakes, but we shouldn't be doing it to appease clubs

Yes we should, otherwise as ballane correctly pointed out, we will end up not having those players made available to us in future windows where we are solely playing friendlies and not competitive fixtures.

imanixsupporter

When was the last time the All Whites played in a friendly outside.a window? The clubs have to release players in windows, even for friendlies. What are you even talking about?

Buffon II

imanixsupporter

My point is, we can wisely restrict minutes for the players' own sakes, but we shouldn't be doing it to appease clubs

Yes we should, otherwise as ballane correctly pointed out, we will end up not having those players made available to us in future windows where we are solely playing friendlies and not competitive fixtures.

January 2022 (in the UAE?) verus Jordan and then the 2nd game (Uzbekistan?) which was called off as the teams had several players test positive for Covid.

March OFC WC qualifying tourney in Qatar also started about a week before that March FIFA window. Danny Hay strategically chose not to pick some guys for those Jan games, to appease their club bosses re the March tourney coming up.

I remember Hay saying he found the Italian clubs (Kirwan & Libby at the time in 2022) the trickiest to deal with.


And don't be dumb IMANS.

Clubs get in a player's ear and say you need to tell your international boss you are injured and unavailable for these meaningless (in their eyes) friendlies.

"We don't want you flying 35,000 kms round trip as after the window we have 3 games in a week, and player x, player y & player z are all injured. You fly out, and we will withdraw that new 3 year contract that is currently being drawn up..................."