Champs Premier League

you are like a broken record Nightzz..

Are you joining our lobby group?

Do you have one?

Anyone for a wgtn rugby type league?? i.e top 8 playoff(group A) then bottom 2 join top 6(or8) from league below for 2nd round to find promo, winners join group A for next years league, if you do this down the leagues i believe it will work, it might help with the stacking problem?? or is it too radical for those brought up on the ideas that it should be a "proper league" like in england.

Marius Lacatus2008-09-02 21:16:39

Wairarapa United are expecting "one hell of a game" when they meet Hastings-based Maycenvale United in the opening match of the central league soccer playoff series at the Pugh Sports Bowl in Masterton this coming Sunday.

Any thoughts that Maycenvale United would provide anything less than spirited opposition quickly dissipated when they walloped Palmerston North Red Sox 5-1 over the weekend in a fixture to decide the playoff qualifier from a region encompassing Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, Gisborne and Wanganui. It was a huge result considering Red Sox were aiming for their tenth consecutive win.

    Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley was among the spectators at the match and came away hugely impressed with the all-round capabilities of the Maycenvale United unit.

"They were good, very good," Keinzley said. "They were up against a pretty handy side and they demolished them, they probably should have won by seven or eight goals they were that much in control. They are going to give us one hell of a game, no question of that."

Keinzley was especially taken with the organisation of the Maycenvale United midfield who looked structured and composed in everything they did. And it was clear they wouldn't back off when it came to the more physical aspects of the game either.

"It's an experienced midfield and they play with the confidence of players who know what they are doing, they back themselves to dominate the opposition and they obviously have the skills to do it," he said.

That Maycenvale United are no slugs in the goal scoring department is evidenced by the fact they have now scored 71 goals this season, and that they had thumped the powerful Palmerston North End side 5-1 the weekend before their big win over Red Sox, despite going into that game as underdogs as well.

All five goals in that win over Palmerston North End were scored by former Napier City national league striker Leon Birnie and Keinzley expects him to again be the mainstay of their attack at the Pugh Sports Bowl.

His impression of Birnie was of a player who was very strong on the ball while, at the same time, having the vision to link with other team members if they were in a better position to score ... a player in the mould of former Wairarapa United striker Kevin Murray.

"He certainly doesn't play like he sees himself as a one-man band, he's got a lot more to offer than that," Keinzley said of Birnie. Sentiments which are supported by statistics leading into the Red Sox match which showed that Maycenvale United's top scorer was actually Chris Greatholder with 11 and another player in Nick Lucas had six.

Compare that to Wairarapa United's record in winning the Capital premier division competition this season where their main striker, Vanuatu international, Seule Soromon, scored the highest number of goals ever scored for the club in one season, 26, almost half of their total of 48.

"Obviously they have a large number of players capable of scoring goals and that makes them hard to close down," Keinzley said. "You can't afford to revolve the defence around just one or two players, they have too many options for that."

The series with Maycenvale United involves one match at home and one away with the winner being the team with the best aggregate. Should they finish equal on goals scored a penalty shootout will be held at the end of the second game.

Keinzley is aware of Wairarapa United taking full advantage of playing the first match at home as heading to Hastings with a deficit to make up was not a happy prospect.

"We have to treat Sunday's match as the most important of the season for us, it's one we can't afford to lose. There is too much riding on it for that to happen," he said.

In Wairarapa United's favour is that all members of their premier division-winning squad are fit and healthy although there was disappointment that a scheduled training session with New Zealand Olympic coach Stu Jacobs at Howard Booth Park on Sunday had to be called off at late notice because Jacobs found himself with another commitment he could not break.

Keinzley said he would be finalising his starting line-up after training tonight with another practice session planned for Thursday evening.

nightz - how many capital premier players play for team wellington????

oh so you are one of the Bubbles. Should have known. 4-5? interesting

Olympic have regraded 3 players from CL for 3 weeks therefore at least 9CL players will be in the champs Play off

Yourmomma, why don't you go and speak to chops about this who has already said on this thread that he's not happy about what is going on but that it is happening.  The facts are there to see, when Raf and Barry are playing in Capital 1 something aint right.

Wairarapa United will be relying on a tried and true formula to produce a victory over Hastings-based Maycenvale United in the first of their central league playoff soccer matches to be held at the Pugh Sports Bowl in Masterton on Sunday.

An attacking philosophy took Wairarapa United to their first-ever Capital Soccer premier division title this season and coach Phil Keinzley sees no reason to change this coming weekend.

"We are a team which plays our best soccer when the focus is on taking the game to the opposition and we'll be aiming to do that again, " he said. "It's not risk free but it's what suits us so why try something else.

    "

With the series against the powerful Maycenvale United side being home and away with the winner being decided on goal aggregate, Keinzley is, not surprisingly, very keen for his team to travel to Hastings for the return match with at least a couple of goals up their sleeves.

"You want to be the chased not the chaser in this type of competition," he said. "Whoever is trailing going into the second match is under more pressure and obviously we'd prefer not to be in that situation."

Having watched Maycenvale dismantle a powerful Palmerston North Red Sox combination 5-1 in Palmerston North last weekend Keinzley has huge respect for them but he believes a Wairarapa United side playing to their potential can produce a positive result.

"It's going to be as big an ask for us as we had all season but with the team playing well and a big crowd behind us we can do it, I'm sure of that," he said.

Keinzley sees the battle of the midfield being a key aspect of Sunday's game. Maycenvale United were very strong there , both physically and skills-wise, against Red Sox but Wairarapa United are also well equipped in that area, led as they are by the rugged Miriek Tvaroh and the outstanding playmaker Pita Rabo They both impressed enough in their premier division campaign to make Team Wellington's national league extended training squad.

"The midfield is so vital both on attack and defence," Keinzley said. "It's all about closing down the opposition before they work up a full head of steam while at the same time distributing quality possession to your own front runners & the margin of error isn't big in either respect," he said. "If a side dominates the midfield they usually win the game, simple as that."

Tvaroh and Rabo are two of five Wairarapa United players who have earned selection in national league extended training squads this season , Carl Shailer and Seule Soromon joining them with Wellington and Matt Borren making the Manawatu squad.

Fullback Shailer and goalkeeper Borren are integral parts of the Wairarapa United defence ,with Shailer's speed also making him a constant threat on the counter attack, while Soromon's ability at striker to turn even half-chances into goals has made the Vanuatu international something of a "rock star" on the local sporting scene.

He has scored 26 goals so far this season, a Wairarapa United record which he will he need to advance over the next month or so if central league status is to move from a dream to a reality.

Sunday's match will complete a hectic week for young Rathkeale College student Kota Maeno who over that period will have represented his college at the Trident Trophy national secondary schools tourney, the Wairarapa United seconds in a Capital division three match on Saturday and the Wairarapa United under-19s in an Ivor England Trophy match on Sunday morning. He will start on the reserve bench against Maycenvale United but is also likely to get some game time there.

Keinzley said Maeno's commitment was a shining example to those who often questioned the stickability of today's youngsters. "He's never complained, he just gets out there and gives his best every time," he said.

Too arbitrary bob, selection decisions need to remain with the clubs.

whats the answer?

'Yeah good old Barry the hypocrite. Doesn't like what is happening, but doesn't seem to mind turning out against Marist 2nds with some of his CL mates in Capital 2 ffs!

Talk about breaking a walnut with a sledgehammer.'

you cant stop a guy who wants to play footy! the reasons behind him being allowed to play are shoddy, hence why he has mentioned it. why wouldnt barry want to play a game if his season has finished and there is one on offer?

feverish , i think a reserve league is the answer. would allow for a more meaningful competition with players pushing for first team spots against like minded teams.

Pointing the finger at the players playing is hardly the point...or the clubs.  The rules need to be looked at

Come on Assassin I didn't make you look that bad did I. At the end of the day mate I couldn't play first team which I would have preferred.  I hadn't played for a couple of weeks prior to Wgton utd game due to suspension and wanted to have a game. Hell I'd have played Masters if need be. 

rules/ leagues wont change this year.

The problem with the reserve league means no promotion or relegation,  So if there top side is cant win or lose the league they will drop players to there 3rd team to get them promoted. So you will have the best players in Wellington playing cap 3 and 4.  It's a no win situation.   

as opposed to the best players in wellington playing cap 3 and 4 like they have been recently? cant see that being any different

I guess the hope is that clubs will feel the reserve league is a strong enough competition to get their teams up to standard in preparation for Central League (or whatever the top league is). Most of the CL teams want their second teams as high as possible to give them the toughest competition so they are ready for CL. Hence they wouldn't need to drop players down to their 3rd team to try and get them promoted.

Players that have been dropped to the 3rd or lower team this year have mainly just been to circumvent the "only drop 3 players" or the "no dropping players into the promotion/relegation match" rules. So most of them end up playing for the 2nd team the following week.

That said, I have never been a big fan of the reserve league. Personally I'd just like to see the rules tightened up.


wulfsteam2008-09-05 18:01:38

A reserve league has its pros and cons.. Pros.. You would have your reserve team playing before your first team at the same venue every weekend, the way it should be!! Cons..  Clubs in that grade could play a poor reserve team every week and not worry about results as there would be no relegation or promotion from the reserve grade.. Thats not very fair on clubs who are going to work hard to to have a good reserve team to feed there first team and they have to play against crap oposition thats not really preparing them for the step up.. 

I'm still in the dark about this.

I guess changing the existing rules is the easier option.

 

 

Top 3 college teams? Byes for the reserve team the weekend the first team plays the out of Wellington teams?

Neither are particularly good answers, really the top division needs to be an all-Wellington grade before a reserve grade becomes viable

Miramar Rangers 2nd team 4 Olympic 1.... take that!!!

oh dear, the greek boys are going to be in a nasty mood on the forums

that is a great result for miramar, they backed the guys who had been there all year to get the job done and they came through, well done

To right, well done to the Mar!

We'll be seeing you next year in Cap 1 Olympic, maybe we can get a game at Newtown park next year? ;)

it was a game of a 'team' playing 'individuals' and well the team always wins...most of the time.

Congrats Miramar

well done miramar sounds like it was well deserved, olympic will have to bite the bullet and realise what they've done for the last few weeks has ended them up with absolutely nothing, a struggling CL team and a 2nd team that didn't get promoted, perhaps their player depth isn't as large as they like to think it is.

can't wait for next year, will be a big step up for us in skill but I'm confident that we will do well, end of the day I don't care who I'm playing against, as long as I get to play some football!

whoever commented on us losing to the cellar dwellers because we didn't have our imports, if you saw our lineup that day with 4 capital 5 players and even our own 50year old coach playing the last twenty minutes perhaps you get a more fair understanding? as sad as it sounds, its hard to play with the same sort of passion we had the previous weeks when we all knew the result didn't really have any bearing on what was going to happen next year, I myself knew my heart wasn't in that game, we didn't really want to be there to be honest lol.

good luck next year to all