I suspected something was different, because he really looked the real deal at the end of last season.
Inconsistency is common with youth but I felt he was better than that. So I’m pleased that there’s a legitimate reason for it rather than being a flash in the pan. Wish him well.
Based on what happened with Singh in Germany, right thing to do maybe to not play Old remainder of the season?? Sounds like the type of injury that is only fixed with long term rest away from kicking a football.
Nasty, nasty issue. Been there and struggled for two years to overcome it. Hopefully he gets treatment and isn't rushed back into the squad until fully healed
Flight of the Conchords could not be less Australian, in terms of its vibe and sense of humour.
My newly found favourite guy here in QLD (father of school friend of my twins) is incredibly self-deprecating. At English/Irish, or NZ levels. But you are right it's rare in Australia. The brutal un PC put down, the more common humour take.
Australia's version of comedy news show "Have You Been Paying Attention" (the original) is a no holds barred, not much off limits effort. The show's host (Tom Gleisner - Working Dog Productions) goes back a long way in Australian comedy. For sure if it was in NZ, alot of it would be censored. Melanie Bracewell, Guy Montomery, Ray O'Leary, Urzila Carlson & Hayley Sproull are often on the Aussie version. Ray an easy target. I'm sure they notice the difference.
The much loved, brilliant John Clarke (RIP & considered by many the best comic ever based in Aussie) made Kiwi comics popular in Oztraylia. Maybe Palmy North's best ever export. Sorry off topic
As we well know, the Phoenix have several outstanding youngsters in their squad. But there are three in particular: Ben Old, Alex Paulsen, and Finn Surman. Throwing it back to the mission statement of the Welly Nix Academy, those are the three guys with immediate potential to draw transfer fees from European clubs. Others have the capacity to get there with a couple more seasons under their belts, but these three are already there. Whether they stay another year or two or three, that’s up to them and how patient they want to be. But you can absolutely guarantee that foreign scouts have their names written down already.
Here’s a stat for you: There are nine players born in 2002 or later who have played at least 1300 minutes this season (as of the date of publishing here) and three of those players are from the Wellington Phoenix. Ben Old actually isn’t one of them, due to all the substitute appearances he made at the start of the season while they were managing his fitness, but he’s fast on his way having started nine of the past 13 matches, firmly establishing himself as a key player in his team’s quest for the Premiership.
[Those nine players, from youngest upwards: Lukas Kelly-Heald (Phoenix), Giuseppe Bovalina (Adelaide), Jake Girdwood-Reich (Sydney), Finn Surman (Phoenix), Mark Natta (Newcastle), Jacob Farrell (Central Coast), Alex Paulsen (Phoenix), Ryan Teague (Victory), Noah Botic (Western)... so the Nix are the only team with more than one and they’re top of the table, righto].
Giancarlo Italiano: “I think he’s growing every week. The reason why I used him for ninety [vs Adelaide], I’m trying to build his fitness up. Hes been injured for so long, we’ve had to manage that quite extensively. Our physio Cory Glover’s done an excellent job with him. For me, he’s going to be a vital player in our push to create a really good season. He’s the sort of player who needs a little bit of love but he also needs the space and the set-up around him to bring his best attributes out. That’s running with the ball, taking players on, having good players in front of him to combine.”
The other thing that The Chief said about Old is that he’s “such an exciting prospect that you’ll only see how good he is until he leaves and goes overseas”. The same can be said of Alex Paulsen and Finn Surman, to be fair. There’s a bubble around the A-League, especially with homegrown players, which makes it hard to envisage their place in the wider world... until they get there and suddenly the distance doesn’t seem so far. The last few years have seen a surge in younger A-League players finding their way to Europe which has given us a much clearer idea of where the A-League sits globally.
We don’t need to think about that right now, though. Current thoughts should be contained to the very special things that Old and the Wellington Phoenix are doing week to week as they chase their first ever piece of silverware, a feat that Old’s emergence has helped make possible. Embrace it. Savour it. And reflect on the other aspect of all of this: Confidence. Italiano’s note about Old needing “a bit of love” is a clue, because it’s amazing what a dose of belief can lead to. Shred away the doubt and hesitation and that can be the 1% that makes all the difference. That’s proving to be the case with Ben Old and it’s proving to be the case with this entire Wellington Phoenix squad.
C‘mon guys. The whole ,crowded house‘ story is nonsense. We now since a while how good Old plays, this is no secret. Even if we woke up one morning and he turned out magically the best player on the planet, most Kiwis would not care. There would be one article in Stuff and five more people at the stadium before he leaves to Real Madrid.
I have nfi what these stats mean but Old is well ahead of pretty much everyone & people tell me that its good, so add a few more 0's onto his release clause Domey!