Football United - July 2014 West Ham and Newcastle visit

One of these things is not like the others...

FYI, my mate didn't end up getting the tickets. I'm starting to seriously doubt his existence. 

Hmm... a list of fixtures vs quality football clubs...

...plus Bling?

I guess NUFC will be in their away kit.  Wonder if it will be 2013/14 or 2014/15 (both rather meh)?

As a confidence booster after their recent world cup final defeat, Argentina appear to have scheduled 7 consecutive matches against Newcastle.

plans are underway for a Biggest Fan comp. It will find the geezer who is a bigger fan of his team than anyone else. It won't involve you taking a selfie holding a club flag etc..

Aussies having to pay for the games on PPV also. http://www.mainevent.com.au/entertainment/football...

Damnit 

Anyone know if there's going to be a training session/signing session for West Ham and Newcastle in Welly?

*Friday 25 July, 11am, Westpac Stadium, 105 Waterloo Quay, Wellington 6011, New Zealand

That is for West Ham

Public Sessions – United Tour 2014

The public are welcome to come along and watch all four of the teams train during the Football United tour. Times are subject to change so please keep checking back for updates.

SUNDAY 20 July
11.30-12.30pm: West Ham United Open Training Session @ North Harbour Stadium

MONDAY 21 July
AUCKLAND:
10-11am: Phoenix Open Training Session @ North Harbour Stadium, Auckland.
11.30-1pm: West Ham United Open Training Session @ North Harbour Stadium, Auckland.
DUNEDIN:
10.30am-12.30pm: Newcastle United Open Training Session @ Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin.
10.30am-11.30am: Sydney FC open training session @ Forrester Park, Dunedin.

TUESDAY 22 July
10-11am: Phoenix Open training session @ Eden Park, Auckland.
11-12pm: West Ham Open training session @ Eden Park, Auckland.

THURSDAY 24 July
10.30am-12.00pm: Newcastle United Open training session @ Newtown Park 1, Wellington.

FRIDAY 25 July
9.30am -10.30am: Phoenix Open training session @ Westpac Stadium, Wellington.
11.00am-12pm – West Ham United Open training session @ Westpac Stadium, Wellington.
10.30am-12pm – Newcastle United Open training session @ Newtown Park 1, Wellington.

OTHER EVENTS
Friday 25 July: 12pm-3pm - The Long Lunch @ Massey University Hall, Wellington. Book your table here.

While in Britain they're free to all British Telecom broadband subscribers on BT Sports (they supply their own  two sports channels and ESPN free - non BT customers can subscribe on Sky Sports). So the four Football United games are part of 15 pre-season matches they are screening. That's a bloody good broadband deal considering you get 38 EPL games live (one a week), 24 FA Cup games live, Serie A, Bundesliga, Europa Cup etc. plus other major sports - all for cheapest package 26 pounds  / month broadband and home phone (29 pounds unlimited broadband)

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/products/tv/...

http://sport.bt.com/sportfootball/football/live-fo...

For those Feverites not going to AKL, I assume Four Kings is showing the game?

Firstly, he could have spoken with journalists back home if he had come for the game against South Africa. And does he really play for the National Team down here?  

Ticket sales are very slow for Eden Park. Considering the craptacular weather we've had recently, I'm not surprised - Aucklanders are weather-wimps who generally hibernate from July-August. But, as for the A-League game against the Cakes, I'm sure there'll be 10,000 door sales if the weather is nice a week from today.

What Akld needs is a rectangular stadium with a roof and seating maybe 20k...

Pull finger Auckland

Put a roof over NHS? Good idea. And move the damn thing somewhere more convenient while they're at it.

Petone Rec?

So looks like Newcastle will swap one world cup starter for another, just in time for this tour...

http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/07/15/photo-da...

Someone mentioned a stand down period for WC players.

But didn't they already name their squad, with world cup players in it?

Simon Hill who's commentating the games has done a little piece on Newcastle's last visit here in 1985 with a few good anecdotes from Steve Sumner and Russell Gray. Newcastle played four games in one week - crazy schedule:

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/wellingtonphoe...

"Russell Gray, now media officer for Wellington Phoenix, remembers Gascoigne bursting into the team hotel to inform (then) manager, Willie McFaul, that he'd agreed to stay on after the tour, and play for Napier City Rovers in the New Zealand Soccer League. McFaul simply rolled his eyes and said "he'll have forgotten that by the morning."

Sumner has his own Gascoigne story.

"We were all in the same hotel as the Newcastle boys - my All Whites team-mate Kevin Hagan peeled an orange and tucked a kiwi fruit inside the rind, and then gave it to Gazza, asking him whether he'd ever seen a Kiwi orange!"

David Dome says in an interview in this morning's paper there are no late changes to the Newcastle touring party:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/10269929/Pho...

"Dome said there had been no late changes to the touring parties, and he expected three of Newcastle's four World Cup players to arrive in New Zealand as advertised on Sunday.

Netherlands goalkeeper Tim Krul, the penalty shootout hero in the quarterfinal win over Costa Rica, France fullback Mathieu Debuchy and Ivory Coast midfielder Cheik Tiote are all listed to travel."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

However, Hatem Ben Arfa could be in doubt as he's fallen out of favour with Alan Pardew:

http://www.nufcblog.com/2014/07/15/if-this-player-...

Newcastle lost 2-1 to Oldham this morning with new signing Siem de Jong scoring on debut.

http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20140715/oldham-ath...

Newcastle team v Oldham: Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): Jak Alnwick; Vurnon Anita (Lubo Satka 55), Steven Taylor (Remie Streete 63), Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Paul Dummett (Gael Bigirimana 70); Mehdi Abeid, Jack Colback;Yoan Gouffran (Sammy Ameobi 46), Siem De Jong (c) (Haris Vuckic 63), Rolando Aarons (Massadio Haidara 63); Adam Armstrong (Ayoze Perez 55)

Sub not used: Freddie Woodman

Not a lot of name players in that line-up...

"At left-back, Pardew’s plans have been disrupted by Davide Santon’s latest injury. The Italian has a history of knee problems and will miss the entire pre-season as he undergoes rehabilitation."

Dome would have no idea.

Debuchy is presumed signed for Arsenal for the last week now, and widespread reports claimed that they were waiting for Newcastle to sign a replacement before announcing the transfer.  

Now the replacement has been signed there is no way Debuchy will tour.

This is almost a 'my balls my word' situation...

almost...

1 week :)

Right, Ticketek just called. Some of the stands at Eden Park are being closed, so the YF zone is being moved from section 202 to the North Stand (section 402).

Good to see the Aucklands getting in behind this. I guess they are waiting to see what the weather is like on the day before comitting.

sorry, double post and it wont elt me delete it. Mods can do if you wish to please.

The stand behind the goal is being closed. Shambles.

Sounds like we are all being moved into the main stand in 402, which means the we'll be with the Auckland numpties who want to sit down. I hope security get told what is going on and back us up.

402 is FZ too so hopefully all g.

Do you think the WHam fans will be standing or sitting as well?

Ask him

I think it will stand out like dogs balls, whose a football fan and whose just shown up from the rugby crowd.

Ticketek just sent me my new ticket - except that it's my old ticket, in the stand that is now meant to be closed.

Back on the phone tomorrow morning then...

Left hand + Right hand - Communication = Confusion.