Football United - July 2014 West Ham and Newcastle visit

Yes

The first goal came after Nechevski fluffed a clearance and the Newky boys slotted it straight past him, Greenacre against Pasfield stylee. It all went downhill for the Bling after that.

what is the crowd figure

and Sydney shit

Anyone else reckon Tim Krul's shirt is 2 sizes too big? lol

This has to be the last big football game in Dunedin.  Truly flogging a dead horse down there.  The stadium was so expensive it needs to host events but it's not good for anyone the council stumping up for matches people don't attend.  I could have predicted this wouldn't have been well attended because Dunedin is not a good football crowd

Really, they should have had 2 double headers - Wgtn and Auckland.  I think you'd have gotten well over 25k in Akld and obviously good crowds in Wgtn too.  Then you can also justify the higher prices.

probably wanted mid week games. Would aucklanders take off a Wednesday?

Whats wrong with the pitch?

Before the tour I was slated by some on here for thinking $100 is far too steep for a ticket to watch a bunch of reserve players with the odd first teamer to play a meaningless match with no intensity.

Has tonight not proved that I wasn't that wrong? I think so.

The pitch is fine.  Maybe he doesn't like the paint?  Fuck knows with him.

Harsh call on Bling

Toon started with a good line up.

Not many good players on there now though.

I would have loved to have gone for maybe $50.

I hope Saturday isn't 2 games like this one...

Certainly has been a dreary game. Goals have been rubbish and there has been no intensity after the first 10 minutes. 

You were saying?

Happened just when I posted. But a virtual own goal and keepers mistake for two of them, I can see why toon want carroll. 

Misetable buggers. A team winning 4 -0 at a canter. What more do you want

A team winning 5 nil

The team have just flown half way around the world.  What do you expect?  We struggle to fly across one time zone.

Not sure anyone is criticising Newcastle, they've done what they needed to do. Sydney a bit average.

Overall, no more or less than I expected but as others have said, nothing on show to truly justify $100 tickets.

Classy end to the BT broadcast.

Good work.

The problem with these games is that there is no sporting reason for the match to take place.  It is a contest which is only there due to financial concerns - therefore you are not going to get a proper sporting fixture

I don't care if Phoenix lose 5-0 tomorrow, but please please let us put on a better show that that. An advert for the A-League it wasnt

That's not a problem.

The problem is if people expect it to be anything else.  I wonder how much tickets are when Man U etc go to Asia and the USA?

Its something we haven't seen here in 30+ years. Probably the best sides to come here for a while. 

But yeah, lets all be miserable about it instead. 

You are probably right. After the stream finished, it went over to Dortmund and Hamburger.  That is way more interesting, free too

http://hitsports.net/ch3.php

Its up to us to fire the Phoenix up on Saturday and not settle for the dull dross we have just seen

Sydney are up there, but not the best.

It's not 'being miserable' for the sake of it. Surely you can say it wasn't a great game and that doesn't mean you are being miserable?

It wasn't a great game. I didn't expect it to be. I hope tomorrow is better. And I hope Saturday is even better!

Saturday will be better because you will have three different sets of supporters all singing and joining in. I am expecting a fantastic atmosphere even if the football isn't. 

Three-way conga?

4 sets of fans surely? I expect at least 14 Sydney fans to be in attendance...

You are right a 4 way conga. I just hope it isn't bitterly cold and raining. Might be a carnival atmosphere if it is sunnyish.

Yeah I think there is more to motivate the Phoenix in this match so it should be a better show

And the double header is a much better event from an entertainment perspective.  I wonder whether in future it would be better to have the 4th team as a random Asian team.  May be someone no-one has heard of sure, but at least perhaps another level of interest?  We see a lot of the A-League teams 

I thought it was an ok game in respect that there was no bullshit with stupid tackles, players falling over and the histronics - they simply just got on with playing football. Sydney were played off the pitch but then I expected that in playing a side far above them and Sydney largely being made over and only 4 weeks into their own program with a new coach. I would have thought that had the Phornix played instead of Newcastle, the score would have been similar.

Still, I enjoyed watching it because it was good football and some goals to go with it.

Newcastle could have got on a bus and played Grimsby and got more out of it, with a lot less travel.

Yet everyone on here expects Reid, Wood, Smith and other overseas based players to make that trip twice in a week to play meaningless friendlies when the NZFA can be bothered to get them organised.

were you at the game?

I watched it.

maybe you can save the comments for someone who actually paid a hundie and actually went

Tell you what that Sydney defence really didn't know whether it was coming or going

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/10297833/New...

"a crowd of around 10,000" apparently last night in Dunedin.

You wouldn't expect any more to turn up to see an Aussie team playing a less glamorous EPL side at a relatively high ticket price.

Still, a big improvement on the maximum of 6000 (in Napier!) who turned up to see Newcastle play the All Whites in 1985 - and that was probably a stronger Newcastle team man for man (more first choice players including Peter Beardsley, David McCreery, Glenn Roeder and soon-to-be-first-choice Gazza). Beardsley and David McCreery were legends of the time - Beardsley of course one of the best English strikers of the 1980's and McCreery a legend for Northern Ireland at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups - was named in FIFA's All Star XI at the World Cup 1982.

Attendances 1985: 

http://www.rsssf.com/tablesn/nz-intres-det80.html#...

May 18, Christchurch, QEII Stadium, 5000

May 19, Wellington, Basin Reserve, 5000

May 22, Napier, McLean Park, 6000

May 25, Auckland, Mount Smart, 3500

Auckland was absolutely pathetic when it came to turning out to support big matches post-1982 World Cup.

Bravo!