All White Availability
All White Availability
I am sick and tired of players bagging those who make themselves unavilable for the All Whites. It is naive to think the honour of playing for your country is enough to make them want to play.
How many people do you know will take leave from their jobs to go and work on their 'time off', risking their place in their 'job' at home, taking a risk on their future to perform a meaningless task (ie games with no immediate significance) for virtually zero pay while others make money off them?
Having said that the players that showed the desire to go or who were in a position to be able to (essentially those with a point to prove or wanting to get a place in the team) did exactly that and performed well against well. Credit to them.
Good point but I still hate it how the best players are never there.loyalgunner2007-07-18 16:35:31
Ryan Nelson on TV3 sport tonight explaining how he wasnt available
for Wales game due to needing recovery time following his operation
and then 20 full-on Blackburn games. Said that Blackburn put the
bread on the table.
Great work TV3 - three footy stories on a Tuesday night.
I said "yawn" earlier because I think the sentiments were a little
lopsided. As I stated somewhere else, the fact that most of these
players owe - at least in part - their getting contracts overseas
to their full international status should stand for a lot more than
it does.
A few people have bagged James Bannatyne on here before but if
you remember he flew to South America, cancelling a holiday if I
remember correctly, just to sit on the bench for the second game of
the last tour there and knowing full well he was very unlikely to
get any time on the pitch. That sort of commitment is fantastic.
Others should learn from it.
I guess I'm one of these naive sods that thinks sentiment and
"the honour" should be enough.
couldn't agree more. althoguh i see Ryans logic. if he doesnt play
for us again though... *starts plotting*
I agree that those on the cusp of selection or 'second choice'
players ought show commitment when chosen for the side. The problem
is that under the current circumstances there is no
motivation/logical reason why our top tier players ought play for
the All Whites.
This issue is not unique to NZ, from memory Ryan Giggs didn't
play for Wales in a friendly for close to ten years i think. The
Socceroos have less trouble getting their stars to play these days
in part due to their success but also in part to the fact the
players now earn a significant amount playing for their
country.
NZF should dangle a big carrot of an enormous payment to the
players if we reach SA2010. Then they should insure themselves
against this happening, so that if it does, the have the cash to do
so.
Giggs didn't play in a friendly for Wales for years, that is
true, but there are a couple of points to make about this.
1) The Welsh public and their national team's management got
to see him play week in week out and knew what he was capable of
when it mattered. The only player we (or probably NZF) see playing
regularly is Ryan Nelsen. Until Chris James came on the scene a
year or so back, no-one had a clue if he was any good. When to we
get to see Killen, or Mulligan, or Vivelich play?
2) Giggs took a lot of flak for not playing, hence his
decision to play in friendlies over the last few years. I think it
was Mark Hughes who convinced him he should.
3) The whole idea behind getting the AWs to play games in
Europe was so that the players would be available, and I'm sure the
senior players would have been consulted on this. If they
were, then in my mind they have made some sort of commitment, at
least morally. As this isn't happening, it obviously needs a
rethink.
Ryan Nelsen on TV3 sport tonight explaining how he wasnt available
for Wales game due to needing recovery time following his operation
and then 20 full-on Blackburn games. Said that Blackburn put the
bread on the table.
Here here. Nice work tv3. To everyone forget tv1 and give them a
call or e mail and tell them so.Great work TV3 - three footy stories on a Tuesday night.
Where is neutral zone? Just curious Tasman sea? Kashmir?
Where is neutral zone? Just curious Tasman sea? Kashmir?
It can be wherever you want it to be.sanday2007-05-31 09:19:44
this iz nt so right that good players makes unavilable for all whites what if nz plays in world cup and there is no good players
Guess I'm one of those naive people that think playing for your
country should be a great honour. Isn't sentiment and
honour all part and parcel of our beautiful game? One can
definately see where Ryan Nelsen is coming from with regards to
resting himself for the Wales game though. And a big thumbs up to
the lads that played against Wales, and to James Bannatyne for
travelling so far to warm the bench for the All Whites earlier in
the year. Thats brilliant comittment! I thought the effort of
the players in the Wales game was great, and they achieved a result
as well!!! And could well have won it! We need to take a
balanced view of both sides of the coin! Focus on the positive
things please!!!
I said "yawn" earlier because I think the sentiments were a little
lopsided. As I stated somewhere else, the fact that most of these
players owe - at least in part - their getting contracts overseas
to their full international status should stand for a lot more than
it does.
A few people have bagged James Bannatyne on here before but if
you remember he flew to South America, cancelling a holiday if I
remember correctly, just to sit on the bench for the second game of
the last tour there and knowing full well he was very unlikely to
get any time on the pitch. That sort of commitment is fantastic.
Others should learn from it.
I guess I'm one of these naive sods that thinks sentiment and
"the honour" should be enough.
Agreed with everytihng you said you don't get paid that much
for playing with Nz but then again you shouldn't even think about
money. i would play for Nz no matter what if I was good
enough.
Well said Notsure!! I would rip someone's arm off to play in the
New Zealand Women's team if I were good enough to be selected!!!!
Well not literally but you get the idea anyway!
Interesting argument this. Jamie Carragher was recently
critised here in the UK over not wanting to play for England but
his argument in defence was a strong one.