Auckland City FC - Thanks a Trillion

Highlights of the final on Sky Sport 2 on the 18th of March at 7pm.

As forecast p*ssing down with rain in Auckland.

My wife and I love our football but there's no way she is going to stand out in the rain from 10am to 4pm in an open field to watch two games of football, even though they're finals. 

So our apologies to the youth teams we are unable to support you today as being oldies we do not wish to 'catch our death of cold'.

New Zealand Football and cronies enjoy the finals from your VIP position in the clubrooms while the rest of us seek shelter from wind and rain. You and the venue are a disgrace,

NZFs new motto.....!! though I personally doubt it ...

Don't blame you. I bet a lot of others feel the same.

Seems all the ACFC detractors on this forum are now keeping a low profile over this wash-out. Hope WU and NZF feel suitably ashamed, but I somehow doubt it. Feel very sorry for all the players but I'm hugely relieved that the VIPs are nice and dry in their 'clubhouse'. It'll be interesting to see what WU apologist Terry Maddasford says about this in the Herald.

The whole debacle is a crying shame and further evidence of how little regard Van Hattam and co at NZF have for their own national league.

Get over yourselves. Yes the venue is far from perfect but the reality is that f all people care about this final and even if it was played somewhere else on a beautiful day the crowd would not have been much larger.

That's a pretty huge call. I'd expect a decent crowd if it was sunny. However, I doubt here would be too much more of a crowd during a downpour, no matter where it was played. Though a covered stand would bring a few more, it wouldn't be that many. 

this isn't an auckland city issue, this is an issue for the whole league.  so the acfc bashers need to take a step back and ask what sort of league their team is playing in when the grand final of our top domestic comp is being played at an inadequate venue.

if standards aren't set, and adhered to, then the league becomes a joke

this isn't waitak's fault; they are playing within the rules as set and applied by NZF and the best path for them to get their hands on the cup is to play at home, so fair play to them.

well no.... it is the scum and the NZFs  fault .,,one for not doing whats been set out as required , and one for not enforcing their own rules ...personally im not going ; the combo of wet weather ,slippery rds ,shithouse facilities and a pointless game mean ill find something more amusing to do ...

So are  Waitakere big favourites? I may place a bet.

Not massively, I think a few days the odds on the winner were something like Waitak $1.65 to Auckland $2.15, which sounds about right.

$1.95 Waitakere and $3.25 Auck on Bet365

Ah but does that include the draw option as well? Latest from TAB is Waitak $1.65, Auckland $2.15, while the after 90 minutes option is Waitak $2.15, Auckland $2.75 and the draw at $3.55.

Pointless game? Interesting comment. 

The past finals between these two teams, albeit at Kiwitea Street, North Harbour and Trusts Stadium, enjoyed boisterious crowds in excess of 3000 so you're talking nonsense when you say f all people care. They're just not going to stand in an open field getting wet with only an eye-level view of the game from the perimeter. Go look at replays of those past games to see how good the finals can be,

As hosts they have a duty to provide proper facilities, not just do the least they can get away with.

Draw is at $3.75

Probably a good bet for 90 minutes (he says hopefully), sounds like WU are dominant. Coombes takes his revenge, wish he was still in blue.

sounds like a heck of a game

wish it was on telly

Draw would have proved a good bet = 3-3 but with ACFC down to 10 men after Arms red carded by O'Leary you have to fancy WU over 30 tough extra minutes. COYBlues! Certianly deserves full TV coverage in a good stadium as with past such finals.

It's not an ACFC detractor or knocker thIng. I have agreed the venue (sans playing surface) is poor but making it an issue in finals week when you could have been doing it all year (and referencing Waitakere as the 'Scum') hardly does your point that its been a long crusade against grounds like this, any justice. It just looks like sour grapes. The point has been well made so move on with it already

Waitakere win in 4-3 in extra time.

What a game. Waitakere deserved victors, but great effort from Auckland to fight back like that with 10 men. Hope I did it justice for anybody following along online

You must have even cracked a grin JV, 4-3 win to WU, sounds like a cracking game. Pity such a poor crowd and no live TV coverage.

Officious O'Leary issues City with nine cards, one red, and only two for WU, I've watched both teams plenty of times and that has to be nonsense. Krishna is notorious for falling over. Wonder if Ramon did a Fergie when officials were walking off?

Now for the business end of the season - the O League playoffs. 

I'll bite

I not a fan of either side however I don't see Waitakere fans whinging in here a lot so I have less indifference to them.

Recap:

1: you said the premiership meant nothing in the scheme of things, so why do you care?

2: when I saw the red card, I knew you would blame O'Leary. Were you there to see it? I've seen Phoenix games with the card count heavily against them but that's just the way the game has gone. Lose with a bit of dignity. You then find people will warm to you.

3: Waitakere have had your number all year so you probably should have been prepared for this

Fundamentally, the two best teams in the league went at it and were separated by a goal in extra time.

And the best team in the country won it for a record 4th year in a row. 

Hahaha! Waitakere have no fans to whinge. At the en  of the game the ACFC fans were still singing whilst Waitakere players had to sing their own song.

Nothing to do with anything other than your comment abou Waitakere fans not whinging. I would have isolated the quote from you but too hard on the iphone

Fair enough.

It would be nice to show some humility. Yes their ground is poo but they have lead the league all season, had your number and seem to have taken the final in extra time in a fair game.

I think this will possibly the end of Ramon at ACFC. Oddly enough the last ACFC title was under Marshall as a replacement for Tuua/Roger (memory fails) or did PP win one?

Cheers N-B.  Must have been exciting as there was the odd keyboard crunch. This derby is always a no holds barred classic.  Was there sweeping rain or was the ground just a bit soggy?

There was a period of sweeping rain - fortunately, Waitakere had been thoughtful enough to charge an additional $5 at the gate so they could afford a small temporary stand... Uncovered. Or was the extra charge to pay for the single malt and caviar for NZF in the out-of-bounds club rooms?

In saying all that - I had a great time and the game was fantastic.

Paul Posa won one at Trusts Stadium if I recall. Still think his team was our best.

Agree that Marshall has done well with Waitakere and I've said before he has them humming. No issue with them winning, just question O'Leary's 9-2 card waving and NZF's indifference to what should be the showcase game. I'm just pleased City gave as good as it got, until the red card changed the game.

The O League playoffs are going to be a ripper, think the Island teams will struggle to contain both City and WU. Lets hope one of them wins through to the CWC for the sake of NZ football because the ASBP needs the injection of Fifa prizemoney. 

As for Ramon, if we don't win through to the CWC in Morocco in December I think he'll be gone. He hankers to coach a professional outfit, mind you ACFC might be the best option he has.

You could argue that if he can't make ACFC hum, could he do it elsewhere? I think that will be the knock on him in applying for the Phoenix job.

N-Bomb, a neutral and it would be fair to say a reasonably considered poster, said that all O'Leary's cards were well warranted so ACFC went with an attitude of 'smash em' and it did not work. You can't argue with that really.

I think if anything, I'm glad we do not get these lop sided finals.

The problem with the O League is simply that its a no brainer that the NZ teams are better. There might 1 or 2 that push hard but they really do rely on the heat in the islands to be the leveler. Its using the conditions to your advantage thats for sure.

In terms of the OCL Vader, I think it would be really interesting to see a team like Canterbury or Wellington take part, just to see how the rest of the ASB Prem compares to the island teams. Yes, ACFC and WU are a cut above nearly all other teams in the OCL, but they are also a cut above all the other ASB Prem teams.