On the 18th of March this year I wrote an entry titled "I just want to win something". I had just watched Brisbane win the A-League and I was left to lament the complete lack of success on the part of any of the three thousand odd sports teams I support.
Well, at last, on the 23rd of October my thirst for success, glory and the ability to belt out a Queen song in the pub was finally quenched. We were Rugby World Cup champions. At last we had won the crunch game in the big tournament and there was Richie lifting up that little golden cup we had lusted after for so long.
Thanks to some work contacts I had managed to secure a ticket, originally I had only planned on going to the 3rd/4th playoff and the semi the week before but as the tournament progressed and the hype grew I knew that any opportunity to get my hands on a ticket to the showpiece should not be passed up. So it was thanks to a RWC 2011 staff member that I ended sitting at Eden Park with four sheilas from work witnessing one of the greatest nights in our sporting history.
Everyone knows the story of the game, the fairytale that was the Beaver, the drama that was the French actually showing up to play. I can guarantee it was as horrible to watch live as it was to watch on Television.
So how did it feel at the end? Honestly, I can't really remember. The last 10 minutes were all such a blur; I think I spent a good deal of time with my head in my hands, some laughing nervously with my mate sitting next to me and presumably some of it shouting at the field (I should probably ask the girls if any of the language I was using would have been offensive to the 8-year old sitting next to me) The feeling at full time though wasn't esctasy, I dont even think it was the unbridled joy I remember feeling watching BOP win the Shield or watching Pasty save the penalty against Bahrain. It was relief, just relief. We had done it! After all the years of hurt and what should have beens we had done it. They didn't matter anymore because for the next four years there would be no elephant in the room, no hollowness in our yearly dominance of everyone else. We had won the William Webb Ellis trophy.
My only letdown of the night was how long it took for anyone to play "We are the Champions" Some may think it is naff and cheesy but for me that would be the moment I had waited for for so long. Unfortunately though, no-body played it at the ground and for at least two hours at the pub I was in post-game no one played it. It wasn't until perhaps 2am, at about the same time as I was having a rant to a NZ Television star and his father that no one had played it yet, that The Clare Inn came to my rescue and allowed me to warble Freddy's lines.
We are and will be the Champions for the next four years. I won something and life is good.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
A Weekend in Hawera
I spent this last weekend in Hawera, South Taranaki. The reason for this is that the New Zealand Davis Cup team has played their last two home fixtures there (the reasons for this seemingly strange venue can be found here), and this weekend they had a home fixture against the Philippines.
New Zealand tennis is often talked about as being a bit of a joke. Especially the men’s game, which is in a dire situation. Our top-ranked player, Michael Venus, comes in at 305 in the world. Our Davis Cup team suffered the ignominy of being relegated to the Asia/Pacific Group Two (essentially the third division – after the Group One and the World Group) in 2005, and we spent five years playing such tennis superpowers as Pacific-Oceania, Kuwait, and Indonesia.
However, since then, the Davis Cup team has shown signs of a bit of a turn-around. Last year we emerged from Group Two after defeating Pakistan (our first tie in Hawera) and then beating Thailand away, in Nonthaburi. Incidentally, Group One is the same division as Australia and China. In the Group One this year, New Zealand lost 3-2 in Uzbekistan, sending us into this crunch clash with the Philippines. If we had lost that, we would’ve been in a one-off clash that would've meant relegation for the losing team. So this was an important fixture to win, to secure our spot in Group One for next season.
So to win 5-0 was more than a pleasant surprise. On Day 1 Rubin Statham won in straight sets over Ruben Gonzalez, the Filipino number two (who by accounts plays in similar sorts of tournaments as our guys), before Venus beat Cecil Mamiit in the best match of the tie. Mamiit was a former top 50 player, but at 35 wasn’t the force he once must’ve been. You could tell his game was still relatively sharp – just a very good player on the wane. So I thought the theme of the rubber was about our guys in their (erm) peak, against a guy who was much better than them once upon a time, but had lost some of his powers.
Venus won in five sets and did really well to hang in there. It was a positive sign for a guy who probably doesn’t play a lot of long five setters that he managed to maintain the intensity of his serves and groundshots throughout. In the tie against Pakistan last year he went through a similar experience, losing to the veteran of the team in a marathon (13-15 in the final set). So I think he probably learnt from that experience and used it against Mamiit. It was thoroughly enjoyable viewing.
Other than that performance, the most pleasing aspect of the tie was the performance of the doubles-pairing of Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak on Day 2. They played Gonzalez and Mamiit, and looked the better team throughout. The first set went to a tiebreaker, but they closed that out 7-0, before winning the other two sets easily. And easy as that, the rubber was settled, 3-0. New Zealand were safe in Group One for another year.
Day 3 and the wins kept coming. Given they were dead rubbers the organisers shortened them to the best of three sets; which we dominated. Given the fact we had won the tie, the two final matches went to Daniell and Sitak, the two less experienced guys. The first was Daniell playing Jeson Petrombon, the young up-and-comer in the Philippines side. To be honest, he was pretty ordinary I thought, but he battled to win the first set before Daniell came right and won it in three. As the Kiwi said afterwards, he was poor until he “got angry enough to fire up” and pull through. It certainly was the lowest quality match on offer over the weekend.
For some strange reason, Mamiit decided to back up and play his third match in three days, and played the last rubber. This was despite the Filipino squad having Johnny Arcilla in the squad, who didn’t get on the court at all. Artem Sitak did well to beat the veteran. Artem is actually a very solid player, a big guy with a decent all round game. He's a good addition to the team. I did think Mamiit was definitely tiring by this stage; but I certainly can't blame the guy. He still had class about him, but it was too much for him to do alone. After Sitak had won in straight sets, New Zealand had their first clean sweep of a Davis Cup tie for two years.
So New Zealand is safe in Group One for the year. We don’t have any relegation playoffs this year, and our next rubber in the Davis Cup will be in next year’s competition. Depending on other results, it may even be a dream tie against the Australians. While I'm not going to go around claiming the state of our men's tennis is suddenly in great nick, more weekend's like this will help bring back a bit of faith. I don't think any of our boys will be challenging the world's elite players, but maybe things are on the improve after what has been a fairly dire few years.
New Zealand tennis is often talked about as being a bit of a joke. Especially the men’s game, which is in a dire situation. Our top-ranked player, Michael Venus, comes in at 305 in the world. Our Davis Cup team suffered the ignominy of being relegated to the Asia/Pacific Group Two (essentially the third division – after the Group One and the World Group) in 2005, and we spent five years playing such tennis superpowers as Pacific-Oceania, Kuwait, and Indonesia.
However, since then, the Davis Cup team has shown signs of a bit of a turn-around. Last year we emerged from Group Two after defeating Pakistan (our first tie in Hawera) and then beating Thailand away, in Nonthaburi. Incidentally, Group One is the same division as Australia and China. In the Group One this year, New Zealand lost 3-2 in Uzbekistan, sending us into this crunch clash with the Philippines. If we had lost that, we would’ve been in a one-off clash that would've meant relegation for the losing team. So this was an important fixture to win, to secure our spot in Group One for next season.
So to win 5-0 was more than a pleasant surprise. On Day 1 Rubin Statham won in straight sets over Ruben Gonzalez, the Filipino number two (who by accounts plays in similar sorts of tournaments as our guys), before Venus beat Cecil Mamiit in the best match of the tie. Mamiit was a former top 50 player, but at 35 wasn’t the force he once must’ve been. You could tell his game was still relatively sharp – just a very good player on the wane. So I thought the theme of the rubber was about our guys in their (erm) peak, against a guy who was much better than them once upon a time, but had lost some of his powers.
Venus won in five sets and did really well to hang in there. It was a positive sign for a guy who probably doesn’t play a lot of long five setters that he managed to maintain the intensity of his serves and groundshots throughout. In the tie against Pakistan last year he went through a similar experience, losing to the veteran of the team in a marathon (13-15 in the final set). So I think he probably learnt from that experience and used it against Mamiit. It was thoroughly enjoyable viewing.
Other than that performance, the most pleasing aspect of the tie was the performance of the doubles-pairing of Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak on Day 2. They played Gonzalez and Mamiit, and looked the better team throughout. The first set went to a tiebreaker, but they closed that out 7-0, before winning the other two sets easily. And easy as that, the rubber was settled, 3-0. New Zealand were safe in Group One for another year.
Day 3 and the wins kept coming. Given they were dead rubbers the organisers shortened them to the best of three sets; which we dominated. Given the fact we had won the tie, the two final matches went to Daniell and Sitak, the two less experienced guys. The first was Daniell playing Jeson Petrombon, the young up-and-comer in the Philippines side. To be honest, he was pretty ordinary I thought, but he battled to win the first set before Daniell came right and won it in three. As the Kiwi said afterwards, he was poor until he “got angry enough to fire up” and pull through. It certainly was the lowest quality match on offer over the weekend.
For some strange reason, Mamiit decided to back up and play his third match in three days, and played the last rubber. This was despite the Filipino squad having Johnny Arcilla in the squad, who didn’t get on the court at all. Artem Sitak did well to beat the veteran. Artem is actually a very solid player, a big guy with a decent all round game. He's a good addition to the team. I did think Mamiit was definitely tiring by this stage; but I certainly can't blame the guy. He still had class about him, but it was too much for him to do alone. After Sitak had won in straight sets, New Zealand had their first clean sweep of a Davis Cup tie for two years.
So New Zealand is safe in Group One for the year. We don’t have any relegation playoffs this year, and our next rubber in the Davis Cup will be in next year’s competition. Depending on other results, it may even be a dream tie against the Australians. While I'm not going to go around claiming the state of our men's tennis is suddenly in great nick, more weekend's like this will help bring back a bit of faith. I don't think any of our boys will be challenging the world's elite players, but maybe things are on the improve after what has been a fairly dire few years.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Stu Musialik - next Nix signing?
As I was looking through the news last week I saw one piece of information that intrigued me. It said that Stuart Musialik, former Newcastle and Sydney player, two time A-League champion, was off-contract and struggling to find a club, either in the A-League or overseas (link).
Musialik was not retained by Sydney last year – he, nor the team, didn’t have a great season. At the end of the season, he was offered a contract extension with the club, (link) but it was withdrawn after he demanded more money. He played 22 games last year, and even captained the team on occasions (link). Since being released he has been training alone in Newcastle, hoping to find a contract somewhere.
"A-League clubs are either fully loaded or only have a minimum-wage spot left for an under-20 player," Musialik told the Newcastle Herald yesterday. "I have a couple of people putting feelers out for me overseas, but there is nothing concrete in the pipeline.” Well Stuart, I know one A-League club that hasn’t filled its roster too much – in fact at last count we only had 14! Do you fancy a year or two over here in Wellington?
I can only presume Ricki has looked into this possibility – but for me it’s a no brainer. The guy has played Olympic level footy for Australia, and played (and won) two grand finals. He captained Sydney at times last year. Surely he’s worth bringing over. The only thing I presume holding Ricki back is the fact he’s a central midfielder, possibly the only position on the field where we have a bit of depth (Muscat, Brown, Lia). But if all three are playing week-in week-out, like last year, another central midfielder will need to be signed up.
Ricki has said he wants to sign a goalkeeper, striker, and attacking midfielder, as well as the mandatory three under-23 players (fullback, central defender, and midfielder) to fill out the twenty player squad (link). Ok, so Musialik doesn’t fit into these categories. But last year, when guys like Danny Vukovic and Nick Ward were made available, we snapped them up, even if we had those positions (relatively) covered. Maybe this is one of those instances. In any cases, bringing in another quality and experienced A-League player can hardly hurt.
A decent signing like this would also help bring more stability around the perception of the club. The media seems to have gone a bit quiet on the demise of Terry Serepisos recently, and my personal policy on this is a mixture of positive thinking and no smoke (for a while at least) equals no fire. I honestly don’t know how much impact this uncertainty has had on the club’s recruitment, but with another ten weeks of the preseason remaining, it is my personal view that there is still absolutely no rush to finalise the squad, even if other teams have.
Musialik was not retained by Sydney last year – he, nor the team, didn’t have a great season. At the end of the season, he was offered a contract extension with the club, (link) but it was withdrawn after he demanded more money. He played 22 games last year, and even captained the team on occasions (link). Since being released he has been training alone in Newcastle, hoping to find a contract somewhere.
"A-League clubs are either fully loaded or only have a minimum-wage spot left for an under-20 player," Musialik told the Newcastle Herald yesterday. "I have a couple of people putting feelers out for me overseas, but there is nothing concrete in the pipeline.” Well Stuart, I know one A-League club that hasn’t filled its roster too much – in fact at last count we only had 14! Do you fancy a year or two over here in Wellington?
I can only presume Ricki has looked into this possibility – but for me it’s a no brainer. The guy has played Olympic level footy for Australia, and played (and won) two grand finals. He captained Sydney at times last year. Surely he’s worth bringing over. The only thing I presume holding Ricki back is the fact he’s a central midfielder, possibly the only position on the field where we have a bit of depth (Muscat, Brown, Lia). But if all three are playing week-in week-out, like last year, another central midfielder will need to be signed up.
Ricki has said he wants to sign a goalkeeper, striker, and attacking midfielder, as well as the mandatory three under-23 players (fullback, central defender, and midfielder) to fill out the twenty player squad (link). Ok, so Musialik doesn’t fit into these categories. But last year, when guys like Danny Vukovic and Nick Ward were made available, we snapped them up, even if we had those positions (relatively) covered. Maybe this is one of those instances. In any cases, bringing in another quality and experienced A-League player can hardly hurt.
A decent signing like this would also help bring more stability around the perception of the club. The media seems to have gone a bit quiet on the demise of Terry Serepisos recently, and my personal policy on this is a mixture of positive thinking and no smoke (for a while at least) equals no fire. I honestly don’t know how much impact this uncertainty has had on the club’s recruitment, but with another ten weeks of the preseason remaining, it is my personal view that there is still absolutely no rush to finalise the squad, even if other teams have.
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Warriors development - a new path.
When it comes to the Warriors one thing has never been in question; they have a possibly unmatched ability to tap into a pool of natural talent quite unlike any other. The natural athleticism of Polynesian and Maori in New Zealand has always been evident and for many of them Rugby League has always been the sport of choice. It isn’t a coincidence that when you talk about the Warriors golden years it was the style of play they exhibited that many remember, a style of play driven by the likes of Ali Lauititi and Logan Swann, Stacey Jones and Francis Meli. Polynesians that played the game in the Polynesian way. Ray Warren famously said of the Warriors that ‘they were playing Basketball’ as Sione Faumuina and Ervarn Tuimivave combined to score one of the great Wariors trys at Suncorp in 2003. Tempering this belief however was that this natural flair needed to be tempered by ‘Australian solidity’, the great Warriors teams were littered with Australians that could quite comfortably be classed as workhorses or journeymen. Campion, Cleary, Carlaw are all good players and were great Warriors but they filled a void in that team.
This was the development dynamic the Warriors tried to build on in the years following, with mixed success. Some years they got it right, others they didn’t. But for most of those years, from the outside anyway, it seemed as though the template was the same. Get some natural Polynesian flair and mix it with some solid Australians and hope the mix works. It seems in the last 12-months though that this thinking has begun to change, driven largely by the huge success of the Junior Warriors in the NYC.
There is a school of thought that says (and this could be applied to a number of teams for whom I support) if you have success at developing talent at the Junior level eventually you have to start trusting it, especially if it has been as successful as the Warriors Junior Development programs. It seems this is the path the Warriors have decided to follow. The best example is around the halves. James Maloney has been a revelation since he joined the Warriors and continues to develop, but he question of who would partner him in the halves has been one hanging over the Warriors head for the last 18-months. For much of the previous four or five seasons the Warriors chased a high profile 7, they tried to bring Casey Maguire back from England and by all reports aggressively chased Cooper Cronk by throwing some pretty big dollars at him. In the end they got Brett Seymour, probably on the cheap, a guy who had a proven record in the NRL but came with obvious baggage. When the Warriors have been able to put this combination on the paddock consistently they have looked like developing into a quality halves combination, however probably not a title winning combination.
Sitting behind Seymour and forcing disclaimers on any discussion around the Warriors halves combination though was the development of the halves that were leading the Juniors to a title in the NYC and carving teams apart in the process; Shaun Johnson and Isaac John with Carlos Tuimavave floating around behind those two. Andrew Johns once said about Shaun Johnson that he could be one of the greats to ever play the game. Big pressure on a young kid. But it is this talent that the Warriors have decided to trust and have signed; Johnson, Isaac John and a local product Pita Goodinet to contracts for the next 2-3 seasons, all this means that Brett Seymour, who has a proven NRL record, has been let go.
Already the trust placed in the development programs have seen Russell Packer and Ben Matulino emerge as international class front rowers filling the void left by the retirements of Wiki and Price. Elijah Taylor seems to be the natural successor to Michael Luck, Sione and Sam Lousi are the next ball-playing second rowers in the form of Lauititi and Swann. In the outside backs it has taken a season but we are beginning to see why Kevin Locke was a superstar in the U20s and with Glen Fisiiahi floating about as well the Warriors are well served in the outsides. Throw in Alehaana Mara, Isaac John and Bill Tupou and you have the core of the U20 sides for the four seasons of the NYC all making contributions at the senior level (Sonny Fai also had begun to show the talent he had before he was tragically killed in a swimming accident).
So the Warriors have all this talent, they play like New Zealanders but they have the added bonus of having cut their teeth in a competition against Australian players that previous generations did not have. Do they continue to pad out the natural talent with workhorse Australians? I think in some situations absolutely, I wasn’t convinced by the signing of Nathan Friend as I would have trusted Alehaana Mara as the man to lead the Warriors round the park from 9. Players like Lillyman and Latimore are playing a role at the moment but should eventually be phased out so the young players of this country can be bought through.
The great question remains though, can success at U20 level translate to success at Senior level, does it take different kind of players to succeed at U20 and Senior level? Who knows, Josh Dugan was the best player in the first season of the U20s and he has turned out alright. Like I said before, there is not point investing in player development and not trusting it. So I’ll back the Warriors as they move forward, trusting young Kiwis. There may be some moments spent hiding behind pillows or throwing things around rooms as the ridiculous off-load is thrown but boy it will be fun!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Numbers - Nathan Friend
Today has been a big day for the NRL, with the Wayne Bennett signing up to coach the Newcastle Knights, Jamal Idris signing with the Gold Coast Titans, and Lance Hohaia confirming he will leave the Warriors after ten years of service. Yesterday, however, it was a Warriors signing that was in the news: The Titan’s hooker, Nathan Friend for the next two NRL seasons, with an option for a third. As soon as I heard this I thought this was a pretty exciting signing. Friend is one of the most consistent players in the whole competition, and is renowned for his tough defence and solid passing games. He has always seemed like an absolutely key part of the Gold Coast team. As a result, I thought I would do a bit of breakdown of some key stats concerning his importance to the Titans.
Friend was a foundation member of the Gold Coast Titans when they entered the NRL in 2007. In 2009 he was named their player of the year. Since their inception, they have played 105 games. Friend has played an incredible 97 (93%!) of those. In one of the most physical competitions on the planet, that is ridiculous durability. Four of the eight games he has missed have been at the start of this season – he has only come back from a shoulder injury. The fact he has played such a high proportion means it is hard to use statistics to investigate just how effective he has been to the Titan’s cause. Such has been his impact however, that it is possible to do just that.
In their four and a bit year history, the Titans have only won once without Nathan Friend; that was this year, two rounds ago, when they scraped a golden point 23-22 win over the Canberra Raiders. They have lost all other six games where he has been absent. The Titan’s win percentage is 53.61% when Friend plays, compared to the 50.9% win rate over their history. Obviously these aren’t vastly different – the sheer proportion of matches that Friend has played a part means they are unlikely to be. Still, the fact they have won only once, and that was against a struggling Canberra team, is interesting enough.
Points scored and conceded when Friend does and doesn’t play is more telling; although the same issue with the proportion of games he’s played is obviously still a hindrance. The numbers are still interesting. When Friend plays for the Titans, the stats are almost even: 20.3 points per game (ppg) for, and 21.7 ppg against. For those eight games where he hasn’t been on the park, the Titans averaged just 11.6 ppg, while conceding 30.1 ppg. Those are some fairly substantial figures, and are definitely worth noting. Obviously with a larger sample size these stats would most likely even up (unless of course he really is that effective...).
Friend’s individual statistics offers a bit of insight into what appears to be the Titans inability to both win and defend without him. Most people know of him as a tough tackling player. The fact is last season he had more tackles in the NRL (1120) than anyone, compared to the league average was 264. But it wasn’t all defence: he also had more touches on the ball than any other player – 3001. Without arguably the most involved player in the competition, maybe it’s not so hard to see how the Titans have struggled without him, on the few occasions he has been missing.
So the question has to be, what numbers can we expect when Nathan Friend suits up for the Warriors in 2012? Every teams set up is different so it’s impossible to know exactly what impact he will have, and what his stats might look like. The Warriors already have one of the most consistent tacklers in the NRL in Micheal Luck. So what will happen when both are on the same side? Will anyone else in the team have to make a tackle? Hopefully his ability to stay fit will stay with him and he can play a major role in the side.
All in all, I think this is a very tidy piece of business for the Warriors. His numbers at the Gold Coast Titans are very impressive, and I look forward to seeing what he can produce over here in 2012.
Friend was a foundation member of the Gold Coast Titans when they entered the NRL in 2007. In 2009 he was named their player of the year. Since their inception, they have played 105 games. Friend has played an incredible 97 (93%!) of those. In one of the most physical competitions on the planet, that is ridiculous durability. Four of the eight games he has missed have been at the start of this season – he has only come back from a shoulder injury. The fact he has played such a high proportion means it is hard to use statistics to investigate just how effective he has been to the Titan’s cause. Such has been his impact however, that it is possible to do just that.
In their four and a bit year history, the Titans have only won once without Nathan Friend; that was this year, two rounds ago, when they scraped a golden point 23-22 win over the Canberra Raiders. They have lost all other six games where he has been absent. The Titan’s win percentage is 53.61% when Friend plays, compared to the 50.9% win rate over their history. Obviously these aren’t vastly different – the sheer proportion of matches that Friend has played a part means they are unlikely to be. Still, the fact they have won only once, and that was against a struggling Canberra team, is interesting enough.
Points scored and conceded when Friend does and doesn’t play is more telling; although the same issue with the proportion of games he’s played is obviously still a hindrance. The numbers are still interesting. When Friend plays for the Titans, the stats are almost even: 20.3 points per game (ppg) for, and 21.7 ppg against. For those eight games where he hasn’t been on the park, the Titans averaged just 11.6 ppg, while conceding 30.1 ppg. Those are some fairly substantial figures, and are definitely worth noting. Obviously with a larger sample size these stats would most likely even up (unless of course he really is that effective...).
Friend’s individual statistics offers a bit of insight into what appears to be the Titans inability to both win and defend without him. Most people know of him as a tough tackling player. The fact is last season he had more tackles in the NRL (1120) than anyone, compared to the league average was 264. But it wasn’t all defence: he also had more touches on the ball than any other player – 3001. Without arguably the most involved player in the competition, maybe it’s not so hard to see how the Titans have struggled without him, on the few occasions he has been missing.
So the question has to be, what numbers can we expect when Nathan Friend suits up for the Warriors in 2012? Every teams set up is different so it’s impossible to know exactly what impact he will have, and what his stats might look like. The Warriors already have one of the most consistent tacklers in the NRL in Micheal Luck. So what will happen when both are on the same side? Will anyone else in the team have to make a tackle? Hopefully his ability to stay fit will stay with him and he can play a major role in the side.
All in all, I think this is a very tidy piece of business for the Warriors. His numbers at the Gold Coast Titans are very impressive, and I look forward to seeing what he can produce over here in 2012.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Well I'm Keane!
The big rumour from the A-League over the past couple of days is the potential new manager of the Melbourne Victory could be Roy Keane. Without putting too fine a point on it, personally I think this could be fantastic for the competition.
This morning, while basking in the delight of Manchester United’s win over Chelsea in the Champions League, I read a post on the excellent Manchester United blog, redflagflyinghigh.com, which called into question what Keane could possibly achieve by managing in the A-League. I did respond in the comments section; however I thought I would flesh it out a little here.
I certainly don’t mean to have a go at the post or anything – like I said I read the blog often and it is always a good read. I guess I’m trying to add a unique perspective on things – as a fan of both United and a team in the A-League.
First of all, Keane can gain a lot out of managing down here. I think the general style that managers seem to adapt over here a will suit him. His record as Ipswich manager wasn’t great; this could be a great chance for a totally fresh break start. The A-League is improving massively, and at Melbourne he would have some real talent to work with; players like Carlos Hernandez, (Costa Rican international), Marco Rojas (everyone’s favourite turncoat) and Archie Thompson (all time leading league goal scorer) are well-known for being very tidy players.
The vast improvement in the A-League was highlighted by the way the champion Brisbane Roar played this season. They were fantastic to watch with their passing game. Captain Matt McKay became a real star for the Australian national team. Other teams struggled to compete with them all season. However, as always, the top teams go all out after them next season – searching for ways to level the playing field. You don’t get a bigger club in Australia than Melbourne Victory. Keane could be a real ace for the Victory. His experience and drive to win football matches is almost second to none.
I don’t think this is a nail in the coffin of Keane’s future prospects in top-flight Europe; at least no more so than what he achieved at Ipswich Town. Both Terry Butcher and Pierre Littbarski have managed Sydney F.C. in the past, and are currently coaching top flight football in Europe (Inverness in the SPL for Butcher and Vfl Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga for Littbarski). The point is Keane can use his time in Australia to develop further, away from the pressure that comes from constant media attention, and focus on winning football matches. A return to Europe can come after guiding one of the A-League’s most successful sides back to success.
There almost a paradox here: Keane will become the biggest star of the competition, especially if Robbie Fowler isn’t playing next season, but the media scrutiny will miniscule compared to what a comparable figure in Europe would. The A-League is still growing its identity and struggling to compete for media space with other sports like the AFL and NRL. While the attention he gets will no doubt increase the spotlight on the A-League, it will still be so much less scrutiny than what has followed him around during his career. As well as this, his famous press conferences promise to be quite the entertainment!
And if nothing else, can’t I just have Keano sitting on the sidelines, not far from me, when I go along to watch Wellington play Melbourne? The great man was one of my idols growing up. Can’t we have him over here for a couple of years?
Follow Chief on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Chieftain86
This morning, while basking in the delight of Manchester United’s win over Chelsea in the Champions League, I read a post on the excellent Manchester United blog, redflagflyinghigh.com, which called into question what Keane could possibly achieve by managing in the A-League. I did respond in the comments section; however I thought I would flesh it out a little here.
I certainly don’t mean to have a go at the post or anything – like I said I read the blog often and it is always a good read. I guess I’m trying to add a unique perspective on things – as a fan of both United and a team in the A-League.
First of all, Keane can gain a lot out of managing down here. I think the general style that managers seem to adapt over here a will suit him. His record as Ipswich manager wasn’t great; this could be a great chance for a totally fresh break start. The A-League is improving massively, and at Melbourne he would have some real talent to work with; players like Carlos Hernandez, (Costa Rican international), Marco Rojas (everyone’s favourite turncoat) and Archie Thompson (all time leading league goal scorer) are well-known for being very tidy players.
The vast improvement in the A-League was highlighted by the way the champion Brisbane Roar played this season. They were fantastic to watch with their passing game. Captain Matt McKay became a real star for the Australian national team. Other teams struggled to compete with them all season. However, as always, the top teams go all out after them next season – searching for ways to level the playing field. You don’t get a bigger club in Australia than Melbourne Victory. Keane could be a real ace for the Victory. His experience and drive to win football matches is almost second to none.
I don’t think this is a nail in the coffin of Keane’s future prospects in top-flight Europe; at least no more so than what he achieved at Ipswich Town. Both Terry Butcher and Pierre Littbarski have managed Sydney F.C. in the past, and are currently coaching top flight football in Europe (Inverness in the SPL for Butcher and Vfl Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga for Littbarski). The point is Keane can use his time in Australia to develop further, away from the pressure that comes from constant media attention, and focus on winning football matches. A return to Europe can come after guiding one of the A-League’s most successful sides back to success.
There almost a paradox here: Keane will become the biggest star of the competition, especially if Robbie Fowler isn’t playing next season, but the media scrutiny will miniscule compared to what a comparable figure in Europe would. The A-League is still growing its identity and struggling to compete for media space with other sports like the AFL and NRL. While the attention he gets will no doubt increase the spotlight on the A-League, it will still be so much less scrutiny than what has followed him around during his career. As well as this, his famous press conferences promise to be quite the entertainment!
And if nothing else, can’t I just have Keano sitting on the sidelines, not far from me, when I go along to watch Wellington play Melbourne? The great man was one of my idols growing up. Can’t we have him over here for a couple of years?
Follow Chief on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Chieftain86
Friday, March 25, 2011
All Whites vs China match review
The All Whites were very good last night.
Apart from the opening 15 minutes, when they looked all at sea and conceded that goal that is. After that though, though they didn't dominate possession, I thought they dominated large portions of the match - save for a few Chinese raids. They also managed to shrug off the immense pressure when we had the ball that the opposition exerted in the opening stages. And that allowed our best player on the night to start to shine - Michael McGlinchey.
I thought McGlinchey was class last night, and well deserved the equalizer. He managed to get good time on the ball and played the right kind of passes almost every time. He is a quality player and will be a huge asset to the national team for years to come. Man of the match in my opinion.
As for the players, well starting from the back Glen Moss did a good job in goal for us. Everyone knows he is a class shot stopper and he showed that last night. He doesn't hold many shots on the first occasion, and sometimes his clearances are a bit dodgy, but he certainly did a more than decent job between the sticks.
The defence was solid last night. Tommy Smith and Ivan Vicelich were fair enough - the Chinese attacks did seem to come down our left hand side and Vicelich was a little slow at times (understandable given his age), but they were solid enough. Andy Boyens, who only played the first half, probably wasn't as solid as the other two, and did score that own goal, but he did ok. The real surprise was when Michael Boxall came on for the second half - he looked mighty impressive in his first appearance for the national team. Cool, calm and very assured on the ball, he looked comfortable at the international level. A great find. Considering the options we have at the back, we are starting to get real depth at centre back. Smith, Reid and Boxall are all very young and there is still life in Nelsen and Sigmund yet.
The two wide midfield players/wing backs were fair - after the initial onslaught Jeremy Brockie and Tony Lochhead got forward on numerous occasions and offered width to our attack. Their crossing wasn't great, and Brockie himself should have scored with the final touch of the first half, but they offered enough. Marco Rojas made his much awaited debut, but wasn't really on the pitch long enough to show us what he is capable of. Another debutant, Michael Fitzgerald, looked very lively down the right hand side. More cameos like that and he could be yet another very good addition to the squad.
I've already said Michael McGlinchey was my man of the match. He is becoming a very good player very quickly. What was suprising was how useful his partner in midfield - David Mulligan was. I shouldn't say suprising. We all know he's a much better player than what we saw (or didn't see) when he was at Wellington Phoenix. While he was overrun a little in the first half, he had plenty of time on the ball in the second, and passed the ball well enough. He was our defensive midfield presence and he wasn't particularly convincing doing that, but on the ball looked good enough to be a decent option for Ricki going forward.
Going forward has quickly become our strong point and this showed again last night. Chris Killen and Shane Smeltz worked tirelessly - Killen especially without much reward. In the second half, a previously invisible Smeltz moved out onto the left hand side and steadily became an influence on the match. Chris Wood played the first half and had a go of it - two half chances and plenty of running around. But his replacement helped change the game - Kosta Barbarouses showed how he has improved immensely during his first year in Brisbane. There are still signs he has a wee while to go yet, but in general he was very good last night.
If I had to give the players a rating out of 10 for the game last night against China:
Starting XI:
Glen Moss - 7
Andy Boyens - 5
Ivan Vicelich - 6
Tommy Smith - 6
Jeremy Brockie - 6
Tony Lochhead - 6 1/2
Michael McGlinchey 8 1/2
David Mulligan - 6 1/2
Shane Smeltz - 6 1/2
Chris Wood - 6
Chris Killen - 6
Substitutes:
Michael Boxall - 7 1/2
Kosta Barbarouses - 7
Marco Rojas - 5 1/2
Michael Fitzgerald - 6
Aaron Clapham - N/A
All in all, a very positive experience for New Zealand football. A good result, three debutants (including an excellent one by Boxall), a first goal for New Zealand for Michael McGlinchey, and what's more, a good, attacking performance (save the first 15 minutes) where we soaked up the pressure, defended when we needed to, and attacked relatively often and with good penetration.
It would have been nice to have another match in this tour, but obviously the circumstances in Japan have meant that isn't possible. However, the next time the All Whites do play, Ricki Herbert will have a great range of players to choose from, of all ages and stages of their careers, as he looks to build a squad to take us to Brazil 2014.
Apart from the opening 15 minutes, when they looked all at sea and conceded that goal that is. After that though, though they didn't dominate possession, I thought they dominated large portions of the match - save for a few Chinese raids. They also managed to shrug off the immense pressure when we had the ball that the opposition exerted in the opening stages. And that allowed our best player on the night to start to shine - Michael McGlinchey.
I thought McGlinchey was class last night, and well deserved the equalizer. He managed to get good time on the ball and played the right kind of passes almost every time. He is a quality player and will be a huge asset to the national team for years to come. Man of the match in my opinion.
As for the players, well starting from the back Glen Moss did a good job in goal for us. Everyone knows he is a class shot stopper and he showed that last night. He doesn't hold many shots on the first occasion, and sometimes his clearances are a bit dodgy, but he certainly did a more than decent job between the sticks.
The defence was solid last night. Tommy Smith and Ivan Vicelich were fair enough - the Chinese attacks did seem to come down our left hand side and Vicelich was a little slow at times (understandable given his age), but they were solid enough. Andy Boyens, who only played the first half, probably wasn't as solid as the other two, and did score that own goal, but he did ok. The real surprise was when Michael Boxall came on for the second half - he looked mighty impressive in his first appearance for the national team. Cool, calm and very assured on the ball, he looked comfortable at the international level. A great find. Considering the options we have at the back, we are starting to get real depth at centre back. Smith, Reid and Boxall are all very young and there is still life in Nelsen and Sigmund yet.
The two wide midfield players/wing backs were fair - after the initial onslaught Jeremy Brockie and Tony Lochhead got forward on numerous occasions and offered width to our attack. Their crossing wasn't great, and Brockie himself should have scored with the final touch of the first half, but they offered enough. Marco Rojas made his much awaited debut, but wasn't really on the pitch long enough to show us what he is capable of. Another debutant, Michael Fitzgerald, looked very lively down the right hand side. More cameos like that and he could be yet another very good addition to the squad.
I've already said Michael McGlinchey was my man of the match. He is becoming a very good player very quickly. What was suprising was how useful his partner in midfield - David Mulligan was. I shouldn't say suprising. We all know he's a much better player than what we saw (or didn't see) when he was at Wellington Phoenix. While he was overrun a little in the first half, he had plenty of time on the ball in the second, and passed the ball well enough. He was our defensive midfield presence and he wasn't particularly convincing doing that, but on the ball looked good enough to be a decent option for Ricki going forward.
Going forward has quickly become our strong point and this showed again last night. Chris Killen and Shane Smeltz worked tirelessly - Killen especially without much reward. In the second half, a previously invisible Smeltz moved out onto the left hand side and steadily became an influence on the match. Chris Wood played the first half and had a go of it - two half chances and plenty of running around. But his replacement helped change the game - Kosta Barbarouses showed how he has improved immensely during his first year in Brisbane. There are still signs he has a wee while to go yet, but in general he was very good last night.
If I had to give the players a rating out of 10 for the game last night against China:
Starting XI:
Glen Moss - 7
Andy Boyens - 5
Ivan Vicelich - 6
Tommy Smith - 6
Jeremy Brockie - 6
Tony Lochhead - 6 1/2
Michael McGlinchey 8 1/2
David Mulligan - 6 1/2
Shane Smeltz - 6 1/2
Chris Wood - 6
Chris Killen - 6
Substitutes:
Michael Boxall - 7 1/2
Kosta Barbarouses - 7
Marco Rojas - 5 1/2
Michael Fitzgerald - 6
Aaron Clapham - N/A
All in all, a very positive experience for New Zealand football. A good result, three debutants (including an excellent one by Boxall), a first goal for New Zealand for Michael McGlinchey, and what's more, a good, attacking performance (save the first 15 minutes) where we soaked up the pressure, defended when we needed to, and attacked relatively often and with good penetration.
It would have been nice to have another match in this tour, but obviously the circumstances in Japan have meant that isn't possible. However, the next time the All Whites do play, Ricki Herbert will have a great range of players to choose from, of all ages and stages of their careers, as he looks to build a squad to take us to Brazil 2014.
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