Comments on: New Zealand need to learn their place

By: NathanC

NathanC — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:59:05 +0000

it just doesnt make sense for us to play New Zealand atm. We need to be playing African nations to prepare us for Ghana. We tend to struggle with the pace and physicality of african football. Like the article said why would New Zealand want to play us? Its basically the same reason why Australia basically never play England. While rivalries are exciting and all that playing a rival in a friendly match is pretty counter productive. The socceroos, while pretty lucky, proved they could match it with the best in the recent game against Holland (and they did thrash ireland). New Zealand need to start producing some results if they want to silence the critics.

for the record i dont think either side will make the last 16 of the world cup anyway.

By: Fritz

Fritz — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:02:02 +0000

NZ needs to learn it’s place? I think we need to learn ours.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:53:31 +0000

Some “West” Asian nations (and most of Europe) would look at many of your stated reasons (Australia joining the AFC) with “cynical eyes”.

By: s2art

s2art — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:32:43 +0000

How many different ways would you have spelt Buckley?

By: Ora

Ora — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:19:03 +0000

Millister you are nothing but a provocative twat.
How about you run along and give your hands a rest. You have nothing constructive to say in either of your comments in here except attack NZ. Rather childish don’t you think and shows you for the pillock that you really are!

By: Stalker

Stalker — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:40:31 +0000

I can see the invites out now for a Aussie side to join the Air NZ cup…wait… no – they’ll be needing those players for Melbourne….

By: Stalker

Stalker — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:31:27 +0000

Davidde – Let it go mate. We are not interested in this spiteful piece of writing. “Learn their place” doesnt refer to just one person. We know what you mean… Who else needs to “learn their place”??? I

By: Shahsan

Shahsan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:08:14 +0000

This is exactly the sort of exclusiveness for which the Amercians have been berated for over the years eg calling their baseball championships the World Series (yes, i know there is another reason it is called the “world” series, but the commonly believed reason makes sense nevertheless).
Their rationale would be that, even if they opened it up to the rest of the world, it would still come down to their teams in the end. So why waste time? “Let’s just let our top teams go for it and leave the rest of the cannon fodder out of it.”

By: Millster

Millster — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:50:06 +0000

Ora – don’t fret for us mate; we can match you for insular hic codes going nice and strong domestically. In fact we trump you kiwis and your union, as both our examples aren’t even really ‘old empire’ games but much more ‘pure’ aussie parochial idiosyncracies. We do share in your over-inflation of them though… indeed it is a national art for some on this side of the moat (particular for Victorians, I observe).

By: Pippinu

Pippinu — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:46:40 +0000

Someone recenlty came up with a very good suggestion – that we just let the top european and south american nations go for it – and leave the rest of the cannon fodder out of it.

By: Millster

Millster — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:43:07 +0000

Ummm… I suggest you go to http://www.fifa.com and look up the qualification structure in the differen continents. Over 200 teams started the adventure. While you’re on the FIFA site look at the current world rankings and them come back and tell me whether 13 European teams from 32 total is too many. For mine they are underdone if anything, and it makes it doubly sad for team like Ireland, Russia and the Ukraine to miss out while muppets like NZ get in.

By: Ora

Ora — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:47:09 +0000

No republican not all, I seem to recall New Zealand has a thriving domestic rugby competition something Australia can only dream of replicating.

By: PastHisBest

PastHisBest — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:48:21 +0000

Can’t write about the riveting matches Dean…

By: Dean Pantio

Dean Pantio — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:43:25 +0000

What a spectacular whinge over absolutely nothing. No wonder you’re a soccer correspondent.

By: Republican

Republican — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:33:01 +0000

Soccer is low scoring. It is a game that promotes the underdog upset, i.e. seeded teams being beaten by unseeded ones.

NZ have every opportunity to proceed further than Oz despite their obvious lower status in the’ World Game’. They have certainly benefited greatly from being included in our domestic comp as have all the manner of Kiwi codes, which they must be extremely humbled by?

I have witnessed some of the Soccerroos form over recent years and must say that they don’t look that flash to me, but then NZ look even less so.

Cheers

By: PastHisBest

PastHisBest — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:22:16 +0000

“this site has on numerous occasions shown that the sub editors often do a poor job when selecting headings for articles”

Disagree Hammer, if the subbies didn’t make the headings more inflammatory then there would half the posts there are. Case in point: this very article.

By: Hammer

Hammer — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:59:07 +0000

The Haka is not part of NZ football – it won’t happen – nothing to do with FIFA bans

By: PastHisBest

PastHisBest — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:51:20 +0000

Where’s ‘here’, Mahony??

By: Pippinu

Pippinu — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:19:56 +0000

In fact, the last time Australia was required to play an Asian team for the last spot in the 32, we failed

By: Hammer

Hammer — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:09:27 +0000

Trevor – that’s an 100% correct analysis of FVH personality and his role at NZF …

Davidde I understand that the heading may not what you wanted (this site has on numerous occasions shown that the sub editors often do a poor job when selecting headings for articles) – but you do acknowledge that they’re your words – they are a poor choice, however I’m rather heartened that fans from both sides of the Tasman deem it worthwhile to make comment on what they consider a poorly worded piece …

It’s no surprise that journo’s in Britain are moaning and being dismissive on NZ’s place in SA – who cares – we all know that even if Europe had 20 spots that still wouldn’t be enough ? … it’s worth noting that the kiwis won’t be the lowest ranked team there and I’m sure the comments from the Times could be attributed a fair number of the sides attending ….

as for the Irish – well tough – initially I like nearly everyone else felt sorry for them – but I’m definitely in the Roy Keane camp – they had their chances – several in fact – and didn’t make – their actions since make them nothing but an embarrassment

As for NZ qualification – did you feel it necessary to make a similar call when Australia qualified last time out via exactly the same process … sure it’s not ideal – but as I previously mentioned NZ have some massive benefits from being the big fish in Oceania – benefits which Australia previously enjoyed and which certainly assisted in developing Australian football – things like youth W/cup spots, Confed Cup qualification, Olympics – for both their men’s and woman’s teams … sure a group stage qualification for their senior team would be fantastic – esp to try and replicate the recent Wgtn crowd – that’s why I believe Oceania should take their half spot and bring it to the negotiating table with Asia and get into the second round Asian qualifiers

By: Davidde Corran

Davidde Corran — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:44:28 +0000

Ora I don’t think New Zealand defeating Bahrain has anything to do with van Hutton’s comments or my article and that is why I haven’t mentioned it and wont be.

I’m not sure what any of my comments (or lack thereof) can tell you about me seeing as it doesn’t appear to have even told you my name. The disappointing thing is we actually agree on pretty much everything. Maybe our lines got crossed somewhere. Never mind.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:33:14 +0000

If you are going to go off on a rant like this, how about you get some VERY basic facts right.

Frank van Hattum is not the Chief executive of New Zealand Football. He is the Chairman of New Zealand football, think Frank Lowy. Ben Buckley’s equivalent as CEO is former Sony NZ head, Michael Glading.

How hard is it to verify the most basic of facts ?

Frank van Hattum is a different style of leader to Frank Lowy, he’s more a ‘man of the people’ sort fo guy, and occassionally makes a comment that gives the game in NZ a media boost rather than a carefully worded, carefully phrased re-hash of a PR company written release. Maybe he is a more appropriate Chairman for New Zealand and has a better idea than a glorified blogger of what is right for the game in his market ?

Mind you, Ignoring that, I’d have thought that a far bigger concern for Australian bloggers would be the fact that our Socceroo players are shockingly out of form, our coach is ridiculously overrated and we’ve drawn a group we’ll be lucky to get a point out of, but maybe that is just me.

By: Ora

Ora — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:41:34 +0000

David you wrote the article did you not.
I gave an opinion and raised the question myself?
Where did I say you wrote anything about the 5th best team?
I asked you why you hadn’t commented on it. You have however chosen to ignore the point which I raised and once again it tells me more about the author (yourself) than it does NZ or anyone replying to this beat up of an article.
It wasn’t until much further into the replies where you have tried justifying your position and attitude towards NZ football. It was a big oversight on your behalf an one can only assume you stance now is in response to the overwhelmingly negative response to this article.

By: Davidde Corran

Davidde Corran — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:31:00 +0000

I never mentioned anything about a team from Asia or anyone else deserving New Zealand’s spot. I’m not sure where you’ve got that from. I also never mentioned anything about New Zealand’s chances in the tournament. For the last time – I think they would get more out of joining Asia then a world cup appearance. That is all.

By: Ora

Ora — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:08:03 +0000

David,
While you justify your comment and seem very much of the vein New Zealand will get thrashed I find it highly amusing you not once mentioned anything about the fact NZ beat the 5th best that ASIA could offer!
Say what you like re the Kiwis chances come world cup, but thyey deserve to be there, if Asia deserved a 5th team they would have won pure and simple really.
What makes anyone think that Saudi Arabia had they qualified would not get thrashed again or Bahrain for that matter. Do remember the latter, the 5th best the AFC could offer couldn’t even put the Kiwis away, that tells me they would be just as if not more likely to be on the end of some huge cricket scores also!

By: Shahsan

Shahsan — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:50:48 +0000

nonsense.

By: VootballKid

VootballKid — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:07:49 +0000

Yeah, and I suppose our pedigree would raise the standards right across the AFC, whereas New Zealand can’t really offer that. Plus, were a good place to host the Asian Cup and AFC executives love a good junket.

By: Davidde Corran

Davidde Corran — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:08:20 +0000

Mr cheese – from The Times this week: “Ryan Nelson apart, (New Zealand) are no hopers who could be on the end of a couple of rugby scores.”

That is one of the nicer things I have read, heard or seen since New Zealand qualified. Take it from someone who works in the football media in Europe that there are a lot of people who view their place cynically. I’m not saying it is right or even reasonable just that it is so. I even heard a few Irish journalists and fans pipe up about it after they were so harshly knocked out.

By: Davidde Corran

Davidde Corran — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:02:19 +0000

Pippinu that is EXACTLY the tack this article took. It would seem everyone has got caught up in an off the cuff note I had at the top of my article when I submitted it which then became the title and decided not to absorb what I have actually written. In truth I never actually expected “New Zealand need to learn their place” to become the headline.

While a match against an A-League Socceroo outfit would be some fun for all concerned, as I said in my piece, I think New Zealand should aim for more appropriate opponents in the lead up to the World Cup. Teams with a style of football that matches their Group opponents.

A friendly down the line after South Africa should be organised.

By: Davidde Corran

Davidde Corran — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:54:55 +0000

Read the article again and tell me when I say we should dictate “which country comes from this part of the world” and that New Zealand shouldn’t be at the World Cup next year then we can discuss my apparent case of “sour grapes”.