WeeNix
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almost 9 years

And, like any trilogy, we come to the end of our story. And, like any 3rd movie, this is possibly the worst - like Godfather III, or the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi, this one should be better than it is.....but it just isn't......

Despite being the most recent of our 3 successes, I have no recollection at all of the 2008 Oceania Nations Cup. I couldn't even tell you where it was, or who we played. I think this is because Australia aren't involved, so there isn't any giant-killing going on. My good friend Wikipedia tells me the ONC was part of the 2010 WCQ, so maybe that's why it isn't sticking in - it just blended into the background. After a round robin we came top out of a group featuring New Caledonia, Fiji, and Vanuatu.

Have the AWs ever played in Africa before the warm-up matches prior to the Confeds Cup in South Africa? A 2-1 loss to Tanzania was followed by a 0-0 draw with Botswana. Were these good or bad results? Who knows? I hope that the Botswana Meat Commission FC were represented! Following those matches, we put on what could be our greatest ever non-competitive match, leading Italy THREE TIMES before going down 4-3. Hopes were raised.

And then dashed.

Playing Spain was never going to be easy. Tiki-taka vs good honest toilers is only going to end one way. And for us, it ended badly. Spain raced to a 4-0 lead by the time a quarter of the match had gone, and took the foot right of the accelerator. It would be easy to imagine this game blowing out to be a bigger score than the 13-0 drubbing our U20s (?) got against Spain all those years ago. Is it necessary to mention 'that' air-shot?

But then, for me Clive, things got worse as we lose 0-2 v South Africa.

Which on the face off it doesn't sound so bad. But we didn't have a shot. Not a shot on goal, not a shot off target - no shot at all. This was probably the most inept performance I have ever seen from the AWs - and I remember Robbie Ironside smiling as he got sent off vs the Aussies in a WCQ. How could we not even get a cross-that-went-wrong-and-counted-as-a-shot? Pathetic.

And then a 0-0 draw with Iraq, and the team celebrating like they just won the fudgeing World Cup. OK, fair dues - it was our first point in a senior mens FIFA competition, but it was all a bit OTT. And Iraq were there for the taking too, but we played too defensively and didn't want to risk a 3rd loss. Just as the Italy game was a positive sign of things to come in the 2010 World Cup, this game was a precursor to that Paraguay match, where the team was too conservative to go for a win.

So all in all - a letdown. It seems to be a running theme in our Confederations Cup campaigns. Are hopes too high that we'll do well? Are we in a phase of building for the following year, so just treating this tournament as a chance for some matches and some much needed Yankee dollars? We never seem to do overly well at the CC for whatever reason - either results wise or performance wise. No goals in 2009, but our first point. We could have been utterly humiliated against Spain, but we could/should have beaten Iraq.

First Team Squad
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1K
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over 14 years

Yeh Russ, the WCQs doubled-up as the Nations Cup - we were presented the trophy at the end of this match:

Marquee
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8.2K
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over 16 years

How good was Brockie's nutmeg on Pirlo

Appiah without the pace
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over 16 years

Can't really remember too much either. Went to the game at Westpac against Vanuatu with about 476 others. Think we were 3-0 up by half time. We then migrate the Fever zone down the other end in hope of more goals but it finished 4-1. Mully scored a decent freekick but that is all I can really recall from the game.

Don't think there was any TV coverage of the away legs as I remember being in Taupo for one of the away games (maybe New Caledonia) and tuning into the radio for score updates. Recall being very nervous because it was a tight game. Think we won it late or were leading 1-0 for a large part of it.

By the time the last game came around we had already qualified so we send a second string side to Fiji and lost 2-0 (Krishna scored both). That was meant to be a home came but FIFA postponed the game, and then made us play it in Fiji, because their reserve keeper couldn't get a visa as he has links to the military coup. Looks like we played Moss (who got sent off), Mully, Pritchett, Pevs, Kosta, Old, Plodder, Brockie, Draper, Siggy and Leo.

Also remember getting up to watch the friendly against Italy before the confeds. We lost 4-3 but I think we lead 3 times courtesy of Killen and Smeltz. I remember laughing my ass off. Was looking that up the other day actually, and noticed that the Italian keeper that day didn't play for Italy again. Tough way to end your international career. Don't recall too much from the confeds, or whether I got up to watch them.

Marquee
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9.5K
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over 12 years

All I remember from this is cringing at our celebrations after drawing with Iraq

Phoenix Academy
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250
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almost 12 years

All I remember from this is cringing at our celebrations after drawing with Iraq

Me too! Definitely OTT: Ricki was demented...seem to remember the commentator was bemused by Herbert's celebrations.  Andy Boyens air kick v Spain is etched in my memory banks as well...sheesh that was bad. The friendly v Italy was the flipside: NZ played really well and gave the Italians a mighty big scare.

Marquee
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6.4K
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over 14 years

Ray Hicks wrote:

All I remember from this is cringing at our celebrations after drawing with Iraq

Me too! Definitely OTT: Ricki was demented...seem to remember the commentator was bemused by Herbert's celebrations.  Andy Boyens air kick v Spain is etched in my memory banks as well...sheesh that was bad. The friendly v Italy was the flipside: NZ played really well and gave the Italians a mighty big scare.

My memory is vague, but while it was over the Top, wasn't that our first point at a  Senior Men's International Tournament?
Marquee
5.3K
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9.5K
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over 12 years

sthn.jeff wrote:

Ray Hicks wrote:

All I remember from this is cringing at our celebrations after drawing with Iraq

Me too! Definitely OTT: Ricki was demented...seem to remember the commentator was bemused by Herbert's celebrations.  Andy Boyens air kick v Spain is etched in my memory banks as well...sheesh that was bad. The friendly v Italy was the flipside: NZ played really well and gave the Italians a mighty big scare.

My memory is vague, but while it was over the Top, wasn't that our first point at a  Senior Men's International Tournament?

Yeah it was our first point and there's no shame in celebrating that but rather than some high fives and smiles we acted like we'd won a world cup. And that Iraq side were pretty weak and it was amazing that they had even made it considering their country was being torn apart by sectarian violence at the time. 

I just felt like the whole thing made us look a bit sad. But maybe that's just the kiwi cultural cringe.

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