All Whites v Uzbekistan | Tuesday 9 Sept 2am | SKY Sport 3

http://www.nzfootball.co.nz/index.php?id=11&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=3104&tx_ttnews[backPid]=10&cHash=c9ec2008c1

Goalkeepers Glen Moss (28/0 – Wellington Phoenix/NZ)
Tamati Williams (1/0 – Glenfield Rovers/NZ)

Defenders
Michael Boxall (9/0 – Wellington Phoenix/NZ)
Andrew Durante (8/0 – Wellington Phoenix/NZ)
Winston Reid (17/1 – West Ham Utd/ENG)
Storm Roux (3/0 – Central Coast Mariners/AUS)
Ben Sigmund (32/2 – Wellington Phoenix/NZ)
Bill Tuiloma (4/0 – Olympique Marseille/FRA)

Midfielders
Cameron Howieson (8/0 – Burnley FC/ENG)
Chris James (18/2 – CS Sedan Ardennes/FRA)
Michael McGlinchey (27/3 – Central Coast Mariners/AUS)
Tim Payne (10/2 – unattached)
Ryan Thomas (2/0 – PEC Zwolle/HOL)

Forwards
Kosta Barbarouses (25/2 – Melbourne Victory/AUS)
Tyler Boyd (2/0- Wellington Phoenix/NZ)
Jeremy Brockie (43/0 – Wellington Phoenix/NZ)
Marco Rojas (18/0 – VfB Stuttgart/GER)
Chris Wood (34/12 – Leicester City/ENG)

Note: Tommy Smith was not considered for the tour to Doha and Uzbekistan. Tommy has requested that he not be considered for selection for any New Zealand team for the next 12 months. After consultation with the relevant parties, New Zealand Football has agreed to this request.

Team management
Interim head coach: Neil Emblen
Goalkeeper coach: Paul Gothard
Manager: Rob Pickstock
Physio: Roland Jeffrey
Doctor: Mark Fulcher
Head Coach: Anthony Hudson (pending receipt of working visa)

Match details
Uzbekistan v New Zealand
Monday 8 September
Pakhtakor Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Just retire Tommy.

Pretty pissed of with this Massive dick move.
Sounds to me like hes waiting to see how the running of NZF improves before committing.
I'm expecting Winston and Marco to pull out at some point too

What a dick.

He's done, IMO. Forget about him.

No Smeltz? Has he retired?

Injured.

Good way for Tommy to endear himself to new management. He's not even premier league level and he's pulling this rubbish.

If it was ok for Nelsen then it should be ok for Smith not to be picked for any games until there meaning full.

Fuck him - Sack Smith

fuck off tommy. From NZ.

What about the guy from Sth Melbourne? Still overlooked or really not god enough.

Note: Tommy Smith was not considered for the tour to Doha and Uzbekistan. Tommy has requested that he not be considered for selection for any New Zealand team for the next 12 months. After consultation with the relevant parties, New Zealand Football has agreed to this request.

Why don't we wait to hear the rationale and how this may help the AWs and NZ Football first before reaching for the tar and feathers and rope?

If he'd rather wait and play nations cup and qualifiers, thats fine, he just better not expect to walk into first team if someone proves a better partnership. Condeming him isn't productive and is rather disrespectful because it takes away from when he was here for the team especially when other players were not.

Hearing Tommy Smith wants to give himself every chance of playing in the Premier League. Believes focussing on club will help with that.

— Jason Pine (@pineyzb) August 11, 2014

Be interested to see what happens from here on in considering Hudson spoke about building a team culture

I reckon. lol at the first half dozen or so posts in this thread... take a chill pill. Are you all forgetting that Nelsen did the exact same thing??

Don't have a problem with this, but no information leads to misinformation. And I wouldn't trust the dribble that comes out of national sporting bodies (not just football either).  Tommy would get people back towards him again if he was upfront and honest

I would also say that FIFA has moved to 2 game international windows that make it easier for players to juggle club and country

.

You'd think he was the only international player playing in the championship or something. 

Would he do this on a world cup year? Doubtful. 

If you remember, people got annoyed at him for that too. 

I think it's fair enough for fans (and players) to be pissed off about it. Can also understand why NZF wouldn't cast him aside and kind of just have to accept it, since we don't exactly have the player depth to be dropping players to prove a point - we need our best players when it matters. 

But as a pissed off fan, at the moment it'd be hugely satisfying if NZF came out and said if he doesn't want to play outside of WC years, then he won't be playing during WC years either. That may change as important games come up and I want to see us win with our best side out...

If he wanted 12 months off, I guess I can kinda see why but he now has that label of being a show pony and only turning up when it suits him/counts. He might want to be a Premier League footballer but if he was going to make it, I think he would have done so probably by now if he had that kind of talent. Ryan Nelsen got away with it cause he had charisma and was a bloody good footballer that instantly made us a better side. Tommy does not make us that much better and has a cock personality. I will give him credit though for being upfront I guess.

If I were NZF, I would have said to him 'sure, we will grant you that request but you must play in this international. Its in a camp for a few days, only half the distance to travel and your first time in front of the new coach. Turn up for this and show him what you are about cause if you don't we can't guarantee that it will only be 12 months as he will have never seen you.'

edit: Pretty much what Tegal said.

We play so few internationals that every one is important, even friendlies against less than glamorous opponents, because they give us the chance to build combinations and get used to the tactical approach. Especially with the new coach.

Nelsen got away with it but I think that he helped establish this precedent, now the worry is that with more of our best players playing at a decent level in Europe it's not actually going to benefit the team because they'll all withdraw from friendlies and OFC qualifiers to help their Euro careers. Then what? If we do make intercontinental playoffs or the Confeds Cup they're all magically available again, but not used to the coach and teammates? Fuck that, if you want to play in the World Cup you damn well better commit to helping the team get there, which means playing every game that builds to that if you aren't actually injured.

Also, regarding the comparison to Nelsen, no one in the current squad makes as much of a difference individually to the team as Nelsen did when he was there, which is also part of why the response to him doing it was more muted. 

On a happier note, Smith's absence aside, that's a pretty good squad.

When you look at that team, its a strong team. The only names I can think to add off the top of my head (without too much memory recall) are Spoonley, Smith, Fenton, Musa, Keat, Henderson, Smeltz. You take a couple out that may not go around the next WC (Smeltz, Sigmund, Durante) then its a very settled line up in a lot of respects. There is Doyle coming through at LB as well.

Are there any other names I have missed that could be in a wider squad mix? (and guys that are realistically on the radar)

Its a bit of a worry when Brockie is our most experienced player (43), and forward, and has zero goals vs Wood who has 34/12. But don't worry Phoenix fans, Ernie has this...

And what he going to do when he gets there? 'Oh I need to concentrate on establishing myself in the Premier League so am not available.' This will not stop with him now. He better hope he gets there for the sake of fan backlash.

One thing I don't get is that everyone calls for more meaningful internationals. That would be great if it happened. Right now though we play 4 or 5 games a year and we still can't get our best players playing. What's the point in playing any more games if players can't/don't want to show up for the few we do play?

This is the point. If Smith gets a year off and waltzes back in then why should Rojas, Wood and Reid bother making themselves available? They could just miss the World Cup qualifiers versus the Island teams and waltz back in for the playoffs. It's about the precedent this sets.

OK, a more reasoned approach then: The excuse given by Smith is very weak, it could apply to any player that wishes to play in a higher league than what they are playing. What if Chris James said “I want 12 months off international duty so I can concentrate on playing in the French First Division” he would be given the raspberry just like Smith deserves to have been given. The whole premise of international football is in question here, minor nations like us who have a handful of players playing in overseas competitions at a reasonably high level, cannot be held hostage by players who pick and choose when and where they play. I am quite open to accommodation on a case by case basis [like wanting to play in a crucial relegation match or promotion match] but once it becomes more than once or twice you have to ask if they are just taking the piss or not? I might have a funny view on loyalty [and perhaps an easy view to have as I’m not in Smith’s position] but you are either in or out. If you want 12 months off international duty – you have retired and must take your chances when you choose to return. I suppose this si what smith is doing but the reports of his dissatisfaction before this decision would point to there being more to this than meets the eye.

I'm sure we will never see tommy smith in an aw shirt again very strange decision given the appointment of a new head coach. #AllWhites

— Paul Ifill (@PaulIfill) August 11, 2014

@Tegal1234 trust me the players wouldn't want him back

— Paul Ifill (@PaulIfill) August 11, 2014

Wow - that is a telling tweet.

Might start getting out the feathers (after I catch me some plump chickens...)

Thats understandable too. These players turn up for these games, only to have him swan in and out whenever he feels like it, and then decide he wants to take a year off. Its natural that the players would have that reaction. 

Siggy in particular won't be his biggest fan. 

NZF and Hudson have to take a wider and more rational view to it though. Weighing up any precedent it may set, and making a point vs how valuable he will be when during WC qualifiers (and hopefully during the WC). 

How about this for a different perspective:

The player is looking after his own interests - both in terms of financial security from his employer and also improving his game by focusing on getting into the premier league.

After a year which is important for team building culture in the AWs but not for WC qualifying per se, he should return a better player and able to focus more attention on the AWs.

Of course I don't know what his general attitude is and if he is a bit of a melter to the rest of the team or an arrogant knob then maybe it will be a chance for Hudson to bring through someone else.

Two wongs don't make a white

Don't be a Winston-Devoy.

You twunt (this is humour in my culture)

I think Hicks ,Doyle and the Sth Melbourne guy could have been picked, Maybe we will see them Vs China and co.

Michael Eager clearly wasn't favoured in the past and Hudson probably hasn't even heard of him yet. Even if he has he is unlikely to make a left field selection one day one.

Anyway, the squad itself is actually pretty good. I'm a little bit worried about our depth on defence but Hudson will just have to overcome that challenge.

I'm much more worried about our central midfield than I am about the defenders.

What midfield?

It's not really an All Whites squad without Jeremy Christie