OFC Nations Cup 2016 Final - vs PNG | Sat 11 Jun | 6pm | SS Popup

It's called an opinion, I have never rated him. Always thought he lacked a touch and any real skill.

Maybe it will be Brocks's day. He's due! Get Kosta on there to set him up.

He's been good enough to command serious coin by decent clubs and is playing at a high level consistently. HIs goal record for NZ speaks for itself. If you don't rate him then I would stop watching the All whites play if I were you as it don't get much better

Its PNG

Think about this for a second, a team with not one professional player.

A country that has never been ranked above 160.

ITS PNG

ITS PNG

ITS PNG.

NZ football better not use a wedding as an excuse.

If we dont put five past them its a disgrace.

ITS PNG.

There can be no excuses.

No country with proffesional players should lose to this backwater island nation.

its PNG.

So this is where we are in New Zealand Football, we are not 100% sure that we can beat PNG.

This is crazy.

Actually this would be a very cool (and totally ridiculous) rule variation. After teams get eliminated, teams that progress can get 1 extra "guest" player from an eliminated team each elimination round (some huge TV bonanza NFL-draft like thing could take pace - think of the $$$). So by a world cup-final say, the finalists could have up to three "guest" players. Awesome - Ronaldo Messi & Neymar are all in the final. Boom!

FIFA are so mad they might even contemplate it.

"Dear FIFA, ... " 

He's one of the more sought after strikers in the Championship, whenever he comes on the market there are always a few suitors. You may not like the style of striker that he is, but he's obviously good at what he does. 

You can have an opinion that says you don't like the type of player he is, that's called an opinion. Saying he lacks any skill is just dumb.

What do the TAB reckon? If I was an impartial betting person, I'd go 1 - 0 win for the home team.

[quote=brettdale55]

Its PNG

Think about this for a second, a team with not one professional player.

A country that has never been ranked above 160.

ITS PNG

ITS PNG

ITS PNG.

NZ football better not use a wedding as an excuse.

If we dont put five past them its a disgrace.

ITS PNG.

There can be no excuses.

No country with proffesional players should lose to this backwater island nation.

its PNG.

[/quote

I'll pick up where you left off brettdale.

We need to be Ping to Png's Pong.

Ok we lost Themi in the semi and we are all a bit semi without Wood and that's not good but we got the flying Mellon and you all know I take responsibility for Fallon.

Oh and PS. I'm marrying Wood's sister and she's a great girl and she feels really bad about the whole situation so think of her on Saturday night - I will be - in between sneaking out to watch the footy.

Well PNG seem to be playing a far better style than NZ at the moment...their forwards are very skilful and quick, and they can whiz the ball around very quickly on the ground no less! Playing in front of a home crowd, I wouldn't be surprised in PNG beat us, especially if we play like we did vs New Caledonia.

Boxall and Adams braces 4-1 win 

Well our team has been playing sharke football, we are missing several top players, and PNG are the host nation.

Because our A-League and ASB players are 5 levels below the Island leagues. Yep that makes sense with basket weavers and fisherman kicking our ass in the finial.

What the hell are you on about? I'm providing reasons why you can see PNG causing an upset in the final, the first point i made being the primary reason. 

I'm hardly saying we are going to get beat 5-0 am I?

Hahahahahahaa - understatement! :)

That was my initial thought too - why is Wood captain if you know he is guaranteed to miss the final?

But then I thought about my own sporting background - and I've had captains in the past who would be unavailable for one reason or another (playing Northern Districts, or going on holiday), but when they came back they were captain again, because they are the best choice for the role - what they bring to the skippers role is more than anyone else can bring. Maybe that's why Wood is captain - he can just simply do it better than anyone else

I am probably the only one thinking this way but for me this whole Wood thing is a massive storm in a teacup. The fact we are only now learning that he is leaving before the final I dont see as a major issue. if we had known before the tournament there would be people throwing tantrums about it the same way they are now.

Its being made out to be some sort of major shooting hole in own foot type thing which for me just gets slotted in the drama queen filing cabinet.

I understand people being concerned that he wont be there to help us in the final but I dont get the whole commotion surrounding when we found out. Its a non issue for me. It really doesnt matter. 

More than anything it feels like another easy excuse to slag off NZF. They have got a shark load of things wrong recently but this is  as I said, a storm in a teacup.

It is a nice diversion away from how shark our football is though so maybe its a good thing.....

I have no problem with it coming out after the semi final, or certainly no problem in him going to the wedding, my issue is that instead of NZF controlling the release of the news they were late off the mark. It was reported that he was going, NZF were contacted for comment by the Herald, seemed to know nothing about it and then cobbled together a press release. I just wish they would actually get on the front foot for a change, release information before it is leaked. You know, actually give the impression that they are a professional well run organisation, even if it is just an impression.

is wood the best captain though? The team didn't look particularly well martialed on field.

Just listened to Glen Larmer interviewing Steven Hollaway, a journalist from The NZ Herald. Evidently Jason Pine heard yesterday that Wood was going to miss the final so Jason contacted  NZ Football  who denied the story.

Then a few hours later NZ Football confirmed in a press release that Wood was to be absent for the final. Glen Larmer asked Andy Martin to go on Air to discuss and of course he declined.

Sorry, I should have said "maybe in the opinion of the coach/management that Wood is the best choice"

Whether he is or not is impossible for us to say, looking from the outside

 

Yeah but you don't rate anyone if one other person rates him/her. You are a full time contrarian.

Quoting your own insult and adding an extra bit is always the sign of a worthwhile opponent in discussion, in my experience!

"full time contrarian" 

loving that term

From Family Guy, isn't it? Love that show.

I wonder whether they were planning on maybe trying to keep it quiet and put it down to an injury potentially.  Maybe that is why Kosta and Marco were left out in the semi - one of them had to be fit for the final?

Maybe they were hoping the groom would be disqualified b4 the ceremony

#alignment

We've only played PNG away from home once before...

1998 World Cup Qualifying, 31 May 1997, Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, Port Moresby

Papua New Guinea 1 (Francis Niakuam 80)

New Zealand 0

HT 0-0. Ref: Nik Ahmad Haji Yaakub (Malaysia).

NZL: Jason Batty - Gavin Wilkinson, Danny Hay, Ivan Vicelich, Noah Hickey (Rodger Gray 74), Neil Harlock (Mark Atkinson 13), Michael McGarry, Chris Jackson, Simon Elliott, Mark Elrick (Nick Viljoen 66), Vaughan Coveny.

Ominous - some good players in that NZ team. 

For Hudson he need to win the trophy tomorrow to secure his job, at least for this year. Who will start up front with Rory? Brockie maybe?

That looks a much better team than this one, but maybe I am just a bit more familiar with the players

Has anyone checked the grooms eligibility status?

 

I hope the marriage licence hasn't fallen down the back of the fax machine.

I'm thinking NZF didn't expect us to get to the final - goodness knows they've done almost anything they can to ensure we didn't

With PNG, an early goal by the all whites will help take some of the heat out of the crowd. The game vs New Caledonia would have been less tense if the All Whites had put away the early chance they had on the 6 yard line. 

When we didn't score early, New Caledonia grew in confidence and really took it to us.

PNG will have an amazing crowd support and nothing to lose as the underdogs - it's going to be quite a game. May the best team win.

Good call by him actually

It isnt an issue worth giving air time to

We've never beaten PNG away from home......

So if the news about Wood leaving hadn't leaked, what would NZF have done? One hour before kickoff announce the lineup without Wood and let the world know then that he wasn't playing? Or perhaps even having his name on the bench and telling us that he'll be an impact sub, but he would never be used as he's not even there in the first place?

Think Hudson was confident that he would get Wood to change his mind. Kept the info to himself and so the comms guy had no idea.

 

Do you think Hudson is still telling everyone that Smeltz is actually there?