The New Zealand Herald

yeah he is still eligible for Chile.

Link?

Last two sentences.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/best-of-sport-analysis/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502180&objectid=10767548

Lol, he also declares on behalf of all Aucklanders that they never want the Phoenix back.

Nice to see the comments section is as civil as ever.

Makes the No habla Espanol - the NZFC bitch fight thread seem civil and well balanced. Who wants to ask Dylan when a club cricket match last got 20,000 along.

The same could be said of Dani Sanchez and Daniel and Leo Bertos. While they show up at times in good attacking positions they are not turning that good work into goals, too often leaving it to others like Tim Brown and SigmUnd to score at crucial times.

Paul Lewis calls us a boring team

"If the Phoenix want to put the squeeze on the broadcasters for more revenue, there are a couple of problems. Let's face it - they are a boring side who maybe don't quite live up to Morgan's understandably skewed statement that "we're third in the league, we have an absolutely fabulous team".

The Phoenix need to keep winning and maybe get a star who excites the fans; when Herbert moves on, maybe attract a manager of more colourful disposition."

Seems he missed Ifill and the stunning successes had by the 'colourful' managers in the A-league.

Still good to see them getting coverage- but has it not been considered that the coverage and sports editors who call the team boring could be part of the crowd problem?

Colurful managers Fergie has a red nose.

By Paul Lewis' idiot logic, it is much better to have Harry Kewell and off-field drama and come seventh than be "boring" and be third-going-on-second.

But given his analysis, our only hope is to persuade SBW that he can make it with the round ball as well as the hang-egg, and perhaps he'll solve our striker problem.

ForteanTimes2012-01-29 12:06:30

SBW = King of the Douchebags.

That is all.

<div sab="835">�<div sab="836">Agree about SBW�the kiwi press is so far up this guys a*rse it's unbelivable. Everyday there is some non-story about him. <div sab="837">�<div sab="838">Morgan you need to sort the Hacks out, free booze, food, etc, to see if they can actually turn out a balanced article on us for once.


I think we make to much out of these articles. We call for 'balance' but I think sometimes people equate that with 'always good'. A truly balanced newspaper etc is bound to throw in a few sh*tty articles sometimes and I think we shouldn't make to much of it.


That said, Paul Lewis is a f**king moron.

nah generally like Paul Lewis- just get the feeling football isn't one of his top 3 sports, so he isn't quite as sharp on it as cricket or other sports.

He talks/complains about the lack of off field drama. Was he not paying any attention to the off season? I don't think we really want more of that.

yeah we are boring, 1 - 0 away wins are tedious..... and 12 goals in the last 3 home games has been bloody aweful. Paul needs to rethink his comment - the a-league is not the EPL, it won't be for some time. We are deservedly second in the league with a positive goal difference, sure we don't play the most expansive game but we do bloody well given the squad and staff we have.

Phoenix. Second.

Stick THAT in your pipe and smoke it Lewis.

Slightly off-topic as it isn't to do with football, but this illustrates why I dislike the NZH. Generally poorly written articles, loads of full screen adverts with noises, just generally terrible.

This is the front page of the website at 2:17pm today. Count how many headlines end in a question mark. I make out at least 5 out of 10:

I count 3.

You lose.

Haters gonna hate.

Bryce Johns: Truth is, Nelsen can't play

It would be a brave man who criticised New Zealand football captain Ryan Nelsen right now.

He's signed with one of the glamour clubs in the English Premier League; he was more responsible than any other individual (coach Ricki Herbert included) for our stunning performances at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa; and he flew halfway around the world to play a strong role in the All Whites' friendly match with Jamaica just this week.

But there's a reason you didn't see him on the field when Tottenham Hotspur took on Arsenal last weekend and it's the same reason he's unlikely to have much of a role in one of the English matches of the season tomorrow (Spurs vs Manchester United). Put simply, Ryan Nelsen can't play.

Is that brave or what? And here's the logic.

Nelsen's move to Spurs from Blackburn Rovers has elevated him from a side of perennial battlers to one of the most powerful clubs in England, possibly Europe. He is playing among the elite and the elite can, well, play.

The difference between the sides like Spurs and Rovers is huge. We've seen the difference on these shores.

Think back to David Beckham's two appearances in this country with the LA Galaxy. The best players in the world are like him, they can land a ball on a tea towel at ranges of up to 60m.

It's not so important for the men at the back but, as we saw on Wednesday night at Mt Smart Stadium, Nelsen coughs the ball up way too often. He is a great stopper, he is a fantastic leader, he is the ultimate team man and few in the world read the game better defensively than he does.

But at the top level, when he gets the ball, he needs to be able to give it to someone who can play.

You wouldn't have heard about that in the sycophantic tributes paid Nelsen by our partisan boys in the commentary box, or read it in the next day's match reviews, but he put possession at risk as often as any of his team-mates.

And when the likes of Ledley King, Michael Dawson or Younes Kaboul win the ball off Wayne Rooney tomorrow morning, Harry Redknapp will trust them not to do the same.

That's no slight on Nelsen, by some margin the most influential Kiwi football player ever. Technically he's not the best - Wynton Rufer takes that title in a canter after winning trophies with decent European teams based largely on his goal-scoring.

But Nelsen has had more visibility, has done more for the All Whites and post his playing career, will surely have more long-term impact on the national game. Rufer is, unfortunately, too flaky to have any sort of leading role.

So what of the All Whites' chances of heading to Brazil in two years? It's not a pipe dream.

They will strike an opponent similar to Jamaica from the North American/Caribbean confederation. This time out, they were under prepared and trying a range of youngsters; Jamaica were just out of a series with Cuba.

Despite the loss, the young guys showed there is plenty of hope. Chris Wood has the size and skill to be a better targetman than either Shane Smeltz or Chris Killen and, though he was given a rough ride by Notts County pro Damian Stewart, he kept the ball better than most.

In midfield, Michael McGlinchey displayed a desire to look forward, a relief compared to the traditional lateral movement we've seen from former playmaker Simon Elliott, while Marco Rojas is a rare New Zealander with man-beating ability.

But it's at the back where the Kiwis are best served. With Nelsen leading the line and Tommy Smith looking as comfortable on the ball as anyone, and West Ham's Winston Reid's physicality to the fore, we're a chance of getting to Rio.

Reid's injury at halftime proved conclusively the step up from the Australian league to the English game, with Ben SigmUnd's hopeful lumping of the ball forward a sight of All Whites' teams of yesteryear.

There also has to be doubt on Tim Brown's technique on the big stage and Kosta Barbarouses' suitability under pressure.

But the All Whites to emulate Australia and make back-to-back World Cups? Don't scoff. It's more likely than Nelsen starring in the Champions League next year.

Who is Bryce Johns?  He can just f**k right off.

He failed to address why Spurs would buy him if he can't play. Where do these media companies find these guys? 

ROFL!   

I decided this was a p!sstake article from there on.

Facepalm. How embarrassing for Bryce. Don't drink and type up an article which you then submit for the herald to print.

Everyone knows that.

Like I posted in the other thread, i'd like to thank Bryce Johns for the earth shattering revelation that our centre back can't pass like Beckham nor run with the ball like Messi.

In a Maddaford piece http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10800431

he claims because of referees "Little wonder the players are getting frustrated and the public turning their back on the game here despite it still being far and away the world's most popular sport."

No evidence. Nothing to back it up 

Today a suggestion that Boxall or Winston Reid could play in midfield for the AWs.  Does point out that Reid's distribution could be an issue.  Yeah no shit - do these people watch football?  Bizarre

Credit to Terry M in the article about Reid not being being released by big Sam: He used the correct name: "St James' Park" (even got the apostrophe) - on the basis of that, the rest of you knockers can GGF.

 

He also suggested Fallon as an overage for the Olympic's.  All brownie points negated.

I was hoping the Fallon line was just for lols...

 

Herald article linked on the home page.

"The club has always taken on a community focus and continue to capitalise on the rise of football."

Not in the last couple of seasons.

They also hope to have new and improved training facilities at Newtown Park,...

ROFL - and a Smiggle shop?

 Big Fallon is in trouble

Kevin Not Rory

Kevin in trouble......again.

 

And why does the Nz Herald still refer to round ball as Soccer  - should be Football

Herald have done loads of good articles in the build up to the season but can anyone explain to me what the point of this article is?

The headline is barely English and apart from a few stab in the dark figures I genuinely have no idea what the rest of this is about.  On the one hand points out some of our players are on decent money, then says that hasn't translated onto on field success but then points out we're one of the lowest spending teams in the league.  Bizarre

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/soccer-football/news/article.cfm?c_id=86&objectid=10838419

agree. I just saw that before and gave up almost immediately. I think Maddaford is on crack.

Ditto.  

Browsed it but considering there were lots of other footy articles elsewhere I just moved on and didn't dwell on trying to understand it.

And there are other unfathomable football stories today - like how Spurs could cough up a 1-0 lead of Kosta's crew.

I think his editor read it, wasn't quite sure and had a bash at guessing a headline.