Speaker: All White on the night and other puns
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If we attack, we're in with a shout. It's as simple as that.
Agreed. And also on Chris W as the likely lad to do the business.
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South American flair will have a better chance of unlocking Nelsen's defence than the Europeans.
Mmhhh.... Paraguay managed what against Italy? One shot on goal? They didn't seem very flairey to me. They're solid and can counterattack well. They're also all but guaranteed to top the group with a draw. So what are they going to do? If they wait for the All Whites and the All Whites over-commit, it could be a massacre. I'll be very interested to see what the two coaches do - tactically it could be a very interesting game. I'm not sure the All Whites can play the possession/territory game though, so I wouldn't expect them to press too hard.
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Gosh I'm getting nervous already and there's still hours to go.
I banned myself from watching the Italy game on Sunday night (so I could actually get up in the morning to start a new contract - never easy for a night-owl like me) and in the end I regretted my decision mightily.
I've taken a new tack for this game and I've told my clients in advance I won't be available tomorrow morning as I'll be asleep :) One of the big advantages of being a contractor I guess.
I'm also planning to watch the game in the company of others for the first time instead of quietly at home. Should be fun, whatever happens!
Crossing my fingers, toes and everything else that we get the result we need to progress through to the next round. How incredible would that be?
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It was a pleasure to see Bertos running at defenders for the first time since his injury break mid-season
Amen to that. I just hope he and others keep doing it and "give it a go". It is a pleasure to watch NZ with the confidence to PLAY with the ball rather than smash and grab and hoick it up the other end.
We do still have a little of that and we saw it during the italy game but when the move up the patch was done it was done with a hell of a lot more purpose than just a "wow..I'm up the sideline...when shall I centre it?" kind of attitude.
And Chris Wood...juggling it over Cannavaro...nice. More please!
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I didnt see the Paraguay v Italy game in full, but against Slovakia they were impressive. They also beat both Argentina and Brazil on their way to qualifying.
Has anyone looked at the FIFA player rankings on their website? According to their calculations, Chris Killen* has been our best performing player. Go figure.
Pardon me: Vicelich is no.86, and Killen is no.105 on the Castrol Index. Ryan Nelsen is waaay down at 241.
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Heard that some of the All Whites have tummy bugs or Suzy has been visiting.
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I am too nervous to watch the game. In the morning, I'll figure out the result from the amount of spew around Courtenay Place.
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4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 70-68.
This is the place to post it, right? Just wow.
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New Zealand going home unbeaten at the World Cup Finals. I'd have offered you a lot of money for that a month ago, so why does it feel so sharp now?
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4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 70-68.
This is the place to post it, right? Just wow.
For sure. I believe it's customary to also say who won though!
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Oi! Coach needs going on one of them positive affirmation seminars, before the next World cup.
Nah. He knows we're making the knock-out round next time, so are chances of going unbeaten are slim.
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so why does it feel so sharp now?
Because they were in it until the very end. That's the downside of doing so well I suppose!
Seriously, though, I was mightily unimpressed by Herbert and his assistant jumping around the field after that 0-0 draw against Iraq one year ago - that was embarrassing. But they've come so far in twelve months and have so much to celebrate, it really is a fantastic achievement. Herbert for coach of the tournament.
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And I feel pleased for Italy and the Italians that they did so much better than France ...
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There's only a handful of teams that have gone through the table rounds unbeaten and *not* made it through to the next round. But well played Slovakia, they were obviously up for it today and you can't argue with a score like that against Italy.
Commiserations Gio, although I suspect you're not too shocked by the end result.
The only other thing I would have liked today would have been for Wood to come on a bit earlier. Play got looser once he came on and we got some action in their box. But hey, can't take away the enormity of this performance from the All Whites. In 1982 we went down 5-2, 3-0 & 4-0 without a single point so this team should just be so, so proud.
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The Sydney Morning Herald's reader poll running thusly:
Did the Kiwis deserve a place in the last 16?
Yes, they fought gamely and should be there 80%
No, they were lucky to come away with three draws 20%
The Aussies have been genuinely pleased for us throughout, I think.
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There's only a handful of teams that have gone through the table rounds unbeaten and *not* made it through to the next round.
It's much harder than it used to be to progress with a string of draws. With the old 2-point victory, New Zealand would have qualified ahead of Slovakia on goal difference.
Commiserations Gio, although I suspect you're not too shocked by the end result.
Not shocked, no. Although it is just possible I was playing the Brera gambit.
(Also: thanks!)
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I think it is still beyond all our wildest dreams. Particularly the fact that we could still have made it right up until the 93rd minute of game three. The spirit in which we played the game is also noteworthy and deserves some recognition.
It's not like we were playing minnows, or tiddlywinks, so we should all be incredibly proud. Unbeatable All Whites!
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The fact we are disappointed in not getting through to the knockouts is just completely awesome in itself.
Probably being too picky but I agree with Peter that once it became crystal clear that we needed a win to go through (assuming the Italy Slovakia score was known to the bench), it would maybe have been good to bring on Wood a little earlier (and Fallon was struggling to make an impact because of elbow-phobia anyway).
I would have been tempted to bring on McGlinchey to offer a little more width and creativity as well, rather than Brockie as a straight swap for another attacker.
But hell - Nelsen wouldn't look out of place in a tournament team, and Reid and Smith are the futures of the All Whites. And Elliott, Smeltz, Bertos all had great games. Totally stoked.
Hopefully there are some young potential kiwi superstars watching that will develop into world-class ball players over the next decade or two to marry our defensive resilience with a sharper cutting edge.
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Did the Kiwis deserve a place in the last 16?
No. Because they didn't win, or give themselves the chances to win, whereas Slovakia and Paraguay did.
The All Whites have massively over-achieved at this World Cup. Before the tournament, I had a crazy patriotic bet at the TAB. New Zealand to get a point. Heart ruling head. Or so I thought.
Outstanding defence proved me wrong. But, overall, we weren't good enough to go through, and the second half of the last game illustrated this. The All Whites just didn't have the pace and creativity that can change a game, whereas the two teams who qualified did, and against Italy, they were each rewarded with three points.
I'm afraid it was a missed opportunity in the end. Not a failure - far from it - but very frustrating. Especially knowing that one goal would have meant playing Japan, not the Netherlands.
Then again, Ryan Nelsen would not have played in the next game, so maybe we left the party just in time ...
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The only other thing I would have liked today would have been for Wood to come on a bit earlier.
I agree with that. He looked dangerous, Fallon never seemed to have that impact post-Bahrain.
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Fallon had plenty of impact being the guy at the end of the high balls - not sure what that role is called in English, for some reason we call it the buoy. Anyhow, I don't think Herbert's decisions are up for criticism, even the sartorial ones.
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even the sartorial ones
Definitely one of the sharper suits.
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But hell - Nelsen wouldn't look out of place in a tournament team, and Reid and Smith are the futures of the All Whites. And Elliott, Smeltz, Bertos all had great games. Totally stoked.
No love for Mark Paston?
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No love for Mark Paston?
Good point - bit shaky against Slovakia, but plenty of fan-love for his last two games......
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And in a tournament in which goalies have been struggling.
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