Flying Kiwis – September 1
Winston Reid – West Ham United (English Premier League)
West Ham started so well with that 2-0 win against Arsenal at the Emirates. So well… but then they slumped to losses at home to Leicester City and Bournemouth. The latter featuring one of the most abysmal defensive performances in a long time at this level. To be fair, Reid was at least okay, but the rest of them made a road cone look like Bobby Moore in comparison.
Yeah, they found that form back.
West Ham were great as they went to Anfield and beat Liverpool for the first time there in 52 years. And they didn’t just beat them, they did it with ease in the end. 3-0, goals to Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble and a late Diafra Sakho to finish it off.
Liverpool hadn’t conceded in three games but that record came to an end after only three minutes as this time it was West Ham getting the benefit of some slack defence. Skrtel and Gomez letting a ball drift past them to Lanzini at the far post. But that was nothing on Dejan Lovren’s howler that led to the second goal after half an hour.
There was once change at the back for the Hammers, James Tomkins in for the suspended Carl Jenkinson (Ogbonna held his spot despite getting hooked in the first half vs Bournemouth). This was the same back four that blunted Arsenal and they repeated the dose here. Christian Benteke’s threat was nothing like it had been in the first few weeks. Reid was brilliant and so were his teammates. Coutinho’s (soft) red card in the 52nd made an already tough task pretty improbable and WHU added some icing with a late goal. Huge result before the international break.
Since last week we’ve also seen Kevin Nolan released through a mutual contract termination. He was a favourite of Sam Allardyce but since Fat Sam left his chances have been limited. Nolan was the club captain, there’s no confirmation on who’ll take over that role. It had been rumoured that Winston was in with a shot but Mark Noble, a local who’s spent his whole career with the club, is the more likely choice. Winnie could get the armband in the short term though, with Noble suspended (pending appeal) for one of the more innocuous (read: ridiculous) red cards of the nascent season.
Winnie’s also gone and done some civic good by funding a pair of scholarships to get two kiwi youngsters into the Wellington Phoenix academy. It’s very cool, something he’s spoken about doing in the past. Read about it here.
Aaaaand, umm… let’s just leave this here without comment.
Up Next: Myanmar vs New Zealand, Sunday 11.30pm (NZT)
Chris Wood – Leeds United (English Championship)
He may have had a slow start but Chris Wood is ready and firing now for Leeds. Up against Derby County, promotion favourites, both teams entered with identical 0 win/4 draws/0 loss records.
88 minutes gone and it was tied at 1-1. The teams each headed for five draws in a row to begin their league season. But then the moment of magic that decided the contest. And it was Chris Wood that supplied it.
Picking up the ball outside the box, turning and unleashing hell in the form of a right footed rocket. What a moment for Woody, for his team and for his manager. They’d taken the lead in the first half through Tom Adeyemi but Chris Martin levelled for Derby right after the break. A great first half from Leeds, but in the second it was the home side, Derby, who tried to force the issue. They couldn’t find a winner though, and instead it was Woody who split the teams for a huge result after a really tough spell of congested fixtures (which manager Uwe Rosler has been slamming every interview chance he gets).
Wood actually should have won this game in simpler circumstances in the 81st min but he botched an open header over the crossbar. One of five shots he had this game, just one was on target (the goal, obvs). He definitely made up for that seven minutes later though, Wood’s third goal in three games.
“When the goals didn’t come straight away, the punters and the media started to ask questions. But Chris never – he was always confident. It’s an improvement for him to be a big player for us. He wants that responsibility and he’s living up to the deal. I watch him in training and I’m a great believer that what you put in you get out.” – Uwe Rosler on Chris Wood.
Leeds are also one to keep an eye on as the transfer window expires, they had a bid accepted for striker Fernando Forestieri from Watford last week but that fell through when the player refused to dicuss terms. The Whites have already made seven signings since last season ended, Chris Wood being the most expensive of them, and they’re rumoured to be in hard for Congo international winger Jordan Botaka and possibly Wolves winger Rajiv van La Parra too.
Also, Russell Crowe confirmed in a pseudo cryptic/philosophical series of tweets last week that he won’t be buying Leeds United after all. Fair ‘nuff then.
Up Next: A bit of a break and then Leeds vs Brentford, 2am Sunday 13 September (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Ipswich Town (English Championship)
Ipswich made a bunch of changes for the League Cup game away at Doncaster (Lge 1) midweek but Smithy was one of the regulars that held his spot. League Cup tie are always either formalities or massive frustrations depending on expectations. This one, in a strange way, was both.
Despite looking much the better team, Ipswich went down 1-0 midway through the first after Smith conceded a free kick that wasn’t cleared properly and it was headed in at the far post from the second delivery. Doncaster were the team that knocked Wood and Leeds out in the last round (remember that penalty?) and they were far from push overs here too. They were unlucky a couple of times not to add to that lead, taking the 1-0 advantage well into the second half, but then Brett Pitman was able to equalise pretty much against the run of play. Just running hard into the box and burying the loose ball.
Smith came off after 78 minutes and the game remained tied into extra time… though new French signing Larsen Toure didn’t realise. He threw his jersey away at the final whistle thinking the match was over, only to have to retrieve it from the crowd so he could get back out there when he realised what he'd done! Lucky boy, he then went and set up a goal minutes later. In fact, Town ran away with in in extras, eventually winning 4-1 with ET goals to David McGoldrick, James Alabi and Ryan Fraser.
But the bad (/good?) news from that is they’ll play Manchester United at Old Trafford in the next round. Granted, United’s last appearance in the League Cup was a 4-0 loss to MK Dons, so ya never know. McCarthy says he’ll still be playing a mix of younger players for the game. It’ll be played in three weeks’ time.
Then to the League and Ipswich had a home game against Brighton & Hove Albion – a top of the table clash. Smith returned to play the full 90, though he had a new centre-back partner with captain Luke Chambers moving to the middle as Christophe Berra faces a month on the sidelines.
Oh, but they had an awful start. Kazenga LuaLua put Brighton ahead after ten minutes, the home crowd at least able to salvage a laugh when he crashed on the fifth of five celebratory summersaults, but when the lead was doubled a couple minutes later there was little cheer left. LuaLua’s was a case of catching the new right back out with pace, the second a free kick that curled in accidentally after nobody managed to get a touch on it.
Long balls over the defence were causing riots at the back for Town but they managed to hold on and in the second half they sparked a real comeback. First Freddie Sears finished one off after Pitman’s shot had hit the post. Then, having had what looked like a legit penalty shout declined already, they got the benefit of another and Dave McGoldrick slotted the spottie to make it 2-2.
But this is the English Championship, where craziness happens on the regular and Brighton regained the lead within two minutes, holding on to take a 3-2 win. Not at all one of Smithy’s best games. Unfortunately that results drops Ipswich from first to third on the table, Brighton going top. Still, it’s early days yet, as ya know.
Hey and Smith is soon to have some down under company (for what that’s worth to him) with Aussie international Tommy Oar joining FC Utrecht.
Up Next: No game during the break, but then Ipswich are back with a 7am kickoff on Saturday 12 away at Reading. Should be on Sky TV too, jackpot (NZT)
Marco Rojas – FC Thun (Swiss Super League)
Well, the European dream is over for the year. Thun went further than the rest of these teams (Marseille aside) but they fell at the final hurdle, beaten 6-4 on aggregate by Sparta Prague. If you’re looking for a new irrational hatred team, by the way, Sparta Prague knocked Ryan Thomas’ PEC Zwolle side out in Europa qualifying last season too. They’ll suit ya fine.
It was 3-1 after the first leg in Prague, see last week if you want the full story, but basically they leaked an injury time goal to make this second leg a real uphill slog. Rojas started the home tie, Thun needed to win by at least two goals to get through. 21 minutes in they were 2-0 down (so, 5-1 agg.) and it was pretty much over. Those two away goals meant they’d need to win by three now and that was never really happening.
Still, they pulled one back soon after and it would have been level at half time after Rojas tried to set up Simon Rapp but it was kept out. Rojas was then sacrificed at half time and the game dragged on without him. 3-3 it finished, Nelson Ferreira with a double for Thun. Even a late red card for the visitors didn’t mean much in the end. Rojas finished his first run in continental competition with a goal in five starts and one game off the bench.
But Thun then had to back that game up with a home match against Sion just two days later. Fair to say that there were some tired legs, five people backed up starting both games. Alas, Marco Rojas wasn’t one of them, an unused sub as Thun conceded right before HT and then again eight mins after it for a 2-0 loss.
Up Next: Back in the All Whites, Rojas is off to Myanmar, yo.
Bill Tuiloma – Olympique de Marseille (French Ligue 1)
Really interesting stuff here. Bill Tuiloma will now play on loan this season with RC Strasbourg in the National division, which is the third tier of French football. Strasbourg finished fourth in the division last season, and have a win, a loss and two draws to start this one. Tui’ll crack straight into this when he gets back from All Whites duty after the international break.
After playing twice last season off the bench and featuring in four pre-season friendlies and as a non-used sub in the season opener under Marcelo Bielsa, he’s been back in the reserves since and doesn’t look likely to feature in the seniors in the meantime. So as long as he gets good game time for RCS then this should be a solid move. It’s a division above what he was playing with the OM reserves and that was in a regional competition too so the talent’s more spread out. We’d rather see him playing Ligue 1 but that’s not realistic at this stage. He’d otherwise be playing reserves, so this’ll be a good step up in competition.
Here they are in action (without Tui) for the curious eyes out there:
Up Next: All Whites, Myanmar, etc.
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
Zwolle are still unbeaten to start the season and Thommo is still making his way back to full fitness. He played off the bench once more as the PECers had to come from a goal down early on against Heerenveen, Lars Veldwijk with the second half equaliser from close range. Ryan Thomas came on at half time with his team still in deficit, looking the sharpest he has so far as after a knee injury kept him out of the first two games. With two wins and two draws, Zwolle head into the international break in sixth place on the table.
Up Next: No All Whites for RT, he can rest up to full fitness before Zwolle’s next game on the 13th of September (NZT)
Tyler Boyd - Vitória S.C. (Portuguese Primeira Liga)
A late red card didn’t help the cause, but the Vitoria II side were able to hold on to a first half goal from Bruno Mendes for a 1-0 win over Olhanense. It was their first of the Segunda Liga season and at the fifth attempt. Mendes scored his decisive goal in the 37th minute, a header from a cross. Mendes then almost doubled the lead five minutes later after our lad Tyler Boyd fed him in but his shot came back off the crossbar. Vitoria Seconds then held on despite a fella by the name of Ká picking up a second yellow with quarter of an hour to play. Boyd put in a decent shift, playing the full 90 mins.
As well as that he was also a 70th minute substitute in a 3-3 midweek draw at Familicao. Vitoria were 2-0 up after 32 mins, ended up needing a 90th minute goal to save a point.
Up Next: More of the same, presumably, with Tyler not on the plane to Myanmar.