Flying Kiwis – September 22
Winston Reid – West Ham United (English Premier League)
You may have stumbled on that particular vid already. It’s been doing the rounds. In his 100th game for West Ham, it took only 74 seconds for Winston Reid to get his name on the score-sheet. A teasing cross form Stewart Downing (who has already matched his 2013/14 totals of 1 goal and 2 assists) and some clueless Liverpool marking gave Winston the chance to climb above and head home. Then the shell-shocked Reds were in for more damage, starting with a powerful W.Reid tackle on the half way and culminating in a delicious cross/shot from Diafra Sahko (we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt) that floated into the top corner. 2-0 up after 7 mins.
Raheem Sterling clawed one back 20 minutes later though there was no equaliser coming on this day. West Ham managed to stifle the Liverpool attack (and LFC’s defence looked a shambles at times). Eventually Morgan Amalfitano was able to ease the tension and seal the game with a good old fashioned schoolyard toe-hack and 3-1 was your final score.
The win certainly eases any pressure on manager Sam Allardyce, as the Hammers claimed their first home points of the season.it was a dominant game for Reid too. He picked up a yellow to go with his goal, but was otherwise pretty flawless in handling the threat of Mario Balotelli and, to a lesser extent, Fabio Borini.
Up Next: It doesn’t get any easier, with a trip to Old Trafford to play Man Utd next week, Sunday 3am (NZT)
Chris Wood – Leicester City (English Premier League)
Madness. It was madness at the King Power Stadium. Leicester City hosted Manchester United and it looked early on like it would be a rout. United were 2-0 after around 15 mins with Robin Van Persie and Angel Di Maria scoring, but Leonard Ulloa pulled one back almost immediately. Then a 3-1 lead evaporated in 20 rotations of the clock as Jamie Vardy earned a penalty, sparking a 4 goal turnaround and an incredible 5-3 win for the home team.
Unfortunately Chris Wood had to watch form the bench again. With LCFC starting 3 strikers, it seemed he’d get the nod at some stage. He didn’t, and it’s hard to see where he gets his chance aside from injuries. Ulloa is one of the buys of the season as he continues to score goals like it’s his birth-right. Dave Nugent brings a bit of guile to proceedings, then Jamie Vardy… well he’s a madman. Full of energy and hassle, he was probably the man of the match against United. Wood must have been a contender to replace Vardy once he (inevitably) succumbed to cramp but no such luck. Instead Nigel Pearson went for defensive subs and Woody now has to find a way to dismantle the heroes of one of the clubs greatest ever victories at the top of the pecking order.
Up Next: Away to similarly in-form Crystal Palace, 3am Sunday (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Ipswich Town (English Championship)
The Tractor Boys don’t play until tomorrow morning against Wigan, but we’ve still got a midweek game to cover. Ipswich came up against Brighton and, just as with last weekend, Tommy Smith found himself on the bench. He was a near perennial starter last season but the club had success with their defensive formation last time out and any manager is gonna want to stick with what’s working. Based on that formula, Smith may have to bide his time because Ipswich claimed a 2-0 win. A pair of late goals from Jonathan Parr and Daryl Murphy were the difference in a surprisingly open game.
Wigan have had some mixed form this season, though still have a bit of Premier League quality in their squad left over from their glory days of a few years back. A win tomorrow could soar Ipswich up to within touching distance of the playoff spots.
Up Next: Wigan away, Tuesday 6.45am (NZT)
Ryan Thomas – PEC Zwolle (Dutch Eredivisie)
Zwolle made the trip to AZ Alkmaar after a tumultuous week for the hosts. Marco Van Basten didn’t quite resign, but he negotiated his own demotion. He has stepped down into an assistant’s role and then to make things worse, the likely in-house replacement left in a huff after a contract dispute.
You probably wouldn’t know it based on the performance though. Alkmaar had plenty of chances to open the scoring, but Zwolle keeper Warner Hahn was in sublime form, batting away chances from all over. Zwolle seemed to have bagged the first goal after half an hour but Tomas Necid had handballed. Necid also hit the crossbar in the second half.
Ryan Thomas had a quiet game. No starting player had anything close to as few touches (18) as Thomas had and that includes goalkeepers. He didn’t have a shot and only attempted 9 passes before being subbed off after the hour mark with the game apparently headed for a 0-0 stalemate.
Ah, but it wasn’t to be. With 72 mins on the clock, Hahn made a mess of a corner and Markus Henriksen hit home the only goal of the game. That result sees PEC Zwolle drop back to third as Ajax snuck one at Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven smashed Cambur 4-0.
Up Next: 6.45am Sunday vs Heracles (NZT)
Marco Rojas – Greuther Fürth (German Bundesliga II)
Greuther won again for the third time in six games, seeing them sitting pretty up near the top of the German second tier. Unfortunately Marco spent the game sitting on the bench, not adding to his two subs appearances so far this season. Maybe next week.
Up Next: A midweek clash with Aalen and a trip to 1860 Munchen on the weekend (NZT)
Bill Tuiloma – Olympique de Marseille (Ligue 1)
For those not in the know, Tuiloma is a bit of an upcoming superstar for the All Whites. A former Birkenhead junior, he signed for top French side Marseille in 2013. He’s since been working his way up playing in the youth side there (he’s still just 19) while also making his first bow for the kiwi national side. Tuiloma plays as a fullback or a defensive midfielder and played at both the U17 and U20 World Cups for NZ.
That’s the Wikipedia paraphrasing out of the way, now for the immediate stuff. Marseille is one of the top teams in France. They have international quality players in the likes of Andre Ayew (Ghana) and Brice Dja Djedje (Ivory Coast) and Nicolas N'Koulou (Cameroon), e.g. However they’ve had a few injuries to start the season (such as new CB signing Doria, a huge Brazilian talent) and that’s seen them reaching into the reserves for extra depth. Hence Bill Tuiloma found himself last week on the bench for the first team, his maiden tracksuit and pine experience. He didn’t get on the park and most recently has seen himself miss selection (though he was still in the extended squad) for the win over Rennes. It’s a long shot at this stage in his development to think he can nail down a first team spot at a side currently an early favourite for Champions League qualification. But it’s definitely a Watch This Space situation.